Television game shows were a huge hit in the '60s, just as they still are today. We simply love to watch others make decisions or answer questions under pressure from the comfort of our own homes.
This decade featured a sea of successful shows, but with dozens of them on the air at the same time, it was always a gamble for networks to put out a new one to compete.
Some of the most successful game shows came out just as color TV was becoming a regular thing for average households. And many were such big hits that there have been revamps of them over the years.
Networks took a chance on these nine game shows. Some succeeded and some failed, but they're all a huge part of our memories of sitting around the TV with the family. Scroll through below to see some fun facts about each!
Did you watch any of these game shows? Is your favorite on this list? Let us know in the comments.
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1. The Hollywood Squares, 1965
The writers of this incredibly popular show supplied the actors with their jokes and helped them formulate answers to the questions. But though it was scripted, the game play was real, and the two contestants were genuinely fighting for victory.
2. Password, 1961
For five years, Password was one of the most popular game shows on television. But in 1966, when CBS decided to air a live broadcast of an update on the Vietnam War, viewers were upset and quickly switched over to ABC's The Newlywed Game or NBC's Days of Our Lives.
3. Let's Make a Deal, 1963
At one point during the show's highly successful run in syndication, the wait time for a ticket was two to three years. There were only 350 seats in the audience and potential traders really wanted a shot at the big prizes.
4. The Newlywed Game, 1966
This show pitted newlywed couples against each other with revealing questions, actually leading to many divorces. Imagine that: revealing intimate secrets on national television could lead to problems!
5. The Dating Game, 1965
The ABC daytime broadcast of this dating game show was the first to be made in color. Also, Steve Martin, Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, and Suzanne Somers were all contestants on the show before they rose to fame.
6. He Said, She Said, 1965
The pilot for this couples' game show was originally titled It Had to Be You, and it featured ordinary couples rather than celebrities, though sometimes it had three regular couples and one celebrity pair.
7. You're Putting Me On, 1969
This show only ran for six months, but I'm sure many remember it for its two hosts in that short period, Bill Leyden and Larry Blyden. Leyden had to step down after a brain hemorrhage, which would end up costing him his life shortly after the show was canceled.
8. Call My Bluff, 1965
While this only lasted from March to September of that year in the U.S., the U.K. version ran all the way through to the aughts.
9. Dream House, 1968
This show wasn't canceled due to poor ratings, but rather to the fact that the houses they were giving away as grand prizes weren't finished — it then cost the contestants a huge chunk of cash to be able to afford the land. Sounds more like a nightmare for the contestants… though the show was still pretty darn fun to watch.
Did you watch any of these shows with your family? Let us know in the comments and please SHARE on Facebook!
