History Series / TheHollywoodSquares

** "Hello Stars!" "Hi, Peter!"

*** The "pick a star, win a prize" format from the Marshall version, featuring trips, other prizes like a jukebox, $5,000-$15,000, and a car. It was quickly amended to having to correctly agree/disagree with the star's answer to one final question to claim the prize.

*** The "pick a star, win a prize" format from the Marshall version, featuring trips, other prizes like a jukebox, $5,000-$15,000, and a car. It was quickly amended to having to answer one final question to claim the prize.

[[caption-width-right:350:Which star do ''you'' think is in the Secret Square?]]

--> '''Marshall''': Object of the players is to get three stars in a row, either across, up and down, or diagonally. It is up to them to figure out if the stars are giving a correct answer or making one up; that's how they get the squares.

* SpinOff: ''The Storybook Squares'', in 1969. Yes, [[RecursiveAdaptation a children's version of an adult-oriented game show based on a children's game]].

** The first two seasons of the Davidson version had an endgame similar to the ABC era of ''Series/SplitSecond'' (though it was actually recycled wholesale from a previous Rick Rosner/Orion game show, the short-lived ''Just Men!'', which aired on NBC in 1983 and was hosted by Creator/BettyWhite). The winner choose one of five keys, then try to find which car out of five displayed in-studio the key would start. After having chosen a "good-luck celebrity" from the panel to stand by, the contestant would try to start the car; if it started, they won and were retired right there and then. If not, the contestant continued onto another game; if they made it to the bonus round a second time, the car they'd chosen prior would be eliminated. If a champion made it five days, they won the last car remaining. (At which point [also used on occasional Friday shows] all nine celebrities would join in.) New cars are used every week, so the champion's reign carried over to the next week and they won the following game, the lowest valued cars would be removed and the champion would select a new key from the remaining ones. The final season of the Davidson version used a similar bonus round, but all nine celebrities had a key instead, and the contestant would pick the celebrity rather than the key. No cars would be eliminated, champions would remain until winning a car or defeated.

* TheAnnouncer: Kenny Williams handled the entirety of the Marshall era. Shadoe Stevens (best known as Creator/CaseyKasem's replacement on ''Radio/AmericanTop40'') did both the Davidson version — on which he often pulled double duty as a panelist — and the first four seasons of the Bergeron version. After Shadoe left the latter, Creator/JeffreyTambor announced Season 5, and John Moschitta (aka the Micro Machines man and [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Blurr]]) announced Season 6. Fill-ins included Shadoe's brother Richard and Creator/HowardStern (!) on the Davidson version, while Creator/HenryWinkler (also executive producer at the time) sometimes filled in for Tambor. "[[TotallyRadical DJ Ms. Nix]]" (real name: Nicole Lyn Hill) was the announcer on the original version of ''Hip Hop Squares''; Creator/IceCube is the announcer on the revival. ''Nashville Squares'' does not have an announcer.

* ConfettiDrop: Balloons were dropped when a car was won on Davidson's run; several different ones were used during the Bergeron version.

After a few false starts during the decade, another syndicated revival premiered in 1998, now produced by Creator/WhoopiGoldberg (who also served as center square) with [[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos Tom Bergeron]] hosting. Whoopi left the show in 2002, and it was given a cosmetic overhaul that year, with a floating "H[[superscript:2]]" present in the new logo and Creator/HenryWinkler now onboard as producer. Ultimately, this run ended in 2004.

* ParodyAssistance: Given the show's comedic bent, the cast and crew have helped a few times with parody skits. Peter Marshall, Creator/PaulLynde and Rose Marie appeared in "The Towering Squares", a mash up of this and ''Film/TheToweringInferno'' where the game board (the actual thing) catches on fire (really just some smoke) and the celebs try to evacuate ([[WeirdnessCensor despite Marshall trying to]] [[TheShowMustGoOn keep the game going]]); this was from a mid 70s Rich Little special. Much later, Marshall hosted the ''[[Series/InLivingColor East Hollywood Squares]]'', where the panel was made up of entirely black celebrities. And ''Series/MadTV'' had a few skits during the ''H2'' era with Bergeron himself hosting.

* BonusSpace: The Secret Square. Renamed the "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar G-Spot]]" for the original version of ''Hip Hop Squares'' (the revival does away with this mechanic).

