Get your DVRs ready game show fans, the game show diginet BUZZR will be showing in prime time the week of September 11 game shows that haven't been seen in many years. Here's the week's lineup.
On Monday the 11th, there will be three shows that were hosted by Gene Rayburn. The first is Make the Connection, a panel game from 1955 that was originally hosted by a man who would later go on to host ABC's Wide World of Sports, Jim McKay. It's followed by the only kids game show Mark Goodson and Bill Todman produced titled Choose Up Sides and the 1962 pilot for the original Match Game.
On Tuesday, the 12th, go back to the 80s as Tom Kennedy hosts what would be his last game show Wordplay. The show was somewhat of an updated version of a game show that was also rarely seen since it aired in syndication in the mid 60s Oh My Word. It's followed by Mark Goodson's first quiz show since Blockbusters left the air in 1982 Trivia Trap. Hosted by Bob Eubanks, the show featured a team of three players under 30 (The Juniors) and a team of three over 30 (The Seniors). The same configurations were used on the short lived ABC prime time game show The Generation Gap which was Jack Barry's first network show since he was blacklisted due to the quiz show scandals.
Wednesday, the 13th is the pilot for a show titled Missing Links. The show would first run on NBC with Ed McMahon hosting. When NBC cancelled it to make room for a show that would eventually become a classic Jeopardy, ABC picked it up with a new host, Dick Clark. Both would team up in 1984 to host TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes. Missing Links would also be the first game show to have Nipsey Russell on the panel and he deliver his poems each day that would become his trademark as "The Poet Laureate of Television. Also airing that night is the first Goodson-Todman game show Winner Take All that was the first for Bill Cullen and the rarely seen pilot for a show from 1955 Play for Keeps.
Now to Thursday, the 14th that leads off with a show that less a game show and more a reality show as Richard Simmons' Dream Maker fulfills the dreams of everyday people such as a young boy meeting Jay Leno. Then comes a couple of unsold pilots starting with Body Talk that's hosted by Vicki Lawrence. It's Goodson's third attempt at a charades format. The first two were Showoffs and Body Language. Wrapping up the evening is Star Words with Russell hosting.
Concluding the week on Friday, the 14th is the 1951 pilot for the panel show It's News to Me. Originally hosted by John Daly of What's My Line, he would be replaced in 1954 by a newscaster who would later become "The Most Trusted Man in America" Walter Cronkite. Next is a variation on To Tell the Truth titled Play Your Hunch that was also Merv Griffin's maiden voyage into the world of game shows. He later went on to create the classics Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. And speaking of To Tell the Truth, BUZZR is showing the original pilot that was hosted by Mike Wallace and titled Nothing But the Truth. Wallace would join 60 Minutes when the newsmagazine debuted in 1968 and his chair would be filled by veteran host Bud Collyer.
So that's this week's lineup of rarities. Enjoy these game show gems.
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