Hollywood Squares
Encyclopedia
Hollywood Squares is an American
panel
game show
in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe
to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity (or "star") seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The stars are asked questions and the contestants judge the veracity of their answers in order to win the game.
Although Hollywood Squares was a legitimate game show, the game largely acted as the background for the show's comedy in the form of joke answers, often given by the stars prior to their "real" answer. The show's writers usually supplied the jokes. In addition, the stars were given question subjects and plausible incorrect ("bluff") answers prior to the show. The show was scripted in this sense, but the gameplay was not. In any case, as host Peter Marshall explains at the beginning of the Secret Square game, the celebrities are briefed prior to show to help them with bluff answers, but they are otherwise hearing the actual questions for the first time as they are asked on air.
Two contestants, almost always a woman playing Os/naughts (called circles in the show) and a man playing Xs/crosses, took turns picking a star and following the traditional tic-tac-toe
strategies for which square to select. The star was asked a question and gave an answer. The contestants had the choice of agreeing with the star or disagreeing if they thought the star was bluffing. If the contestant was right, he or she got the square; if the contestant was wrong, the other contestant got the square, unless that caused the opponent to get three in a row. In that case, the opponent had to win the square on his or her own. A player also won by getting five "Xs" or "Os" on the game board (thus preventing draws).
On rare occasions, a star would not know the correct answer to a question or be unable to come up with a decent bluff. In such instances, the contestant would be offered the chance to answer the question to win or lose the square as above. Usually the contestants declined, in which case they incurred no penalty and the same star was asked another question.
Peter Marshall's explanation of the rules:
John Davidson's explanation of the rules:
pilot
episode filmed for CBS
on April 21, 1965. That pilot was hosted by Bert Parks
with the squares occupied by Cliff Arquette
(in his "Charley Weaver" comic persona), Wally Cox
, Rose Marie
, Morey Amsterdam
, Abby Dalton
, Jim Backus
, Gisele MacKenzie
, Robert Q. Lewis
and Vera Miles
. The first five of the initial panelists were to later appear on the first broadcast week (October 17–21, 1966) and become the five initial regulars on NBC-TV.
CBS shot a second pilot hosted by Sandy Baron
, but chose not to pick up the program with either host. A year later, NBC
acquired the rights to the show and chose Peter Marshall as host, a job he held for fifteen years until 1981. Hollywood Squares was the final touch to a short-lived game show powerhouse on NBC which also included Concentration
, Jeopardy!
, You Don't Say!
, Let's Make a Deal
, The Match Game
and others. During most of its daytime run, NBC broadcast Hollywood Squares at 11:30 a.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Central time; it dominated the ratings until 1976, when it moved to the first of a succession of different time slots.
The show also ran at night, first on NBC from January 12 to September 13, 1968 as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived sitcom Accidental Family
, then as a nighttime syndicated program running from November 1, 1971 to September 11, 1981. The latter version ran once a week at first, then twice-a-week and finally expanded to a five-day-per-week strip in its final season.
Paul Lynde
, in addition to his recurring role as "Uncle Arthur" on Bewitched
, had his greatest fame as the featured (and, in tic-tac-toe, tactically important) "center square" throughout most of the original show's run. On October 14, 1968, after two years on the show, Lynde became the regular center square. Lynde's outrageous jokes helped him win two daytime Emmy Award
s, in 1974 and 1978.
Some regulars were frequently asked questions pertaining to a certain topic or category. For instance, Cliff Arquette
(Charley Weaver), a history buff, excelled at American history questions. Rich Little
almost always received questions about other celebrities, which gave him an opportunity to do an impression of that individual. Roddy McDowall
usually gave correct answers about the plays of Shakespeare. Rose Marie
often received questions on dating and relationships, playing off her lovelorn comic persona. Demond Wilson
often responded with mock anger to questions that were carefully worded to play upon African American
stereotypes.
Other regulars and semi-regulars over the years included Nanette Fabray
, Kaye Ballard
, Wally Cox
, Morey Amsterdam
, Florence Henderson
, Marty Allen, Wayland Flowers and Madame
, Barbara Eden
, George Gobel
, Vincent Price
, Charo
, Sandy Duncan
, Carol Wayne
, Jonathan Winters
, Karen Valentine
, and Joan Rivers
. Lynde left the series after taping the August 20–24, 1979, week of shows, but returned when the series relocated to Las Vegas
in the 1980–1981 season.
The daytime series was played as a best two-out-of-three match between a returning champion and an opponent with each individual game worth $200 and a match worth $400; a five-match champion retired with $2,000, any Secret Square prizes won up to that point, and a new car. During the final years of the NBC run (1977–1980), players who won five matches earned an additional $5,000, two new cars (later one car and $10,000) and a luxury vacation. Early in the first season, from October 17, 1966 to February 10, 1967, each game awarded $100 with the winner of the match earning a $300 bonus for a total of $500. Beginning in 1976, an "endgame" of sorts was added to the show, with the champion simply selecting a star, each of whom held an envelope with a prize; the top prize was $5,000.
Both the syndicated and NBC prime time versions featured the same two contestants playing for the entire half-hour with each completed game worth $300 (NBC prime time) or $250 (syndicated). On the syndicated version, if time ran out with a game still in progress (interrupted by what the host called the "tacky buzzer," a loud horn), each X or O on the board at that point was worth an additional $50 to the players, with each player guaranteed at least $100 in total winnings. The player with the most money at the end of the show won a bonus prize, which for the first six years of the weekly syndicated series was a car. From 1977–1980, the "endgame" described above was utilized, with the car and $5,000 (later $10,000) as the two top prizes. On the daily syndicated series, each game awarded its victor a prize, and players who won the most games competed in a $100,000 tournament.
In the syndicated version, initially the first two games were Secret Square games; if no one claimed the prizes offered in the first round, they would be carried over to the second round. Beginning in 1973, the first three games had a Secret Square, with each game offering different prize packages, usually worth between $2,000 and $7,000. From 1978 to 1980, the second and third games (first and second games early on in the 1978-79 season) each featured a Secret Square with the addition of the endgame. The syndicated show abolished the Secret Square upon expansion to 5 days a week in 1980.
The daytime show aired its 3,536th and last episode on June 20, 1980. Hollywood Squares ran for one more year in syndication
; this last year of shows was taped at the Riviera Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas.
, television and historical characters. It later aired occasionally in the 1970s during the run of the original Marshall version. In an interview with E!
's True Hollywood Story, Marshall lauded the concept, but lamented that by the time each of the characters was introduced, very little of the show's half-hour format was left for actual gameplay.
of Sha Na Na
hosted the Hollywood Squares segment of Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
, a joint production of Mark Goodson
Productions (owners of the Match Game
format) and Orion Television
, which obtained the rights to Hollywood Squares upon acquiring the Filmways
production company.
The day's winner from the Match Game segment faced the show's returning champion in the Hollywood Squares segment, and played until time ran out, with the winner playing the "Super Match" bonus from Match Game. Players received $25 for each square claimed, with a bonus for winning the round (starting at $100 and increasing by that amount for each subsequent round). No Secret Square round was played, and all questions were true/false or multiple choice. Additionally, contestants were able to win "by default" if an opponent made a mistake while attempting to block. Unlike other versions of the show, panelists were not provided with jokes. The only regular panelist was Match Game host Gene Rayburn
, who occupied the lower-left square; Bauman, in turn, filled that seat during Match Game.
serving as executive producer and Orion Television as distributor.
John Davidson
, who was a semi-regular panelist on the original Hollywood Squares, was chosen to host the new series. Shadoe Stevens
was the announcer for the series and, beginning late in the first season, also was a regular panelist occupying the bottom center square. After a season of rotating center squares, former Hollywood Squares panelist Joan Rivers
joined the series as the permanent center square. Jim J. Bullock was the series' third regular panelist and usually occupied the upper-left square. The three regulars also served as guest hosts for when Davidson was unavailable; in one of those instances, at the beginning of the show's third and final season, Shadoe Stevens hosted while Jim J. Bullock was the center square and Howard Stern
replaced Stevens as announcer for a week. On most other occasions that Stevens was not available to announce, his brother Richard would take his place.
