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''The Hollywood Squares'' was an American Television Comedy and Game Show in which two contestants play Tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The "board" for the game is actually a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by an entertainer (or "star") seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The stars are asked questions and the contestants judge the veracity of their answers in order to win the game. Although ''The Hollywood Squares'' was a legitimate game show, the game largely acted as the background for the show's comedy. The show was "scripted" in the sense that the panel of celebrities knew the questions in advance and were provided with answers and suggestions for bluffs and jokes (''Zingers''). Typically, a star's first answer to a question was a humorous one (or at least an attempt at a humorous one). This was then followed by the true answer or bluff. It had to be stressed that this did ''not'' mean the actual ''gameplay'' was scripted or predetermined, as the onus was still on the contestant to determine whether or not the provided answer to a question was the correct one. BASIC RULES Although there have been variations over the years in the rules of and the prizes in the game, certain aspects of the game have remained fairly consistent. Two contestants, a woman playing Os (noughts) as "Miss Circle" and the man playing '''X'''s (crosses) "Mister X", took turns picking a star and following the traditional Tic-tac-toe strategies for which square to select. The star was asked a question and gave an answer. The contestant had the choice of agreeing with the celebrity or disagreeing if they thought the star was bluffing. If the contestant was right, he or she got the square; if the contestant was wrong, the other contestant got the square, unless that would cause the opponent to get three in a row. In that case, the opponent had to win the square on his or her own. A player also won by getting five of his or her symbols "X" or "O" on the game board (thus preventing "cat's games" or ties); this was called a "five-square win." Stars were not required to give a correct answer even if they knew the answer to the question. On rare occasions, a star would not know the correct answer to a question or be unable to come up with a decent bluff. In such instances, the host offered the question to the contestant. If the contestant answered correctly, he or she got the square; if not, their opponent got the square unless it would give the other contestant three in a row. Usually the contestant passed, in which case they incurred no penalty, and the same star was asked another question. Peter Marshall's explanation of the rules:
ORIGINAL VERSION (1966-1981) The show got its beginning as a Black-and-white Pilot episode filmed for CBS on April 21, 1965. That pilot was hosted by Bert Parks with the squares occupied by Cliff Arquette (in his "Charley Weaver" comic persona), Wally Cox , Rose Marie , Morey Amsterdam , Abby Dalton , Jim Backus , Gisele MacKenzie , Robert Q. Lewis and Vera Miles . The first five of the initial panelists were to later appear on the first broadcast week (October 17-21, 1966) and become all 5 of its initial regulars on NBC-TV . CBS shot a second pilot hosted by Sandy Baron , but chose not to pick up the program with either host. A year later, NBC acquired the rights to the show and chose Peter Marshall as host, a job he held for fifteen years until 1981. During most of its daytime run, NBC broadcast ''Squares'' at 11:30 a.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Central time, where it dominated the ratings until 1976, when it moved to the first of a succession of different time slots. The show also ran at night, first on NBC from January 12 to September 13, 1968 as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived sitcom '' Accidental Family '', then as a nighttime syndicated entry running from November 1, 1971 to September 11, 1981. The latter version ran once a week at first, then twice a week and finally expanded to a five-day-per-week strip in its final season. Paul Lynde , in addition to his recurring role as "Uncle Arthur (Winsome)" on '' Bewitched '' had his greatest fame as the coveted "center square" throughout most of the original show's run. However, on October 14-18, 1968 after two years on the show, Lynde became the regular center square. Lynde was the only panelist on the show to win 2 daytime Emmy Award s in 1974 and 1978 . Other regulars and semi-regulars over the years included Nanette Fabray , Kaye Ballard , John Davidson , Wally Cox , Cliff Arquette ("Charley Weaver"), Morey Amsterdam , Florence Henderson , Marty Allen , Wayland Flowers , George Gobel , Vincent Price , Rose Marie , Charo , Sandy Duncan , Carol Wayne , Jonathan Winters , Karen Valentine , Roddy McDowall and Joan Rivers . Lynde left the series after taping the August 20-24 1979 week of shows, but returned when the series