Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982?

I especially loved all the guest celebrities they had on the show. Fannie and Betty were among my favorites.

He replaced Dick Van Dyke in the original Broadway prod. of "Bye Bye, Birdie". He had training as an Opera singer then switched to popular music.

R2 interesting.

Brett and Charles made no bones about how they were always sloshed during taping.

Most DLers would have been in their seventies when Match Game aired, so you might not get much out of this ask.

R5, math wasn’t your best subject, was it? 1982 was 41 years ago.

You're embarrassing yourself, R6, but assume you're used to that.

R7, there have been many Match Game threads. It is remembered widely.

Still grasping the obvious, R8. Yes, dear.

Blocking you now, R8. Gone with the Wind: You must be firm with inferiors but you must be gentle with them. It's best this way. Have a great day enjoying the simple things.

WHOOOOOOOSSSSHHHHHH!!!!!

How'd this go south so fast?

I enjoy the reruns when I’m in the mood.

How about when you're in the nude?

A week's worth of shows were taped in one day, and they drank the whole time. By the time they got to the Thursday show the whole panel was absolutely sloshed.

Loved Brett Somers!

Brett Somers was IT.

yeah, Brett Summers used to regularly fuck Gene Rayburn with that ridiculously long microphone

WOMP doo doo doo doo doo doo WOMP doo doo doo doo doo

I like to think the set's orange color really added to the show's humor and ambiance. Not to mention the low-quality 1970s videotape. 100 years from now that show will retain the same video quality and aesthetic.

Great compilation of a running gag of Brett vs. the buzzer. She's clearly drunk in the first three clips but Betty White has the best Brett putdown early on.

The hissy fit Richard Dawson threw during his last year or two was just obnoxious. Refused to laugh, smile or engage. Only put in effort when it came time for the one-on-one question the contestants usually chose him for which I guess was also a source of resentment with his co-stars. I understand he wanted out because he had become the star of Family Feud but imagine the two hefty salaries he was pulling in between Family Feud and Match Game. I would have milked both easy jobs for as long as possible.

I cannot think of Gene Rayburn without thinking of a Datalounger's noxious description of entering an airplane restroom Gene had just vacated on a cross-country flight and gagging on the smells.

Gene took a dump that was so foul, the stewardess offered him BLANK instead of peanuts?

I know the head writer of the show. Great guy. His husband was an artist at Mad Magazine. The writer only has good things to say about Match Game. He loved Brett Sommers, and said she was a BLANK.

These had to have been dream jobs hosting game shows. I found Gene Rayburn tobe oddly creepy looking. Dawson came off as snarkish and full of himself. Brett Somers was great. How did she get this gig?

Brett got the gig cause her ex husband (Odd Couples Jack Klugman) was asked to do it but couldn’t commit so he said she would be perfect for it, he was right. The cast was phenomenal. Always a party on set , drinking and smoking and constantly ribbing each other! Gene INVENTED that style microphone. Charles was in vaudeville , hails from Hartford Connecticut. Brett ended up living in southern Connecticut when she died.

I should have said I loved the combo of Brett and Charles they made the show.

Richard appeared to be a huge spoiled brat. I love it when they created the winning wheel. Richard was no longer in the spotlight and getting all of the attention. I hate it how Richard pursed his lips while writing the winning answers. Richard appeared desperate with the women contestants and literally propositioned them while filming. I hated how Gene kissed Richard’s butt. Ok, I am done bitching.

R25 did he share any behind the scenes gossip that you are comfortable sharing?

I absolutely hated Alec’s hosting of the new MG. Nobody could ever fill GR’s shoes. Gene was phenomenal and had just the right personality. Even when he was literally insulting a contestant by their stupidity he did it without causing them to be triggered.

This is the quintessential DL thread and gives me hope for DL's future, which, of late, has seemed in growing peril.

Brett got her start because Klugman did wife jokes about her incessantly. They had Brett on as equal time and the rest is history.

She had a very unimpressive resume. I think she would have been a great Vera in Mame.

R29 I absolutely loved watching Bob Eubanks. My parents never seemed to like him. My parents told me he was very opinionated and controversial in his beliefs. I never knew what that meant? My parents were very opinionated and would try to influence who we liked or watched on TV. I still liked Bob.

R30 thank you. I wondered how Brett got her start on MG. I used to love her side comments about Jack Klugman.

Gene could get a little handsy with the female contestants and panelists, and it’s pretty cringey by today’s standards.

Even as a kid Bob Eubanks seemed skeevy to me.

"In the butt Bob."

R31, I really don't want to pop your Bob Eubanks bubble, but your parents were right! Eubanks appeared briefly in Michael Moore's Roger and Me, where he made an anti-semitic joke and generally came across as a world-class prick.

It sounds like you and your spouse lead very exciting, fascinating lives, OP.

Bob Eubanks was hilarious, so cheesy and otherworldly, and yes clearly also a bit of a prick.

R35 no, no it’s completely fine. It is good for me to know, plus I am curious. That’s gossip is pretty sad. Anything else?

R36 lmao, well the most important thing is we are happy and enjoy each others company. We’ve been together 25 years. I am truly blessed waking up to a beautiful man who maybe is not perfect or as exciting as he once was, but he is perfect in my eyes. I am beyond content.

Thanks R27. I'd forgotten she was Klugman's wife.

Yes R30, perfect Vera!. I think it's the inflection + voice.

Great thread OP!

I always got the sense that Gene was gay.

I still enjoy watching MG and I enjoy the different personalities of the panelists, even Richard Dawson. Whenever I watch it now, it's weird but, it makes me feel better. I guess it just takes me back to a less complicated time.

R41 I never got a gay vibe. Never.

R43 me neither

Brett and Charles disliked Richard and his diva attitude. Brett said they used to cheer backstage when Richard lost the bonus round for the contestant. Richard really wasn't that much better at the game than the other regulars, but he got the reputation as the best player pretty early on.

