User:Daniel Benfield/Hollywood Squares 1966 Video Archive

The Hollywood Squares was one of the longest-running games of its era and one of the more unpredictable (I wouldn't be surprised if it inspired Goodson-Todman to revitalize Match Game in 1973), although admittedly it did start to fall apart around late 1978 or so...especially after Paul Lynde left in mid-'79, returned for the Vegas season, and per one recollection was kicked out again prior to at least the final week in '81.

From what I can tell from old ATGS posts and websites, everybody who knew of the franchise wanted to see more of the original era than the few episodes (mostly daytime, it seems) that were circulating. Following the discovery of somewhere between 650 and 3,000 episodes in a warehouse, GSN picked up repeats for about 18 months (approx. April 15, 2002 to October 2003); these were mostly 1971-77 (Seasons 1-6) syndicated shows, but also included the 1968 primetime version and a single NBC daytime show.

In a nice touch, the very first episode GSN aired was from the '68 version, even beginning with the classic NBC Peacock of the era. Several other shows had this intro, and at least one also retained NBC's "snake" ID after the show.

A huge thanks to Dixon Hayes' celebrity listings for a lot of the NBC-era info.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1965-91/1993-94 Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley Productions and associated entities.

NBC Daytime (1966-80)
NBC Daytime: October 17, 1966 - June 20, 1980

The original version which, barring some repeats in 1981 and one airing by GSN in 2002, has never seen the light of day since. The original theme, "The Silly Song", was replaced in 1970 by a similar William Loose composition commonly called "Bob and Merrill's Theme"; this in turn was replaced by a Stan Worth disco-esque piece shortly after Paul Lynde left in August 1979.

The regulars were originally Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver (Cliff Arquette), Abby Dalton, and Morey Amsterdam, with Paul Lynde joining full-time in July 1968. Amsterdam left in January 1969, with Dalton following him in November 1970. Both Cox and Arquette died during the show's run (February 1973 and September 1974, respectively), with the latter having previously taken a long leave of absence from May 1972 to January 1973; while Cox's square became a rotating one, Arquette's only rotated for seven weeks before George Gobel became a regular in November 1974.


 * Taped 4/21/65 (Pilot #1, hosted by Bert Parks: Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Gisele MacKenzie, ROBERT Q. LEWIS!, Vera Miles, Charley Weaver, Abby Dalton, Jim Backus {center square}; Pam vs. John, with Fern playing later {alternate copy})
 * [Different set, different logo, a few extra sound effects, and Bert Parks is host. The format has best-of-three matches, with $250 awarded per game and $50 awarded for each square if time runs out mid-game.]

Car awarded for winning five matches

Sometime between late May 1967 and early February 1968, the set was slightly altered to add "WON 1 GAME" displays above the scores and a pattern of squares behind Peter's area.


 * May 29, 1967 (Vincent Price, Marty Allen, Michael Landon, Joanne Dru, Charley Weaver, Eva Gabor, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Steve Rossi {center square}; Larry {$200} vs. Candy {Match 2 - $400}, continued from last Friday during Game 2 with Noelle and Joan playing later {Part 2}; has commercials and a Ticket Plug, B/W video {alternate copy of some portions, same source})
 * [First Edition home game plugged and given to departing players. Winning five matches awards a 1967 Dodge Charger. Still has a solid wall behind Peter and no "WON 1 GAME" displays on contestant podiums.]

"WON 1 GAME" displays added to contestant podiums, pattern of squares added behind Peter (began by 2/2/68)
 * July 8, 1968 (Robert Morse, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Wlll Hutchins, Charley Weaver, Connie Stevens, Wally Cox, EARTHA KITT, Vincent Price {center square}; intro, audio only)
 * [Rather infamous because Eartha had made an anti-Vietnam speech at the White House shortly before this week aired (see here for more info). Since the idea of "shows taping in advance" was fairly new in '68, viewers didn't know that Squares did; the result was a ton of letters (including a death threat on Peter himself) and calls blasting NBC, leading to Eartha being banned from appearing on the Marshall era again.]

$20,000+ prize package (a cruise, two cars, and $5,000) awarded for winning five matches (began by 11/3/75)

For the week of November 3, 1975, to celebrate the start of its tenth year, the show expanded to an hour with some celebs rotating in and out at certain points of each show. In addition, an endgame was added: the winner of each match picked a celeb and received a prize, one of which was $5,000.

The endgame originally wasn't a permanent feature, and appears to have returned permanently sometime between mid-January 1976 and early October 1977.


 * January 23, 1976 (McLean Stevenson, Sandy Duncan, BIG BIRD!, Carol Channing, George Gobel, Anson Williams, Demond Wilson, Marcia Wallace, Paul Lynde; Bob vs. Eva, continued from yesterday during Game 1 with Rick playing later {Part 2, Part 3}; has commercials, begins during intro {"Which star is it?"}, video issues for first 13 seconds)
 * [Peter notes to "Stay tuned for The Magnificent Marble Machine." Endgame is still not present.]


