Here's a summary of missing episodes, first post of three, episodes 1309 through 1311, for those who may be curious about the outcomes of the games, the H/H matches, etc. *1309:* Our champion needs to match all six just to stay in the game. Right off the bat, David embraces the role of "villainess." Our champion spins off having won two games and $950 (I'm sad he didn't score a H/H match.) *Today's audience match question: "________and Easy"* (My thoughts: Nice, Quick, Fun) The celebs: Charles (Nice), Brett (Free), Betty via Brett (Slow) The choice: Nice The answers: Slow, Free, Nice - Kudos to the panel for getting them all, and in proper order! (Then the sweet grandma rushes up to the panel for a smooch with CNR, and then reveals to Gene that she's had a secret crush on Charles for years!) Today the wheel chooses... Charles!!! And it's a double! Wow!!! Stats: This is Charles's third time this week, and the 7th time the wheel has chosen him. It's his third double. He's matched 3 of his 6 wheel H/H questions so far. Charles has matched 14 of his 27 most recent attempts (51.9%). His overall score is currently 50.0%, and this will be his 77th attempt overall. *Today's H/H question: "Lead_______"* (At first I thought he'd said "Lead" which would be perfect as the contestant had talked about being a truck driver "Lead Foot." Then I thought he said "Let." Finally he spells it: LEAD. So yeah, lead foot. What else? Lead pipe? Lead pipe cinch?) Charles is quietly scanning his colleagues for suggestions. He seems undecided between Betty and Brett, but he begins to write. He's looking over at Brett as he files his card. Gene asks, the champion answers "Pencil." Meh. The audience seems to like it. I'd say about an 8 or 9 on the positivity scale. It just doesn't sound like a common phrase to me. Certainly it isn't today, but I don't even remember it back then. Charles said lead "Balloon." No H/H match today. *1310:* Betty rolls up Gene's pant leg for the first time years! "Everybody has to have a hobby!" she declares. Later she gets a good dig in on her own short-lived series "The Betty White Show." Plus, it's "Gypsy Week"! All in all, a fine episode. Our champion is defeated after winning a single game. She earned $600. *Today's audience match question: "Best in________"* (My thoughts: Show, the Business, in the West) The celebs: Charles (Town), Nipsey (Show), Betty (the West) The choice: the West The answers: The World, Town, The West - Kudos to Betty for getting the top answer in third position! Today the wheel chooses... Nipsey!!! But no double. Stats: This is Nipsey's 9th time up to bat. He hasn't yet scored a H/H match. Richard Dawson also went 8 attempts before his first match on his ninth try. No pressure, but if Nipsey doesn't match this time, he will become the star who has taken the longest to achieve his first H/H match... *Today's H/H question: "Shave_______"* (My first thought was "Shave and haircut... two bits. From the old Looney Tunes cartoons and elsewhere. Shave cream? I think shaving cream sounds better. I'll just say shave "and a haircut.") Nipsey looks like he's been thrown for a loop. The new champion looks pensive, but cool. When the camera comes back to Nipsey, he's writing. He's looking over at Debralee, then crosses out his answer (or underlines it?). He writes a second answer. Betty leans in for a peek. Nipsey files that second card. Fingers crossed. The champ plays it safe. She says "Cream" and the audience sounds quite pleased. I'd say their reaction is a 10 on the positivity scale. But now it's up to Nipsey. Drama. Nipsey reveals... "Cream" !!! Nipsey scores his first H/H match today. *1311* Poor Valerie had to sit out the first question, as the prior celeb in that seat had matched the contestant on the prior episode. Our champion is defeated after winning a single game. She earned $5,600 (thanks to her head-to-head match with Nipsey last time). *Today's audience match question: "________Cheer"* (My thoughts: Good, A hearty, Bronx) The celebs: Brett (Bronx), Charles (Good), Nipsey, with a prompt by Gene (Stand up and) The choice: Stand up and The answers: All Tempa-, Stand up and, Good Today the wheel chooses... Patty!!! And it's a double. Stats: This is Patty's 4th time answering a H/H. She's matched 1 of 3 so far (that match was in 1287). *Today's H/H question: "The_______Service"* (My first thought was "Civil" but that sounds awful. The Postal Service? The Secret Service? Neither one sounds terribly obvious. I guess I'll go for Postal.) The new champ is shaking his head, apparently not loving this question. Patty writes something, but is looking around for feedback and shaking her head as well. The poor guy seems almost pained. When the camera cuts back to Patty, she's writing again, and still looking around as if for suggestions. "Oh, I'm having an anxiety attack," she says as she files her card. "I couldn't think of anything at all," say the champion. He finally says "the CIA service." Well, that's obviously not going to match, but let's see what Patty settled on: "Secret" - Well, that was my alternate answer. No H/H match today. (continued in separate posts)
Summary of missing episodes, third post of three, episodes 1316 and 1317 *1316 As the prior episode ended, our champion was defeated, but he'd won two games and scored two H/H matches (with Brett and Ed Asner), earning a grand total of $8,200. Not too shabby. So we start off today with a new champion's inaugural Super-Match. *Today's (first) audience match question: "________Care"* (My thoughts: Health*, Take, Tender Loving) *"Health Care" sounds maybe too modern an expression? I can't recall if that term was common in 1978. I guess we'll see... The celebs: Brett (Child), Charles (Handle with), Bill (Medical or I don't) - Wow, I had zero answers in common with the panel today! The choice: Handle with The answers: Medi-, Day, Handle With Our new champion starts off with $500 in what felt like a difficult audience match. Let's see what happens with the wheel... It's Brett again, and a double. Stats: Brett just scored a H/H match in 1314. She's matched 6 of her last 12 attempts (50.0%), and 17 out of her 32 most recent attempts (53.1%). Her overall success rate is 43.4% and this is her 84th attempt. Other than Richard, Brett has the most experience at answering H/H questions. Charles is third, having had 78 attempts so far. *Today's (first) H/H question: "_______Me Now"* (Huh. Kill me now? Kiss me now? See me now? Watch me now? I honestly have no clue. Kill me now.) The champion looks as torn as I do. Brett looks blank as she seems to peek down towards her friend Fannie. When the camera returns to the champion, she is nodding and has her fingers crossed, so she's apparently made up her mind. Brett is writing and glancing over at Greg. She looks at Charles and groans and writes some more before filing her card. Brett makes a last-last minute switcheroo... No hesitation. The champ gives my second answer. Kiss me now. The audience reaction is another 10 on the positivity scale. Brett is emoting big time. I'm not sure if it's because she filed "Kiss" at the last moment, or because she discarded it at the last moment. Wow. Brett did switch to "Kiss" at the last second, and it's worth $10,000 for our champion today! Brett scores her 37th H/H match today. That was quick. Our champion wins her second game before she even gets to hear her second-round question. *Today's (second) audience match question: "________and Tea"* (My thoughts: Coffee, Cookies, Milk) The celebs: Brett (Coffee), Fannie (Crumpets), Greg (Lemon) The choice: Coffee The answers: Cookies, Crumpets, Coffee Our new champion scores another $500! This time the wheel says... Charles again, and a double. Stats: