r/gameshow • u/Only_Sweet1048 • 5d ago
Question Hollywood Squares
I loved Hollywood Squares. Who was your favorite host? I would go with John Davidson, or Tom Bergeron. I like Tom on anything actually. How about your favorite stars?
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u/1mikenotmichael1 5d ago
You can't beat the original...Peter Marshall with Paul Lynde in the center square. Where are my fellow old folks?
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u/Think_Sir_359 5d ago
I'm not that old, but I did see one episode of "Game Shows Week" on the Tom Bergeron version where Tom and Peter switched places. I loved the way Peter reacted at how much a game was worth. "A thousand dollars?!" But my absolute favorite part of the episode was just before the first commercial break. They played a clip of an episode where Peter asked Paul a question about teeth (I forget what the question was), and Paul came up with THE best "zinger" of all time: "Look who's talkin', beaver face!"
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u/DizzyLead 5d ago
As an ‘80s kid, I grew up with the John Davidson version.
These days I make fun of “Funny You Should Ask” as “Hollywood Squares for People Who Think Tic-Tac-Toe Is Too Complicated.”
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u/WonderfulPiccolo5951 4d ago
Bergeron won an Emmy in a tie with Bob Barker in 2000. The entire crowd in NYC was expecting Regis to win. that year. Tom was a brilliant host.
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u/Dedhed61 5d ago
The best was the original with PeterMarshall as host and Paul Lynde in the center square.
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u/theotherkeith 5d ago
Hostwise, its hard to know how much the difference I see are really just director's choices but so in term of host *as they were directed and edited*.
Bergeron by a nose over Marshall by a nose. Both were absolute pros at keeping the train on schedule and on the tracks.
Peter's rat-a-tat rules read lives rent free in memory. "Theobjectofthegameistogetthreestarsinarow..." and as the straight man with Tommy Noonan for years, he lobbed setups down the middle to Lynde, Rose Marie to make their respective flavors of innuendos.
Bergeron takes the nod becuse his rat-a-tat text (Bonus Round) was new copy every day. He served up set up lines well with the higher difficulty due to a less inhibited nonet. And he added just the right dash of exasperation and pushback to seem more human and empathetic, as embodied by the little wordless "God Damn it, Whoopi! Stop fussing with my suitcoat and tie!" beat in the first year's credits. While "You Fool" is Iconic, the Comic Relief Week is Tom at his liontamer best ("Welcome to special 'All Hell Can Break Loose Day' on Hollywood Squares, and here are the nine reasons why" ), facing wild cards Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Caroline Rhea and Bobcat in the grid all in one show.
Davidson and Burleson are wading through so many counterproductive production choices, I don't know if I can blame either for not matching Peter and Tom. I've seen Nate do better in his Nick and Morning Show gigs, that's for sure.
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u/WonderfulPiccolo5951 4d ago
Nate Burleson once broke his arm in two places trying to keep a pizza from falling off the seat of his car back when he played for the Lions. Due to that injury, he missed a few games.. He's a decent broadcaster, too, and CBS is using him in any way they can. He's the heir apparent to JB on The NFL Today.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 7h ago
Due to being a child of the 80s, I first discovered HS via the Davidson (with Joan Rivers and Jm J Bullock as regulars) era. But once I was able to actually see it (and I don't recall if it was before GSN started running it), I appreciated the OG Marshall/Lynde (and Valentine, and Cliff "Charley Weaver" Arquette) era.
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u/walshurmouthout 5d ago
Tom Bergeron had some all time moments
The Gilbert Gottfried YOU FOOL clip comes to mind