Game Show TV Milestones Of The Week

[AaronHandy3]

DECEMBER 20, 1965


The Dating Game, a Chuck Barris Enterprises game show revolving around three young men who vied for a date with a young woman who was hidden from their view, hosted by San Francisco radio personality Jim Lange, debuted on ABC Daytime in black and white (the switch to color would be 2 years later). The woman asked questions especially devised to real the romantic nature of the significant other and later selected the one she was to date. The couple was given either a night on the town or an all-expense-paid trip to some fun locale. The game was also played with one bachelor selecting from among 3 young ladies and with celebrity guests choosing for them; among the many, many stars seen on Dating were Karen Carpenter, Dick Clark, Richard Dawson, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Suzanne Sommers, and Arnold Schwarzenegger! For its first season (1965-66), Dating actually employed a live band which played its theme music: The Regents, comprised of Craig Boyd (drums), John Harris (bass) Michael McDonald (lead guitar), Jerry Rosa (keyboards), and Tom Baker (rhythm guitar).

The Dating Game was the first foray into game shows for producer Chuck Barris, a former songwriter (he composed "Palisades Park," a Top 10 hit for Freddy Cannon in 1962). His production firm churned out such memorable favorites as The Newlywed Game (which first appeared on ABC 7 months after Dating's debut), The Family Game, and the ever-irrepressible Gong Show! ABC gave The Dating Game a primetime edition, seen between October 6, 1966 and January 17, 1970 every Saturday night (sometimes leading in for ABC stalemates Let's Make A Deal and The Newlywed Game). Its popularity in the 1960s was big enough to inspire an ice-cream flavor (pink ice cream with diced dates [get it?!] and butter toasted pecans) by Baskin-Robbins!

The ABC daytime version of Dating went to its reward on July 6, 1973, after 8 years and 2,035 shows; a syndicated edition, launched in the fall as The New Dating Game, carried the show for an extra season. It has seen several resurgences on TV (syndicated!) in 1978, 1986, and 1997.


DECEMBER 20, 1974 (9 years later!!)


The Newlywed Game, another GS masterpiece masterminded by Chuck Barris, finished an 8 1/2 year run on ABC Daytime. It was a good 6 days before Xmas (talk about poor timing!), and, as such, it was Reunion Day; host Bob Eubanks was greeted by his contestants with a much-deserved standing ovation. Newlywed couple Tim and Sandy Jones were the final Grand Prize Winners, and their prize was a $1,000 check donated to their favourite charity, The Sickle Cell Disease Research Foundation.

The 2,195th and final ABC Daytime telecast of The Newlywed Game concluded with Bob Eubanks delivering The Cornerstone Of Television Show Finales: The Tearful Farewell Speech:

“And now, on our last show on the current series of The Newlywed Game, on behalf of the staff at Chuck Barris Productions, I'd like to thank all of our viewers for your loyal support, and, in addition, I want to send along a special appreciation to the almost 10,000 young newlywed couples who'd joined us on this stage, and whose great spirits and good humor... [tearfully] made the past eight and a half years a real pleasure. [choked pause] I can't say it. Thank you very much.”

So emotional was Bob that he could only wave and mouth the words "bye-bye!" As The Boston Pops’ Orchestra’s rendition of “Sleigh Ride” played (as it normally did during the holidays), the end credits superimposed over the production crew of The Newlywed Game and The Newlyweds decorating a giant Christmas tree and giving Bob Eubanks emotional support. But, au naturel, this wouldn't be the last we'd hear of Eubanks or the show he has helped make phenomenally popular...