The rules of the game reverted to the original rules from the Marshall era, meaning that games could not be won due to an opponent's error. For the first season, each game was worth $500 with a bonus of $100 per square if time ran out in the middle of a game in progress. Beginning in season two, the third and subsequent games were worth $1,000 with $200 given for each square claimed when time ran out. The second game on every show was a Secret Square game, mostly played for a trip. Occasionally, other bonus prizes were offered. If time had run out with the players tied, one more question was asked to one celebrity. If the player agreed or disagreed correctly, they won $100/$200 and the match. If not, their opponent automatically won. This was also done on occasions where there was no tie, but there was only enough time for one question. The player with the most money when time ran out won the match and went on to the bonus round.
If the chosen key started the car, the contestant won it and retired undefeated. Otherwise, the contestant returned the next day with that car eliminated should he or she return to the bonus game. The contestant automatically won whatever car was left on the fifth day should they have gone that far without starting the car. Since the cars were replaced every week, if a champion's reign managed to straddle weeks without having won a car, the lowest valued cars for the new week were eliminated from consideration for the champion depending on how many prior attempts were made and they were then given a choice of keys from the remaining cars.
For the final season, the car round was changed. The champion first chose a car, then one of the nine celebrities. Each held a key, with five of the celebrities holding keys that would start any one of the five available cars and four holding dud keys (ones that didn't start anything). If the champion failed to start the car, it was not eliminated from the round and would still be there for choosing if the champion returned the next day. However, the five-day limit was removed and a champion was able to stay until either winning a car or being defeated.
bought the worldwide format rights
to Hollywood Squares from MGM
, successor-in-interest to the series' previous production companies Orion and Filmways. Shortly after this, work began on a revival and Whoopi Goldberg
was signed on to be a producer. Goldberg, John Moffitt, and Pat Tourk Lee served as the co-executive producers for the series. King World tapped Columbia TriStar Television
, who also produced the King World-distributed Jeopardy!
and Wheel of Fortune
, to be its co-producer for Hollywood Squares while serving as distributor. The show was taped at Studio 33, the Bob Barker Studio, at CBS Television City
.
On September 14, 1998, the revival debuted with Tom Bergeron
as its host. In addition to her production duties, Whoopi Goldberg served as the permanent center square, with Bruce Vilanch
, Gilbert Gottfried
, Martin Mull
, and Caroline Rhea
as regular panelists and Brad Garrett
, Jeffrey Tambor
, George Wallace
, and various others as semi-regular panelists. Shadoe Stevens returned to announce, although he was not given a square on the panel as he had been when John Davidson was host. Changes were made following the 2001–02 season; Goldberg, along with Moffitt and Lee, left the series. In addition to those departures, regular panelist Caroline Rhea also left the program in order to host her short-lived successor program
to The Rosie O'Donnell Show
and Bruce Vilanch, who was also one of the show's writers, left with Goldberg (who had hired him) and made several infrequent appearances throughout the rest of the series.
With Goldberg, Moffitt, and Lee gone, Henry Winkler
and Michael Levitt became the show's executive producers and remained in those positions until the end of the series, with Winkler occasionally serving as a panelist. Frequent panelist Jeffrey Tambor
took over for Stevens as announcer for the 2002–03 season, with John Moschitta, Jr.
replacing him for the final season. For the 2002–03 season a rotating guest center square arrangement was employed, with Ellen DeGeneres
, Alec Baldwin
, and various others serving in that capacity. The show returned to a permanent center square arrangement for the 2003–04 season with regular panelist Martin Mull taking the square.
For most of the first five seasons of this Hollywood Squares series, as well as for theme weeks in the sixth season, the first and second games were worth $1,000 to the winner. The third game was worth $2,000, and every subsequent game until time ran out was worth $4,000. If a player did not win anything in the main game, $500 was given to them as a consolation prize. In the early episodes of the first season, if a player could not win with five squares on the board, their opponent automatically got the remaining square and the five-square win. In addition, players only played for half the money; $500 was won for each of the first two games, with $1,000 for the third and $2,000 for all subsequent games and $250 was given as a consolation prize for failing to win a game. In addition, the consolation prize amount also was used for each contestant's square in the event that time ran out during a game, and was counted towards their cash total to determine the day's champion.
For the first season of this Hollywood Squares series, two new players competed on each episode. Beginning in the second season, the returning champion rule was reinstated; a player could stay on for a maximum of five days (or, in the final season, matches). The final season saw Hollywood Squares return to the best two-of-three format that had last been seen on the NBC network daytime series; each game was worth $1,000, the first to win two advanced to the bonus round, and players were no longer given cash as a consolation prize for failing to win a game. The format changed resulted in episodes no longer being self-contained as they had been and instead having games that straddled episodes.
Beginning in the second season and continuing until the end of the fifth season, the Secret Square game was played for an accumulating jackpot of prizes that Tom Bergeron referred to as "The Secret Square Stash". A new prize would be added to the jackpot each day until someone claimed it, with the highest ever Secret Square totaling $50,731 in prizes. For the last season, the Secret Square game returned to offering a different prize in each game, regardless of whether or not the previous prize had been won.
For the remainder of the first season and for subsequent theme weeks, if the contestant didn't agree or disagree correctly they received an additional $2,500 as a consolation prize. Beginning in the second season, when returning champions were reinstated, this consolation prize was discontinued but was used during theme weeks.
For each correct response, one of the bad keys was eliminated from the pool of nine. If the champion had made multiple unsuccessful attempts to win the prize, one additional key was removed for each attempt. During themed weeks in which two new contestants played each day, one extra key was removed since the champion had only one chance to win the prize. After the bad keys were removed, the champion chose the one key they thought would win the prize. If unsuccessful, the champion received $1,000 (originally $500) for each correct answer they had given in the first half of the round.
The prize structure was as follows:
To win the car, the chosen key had to start its engine. The cash prizes required the player to unlock a safe with the correct key, while a steamer trunk had to be unlocked in order to win the trip. No player reached the fifth prize level and only two reached the $50,000 fourth level, but neither one won the prize.
On occasion, the second prize was substituted for a gift certificate in that amount to an upscale store; these were often used as bonus prizes during special weeks or tournaments.
For the final season the prize structure was changed again:
In addition, champions started with nine keys for each attempt at winning a bonus prize regardless of how many times the prize had not been won, and the consolation prize reverted back to $500 for correct answers in the true-false round. For themed weeks, the rules in the previous season were used, with winners playing for $10,000.
Season 2: Six five-game winners came back to play again. Play was as normal, except the Secret Square was worth $2,500, which was added to the score. The bonus game was also played for cash, from $5,000 to $15,000. The two players who earned the most money came back for a two-game final, playing by the same rules as the semi-finals. In addition to the other cash won, the champion won an extra $50,000. The final bonus round was worth up to $15,000.
Seasons 3 & 4: Eight four-game winners compete in a semi-final game. The two top winners return on Friday. The Secret Square prize was an actual prize, again added to the final score, but was the same each day so no one has an advantage. The champion won $25,000 and the trophy, and a Jaguar
was among the prizes in the bonus game. Season 4's tournament was similar to that of the previous year, except that the bonus game winnings were taken into account. The final grand champion won a Mercedes-Benz
in addition to the money.
Season 5: Season 5 had a "Close but No Cigar" week to decide who would join the seven undefeated winners in the normal tournament. The bonus round was played for a $25,000 Bloomingdale's
shopping spree until Friday, when it was replaced by a cruise on the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
. The winner of the tournament chose one of the celebrities who then revealed a cash amount of up to $50,000 inside a sealed envelope.
Season 6: The winner of the tournament played the standard bonus round and chose one of the captured celebrities, one of whom was holding an envelope with up to $100,000 in it.
In season 5, the bonus round was played for $25,000 (savings bonds in the quarter-finals, cash in the semi-finals), and the grand champion automatically won a new Jeep Wrangler.
, Wink Martindale
, and Chuck Woolery
served on the panel, as did frequent '70s game show panelist Jimmie Walker
, and Match Game regulars Brett Somers
and Charles Nelson Reilly
shared a square for the week. Then-Price Is Right announcer Rod Roddy
served as the announcer for the week and former Let's Make a Deal
model Carol Merrill
presented the Secret Square and bonus round prizes.