Once Richard's place as the star panelist was solidified, he nagged Mark Goodson incessantly to give him his own show to host. He didn't fit any of the games they created for several years, and finally they decided to create a show specifically for him and his talent at the audience survey just to shut him up. So Family Feud was born. Once the Feud overtook Match Game to become the #1 daytime show, Richard became insufferable.

[quote] Not to mention the low-quality 1970s videotape.

R20 On the 480i SD TVs of that time, it looked good to me. Unlike filmed TV shows that had ample resolution to be digitized in HD, videotaped shows could only be artificially unconverted (if at all) during digitization, which rarely looks very good to me. Several DL posters have lamented that issue with regard to “The Golden Girls” episodes, which were all videotaped.

[quote] Whenever I watch it now, it's weird but, it makes me feel better.

R42 Same here. It’s funny and distracting. I feel the same way about another DL favorite, “What’s My Line.” Goodson and Todman had a great track record for creating game shows that were enjoyable.

I wonder if CNR always took off his shoes during the show. I remember him holding up his bare feet a few times. It was a running joke between him and Brett. Did he have a legit shoe aversion? Did the other panelists have to smell his stanky feet all the time?

Back in the days of network radio, Gene used to host weekend Monitor on NBC. Had a great voice and a calm demeanor, unlike his MG persona. Indeed, my recollection is that he started out pretty calm on MG and only adopted that more active persona later.

As a kid in the 70s, I enjoyed Match Game and the outrageous antics of its celebrities. But looking back, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly now remind me of an older Will & Grace, they'd bicker and banter with wit and charm, and you can feel their affection for each other. :-)

This is a bit of a tangent but is totally true. We lived in Miami during the MG years. My mother had dropped off a bunch of her clothing at a consignment shop. They sold a bunch of the items and mentioned a celebrity bought a lot of them. I forget the name of who bought her stuff. Anyway, that same year I saw that celebrity on MG wearing my mothers top! I thought it was the closest to fame I’ve ever been. I remember calling her at work with this big news! The top was a light blue ribbed sweater with a small logo, maybe “ap” in the middle, if any of you see it.

Loved Brett as Oscars ex wife Blanche on Odd Couple. She always came across as a gentler version of Bea Arthur.

Let’s hope R51’s mom was a switchboard operator so he didn’t waste a dime on that telephone call.

[QUOTE] Even when he was literally insulting a contestant by their stupidity he did it without causing them to be triggered.

Oh honey, no. That was on account of everyone on set flying high on quaaludes and the MaryJane. I know, I was there. I constantly had to fight off Brett who wanted to lick me clean like I was a fudge tin at a fatty's birthday party!

Poor Alec, the contestants could never feel at ease what with him waiving a pistol around all the time.

R20 - I feel the exact thing about 'The Gong Show".

"I think she would have been a great Vera in Mame"

R30 - Brett could have played Vera in 'Vera". Brett has a rather good actress and never really got credit for it. Brett became famous for playing Brett.

R25, who was the MAD Magazine artist? I remember so many of their names.

Wait a sec, I just looked up writing credits for Match Game and saw that Dick DeBartolo was a writer. He's the MAD legend himself.

simply my favorite show form the seventies.

Loved that show. Remember Patty Deutsch (sp)? Was Carol Wayne ever on Match Game? She was an absurd caricature of the bubble headed dumb blonde and I remember her from Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. And R39, y'all sound plenty fun to me. Finding life's simple pleasures is that it is all about. Best wishes to you and your partner and congrats on 25 years.

R6 is so dumb that, when she ran out of line, she used ___ BLANK.

R30, Brett played Vera Charles. On Match Game!

It's interesting that you enjoy Gene Rayburn, OP, because I like watching the show and am constantly wondering how he got the gig. To me, he is the weakest link. He's too often creepy and, Lord knows, he has a face for the radio.

Stella Stephens is the worst panelist; she pretty much sexually assaulted an attractive male guest on one show. I also hate Joyce Boulifant.

I sometimes enjoy looking up the contestants with unique-enough names to see what happened to them. One recent good-looking guy who was a pilot ended up getting murdered by the side of the road several years ago. I also check out many of the now lesser known panelists to see how they turned out. That one actress from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Debralee Scott, drank herself to an early death at age 52 after having a fiancé who was a policeman killed on 9/11.

Brett Somers played in an episode of The Fugitive, in which she plays a housemother in an orphanage. So, imagine Brett Somers being your housemother if you were an orphan. Anyway, here's the episode description:

[Quote]When robbers shoot a civilian and a policeman, Kimble's nearby, so he hides in an orphanage's station wagon to get away from the dragnet. Two orphans he met beforehand promise they'll alibi him, but Sean Dubose, another state ward, plans to use Kimble in his own escape - fearing he'll be shipped to an Illinois juvenile prison soon. Sean's embittered from being abandoned by his alcoholic uncle, after Sean's parents' deaths. Kimble is torn between an immediate, but risky daylight escape, or helping the troublesome boy.

And these are the starts of her major scenes: 5:13, 17:16, 28:21, and 38:39.

[quote]So, imagine Brett Somers being your housemother if you were an orphan.

I can think of worse situations.

Brett Somers IS Miss Hannigan!

Brett as Rose.

I adore her

R64 I love hearing about Brett. We had no idea she even was an actress. I love the information and the link.

R54 lmao

R63, I've done that, too, sometimes! There was a contestant who was a "lady wrestler," and I managed to find some little bits of information. I'm not sure if she was dead and an obit was one of them.

R63 I would admit Gene is sometimes very Creepy. We are mostly impressed with Gene’s intelligence.

We look up some of the contestants too. There was a male contestant who was a song writer. He said he planned to make it big and someday would be a panelist on MG. Uhm no, he never made it big or was a panelist on MG.

I heard there was a glory hole between door #1 & door#2, that was very well frequented

R73 seriously? Love it.

[quote] [R25], who was the MAD Magazine artist? I remember so many of their names.

Dennis Wunderlin, R57.

