By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
This year, Game Show Network is treating fans to a blast from the past—the channel is launching a revival of Split Second, a tough Q&A game that enjoyed a three-year run on ABC with host Tom Kennedy in the 1970s. Split Second returned in the 1980s with executive producer Monty Hall pulling double duty as host. While it ran for only one season in first-run broadcasts, Hall’s version […]
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President Lincoln’s TV Game Show Moment
By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
For the month of February, the National Archives of Game Show History commemorates Presidents’ Day with a look back at one of the most extraordinary segments on an American game show.
On February 9, 1956, Garry Moore dashed into the wings of the I’ve Got a Secret stage and walked out with frail, bandaged, cane-toting, 96-year-old Samuel Seymour. Seymour got three rounds of applause before the game even started. One […]
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Betty White Made Game Show History
By Adam Nedeff, researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
We are deeply grateful to the estate of Betty White and Allen Ludden for their donations to the National Archives of Game Show History. “Hollywood’s Happiest Couple” left behind a personal treasure trove of relics from their long and memorable association with TV game shows. Among them—a history-making Emmy Award given to Betty White for her work on Just Men!—now loaned from the estate for display at The […]
The Price Is Definitely Right
One of the highlights for me in the summer of 2022 involved traveling to Los Angeles on behalf of the National Archives of Game Show History, The Strong’s initiative to preserve the story of that significant piece of American popular culture. Through the incredible connections of Bob Boden, one of the co-founders of the archives, while I was in L.A. I had the opportunity to attend the filming of an episode of The Price Is Right. While I didn’t get […]
Concentrating on Santa—and CARE
By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
Different shows treat Christmas differently. Some game shows have been content to just do their normal game, but with tinsel and a tree adorning the set. Some shows take it a little further, playing the game with special material—What’s My Line? might welcome a reindeer breeder, Wheel of Fortune might have the lyrics to a Christmas carol as the solution to a puzzle. But few game shows turned Christmas into […]
Biggest “Turkey” in Game Show History
By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
You bring the stuffing, the cranberry sauce, and the pumpkin pie. For Thanksgiving, we’ll bring you the biggest turkey in the history of game shows: You’re in the Picture
By 1961, Jackie Gleason was already a bona fide show business legend. His Cavalcade of Stars had made him one of the first superstars in the young medium of television. The classic 39-episode season of The Honeymooners had been icing on […]
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Johnny Carson: From Game Show Regular to Late-Night Icon
By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
October 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. For the next 30 years after its debut in 1962, Carson became a nightly habit for millions of Americans, who were treated to his monologue as a record of the day’s events, sketch comedy featuring “The Mighty Carson Art Players,” Johnny’s lively chit-chat with announcer/sidekick Ed McMahon, the musical interludes of Doc Severinsen and his […]
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50 Years Ago: CBS Brought Play to Mornings
By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
In 1972, longtime NBC executive Bud Grant jumped to CBS for a position as vice president of daytime programming. In his new role, Grant inherited a stagnant morning schedule of reruns from prime time. He thought game shows could spruce up a wilting lineup and bring an element of fun. Grant tried one game show in the summer of 1972 as a signal flare of sorts—an odd game called […]
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Do You Remember These Memory Games?
By Adam Nedeff, Researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History
It was a bona fide institution for over a decade on NBC, a phoenix of a game that rose from the ashes twice, becoming a favorite for game show fans across three generations. It was Concentration, and it came to life on America’s TV screens on August 25, 1958.
Jack Barry was toying with an idea based on a childhood card game; you’d spread the deck out and turn over […]