On the December 12, 2002 episode of Game Show Week, Marshall and Bergeron traded places. This was the first time Marshall had hosted an episode of Hollywood Squares since the first nightly syndicated series went off the air in 1981. Marshall hosted the first portion of the show, with Bergeron taking over for the bonus round.
A second "Game Show Week" aired during the final season. Bob Eubanks returned as a panelist and was joined by hosts Monty Hall
and Tom Kennedy, frequent Gong Show
contributors Jaye P. Morgan
and Jamie Farr
(who shared a square), original Hollywood Squares regular Rose Marie
, and frequent game show panel members Betty White
, JoAnne Worley, and Nipsey Russell
, who performed a poem in his guise of "The Poet Laureate of Television". Martin Mull remained as center square for the week. Shadoe Stevens
returned to announce for the week, making his first appearance since the end of season four. High Rollers
assistant Ruta Lee
presented the Secret Square and bonus round prizes.
Two Bergeron-hosted episodes version have been noted in blooper specials. On October 1, 1999, the first game of the show took the entire episode to complete, because the contestants failed to correctly agree or disagree with panelist Gilbert Gottfried
's answers nine times in a row. Gottfried was the only remaining panelist, and winning his square would have resulted in a five-square win for either contestant. After several contestant mistakes, Gottfried yelled "YOU FOOL!" at the contestants; eventually, Bergeron and panelist Penn Jillette joined in, and the game was eventually won by the returning champion. Another episode included an April Fools' prank played on Tom Bergeron in the show's fifth season, featuring E. E. Bell
as an obnoxious contestant who kept pushing his overly emotional opponent until she broke down in tears, in addition to testing Bergeron's patience. When producer Henry Winkler
gave Bergeron the notice that the episode was to air on April Fools' Day (April 1), the "game" ended, and the two "contestants" got to keep the money they earned, and the normal game straddled into the next day's episode (with that day's bonus round played as usual).
The second and most famous theme was composed by William Loose: "Bob & Merrill's Theme", named for Bob Quigley and Merrill Heatter, the show's creators and original co-executive producers. This version of the theme song in an edited format is available on The Best of TV Quiz and Game Show Themes.
A third theme song was used from 1979 to 1981. Stan Worth re-recorded a new version of "Bob & Merrill's Theme" with disco
styling and renamed it as "The Hollywood Bowl". Three versions of "The Hollywood Bowl" were created for the show: one for the opening music, one for the secret square prize descriptions and one for the main theme.
The theme to The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was "Lottery," composed by Edd Kalehoff
for Score Productions
. Even as the show ended its run in 1984, the theme is still heard as a car prize cue on The Price Is Right
and was used for similar purposes on the late-'80s revival of Card Sharks
.
The theme to the 1986–1989 edition and its cues were composed by Stormy Sacks (who also performed live music during the show itself, as required for certain questions or celebrity intros). This music package was re-arranged/recorded for the show's final season.
The 1998–2004 edition had two themes. The first theme, "I Love Hollywood", and its accompanying music cues were composed by Jennifer May Mauldaur & Paul David Weinberg, with the main theme vocals by series regular/co-producer Whoopi Goldberg
and was used from 1998 to 2002, with a remixed version used for the 2001–02 season. The second theme, Hollywood Square Biz", was a re-recording of the Teena Marie
song "Square Biz
", originally written in 1981 and was used from 2002 to 2004.
issued a version of the game in 1974 with a picture of Peter Marshall on the box; this was the first of the adaptations to featured humorous gag names for the celebrities (The game was also marketed in the UK under the name "Celebrity Squares" with a picture of UK host Bob Monkhouse
). Milton Bradley
created two versions, first in 1980 based on the Marshall version, then in 1986 for the Davidson version, with a 3D board and twelve "celebrities" to insert onto the board. Parker Brothers
released a similar game in 1999 based on the Bergeron version. This one saw the return of play money and Secret Square rules, missing since the original Watkins-Strathmore-produced home games.
GameTek
released a version of Hollywood Squares in 1988 for MS-DOS
, Commodore 64
and Apple II
computers and later for the NES
. In 1999, Tiger Electronics
released an electronic LCD handheld game based on the Bergeron version. In 2002, the official Hollywood Squares website
had an online version of the show using the celebrities that were on that week. 2010 saw the release of the game for the PC and Wii, developed by Ludia Games.
, The East Hollywood Squares, the first of which aired Nov. 11, 1993 on the popular TV series In Living Color
.
The television series The Simpsons
has used a parody of Hollywood Squares, referred to as Springfield Squares and hosted by Kent Brockman
. In Season Four's
Krusty Gets Kancelled
, the Springfield Squares parody makes its first appearance. A game is taking place on Springfield's beach (a reference to the 1980s version's trips to Hollywood, Florida) and is interrupted by a tsunami
. Everyone climbs for the safety of Barry White
's square except for Charley Weaver, who says he has been in his square "durn near thirty seasons" and declares he will not leave before the tsunami washes him away. This parodies the fact that while taping a 1971 episode, an earthquake struck the set, and everybody ran off, with the exception of center square Paul Lynde
, who refused to run from the set.
The Season 11
episode titled Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder
features another edition of Springfield Squares. In the squares are Rainier Wolfcastle, Krusty the Clown, Itchy & Scratchy, Bumblebee Man, Princess Kashmir, Sideshow Mel, the Capital City Goofball, Ron Howard
, and Homer Simpson
in the center, having recently gained an amount of celebrity after bowling a 300 game at the local bowling alley.
Howard Stern
parodied the show as The Homeless Howiewood Squares. Gene Rayburn
was noted to have appeared as the panelist on the bottom left corner (as he did on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
).
Broadcast times for this version are for the Eastern Time Zone. The show aired one hour earlier in the Central, Mountain and Pacific Time Zones.
NBC Nighttime
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
panel
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe, also called wick wack woe and noughts and crosses , is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. The X player usually goes first...
to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity (or "star") seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The stars are asked questions and the contestants judge the veracity of their answers in order to win the game.
Although Hollywood Squares was a legitimate game show, the game largely acted as the background for the show's comedy in the form of joke answers, often given by the stars prior to their "real" answer. The show's writers usually supplied the jokes. In addition, the stars were given question subjects and plausible incorrect ("bluff") answers prior to the show. The show was scripted in this sense, but the gameplay was not. In any case, as host Peter Marshall explains at the beginning of the Secret Square game, the celebrities are briefed prior to show to help them with bluff answers, but they are otherwise hearing the actual questions for the first time as they are asked on air.
Basic rules
Although there have been variations over the years in the rules of and the prizes in the game, certain aspects of the game have remained fairly consistent.Two contestants, almost always a woman playing Os/naughts (called circles in the show) and a man playing Xs/crosses, took turns picking a star and following the traditional tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe
Tic-tac-toe, also called wick wack woe and noughts and crosses , is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. The X player usually goes first...
strategies for which square to select. The star was asked a question and gave an answer. The contestants had the choice of agreeing with the star or disagreeing if they thought the star was bluffing. If the contestant was right, he or she got the square; if the contestant was wrong, the other contestant got the square, unless that caused the opponent to get three in a row. In that case, the opponent had to win the square on his or her own. A player also won by getting five "Xs" or "Os" on the game board (thus preventing draws).
On rare occasions, a star would not know the correct answer to a question or be unable to come up with a decent bluff. In such instances, the contestant would be offered the chance to answer the question to win or lose the square as above. Usually the contestants declined, in which case they incurred no penalty and the same star was asked another question.
Peter Marshall's explanation of the rules:
John Davidson's explanation of the rules:
1965–1981
The show began as a black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode filmed for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on April 21, 1965. That pilot was hosted by Bert Parks
Bert Parks
Bert Parks, born Bertram Jacobson , was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979....
with the squares occupied by Cliff Arquette
Cliff Arquette
Clifford Charles Arquette was an actor and comedian, famous for his role as Charley Weaver.-Early life and career:...
(in his "Charley Weaver" comic persona), Wally Cox
Wally Cox
Wallace Maynard Cox was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. TV series Mr. Peepers , plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films...