Interesting! I don't know that name, and I didn't know DeBartolo was gay!

They are a very cute couple!

I was just reading some of his blog, via a citation in Wikipedia, and it sure seems so! Dick sounds funny in real life (the blog vs MAD), too.

Brett said of Charles, "For all the years I've known him, he's never called me by my name. He calls me either 'Her' or 'Susan'."

Brett was the defacto "hostess" on "Match Game" - she tried to make all the guest panelist feel welcome and kept the party going.

Brett also had an impressive career as a character actress - she played an angry mother in the 1965 movie "A Rage to Live", who caught Suzanne Pleshette having BLANK with her son in the family rumpus room - it's quite an impressive scene and a fun, campy movie if you never seen it.

Brett also played Rhoda's Aunt Rose on an episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in a episode where Mary accompanied Rhoda to New York for her sister Debbie's wedding - Debbie was a sister who later disappeared never to be mentioned again...

There was a blog that I read several years ago by a guy who was a producer on The Proce is Right. He was very dishy about what a nightmare it was to find a replacement for Bob Barker. This producer - even years after the fact had his panties in a twist about the fact Drew Carey didn’t give a flying F about learnt “the games.” it was a funny read. BUT - he worked for a while on Match Game and he didn’t like Gene Rayburn. he said he would hit on women at the show or that he met on the airplane and chest on his wife. This guy’s blog was formatted in a weird way and I couldn’t get the next page and then I couldn’t find it again ….

Cheat^ on his wife

R80 & R81 thanks I loved reading your post.

The writers were very funny — it’s the only gameshow that’s made me laugh out loud. The questions were quite racy for their time.

R63 - Why the hate of Joyce Boulifant? She got around! She married FIVE times - including Elizabeth Montgomery and Jo Anne Worley's husbands.

Jo Ann Pflug and Elaine Joyce were fan favorites too.

All three ladies are still alive.

Brett said in an interview that Elaine Joyce didn't like her or the other regulars very much, and Brett never could figure out why...

Who the fuck wouldn't like Brett? crazy.

[quote] Anyway, that same year I saw that celebrity on MG wearing my mothers top! I thought it was the closest to fame I’ve ever been.

That Alejandro Rey! How he loved wearing women's clothes.

Brett also said, she knew her "Match Game" was one of the best jobs in Hollywood.

She said they typically filmed 5 shows in a day - they'd film 3 shows then take a dinner break, during which they often drank wine or other adult beverages. That's why the shows aired on "Thursday" and "Friday" were often looser and a little bawdier than the shows filmed earlier in the day.

Brett also said during her years on the show that she bought lots of blouses, because she was generally only seen from the waist up. She said she could remember going into a clothing store, finding a blouse she liked, and buying it in multiple colors.

R86 you could definitely tell who BS & CNR did not particularly like and sometimes they were vocal with their sarcastic remarks. I never thought Brett liked Elaine Joyce. Sometimes, it appeared that Elaine Joyce thought she was just too damn cute.

It is so funny how CNR always (not always) criticized Brett for looking at his answers. However, you can clearly see CNR sneaking a peek at Brett’s answers. So funny.

[quote] Why the hate of Joyce Boulifant? She got around! She married FIVE times - including Elizabeth Montgomery and Jo Anne Worley's husbands.

She married Elizabeth Montgomery? That must be one of the best kept lesbian secrets in Hollywood.

R89 I wonder what the celebrities were paid?

Today on "The Love Boat" (MeTV+):

The Hudson Brothers

Nicholas Hammond

Johnny Yune

Hayley Mills

Ethel Merman ... and

GENE RAYBURN!

I hope someone can find the interviews Brett did about her "Match Game" period and link them here...

Brett comes across as bright, funny, and really caring.

Brett and Charles were really good friends - Brett said that she and Charles enjoyed each other so much that they'd often go out to a restaurant ( in which Charles had an ownership interest) even after a long day of filming.

[quote]Johnny Yune

Call me crazy, r93, but I'm going to guess he's paired up with Momo Yashima.

Awww, Ethel gets a nice tearful scene.

R93 I loved that episode.

I also love the stripper episode. How risqué for that time. The stripper eyes look absolutely insane while he is dancing. My favorite part is when the Captain catches the stripper’s pants and smells them (around the 2:46 mark). I am a child of the 80’s I watched LB and Fantasy Island every Saturday. I used to practically go insane with the to be continued shows… waiting a week was just too stressful for me.

R91 - you fucking grammar nazi - you take all the fun out of this.

No, R98, your over-the-top screech takes all the fun out of "this."

And being an illiterate ("This" used as a demonstrative pronoun, a lazy construction, leads to ambiguity. Oh, dear.) is nothing you need to feel ashamed of. (See? Nothing is wrong with prepositions at the end of sentences.) But lashing out at people who are light-heartedly snapping a finger in our friendly DL way while using the word "nazi" (Oh, dear.) suggests the need for counseling. You sound like an unhappy woman.

Fun thread! Love The old Match Game still is great fun, and often weird and unsettling, too, since one always senses frictions and attitudes among the celebrities that never quite reaches the visible.

[quote]I also hate Joyce Boulifant.

That makes two of us.

(It's spelled Bulifant.)

[quote]I also hate Joyce Boulifant.

[quote]That makes two of us.

Let's make that "three" of us...

Here's one documentary, where Gene, Brett, Betty, and others share some nice memories of "Match Game"...

On the topic of using the word "boobs", Charles said,

"I am an actor from legitimate theatre, so I chose 'bust'."

As Brett said of the craft services on "Match Game",

"The food wasn't bad, and the vodka wasn't either!"

Brett with a bob

Charles called Brett "Susan" - his pet name for her.

As Brett said, "It was the best job I ever had in this business."

Any gossip about Richard Dawson?

R76, they are great guys!

A lengthy Broadway resume...

Charles and Brett made the show.

I think a lot of the dislike for Joyce Bulifant came from the fact that she spent a better part of the 1970s at parties pooping in the handbags of most of the matrons in Beverly Hills.