Charles just scored a H/H match in 1312. He's matched 15 of his 29 most recent attempts (51.7%). His overall score is currently 50.0%, and this will be his 79th attempt overall. Although he hasn't answered quite as many H/H questions as Brett, he has scored more matches (39 so far), second only to Richard (at 373). *Today's (second) H/H question: "Ill_______"* ("Will" is my first thought. I'm not really getting a second thought. Ill winds something?) The champion looks pensive. Charles sits nonplussed for a moment, then it looks as if he's beginning to write, but when the camera returns to him, he's looking at Brett and then Fannie. The champion tells Gene she's ready. Charles writes a short answer ("Will"?) and shows it to Brett, along with a second card, as if asking which she prefers. Gene (correctly) points out that they've never given away $20,000 to a contestant in one day before, but no pressure... "Health" the champion says. I hadn't thought of that, but it does sound good. Once again, the audience reaction is 10 on the positivity scale, but they've been hyper and vocal lately, so I'm wondering if they haven't been prompted to be more enthusiastic lately. Charles at first looks disappointed, but I can never be sure. He wrote "at ease." That's too bad. Not a bad answer, though. No H/H match this time. *1317* Our two-time champion can't make it three. But she did score a $10,000 H/H match with Brett, so she leaves with an impressive $11,200. (Over the years there have been plenty of champions who have won more games without coming close to that prize money total.) New champion's first Super-Match: *Today's audience match question: "________Ache"* (My thoughts: Head, Stomach, Belly, Heart) - I know, I cheated and gave four today... The celebs: Brett (Head), Greg (Stomach), Fannie (Tooth, and threw in Heart) The choice: Head The answers: Back, Tooth, Head Our new champion starts off with $500 in what felt like a more traditional (easy) audience match. Now it's wheel time... It's Brett again! And another double! Stats: Brett just scored H/H matches in 1314 and 1316. She's matched 7 of her last 13 attempts (53.8%), and 18 out of her 33 most recent attempts (54.5%). Her overall success rate is 44.0% and this is her 85th attempt. Other than Richard, Brett has the most experience at answering H/H questions (878 of them). Charles is third, with 79 attempts so far. *Today's H/H question: "Grandpa_______"* (Yikes. Grandpa Munster? Grandpa Walton? There must be some other TV or movie character that would be more top of mind in 1978 that I'm just not getting today... I'll say Walton, since both Michael Learned and Richard Thomas were panelists. Miss Learned was never chosen for a H/H, but Mr. Thomas scored one H/H match out of two attempts.) The new champion looks uncertain. Brett is looking around for inspiration too. The champ looks stressed. Brett looks mystefied. This does not seem like an easy question today. The champion is still shaking her head, almost as if defeated by the realization that she is not going to win the 10K today. Brett is finally writing. She files her answer with grim determination. It sounds like she says "Akins" or similar. "I drew a blank," she explains. Gene asks who Grandpa Akins is. "I have no idea!" is the answer. According to Gene, "Jones" is the audience's main suggestion. Ha! I've always said that Brett and I are on the same wavelength. "Walton" is her answer too. No H/H match today.
H/H match update for episode 1318 and running H/H stats: ... Greg Morris, Brett, Charles, Barbara Rhoades, Bill Daily, Fannie This is Greg Morris's 7th and final week on the panel. This is Barbara's 6th week of 7. For Bill Daily, this is his 11th week of 15 total, and his first time in the fifth seat. All his remaining appearances will be in that fifth seat, including the final week of the program, episodes 1451-1455. This is Fannie's 82nd week of 90. H/H stats: to date, neither Greg nor Barbara has yet played a H/H question. Bill Daily has matched 2 out of his 3 attempts, so one more match will move him to the big leader board along with Brett, Charles, and Fannie. So far this week the wheel has chosen Brett twice (resulting in one match) and Charles once (no match). ~~~Today's action: Yup, once again Charles nails it when he (sarcastically) mutters "Oh, what a surprise!" as he reveals "Tinkle." The question may have been worded differently, but it was essentially identical to half a dozen previous questions, and "tinkle" was the obvious answer that anyone familiar with the show would say. (And they all did say it, yawn.) Another highlight today is Bill oddly mentioning a fire "hydrogen" before making out with Gene. At any rate, our champion is defeated after only a single win. She takes home a promise of $600. *Today's audience match question: "Gale________"* (My thoughts: Gordon, Force Winds, ???) The celebs: Charles (Storm), Fannie (Sondergaard), Brett (Gordon) The choice: Storm The answers: Gordon, Wind, Storm A good start for our new champion. Wheel time! It's Bill! And it's a double! (This is Bill's second "wheel week" but it's the first time the wheel has chosen him. During his most recent appearance, the week of 1266-1270, the wheel picked Bonnie Franklin 4 times, and Marcia Wallace and Brett once each.) *Today's H/H question: "Liquid_______"* (Well, I'd say "liquid hydrogen" simply because Bill said "hydrogen" instead of "hydrant" earlier. Other choices? Liquid paper? - That was a popular correction fluid for typing, similar to "White Out". Liquid assets? No, I'll stick with hydrogen.) Bill looks amused and pleased. Is he thinking of hydrogen too? He underlines his answer and looks at his lovely colleagues on that first tier before seemingly getting cold feet about his answer. He writes something else, tears up his first card, and files his new one. What? She said "Ajax." (!!!) Oh well. I was looking forward to adding a new name to the big leader board. Not today. The audience reaction is about a 0 on the positivity scale. Bill's final answer was "Gas." Meh. I like mine better. (In the post-mortem, I heard "Liquid Plumber" which was just about the only other choice that sounded good to me.) No H/H match today. ~~~Here's our standing leader board showing the 11 celebs with at least 3 H/H matches, ranked by accuracy: (An asterisk before a celebrity's name signifies that she or he has "retired" from the show and their H/H stats are now complete.) (For tied scores, I consider the one with the greater number of matches to be higher; if the matches are equal, the celeb who first achieved that score goes on top.) Orson Bean - 100% (4 matches in 4 attempts). Joyce Bulifant - 80.0% (4 matches in 5 attempts). (*)Jo Anne Worley - 75% (3 matches in 4 attempts). Gary Burghoff - 62.5% (5 matches in 8 attempts). Charles - 49.4% (39 matches in 79 attempts). Betty - 48.9% (23 matches in 47 attempts). Fannie - 47.4% (18 matches in 38 attempts). (*)Jo Ann Pflug - 44.4% (8 matches in 18 attempts). Brett - 43.5% (37 matches in 85 attempts). (*)Richard - 42.5% (373 matches in 878 attempts). Bert Convy - 33.3% (5 matches in 15 attempts). *These stats include every head-to-head match from episode 1 through 1318, excluding the missing/damaged/unavailable episodes: 31, 32, 33, 311, 312, 313, 324, 325, 645, 910, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1027, 1028, 1029, and 1030. *Also, note that episode 849 was never produced. (These stats do, however, include the H/H results of missing episode 968 as those results were revealed in episode 969. Note: There was no H/H in missing episode 1035, as we learn in 1036.) *Also note: These stats do include results of episodes 1309 through 1317, found on channels other than this one.
