Match Game '73

FavoritedFavorite 17
CBS (ended 1979)
EDIT

Show Summary

  • Ended
This is the classic version of the ultimate classic game show that most people came to know and love. Originally intended to be simply an expanded CBS-TV remake of the popular 1962-1969 NBC-TV game show called The Star-Studded Big Money Match Game 73 (and it's annual updates) soon grew into a bonafide, no-holds-barred comedy fest, full of innuendos, double-entendres, pouting celebrities and much more debuts including one as the show's return on June 25-29, 1973 on CBS-TV. Host Gene Rayburn played straight man to the antics of the 6-star panel but frequently aided the fun.''''The game itself was straightforward. 2 contestants that's including a returning champion are competed. The challenger chose 1 of the questions (marked "A" & "B") in 2 rounds (marked "1" & "2") for which Rayburn read the question. While the questions were rather pedestrian early in the run (e.g., "Name a foreign car"), the questions quickly grew wild and wacky. Frequently, the questions involved a recurring list of characters such as Dumb Donald, Weird Willie and Old Man Periwinkle (the latter brilliantly portrayed by Rayburn); celebrities, politicians and news events of the time were also the butt of many of the questions.''''For example: "Wendy the waitress really likes it if you give her good tips. Give her a $10 bill, she'll put a sliced cherry in your drink. Don't tip her and she'll put in a _____."''''It was that blank that the six(6) celebrities separately wrote in on index cards. The contestant then was asked for his/her answer. One by one, Rayburn who frequently critiqued the contestant's answer (he or she might say "cherry bomb" or "cyanide," which would be the definitive answer, while "dirt" would be a rotten answer) then the audience critized each celebrity for his or her answer. The player scored 1 point for every match.''''Two rounds were player with the challenger going 1st in the second round of questions (or the champion if the challenger matched all 6 stars); celebrities who matched a player in the first round didn't participate in the second-round question for that contestant. The player in the lead after two rounds wins the game and $100 and played the Big Money Super Match.''''A tie-breaker round was played if necessary with gameplay like as before. If the tie wasn't broken after two(2) tie-breaker rounds, then a sudden-death fill-in-the-blank tiebreaker was played. A fill-in-the-blank phrase (e.g., _____ Bunny) was shown; each player wrote their response and the celebrities were polled from the audience for their answers. The first to match won the game. In the highly unlikely event that both players provided the same answer or there still was not a match, then (after a typical Rayburn comment like, "Gee, we're really doing well, aren't we?") the sudden-death tie-breaker was played again until there was a match. The sudden-death format was used right away for ties in the weekly syndicated Match Game PM (because of time constraints) that started in the 1975-1976 season only regulars Richard Dawson, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly played.''''The Super Match was played in 2 parts. In the 1st part (dubbed Audience Match), Rayburn read a fill-in-the-blank phrase in which had been given to a previous studio audience of 100 people (e.g., Cookie ______). The contestant asked 3 celebrities 1 at a time for suggested answers after which he or she could choose one or come up with one of his or her own. The three top answers were listed, with the No. 3 choice worth $100, the second-most popular worth $250 and the top choice worth $500.''''If the champion matched one of the top 3 answers, he/she won that amount of money and played the Head-to-Head Match for 10 times their winnings (equals ergo: $1000, $2500 or $5000). The player chose a celebrity, who was given another fill-in-the-blank phrase as before. If there was an exact match, the champion wins the Big Money. Even if the player didn't match, the champion kept his/her Audience Match winnings and faced a new challenger.''''Players returned until defeated or surpassing CBS's $25,000 winnings limit (done just once in March 1979).''''Richard Dawson was initially the only regular Match Game 73 celebrity; Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers became regulars in September 1973. Dawson was far and away the most popular Head-to-Head Match celebrity partner (one history of the show reported he was responsibile for greater than $1 million in the champion's winnings). In 1976 as the show then called Match Game 76 Dawson parlayed his success in the highly-successful ABC-TV run of Family Feud.''''On June 28, 1978...The Star Wheel was added to the Super Match on Match Game 78 which the contestant spun to determine his or her celebrity partner. If the wheel stopped on certain areas of the wheel called the gold star area (designated "double"), the player played for 20 times their Audience Match cash (up to $10,000 on the CBS-TV show; $20,000 on Match Game PM); otherwise, they played for their regular jackpot. Some fans of the show believe the addition of the Star Wheel hastened Dawson's departure from the show on August 23, 1978 and though that's purely speculation.''''Match Game 73 as fans came to know, had many classic moments during its 7 Season run on CBS-TV (too many to list here). The show also spawned a successful syndicated entry (the once-a-week Match Game PM, which offered even higher cash prizes). After the CBS-TV show (and then called Match Game 79) ended its run on April 20, 1979. 5 Months later it continued its life as a 5-day-a-week entry on September 10-14, 1979 that series continued through September 10, 1982.''''A short-lived pairing with The Hollywood Squares in 1983-1984 on NBC-TV plus 2 self-contained revivals (ABC-TV in 1990-1991 and Syndicated TV in 1998-1999), soon followed. None managed to recapture the audience (or particularly in the latter version, the magic) of the one-of-a-kind original. Reruns of the classic Match Game 73 have perpetually been among the highest-rated shows on Game Show Network (now GSN).''''THE BROADCAST HISTORY of MATCH GAME 73:''June 25-December 31, 1973 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 74:''January 2-December 31, 1974 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 75:''January 2-August 15, 1975 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''August 18-November 28, 1975 at 3:00-3:30pm on CBS-TV''December 1-31, 1975 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 76:''January 2-December 31, 1976 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 77:''January 3-November 4, 1977 at 3:30-4:00pm on CBS-TV''November 7-December 16, 1977 at 11:00-11:30am on CBS-TV''December 19, 1977-January 3, 1978 at 4:00-4:30pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 78 :''January 4, 1978-January 2, 1979 at 4:00-4:30pm on CBS-TV''MATCH GAME 79 :''January 3-April 20, 1979 at 4:00-4:30pm on CBS-TV.''''Syndicated on every TV Market from September 10, 1979 to September 10, 1982 and Distributed By JIM VICTORY TELEVISION, INC.''''"MATCH GAME 73-79" is A MARK GOODSON-BILL TODMAN PRODUCTION in association with The CBS-TV Network.moreless
8.0
out of 10
Average Rating: Great
242 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Episode Guide