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Almost everything out of Creator/PaulLynde's mouth. Many later panelists, especially on the Bergeron version, were much less subtle in their crassness:
--->'''Tom Bergeron:''' Is Viagra kosher for Passover?\\
'''Whoopi Goldberg:''' Not if it leads to pork.
** Then again, the blatant crassness is older than you might think:
--->'''Peter Marshall:''' Rose, hundreds of years ago, English bartenders called it 'dry sack'. What is it known as today?\\
'''Rose Marie:''' Grounds for divorce.
** The Peter Marshall era Hollywood Squares features this dialogue between the host and Paul Lynde:
-->'''Peter''': In the Shakesperean Play ''King Lear'', King Lear had three of them: Goneril, Cordelia, and Regan. Who were they?
-->'''Paul''' [with slight disgust]: King Lear had ''Goneril''? [audience laughter][[note]] Paul's first DoubleEntendre laden response involved wordplay on "gonorrhea".[[/note]]
** Lynde was once asked "What's the best reason for pounding meat?" His response? "[[ADateWithRosiePalms Loneliness.]]" According to reports, the audience laughed for fifteen minutes after the line.

'''Marty Allen:''' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar A girl from New Jersey]]!

* InstantWinCondition: Claiming the majority of the board results in a "Five-Square Win", even if you don't have three-in-a-row, so every round will have a winner. The rule of having to claim it yourself (as opposed to your opponent getting a question wrong) applies if you already have four squares.

* TrashTheSet: Kind of - one Davidson episode had them starting to pack up the set in the middle of an episode (for them to travel to Hollywood, FL) and they had to finish the game on audience risers. [[http://youtu.be/69UAeFW21I0 See it here.]]

The show was brought back multiple times after, first as a mashup with ''Series/MatchGame'' called ''Series/TheMatchGameHollywoodSquaresHour'', which lasted from 1983 to 1984 on NBC; it didn't last long due to various reasons, including not having Peter Marshall as host of the ''Squares'' portion (being replaced by Jon Bauman, Bowzer of Sha Na Na) and formatting issues on the part of Creator/MarkGoodson (who didn't understand how ''Squares'' worked).

After a few false starts during the decade, another syndicated revival premiered in 1998, now produced by Creator/WhoopiGoldberg (who also served as center square) with [[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos Tom Bergeron]] hosting; Whoopi left in 2002, and the show was given a cosmetic overhaul that year, with a floating "H[[superscript:2]]" present in the new logo and Creator/HenryWinkler now onboard as producer; this run ended in 2004.

* LosingHorns: Type C on the Davidson version for a car loss (the MockingSingSong was played on the organ); Type B for "nine keys" bonus losses on the Bergeron version.

After a few false starts during the decade, another syndicated revival premiered in 1998, now produced by Creator/WhoopiGoldberg (who also served as center square) with [[Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos Tom Bergeron]] hosting; Whoopi left in 2002, and the show became ''H2: Hollywood Squares'' that year, with Creator/HenryWinkler now onboard as producer; this run ended in 2004.

!!GameShowTropes in use:

