Shark Bytes

Jumped when everyone started choosing Richard (Leather Face) Dawson for
Super Match.

He'd act all pompous and furrow his brow to show that he was thinking very intently for an answer, he'd purse his wrinkly lips like was sipping lemonade through a straw and then the smug bastard would show his answer with his pinky finger up in the air.

I was glad when he left and went to slobber over innocent women in Family Feud.
Rayburn said he didn't even say goodbye to anyone when he left Match Game. Good riddance.

Dawson was always thinking he was King Sh!t. On Hogan's Heros he wouldn't talk to Bob Crane because he was sore he didn't land the role of Hogan.

Cry baby; that Leather Face.

Must agree with many of the posters -- MG 7x NEVER jumped. This show was unique in that the contestants were basically incidental to the real entertainment on the show -- the banter between Rayburn and the celebs and among the celebs. I caught some of the MG7x clips on YouTube and was howling at the antics. It really did seem like a party to which we were all invited.

Alas, as the 1998 revival proved, you can't really go home again -- what had been suggested or alluded to in 1978 was played up by 1998, so you wouund up with, as Death Cab for Ugly put it, "...a bunch of Z-list hacks telling dirty jokes."

In the Great Beyond, though, ya know there's gotta be a game going on right now. =)

It's like trying to reclaim your virginity, but I tend to want to forget the '98 version ever existed and believe MG never JTS.
Any ep from the 70s & 80s is watchable, and I thought the 1990 revival was very well done by ABC- including the updated theme!
I don't know how they could produce the '98 version the way they did when they had the classic 70s version as a model to go by.

Why do I find it so scary that so many of you know so many details from a game show that aired 30 years ago?? It's one thing to have enjoyed the show and remember it fondly and even to buy the "best of" DVD's and re-watch the show for nostalgia's sake -- but, jeez... some people on this board can tell you each and every celebrity that was on each episode, what the original air date was and how many times one of them scored. AND repeat every single comeback made by Charles Nelson Reilly or Richard Dawson.

FWIW, I think the show jumped after '78 -- it should have stopped there.

To the poster from 5-28-07, Charles was not on the 70's version of "Match Game" from the beginning, as the first panelists were Michael Landon, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Jo Ann Pflug, Richard Dawson, and Anita Gillette. Both Brett and Charles were guests about four weeks into the show. They both became regulars towards the end of 1973. Before Richard was the 'main man' for the Super Matches, Bert Convy and Jo Ann Pflug were two of the more popular go to's for that area of the game. Charles was famous for inducting contestant Janet Finn as the contestant with the most money won (at the time) in 1974, with a delivery like CBS used for the Watergate hearings.

This is probably only one of two shows (the other being PBS's "Sesame Street") that never really jumped the shark. Heck, I'd like to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. on a MG remake as one of the panelists, although finding a host would be difficult.

70s Version: Jumped when Richard left. One, because I'm biased and I like the man. Two, because they filled that spot with a lot of losers and idiots. Not every week, but more often than not. Jack Jones?? C'mon! In addition to the bottom middle doofus, they had too many other weirdos who, unlike some of the 73-78 weirdos, were NOT entertaining. Yuck. And that Star Wheel was sent directly from Satan himself. Gene was also looking bored with the whole thing by then.

MG/HS Hour: If Gene was bored before, his was barely phoning in his lines here. He looked like he'd rather be standing on a street corner in crack town begging for nickles.

90 version: Jumped the minute they hired THE MOST BORING HOST ON EARTH, Ross Shafer. Holy crap was he awful.

98 version: The clips alone made me throw things. Never should have been made. Not enough subtlty, too much in your face. The subtlty is what made the original version hilarious. Take that out, and all you have is a bunch of z-list hacks telling dirty jokes.

It had to be that 'revival' on Game Show Marathon; if MG was tipping on the edge of the tank before, this thing threw it into the shark's stomach! Everyone knows that when a contestant or panelist gives a stinker answer, the audience is required to boo... not even a hiss or dead silence could be heard from the audience! Even Richard would have been booed back to the Feud back then, so are we being too nice to charity players nowadays?

Come friggin' on, _____ Kong is the Final Match? To wish the Star Wheel was there just to tempt the possibility the celeb would land on Bruce Villanch; he would have the gut to answer "Donkey" or "Venice." A weak gimmie answer for charity... thanks for nothing!

Sing this to the tune of Grease Lightning!!

"Go, Gene Rayburn, you're runnin' up the quarter mile!
Gene Rayburn! Go, Gene Rayburn!
Hubba-hubba-hubba, Hubba-hubba-hubba-hubba!
Flee-ee-ee-eemmm!
Pistons, plugs, and shocks!
Flocks, flocks, flocks!
You know that I'm not braggin'
Have you ever seen a dragon?
Gene Rayburrrrrrrrrnnn!
Go!!"

The Proud Liberals here are like most liberals idiots. The host Gene Rayburn was an unabashed Liberal, Why do you think they were so free in their language and content.

This show is strictly for the Archie Bunkers of the Republican party who love hate speech that masquerades as humor. Non-stop bigotry is all you're in for on a typical episode of this repulsive show that I will certainly never let my child watch! This show should be taken off the air immediately and everyone who watches it should be ostracized the way people who patronize minstrel shows would be. If you like this hate-filled and nightmarish show I'll bet you're one of those stupid people who gave us a second term for George W Bush. No wonder hate crimes are through the roof.

To confirm the last poster's comments, TBS is, indeed, bringing back Match Game. An article was posted on Steve Beverly's GS website, www.tvgameshows.net.

Well the Match Game is coming back....

Gene, Brett, Charles and Johnny need to rise up from the dead and stop dis-mantle from putting on a new version.

This show jumped the shark when it came back on the air in 1998 hosted by a jerk named Michael Burger.

I read an interview recently w betty white where she said gameshows the reason they aren't as good as they used to be (ie up to the early 80s) is because they tell you now what to say during commercial breaks. So most of the match game stuff we thought was spontaneous probably really was.

Of course it also begs the question why does betty continue to appear on game shows (like that awful ricki lake match game revival) when she clearly knows that they suck. But I digress.