relocated to Las Vegas in the 1980-1981 season. Some stars would frequently be asked questions pertaining to a certain topic or category. For instance, Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver), a history buff, would often get questions on American history and would almost always give a correct answer. Rich Little would almost always get questions about other celebrities, which gave him an opportunity to do an impression of that individual. Rose Marie often got questions on dating and relationships. Paul Lynde would always get a loaded question just so he could come up with an initial hilarious response. Some, such as Robert Fuller (then on NBC's '' Emergency! ''), were excellent bluffers. The daytime series was played as a best 2-out-of-3 match between a returning champion and a challenger with each individual game worth $200 and a match worth $400; a 5-match champion retired with $2,000 and a new Car . During the final years of the NBC run, players who won five matches were awarded a $25,000 prize package, consisting of $10,000 cash and two new cars. Early in the first season, from October 17, 1966 to February 10, 1967, each game awarded $100 with the winner of the match earning a $300 bonus for a total of $500. Beginning in 1976, an "endgame" of sorts was added to the show, with the champion simply selecting a star, each of whom held an envelope with a prize concealed within. (The top prize was $5000.) Both the (twice-)weekly syndicated and NBC primetime versions featured the same two contestants playing for the entire half-hour with each completed game worth $300 (NBC primetime) or $250 (syndicated). If time ran out with a game still in progress (interrupted by what the host called the "tacky buzzer", a loud horn), each X or O on the board at that point was worth an additional $50 to the players, with each player guaranteed at least $100 in winnings. The player with the most money at the end of the show won a bonus prize, which on the (twice-)weekly syndicated series was usually a new car. On the daily syndicated series, each game awarded its victor a prize and the right to compete in a $100,000 tournament. in a fur coat, a prize on the show.]] The "Secret Square" round was played as the 1st or 2nd game on a given broadcast (or the first complete game if a show began with one already in progress) during the daytime series. In this game, a randomly selected "Secret Square" panelist was revealed only to the home audience. A contestant who picked that panelist during the game won a bonus prize if they correctly agreed or disagreed with the star. Secret Square Prize packages typically started at over $2000, with the biggest being worth $11,110. The question for the star was sealed in a special envelope and was almost always of the multiple choice type. The audience was cautioned not to shout out any answers. In the (twice-)weekly syndicated version, initially the first two games were Secret Square games; if no one claimed the prize in the first round, it would carry over to the second round. Later, the first three games would have a Secret Square, with prizes changing each game. On this version, a Secret Square package was usually worth between $2000 and $7000. The Secret Square was axed in 1980 when the syndicated show expanded to 5 days a week. The daytime show aired its 3,536th and last episode on June 20, 1980. ''Squares'' ran for one more year in Syndication ; this last year of shows was taped at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada . Marshall wrote about his experiences on the show in the 2002 Book ''Backstage With The Original Hollywood Square'' {Link without Title} (ISBN 1-55853-980-8). Interestingly, he would make outrageous salary demands whenever his contract was up for renewal, hoping to be fired as a consequence. Much to his surprise (or dismay), his demands were always met. Theme songs The first theme song used from 1966 to 1970 was an orchestration of "The Silly Song" by Jimmie Haskell; however, the music used on the show is not the version released on the LP (''Jimmie Haskell's French Horns, Vol. 2''). The track found on the LP is a version with vocals and has a different instrumentation than the version used on the program. The second and most famous theme song that was used from 1970 to 1979 was "Bob & Merrill's Theme" by William G. Loose (named after the show's original co-executive producers, Bob Quigley and Merrill Heatter). The theme was edited in later broadcasts, cutting out a piccolo section of the music. This version of the theme song is available on ''The Best of TV Quiz and Game Show Themes''; however, the track on the CD was edited even further by removing a few seconds of music near the end of the pipe organ solo. A third theme song was used from 1979 to 1981. Stan Worth recorded a "disco" version of "Bob & Merrill's Theme" and named it "The Hollywood Bowl". Three versions of "The Hollywood Bowl" were created for the show - one for the opening music, one for the secret square prize descriptions and one for the main theme. Storybook Squares See Also: Storybook Squares ''Storybook Squares'', a Saturday-morning children's version aired briefly from January 4 to August 30, 1969. It featured stars dressed as Fairy Tale , historical and television characters. It would later air occasionally in the 1970s during the run of the original Marshall version. In an interview with E! 