Party Game (game show)
Encyclopedia
Party Game was a Canadian
television game show
in the 1970s, produced by Hamilton
independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada in syndication
, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak.
Hosted by Bill Walker, the show featured two teams of three players in a charades
competition. The Challenger Team was composed of a contestant joined with two guest star players who appeared either for a single day or for the whole week, while the Home Team consisted of series regulars Jack Duffy
, Dinah Christie
and Billy Van
. Using game play similar to the American
game show Pantomime Quiz, answers were usually jokes or complex phrases based around a pun
or some other form of word play
. Viewers at home were also invited to send their own joke or phrase, which if used, could win them a small prize.
Party Game was produced by Riff Markowitz
, the executive producer and star of The Randy Dandy Show and executive producer of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
. It was taped in a double suite at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto
. The set was a simple living room type with couches and a few wall pictures and pieces.
The voice-over announcer who announced each charade was credited as "Gardiner Westbound", an obvious nod to a stretch of the Gardiner Expressway
in Downtown Toronto, but was actually producer Markowitz.
The show's theme music was "Bond Street" by Burt Bacharach
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television 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 the 1970s, produced by Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
independent station CHCH-TV from 1970 to 1981. It aired throughout Canada 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...
, broadcast on 32 stations at its peak.
Hosted by Bill Walker, the show featured two teams of three players in a charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
competition. The Challenger Team was composed of a contestant joined with two guest star players who appeared either for a single day or for the whole week, while the Home Team consisted of series regulars Jack Duffy
Jack Duffy
Jack Duffy was a Canadian singer, comedian and actor.-Biography:Born in Montreal, Duffy grew up in Toronto, dropping out of Central Technical School to become a singer...
, Dinah Christie
Dinah Christie
Dinah Barbara Christie is a Canadian comedic actor and singer.The daughter of actors Robert and Margot Christie, she came to Canada at the age of two with her parents and grew up in Toronto. At age 13, she worked as a call boy at the Stratford Festival and became an apprentice at the Festival in...
and Billy Van
Billy Van
William Allan Van Evera, , known by the stage name Billy Van, was a Canadian comedian, actor and singer.-Biography:...
. Using game play similar to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show Pantomime Quiz, answers were usually jokes or complex phrases based around a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
or some other form of word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
. Viewers at home were also invited to send their own joke or phrase, which if used, could win them a small prize.
Party Game was produced by Riff Markowitz
Riff Markowitz
Rafael Markowitz is the managing director, MC and co-founder of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, which performs at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California, United States. He is also a writer, television producer and director.-Biography:Markowitz was born in New York but...
, the executive producer and star of The Randy Dandy Show and executive producer of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States and occasionally still appears today in some television markets...
. It was taped in a double suite at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The set was a simple living room type with couches and a few wall pictures and pieces.
The voice-over announcer who announced each charade was credited as "Gardiner Westbound", an obvious nod to a stretch of the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
in Downtown Toronto, but was actually producer Markowitz.
The show's theme music was "Bond Street" by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
.
External links
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Dinah Christie (references the show)
- Game clip on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....