, Rose Marie
Rose Marie
Rose Marie is an American actress. As a child performer she had a successful singing career as Baby Rose Marie....
, Morey Amsterdam
Morey Amsterdam
Morey Amsterdam was an American television actor and comedian, best known for the role of Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s.-Early life:...
, Abby Dalton
Abby Dalton
Abby Dalton is an American actress.Born as Marlene Wasden in Las Vegas, Nevada, she has made numerous appearances on television, including the recurring role of "Julia Cumson" on Falcon Crest...
, Jim Backus
Jim Backus
James Gilmore "Jim" Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of Mr...
, Gisele MacKenzie
Gisele MacKenzie
Gisèle MacKenzie was a Canadian-American singer, most famous for her performances on the popular television program Your Hit Parade.-Biography:...
, Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis was an American radio and television personality, game show host, and actor. Lewis added the middle initial "Q." to his name accidentally on the air in 1942, when he responded to a reference to radio comedian F. Chase Taylor's character, Colonel Lemuel Q...
and Vera Miles
Vera Miles
Vera Miles is an American film actress who gained popularity for starring in films such as The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Psycho and Psycho II.-Early life:...
. The first five of the initial panelists were to later appear on the first broadcast week (October 17–21, 1966) and become the five initial regulars on NBC-TV.
CBS shot a second pilot hosted by Sandy Baron
Sandy Baron
Sandy Baron was an American comedian who performed on stage, in films, and on television.-Biography:Baron was born Sanford Beresofsky in Brooklyn, New York, and changed his name while a student at Brooklyn College, taking his inspiration from the nearby Barron's Bookstore...
, but chose not to pick up the program with either host. A year later, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
acquired the rights to the show and chose Peter Marshall as host, a job he held for fifteen years until 1981. Hollywood Squares was the final touch to a short-lived game show powerhouse on NBC which also included Concentration
Concentration (game show)
Concentration was an American TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, You Don't Say!
You Don't Say!
You Don't Say! is an American television game show that had three separate runs on television. The first version aired on NBC daytime from April 1, 1963 to September 26, 1969 with revivals on ABC in 1975 and in syndication from 1978-1979...
, Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, The Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
and others. During most of its daytime run, NBC broadcast Hollywood Squares at 11:30 a.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Central time; it dominated the ratings until 1976, when it moved to the first of a succession of different time slots.
The show also ran at night, first on NBC from January 12 to September 13, 1968 as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived sitcom Accidental Family
Accidental Family
Accidental Family is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC during the first part of the 1967-68 U.S. television season.-Synopsis:The series stars Jerry Van Dyke as a widowed comedian, Jerry Webster, who bought a farm in the San Fernando Valley to serve as a place for him to raise his son, Sandy, when...
, then as a nighttime syndicated program running from November 1, 1971 to September 11, 1981. The latter version ran once a week at first, then twice-a-week and finally expanded to a five-day-per-week strip in its final season.
Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
, in addition to his recurring role as "Uncle Arthur" on Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, had his greatest fame as the featured (and, in tic-tac-toe, tactically important) "center square" throughout most of the original show's run. On October 14, 1968, after two years on the show, Lynde became the regular center square. Lynde's outrageous jokes helped him win two daytime Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, in 1974 and 1978.
Some regulars were frequently asked questions pertaining to a certain topic or category. For instance, Cliff Arquette
Cliff Arquette
Clifford Charles Arquette was an actor and comedian, famous for his role as Charley Weaver.-Early life and career:...
(Charley Weaver), a history buff, excelled at American history questions. Rich Little
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"....
almost always received questions about other celebrities, which gave him an opportunity to do an impression of that individual. Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
usually gave correct answers about the plays of Shakespeare. Rose Marie
Rose Marie
Rose Marie is an American actress. As a child performer she had a successful singing career as Baby Rose Marie....
often received questions on dating and relationships, playing off her lovelorn comic persona. Demond Wilson
Demond Wilson
Grady Demond Wilson is an American actor, author, and pastor. He is best known for his role opposite Redd Foxx as Fred Sanford's long-suffering son, Lamont Sanford, in the 1970s’ NBC-TV sitcom Sanford and Son....
often responded with mock anger to questions that were carefully worded to play upon African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
stereotypes.
Other regulars and semi-regulars over the years included Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray
Nanette Fabray is an American actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and activist. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and then became a musical theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life...
, Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard is an American musical theatre and television actress, comedienne, and singer.-Life and career:Ballard was born as Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Italian American family, the daughter of Lena and Vincent James Balotta.Ballard established herself as a musical...
, Wally Cox
Wally Cox
Wallace Maynard Cox was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. TV series Mr. Peepers , plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films...
, Morey Amsterdam
Morey Amsterdam
Morey Amsterdam was an American television actor and comedian, best known for the role of Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s.-Early life:...
, Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
, Marty Allen, Wayland Flowers and Madame
Wayland Flowers
Wayland P. Flowers, Jr. was an American puppeteer. He was born and raised in Dawson, Georgia. Flowers was best known for the puppet act he created with his puppet Madame...
, Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
, George Gobel
George Gobel
George Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor. He was best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, which ran from 1954 to 1960 .-Early years:He was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago, Illinois, His father, Hermann Goebel, was a...
, Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, Charo
Charo
María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Gutiérrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten , better known as Charo, is a Spanish-American actress, comedienne, and flamenco guitarist, best known for her flamboyant stage presence, her provocative outfits, and her trademark phrase...
, Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
, Carol Wayne
Carol Wayne
Carol Wayne was an American television and film actress. She was best known for her many appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as the Matinée Lady.-Early life:...
, Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Winters
-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio...
, Karen Valentine
Karen Valentine
Karen Valentine is an American actress best-known for her role as the idealistic schoolteacher "Alice Johnson" in the television series Room 222.-Early life:...
, and Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
. Lynde left the series after taping the August 20–24, 1979, week of shows, but returned when the series relocated to Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in the 1980–1981 season.
The daytime series was played as a best two-out-of-three match between a returning champion and an opponent with each individual game worth $200 and a match worth $400; a five-match champion retired with $2,000, any Secret Square prizes won up to that point, and a new car. During the final years of the NBC run (1977–1980), players who won five matches earned an additional $5,000, two new cars (later one car and $10,000) and a luxury vacation. Early in the first season, from October 17, 1966 to February 10, 1967, each game awarded $100 with the winner of the match earning a $300 bonus for a total of $500. Beginning in 1976, an "endgame" of sorts was added to the show, with the champion simply selecting a star, each of whom held an envelope with a prize; the top prize was $5,000.
Both the syndicated and NBC prime time versions featured the same two contestants playing for the entire half-hour with each completed game worth $300 (NBC prime time) or $250 (syndicated). On the syndicated version, if time ran out with a game still in progress (interrupted by what the host called the "tacky buzzer," a loud horn), each X or O on the board at that point was worth an additional $50 to the players, with each player guaranteed at least $100 in total winnings. The player with the most money at the end of the show won a bonus prize, which for the first six years of the weekly syndicated series was a car. From 1977–1980, the "endgame" described above was utilized, with the car and $5,000 (later $10,000) as the two top prizes. On the daily syndicated series, each game awarded its victor a prize, and players who won the most games competed in a $100,000 tournament.
Secret Square
The Secret Square round was played as the first game on a given broadcast (or the first complete game, if a show began with one already in progress) during the daytime series. In this game, a randomly selected Secret Square panelist was revealed only to the home audience. A contestant who picked that panelist during the game won a bonus prize package if they correctly agreed or disagreed with the star. Secret Square prize packages on the daytime edition started at around $1,000 and grew daily until won. The question for the star was sealed in a special envelope and was almost always multiple choice.In the syndicated version, initially the first two games were Secret Square games; if no one claimed the prizes offered in the first round, they would be carried over to the second round. Beginning in 1973, the first three games had a Secret Square, with each game offering different prize packages, usually worth between $2,000 and $7,000. From 1978 to 1980, the second and third games (first and second games early on in the 1978-79 season) each featured a Secret Square with the addition of the endgame. The syndicated show abolished the Secret Square upon expansion to 5 days a week in 1980.