's '' True Hollywood Story '', Marshall lauded the concept, but lamented that by the time each of the characters was introduced, very little of the show's half-hour format was left for actual gameplay. REVIVALS There have been several revivals, each with variations in the prize-winning rules but still based on the core premise. 1983-1984 See Also: Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour From October 31, 1983 to July 27, 1984, Jon "Bowzer" Bauman of Sha-Na-Na hosted a version packaged back-to-back with '' Match Game ''. ''The Match Game - Hollywood Squares Hour'' as it was called was jointly owned by Mark Goodson Productions and Orion Television , which had purchased the rights to ''Squares'' upon acquiring the Filmways production company. While the basic game play was similar to the versions before and after it, there were several major differences. Each square was worth $25 plus a bonus for winning each game ($100 in round 1, $200 in round 2, $300 in round 3, etc.). Also, there was no "Secret Square" and all questions were true/false or multiple choice. Additionally, contestants were able to win "by default" if an opponent made a mistake while attempting to block. Unlike other versions of the show, panelists were not provided with humorous or bluff answers in advance. 1986-1989 John Davidson hosted ''The New Hollywood Squares'' (after the second year, the name was reverted back to simply '''''Hollywood Squares'''''). This version was produced by Century Towers Productions for Orion Television , from September 15, 1986 to September 8, 1989. Shadoe Stevens was the announcer and from midway through the second season onward, was also a regular panelist (always occupying the bottom-center square). Most seasons featured Joan Rivers as the center square. Jm J. Bullock was another regular usually occupying the upper-left square. Both Bullock and Stevens did guest-hosting stints while Rivers hosted on an April Fools' Day episode. The rules of the game reverted to the original rules from the Marshall era; most notably in that games could not be won due to an opponent's error. For the first season, each game was worth $500 with a bonus of $100 per square if time ran out in the middle of a game in progress. Beginning with the second season, the third and subsequent games were worth $1000 apiece and the bonus also increased to $200 per square. The second game on every show was a "Secret Square" game, usually worth a trip (instead of an accruing prize package). If a trip was won, Davidson would inform the contestant that their answer was correct by saying "Pack your bags!" Car round The day's winner would choose one of five keys, which would start one of five cars (borrowed from an earlier 1970s game show, '' Split Second ''). The contestant would also choose a good luck celebrity to sit or stand besides the car. If their key started the car selected, he or she won it and retired; otherwise, he or she held on to the key and returned on the next show with that car being eliminated from the choices should he or she retain the championship. If any champion won five days in a row, that player won the car of his/her choice and retired undefeated. Each week featured a different set of five cars, usually all sharing the same make. In the event that a champion crossed over to a new set of cars, he or she picked a new key with the lowest-value cars on offer already eliminated corresponding to the number of prior attempts. In the final season, each of the nine celebrities held a key, and all five cars were available, no matter how many times the champion had been to the bonus round. The champion had to pick a key each day. At this point, champions could simply stay on until winning a car, or until they were defeated (the five game limit was dropped). Notes The Davidson version was one of the first game shows to go "on the road" and tape episodes from remote locations including Hollywood, Florida and Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York . The Florida shows were unique in that they used a manual set, where the stars would insert cards into their podiums containing either an orange or a pair of crossed water-skis depending on if O or X (respectively) won the square. This version of ''Squares'' became noted for gimmickry a la '' I've Got A Secret '', such as musical questions (wherein Davidson, a former recording artist, sang songs for the celebrity to finish), questions involving props in a panelist's square or presented as skits involving outside actors, "surprise" special guests and so on. One week, the entire group of Solid