R110 shoot, I tried to watch your link and it stated unavailable.

R110

Go on…

[quote] simply my favorite show form the seventies.

God will get you for that.

Elaine Joyce was considered a major cunt...for reasons that are well known to her.

R112 click on "Watch on YouTube" or search Beverly Hills Brett on YouTube. It's an incredible example of Charles' comic genius.

R99 What a douche bag you are. Seriously fuck off with the attitude. You take the fucking oxygen out of the room every time you open your mouth.

R115 Ohhhhh Mary! Elaine Joyce was a ray of sunshine on every show. She has a marriage pedigree that rivals Bulifant.

R118 now that is seriously funny. I love your moniker.

Re: Richard Dawson. He got a major case of Swelled Head while appearing on Match Game. Partially due to becoming the host of Family Feud, but even before then, contestants began choosing him to do the final match ALL the time.

It made sense, in a way, because Dawson was a good player, and he never used his answer for a laugh at the contestant's expense (looking at you, Patti Deutsch). But it became a bit of a drag. Eventually, the producers introduced the Star Wheel so that the panelists could all have a chance to do the final match, and that apparently pissed off Dawson.

He began just phoning it in until he could get out of his contract. He even took to hiding his face from the camera during the opening when Johnny Olsen tells us to "get ready to match the stars!" Pretty soon, Dawson could scuttle back to Family Feud where he was happy to be the star of the show and could kiss and fondle America's daughters with impunity.

Ethel Merman only agreed to appear on the show because she found Gene Rayburn attractive.

R91, And my James.

Random: Does anyone remember the movie where one scene takes place at a carnival game of chance, and the prize is a statuette of Gene Rayburn? Or am I having flashbacks?

You could learn a thing or two from Richard Dawson.... During vacation in Hawaii, his manager called up Family Feud (1976) producer, Howard Felsher and told him Dawson really wanted to have his contract reopened and would be mentally incapable after coming back from Hawaii to continue with the show unless the contract were reopened. Felsher advised Mark Goodson to not open the contract and if Dawson decided to quit the show, take the chance and let him quit because the show could stand on its own without him. However, the contract was reopened and Dawson received an enormous salary of over $2,000,000 a year.

The Great Evie - I wish she would have won more money.

Bret should have been cast as a sassier, boozier Mrs. Garrett on Facts of Life. She could really have taught those little bitches a thing or two about surviving in the real world.

R124 thanks for sharing. That was very informative. We need more behind the scenes information.

Wow. A Johnny Yune mention. I remember him being well known for a minute. I know he did some stand up on Carson a few times.

I happened to bump into "The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour" on Buzzr recently. I had forgotten about its very existence. It ran for only one season, from 1983 to 1984. Gene Rayburn hosted the Match Game segment. Brett Somers never appeared on this version, but Charles Nelson Reilly and Fannie Flagg made some appearances. The Hollywood Squares segment was hosted by Jon Bauman (Bowzer from Sha Na Na). Peter Marshall wasn't asked to return.

R125 I have to know more about that Evie. Was it nerves that made her appear so awkward and angry? I LOVED it when she said she had a husband and two kids and Richard says, "WRONG! Wrong answer, hon". That was the best part or the clip for me. Mainly I just wanted to haul off and slap Evie with all of my might. I'm just that way, I guess.

Loved Fannie Flagg.

This is interesting.

[quote] Loved Fannie Flagg.

Fannie on Candid Camera in 1964.

I used to adore TV Party, OP. I'm talking back in ye olden days, pre-YouTube. It was so exciting to me to see RealPlayer clips of shows from the past I'd never seen, or hadn't seen in many years!

Here's an interview with the young (back then) cue-card guy that Gene Rayburn sometimes talked to when he (Roger) messed something up during the taping. He gives some interesting behind-the-scenes information:

[quote]I got involved with Match Game because I worked on the pilot show…Mark Goodson did not hire new people to work on pilots…he used people working on other shows (after the show sold he would then hire people to staff the show). Since I was single and had a lot to time on my hands, I asked to work on Match Game…it taped on weekends and since the director was also the one working on Price, I realized there would never be a conflict of tapings.

[quote]My job on Match Game was cue cards on stage left (camera right). I would write the responses given by contestants and hold them up to remind Gene what the contestant said (not too difficult of a job!). I would also have to hold up the warning of “Must Match” to Gene to let him know when a positive match was critical for the contestant (that required concentration!) When they played the audience match, I would have to write down the three suggestions that the celebrities gave…I ran into problems here because there were words I couldn’t spell sometimes (“lingerie” and “lieutenant” were problems!) and Gene would make fun of me (which I didn’t mind because I usually got on camera during those moments.

[quote]I really enjoyed working on the show…I would actually look forward to it! The atmosphere on the set was one of ‘anything goes”…everyone seemed to have fun and nothing was ever taken too seriously. And it is true…the celebrities did drink during the dinner break and the last two shows of the day were always a little more wilder. Most of the antics did get on the air, because back in those days of television editing was never severe. Marc Breslow (the director) and Mark Goodson did not believe in creating an artificial game show where it had to be edited a certain way (as in today’s shows)…most everything was left in…occasionally a little bit had to be edited out for time restraints. Unfortunately, this editing rule changed during the last few years of the show…suddenly the producer (Ira Skutch) felt the chit chat and antics during the “writing” time had to be edited out and the game advanced. Personally, as a staff onlooker, I felt that the show was harmed by this and never really recovered.

[quote]Another thing I felt harmed the show badly was when Richard Dawson left. For whatever reason…the studio audience loved him…they would always respond to him far more than any other celebrity on the show. During the head to head match, the contestant almost always chose Richard. The other celebrities didn’t really like this and (I supposed) complained to the producer. Thus, the wheel was introduced. Richard did not like this and this is when the animosity between Richard and the producer began. Later, when Richard was a hit on Family Feud, was when he felt he could leave the show. This was another blow to the show…it was not the same without Richard.