 * July 4, 1977 (#2774/Storybook Squares {taped 5/9/77}: Rich Little {Noah}, Elke Sommer {Guinevere}, Milton Berle {Mother Hubbard}, Anson Williams {Simple Simon}, Karen Valentine {Mona Lisa}, Arte Johnson {Beethoven}, Valerie Bertinelli {Miss Muffet}, Vincent Price {Captain Hook}, Paul Lynde {Attila the Hun}; Rushing vs. Brown; studio master with slate and timecode! {alternate copy})

Winner of each match picks a star for a bonus prize, one of which is $5,000 (began by 10/3/77)
 * October 3, 1977 (Ed Asner, Barbara Rhoades, Jim Nabors, JOAN RIVERS, Billy Crystal, Isabel Sanford, George Gobel, TOM KENNEDY, Paul Lynde {Part 2, Part 3}; Rob {$200} vs. Edna {$800}, continued from last Friday during Game 2 with Trina and Rosemarie playing later; has commercials, part of credits missing)
 * [Winning five matches still awards the aforementioned $20,000+ prize package.]


 * December 19, 1977 (Storybook Squares: Soupy Sales {Thomas Edison}, Connie Stevens {Queen of Hearts}, Pat Harrington {Leonardo Da Vinci}, Florence Henderson {Belle Starr}, Jo Anne Worley {Martha Washington}, George Gobel {Henry VIII}, Bill & Susan Hayes {Caesar & Cleopatra}, BIG BIRD!, Paul Lynde {Frankenstein}; Meier vs. Saunders; taped from GSN, the only daytime episode they've ever aired!)

$25,000 prize package ($10,000 plus his-and-hers cars) awarded for winning five matches (began by 2/19/79)

Lynde left in August 1979 (I'm not sure why; the National Enquirer claimed he was fired due to his drinking problems, to which he sued), and the center square became a rotating one as it had from 1966-68. While Dixon Hayes' site claims Wayland Flowers "was apparently pressed into service as a full-time regular in late 1979 to help offset the loss of Paul Lynde", of the 43 weeks between Paul's departure and the show's demise Flowers was only in 14 of them. It's possible Flowers was put into this role on the nighttime show during the 1979-80 season, although there's so little around from that period that I can't say for sure.


 * February 19, 1979 (Paul Williams, Charlene Tilton, William Christopher, Frankie Valli, Paul Lynde, Bernadette Peters, George Gobel, Priscilla Barnes, Vincent Price; begins with Anita {GREAT contestant!} vs. Howard, after a champ retired; taped from KHQ with some bits of commercials, begins at last set of player interviews, ends during Peter's signoff)
 * [Peter mentions "two new players" and "tomorrow". Celebs listed in seating order for this listing, since there's no intro.]
 * February 20, 1979 (Vincent Price, Priscilla Barnes, George Gobel, Frankie Valli, Paul Williams, Charlene Tilton, William Christopher, Bernadette Peters, Paul Lynde; Anita vs. Howard, continued from yesterday with Ken playing later; taped from KHQ, two small portions missing, ends during fee plugs)
 * February 21, 1979 (Charlene Tilton, William Christopher, Bernadette Peters, Vincent Price, Priscilla Barnes, George Gobel, Frankie Valli, Paul Williams, Paul Lynde; Anita vs. Ken, continued from yesterday with Andy and Bob playing later plus a moment at 33:45 that I'm surprised got past the censors; taped from KHQ with some commercials, ends during final segment)
 * [Partial promo at the start is for tonight's episodes of Supertrain and From Here To Eternity.]
 * February 22, 1979 (William Christopher, Bernadette Peters, Vincent Price, Priscilla Barnes, George Gobel, Frankie Valli, Paul Williams, Charlene Tilton, Paul Lynde; Anita vs. Bob, continued from yesterday; taped from KHQ with some commercials {including a promo for a Name That Tune celebrity episode!}, intro through shortly after first match and most of credits only {latter mis-dated as 2/16/79})


 * March 2, 1979 (Promo noting that Squares is moving 12:30/11:30 on Monday {specifically, March 5})
 * March 13?, 1979 (John McCook, Jayne Kennedy, Mike Connors, Carol Lynley, Mary Crosby, Foster Brooks, Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara, Antonio Fargas, Paul Lynde; Barbara {Champ, $400 on her way to $2,000} vs. Morris {$200}; WPIX repeat from 4/21/81 with a Vegas Squares Ticket Plug, begins during Secret Square description, video is horizontally squashed but still very watchable {alternate copy of replacement fee plugs})

Paul Lynde departs (began 8/27/79); final theme debuts (began 9/ or 10/79)
 * October 17, 1979 (Tim Reid, Daryl Anderson, Richard Sanders, Shelley Smith, John McCook, Didi Conn, George Gobel, Sidney Goldsmith, Tom Poston {center square}; John {$400 on his way to $2,000} vs. Beverly; taped from WNBC with commercials, ends during second match)
 * November 9, 1979 (Clip of a contestant winning a necklace {taped 10/22/79})