Gold Dancers managed to squeeze into a single square; other times, the lower left square would turn into a Rectangle to accommodate extra stars or props, such as kitchens for Wolfgang Puck , Joe Carcione or Justin Wilson . Richard Simmons once led the audience in exercise routines. Comedian Ray Combs (who would host a revival of '' Family Feud '' a year later) once led the audience in singing a terrible rendition of the theme to '' The Brady Bunch ''. TV alien puppet ALF , supposedly on a dare from host Davidson, actually guest hosted one episode. And on a memorable April Fool's Day episode in 1987, the two contestants were actually actors hired by the producers to play a joke on the host and panel. (The climax of this gag, featuring the female "contestant" shoving the male off of the set's raised contestant desks are the popular staple of game show Blooper specials, and inspired another prank on the later version, see below.) Although such gimmicks made the show a popular favorite early on, its momentum could not be maintained long term, and it folded after just three years. The final episode ended with the cast and crew singing "Happy Trails to You!", then disappearing off the set while soundbites from the series played. 1998-2004 After King World bought the worldwide format rights to the show from MGM (successor-in-interest to Orion Pictures and Filmways, who produced the respective previous incarnations of the series) in 1997, a revival of the format was assembled. On September 14, 1998, the final version of the show to date debuted, hosted by future '' America's Funniest Home Videos '' and '' Dancing With The Stars '' emcee, Tom Bergeron . Comedienne Whoopi Goldberg , who also served as co-producer, was the "Center Square" for the first four seasons. Stevens, announcer for the Davidson version, revived his voice-over role for most of the Bergeron run, though he was not featured as a panelist with Jeffrey Tambor taking over near the end. For the last season, John Moschitta was the announcer. It was taped in Studio 33 at CBS Television City . For the first several weeks, the scoring format worked like this:
These figures were doubled in short order and would continue for most of the rest of the run. In the last season, the old "two-out-of-three match" format from the Marshall daytime version returned. Each game was worth $1,000 and the first player to win two games played the bonus round. This did not apply during certain theme weeks where certain groups of people (lifeguards, celebrity lookalikes) played as the show used the previous season's format for these particular weeks. The first season also saw up to two "Secret Square" games. The first one was in its customary position as the second game played on each episode, with its prize package carrying over to the third game if it was not won. From the second season onwards, the "Secret Square" reverted to essentially its old Marshall-era format: played as the second game on each show worth an accruing prize package (Bergeron referred to it as "The Secret Square Stash"). In the last season, the "Secret Square" was played in the second game of each match, with a different prize offered each time. For the first season, this version had no returning champions; two new contestants played on each show. Beginning with the second season, the show began having returning champs, who were allowed to remain for a maximum of five days; it was also during this season that the show began having an annual Tournament of Champions each May, with the season's five-time champs returning to compete for additional cash and prizes. Endgames The end game underwent numerous changes throughout the run of the Bergeron version. = "Pick a Star and Win a Prize" Originally, the show used the same "pick a star, win a prize" format the Marshall version had used during its last few years on the air. Within several weeks, this had been slightly adjusted to where the day's winner had to correctly agree or disagree with a "Secret Square"-style question to win that prize. For the first season (when there were no returning champs), and for some special weeks in subsequent seasons, if a contestant was unsuccessful in winning the bonus prize, he/she received an additional $2500 as a consolation prize. = Big money round In November 2001, in the wake of shows such as '' Who Wants To Be A Millionaire '' raising the bar in terms of prize money, ''Squares'' adopted an entirely new endgame; the champion selected one of the nine panelists to be their partner for the round, each of whom concealed a different dollar amount from $1000-$5000. The contestant was then asked as many questions as possible in 60 seconds. The two confered, but only the contestant answered the question. At the end of time, if the player so desired, he or she risked the total money earned on one final double-or-nothing question. In this fashion, this game earned a player as much as $100,000. = New key bonus round Also in this season, the "ten