Summary of missing episodes, second post of three, episodes 1312 through 1315 *1312* Our champion starts out behind 1 to 6, so he needs to match the 5 remaining just to have a chance for a second win. No, there were five different answers from the panel, so it was an impossible task for our champ, and so he departs after winning a single game. He earned $350. *Today's audience match question: "Prairie________"* (My thoughts: Dog, Home Companion, City) The celebs: Ed (Dog), Brett (Flower), Charles (Mary) The choice: Dog The answers: Schooner, Fire, Dog Today the wheel chooses... Charles. No double. Stats: Charles has matched 14 of his 28 most recent attempts (50.0%). His overall accuracy score is currently 49.4%, and this will be his 78th attempt overall. *Today's H/H question: "_______Gift"* (My first thought was "Special" gift. People also say "free gift" a lot, although it sort of irks me because all gifts are, by definition, free. Birthday gift? Wedding gift? Christmas gift? I prefer "present" in those three collocations. Yikes. I'll say birthday gift and hope for the best.) The new champ seems to be seriously concentrating. Chuck seems to look down at Patty before writing a long answer which he apparently discards before writing something else. He did take a look in Brett and Nipsey's direction... "My first thought was Christmas gift," says the champion, a sentiment echoed by our host (oops, I mean "star"). Yeah, it does sound like a good answer. The way Charles is dragging out the big reveal, you know he has to have matched! And yes, when he finally reveals his card, it says "Christmas." Charles scores his 39th H/H match today. *1313* As time expired "yesterday," our champion eked out her second victory (thanks to Charles, with whom she also scored a H/H match earlier), so we start right off today with her second Super match: *Today's audience match question: "________Fishing"* (My thoughts: Gone, Deep-Sea, Fly) The celebs: Patty (Deep-Sea), Charles (No), Brett (Gone) The choice: Gone (She says it was her first thought - mine too!) The answers: Deep Sea, No, Gone - Kudos to Brett for coming up with the top answer in third position. Plus, the stars nailed all three answers today! Wheel time: Today it's... Edward. No double. Stats: This is Edward's first attempt. This is also his sixth and final week on the show. *Today's H/H question: "The_______War"* (My first thought was "Civil." It's kind of old-fashioned, but "The Great War" is another possibility. I guess you could go for the Korean War or the Vietnam War. Now that I think about it, the Vietnam War would be pretty topical in 1978. If the celeb was McLean Stevenson, Gary Burghoff, or Loretta Swit, I'd go with Korean as a nod to their hit TV show. Final answer: Civil.) Ed seems to be pondering the question. Our sophomore champ looks like she's made a decision already. Cutting back to Ed, we see him writing, but the camera doesn't stay on him long enough to get a good sense of the length of his response, but it seems longer than "Civil" to me. He files his card apparently without looking to any of his colleagues for advice, opinions, suggestions... The champ gives the predicted answer, and the audience reaction is about a 9 on the positivity scale. Something about Ed's expression tells me we may have another match today! No, sorry. Ed reveals "World". So... "The World War"? I would downvote that answer. (In the H/H post-mortem, Gene suggests "Cold" War which sounds pretty good to me.) No H/H match today. *1314* The prior episode ended with a tie-breaker that sent our champion home after winning two games and $6,200 (she scored a 5K H/H with CNR). So we start off today with a new champion's first Super-Match. *Today's audience match question: "All My________"* (My thoughts: Children, Love, Life) The celebs: Patty (Children), Ed (Love), Nipsey (Sons) The choice: Love (Wow, the audience sure doesn't agree with that choice. Frankly, neither do I.) The answers: Life, Love, Children - Kudos to me for coming up with all three answers and in the proper order! (I promise, I make my choices with the video paused before the celebs are called on, so I'm honestly playing along.) Wheel time: Today it's... Brett. And a double! Stats: Brett last played in 1304, 1303, 1301, 1289 (twice), 1269 and 1254. She's matched 5 of her last 11 attempts (45.5%), and 16 out of her 31 most recent attempts (51.6%). Her overall success rate is 42.7% and this is her 83rd attempt (more attempts than anyone but Richard). *Today's H/H question: "_______Department"* (Oh dear. My first thought was "Complaint." Unfortunately for today's champion, there are really a ton of possibilities, but no real stand-outs in my mind. Athletic department. Editorial department. Accounting department. Emergency department. Health department. Legal department. Outpatient department. How about "Police" department? That sounds like the most generic choice to me. Or maybe "Fire" department? One of those two. I'll say Fire...) Maybe they cut a few seconds out of the show? Brett was cogitating, seemingly looking down at the lower tier for inspiration. The camera cuts away for a split-second, then returns to Brett who files her card with the wave of her arm. If there was no editing, it means Brett wrote a short answer right away while the camera was still on Gene, and after a brief hesitation, she filed it. The champ gives my runner-up idea: Police. The audience sounds enthused, about a 9 on the positivity scale. Sounds like I picked the wrong answer. But Brett hangs her head. Did she say Fire? Is she acting? Wow. I was convinced Brett hadn't matched, but when she began dragging it out, talking about Macy's (lingerie department) I realized she'd actually matched! Her card says "Police"! Brett scores her 36th H/H match today. *1315* The prior episode ended with another tie-breaker, and our