 * December 4, 1979 (Soap Stars Week, Day 2: Nancy Pinkerton & Franc Luz, Susan Keith & Paul Stevens, Richard Guthrie & Tracey Bregman, Dennis Cooney & Kelly Wood, Sherry Mathis & Rod Arrants, Brenda Dickson & Bob Colbert, Bill & Susan Hayes, Quinn Redeker & Brenda Benet, Wayland Flowers & Madame {center square}; Greg {Champ, $400 on his way to $2,000} vs. Barb {$200}, with Ron playing later; taped from WNBC, with commercials)
 * December 31, 1979 (Richard Sanders, Pia Zadora, Tom Poston, Dianne & Peggy Lennon, Kathy & Janet Lennon, George Gobel, Robert Mandan, James Coco, David Brenner {center square}; Gary vs. Barbara; taped from WNBC, with commercials)
 * [Set still looks the same as it did in early February 1968; winning five matches still awards $10,000 and two cars. Game 1 is a bit odd, as the current champ knows the Lennon sisters and hence couldn't be on this week; Barbara had lost her first game against him and was losing the second when time was called on 12/28.]

$25,000 prize package altered to a car, $10,000, and a trip for four (began by 3/18/80)

The overhauled set also debuts by March 18, which is far more colorful and seems to have paved the way for the sets of the next two incarnations.

Redone set (debuted by 3/18/80)
 * March 18, 1980 (Juliet Prowse, Vincent Price, Lani O'Grady, George Gobel, James Brogan, Tom Poston, Rose Marie, Earl Holliman, Wayland Flowers & Macklehoney; J.D. {Champ, $400 on his way to $2,000} vs. Kathy; taped from WNBC, with commercials and a Ticket Plug!)
 * March 25, 1980 (Country-Western/Comedian Week, Day 2: Tammy Wynette, George Lindsey, Margo Smith, George Gobel, Minnie Pearl, George Jones, Jim Stafford, Mel Tillis, Roy Clark {center square}; Diane {$600} vs. John {$200}, continued from yesterday at Game 2; taped from WNBC, with commercials)


 * May 7, 1980 (Skip Stephenson, Barbara Mandrell, Vincent Price, Judy Landers, George Gobel, Mary Crosby, Jan Murray, Didi Conn, Wayland Flowers & Madame {center square}; Bob {$400 on his way to a second $25,000 bonus} vs. Berlina, continued from yesterday {Part 2}; taped from WNBC, video is a bit jumpy during Game 1 {alternate copy, slightly shorter})


 * June 20, 1980 (Finale: Rose Marie, Tom Poston, Michelle Lee, Vincent Price, Leslie Uggams, George Gobel, Marty Allen, Charlie Callas, Wayland Flowers & Madame {center square}; Dean {$200} vs. Sue {$1,000}, continued from yesterday at Game 2 {Part 3}; taped from WNBC, with commercials)

NBC Primetime (1968)
NBC Primetime: January 12 - September 13, 1968

Nearly identical to the daytime show, except each episode was self-contained: two contestants played throughout, with each game worth $300; if time was called mid-game, each player got $50 per square with their symbol in it. Whoever had more money won a bonus prize alongside whatever else they picked up along the way.

The Secret Square, offered in Games 1-2, seems to have always been a trip in Game 1 and a car in Game 2 (with the former carrying over to the latter if it wasn't won). Also, each player got a copy of the First Edition home game "as a momento of the show".

As far as I know, the center square was always Buddy Hackett or Marty Allen.

The nighttime show was a midseason replacement for the sitcom Accidental Marriage, which was getting hammered in its timeslot (Fridays at 9:30 PM Eastern) by movies on CBS and The Guns of Will Sonnett on ABC. Unfortunately, Squares doesn't seem to have been what viewers wanted either, as it was replaced (in a scheduling shuffle that also resulted in Star Trek moving to 10:00 for its final season) by the 90-minute drama The Name of the Game, which itself ran until March 1971.


 * February 2, 1968 (Sally Field, Jan Murray, Nanette Fabray, Walter Matthau, Van Johnson, Charley Weaver, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Wally Cox, Buddy Hackett; Ray vs. Betty; taped from GSN)
 * February 9, 1968 (Eva Gabor, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Charley Weaver, Steve Rossi, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Marty Allen; Tom vs. Judy; taped from GSN, with NBC Peacock!)
 * February 23, 1968 (Walter Matthau, Barbara Eden, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver, Robert Morse, Wally Cox, Abby Dalton, Buddy Hackett; Bob vs. Peggy {Parts 2, 3, and 4}; taped from GSN, with NBC Peacock!)


 * March 8, 1968 (Edie Adams, Don Adams, Raymond Burr, Charley Weaver, Abby Dalton, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett {Part 2}; Dean vs. Loretta; taped from GSN, with NBC Peacock and "Snake" ID!)
 * [Peter notes that Loretta is engaged to be married "in June".]


 * May 31, 1968 (Lorne Greene, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Charley Weaver, Abby Dalton, Wally Cox, Kaye Ballard, Jan Murray, Paul Lynde, Buddy Hackett {taped 5/68}; Pat vs. Priscilla; taped from GSN's Squares Tuesday, more specifically a "Pete's Picks" lineup)
 * [The Producers (released 3/18/68) is mentioned as being a new film. The same panel is also listed for 6/21/68.]