The daytime show aired its 3,536th and last episode on June 20, 1980. Hollywood Squares ran for one more year in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
; this last year of shows was taped at the Riviera Hotel and Casino
Riviera (hotel and casino)
The Riviera is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The hotel has over 2,100 rooms, many located in a 23-story tower. The casino has of gaming space.-History:...
in Las Vegas.
Storybook Squares
Storybook Squares, a Saturday-morning children's version of Hollywood Squares, aired briefly from January 4 to August 30, 1969. It featured stars dressed as fairy taleFairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
, television and historical characters. It later aired occasionally in the 1970s during the run of the original Marshall version. In an interview with E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
's True Hollywood Story, Marshall lauded the concept, but lamented that by the time each of the characters was introduced, very little of the show's half-hour format was left for actual gameplay.
1983–1984
From October 31, 1983 to July 27, 1984, Jon "Bowzer" BaumanJon Bauman
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman is an American musician, best known as a member of the band Sha Na Na, and game show host. Bauman's popular Sha Na Na character, "Bowzer" Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (born September 14, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American musician, best known as a member of the band Sha Na Na,...
of Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
hosted the Hollywood Squares segment of Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television game show that combined two long-running game shows of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format....
, a joint production of Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
Productions (owners of the Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
format) and Orion Television
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, which obtained the rights to Hollywood Squares upon acquiring the Filmways
Filmways
Filmways, Inc. was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff in 1958...
production company.
The day's winner from the Match Game segment faced the show's returning champion in the Hollywood Squares segment, and played until time ran out, with the winner playing the "Super Match" bonus from Match Game. Players received $25 for each square claimed, with a bonus for winning the round (starting at $100 and increasing by that amount for each subsequent round). No Secret Square round was played, and all questions were true/false or multiple choice. Additionally, contestants were able to win "by default" if an opponent made a mistake while attempting to block. Unlike other versions of the show, panelists were not provided with jokes. The only regular panelist was Match Game host Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades....
, who occupied the lower-left square; Bauman, in turn, filled that seat during Match Game.
1986–1989
Two years after the cancellation of The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, a new Hollywood Squares series was put into production. Referred to throughout its run as The New Hollywood Squares, the program debuted on September 15, 1986 and was produced by Century Towers Television with Rick RosnerRick Rosner
Richard G. "Rick" Rosner is an American television writer and media figure known for his high intelligence test scores and his unusual career. He is reported to have achieved some of the highest scores ever recorded on IQ tests designed to measure exceptional intelligence. He has become known for...
serving as executive producer and Orion Television as distributor.
John Davidson
John Davidson (entertainer)
John Hamilton Davidson, Sr. is an American singer, actor and game show host known for hosting That's Incredible!, Time Machine, and Hollywood Squares in the 1980s, and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991....
, who was a semi-regular panelist on the original Hollywood Squares, was chosen to host the new series. Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995...
was the announcer for the series and, beginning late in the first season, also was a regular panelist occupying the bottom center square. After a season of rotating center squares, former Hollywood Squares panelist Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
joined the series as the permanent center square. Jim J. Bullock was the series' third regular panelist and usually occupied the upper-left square. The three regulars also served as guest hosts for when Davidson was unavailable; in one of those instances, at the beginning of the show's third and final season, Shadoe Stevens hosted while Jim J. Bullock was the center square and Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
replaced Stevens as announcer for a week. On most other occasions that Stevens was not available to announce, his brother Richard would take his place.
The rules of the game reverted to the original rules from the Marshall era, meaning that games could not be won due to an opponent's error. For the first season, each game was worth $500 with a bonus of $100 per square if time ran out in the middle of a game in progress. Beginning in season two, the third and subsequent games were worth $1,000 with $200 given for each square claimed when time ran out. The second game on every show was a Secret Square game, mostly played for a trip. Occasionally, other bonus prizes were offered. If time had run out with the players tied, one more question was asked to one celebrity. If the player agreed or disagreed correctly, they won $100/$200 and the match. If not, their opponent automatically won. This was also done on occasions where there was no tie, but there was only enough time for one question. The player with the most money when time ran out won the match and went on to the bonus round.
Bonus round
The 1980s Hollywood Squares series employed a bonus round that was similar to the one used on the 1970s game show Split Second. Five cars, each of the same brand/make, were displayed on the stage for the entire week. The champion chose one of five keys and then chose the car they thought the key would start. The contestant also chose a good luck celebrity to sit in or stand beside the car (sometimes more, usually all nine celebrities on Friday episodes or episodes with an automatic car win for a five-time champion).If the chosen key started the car, the contestant won it and retired undefeated. Otherwise, the contestant returned the next day with that car eliminated should he or she return to the bonus game. The contestant automatically won whatever car was left on the fifth day should they have gone that far without starting the car. Since the cars were replaced every week, if a champion's reign managed to straddle weeks without having won a car, the lowest valued cars for the new week were eliminated from consideration for the champion depending on how many prior attempts were made and they were then given a choice of keys from the remaining cars.
For the final season, the car round was changed. The champion first chose a car, then one of the nine celebrities. Each held a key, with five of the celebrities holding keys that would start any one of the five available cars and four holding dud keys (ones that didn't start anything). If the champion failed to start the car, it was not eliminated from the round and would still be there for choosing if the champion returned the next day. However, the five-day limit was removed and a champion was able to stay until either winning a car or being defeated.
1998–2004
In 1997, King World ProductionsKing World Productions
King World Productions, Inc. was a production company and a syndicator of television programming in the United States until its eventual 2007 incorporation into CBS Television Distribution...
bought the worldwide format rights
TV program format
A TV format describes the overall concept, premise and branding of a copyrighted television program.The format is licensed by TV networks, so that they may produce a version of the show tailored to their nationality and audience. Formats are a major part of the international television market...
to Hollywood Squares from MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, successor-in-interest to the series' previous production companies Orion and Filmways. Shortly after this, work began on a revival and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
was signed on to be a producer. Goldberg, John Moffitt, and Pat Tourk Lee served as the co-executive producers for the series. King World tapped Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television
Columbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
, who also produced the King World-distributed Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
and Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, to be its co-producer for Hollywood Squares while serving as distributor. The show was taped at Studio 33, the Bob Barker Studio, at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
.
On September 14, 1998, the revival debuted with Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron
Tom Bergeron is an American television personality and game show host, best known as the host of the ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars and host of America's Funniest Home Videos . He was also host of Hollywood Squares and a fill-in host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
as its host. In addition to her production duties, Whoopi Goldberg served as the permanent center square, with Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
, Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
, Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
, and Caroline Rhea
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
as regular panelists and Brad Garrett
Brad Garrett
Bradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
, Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
, George Wallace
George Wallace (comedian)
George Henry Wallace is an American comedian and actor. He is number 93 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.-Early life:...
, and various others as semi-regular panelists. Shadoe Stevens returned to announce, although he was not given a square on the panel as he had been when John Davidson was host. Changes were made following the 2001–02 season; Goldberg, along with Moffitt and Lee, left the series. In addition to those departures, regular panelist Caroline Rhea also left the program in order to host her short-lived successor program
The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show is an American syndicated variety/talk show that was regarded as the successor to The Rosie O'Donnell Show. It premiered in September 2002 and ran until June 2003 and was hosted by actress and comedienne Caroline Rhea, who was hand-picked by Rosie O'Donnell as her...
to The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
and Bruce Vilanch, who was also one of the show's writers, left with Goldberg (who had hired him) and made several infrequent appearances throughout the rest of the series.
With Goldberg, Moffitt, and Lee gone, Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
and Michael Levitt became the show's executive producers and remained in those positions until the end of the series, with Winkler occasionally serving as a panelist. Frequent panelist Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
took over for Stevens as announcer for the 2002–03 season, with John Moschitta, Jr.
John Moschitta, Jr.
John Moschitta Jr. is a spokesperson and performer best known for his rapid speech delivery. He appeared in over 100 commercials as "The Micro Machines Man" as well as an award winning 1981 ad for FedEx....
replacing him for the final season. For the 2002–03 season a rotating guest center square arrangement was employed, with Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
, Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, and various others serving in that capacity. The show returned to a permanent center square arrangement for the 2003–04 season with regular panelist Martin Mull taking the square.