champion eked out his second victory after a surprise match from Charles. So we start off today with our champion's second Super-Match. *Today's audience match question: "Come and________"* (My thoughts: Get it, Go, Stay a while) The celebs: Patty (Get it), Valerie (See), Nipsey (Go) The choice: Go (Wow, the second time in a row that the audience doesn't agree with the champ's choice.) The answers: See, Go, Get it Second time in a row that the champ must be content with the middle answer. Last time he got a double on the wheel and matched Brett for $5K. Let's see what happens today... Today it's Edward. No double. Stats: This is Ed's second attempt (he didn't score a match last time, in 1313). Since this is his final week, this is likely his last shot at scoring a head-to-head match. *Today's H/H question: "_______Dancing"* (This should be easy. At the opening, Gene spent a moment discussing the champ's discoteque. It turns out the establishment is in New York City, and the champ manages it, but does not own it. So "Disco" dancing remains on my mind. Was Ed paying attention? Will he say Ballroom dancing? Slow dancing? The movie "Dirty Dancing" didn't come out until 1987, so we can toss that one. I'll stick with "Disco.") For a second, Ed seems to have a little smile, as if he thought of disco. The champ has a sort of poker face - I'm not sure what he's thinking. Ed seems to consult with Patty and then writes a second answer and laughs. (Did Patty remind him about the disco?) No hesitation. The champ gives the predicted answer. The audience reaction is a 10 on the positivity scale. Well, let's see if Ed and/or Patty were paying attention to the opening chit-chat... Yeah, Patty was the one who reminded Ed! He wrote "Disco." (When the champ approached the stars to shake Ed's hand, Ed directed him to Patty who was responsible for the answer. He gave her a little kiss.) Edward Asner scores his first H/H match today, becoming the 52nd MG celebrity so far to score a head-to-head match! This was his second attempt. (continued in third post)
No use "cvetching" about it now, but as a regular watcher of these old shows, I really hate how often the writers make fill-in the blanks where the obvious and pretty much only response is (and I cringe at even typing it) - "tinkle". I get the sense that some of the celebrities are also sick of it.
@ 17:49 re. "executioner" - there were 3 who said corpse or the equilalent, so I guess it must have a good response, but doesn't really reflect a wise-guy comment. How about "Christmas Tree"?
ROFL! Another fine episode! ;0) ROFL! I believe Gene is blushing there.. ;0) ROFL! Oh Gene acting again, good! ;0) Is that a repeat elephant joke.. ;0)
11:53 - Another very questionable judging decision. If it had been Richard Dawson instead of Greg Morris, I think we would have had School Riot part 3.
I'm just wondering what happened to episodes 1309 to 1317! Some comments say these are Valerie Bertinelli episodes that got skipped. I don't believe she was ever on,. She would only have been 18 at this time.
@@pencils812 Valerie was indeed on the week of 1311-1315. It was her one and only week on the panel. Gene gave her a "new kid on the block" kiss on the cheek (not on the lips this time). She didn't get chosen for a H/H question, and my impression was that she was a mediocre player and didn't look like she was having much fun. That week was also Ed Asner's final week (he was in Richard's old seat). He scored a H/H match on his very last day! I have posted summaries of all the missing eps 1309-1317 here in the comments. (I had to divide it into 3 different comments because there is a limit to the allowable comment length.) I found all the eps on youtube, on different channels. Sometimes the videos would mysteriously disappear shortly after appearing, so I'm not sure what's up with that, but I'm glad I got to see them all. I think eventually you could find them too, if you want.
Here's a summary of missing episodes, first post of three, episodes 1309 through 1311, for those who may be curious about the outcomes of the games, the H/H matches, etc.
*1309:*
Our champion needs to match all six just to stay in the game. Right off the bat, David embraces the role of "villainess." Our champion spins off having won two games and $950 (I'm sad he didn't score a H/H match.)
*Today's audience match question: "________and Easy"*
(My thoughts: Nice, Quick, Fun)
The celebs: Charles (Nice), Brett (Free), Betty via Brett (Slow)
The choice: Nice
The answers: Slow, Free, Nice - Kudos to the panel for getting them all, and in proper order!
(Then the sweet grandma rushes up to the panel for a smooch with CNR, and then reveals to Gene that she's had a secret crush on Charles for years!)
Today the wheel chooses... Charles!!! And it's a double! Wow!!!
Stats: This is Charles's third time this week, and the 7th time the wheel has chosen him. It's his third double. He's matched 3 of his 6 wheel H/H questions so far. Charles has matched 14 of his 27 most recent attempts (51.9%). His overall score is currently 50.0%, and this will be his 77th attempt overall.
*Today's H/H question: "Lead_______"*
(At first I thought he'd said "Lead" which would be perfect as the contestant had talked about being a truck driver "Lead Foot." Then I thought he said "Let." Finally he spells it: LEAD. So yeah, lead foot. What else? Lead pipe? Lead pipe cinch?)
Charles is quietly scanning his colleagues for suggestions. He seems undecided between Betty and Brett, but he begins to write. He's looking over at Brett as he files his card.
Gene asks, the champion answers "Pencil." Meh. The audience seems to like it. I'd say about an 8 or 9 on the positivity scale. It just doesn't sound like a common phrase to me. Certainly it isn't today, but I don't even remember it back then.
Charles said lead "Balloon."
No H/H match today.