[quote]The other thing that harmed the show was the introduction of lazy writing…the staff started recycling questions from the past which started to take away the fresh look of the show. I am a big believer in NOT repeating stuff…even though it is hard to write because one might think “everything has been done” there is always something new to write. Jay Wolpert on [The Price is Right] made me realize this when he said he didn’t want to repeat showcase. I remember telling him that everything had been done and I didn’t think anything new could be written. Well…he forced me into creating and thinking up new stuff (even though it was hard) and I learned a valuable lesson…there is always something new! Thus…editing, exiting of Richard, and lazy writing resulted in the cancellation of one of the biggest hits in daytime TV.

Here's what Roger said about Gene Rayburn:

[quote]I have mixed feelings about Gene…he was a hugely talened MC…clever, funny, and he knew exactly how to handle the celebrities. However, he really wasn’t that nice of a human being. He cheated on his wife (which was very well known at the time) he was extremely cheap ( in Hollywood, the standard practice of talent is to give gifts at Christmas time to show appreciation to the “little people” of their success…Gene never game the “little people” any gifts, and he was a little bit mean.

[quote]Once, we had a session after a taping where Gene had to do a whole bunch of promos for stations across the country. I had to write the cue cards and hold them up for him as he read the message. During one of the messages, Gene screwed up several time and he had to do it over and over…and then he blamed me for holding up the cards badly and because of that he couldn’t read them properly. Well, I didn’t like being blamed in front of a lot of people for his errors he couldn’tt admit to…so I shouted out “well, I guess there’s a reason these cards are called “idiot cards””…he didn’t like that very much (but he couldn’t have me fired because I was a favorite of Mark Goodson!) (historical note: until the sixties cue cards were not called “cue cards” they were called “idiot cards”).”

I agree that Gene Rayburn was very talented and knew exactly how to handle the celebrities. He always stopped talking when they started to tell a joke, and he helped them along when their timing was a little off. I like what Fannie Flagg said about him: "Gene was just the sweetest, silliest man...an adorable, flirty guy - always in a good mood and thrilled to have his job.” And a writer of a book about the show said, “He had great reflexes and was able to go with anything, no matter how out of the blue.”

Betty White on Richard Dawson: “He was the devil, but he was funny. His mind worked like a steel trap, but he wasn’t the happiest man in the world.”

Odd fact about Richard Dawson - Celebrity Net Worth lists his worth at the time of his death as $100,000. I know it’s not particularly reliable, but if that’s true - or even in the ballpark - where did all his money go? There must be a story there!

R139 $100,000 was quite a lot of money in those days. I would agree it’s not a ton of money after being a very successful MC of a game show, etc.

I think of Betty White as the Kevin Bacon of game shows. From the 1950s onwards she was a featured panelist along with countless other celebrities du jour, many of whom would have zero name recognition today.

$100K was *not* a lot of money in 2012 when he died. He was making $2M per year at FF per article linked upthread. Money was probably in trusts.

R142 oh I am sorry I forgot he died in 2012. For some reason I thought it was in the 80’s. True, that was not a lot of money.

Didn’t he turn into a recluse towards the end of his life?

Interesting that Richard Dawson mentioned a few times on the show that he didn't drink. I think I wondered on another thread if he stopped because he had a problem or he just never drank to begin with. He had been married to a party girl and was in that kind of social scene in England, which would be odd for a straight-laced person. In now thinking about it, my guess is that he did drink socially but stopped altogether when he began raising his two kids by himself, to provide a stable environment.

All the light and fun the resident illiterate has brought to the thread:

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? R63 - Why the hate of Joyce Boulifant? She got around! She married FIVE times - including Elizabeth Montgomery and Jo Anne Worley's husbands.

Jo Ann Pflug and Elaine Joyce were fan favorites too.

All three ladies are still alive.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? Who the fuck wouldn't like Brett? crazy.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? R91 - you fucking grammar nazi - you take all the fun out of this.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? R99 What a douche bag you are. Seriously fuck off with the attitude. You take the fucking oxygen out of the room every time you open your mouth.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? R115 Ohhhhh Mary! Elaine Joyce was a ray of sunshine on every show. She has a marriage pedigree that rivals Bulifant.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? You could learn a thing or two from Richard Dawson.... During vacation in Hawaii, his manager called up Family Feud (1976) producer, Howard Felsher and told him Dawson really wanted to have his contract reopened and would be mentally incapable after coming back from Hawaii to continue with the show unless the contract were reopened. Felsher advised Mark Goodson to not open the contract and if Dawson decided to quit the show, take the chance and let him quit because the show could stand on its own without him. However, the contract was reopened and Dawson received an enormous salary of over $2,000,000 a year.

Any Behind The Scenes Information About Match Game 1973 -1982? The Great Evie - I wish she would have won more money.

[quote] $100,000 was quite a lot of money in those days.

Dawson died in 2012. $100,000 in 2012 is the equivalent of $132,462.96 in 2023 dollars.

[quote] During the head to head match, the contestant almost always chose Richard. The other celebrities didn’t really like this and (I supposed) complained to the producer.

If I was a celebrity on the show, I wouldn't like the pressure of being the one the contestant chose. It's not like the selected celebrity got a cut of any winnings.

R145 - You're such a douche bag. lol Get a fucking life.

Did we touch a nerve R145? You useless, fat, balding, limp dick, old fuck. You've brought ZERO to the discussion other than criticizing other folks posts. Story of your life.

Now girls, girls, girls...

You're both fat!

As a kid, during summer breaks, I would watch the game shows, including Match Game.

Richard Dawson simply did give the best answers and didn't try to be funny at the contestant's expense. It's obvious why he always got picked.

Brett Summers and Jack Klugman seemed like an Odd Couple, more odd than Jack & Tony Randall. As an adult, watching The Odd Couple, Klugman and TR seem like a bickering gay couple.