For most of the first five seasons of this Hollywood Squares series, as well as for theme weeks in the sixth season, the first and second games were worth $1,000 to the winner. The third game was worth $2,000, and every subsequent game until time ran out was worth $4,000. If a player did not win anything in the main game, $500 was given to them as a consolation prize. In the early episodes of the first season, if a player could not win with five squares on the board, their opponent automatically got the remaining square and the five-square win. In addition, players only played for half the money; $500 was won for each of the first two games, with $1,000 for the third and $2,000 for all subsequent games and $250 was given as a consolation prize for failing to win a game. In addition, the consolation prize amount also was used for each contestant's square in the event that time ran out during a game, and was counted towards their cash total to determine the day's champion.
For the first season of this Hollywood Squares series, two new players competed on each episode. Beginning in the second season, the returning champion rule was reinstated; a player could stay on for a maximum of five days (or, in the final season, matches). The final season saw Hollywood Squares return to the best two-of-three format that had last been seen on the NBC network daytime series; each game was worth $1,000, the first to win two advanced to the bonus round, and players were no longer given cash as a consolation prize for failing to win a game. The format changed resulted in episodes no longer being self-contained as they had been and instead having games that straddled episodes.
Secret Square
The first season also saw up to two Secret Square games. In the earliest episodes of the series, two Secret Square games were played on each show with a different prize offered for each game. The Secret Square was played in both the second and third games of the day, but after two weeks the Secret Square prize would only carry over to the third game if neither player had claimed in it the second game. From the second season forward, the Secret Square would only be played for in the second game.Beginning in the second season and continuing until the end of the fifth season, the Secret Square game was played for an accumulating jackpot of prizes that Tom Bergeron referred to as "The Secret Square Stash". A new prize would be added to the jackpot each day until someone claimed it, with the highest ever Secret Square totaling $50,731 in prizes. For the last season, the Secret Square game returned to offering a different prize in each game, regardless of whether or not the previous prize had been won.
Endgames
The Bergeron Hollywood Squares employed three different bonus games during its six seasons on air."Pick a Star and Win a Prize"
Originally, the show used the same "pick a star, win a prize" format the Marshall version had used during its last few years on the air. Each of the nine squares hid a different prize, with $10,000 cash and a car being the two most expensive. The day's winner simply picked the celebrity they wanted, and won whatever prize was in an envelope that star was holding. Partway through the first season, the rules were modified so that the player had to correctly agree or disagree with a Secret Square-style question Bergeron asked the celebrity in order to claim the prize.For the remainder of the first season and for subsequent theme weeks, if the contestant didn't agree or disagree correctly they received an additional $2,500 as a consolation prize. Beginning in the second season, when returning champions were reinstated, this consolation prize was discontinued but was used during theme weeks.
Big Money Round
The day's champion and a celebrity of their choice played a general knowledge trivia round. The two were asked as many multiple-choice questions as possible and the celebrity was able to confer with the champion, but only the champion could answer the question. Each of the nine celebrities held envelopes with cash amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, with the chosen celebrity's amount added to the champion's total for each correct answer. At the end of 60 seconds, the champion was given a choice to quit with the money they had won or risk it all on an open-ended double-or-nothing question, with the category given to the champion before they made the decision. The top prize was said to be $100,000, with the most won by a contestant in the round being $60,000. The Big Money Round was played until the end of season four in June 2002.Key Bonus Round
A variation on the 1980s syndicated series' endgame was added to Hollywood Squares in September 2002 and remained until the series ended in June 2004. Nine keys were used, only one of which would win the day's prize. To eliminate the bad keys, contestants had 30 seconds to select celebrities and correctly agree or disagree with statements about the celebrities read by Bergeron. The clock started after the contestant selected the first star.For each correct response, one of the bad keys was eliminated from the pool of nine. If the champion had made multiple unsuccessful attempts to win the prize, one additional key was removed for each attempt. During themed weeks in which two new contestants played each day, one extra key was removed since the champion had only one chance to win the prize. After the bad keys were removed, the champion chose the one key they thought would win the prize. If unsuccessful, the champion received $1,000 (originally $500) for each correct answer they had given in the first half of the round.
The prize structure was as follows:
- 1st win: Car
- 2nd: $25,000
- 3rd: Trip around the world or "trip of a lifetime" (worth between $20,000–$30,000)
- 4th: $50,000
- 5th: $100,000
To win the car, the chosen key had to start its engine. The cash prizes required the player to unlock a safe with the correct key, while a steamer trunk had to be unlocked in order to win the trip. No player reached the fifth prize level and only two reached the $50,000 fourth level, but neither one won the prize.
On occasion, the second prize was substituted for a gift certificate in that amount to an upscale store; these were often used as bonus prizes during special weeks or tournaments.
For the final season the prize structure was changed again:
- 1st win: $10,000+ trip
- 2nd: $10,000
- 3rd: Luxury car
- 4th: $25,000
- 5th: Trip around the world
In addition, champions started with nine keys for each attempt at winning a bonus prize regardless of how many times the prize had not been won, and the consolation prize reverted back to $500 for correct answers in the true-false round. For themed weeks, the rules in the previous season were used, with winners playing for $10,000.
Tournament of Champions
Starting in Season Two, the show began having an annual Tournament of Champions each May, with the season's biggest winners returning to compete for additional cash and prizes. The format changed each season:Season 2: Six five-game winners came back to play again. Play was as normal, except the Secret Square was worth $2,500, which was added to the score. The bonus game was also played for cash, from $5,000 to $15,000. The two players who earned the most money came back for a two-game final, playing by the same rules as the semi-finals. In addition to the other cash won, the champion won an extra $50,000. The final bonus round was worth up to $15,000.
Seasons 3 & 4: Eight four-game winners compete in a semi-final game. The two top winners return on Friday. The Secret Square prize was an actual prize, again added to the final score, but was the same each day so no one has an advantage. The champion won $25,000 and the trophy, and a Jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
was among the prizes in the bonus game. Season 4's tournament was similar to that of the previous year, except that the bonus game winnings were taken into account. The final grand champion won a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
in addition to the money.
Season 5: Season 5 had a "Close but No Cigar" week to decide who would join the seven undefeated winners in the normal tournament. The bonus round was played for a $25,000 Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
shopping spree until Friday, when it was replaced by a cruise on the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...
. The winner of the tournament chose one of the celebrities who then revealed a cash amount of up to $50,000 inside a sealed envelope.
Season 6: The winner of the tournament played the standard bonus round and chose one of the captured celebrities, one of whom was holding an envelope with up to $100,000 in it.
College Championship
Each year from season two to five had 14 college students competing. Seven quarter-final games were played. The four contestants with the highest overall totals move on to the semi-finals. The two winners played in the final game, where the winner won a $25,000 savings bond (later a car), as well as a trophy for their university. Secret Square and bonus round prizes were added to the totals to determine who moved on.In season 5, the bonus round was played for $25,000 (savings bonds in the quarter-finals, cash in the semi-finals), and the grand champion automatically won a new Jeep Wrangler.
Theme weeks
This era of Hollywood Squares recorded three weeks of show in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York during Season 3 (11/6–11/24/2000), but was more notable for its reliance on "theme weeks." One was a December 9–13, 2002 "Game Show Week" where several game show hosts and other personalities appeared. Original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall was the center square for the week, marking the first time he had appeared on the program since 1981. Game show hosts Bob EubanksBob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
, Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
, and Chuck Woolery
Chuck Woolery
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Woolery is an American game show host. He has had long-running tenures hosting several different game shows. He was the original host of Wheel of Fortune from 1975–81, the original incarnation of Love Connection from 1983–94, and Scrabble from 1984–90...
served on the panel, as did frequent '70s game show panelist Jimmie Walker
Jimmie Walker
James Carter "Jimmie" Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans on the television series Good Times, which ran from 1974 to 1979...
