What I Loved in the 80's-Game Shows!

I consider myself lucky, when I was a kid in the 80’s; talk shows had yet to dominate the daytime schedule. Instead when I was home during the week I got to watch awesome game shows! I loved these shows, they were fun to watch and even the theme songs are amazing. They are much more fun than the trashy talk shows that are on now. So, here is a look at some of my favorites from that great era. 

The Price is Right

The granddaddy of all game shows. It amazes me that this show has been on the air, every weekday at 11:00am, since two years before I was born! If I was home from school, than this show was part of my morning. Bob Barker may be the best emcee in the world, and those beauties weren't bad to lack at either. I guess the appeal is simple, bid on merchandise and if you get it right (or close enough), you win cool prizes! I could do a whole article just on this show, you know all the games, the fast money round, the famous “Come on down!” This show as pure fun, however I stopped watching when Drew Carey took over, I can't stand him.

 

Family Feud

This was my favorite game show. I loved it. I know most people talk about the Richard Dawson era, but the truth is I never liked him. It wasn't until Ray Combs took over the hosting duties in 1988 that I really came to love this show. It was so much fun guessing the answers to the surveys, and the families were always fun to watch. When they let Ray go and brought Richard Dawson back, I stopped watching. Of course, Ray Combs story ended very tragically, but that is a story for another day. I have watched other versions of this show and while some hosts were good like Richard Karn and John O’Hurley I loved any of them as much as I did this one in the 80's.

 

Wheel of Fortune

This show has become such a fixture at 7:00 on weekdays, and it's easy to forget there was a daytime version. It's also easy to forget that Pat Sajak wasn't the only host of the show. The daytime version was hosted by Bob Goen, of course the version didn't last and the evening version was the only one, and Pat Sajak was back after his disastrous attempt to host his own late night talk show. very simply its Hangman with a big wheel. Vanna White has been a fixture on this show since 1982, and I remember when contestants would have to take the money they won and purchase prizes that were set up on the stage, man am I old!

Sale of the Century!

I loved this game, it was fun to watch. Jim Perry was the host of this show. The first part was a normal trivia section, the more points you get the more bargain merchandise you can buy. Kind of the opposite of Price is Right because the contestants are being told the price and they have to decide if they want take it or not. The model on the show was Summer Bartholomew, and I used to like watching her. This was canceled to make way for the soap "Generations", and I still miss it.

Classic Concentration

Otherwise known as Alex Trebek's "other show". This was a basic puzzle game where you had to guess what the puzzle was before it was fully revealed. In order to reveal clues, the puzzle board was divided into numbers and prizes were hidden behind two different numbers, and you had to match them.  Really it was basically like the child game "memory" where you had to find the matches on the board. If you guessed the puzzle you won all the prizes you had matched, and had a chance at a car! I always liked the more casual Alex Trebek we got to see on this show too.

 

Scrabble

Usually when you try to make a game show from a board game, it fails (anyone remember Scattegories?) However, this one was actually very good. Chuck Woolery hosted this game show with a simple concept; guess the words as the letters are revealed. I know it sounds like Wheel of Fortune, but they did a good job of putting an original spin on the game. The game board was, well, the board game board, they had tiles like the board game, bonus squares and stoppers, which were words that did not belong in the puzzle (so if you guessed that letter you would lose the turn). This was a great game, and the show ran for a few years. 

Hollywood Squares

This show has many versions. There was the 60's with Peter Marshall and Paul Lynde in center square, and the 90's one with Tom Bergeron and Whoopi Goldberg in center square. However, my favorite was the 80's version hosted by John Davidson and featuring Joan Rivers in center square. This show was my first introduction to lots of celebrities who were on, and was lots of fun to watch. I wish they would bring it back actually, the game is a simple tic tac toe format and all you have to do is answer the trivia questions to get the square. The celebrities of course are what made the show with their jokes and comments.

The $100,000 Pyramid

I was never a loyal fan of this show, but it was Dick Clark and all kind of celebrities. What was not to like? The game was simple, a lot like Password really. Contestants had to guess the words from the clues, of courses the clue couldn't use the actual word. Get the most points and you'd go to the winners circle for a chance at the top prize. This show was lots of fun and they had some great personalities on it.

Press Your Luck

This show was just plain goofy fun. First the contestants had to answer basic trivia questions. Then they had their spin, only it wasn't a wheel it was more a tote board with all sorts of prizes. You hit the buzzer and got a prize, or a whammy! The whammy's were the funniest thing, and they always took your money so basically the idea was to avoid him at all cost!

Win, Lose, or Draw

Does any one game show scream 80's like this one did? Burt Reynolds and Bert Convey created this simple game show where contestants and real people competed. It was set up so it almost felt as if you were just watching some people hang out in a living room, And it worked! I never understood why they bothered with the contestants, why didn’t they just have celebrities on? You could never put this on today, god love the 80's! Bert Convey also hosted a show called 3^rd Degree, which was really kind of stupid. Celebrities tired to guess what was so special about the guests, and if they couldn’t the guests one. Kind a boring show really.

Card Sharks

Bob Eubanks hosted this one. Contestants had to guess if the next in a series of cards would be higher or lower than the previous card. To get on the board, two contestants had to predict how many people in a survey of 100 answered a question a certain way. The champion player went to the bonus round. I gotta be honest, I never really watched it but Bob Eubanks is a great talent so I figured this had to be mentioned.

Jeapordy!

Ok, there was no way I could end this article without talking about this little show. In 1984 a new syndicated version of this show premiered starring Alex Trebek as the host. This show is still on! Do I really need to explain how it works? Really smart people give the questions to the answers presented, and that's it. I have never been a loyal fan of this show, it’s not as easy to route for these people as it is on other shows. Since I am on the subject, would you like to know how many sitcoms have done "Jeapordy" episodes? Golden Girls, Cheers, Blossom, Mama's Family, and The Nanny.

Finally, I had to talk about a show which wasn't a game show but it was very 80's and I am not sure what other category it would fall in. Who remembers a little show called Solid Gold? This half hour show basically was American Bandstand for the 80's. What set it apart was the Solid Gold Dancers, who at various points in the program performed various (and sometimes borderline risqué) dances to the top ten hits of the week. There was a time when it just wasn't Saturday night without this little show.

I've known people who complain about watching game shows, wondering what fun is it to watch other people win prizes and money? Well, I always loved it; I would route for people and play along. I miss these shows, they bring back some great memories of when I was kid. And yes, I am leaving lots out. Double Dare, Remote Control, and Love Connection just to name three. I was not loyal to any of these, so I haven’t mentioned them. They were great shows, just not for me. Did I leave out your favorites?