70s and 80s Game Shows

What are your favorites? I had a blast watching old episodes of Fandango, Bullseye, Super Password, and Name That Tune this morning. Are there any good game show dvds out there with full episodes or straight from the videotape masters?

 

Bullseye has a special charm now that escaped me in the 1980s. We've been watching it on Challenge. My girlfriend thinks it's hilarious and tacky that Jim Bowen counts out the money for the losing contestants during the ad break.

I don't know about actual episodes being released on DVD, but we do have the DVD game of Bullseye, which cost £1.50 from a local charity shop. It's a bit ropey, but I can't describe the pleasure it gave me to win that virtual speedboat.

 

Some of my favorites from the 70's and 80's include (but not limited to): The New $25,000 Pyramid, Super Password, Scrabble, Press Your Luck, Double Dare (Nickelodeon) just to name a few.

 

This thread wouldn't be complete if "Definition" wasn't mentioned. Recognize the theme song?

 

Don't know about DVD's for any of these, but:

70's:
The Match Game
The thing to remember about this show is that the object of the game was not to give the "best" (or most clever) answer, which so many contestants too often did, but rather to match the panel of "b"-level (if even that!) celebrities, who usually seemed to be juiced out of their heads!

The Gong Show
Not exactly a "game" show per se (more of a "talent" contest by definition), but still far more entertaining than the likes of "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent" (oxymoron alert! ).

Let's Make A Deal
Kinda sick, perhaps, but I always thought this show was funniest when a contestant dressed in a stupid outfit even more stupidly traded away a prize for a "zonk" (i.e. his and hers sway-back mules, etc.).

Family Feud
I cannot accept any host other than Richard Dawson for this classic.

Hollywood Squares
Paul Lynde will always be the star, or center square, of this show for me.

80's:
Wheel Of Fortune
I much preferred this show when contestants who solved the puzzle were forced to "shop" for their prizes amidst a bunch of junk no one would reasonably want.

The $25,000 Pyramid
This show actually originated in the 70's (I think it started out as $10,000), but endured well into the 80's, and I believe it even got up to $100,000 at one point. Still, that's not quite $1,000,000 but then I've never really liked the more recent game shows, such as "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" even though these do offer those kind of figures; of course, it could also be because I simply miss Dick Clark.

 

Early 70s Match Game and The Gong Show were my favorites. Price is Right with Bob Barker was another favorite.

 

Press Your Luck!

No Whammies, no whammies... STOP!

 

Joker's Wild!

 

There are DVD "Best of" sets for ALL-STAR FAMILY FEUD, THE MATCH GAME, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, and PASSWORD. These were originally
released by BCI Eclipse, then re-released at a lower price by Mill Creek a few years later. You can generally find these at Target for $10 or so, and they're
a lot of fun to watch (I have all but the PASSWORD set).

 

Fun show. I always was amazed it could finish in the time allotted. I think only one episode had a "Part 2" when the show unsuccessfully sued a contestant for learning the whammy pattern.

 

I watch a rerun on GSN every once in awhile. It is obvious now how easily this show was fixed. If you do not like a contestant, go for the funny answer. And if Richard did not think you appreciated him enough in Super Match, watch him come up with the most obscure answer.

 

I think the show was Card Sharks, with the giant playing cards and people yelling higher and lower. I remember watching this with my mom when I was really little before I started attending school.

 

I've grown addicted to youtube, and the plethora of wonderful old shows on there...wonderful memories of when these great shows were on almost all day, instead of court and trashy talk shows.

Especially fond of "10,000", "20,000", "50,000" "25,000" and "100,000" Pyramid. Still the most intense bonus game of all.

 

Shenanigans Kid's game show. We even had the home game board version.
Take a look at the great prizes she won: cases of soda pop, bunches of candy, and even a Beatles prize- beatles hohner harmonicas!

 

Thats cool. Stubby had to wipe a tear from his eye when the announcer finished announcing all the prizes the girl won.

 

I still get a kick out of watching the mid to late 70s episodes of Match Game. Very funny (and often cheeky) stuff.

 

I firmly believe there was some serious weed being smoked before the "Gong Show" was taped, Barris and especially Jaye P. Morgan always seemed zonked. I think it may have started with "The Newlywed Show", some of those couples, especially the men, look high as kites.

 

Tic Tac Dough was a favorite of mine when I was very little.

 

Any love for MTV's "Remote Control"?

 

...and from Canada:

 

When GSN was still good, I loved watching old Family Feud, Match Game, and Password Plus/Super Password episodes. I also enjoyed some they showed early on Saturday mornings (if I was up), like Child's Play, Blockbusters (I think that was the name, with Bill Cullen), Press Your Luck, and old Wheel of Fortune episodes. Oh, and of course, all the incarnations of Pyramid.

 

Card Sharks!

 

The 1982-88 variants of Pyramid are my favorite of all. Thankfully GSN still airs it, with a recently added "new" set of $25k episodes that previously haven't been on television in a long time.

I wish there was an "Antenna TV" for vintage/classic game shows.