* {{Personnel}}:
** TheAnnouncer: Kenny Williams handled the entirety of the Marshall era. Shadoe Stevens (best known as Creator/CaseyKasem's replacement on ''Radio/AmericanTop40'') did both the Davidson version — on which he often pulled double duty as a panelist — and the first four seasons of the Bergeron version. After Shadoe left the latter, Creator/JeffreyTambor announced Season 5, and John Moschitta (aka the Micro Machines man and [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Blurr]]) announced Season 6. Fill-ins included Shadoe's brother Richard and Creator/HowardStern (!) on the Davidson version, while Creator/HenryWinkler (also executive producer at the time) sometimes filled in for Tambor. "[[TotallyRadical DJ Ms. Nix]]" (real name: Nicole Lyn Hill) was the announcer on the original version of ''Hip Hop Squares''; Creator/IceCube is the announcer on the current revival.
** GameShowHost: Bert Parks hosted the 1965 pilot. Peter Marshall hosted the series proper from 1966 to 1981, followed by John Davidson from 1986 to 1989, and Tom Bergeron from 1998 to 2004. Peter Rosenberg hosted the original [=MTV2=] version of ''Hip Hop Squares'', and [=DeRay=] Davis hosts the [=VH1=] revival. Bob Saget hosts ''Nashville Squares''.
** StudioAudience
** Center Square and regulars:
*** Jim Backus (best known for voicing WesternAnimation/MrMagoo and as [[Series/GilligansIsland Thurston Howell III]]) was the center square for the 1965 pilot, while Ernest Borgnine (''Series/McHalesNavy'') was the first-ever center square when the show went to permanent series. Various center squares rotated until 1968, when Creator/PaulLynde joined up on a full-time basis. He left in 1979, which resulted in a return to the rotation until the Las Vegas season, when he returned -- and then got kicked out ''again''. Other regulars during that era included Rose Marie, Wally Cox, Charley Weaver (actually a persona of Cliff Arquette) and George Gobel. Later on in the 1970s, regulars included John Davidson, Wayland Flowers (and his rotating cast of ventriloquist dummies), Florence Henderson, Tom Poston, Joan Rivers and Leslie Uggams.
*** The Davidson version had the rotation too; Joan Rivers, Jim J. Bullock and ALF were some of the most frequent. Regulars during that era included Creator/ZsaZsaGabor, Emma Samms, Creator/ArleenSorkin and Shadoe Stevens, who occupied the bottom-center square.
*** The Bergeron version had Creator/WhoopiGoldberg as the center square, with the 2001 College Tournament featuring a rotation because Whoopi was out sick. Regulars during that era included Creator/MartinMull, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, Gilbert Gottfried, and Caroline Rhea.
*** The ''H2'' era initially returned to the rotation, before Martin Mull became the center square for the last season; Garrett and Gottfried were held over (while Tambor served as announcer initially).
*** Both versions of ''Hip Hop Squares'' have also utilized the rotation. Similar to Whoopi Goldberg above, the revival's producer, Ice Cube, has served as a center square, though unlike Goldberg, he isn't a permanent fixture.

----
!!This show provides examples of:
* AffectionateNickname: Tom would often call Whoopi "Whoopster", and the off-screen judge "Skippy Trebek" (allegedly Creator/AlexTrebek's long-lost brother; [[http://www.mystica401.50webs.com/hollywoodsquares/facts.htm in reality]], he was producer/writer Stephen Radosh - more known as the creator of ''Series/CatchPhrase'').
* AndStarring:
** The opening speech for the Marshall version almost invariably finished with "...or Paul Lynde, all in ''The Hollywood Squares''!"
** The first four years of the Bergeron version (1998-2002, the pre-"H2" era) would list off all the celebrities who would appear in the episode in question, always saving Whoopi Goldberg for last. When they do mention her, the announcer says, "And starring Whoopi Goldberg!"
** During the "H2" days, it would be, "And our center square, (insert name here)", as there wasn't a permanent center square until the next season, when Martin Mull took over.
* AprilFoolsDay:
** In a clip frequently shown on other shows, the crew played a prank on Davidson. During a normal round the female contestant angrily accuses the male contestant of looking over Davidson's podium at his answer cards. As John increasingly gets a 'deer in the headlights' look, the female contestant gets up from her chair and confronts the male contestant, finally pushing him over the edge of raised platform. Unknown to the stunned Davidson, both 'contestants' were actually stunt people.
** Another Davidson April Fools' ep had Joan Rivers hosting instead, with John taking the center square.
** Repeated and cranked UpToEleven for Tom Bergeron on a show taped to air on April Fool's Day 2003. At one point the male and female contestants were engaged in a heated argument, after which the male contestant made the female contestant ''break down in tears''. Bergeron, who had even more of a deer-in-the-headlights look than Davidson had, comforted the "poor woman" as he sent the show to commercial (of course, unbeknownst to him, [[LeaveTheCameraRunning the camera was still running]]). At the end of the episode, giggling executive producer [[Series/HappyDays Henry Winkler]] (at the time, also filling in as announcer) announced over the intercom, "Hey Tom...April Fools."
** There was a special "It Just Ain't Right" week during ''H2'', where viewers could win prizes based on how many (deliberate) mistakes they could spot. The mistakes ranged from the contestants swapping positions to [[ContinuityNod having "I Love Hollywood" as the theme]] (which was oddly surreal when combined with the "H2"-era graphics).
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: This was one of the common topics of Rose Marie questions.
-->'''Peter Marshall:''' In a recent ''PARADE'' magazine article, it was stated that a woman being attacked should yell out two words. First she should yell "Help!", what should she then yell?\\
'''Rose Marie:''' "More!"