 * July 5, 1968 (Gypsy Rose Lee, Jan Murray, Connie Stevens, Lorne Greene, Rose Marie, Charley Weaver, Vincent Price, Wally Cox, Buddy Hackett; NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. Kris; taped from GSN, with commercials)

Storybook Squares (1969)
NBC Saturday Mornings: January 4 - April 19 [August 30], 1969 (16 episodes)

A weird spinoff for children, with an even weirder set and a unique theme tune (not "The Silly Song"). The main gimmick was that the stars were dressed up as (and almost always referred to as) various characters "from storybook land", although a few celebs played a well-known role of theirs from television (such as Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams). Kenny Williams appeared on-camera as the "Guardian of the Gate", essentially a reprise of his town crier role from Heatter-Quigley's Video Village.

While the score displays were present, they were never used; instead, winning a game awarded a prize, an element that would be reused much later in 1980.

The show appears to have been put into production (possibly rushed into it, given that this episode list only has four sets of celebs) due to the networks promising Congress that they'd crack down on violence in Saturday-morning cartoons and air more educational fare. I guess NBC felt new Squares would trounce the heavily-rerun Shazzan on CBS (which had ended first-run episodes in January 1968) and George of the Jungle on ABC (which had ended first-run shows in December '67); didn't work. Still, while it died a quick death, Heatter-Quigley brought the concept back for special daytime weeks in 1976-77 and a set of "party" shows for the syndicated version in '78.

At least one episode is known to exist of this version, although it hasn't been online in a long time.

Syndicated (1971-81)
Syndicated: November 1, 1971 - September 11, 1981 (started as Weekly, becoming Twice-Weekly in September 1972 and Daily on September 8, 1980)

Like the 1960s spinoffs, two contestants play for the whole show with, for the first seven years, a car to whoever had the most cash. The scoring dropped to $250 per game with $50 per square if time was called mid-game (and it usually was, denoted by a ship horn referred to as the "tacky buzzer").

For the first two seasons, Games 1-2 had the Secret Square, with the prize packages generally worth about $2,500; if nobody claimed the prizes in Game 1, they were carried over to Game 2. From Seasons 3-7, the first three games had a Secret Square, with each game offering different prize packages (usually worth between $2,000 and $7,000). Seasons 8-9 removed the Secret Square from Game 1, with Season 10 removing them entirely (more on that later).

For whatever reason, there was no copyright date for the first six years. One was added starting in Season 7.

Originally, the distributor's credit was "World Wide Syndication through Rhodes Productions", which in late 1975 was appended to add "Company" with "A Filmways Company" underneath (although the unique "Rhodes Productions" font was removed). In late 1976, this was changed again to a larger, fancier logo with stars and the restored font, which also used the Filmways logo for its credit. In 1979, Rhodes split from Filmways and went independent; Filmways distributed the last two seasons themselves.

Season 6 added a split-screen effect for the Secret Square questions, while Season 8 swapped out the car for the bonus round used on the daytime version; each prize was worth over $5,000, including the car and the cash.

Secret Square in Games 1-2 (1971-73)
 * Taped 10/72 (Michael Landon, Lee Grant, Redd Foxx, Vincent Price, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Mel Brooks, Linda Day, Paul Lynde; Karen vs. Ken, a fun episode with {among other things} Secret Square #2 including a puppy!; taped from GSN's "Squares Tuesday")
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 11:06 is the Fall/Winter 1972 one. Karen acts so odd, Peter actually asks her "Have you ever seen this show?" in an incredulous tone of voice!]
 * [Walt Gekko, on Peter's tuxedo: "That was done the first two years of the syndicated version I believe. Back then, they tried to "jazz up" the nighttime versions by having the hosts wear tuxedos."]


 * 1972 (Janet Leigh, Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Shecky Greene, George Maharis, Carl Reiner, Suzanne Pleshette, Buddy Hackett, Paul Lynde; Gladys vs. Greg, with Peter jumping the gun during the first set of Secret Square prize descriptions; taped from GSN in May-June 2003, with a partial debut promo for Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned on June 15)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 6:50 is the Fall/Winter 1972 one.]


 * 1972 (Doc Severinsen, Sandra Dee, Harvey Korman, Hugh O'Brian, Wally Cox, Amanda Blake, Joey Bishop, Karen Valentine, Paul Lynde; Martha vs. Don {Part 2, Part 3}; recorded from the official Squares Hulu channel {alternate copy, edited down to less than 15 minutes})
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 2:58 of Part 1 is the Fall/Winter 1972 one. Show logo still looks the same as it did on 5/29/67, which also applies to the above three shows.]