*1310:*
Betty rolls up Gene's pant leg for the first time years! "Everybody has to have a hobby!" she declares. Later she gets a good dig in on her own short-lived series "The Betty White Show." Plus, it's "Gypsy Week"! All in all, a fine episode.
Our champion is defeated after winning a single game. She earned $600.
*Today's audience match question: "Best in________"*
(My thoughts: Show, the Business, in the West)
The celebs: Charles (Town), Nipsey (Show), Betty (the West)
The choice: the West
The answers: The World, Town, The West - Kudos to Betty for getting the top answer in third position!
Today the wheel chooses... Nipsey!!! But no double.
Stats: This is Nipsey's 9th time up to bat. He hasn't yet scored a H/H match. Richard Dawson also went 8 attempts before his first match on his ninth try. No pressure, but if Nipsey doesn't match this time, he will become the star who has taken the longest to achieve his first H/H match...
*Today's H/H question: "Shave_______"*
(My first thought was "Shave and haircut... two bits. From the old Looney Tunes cartoons and elsewhere. Shave cream? I think shaving cream sounds better. I'll just say shave "and a haircut.")
Nipsey looks like he's been thrown for a loop. The new champion looks pensive, but cool. When the camera comes back to Nipsey, he's writing. He's looking over at Debralee, then crosses out his answer (or underlines it?). He writes a second answer. Betty leans in for a peek. Nipsey files that second card. Fingers crossed.
The champ plays it safe. She says "Cream" and the audience sounds quite pleased. I'd say their reaction is a 10 on the positivity scale. But now it's up to Nipsey.
Drama. Nipsey reveals... "Cream" !!!
Nipsey scores his first H/H match today.
*1311*
Poor Valerie had to sit out the first question, as the prior celeb in that seat had matched the contestant on the prior episode.
Our champion is defeated after winning a single game. She earned $5,600 (thanks to her head-to-head match with Nipsey last time).
*Today's audience match question: "________Cheer"*
(My thoughts: Good, A hearty, Bronx)
The celebs: Brett (Bronx), Charles (Good), Nipsey, with a prompt by Gene (Stand up and)
The choice: Stand up and
The answers: All Tempa-, Stand up and, Good
Today the wheel chooses... Patty!!! And it's a double.
Stats: This is Patty's 4th time answering a H/H. She's matched 1 of 3 so far (that match was in 1287).
*Today's H/H question: "The_______Service"*
(My first thought was "Civil" but that sounds awful. The Postal Service? The Secret Service? Neither one sounds terribly obvious. I guess I'll go for Postal.)
The new champ is shaking his head, apparently not loving this question. Patty writes something, but is looking around for feedback and shaking her head as well. The poor guy seems almost pained. When the camera cuts back to Patty, she's writing again, and still looking around as if for suggestions. "Oh, I'm having an anxiety attack," she says as she files her card.
"I couldn't think of anything at all," say the champion. He finally says "the CIA service."
Well, that's obviously not going to match, but let's see what Patty settled on:
"Secret" - Well, that was my alternate answer.
No H/H match today.
(continued in separate posts)
How is “charge” and “charge a cow” not a match?
Feather-flipped bangs! That really does take one back to the 70s!
I wonder what happened to the contestants from show #1308.
Somebody won and somebody lost.
Yeah, I can't find Episodes #1309-#1317!!
😤🤬
They lived happily ever after
Barbara and Fannie are both gorgeous ! Thank you for this wonderful Match Game !!
Summary of missing episodes, third post of three, episodes 1316 and 1317
*1316
As the prior episode ended, our champion was defeated, but he'd won two games and scored two H/H matches (with Brett and Ed Asner), earning a grand total of $8,200. Not too shabby.
So we start off today with a new champion's inaugural Super-Match.
*Today's (first) audience match question: "________Care"*
(My thoughts: Health*, Take, Tender Loving) *"Health Care" sounds maybe too modern an expression? I can't recall if that term was common in 1978. I guess we'll see...
The celebs: Brett (Child), Charles (Handle with), Bill (Medical or I don't) - Wow, I had zero answers in common with the panel today!
The choice: Handle with
The answers: Medi-, Day, Handle With
Our new champion starts off with $500 in what felt like a difficult audience match. Let's see what happens with the wheel...
It's Brett again, and a double.
Stats: Brett just scored a H/H match in 1314. She's matched 6 of her last 12 attempts (50.0%), and 17 out of her 32 most recent attempts (53.1%). Her overall success rate is 43.4% and this is her 84th attempt. Other than Richard, Brett has the most experience at answering H/H questions. Charles is third, having had 78 attempts so far.
*Today's (first) H/H question: "_______Me Now"*
(Huh. Kill me now? Kiss me now? See me now? Watch me now? I honestly have no clue. Kill me now.)
The champion looks as torn as I do. Brett looks blank as she seems to peek down towards her friend Fannie. When the camera returns to the champion, she is nodding and has her fingers crossed, so she's apparently made up her mind. Brett is writing and glancing over at Greg. She looks at Charles and groans and writes some more before filing her card. Brett makes a last-last minute switcheroo...
No hesitation. The champ gives my second answer. Kiss me now. The audience reaction is another 10 on the positivity scale. Brett is emoting big time. I'm not sure if it's because she filed "Kiss" at the last moment, or because she discarded it at the last moment.
Wow. Brett did switch to "Kiss" at the last second, and it's worth $10,000 for our champion today!
Brett scores her 37th H/H match today.
That was quick. Our champion wins her second game before she even gets to hear her second-round question.
*Today's (second) audience match question: "________and Tea"*
(My thoughts: Coffee, Cookies, Milk)
The celebs: Brett (Coffee), Fannie (Crumpets), Greg (Lemon)
The choice: Coffee
The answers: Cookies, Crumpets, Coffee
Our new champion scores another $500!
This time the wheel says... Charles again, and a double.
Stats: Charles just scored a H/H match in 1312. He's matched 15 of his 29 most recent attempts (51.7%). His overall score is currently 50.0%, and this will be his 79th attempt overall. Although he hasn't answered quite as many H/H questions as Brett, he has scored more matches (39 so far), second only to Richard (at 373).
*Today's (second) H/H question: "Ill_______"*
("Will" is my first thought. I'm not really getting a second thought. Ill winds something?)
