The Hollywood Game

The short-lived CBS summer primetime game show where contestants were tested of their knowledge of entertainment. In the pilot, the show only focused on movies; when it became a series, it also focused on other forms of entertainment.

The First Three Rounds
In the first three rounds, each team chose one of nine entertainment categories represented by the nine letters in "Hollywood" "H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D". On the pilot episode, each team chose a category by hitting their buzzer to stop a randomizer; while in the series, the teams chose the categories verbally. After choosing a category, the host asked questions under that category. Each question was accompanied by a TV/film clip or a picture. A correct answer won money for that question. Missing the question gave the opposing team the chance to "steal" the question and the money.

Round 1
Each team was asked two questions worth $100 and $200, respectively.

Rounds 2 & 3
Both teams were asked three questions in each chosen category. Questions were worth $200, $400, and $800 in round two. In round three the question values increased to $500, $1,000, and $2,000.

The Double Feature Round
Double Feature was played similar to Jeopardy's Final Jeopardy round. Each team could wager all, half, or none of their accumulated bankroll on a question in a predetermined category. Afterwards, the teams were shown two film clips from the same category, then were asked a question related to both clips. The teams then wrote down their answers. A correct answer added the wager, but an incorrect answer deducted the wager. The team with the most money at the end of the round won the game.

If both teams tied at the end of the game, a tie-breaker question was asked, and the first team to buzz-in got to answer. A correct answer won the game, but an incorrect answer gave the opponents the game.

Both teams kept their money, but the winning team proceeded to the bonus round called Fast Picture (in the Pilot it was called Fast Film).

The Fast Picture Round
In the bonus round, players on the winning team played individually. They had 30 seconds (15 seconds for each player) to identify nine pictures in a particular category (Ex: "Child Stars" or "Animated Films"). Once a player got a picture right or passed on it, they moved on to the next one. When time was up for the first player, the other player tried to get the rest, starting with the pictures the first player didn't get to, followed by the ones the first player missed. Each correct answer lit up a letter in the Hollywood Sign in white and earned the team $1,000 (passing on a picture turned a letter blue), and getting all nine right (lighting the entire sign) won $25,000.

Trivia
Peter Allen hosted the pilot, but was too ill to host the rest of the series. He died during the show's run.

Six episodes were produced, but only four aired.

This was the first game show announced by John Cramer.