questions" endgame was dropped and replaced with yet another bonus round, this one a variation of the "car keys" game from the Davidson version. This time, the player selected one from up to nine keys, only one of which opened or started a given grand prize. Before choosing a key, however, he or she played a game to eliminate incorrect keys from the selection process. The contestant had 30 seconds to answer as many true/false questions about celebrities on that week's panel as possible, and with each correct answer one false key was taken off the board. Also in the fifth season, for each returning champion, an incorrect key was eliminated for every time the contestant failed to win the prize previously. If the contestant won the grand prize and repeated as champion the next day, he/she played for a new prize, starting again with nine keys. For themed shows, champions got one key taken off the board at the outset (in addition to any keys taken away for correct answers). If a contestant selected the wrong key during any bonus round, he/she won $500 (later $1000) for each correct answer as a consolation prize. The prize structure was as follows:
No contestant ever advanced to a fifth prize. Two contestants made it to the fourth level, but failed to win at that level. Three contestants swept all nine stars during this version of the bonus round, guaranteeing them the correct key to win the grand prize. In the final season, champions always had nine keys to work with each time they played the bonus round (even if they appeared only one day), and the amount for each correct answer went back to $500. The prize structure was also changed as follows (only cheaper for some reason):
Only one person reached the fifth prize in the final season, but lost it. This era of ''Squares'' was notable for its reliance on "theme weeks." One of the most well-known was a December 9-13, 2002 "Game Show Week" which featured Peter Marshall in the Center Square, marking the first time he had appeared on any version of the program since 1981 (although in 1993 and 1994 he appeared as host of a Parody version in several episodes of the Sketch Comedy program '' In Living Color ''). On the Thursday show of that week, Marshall and Bergeron traded places, with Bergeron in the center square and Marshall hosting. Marshall had refused to appear on the Whoopi Goldberg-produced shows as he disliked them immensely, feeling they were too crude in tone. However, the show never regained the popularity it enjoyed after Goldberg's departure, and the series ended on June 4, 2004 due to declining ratings. Reruns from that season ended on September 10, 2004 in syndication, but they later moved to GSN . Two episodes of this version had been noted in blooper specials. The first episode came in the show's second season, where the first game of the show took the entire episode to complete, because of the contestants' inability to correctly agree or disagree with panelist Gilbert Gottfried 's answers (which he would follow by yelling "YOU FOOL!" at the contestants) six times in a row, as he was the only remaining panelist and it would have resulted in a five-square win for either contestant. The second episode was a duplicate of the April Fools' prank played on Tom Bergeron in the show's fifth season, featuring among others E.E. Bell (best known as Bob Rooney on '' Married...with Children '') as an obnoxious contestant who kept pushing his overly emotional opponent until she broke down in tears, in addition to testing Bergeron's patience. OTHER VERSIONS presenting UK version: ''Celebrity Squares'' (Image copyright British Film Institute )]]
:Repeats of New Celebrity Squares now air every Saturday and Sunday morning between 10AM and 11:30AM on the Challenge game show channel.
HOME VERSIONS See Also: Hollywood Squares (home game) Hollywood Squares (video game) Watkins-Strathmore created the first two home versions of the show in 1967. Ideal issued a version of the game in 1974 with a picture of Peter Marshall on the box; this was the first of the adaptations to featured humorous gag names for the celebrities (The game was also marketed in the UK under the name "Celebrity Squares" with a picture of UK host Bob Monkhouse ). Milton Bradley created two versions, first in 1980 based on the Marshall version, then in 1986 for the Davidson version, with a 3D board and twelve "celebrities" to insert onto the board. Parker Brothers released a similar game in 1999 based on the Bergeron version. This one saw the return of play money and "Secret Square" rules, missing since the original game. GameTek released a version of ''Hollywood Squares'' in 1988 for MS-DOS , Commodore 64 and Apple II computers, and later for the NES . In 1999, Tiger Electronics released an electronic LCD handheld game based on the Bergeron version. In 2002, the official ''Hollywood Squares'' Website had an online version of the show using the celebrities that were on that week. RERUNS
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