See All
S 7 :  Ep 18
S 7 :  Ep 17
S 7 :  Ep 16 Aired 4/18/79
S 7 :  Ep 15 Aired 4/16/79
S 7 :  Ep 14 Aired 4/10/79

Match Game '73 News

See All
  • Cast updates: Match Game, Gossip Girl 17

    Cast updates: Match Game, Gossip Girl

    By Tim Surette, Jun 20, 2008

    One of the things that made the celeb-studded classic The Match Game so darned entertaining was its propensity for being raunchy. So when TBS announced that it was making a contemporary version of the show, it knew it had to… more

  • March 13, 2007 DVD Releases 23

    March 13, 2007 DVD Releases

    By Melissa Toutjian, Mar 07, 2007

    dvd_weekly_roundup.jpg Without a TraceThe Complete Second Season Buy the DVD! More Without a Trace Show Summary | Episode Guide | Forum Bosom BuddiesThe First Season Buy the DVD! More Bosom Buddies Show Summary | Episode Guide | Forum Mile HighSeason… more

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Reviews (26)

See All

  • Contestants and celebrities are given a story, often humorous, with a word missing. The contestants score points by giving the same answer as the celebrities.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By stat74, Jan 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    Nowadays, so many new game shows are just a disappointment. (How many have been pulled off GSN after less than a season?) I think current producers have forgotten lessons that were learned years ago.

