Today is June 1 and it is National Game Show Day! It is a day for celebrating all timeless game shows, past and present. National Game Show Day honors one of the oldest and most cherished genres of TV.
According to the National Day Calendar: Game Shows are watched by millions of Americans every single day and are a staple in most American homes. Viewers can engage by cheering contestants on and playing along from home. National Game Show Day honors vintage and current game shows, their hosts, and the fans of yesterday and today.
The first TV game show in the U.S. was Truth or Consequences, which began in 1940 and was hosted by Ralph Edwards. The show consisted of contestants being asked to answer trivia questions correctly or face the consequences by performing a zany stunt.
I would say that my love of game shows came from my grandparents. On days where we were sick and had to stay home from school, we’d occasionally have to spend the day with them. Game Shows were a staple at their house (sadly, so were soap operas). The Price Is Right was always on at her house.
The Price is Right originally aired on TV in 1956, with Bill Cullen as the host. In 1972, the show reintroduced a new host. Bob Barker became the face of The Price is Right and served as host for 35 years, with Drew Carey taking over the reins in 2007. The Price is Right is the longest running game show in television history, with Carey continuing as host today.
Another grandma favorite was Let’s Make a Deal with Monty Hall. She’d laugh at the ridiculous costumes that people would wear. We’d laugh when they picked something that a booby prize.
Game shows seemed to be on at all hours of the day growing up. Many of them were on during the day. I loved watching Dick Clark on the $20,000 Pyramid. As years went on the amount of money increased, too.
I used to love guessing whether the next card was higher or lower when we watched Jim Perry on Card Sharks. I wanted a deck of those huge playing cards!
Long before Jeopardy, I remember watching Alex Trebek on High Rollers. I really don’t remember what the game was, but I sure do remember those big fuzzy dice! Come to think of it, his hair and mustache were a bit fuzzier back then…
Another show I remember was hosted by Bert Convey and featured celebrities and their spouses. I remember that they’d always show the contestant’s who were not on stage wearing these huge headphones!
I was always amazed at how a contestant could name a tune in one note when I watched Name That Tune. Obviously they got some clues ahead of time, but as a kid I was in awe.
There were two game shows that I remember watching that seems to go away fairly quickly. One was called Sale of the Century, again with Jim Perry.
The other one that went away fast was Treasure Hunt. What kid doesn’t like presents?
The first time I ever heard the phrase Makin’ Whoopie …. The Newlywed Game. Did I know what it meant? No. But it was fun to watch couples argue over answers.
Another daytime game show I remember was Tic Tac Dough. As a kid I loved the fact that it was Tic Tac Toe and that the host’s name was WINK!
Tic Tac Toe with celebrities and a whole lot of funny ad-libs made Hollywood Squares another favorite.
There have been many incarnations of Family Feud, but to me the BEST version was when Richard Dawson hosted.
Night time game shows were always on at grandma’s, too. Of course everyone still watches Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
Before the return of Jeopardy at night, Wheel of Fortune was paired with Jack Berry and the Joker’s Wild.
I could go on and on with games shows I loved, but I will spare you my rambling and wrap with my all time favorite – The Match Game.
Gene Rayburn was so good at interacting with not only the celebrities on the panel, but the contestants. It was like a half hour party. We always watched it when my dad had band practice and my brother and I were in front of the TV. What a hoot to watch this show! It was years later when I found out that they would break between shows and have dinner and drinks which led to “looser” celebrities and more humor.
Did (Do) you have a favorite game show or host? Tell me about it!
Happy National Game Show Day!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 