Secret Square in Games 1-3 (began late 1973)
 * September? 1973-January? 1974 (Connie Stevens, Roddy McDowell, Pearl Bailey, Charley Weaver, Barbara Eden, John Davidson, Rose Marie, Demond Wilson, Paul Lynde; original? broadcast, audio of intro and close only)

Logo enlarged (began by early 1975)
 * 1975 (Lynn Redgrave, Buck Owens, Rose Marie, Michael Landon, Charo, John Davidson, WINK MARTINDALE!, Mike Connors, Paul Lynde; Jane vs. Bruce; taped from GSN)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 2:20 is the Spring/Summer 1975 one. Lynn Redgrave is plugged as starring in The Happy Hooker (released 5/8/75).]


 * 1975 (Karen Valentine, Jonathan Winters, David Groh, David McCallum, Florence Henderson, Ed McMahon, Harvey Korman, Glen Campbell, Paul Lynde; Sheila vs. LeRoy; taped from GSN)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 2:35 is the Fall/Winter 1975 one. For whatever reason, Shiela's display shows $750 when Peter introduces her, although it quickly goes out. As noted in the YouTube comments, there's several technical errors on the grid itself: X's and O's being put up late, or the wrong one being lit up briefly.]

Rhodes Productions logo appended (began late 1975)
 * 1975 (Jimmie Walker, Dom DeLuise, Rose Marie, Ernest Borgnine, Theresa Merritt, Roddy McDowell, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jonathan Winters, Paul Lynde {Part 2, Part 3}; Bill vs. Judy; taped from GSN in April-May 2002, with a Friend or Foe? debut promo)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 7:22 of Part 1 is the Fall/Winter 1975 one.]


 * 1975-76 (Dionne Warwick, Robert Fuller, Don Knotts, Jonathan Winters, Karen Valentine, George Gobel, Suzanne Pleashette, Dom DeLuise, Paul Lynde {Part 2, Part 3}; Miriam vs. Paul, both back due to errors, with Peter making a Jeopardy! reference in Game 4; taped from GSN in April-May 2002, with debut promos for Russian Roulette and Friend or Foe?)


 * 1976 (Ed McMahon, Anson Williams, Jonathan Winters, Karen Valentine, George Gobel, Elke Sommer, Jimmie Walker, Rose Marie, Paul Lynde {Part 2, Part 3}; Harriet vs. Alan, with Karen modeling a fur coat {and getting a pillow to the face!} and a Game 3 that's a mini-forerunner to "YOU FOOL!"; taped from GSN on 5/22/03 {DirecTV box graphic pops up briefly})
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 2:18 of Part 1 is the Spring/Summer 1976 one.]
 * 1976 (Earl Holliman, Karen Valentine, Jonathan Winters, Bonnie Franklin, Burt Reynolds, Rose Marie, Marty Allen, Ed McMahon, Paul Lynde; Cis? vs. Auburn, with Karen modeling a fur coat; taped from GSN)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 2:35 is the Spring/Summer 1976 one.]


 * 1976 (Carol Channing, Vincent Price, Aretha Franklin, William Conrad, Charo, George Gobel, Joan Rivers, Marty Allen, Paul Lynde {Part 2, Part 3}; Jody vs. Tom {who resembles Santa Claus!}; taped from GSN, small part of Game 2 and first part of Game 4 missing, ends just after Peter signs off)
 * [Spiegel catalog shown at 1:11 of Part 2 is the Spring/Summer 1976 one.]


 * 1976 (Jim Nabors, Pearl Bailey, OSCAR THE GROUCH, Pam Greer, George Gobel, Arthur Godfrey, JOHN DAVIDSON, Karen Valentine, Paul Lynde; Sam vs. Paula, with a couple of great moments from Oscar; taped from GSN, ends during credits)
 * [This is the episode where Oscar laments that "I'm not supposed to help people!"]

Split-screen added for Secret Square questions, Rhodes Productions logo made larger and fancier (began late 1976)
 * Early 1977 (LeVar Burton, Jonathan Winters, Tony Randall, Linda Lavin, George Gobel, Karen Valentine, John Amos, Rose Marie, Paul Lynde; Lolly vs. Don; taped from GSN)
 * [Lillian Vernon catalog shown at 8:15. Peter indirectly plugs Roots (aired January 23-30, 1977) and directly plugs John's new series Future Cop (which ran from March 5-April 30, 1977). Don was later on Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak (1986) and Scattergories (1993).]

Copyright date added to credits (began late 1977)
 * 1978 (Harvey Korman, Diana Canova, Tony Randall, Jill St. John, Linda Lavin, George Gobel, Diahann Carroll, Billy Carter, Paul Lynde; Meredith vs. Kurt; taped from WRC, with commercials)
 * [Oddly, as Peter introduces the players the score displays have $550 for Meredith and $350 for Kurt.]


 * 1978 (MELISSA GILBERT, John Amos, Karen Lynn Gorney, George Gobel, Loretta Lynn, Harvey Korman, Rose Marie, Paul Williams, Paul Lynde; Robin vs. Tony, with Peter landing a Zinger on Harvey!; WRC repeat from 7/4/78, with commercials)


 * April 9, 1978 (From the film Rabbit Test, Peter announces the demise of Squares due to the fact that since a man can indeed get pregnant, over 600 questions regarding childbirth were in error...although interestingly, he claims the show's been on for 15 years when it'd actually been about 11 and yet, in the end, Squares was canned after 15 years; hm...)
 * April 14, 1978 (Jame McArthur, Gavin McLeod, Bonnie Franklin, George Gobel, Suzanne Pleshette, Rodney Dangerfield, JOAN RIVERS, Paul Williams, Paul Lynde; Stephanie vs. Nearlin; taped from WRC, with commercials {alternate copy})
 * [Peter plugs Rabbit Test.]


