Fill In The Blank

Having frequently spoken of my fondness for television game shows, I thought that it was time to bring up my favorite game show, the star-studded, big money Match Game. Besides, in my column Survey Says!, I had promised to write a column about my favorite and not-so favorite Match Game celebrities.

Match Game aired on CBS from 1973 to 1979, with the syndicated Match Game PM nighttime version showing on local stations from 1975 to 1981.

The first week's celebrity panelists, in seating order, were Michael Landon, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Jo Ann Pflug, Richard Dawson and Anita Gillette with Gene Rayburn acting as emcee.

Since that first week there was a myriad of celebrities making up the six-person panel that provided the contestants with risqué and often-bawdy answers to the raunchy fill-in-the-blank questions read by the egotistic Rayburn.

With such an immense inventory of personalities to choose from, it made selecting a top 5 a little tricky. Picking the not-so favorites was a little easier. That being said, here are, in no particular order, my least favorite Match Game celebrity panelists:

Gary Burghoff - He thought he was a top-notch nightclub performer but he wasn’t. He was Radar O’Reilly, not Frank Sinatra. Not even Nancy Sinatra.

Eva Gabor – I liked her shtick on Green Acres. On Match Game she was just annoying. It wasn’t a gimmick, she really was Lisa Douglass. The woman didn’t have a clue.

Bob Barker – The great host of The Price Is Right was a terrible panelist on Match Game. He was too busy promoting TPIR and his other projects. He was somewhat of a pompous ass. That was Rayburn’s role.

Alex Karras – Accomplished a lot. He was memorable, starring in the NFL, Blazing Saddles, and the TV program Webster. The only thing that I remembered him for on Match Game was trying to look intellectual while puffing on a pipe. It didn’t work.

Joey Bishop – He just didn’t get it and was never funny. It seemed as if he never knew what was going on. Brett Somers constantly had to tell him what to do.



Now for the hard part, picking my all time favorites. I narrowed it down to twenty, then finally a top 5 with ten honorable mentions. First, in alphabetical order, the honorable mention list:

Bart Braverman
Joyce Bulifant
Bill Daily
Dick Martin
Scoey Mitchell
Debralee Scott
Brett Somers
McLean Stevenson
Marcia Wallace
Betty White

You may be surprised that Bret Somers wasn’t in the top 5. The truth of the matter is she barely made honorable mention. She was a bit too “drinky” and was always asking Rayburn to repeat himself because she wasn’t paying attention. As much as I watch Match Game, she eventually got on my nerves.

Without further adieu, in reverse order, my top 5 Match Game celebrity panelists:

Patti Deutsch - She cracked me up all the time. She had a dry sense of humor and despite her prominent overbite, I found her a bit fetching.

Elaine Joyce – I will be honest with you, she would have made the top 5 on her looks alone. However, I did find her mildly amusing. Was easily the most attractive panelist ever on Match Game.

Fannie Flagg – Was witty, charming and her self-deprecating manner was hilarious. She could also be counted on to wear a t-shirt or sweater that Rayburn or one of the other panelists felt compelled to comment on.

Richard Dawson – Besides being funny and flirtatious with the ladies, he also provided the correct answers more than any other panelist. This made him very popular with the contestants when it came time for the big money match.

Charles Nelson Reilly – Number one hands down. Next to Dawson, he provided the best answers, was the most humorous and forever referred to Somers as Susan. Why, I don’t know, but he did and it was hysterical. Plus, take note Alex Karras, Charles looked good smoking a pipe.

Those are my favorites and my not-so favorites and I am sticking to them! If you want to let me know who made your lists, I will be glad to post it in the comments section. But don’t be surprised when the Kenosha News snatches them up and does a Sunday feature on it. Until next time…from the booth.