‘The Match Game’, NBC Studio 8H…Photo 5 of 5
‘The Match Game’, NBC Studio 8H…Photo 5 of 5
With the help of Dick DeBartolo (who is shown here sitting in Gene Rayburn’s chair), and some sleuthing of my own, I have discovered that this series of photos by NBC cameraman Bob Batsche were taken during the week of February 3-7, 1968. Episodes 1591-1595, the two celeberty team captains were father-daughter performing duo Meredith & Gordon MacRae. These are rehearsal shots, and I had wondered about that, but back then, the game was different.
In the later CBS Television City version, there were six stars and two non celebrity panel members, but NBC’s original version was played with two celebrity team captains with two non celebrity players on each team. As Dick explained, the questions in rehearsal were not the show questions and was done to get players familiar with the mechanics, like how to put their answers cards in the slot. In the foreground is Johnny Olson’s mic and behind it, camera 2, with 3 and 4 to the right (not shown). Camera 1 was shooting from the left end of the set and was “the question camera” that would shoot Gene Rayburn with a monitor next to it for Gene’s benefit.
In case you missed it in earlier posts, Dick DeBartolo was the writer that saved ‘The Match Game’ from cancellation early on by coming up with the more “titillating” line of questions. As many of you know, Dick was, and still is one of MAD Magazine’s top writers.
You know I didn’t notice the phone on the MC desk, but now that Chris mentioned it, it was probably from when we had a “phone match” as part of the show. Someone at home would be asked to asked someone in the studio. I don’t think it lasted very long. And it was a lot of planning. We had to have people standing by their phones at home during the hours we recorded the shows.
Is it true that only Mr. Goodson had the number to that phone on Gene’s desk?
Interesting to see it in color. I’d only seen it in black and white before.
Dickie de is a very talented and fun guy.
I’ve never seen that set in color before… Cool!
And the mic is an RCA BK1A dynamic.
Or announcer Johnny Olson.
There’s that BK1A high up on a floor stand. Must have been for audience reaction?
Here’s a black and white clip from 1964 wth Orson Bean and Jane Mansfield. There was a great story about a female staff member loaning Jane her sweater in an emergency wardrobe malfunction…when she got the sweater back, it was all stretched out in strategic places and it was revealed that Jane wore nothing under her tops .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy2a6-g9sZo&list=PLE7760F8149BA207D