The champion looks pensive. Charles sits nonplussed for a moment, then it looks as if he's beginning to write, but when the camera returns to him, he's looking at Brett and then Fannie. The champion tells Gene she's ready. Charles writes a short answer ("Will"?) and shows it to Brett, along with a second card, as if asking which she prefers.
Gene (correctly) points out that they've never given away $20,000 to a contestant in one day before, but no pressure...
"Health" the champion says. I hadn't thought of that, but it does sound good. Once again, the audience reaction is 10 on the positivity scale, but they've been hyper and vocal lately, so I'm wondering if they haven't been prompted to be more enthusiastic lately. Charles at first looks disappointed, but I can never be sure.
He wrote "at ease." That's too bad. Not a bad answer, though.
No H/H match this time.
*1317*
Our two-time champion can't make it three. But she did score a $10,000 H/H match with Brett, so she leaves with an impressive $11,200. (Over the years there have been plenty of champions who have won more games without coming close to that prize money total.)
New champion's first Super-Match:
*Today's audience match question: "________Ache"*
(My thoughts: Head, Stomach, Belly, Heart) - I know, I cheated and gave four today...
The celebs: Brett (Head), Greg (Stomach), Fannie (Tooth, and threw in Heart)
The choice: Head
The answers: Back, Tooth, Head
Our new champion starts off with $500 in what felt like a more traditional (easy) audience match.
Now it's wheel time...
It's Brett again! And another double!
Stats: Brett just scored H/H matches in 1314 and 1316. She's matched 7 of her last 13 attempts (53.8%), and 18 out of her 33 most recent attempts (54.5%). Her overall success rate is 44.0% and this is her 85th attempt. Other than Richard, Brett has the most experience at answering H/H questions (878 of them). Charles is third, with 79 attempts so far.
*Today's H/H question: "Grandpa_______"*
(Yikes. Grandpa Munster? Grandpa Walton? There must be some other TV or movie character that would be more top of mind in 1978 that I'm just not getting today... I'll say Walton, since both Michael Learned and Richard Thomas were panelists. Miss Learned was never chosen for a H/H, but Mr. Thomas scored one H/H match out of two attempts.)
The new champion looks uncertain. Brett is looking around for inspiration too. The champ looks stressed. Brett looks mystefied. This does not seem like an easy question today. The champion is still shaking her head, almost as if defeated by the realization that she is not going to win the 10K today. Brett is finally writing. She files her answer with grim determination.
It sounds like she says "Akins" or similar. "I drew a blank," she explains. Gene asks who Grandpa Akins is. "I have no idea!" is the answer. According to Gene, "Jones" is the audience's main suggestion.
Ha! I've always said that Brett and I are on the same wavelength. "Walton" is her answer too.
No H/H match today.
where are episodes 1309 thru 1317?
mick holmes nobody has them!
A very good question... not sure why it’s not here...
@@MatchGameProductions still can't get a hold of them?
H/H match update for episode 1318 and running H/H stats:
...
Greg Morris, Brett, Charles, Barbara Rhoades, Bill Daily, Fannie
This is Greg Morris's 7th and final week on the panel. This is Barbara's 6th week of 7. For Bill Daily, this is his 11th week of 15 total, and his first time in the fifth seat. All his remaining appearances will be in that fifth seat, including the final week of the program, episodes 1451-1455. This is Fannie's 82nd week of 90.
H/H stats: to date, neither Greg nor Barbara has yet played a H/H question. Bill Daily has matched 2 out of his 3 attempts, so one more match will move him to the big leader board along with Brett, Charles, and Fannie.
So far this week the wheel has chosen Brett twice (resulting in one match) and Charles once (no match).
~~~Today's action:
Yup, once again Charles nails it when he (sarcastically) mutters "Oh, what a surprise!" as he reveals "Tinkle." The question may have been worded differently, but it was essentially identical to half a dozen previous questions, and "tinkle" was the obvious answer that anyone familiar with the show would say. (And they all did say it, yawn.)
Another highlight today is Bill oddly mentioning a fire "hydrogen" before making out with Gene.
At any rate, our champion is defeated after only a single win. She takes home a promise of $600.
*Today's audience match question: "Gale________"*
(My thoughts: Gordon, Force Winds, ???)
The celebs: Charles (Storm), Fannie (Sondergaard), Brett (Gordon)
The choice: Storm
The answers: Gordon, Wind, Storm
A good start for our new champion. Wheel time!
It's Bill! And it's a double! (This is Bill's second "wheel week" but it's the first time the wheel has chosen him. During his most recent appearance, the week of 1266-1270, the wheel picked Bonnie Franklin 4 times, and Marcia Wallace and Brett once each.)
*Today's H/H question: "Liquid_______"*
(Well, I'd say "liquid hydrogen" simply because Bill said "hydrogen" instead of "hydrant" earlier. Other choices? Liquid paper? - That was a popular correction fluid for typing, similar to "White Out". Liquid assets? No, I'll stick with hydrogen.)
Bill looks amused and pleased. Is he thinking of hydrogen too? He underlines his answer and looks at his lovely colleagues on that first tier before seemingly getting cold feet about his answer. He writes something else, tears up his first card, and files his new one.
What? She said "Ajax." (!!!) Oh well. I was looking forward to adding a new name to the big leader board. Not today. The audience reaction is about a 0 on the positivity scale.
Bill's final answer was "Gas." Meh. I like mine better.
(In the post-mortem, I heard "Liquid Plumber" which was just about the only other choice that sounded good to me.)
No H/H match today.
~~~Here's our standing leader board showing the 11 celebs with at least 3 H/H matches, ranked by accuracy:
(An asterisk before a celebrity's name signifies that she or he has "retired" from the show and their H/H stats are now complete.)
(For tied scores, I consider the one with the greater number of matches to be higher; if the matches are equal, the celeb who first achieved that score goes on top.)
Orson Bean - 100% (4 matches in 4 attempts).
Joyce Bulifant - 80.0% (4 matches in 5 attempts).
(*)Jo Anne Worley - 75% (3 matches in 4 attempts).
Gary Burghoff - 62.5% (5 matches in 8 attempts).
Charles - 49.4% (39 matches in 79 attempts).
Betty - 48.9% (23 matches in 47 attempts).
Fannie - 47.4% (18 matches in 38 attempts).