Joyce Bulifant had multiple husbands, *all* were alcoholics. She could never figure out why she married so many alcoholics. What a dummy. I don't remember her on MG. I do remember her on MTM show. I hated her character (Marie Slaughter, wife of Murray Slaughter) and her high-pitched, whiny voice. Ugh.

R151 I complete agree with everything.

I hated Joyce’s character on MTM. I bet that’s why her appearance on the show was very minimal. After they used her once as his wife they probably thought we better keep her. She was always away on trips for any get together.

Do you remember Henry Winkler and John Ritter guest starring on MTM? Those episodes were two of my most favorite episodes. Also, when Ted’s wife, Georgette, had her baby. I never laughed so hard. Oh and also Chuckles the clown dying. Great show and stands the rest of time, IMHO.

R152, yeah, I remember Henry Winkler on the "Veal Prince Orloff" episode. He was Rhoda's +1 when Rhoda wasn't supposed to have a +1. That was a good episode.

Ritter was on one of the later season's episodes. MTM had jumped the shark, by then, IMO. I actually liked the interior of Mary's 2nd apartment (looked like Bob Newhart's apartment), but hated the exterior shots where it looked like an apartment project. Also, the later seasons / episodes, IMO, featured too much Georgette, plus Ted's personality got even cornier.

I'm in the camp of people who did not enjoy the Chuckles episode that much.

R153 the building they used as the exterior for Mary's second apartment actually is a housing project now, and apparently dilapidated and crime-ridden.

Meanwhile, the house they used for the exterior of the first place is worth a couple of million.

Mary's apartment building was nicknamed The Crack Stacks.

R155 holy shit!

I loved this…

R157 oops, I posted the wrong video. I was reviewing the video previously shared and found this. I copied the wrong link.

I had no idea Gene worked closely with CNR and Gene said hire CNR.

I like how they were all drunk and smoking on camera. Gotta love the 70s!

I don't know if this would count as gossip, OP, but Dawson was a major homophobe. He never let a chance go by to use the limp wrist and lisp act..

I know it was a different time, but he was really over the top with his "fairy" act.

If you watch enough of those shows, it's a startling window into a different time. Today they'd never get away with all their antics - especially the alarming sexist shit. Astonishing how they dealt with women contestants.

[quote]Today they'd never get away with all their antics - especially the alarming sexist shit. Astonishing how they dealt with women contestants.

Speaking of Richard Dawson. I'm pretty sure that, if he were hosting "Family Feud" today, he wouldn't be allowed to slip the tongue to all the female contestants.

R160, For years, he billed himself as Dickie Dawson, not Richard.

R160 I get that same feeling as you watching reruns. I never realized it as a kid.

[quote] when Richard Dawson left. For whatever reason…the studio audience loved him…they would always respond to him far more than any other celebrity on the show.

Because he loved them and they loved him

R164 Richard’s departure is explained in R158. The seat assignments were also explained which, to me, were very obvious why certain folks were chosen.

Brett Somers was the ultimate faghag.

[quote] Betty White on Richard Dawson: “He was the devil, but he was funny. His mind worked like a steel trap, but he wasn’t the happiest man in the world.”

This quote is interesting. I always thought Richard was brilliant - and quick about it. But also had a dark side - so he was "the devil"? I think he was pretty cruel with wife Diana Dors - taking the boys from her, but I don't know the details, just that somewhere I got the idea he was an asshole to her.

R166, how many gay men did she marry?

R167 I absolutely adored Betty White, words cannot express my adoration, but I always thought she could be feisty and fierce in a nonchalant manner. I think she would speak up, but it would be sarcastic. She wasn’t always so sugary sweet.

Nothing anyone says can change my love for her.

Thoughts?

R169 Maybe she just meant he was upset and probably hard to deal with those last years on Match Game when he didn't want to be there - something like that.

But I always sensed a rage inside Richard (before I ever read Betty's remark) so I was just intrigued by the words she used.

Yeah, I love Betty - another one who was sharp as a tack. And loved her furry friends! I suspect there were many layers to her that we'll never have an inkling about, but what a dame!

I have one Charles Nelson Rielly story but it is a good one. Charles hated kids, He was on flight from LA to NYC in first class. This little girl was running up and down the aisles causing havoc. This was very very pre 9-11. Charles finally got fed up and grabbed the girl and stood up dragging her to coach. "Who's child is this?" he yelled. A meek mother raised her hand and he brought her down handed the little darling to her and said "If you don't keep her in her seat I am going to fuck her." and he returned to first class. The little girl never ran up and down the rows again,

R171 omg! Thank you for sharing. Wow!

CNR was very vocal about his dislike for children so I believe your story.

R171, sorry but that's a Paul Lynde story. I understand why you'd get the two confused but Lynde was a mean drunk and CNR was a gentleman.

R173, oh, Paul Lynde now that’s way more believable. My husband and I were just talking about CNR being so sweet. But sometimes when pushed sweet people can say or do anything.

R169, There was an annoying phoniness about Betty that rubbed some the wrong way.

Bea referring to Betty as a cunt was a feeling held true by others unwilling to admit it publicly.

I always figured Alan and Betty were swingers. They just seemed the type for such duality.

The Luddens favorite color was lavender.

R176 Betty never seemed to age. Valerie Bertinelli just did a cooking show to honor Betty. She said Betty loved Red Licorice and lemon vodka. Valerie is not my favorite but I watched because it was all about Betty. RIP

R109 is such a delightful bitch!

xxx

This thread died too soon! Are there any more Match Game stories?

R178 - Jennifer Love Hewitt told an amusing story about getting drunk with Betty.

Brett and Charles, along with Gene, really carried the show. Richard was great in his early years until his ego got the better of him. And Betty White was always a plus during her times there.

The fourth seat always seemed to have a wide eyed innocent or total flake.

But with Brett and Charles - and maybe Betty if she was around - they could riff on 30 seconds of a joke and make it last for 3 minutes.