, and Match Game regulars Brett Somers
Brett Somers
Brett Somers was a American actress, singer, and comedienne who was born in Canada and raised in Maine...
and Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher known for his comedic roles in theater, movies, children's television, animated cartoons, and as a panelist on the game show Match Game....
shared a square for the week. Then-Price Is Right announcer Rod Roddy
Rod Roddy
Robert Ray "Rod" Roddy was an American radio and television announcer. He is primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew!, Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right. On the latter two, Roddy appeared on camera on...
served as the announcer for the week and former Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
model Carol Merrill
Carol Merrill
Carol Merrill was a model for the television game show Let's Make a Deal during the show's original run between 1963 and 1977.-Modeling:...
presented the Secret Square and bonus round prizes.
On the December 12, 2002 episode of Game Show Week, Marshall and Bergeron traded places. This was the first time Marshall had hosted an episode of Hollywood Squares since the first nightly syndicated series went off the air in 1981. Marshall hosted the first portion of the show, with Bergeron taking over for the bonus round.
A second "Game Show Week" aired during the final season. Bob Eubanks returned as a panelist and was joined by hosts Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
and Tom Kennedy, frequent Gong Show
The Gong Show
The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
contributors Jaye P. Morgan
Jaye P. Morgan
Mary Margaret Morgan , known professionally as Jaye P. Morgan, is a retired popular music American singer, actress and game show panelist.-Early life:...
and Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr is an American television, film, and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the television sitcom M*A*S*H.-Early life:...
(who shared a square), original Hollywood Squares regular Rose Marie
Rose Marie
Rose Marie is an American actress. As a child performer she had a successful singing career as Baby Rose Marie....
, and frequent game show panel members Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, JoAnne Worley, and Nipsey Russell
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid...
, who performed a poem in his guise of "The Poet Laureate of Television". Martin Mull remained as center square for the week. Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens
Shadoe Stevens is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995...
returned to announce for the week, making his first appearance since the end of season four. High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...
assistant Ruta Lee
Ruta Lee
Ruta Lee is a Canadian actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...
presented the Secret Square and bonus round prizes.
Two Bergeron-hosted episodes version have been noted in blooper specials. On October 1, 1999, the first game of the show took the entire episode to complete, because the contestants failed to correctly agree or disagree with panelist Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
's answers nine times in a row. Gottfried was the only remaining panelist, and winning his square would have resulted in a five-square win for either contestant. After several contestant mistakes, Gottfried yelled "YOU FOOL!" at the contestants; eventually, Bergeron and panelist Penn Jillette joined in, and the game was eventually won by the returning champion. Another episode included an April Fools' prank played on Tom Bergeron in the show's fifth season, featuring E. E. Bell
E. E. Bell
E. E. Bell is an American comic actor best known for his role as Bob Rooney on the sitcom Married... with Children. He also had a recurring role as Barney the security guard in the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series The Amanda Show...
as an obnoxious contestant who kept pushing his overly emotional opponent until she broke down in tears, in addition to testing Bergeron's patience. When producer Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
gave Bergeron the notice that the episode was to air on April Fools' Day (April 1), the "game" ended, and the two "contestants" got to keep the money they earned, and the normal game straddled into the next day's episode (with that day's bonus round played as usual).
Theme songs
The first theme song used from 1966 to 1970 was an orchestration of "The Silly Song" by Jimmie Haskell; however, the version used on the show is not the same one released on the LP (Jimmie Haskell's French Horns, Vol. 2). The track found on the LP is a version with vocals and has a different instrumentation than the version used on the program.The second and most famous theme was composed by William Loose: "Bob & Merrill's Theme", named for Bob Quigley and Merrill Heatter, the show's creators and original co-executive producers. This version of the theme song in an edited format is available on The Best of TV Quiz and Game Show Themes.
A third theme song was used from 1979 to 1981. Stan Worth re-recorded a new version of "Bob & Merrill's Theme" with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
styling and renamed it as "The Hollywood Bowl". Three versions of "The Hollywood Bowl" were created for the show: one for the opening music, one for the secret square prize descriptions and one for the main theme.
The theme to The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was "Lottery," composed by Edd Kalehoff
Edd Kalehoff
Edward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
for Score Productions
Score Productions
Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television programs. Started in 1963 by music producer Robert A...
. Even as the show ended its run in 1984, the theme is still heard as a car prize cue on The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
and was used for similar purposes on the late-'80s revival of Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
.
The theme to the 1986–1989 edition and its cues were composed by Stormy Sacks (who also performed live music during the show itself, as required for certain questions or celebrity intros). This music package was re-arranged/recorded for the show's final season.
The 1998–2004 edition had two themes. The first theme, "I Love Hollywood", and its accompanying music cues were composed by Jennifer May Mauldaur & Paul David Weinberg, with the main theme vocals by series regular/co-producer Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
and was used from 1998 to 2002, with a remixed version used for the 2001–02 season. The second theme, Hollywood Square Biz", was a re-recording of the Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
song "Square Biz
Square Biz
"Square Biz" is a song by American R&B singer, Teena Marie. The song was released as a single in 1981 from the album It Must Be Magic. It would go on to become one of Marie's signature songs.- Chart performance :...
", originally written in 1981 and was used from 2002 to 2004.
International versions
| Country | Name | Host | Channel | Year aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arab League Arab WorldArab world The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the... |
سين جيم Sin Jim |
Shareef El Alami | Dubai TV Dubai TV Dubai TV is a channel offered by the Dubai Media Incorporated . It replaced Emirates Dubai Television in June 2004. Dubai TV broadcasts programmes predominantly in Arabic. The programming caters to family Arab audience specifically in the Persian Gulf region and is available in Australia, Europe,... |
1990s |
| معجب عجيب Mojab Ajeeb |
Michel Kazi | Future TV | 2009 | |
 Argentina |
Ta Te Show | Leonardo Simons | Telefe Telefe Televisión Federal S.A., best known as Telefe and later as TLF, is an Argentine television network. Formerly known as Canal Once , a state-run network, it was privatised and established as Telefe in 1989, when and News Corporation took over the channel... |
1992–1996 |
 Australia |
Celebrity Squares Personality Squares All-Star Squares |
Ian Rogerson | Seven Network Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
1999 |
 Brazil |
Jogo da Velha | Fausto Silva | Rede Globo Rede Globo Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings... |
1989–1993 |
 Early Modern France |
L'Academie des 9 | Jean-Pierre Foucault | Antenne 2 | 1980s |
 Germany |
XXO: Fritz & Co | Fritz Egner | Sat.1 Sat.1 Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany, having started one day before RTL Television.... |
1995–1996 |
| Star Weekend | Marco Ströhlein | RTL RTL Television Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres... |
1999–2000 | |
 Italy |
Il gioco dei 9 | Raimondo Vianello and Sandra Mondaini |
Canale 5 Canale 5 Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978.... |
1988–1992 |
| Enrico Papi | Italia 1 Italia 1 Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival... |
2004 | ||
 Israel |
תשע בריבוע Tesha BaRibu'a |
Uri Zohar Uri Zohar Uri Zohar is a former Israeli film director, actor, and comedian who left the entertainment world to become a rabbi.-Biography:Zohar was born in Tel Aviv in 1934. In 1952, he graduated high school and did his military service in an army entertainment troupe. His first marriage ended in divorce.By... Tuvia Tzafir Tuvia Tzafir - Biography :Tzafir was born in Tel Aviv and was initially named Tuvia Kozlowski. Tzafir grew up in a traditionalist home of Jewish immigrants from Poland who lived in the Florentin neighborhood in the southern part of Tel Aviv. During the early sixties Tzafir got his big breakthrough when he... Eyal Geffen |
Channel 1 Channel 1 (Israel) Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country... |
1977–1982, 1993 |
| כוכבים בריבוע Kokhavim BaRibu'a |
Shai Avivi | Channel 2 Channel 2 (Israel) Channel 2 is an Israeli commercial television channel.- History :In 1990, after 13 years of deliberations, the Knesset passed a law that paved the way for the establishment of commercial television in Israel. The goal was to enhance pluralism and create competition. Channel 2 began broadcasting on... (Keshet) Keshet (TV) Keshet Broadcasting or Keshet is a media group and leading television program maker licensed in Israel. Keshet operates under the auspices of the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority . It is one of two operators that have run the main Israeli commercial television channel, Channel 2, since 1993,... |