(*)Jo Ann Pflug - 44.4% (8 matches in 18 attempts).
Brett - 43.5% (37 matches in 85 attempts).
(*)Richard - 42.5% (373 matches in 878 attempts).
Bert Convy - 33.3% (5 matches in 15 attempts).
*These stats include every head-to-head match from episode 1 through 1318, excluding the missing/damaged/unavailable episodes: 31, 32, 33, 311, 312, 313, 324, 325, 645, 910, 1024, 1025, 1026, 1027, 1028, 1029, and 1030. *Also, note that episode 849 was never produced. (These stats do, however, include the H/H results of missing episode 968 as those results were revealed in episode 969. Note: There was no H/H in missing episode 1035, as we learn in 1036.) *Also note: These stats do include results of episodes 1309 through 1317, found on channels other than this one.
what happened to all the episodes in between. I wanted to see what happened to Kevin after episode 1308. Are all of the episodes in between missing?
Episodes 1309 - 1317 are available on IMdB TV.
@@kathyodom5372 the actual videos?
Fanny was in the Wonder Woman season 2 premier.
both greg morris and barbara rhodes were on sanford and son when fred and lamont went to hawaii
Summary of missing episodes, second post of three, episodes 1312 through 1315
*1312*
Our champion starts out behind 1 to 6, so he needs to match the 5 remaining just to have a chance for a second win.
No, there were five different answers from the panel, so it was an impossible task for our champ, and so he departs after winning a single game. He earned $350.
*Today's audience match question: "Prairie________"*
(My thoughts: Dog, Home Companion, City)
The celebs: Ed (Dog), Brett (Flower), Charles (Mary)
The choice: Dog
The answers: Schooner, Fire, Dog
Today the wheel chooses... Charles. No double.
Stats: Charles has matched 14 of his 28 most recent attempts (50.0%). His overall accuracy score is currently 49.4%, and this will be his 78th attempt overall.
*Today's H/H question: "_______Gift"*
(My first thought was "Special" gift. People also say "free gift" a lot, although it sort of irks me because all gifts are, by definition, free. Birthday gift? Wedding gift? Christmas gift? I prefer "present" in those three collocations. Yikes. I'll say birthday gift and hope for the best.)
The new champ seems to be seriously concentrating. Chuck seems to look down at Patty before writing a long answer which he apparently discards before writing something else. He did take a look in Brett and Nipsey's direction...
"My first thought was Christmas gift," says the champion, a sentiment echoed by our host (oops, I mean "star"). Yeah, it does sound like a good answer.
The way Charles is dragging out the big reveal, you know he has to have matched! And yes, when he finally reveals his card, it says "Christmas."
Charles scores his 39th H/H match today.
*1313*
As time expired "yesterday," our champion eked out her second victory (thanks to Charles, with whom she also scored a H/H match earlier), so we start right off today with her second Super match:
*Today's audience match question: "________Fishing"*
(My thoughts: Gone, Deep-Sea, Fly)
The celebs: Patty (Deep-Sea), Charles (No), Brett (Gone)
The choice: Gone (She says it was her first thought - mine too!)
The answers: Deep Sea, No, Gone - Kudos to Brett for coming up with the top answer in third position. Plus, the stars nailed all three answers today!
Wheel time: Today it's... Edward. No double.
Stats: This is Edward's first attempt. This is also his sixth and final week on the show.
*Today's H/H question: "The_______War"*
(My first thought was "Civil." It's kind of old-fashioned, but "The Great War" is another possibility. I guess you could go for the Korean War or the Vietnam War. Now that I think about it, the Vietnam War would be pretty topical in 1978. If the celeb was McLean Stevenson, Gary Burghoff, or Loretta Swit, I'd go with Korean as a nod to their hit TV show. Final answer: Civil.)
Ed seems to be pondering the question. Our sophomore champ looks like she's made a decision already. Cutting back to Ed, we see him writing, but the camera doesn't stay on him long enough to get a good sense of the length of his response, but it seems longer than "Civil" to me. He files his card apparently without looking to any of his colleagues for advice, opinions, suggestions...
The champ gives the predicted answer, and the audience reaction is about a 9 on the positivity scale. Something about Ed's expression tells me we may have another match today!
No, sorry. Ed reveals "World". So... "The World War"? I would downvote that answer.
(In the H/H post-mortem, Gene suggests "Cold" War which sounds pretty good to me.)
No H/H match today.
*1314*
The prior episode ended with a tie-breaker that sent our champion home after winning two games and $6,200 (she scored a 5K H/H with CNR).
So we start off today with a new champion's first Super-Match.
*Today's audience match question: "All My________"*
(My thoughts: Children, Love, Life)
The celebs: Patty (Children), Ed (Love), Nipsey (Sons)
The choice: Love (Wow, the audience sure doesn't agree with that choice. Frankly, neither do I.)
The answers: Life, Love, Children - Kudos to me for coming up with all three answers and in the proper order! (I promise, I make my choices with the video paused before the celebs are called on, so I'm honestly playing along.)
Wheel time: Today it's... Brett. And a double!
Stats: Brett last played in 1304, 1303, 1301, 1289 (twice), 1269 and 1254. She's matched 5 of her last 11 attempts (45.5%), and 16 out of her 31 most recent attempts (51.6%). Her overall success rate is 42.7% and this is her 83rd attempt (more attempts than anyone but Richard).
*Today's H/H question: "_______Department"*
(Oh dear. My first thought was "Complaint." Unfortunately for today's champion, there are really a ton of possibilities, but no real stand-outs in my mind. Athletic department. Editorial department. Accounting department. Emergency department. Health department. Legal department. Outpatient department. How about "Police" department? That sounds like the most generic choice to me. Or maybe "Fire" department? One of those two. I'll say Fire...)
Maybe they cut a few seconds out of the show? Brett was cogitating, seemingly looking down at the lower tier for inspiration. The camera cuts away for a split-second, then returns to Brett who files her card with the wave of her arm. If there was no editing, it means Brett wrote a short answer right away while the camera was still on Gene, and after a brief hesitation, she filed it.
The champ gives my runner-up idea: Police. The audience sounds enthused, about a 9 on the positivity scale. Sounds like I picked the wrong answer. But Brett hangs her head. Did she say Fire? Is she acting?