 * Taped 3/27/78 (#454: Loretta Swit, Carl Reiner, Florence Henderson, George Gobel, Lance Kerwin, Victor Borge, Rose Marie, Fred Willard, Paul Lynde; Komika vs. Tom; studio master with slate!)


 * Taped 4/17/78 (Promo for the first Party Special, with slate and timecode!)
 * {The Party Specials had the stars in costume and a really nice set, the latter giving off much more of a "nighttime" feel than using the daytime set. I'm not really sure why this set wasn't retained for the nighttime series.]
 * Taped 4/17/78 (#455/Party Special #1: Mel Brooks {Chief Running Bagel}, Tammy Wynette {Scarlett O'Hara}, Victor French {Chief Moby}, Lauren Tewes {Statue of Liberty}, Paul Williams {Dracula}, George Gobel {Sheik of Araby}, Elke Sommer {Catherine the Greatest}, John Byner {Casanova}, Paul Lynde {Son of the Musketeer}; Gloria vs. Joe; studio master with slate and timecode!)
 * [The players are dressed up as well: Phyllis Diller and Clint Eastwood, respectively.]
 * Taped 4/17/78 (#457/Party Special #3: Mel Brooks {Mel Funn}, Sandy Duncan {Mrs. Satan}, Steve Landesberg {Wise King Solomon}, Valerie Bertinelli {Bride of Frankenstein}, Tammy Wynette {Madame Pompadour}, George Gobel {Confucius}, Denise Nicholas {Queen Tut}, John Byner {Rasputin}, Paul Lynde {Narcissus}; Joseph vs. Carol; studio master with slate!)
 * Taped 4/17/78 (#460/Party Special #6: Victor French {Chief Moby}, Elke Sommer {Catherine the Greatest}, John Byner {Casanova}, Tammy Wynette {Scarlett O'Hara}, Paul Williams {Dracula}, George Gobel {Sheik of Araby}, Lauren Tewes {Statue of Liberty}, Mel Brooks {Sigmund Freud}, Paul Lynde {Son of the Musketeer}; Margene? vs. Doug; studio master with slate and timecode!)
 * [Probably the Season Finale, if only because of the tapedate and general feel of the closing segment. If nighttime Squares had been canned after Season 7, this would've been a great way to go out; whether it should've ended after this season, though...]


 * 1978 (WBRC promo for the next show)

Secret Square removed from Game 1, daytime bonus round replaces car award (began late 1978)
 * 1979 (KABC promo)
 * March 1979 (WBAL promo, plugging the celebs for the next episode)


 * 1979 (Eight Is Enough Special: Connie Newton & Willie Aames, Dick Van Patten, Diane Kaye & Lori Walters, Lani O'Grady & Grant Goodeve, Adam Rich & Susan Richardson, George Gobel, Loretta Swit, Ed Asner, Paul Lynde; Bill vs. Diane)
 * 1979 (Music Stars Special: Todd Rundgren, Chaka Kahn, UFO, Doug Kershaw, The Commodores, Kiki Dee, K.C., Stargard, Paul Lynde {wearing a neck brace}; Marlene vs. Mike; video issues nearly throughout {but still watchable}, small portion of Game 3 missing, ends during Game 4)
 * [Peter notes that "we race for the car now" at one point, and also notes that Chaka had a baby boy "two weeks ago". Said boy was Damien Holland, who per Google was 28 as of 10/29/07 and 29 as of 4/29/08 (IMDB says he was born in '79).]

Post-Lynde
 * September 1979 (Clip of Jerry Stoner at the bonus game)


 * September? 1979 ("Legends of Rock & Roll" Special: Little Anthony, Freddy Cavens, Fabian, Connie Francis, Bobby Dee, Martha Reeves, Frankie Avalon, Patti Page, DICK CLARK! {center square}; Jenette vs. Gary {Part 3}; ends during credits)
 * [Still has the early-1970s theme.]

Redone theme and set debut in nighttime
 * Spring? 1980 (Scott Baio, Jayne Kennedy, Robert Urich, Arte Johnson, Vincent Price, Dottie West, George Gobel, Cathryn Damon, Wayland Flowers & Madame; Wendy vs. Paul {Part 2, Part 3}; 7/80 KCRL repeat with commercials, minor video issues early in second segment)
 * [Intro has Kenny making (generally) silly comments about the celebs while introducing each of them, which I'm pretty certain was only limited to "regular" shows (not the specials seen above). Not sure when this started, although I suspect it was either when the Secret Square was removed from Game 1 in '78 or after Lynde left in '79.]

