Call My Bluff (US game show)
Encyclopedia
Call My Bluff was a short-lived American
game show
from Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions that aired on NBC
daytime from March 29 to September 24, 1965. Bill Leyden
was emcee, with Johnny Olson
and Wayne Howell
as announcers.
Call My Bluff originated from Studio 6A at NBC Studios
in the Rockefeller Center
in Manhattan
. The word editor for the series was Eric Lieber, who would later create and produce Love Connection
.
Both teams were given a word. Each player on one team was provided a definition for that word, one of which was correct and the other two being "bluffs". The opposing team had to then determine which one was the correct definition. If the correct choice is made, the team earned one point. If not, the bluffing team earned one point. Both teams alternated turns bluffing and determining definitions.
The first team to earn two points wins the game and $100. Towards the end of the show's run, this was amended to three points.
If the correct choice was made, the losing team earned the right to play another game and $200 was added to the jackpot for the next bonus game. However, if one of the bluffs was chosen, the winning team won the cash jackpot and the losing team was defeated and replaced.
, Art James
, Gene Rayburn
, Betty White
, Peggy Cass
, Abe Burrows
, and Lauren Bacall
.
issued a board game adaptation of Call My Bluff in 1965.
due to network practices at the time. Two rehearsal shows are known to exist, one of which is held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
from Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
daytime from March 29 to September 24, 1965. Bill Leyden
Bill Leyden
William "Bill" Leyden was a World War II veteran serving in the Marine Corps and a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows, including It Could Be You , Your First Impression , and You're Putting Me On...
was emcee, with Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
and Wayne Howell
Wayne Howell
Wayne Clay Howell Chappelle , known professionally as Wayne Howell, was a voice-over announcer for the NBC television and radio networks from 1947 through 1986...
as announcers.
Call My Bluff originated from Studio 6A at NBC Studios
NBC Studios
The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC , as well as cable news channel MSNBC.When NBC Universal relocated,...
in the Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The word editor for the series was Eric Lieber, who would later create and produce Love Connection
Love Connection
Love Connection is an American television game show, hosted by Chuck Woolery, in which singles attempted to connect with a compatible partner of the opposite gender. The show debuted in syndication on September 19, 1983 and ended on July 1, 1994, after more than 2,000 shows. Reruns continued to air...
.
Main Game
Two teams, each consisting of two contestants and one celebrity, competed. The object was for the teams to earn points by determining the correct definitions to obscure words.Both teams were given a word. Each player on one team was provided a definition for that word, one of which was correct and the other two being "bluffs". The opposing team had to then determine which one was the correct definition. If the correct choice is made, the team earned one point. If not, the bluffing team earned one point. Both teams alternated turns bluffing and determining definitions.
The first team to earn two points wins the game and $100. Towards the end of the show's run, this was amended to three points.
Bonus Game
Both teams participated, with the winning team playing for a cash jackpot starting at $200 and the losing team playing to stay in the game. A guest with an unusual or interesting story was introduced, who then gave brief clues as to the identity of his/her story. The winning team was given three cards, one with the correct story and the other two with blank cards allowing those players to make up bluffs. The losing team then tried to determine the correct story by determining which winning player had the correct story.If the correct choice was made, the losing team earned the right to play another game and $200 was added to the jackpot for the next bonus game. However, if one of the bluffs was chosen, the winning team won the cash jackpot and the losing team was defeated and replaced.
Celebrities
Among the celebrities who appeared on Call My Bluff were Bill CullenBill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
, Art James
Art James
Art James was an American game show host, best known for shows such as The Who, What, or Where Game and Pay Cards!. He was also the announcer on the game show Concentration....
, Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn
Gene Rayburn was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the popular American television game show Match Game for over two decades....
, Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, Peggy Cass
Peggy Cass
Mary Margaret “Peggy” Cass was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer.A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Cass became interested in acting as a member of the drama club at Cambridge Latin School; however, she attended all of high school without a speaking part...
, Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows was a Tony and Pulitzer-winning American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage.-Early years:...
, and Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
.
Board Game
Despite its short run, Milton BradleyMilton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
issued a board game adaptation of Call My Bluff in 1965.
Episode status
Call My Bluff is believed to be destroyedWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
due to network practices at the time. Two rehearsal shows are known to exist, one of which is held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
.
See also
- Call My Bluff (a long-running UK version that ran on BBC 2 from 1965–1988)
- BalderdashBalderdashBalderdash is a board game of bluffing and trivia created by Laura Robinson and Paul Toyne. It is based on a classic parlor game called Dictionary.-Gameplay:The game begins by all players rolling a die, with the high roll chosen to be the first "dasher"...
(a board game and game showBalderdash (game show)Balderdash is an American television game show that aired on PAX TV from August 2, 2004 to February 4, 2005 with repeats airing until April 22. It was hosted by Elayne Boosler and announced by John Moschitta...
featuring similar gameplay) - WordplayWordplay (game show)Wordplay is an American game show which ran on NBC from December 29, 1986 to September 4, 1987. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Charlie O'Donnell...
(an American game show that also involved defining obscure words)