# The Match Game (1962)

> A 1960s NBC panel game show where contestants try to match the risque fill-in-the-blank answers of six celebrities.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/83807

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 174
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: reality, comedy
- Created by: Frank Wayne, Mark Goodson, Bill Todman
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Gene Rayburn, Johnny Olson, Wayne Howell, Arlene Francis, Skitch Henderson, Sally Ann Howes, Abe Burrows, Peggy Cass
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055688/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, cheeky, playful, nostalgic, warm

## Synopsis

The Match Game (1962-1963) is a United States national-television panel game show created by Frank Wayne, Mark Goodson, and Bill Todman for NBC. Hosted by Gene Rayburn, with announcer Johnny Olson and sub-announcer Wayne Howell handling the on-air patter, the show runs on a simple engine: contestants attempt to guess the answers that a rotating bench of celebrity panelists gave to humorous, often risque fill-in-the-blank questions. Guest panelists such as Arlene Francis, Skitch Henderson, Abe Burrows, Peggy Cass, and Carol Lawrence bring quick wit and playful rivalry to each round, so the fun lies in the gap between what the stars say and what the contestants expect them to say. Its single season of 174 episodes was built as a light, brisk weekday format rather than a continuing story, so every episode stands alone. The tone is breezy, cheeky, and warm, with the sly double meanings of its questions giving the show a mischievous edge that feels very much of its time. Set in the television studio of early 1960s America, it is a classic golden age panel quiz with a nostalgic charm. Fans of Password, What's My Line?, and To Tell the Truth will find a familiar pleasure here in celebrity banter and mid-century game show wit.

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- [Whose Line Is It Anyway? (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/57426)
- [Press Your Luck (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/3600)
- [QI (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/1465)
- [Match Game (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/8)
- [Family Feud (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1688)
- [To Tell the Truth (1956)](https://ember.film/tv/4911)
- [The Price Is Right (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/1942)
- [Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968)](https://ember.film/tv/9185)

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