Las Vegas (1980-81 season; show now airs daily)

Season 10, in addition to the move to the now-defunct Riviera, saw the cash, Secret Square, and bonus round kicked out in favor of simply awarding a prize with each game, time being called awarding the prize to the player with the most squares. The winner of each show won a trip and entry in a $100,000 Playoff, the finals of which were held on the Finale, with the winner earning $20,000, a motorhome, and an actual house.

Unfortunately, per Peter, the final season didn't exactly go smoothly...at all. There were various reasons for this: limited gameplay time, too much "you have to be here" humor, allegedly dubious lodgings, and the whole "gambling" thing that Vegas is known for meant the celebs (particularly, IIRC, George Gobel) tended to hang around there. I vaguely recall reading that some of the contestants this season were tourists, who were sometimes drunk because.

For whatever reason, part of the 1980-81 season consisted of repeats of daytime shows from the period of March 5 to July 27, 1979. I'm not sure how much, though: one recollection I've seen claimed the '79 shows aired from April 13 to September 4, 1981; while there is a '79 episode around from a 4/21/81 repeat, the idea that they went straight on like this is at odds with a Vegas-era clip (see below) dated 6/28/81. Another recollection I've seen claimed that each week consisted of something like three first-run shows and two '79 repeats; this seems more plausible, mainly because the latter shows had a plug for the Vegas tapings edited in.

While the final season of classic Squares ended a 15-year run on kind of a bum note, the next iteration of the show came just two years later. Unfortunately, with that came a new producer and production company who insisted on some pretty bad changes, leading to the new Squares having major issues of its own.

...but that's for another Video Archive. :)


 * November 4, 1980 (KCPQ promo, from the station's first day on the air!)
 * November-December 1980 (KCPQ promo)
 * December 24, 1980 (Gabe Kaplan, Pia Zadora, Patrick Wayne, Greg Morris, Phyllis Diller, Buddy Hackett, Britt Ekland, Arte Johnson, Paul Lynde; Mike vs. Cathy, with a pretty amusing moment in Game 4; taped from WPIX with most commercials, begins at Paul's intro, ends during fee plugs)


 * Taped 12/22/80 (Jay Johnson & Bob, Skiles & Henderson, Stella Stevens, Fred Willard, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Byner, Phyllis Diller, Jan Murray, Paul Lynde; intro only)
 * Taped 1980 (Ward vs. Debbie; WLS repeat from 6/28/81, final segment only)
 * 1980-81 (Clips with Donna Fargo on the panel)


 * Late April-Early May 1981 (Steve Kanaly, Rose Marie, John Byner, Jack Jones, Paul Lynde, Elayne Boosler, George Gobel, Pearl Bailey, Foster Brooks; George vs. Brenda; has commercials {not sure if original or repeat} and a Ticket Plug, begins during player interviews, ends during credits)
 * ["Fourth Edition" (1980, Milton Bradley) home game plugged and given to players.]

An Unexpected Return (1993-94)
FOX Primetime: November 11, 1993 - April 7, 1994 (4 episodes)

Okay, so this is kind of a stretch, but hey: during the final season of In Living Color, one recurring skit was "East Hollywood Squares", a send-up of the classic era this page is about even though two more versions had been on the air since then. The skits were bittersweet at the time, since for some years both before and after it was believed that the Marshall era was completely gone.

As for the parody itself, the contestant area was a pretty accurate replica of the one used from about 1967-79 (albeit without score displays) and the logo was pretty accurate to the style used from about 1974-80. The later skits are a bit more polished, too.

Oh, and they got Peter Marshall to host. The man picks up right where he left off so smoothly that aside from one or two comments, I don't think he's playing off any script aside from what's on his cards (player info and questions). If he was totally on a script (and, heck, even if he wasn't), I think the fact it feels like he isn't is a testament to why he deserved the title "The Master of The Hollywood Squares".


 * November 11, 1993 (From S05E09: Ike Turner, Eartha Kitt, Garrett Morris, Isabel Sanford, GARY COLEMAN {as himself!}, Video Starr?, Antonio Juan Fargas, Esther Rolle, Skeeter; Susan vs. Henry)
 * [Has the logo in yellow, for whatever reason. The other three skits would show each panelist's nameplate during the intro, and as a result I'm not sure on the sixth and seventh names.]
 * January 27, 1994 (From S05E15: George Foreman, Spike Lee, Dr. Dre, Robert Guillaume, FRED BERRY {as himself!}, Little Richard, Jackée Harry, Shari Belafonte, Ojay & Pip {a guy from the Ojays and one of the Pips}; Becky vs. Derell)


 * February 17, 1994 (From S05E18: Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Rosie Perez, Pam Grier, Diana Ross, Martin Lawrence, Martin Lawrence's Bodyguard, Willie Tyler {without Lester}; Sandy vs. Dennis {alternate copy})
 * April 7, 1994 (From S05E22: Michael Dorn, Louis Farrakhan, Cream of Wheat Guy, Green Triplets, Jaleel White, Joe & LaToya Jackson, Jocelyn Elders, RuPaul, Stedman; Michelle vs. Alan)

International Versions
Unsurprisingly, Squares spawned various versions around the world.