    There are two things that this version had right that subsequent versions whiffed:

    First, the group dynamics bordered on the silly. It was the perfect atmosphere, at times the game was almost secondary. This was a comedy show, and the audience was just waiting for the next zinger. Gene Rayburn wanted the contestants to give funny answers. He loved it when a young woman went on national television only to have to say that someone made "do do" or something happened to their boobs. He gave a mock surprise look when a contestant gave such a response and usually had a follow up ready. The synergy between Charles Nelson Reilly's dry sarcasm and Brett Somers was neat. (e.g. Charles: "Brett, you should try out for the opera Carmen. Somebody has to be the bull.") Brett had this amazing ability to be brilliant one minute and a ditz the next. And of course, she was known to appear on stage after having imbibed during the "dinner break." Richard Dawson was also very funny. Things weren't the same after Family Feud became a success and he left. The way these four played off each other is the model subsequent versions failed to grasp. They didn't last nearly as long.

    Second, subsequent versions, particularly in the 90s, weren't afraid to allow genitalia references. It was such a desperate cop out and bordered on the crass. Frankly, it's funnier to watch the contestants say "tinkled." I would much rather watch a question about the Bionic Woman's Bionic Buns than have everyone talk about her ass. The former allows such a smarter comedy angle.

    I wish this show would return in some form. Jimmy Carr would be absolutely amazing hosting it (see Distraction). I'm a game show guru, and right now the only show I'm watching is one that aired almost forty years ago.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Match Game is one of my all-time favorite game shows. They couldn't have done a better job.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By onceinabluemoon, Jun 18, 2007 Report Abuse
    I absolutely LOVE Match Game!!! It was definately a unique game show that set the bar for all others to come. It was a hilarious classic. I love to watch it and see how the contestants think. Some of them come up with the craziest answers that I would never have thought of. It's also fun to watch because it's a game show where you can also play at home. You can compare your answers with the contestants and panelists. Oh my gosh...the panelists. They were what made the show amazing. They were themselves on the show, which I loved. There were on masquerades. So, yeah, I love Match Game. :Pmoreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Dumb Dora was so Dumb was a lead in for this show.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By daisyduke71, Jun 01, 2007 Report Abuse
    I loved this show with such stars as Richard Dawson (best known as host of Family Feud and kissing the women), Brett Sommers, Charles Nelson Reilly (who died May 25th, 2007), and the late Gene Rayburn. We also had such guests as Bill Dailey (from I Dream of Jeannie), Bette White (from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and many other shows), Alan Ludden (Password, who was also married to Betty White at the time), Penny Marshall (Laverne and Shirley), Kate Jackson (Charlie's Angels), and many others. They would have six panelist and 2 contestants. It started out by you trying to match the 6 panelist. Then there was 1 audience matches sometimes 2. Then you would match a star which was a lot of times Richard Dawson. You had a chance of winning up to 10,000 most of the time it was 5,000. It was a great show.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • One of the best shows EVA!!!!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By wafflesandnety, Apr 25, 2007 Report Abuse
    Oh my god i love this show MUCH!!!! The first time i saw it was when i was sleeping over my grandmother's house. Wow, it was so funny and hilarious. But about 3 years later i still watch it. I'm 13. I mean it's praticaly morepopular then when it fist came out. But when i saw the special episode of what the people that are usally on the show are doing now. I praticaly cried because the person who was the host. He gat short term memory lost, which means he didn't remember being on the show, and then he passed away. I cried...I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0

  • Match Game was a game show that aired since the 60s throughout the 70s. It's host, Gene Rayburn, and the different celebrities from the panel made the show a fantastic hit.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By ravenennis, Feb 20, 2007 Report Abuse
    "Last night I had dinner with my boyfriend. As soon as I began eating, he stuck his thumb in my blank." LOL!! "Dumb Dora was so dumb, (How dumb was she?!) that when she didn't have enough money to buy a color tv, she bought a black & white tv and covered it with blank.)

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Photos

See All

Related Shows

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings

Categories

Comedy, Game Show

Themes

70s, Classics

BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use