Wow. I was convinced Brett hadn't matched, but when she began dragging it out, talking about Macy's (lingerie department) I realized she'd actually matched!
Her card says "Police"!
Brett scores her 36th H/H match today.
*1315*
The prior episode ended with another tie-breaker, and our champion eked out his second victory after a surprise match from Charles.
So we start off today with our champion's second Super-Match.
*Today's audience match question: "Come and________"*
(My thoughts: Get it, Go, Stay a while)
The celebs: Patty (Get it), Valerie (See), Nipsey (Go)
The choice: Go (Wow, the second time in a row that the audience doesn't agree with the champ's choice.)
The answers: See, Go, Get it
Second time in a row that the champ must be content with the middle answer. Last time he got a double on the wheel and matched Brett for $5K. Let's see what happens today...
Today it's Edward. No double.
Stats: This is Ed's second attempt (he didn't score a match last time, in 1313). Since this is his final week, this is likely his last shot at scoring a head-to-head match.
*Today's H/H question: "_______Dancing"*
(This should be easy. At the opening, Gene spent a moment discussing the champ's discoteque. It turns out the establishment is in New York City, and the champ manages it, but does not own it. So "Disco" dancing remains on my mind. Was Ed paying attention? Will he say Ballroom dancing? Slow dancing? The movie "Dirty Dancing" didn't come out until 1987, so we can toss that one. I'll stick with "Disco.")
For a second, Ed seems to have a little smile, as if he thought of disco. The champ has a sort of poker face - I'm not sure what he's thinking. Ed seems to consult with Patty and then writes a second answer and laughs. (Did Patty remind him about the disco?)
No hesitation. The champ gives the predicted answer. The audience reaction is a 10 on the positivity scale. Well, let's see if Ed and/or Patty were paying attention to the opening chit-chat...
Yeah, Patty was the one who reminded Ed! He wrote "Disco." (When the champ approached the stars to shake Ed's hand, Ed directed him to Patty who was responsible for the answer. He gave her a little kiss.)
Edward Asner scores his first H/H match today, becoming the 52nd MG celebrity so far to score a head-to-head match! This was his second attempt.
(continued in third post)
Nobody has mentioned yet that Fannie, who usually misspells words, spells "tinkle" correctly but others misspell it "tinkel".
I don't believe that she had dyslexia. I think she often mispelled words to be funny.
Match Game 78 Episode 1319 is listed here on my playlist!
ua-cam.com/video/mqyVY9zxp78/v-deo.html
So 1309 to 1317 are totally unavailable?
Are there any others missing leading up to the end at 1455?
No use "cvetching" about it now, but as a regular watcher of these old shows, I really hate how often the writers make fill-in the blanks where the obvious and pretty much only response is (and I cringe at even typing it) - "tinkle".
I get the sense that some of the celebrities are also sick of it.
Didn't "Liquid _____" come up as the super match in another recent MG78 episode, or am I mistaken?
It did and the answer was liquid gold.
Yes
Surprised no one said (liquid) PAPER. Used to write over typing or written errors.
No one has mentioned that this is a returning contestant, if I heard correctly. She was on the show, but had to leave because of a family emergency.
Beverly White Wilson is who you are referring to. She was the champion at the end of episode 1280, but didn't return due to an illness in her family.
I’m so glad that they brought BEVERLY back
WHERE are Episodes #1309-#1317?? 😤🤬
charge doesn't match CHARGE a cow?
Why would a bull charge a cow, usually they want to mate with a cow, not charged at it..
I'm with you revinevan. Yet another example of the judges making dumb decisions
@ 17:49 re. "executioner" - there were 3 who said corpse or the equilalent, so I guess it must have a good response, but doesn't really reflect a wise-guy comment.
How about "Christmas Tree"?
ROFL! Another fine episode! ;0) ROFL! I believe Gene is blushing there.. ;0) ROFL! Oh Gene acting again, good! ;0) Is that a repeat elephant joke.. ;0)
Thought Gene was kidding about the Johnny Mercer song, but there is actually a song by that name...songmeanings.com/m/songs/view/3530822107859247432/
Did Gene's mic wire get caught on Barbara or Barbara's chair???? Strange edited there it seems..
11:53 - Another very questionable judging decision. If it had been Richard Dawson instead of Greg Morris, I think we would have had School Riot part 3.
She wouldn't have won anyway, I believe there was only 2 other people who said charged..
This is the first time I've noticed a recycled question in the mix. All I could think of was liquid nitrogen
I'm just wondering what happened to episodes 1309 to 1317! Some comments say these are Valerie Bertinelli episodes that got skipped. I don't believe she was ever on,. She would only have been 18 at this time.
@@pencils812 Valerie was indeed on the week of 1311-1315. It was her one and only week on the panel. Gene gave her a "new kid on the block" kiss on the cheek (not on the lips this time). She didn't get chosen for a H/H question, and my impression was that she was a mediocre player and didn't look like she was having much fun. That week was also Ed Asner's final week (he was in Richard's old seat). He scored a H/H match on his very last day!
I have posted summaries of all the missing eps 1309-1317 here in the comments. (I had to divide it into 3 different comments because there is a limit to the allowable comment length.)
I found all the eps on youtube, on different channels. Sometimes the videos would mysteriously disappear shortly after appearing, so I'm not sure what's up with that, but I'm glad I got to see them all. I think eventually you could find them too, if you want.
Liquid "Plumr" NOWadays 🤷♀️
Gale Sayers.
Alcohol is known as LIQUID COURAGE ....
short week, but ill still keep score
Wonder what happened to the missing episodes.
What was it about the last seat in the bottom row that attracted some of the biggest dingbatz?
What’s Gene mean Fannie’s new body? Did she get a breast reduction or something maybe?
I think Gene said, "she's very weak from all her diet." I'm assuming that Fannie had simply lost some weight.
She looks slimmer to me.
AJAX????
That Bret Somers was nasty she would ripe the card right of of who ever she was sitting next to and her answer on her card was worse.
Brett, your HAIR!!! 😖🙄😣
Is it just me or is Bill Daly quite annoying?
Idk what others think but I love him!
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Sometimes.
@@davidganderson870 Most people DO
Fanny really isn't all that smart. Rings? She could have said, Florida, I guess. That would have been just as logical.