1999 | |
| חכמים בריבוע Hakhamim BaRibu'a |
Avri Gilad | 2011 | ||
 Malaysia |
Celebrity Squares | Sharifah Shahirah | ntv7 Ntv7 Natseven TV Sdn Bhd or better known as ntv7 is a terrestrial television channel in Malaysia. It was launched nationwide on 7 April 1998 and was the country's third private free-to-air TV station after TV3 and Astro. Its mission is to promote a happier and more enlightened Malaysia... |
July 2002–2003 |
 Russia |
Проще простого | Nikolay Fomenko | MTK | 1994–1996 |
| Russia 1 | 1996–1997 | |||
| NTV | 1997–1998 | |||
 Singapore |
Celebrity Squares | TBA | MediaCorp 5 MediaCorp TV Channel 5 MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 is a 24-hour free-to-air English and Malay language television channel based in Singapore.... |
2001 |
| 名人 Tic Tac Toe |
TBA | MediaCorp 8 MediaCorp TV Channel 8 MediaCorp Channel 8 is a 24-hour free-to-air Mandarin Chinese general entertainment television channel in Singapore... |
2003 | |
 Spain |
VIP | Emilio Aragón | Telecinco Telecinco Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel... |
1990–1992 |
| Tres en Raya | Carolina Ferre | LaSexta | 2007 | |
 Sweden |
Prat I Kvadrat | Fredrik Belfrage Fredrik Belfrage Fredrik Belfrage is a Swedish TV and radio presenter. He is the son of the dentist Åke Belfrage and Vera Maria, born Vange .... |
Sveriges Television Sveriges Television Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners... |
March 2, 1983–1986 |
 Turkey |
XOX: Kare Akademisi | Yalçın Menteş | Show TV Show TV SHOW TV is a nation-wide television channel in Turkey owned by Çukurova Holding. The channel was established by the Turkish businessmen Erol Aksoy and Haldun Simavi on March 1, 1992. During the last years, Show TV extended its range of viewers by adding more channels like Show Plus, Show Max and... |
July 2002–2003 |
| aTV ATV Turkey atv is a nationwide TV channel in Turkey, founded in 1993. atv is one of the most widely watched TV channels in Turkey. atv is an acronym of Actual Television.Since 2007 atv is owned by Çalık Holding.- Shows :News Programming* atv Ana Haber... |
1994–1996 | |||
| Kandıramazsın Beni | Vatan Şaşmaz | Fox Türkiye Fox Turkey -History:TGRT launched on April 22, 1993 that was owned by Huzur Radyo TV A.Ş belongs to İhlas Holding.The channel was bought by News Corporation with Ahmet Ertegün on July 26, 2006 and changed to its current name Fox on February 24, 2007.... |
2009 | |
 United Kingdom |
Celebrity Squares | Bob Monkhouse Bob Monkhouse Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host... |
ITV ITV ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK... |
July 20, 1975–July 7, 1979 |
| Central Television | January 8, 1993–August 26, 1996 |
Home versions
Watkins-Strathmore created the first two home versions of the show in 1967. IdealIdeal Toy Company
Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...
issued a version of the game in 1974 with a picture of Peter Marshall on the box; this was the first of the adaptations to featured humorous gag names for the celebrities (The game was also marketed in the UK under the name "Celebrity Squares" with a picture of UK host Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
). Milton Bradley
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
created two versions, first in 1980 based on the Marshall version, then in 1986 for the Davidson version, with a 3D board and twelve "celebrities" to insert onto the board. Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
released a similar game in 1999 based on the Bergeron version. This one saw the return of play money and Secret Square rules, missing since the original Watkins-Strathmore-produced home games.
GameTek
GameTek
GameTek was a video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida well known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing rights to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune...
released a version of Hollywood Squares in 1988 for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computers and later for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. In 1999, Tiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
released an electronic LCD handheld game based on the Bergeron version. In 2002, the official Hollywood Squares website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
had an online version of the show using the celebrities that were on that week. 2010 saw the release of the game for the PC and Wii, developed by Ludia Games.
Reruns
- Most of the Peter Marshall hosted run was believed to have been destroyed by wipingWipingWiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
, a common practice in the 1960s and 1970s by networks to save money and space for the large videotapes of the era. During a search for original master tapes of the soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, master copies of at least 100 Marshall-hosted prime time and syndicated shows were discovered. Many of these episodes aired on GSNGame Show NetworkThe Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
from 2002–2003. - The Davidson version was rebroadcast on the USA NetworkUSA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
from September 11, 1989 to June 25, 1993. This version and the Marshall version are both currently owned by MGM TelevisionMGM TelevisionMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
. - The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour has never been rerun, primarily because of cross-ownership issues between current rights holders MGM and FremantleMediaFremantleMediaFremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
. - The Bergeron version is co-owned by Sony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
and CBS Television DistributionCBS Television DistributionCBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
. GSN has aired this version in the past. - In the early 1970s, a "Zingers From The Hollywood Squares" vinyl record was released (along with two companion books), containing the audio of what were considered to be some of the show's funniest moments. A CD of the album was included in Peter Marshall's book.
Parodies
Peter Marshall appeared in a recurring sketch of parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, The East Hollywood Squares, the first of which aired Nov. 11, 1993 on the popular TV series In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
.
The television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
has used a parody of Hollywood Squares, referred to as Springfield Squares and hosted by Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"...
. In Season Four's
The Simpsons (season 4)
The Simpsons fourth season originally aired on the Fox network between September 24, 1992 and May 13, 1993, beginning with "Kamp Krusty." The show runners for the fourth production season were Al Jean and Mike Reiss. The aired season contained two episodes which were hold-over episodes from season...
Krusty Gets Kancelled
Krusty Gets Kancelled
"Krusty Gets Kancelled" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1993. In the episode, a new show featuring a puppet named Gabbo premieres in Springfield and competes with Krusty the Clown's show...
, the Springfield Squares parody makes its first appearance. A game is taking place on Springfield's beach (a reference to the 1980s version's trips to Hollywood, Florida) and is interrupted by a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
. Everyone climbs for the safety of Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
's square except for Charley Weaver, who says he has been in his square "durn near thirty seasons" and declares he will not leave before the tsunami washes him away. This parodies the fact that while taping a 1971 episode, an earthquake struck the set, and everybody ran off, with the exception of center square Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
, who refused to run from the set.
The Season 11
The Simpsons (season 11)
The Simpsons 11th season originally aired between September 1999 and May 2000, beginning on Sunday, September 26, 1999, with "Beyond Blunderdome". The show runner for the 11th production season was Mike Scully...
episode titled Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder
Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder
"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 14, 1999. In the episode, Homer becomes a local celebrity after bowling a 300 game, but his fame quickly...
features another edition of Springfield Squares. In the squares are Rainier Wolfcastle, Krusty the Clown, Itchy & Scratchy, Bumblebee Man, Princess Kashmir, Sideshow Mel, the Capital City Goofball, Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
, and Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
in the center, having recently gained an amount of celebrity after bowling a 300 game at the local bowling alley.
Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
parodied the show as The Homeless Howiewood Squares. Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades....
was noted to have appeared as the panelist on the bottom left corner (as he did on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television game show that combined two long-running game shows of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format....
).
Broadcast history
NBC Daytime (Monday–Friday)Broadcast times for this version are for the Eastern Time Zone. The show aired one hour earlier in the Central, Mountain and Pacific Time Zones.
- October 17, 1966–October 1, 1976, 11:30 a.m.
- October 4, 1976–September 29, 1978, 10:30 a.m.
- October 2, 1978–March 2, 1979, 1:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m.; affiliates had choice of one of two feeds
- March 5–August 10, 1979, 12:30 p.m.
- August 13, 1979–June 20, 1980, 10:30 a.m.
NBC Nighttime
- January 12–September 13, 1968 (Friday evenings), 9:30 p.m. Pacific/Eastern, 8:30 p.m. Mountain/Central. The prime-time version was a mid-season replacement for the cancelled situation comedySituation comedyA situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Accidental FamilyAccidental FamilyAccidental Family is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC during the first part of the 1967-68 U.S. television season.-Synopsis:The series stars Jerry Van Dyke as a widowed comedian, Jerry Webster, who bought a farm in the San Fernando Valley to serve as a place for him to raise his son, Sandy, when...
.