[quote] Celebrity Net Worth lists his worth

Celebrity Net Worth has about as much credibility as CDAN.

My favorite running gag was when they would make fun of Brett. Especially if she were the question. Plus when she would fight with the buzzer guy.

Didn’t Roz Kelly do a few episodes of this? I swear I saw her once. She cracked a joke and nobody laughed.

They would be on egg shells when Patty Duke was on.

There's a week or two of the 1990 Match Game where Brett and Charles are in their usual spots. Brett makes a bad answer and Charles says, "If this is a comeback I'd rethink it" and goes on and on. It's quite funny.

Patti Deutsch was the queen of Nobody Laughed.

[quote] [R169], There was an annoying phoniness about Betty that rubbed some the wrong way.

That was why she was so brilliant as Sue Ann. They more or less wrote the role for her.

I've seen this clip at least 50 times over the years and it still makes me laugh out loud. You might have to put on headphones to catch the chatter over the audience shouting.

cukoo fran and ollie

R190 that clip is also hilarious because Wesley Eure (noted homosex aficionado) is trying to kiss Brett. LOL

I know she's a lez but didn't when I first watched it. But they had some really hot male gym teacher on and him and Fannie had a funny little romance type gag that ran for a few days. It was pretty funny. My dad loved Fannie and Adrienne Barbeau. He thought they both had the perfect set of tits.

Richard Dawson was at his best in the 1966 feature film "Munster, go home"

R193 Fannie did have a great set of knockers…I can vouch for that…

For some reason I didn’t like Brett Somers…she was like Arlene Francis or Kitty Carlisle…without the class.

R196, couldn’t agree more. She uses tablecloths for curtains!

Yay! I’m glad I finally came across this thread.

I watched a whole string of episodes with a family friend (an older straight man that’s like a second father to me) at his house recently. He’s at the start of Generation X while I happen to be the tail end of the millennial generation. We even saw the very first few episodes before the show eventually found its footing with Brett, Charles, and Richard behind the buzzers.

I found it fascinating and interesting that the first winner of “Match Game” was actually a black woman named Stanley. She explained earlier on that she was named after the Bette Davis character in “In This Our Life.” It’s funny that the woman that later beat Stanley was actually a woman named Gary. Gary and Stanley competed with each other at one point earlier on in the run on “Match Game” - and they were both women.

Watching “Match Game” now in 2023 brings me back to childhood when I would watch reruns on GSN with my dad while he was still alive. Now that I’m a lot older, I pick up a lot more on the adult humor, innuendo, and pop culture references that went way over my head when I was younger.

Also, when my family friend and I were watching recent reruns of “Match Game” from 1978, Tab Hunter was a guest panelist for a set of episodes. I already knew who he was, but I fell in love watching this man. (He’s dead now, I know.) I kept mentioning to my family friend how much I really wanted this man. Tab was 40-something at the time the episodes were filmed and I wanted to marry him even though I’m a 29 year old gay millennial living in 2023. It would have been the only motivation and reason to live in the 1970s - to hook up with Tab Hunter.

I hated when Gary Burghoff was on. He seemed like such a bitter, little hobbit. Plus he was on at the height of MASH and thought he was so much better than the other D listers.

[quote]For some reason I didn’t like Brett Somers…she was like Arlene Francis or Kitty Carlisle…without the class.

Not a favorite of mine, either. It's an understatement to say that she lacked class. She was aggressively crass, which means she was absolutely nothing like Arlene Francis or Kitty Carlisle. But the main thing that bothered me about Brett was that she was such an attention whore, trying to steal focus at every opportunity.

R200, I hated that she really didn't play the game. She came up with aggressively stupid answers, which is ironic because others, like Joyce Builifant and Elaine Joyce were considered airheads.

I really liked Brett. I remember watching with my parents. My father especially. He had to be the shows biggest fans. Him and my mom loved Brett. Especially when Charles was on. I thought they had good chemistry.

Fannie Flagg’s shirts were hilarious. She’s so delightful.

R202, I jokingly posted R197. Anyone with a brain understood that Brett and Charles were the magic sauce which made this show work.

R200=Joanne Forbes

Madlyn Rhue was giving Richard hand dandies under the table.

Did anyone ever see Dick Cavett on the $10,000 Pyramid? Talk about sloooow and not understanding the point of the game.

An old woman's breasts.

Madelyn Rhue must’ve been well liked by Hollywood because they had fundraisers for her when she was diagnosed with MS.

[quote]Anyone with a brain understood that Brett and Charles were the magic sauce which made this show work.

"Match Game" really wasn't a show for people with brains.

Brett also had a rather hard looking face. Not unlike that of Terrence Stamp in PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT.

I watched the clip of Evie and I didn’t find her endearing. Though “shy”, she reminded me a little of Penny Marshall.

“Not a favorite of mine, either. It's an understatement to say that she lacked class. She was aggressively crass, which means she was absolutely nothing like Arlene Francis or Kitty Carlisle. But the main thing that bothered me about Brett was that she was such an attention whore, trying to steal focus at every opportunity.”

Gene: Ethel Merman Brett: Curtain up! Ethel: SHUT up!

Fannie and the hot gym teacher.

R214, With Ethel Merman also on the panel. Friends told her biographer that Ethel only agreed to be on the show because she had a crush on Gene Rayburn.

Who the hell gets a crush on Gene Rayburn?

FUN FACT:

Fannie Flagg’s birth name was Patricia Neal.

r203 Including a tribute to Bonnie Franklin's fried-egg titties!

The gym teacher was cool. He was actually going to kiss Charles too but Gene pulled him away. I love Fannie. Always a good sport. Maybe never A list but will say B+ list. She's one of the few celebrities I can say that no matter what she did I always enjoyed seeing her.

R137 I loved Fannie’s verbiage. That is exactly how I, as a viewer, saw Gene. He seemed to really love his job. He was such a fun man and was an impeccable dresser, which he definitely was proud of his suits. He was not the most handsome man, but his demeanor made him cute to me.