Australia (1967-69/1975-76/1981)
Network Ten: 1967 - 1969

Nine Network: 1975 - 1976

Network Ten: 1981

The original run was hosted by John Bailey, who was replaced later on by Joe Martin (himself replaced by Bob Moore). The 1970s and '81 runs were hosted by Jimmy Hannan.

The airing history is a bit weird: the show was originally called Celebrity Squares (also the name of the 1970s run), but sometime in 1967 changed to Personality Squares (also the name of the 1981 series).

Jimmy Hannan, Nine Network (1975-76)
 * March 17, 1976 (#6043: Alfred Marks, Ugly Dave Gray, ABBA, Bob Rogers, Bert Newton, Chelsea Brown, Stuart Wagstaff, Patti Newton, ARTE JOHNSON! {taped 3/10/76}; John vs. Madelyn {Champ}, continued from last time at the start of Game 2; studio master with slate, ends after first game)
 * [Host/contestant area looks pretty accurate to the American set, albeit in blue with no score displays.]


 * 197? (Clips of Peter Kaye, including a couple of bits that...don't particularly reflect well 40 years later)
 * [Placement based on the video's title and the fact it's in color (I know Australian television didn't start to tape in color until about 1974).]

Japan (1970-71/1979-80)
TBS, Sunday Evenings: June 7, 1970 - September 26, 1971

The original series was 3.3 Is 9, hosted by Genzo Wakayama and aired at 18:30 (6:30 PM).

Nippon TV, Daily: July 23, 1979 - September 26, 1980

The revival started out as Liar Quiz, hosted by Jun Nagasawa, which ran at 13:30 (1:30 PM) for 25 minutes. For whatever reason, on April 14, 1980 the show was overhauled to Quiz Square, hosted by Haruo Mizuno (formerly one of the show's regulars).

I'm not sure what changes took place with said overhaul, but the fact the show was canned about five months later makes me think it didn't work.

Sweden (1972/1983-84?)
TV1: 1972

Sveriges Television: March 2, 1983 - 1984?

The original version was OAS, hosted by Lenhart Swahn. The revival was Prat I Kvadrat, hosted by (I think) Fredrik Belfrage.

Sveriges Television (1983-84?)
 * 1983 (First 8:21 of an episode)
 * 1983? (Last 1:39 of an episode)
 * 1984 (First 6:44 of an episode)

United Kingdom (1975-79)
ATV for ITV, Weekly: July 20, 1975 - July 7, 1979 (138 episodes in 4 series)

Celebrity Squares, a pretty close (albeit sorta low-budget) copy hosted by Bob Monkhouse. The original announcer was Kenny Everett, then known as a London DJ, who was replaced by Lance Percival later in the run (likely because Everett went to do his own show at Thames). Unlike the US version, each square was worth money: £10 apiece, plus an extra £10 for winning the game.

This run also predated the American franchise in having a bonus round, which carried over to the subsequent versions: the winning contestant was asked a question which had at least nine correct answers. The player had to give nine correct answers within 30 seconds to win the prize. On this version, the winner had a choice: play for an extra £100 (with failure awarding £5 for each correct answer), or risk their money and any Secret Square prizes for a chance to augment their cash winnings to £1,000 (with failure awarding nothing extra).

Most of the series is gone: 27 episodes exist along with three partials, and per the great BBC Four documentary The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse the host saved 40 episodes from off-air broadcasts.


 * Taped 1976 (#51: Magnus Pyke, Patsy Rowlands, TERRY WOGAN, Pat Coombs, Arthur Mullard, John Conteh, Roy Hudd, John Inman, Willie Rushton; studio master with countdown clock, intro and close only)
 * Spring 1977 (Ted Moult, Katie Boyle, Frank Carson, Jean Rook, Arthur Mullard, Nerys Hughes, Roy Hudd, LES DAWSON, Willie Rushton; Linda vs. Joseph; studio master with slate and countdown clock, video is pretty pixely {but still watchable}, audio/video is a bit off {alternate copy of intro, better video})
 * [Bob wishes the audience a happy Easter.]
 * April 7, 1979 (Last segment of an episode, followed by some commercials)

Israel (1977-82)
Channel 1: 1977 - 1982

תשע בריבוע, originally hosted by Uri Zohar with Tuvia Tzafir taking over later on.

Canada (French, 1978-79)
TVA: 1978 - 1979

Tic Tac Toc, hosted by Claude Mailhot.

Greece (1980-81)
EPT: 1980 - 1981

Τα Τετράγωνα Των Αστέρων, hosted by Maria Aliferi and played by (married?) couples, but that's about all I can discern.


 * 198? (Intro {and credits?}; "shaky-cam" upload)
 * 198? (Clips; "AKIS TV" logo present throughout)

France (1982-91)
Antenne 2: 1982 - 1991

L'Academie des 9, hosted by Jean-Pierre Foucault. While I can't say for sure, the airing history is long enough that it could've easily started out based on the Marshall era, switched to resembling Bauman's after a year or two, and then switched to resembling Davidson's near the end of the decade.

In 1987, Jean-Pierre was replaced by Yves Lecoq.