You remember Gene Rayburn, the quizmaster of ‘‘The Match Game’’? The premise of this long-running show was delightfully simple. Gene would ask six celebrities a question, often a fill-in-the-blank, and the celebs (Betty White, Soupy Sales, Joe Garagiola, etc.) would scribble an answer on a card. The contestant then would give her/his answer in the hopes of matching the panelists’ answers. The most correct answers would win the game and money.
The first version of the show ran from 1962 to ’69. An upscale version (it was in color) ran in several iterations between 1973 and ’90 in syndication. The celebrities (White, Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, Brett Somers, etc.) were encouraged to be much racier with their answers. The show since has been revived, hosted by Alec Baldwin.
