This week I'm sharing a very recent find from an estate sale in Dallas. There really wasn't a lot of stuff I was interested in, but I did find this:
Yes, good old Hollywood Squares (the home version, of course). This is the 1974 version, and it's in great shape! Want to know how to play? Well, here you go!
Here the game is set up in a "simulated game." The plastic "Xs" and "Os" hang on the board. The questions are on cards that you see through a special viewer.
Here are our "celebrities!" Now don't get too excited, you probably haven't heard of any of them. But that's ok, fame can be fleeting in Hollywood!
Let's get a closer look at that viewer. You start by selecting your question.
"Gene" then reads the question (or you do if he won't).
Then, your selected celebrity gives an answer.
Now, you have to agree or disagree. I think I will......Agree!
And look here! I was right! Yay!!!
And that's pretty much how the game goes. It's fun to answer the questions, but one way it falls short of the television version is that you don't get the jokes from the celebrities. To me, that's the best part of the show! So, while they did as good a job as they could with game play, it's just not as fun as the show. Oh well, you can't beat the original, I guess!
That's about it for this week! Until next week, keep searching for treasure!
I guess this is the "home game" that contestants got as a 'consolation' prize for being on the TV show. Like you said, half (or more) of the fun was the schtick and shenanigans that the 'stars' provided. So, by definition, the home version is only gonna be half as fun. ;-)
ReplyDeleteA couple of the 'celebrities' here, look like they might be some of the real-life celebrities. Like, "Hayseed" in the bottom left could be Charlie Weaver; I think he did occupy that square on the show. And "Tim Type", in the center square, could be Paul Lynde who occupied that square in real life, and often wore a flamboyant scarf around his neck. Not sure about the others.
Nice piece of TV history, Stu. Thanks.
Now that you mention it, those celebrity tie-ins do make sense! Paul was always the best in my book. And as I got older and understood his jokes on a more adult level he got ever funnier, lol!
DeleteI remember being a little bummed when I found out that the jokes were prepared in advance and not really spontanious, but I got over it pretty quickly. It was still funny! New versions of the show just didn't have the chemestry, I'm afraid. The original was lightning in a bottle!