I loved when he went to China and kept talking about his trip. The stars would give him a hard time, “oh, so didn’t you go to China?” Or roll their eyes when he spoke of his trip. He was such a good sport.

R186 why? What’s the story about Patty Duke? I know she was bipolar but do you have any stories to share?

R199 Gary suffered from Tina Louise Syndrome.

R188 I absolutely hated Patty and her damn face she made when being introduced in the beginning. She always portrayed a “Debbie Downer” persona. I’m not sure if that was her comedy gig or she was she really a down in the dumps person. I hate when she is on in the reruns.

R199 & r222 I believe Gary got in trouble by Ira. There are a few episodes where Gary is literally out of control and trying to get too much attention. Gene even says (something like) remember what Ira said… I think Gene did not care for Gary. Especially Hefner Gary dumped the garbage can all over the set. The stars were shocked and Gene was appalled at Gary’s unprofessionalism, IMHO.

R190 yes, I heard him yell shit. Sorry for all my posts. I am just now finally reading and replying to everyones brilliant posts. Thank you all.

Nobody cared for Gary.

R198 I could not agree more about Tab. Did you watch Tab’s biography entitled, “Tab Hunter Confidential” it was fascinating about him being a gay man in Hollywood. Prior to his death he is on the biography giving insight on what it was like to be a gay man in Hollywood. RIP

R227 Thanks for replying! Sadly, I have not watched it. I will need to at some point. I know I should. Thank you for the recommendation! It deserves a viewing.

Tab Hunter was an extremely attractive man even when he was older. I loved that he kept and sustained his looks even into his golden years. He also seemed like an extremely pleasant man that I would’ve loved to have had as a husband if he ever turned my way. I would’ve run for him at the drop of a hat even during his time on the show. But again, I also am attracted to older men, so that may have something to do with it.

Hopefully, he’s reunited with Anthony Perkins and Divine by now.

I'm surprised at the walking on eggshells with Patty Duke. I don't know how her diagnosis and treatment line up with dates and her appearances - I'd have to go back to her book - but she couldn't have been THAT bad because she was frequently on Password, Password Plus, and $10,000 Pyramid. She was smart as a whip and so very good at playing all those games. I'm guessing she wasn't all that bad to deal with because she was constantly on all those game shows, including Match Game.

She was particularly good at Alphabetics on Super Password, and $10,000 Pyramid.

If she was that hard to work with, they would have stopped booking her. Maybe it's time to read her books again for an answer.

I’ve seen Patty Deutsch on Match Game, but not Patty Duke. Patty Deutsch was in seat # 6 and could be counted on to create answers which she thought were hysterical, but which always screwed the player.

It was sad because contestants often really needed seat #6 to match and when they realized Deutsch was the celebrity, you could almost see the look of abject resignation on their face.

R231, ITA

I watched an episode recently where the OBVIOUS second round answer was “Mosquito,” (so Gene could do his Count Dracula impression.) The contestant wanted SO MUCH to win, but had to match all six (the contestants were tied 0-0 after the first round.)

They got to Patti Deutsch and her answer was “TICK.”

She obviously wanted to be a spoiler, and they then went to a third round and the poor schmo lost.

I usually thought she was pretty funny, but she (along with Gary Burghoff) were NOT interested in seeing people win. Only in their own weird answers.

The sixth seat was so tricky.

Fannie Flagg and Marcia Wallace were pretty reliable, but even Betty White could throw a wrench in the works, trying to be “witty.”

And NO ONE was a worse player than Joan Collins in seat #4, sporting a Farrah Fawcett hairdo. She didn’t understand the game AT ALL. Eva Gabor was barely better, but at least she was charming.

A very young Kate Jackson was on. She was gorgeous. Poor Mary Wickes. I don't think she ever got a match. She was always so out of place. Even worse than Gary was that fucking Kaye Stevens. No one knew who she was, she couldn't get a match, wouldn't ever shut up, and cackled more than Hillary Clinton.

Here's a list o those who appeared. Pretty impressive.

R233, At one time, Kaye Stevens was fucking Joe Namath when he was HOT.

[quote]Friends told her biographer that Ethel only agreed to be on the show because she had a crush on Gene Rayburn.

[quote]Who the hell gets a crush on Gene Rayburn?

Who the hell up and marries Ernest Borgnine?

Kaye Stevens, she of the 'nails on chalkboard' cackle, was married three times, at least one lasting less than a year.

She had the serious hots for Dickie Dawson, and if she ever had any self awareness, should have been embarrassed about her hi-jinks towards Dickie. I don't even like Dickie - actually, dislike him - but even I was embarrassed for him when she would slobber all over him.

But the best part of her history is..........she died in The Villages, Florida.

R236, And, there’s this . . .

“Kaye Stevens appeared on daytime beginning in 1974 as Jeri Clayton on Days of our Lives.“

R236 why’s this the best part?

It's been said before but Richard Dawson was funny but he gave the right answers. That's why he became so popular. Deutsch tried to be funny but almost always wasn't. If she tried to give the best answers and created more with her personality after she revealed her responses, she would have been more tolerable.

Is this DL Heaven? Both Bonnie Franklin and Patty Deutsch on the bottom row.

Kaye will show you *all*!

R238

Are you familiar with The Villages? Says more about her than anything we could conjure up.

Sort of like a final humiliation.

(I have R237 blocked so I don't know what that contribution might have been re: Stevens or The Villages, if it did.)

R222 oops I meant to WW you and I accidentally FF’d you. Sorry!

R241 this is what his post said sorry I am too lazy to make it in DL quote mode.

“Kaye Stevens, she of the 'nails on chalkboard' cackle, was married three times, at least one lasting less than a year.

She had the serious hots for Dickie Dawson, and if she ever had any self awareness, should have been embarrassed about her hi-jinks towards Dickie. I don't even like Dickie - actually, dislike him - but even I was embarrassed for him when she would slobber all over him.

But the best part of her history is..........she died in The Villages, Florida.”