-->'''Peter:''' Rose, studies indicate that women are attacked one night of the week much more than any other. Which night is it?\\
'''Rose Marie:''' With my luck, tonight.
* AscendedExtra: As already mentioned, John Davidson was a frequent celebrity guest and substitute for Paul Lynde before he became the host. Shadoe Stevens was the announcer for most of Davidson's run, and late in the first season, also became a permanent panel member for the rest of that version's run (in addition to filling in as host for a week in October 1988).
** Martin Mull was a regular during the Bergeron run and became the semi-permanent center square in its final season (though other celebrities would take his place for some themed weeks during that season).
* BookEnds: During her tenure as the centre square on ''The New Hollywood Squares'', Creator/JoanRivers answered [[https://youtu.be/OapPKwMJbFU?t=164 the first question]] and [[https://youtu.be/6QMElaUhJNI?t=956 the last question]] on the show.
* ButtMonkey: Sometimes the host. Frequently Peter Marshall.
-->'''Peter:''' True or false: Your teeth are about the same size and shape as a pig's.\\
'''Paul Lynde:''' Look who's talking, beaver face!
** This nickname became a BrickJoke:
--->'''Peter''': According to the familiar quotation, "surely" what "will follow me all the days of my life"?\\
'''Paul''': The nickname "beaver face".

--->'''Peter''': Your mother was a jackass and your father was a horse. What does that make you?\\
'''Paul''': The star in the center square, beaver face!
* CampGay: Creator/PaulLynde. Jim J. Bullock filled this role on Davidson's version. Bruce Vilanch, however, subverted it -- he was gay, but he certainly wasn't camp.
* CatchPhrase:
** "(X/Circle) gets the square." Alternatively, from the Marshall version, "We put (an X/a circle) there."
** "[Name of celebrity] for the block." and "[Name of celebrity] for the win."
** "Hello Stars!" "Hi, Peter!"
** "I would have gone with [name of celebrity] for the win/block, but this might work out for you."
** Gilbert Gottfried, when asked a non-standard question: "I know this one, because [[MadLibsCatchPhrase <outlandish reason>.]]" [[PhraseCatcher Sometimes with a weary "why?" from the others in the middle.]]
* CharacterNameLimits: The NES game, based on the Davidson format, limited players' and panelists' names to four letters.
* ContinuityNod:
** On ''Storybook Squares'', Kenny Williams would reprise his role of town crier from the very first Heatter-Quigley series, ''Video Village''.
** A few times on Bergeron's version, they'd refer to John Davidson; during the Game Show Weeks, this was prevalent as Peter Marshall and Rose Marie were present for the first and second weeks, respectively.
* CoolOldGuy: Charley Weaver. Martin Mull in the Bergeron era- he even called himself Charley Weaver during the first Game Show Week.
* CouchGag: During the ''H2'' era, there was a scrolling electronic marquee mounted below the host/contestant area, and often when coming back from or going to a commercial break, it would display all sorts of funny stuff, ranging from puns and references to the celebs to weird messages; one notable one was "Help, I'm trapped under the podium!" Occasionally, they'd run backwards on the marquee and scroll by the right way superimposed on the screen, and just before every second commercial break (mostly during the 2002-03 season), the ticker would display something like "Let's go behind the Squares" and the video square underneath would zoom into the camera to feature a short behind-the-scenes funny moment.
* CrossOver:
** ''Series/TheMatchGameHollywoodSquaresHour'', obviously.
** In July of 1975, Bob Monkhouse popped up on the Marshall version.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** At least twice, John Davidson got to sit on the panel while someone else (in one case, Series/{{ALF}}) got to host. Announcer Shadoe Stevens also hosted one week while Davidson was unavailable, and Creator/HowardStern served as announcer that week.
** Peter Marshall was a panelist on the first Game Show Week during Bergeron's run. Things came full-circle when he and Tom traded places for one episode.
* DeadpanSnarker: Tom Bergeron, big time.
* DerivativeWorks:
** The Marshall version included ''The Storybook Squares'' for kids and families to play. It included more kid-friendly celebrities such as [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird]]. (Is that an inversion of SesameStreetCred or what?)
** Merrill Heatter would later recycle the "celebrities in a ginormous panel" motif on his later shows ''Series/{{Battlestars}}'' and ''Series/AllStarBlitz'' (the latter of which also recycled Peter Marshall).
* DoItYourselfThemeTune: Whoopi Goldberg sang the theme song herself for the first three seasons of the Bergeron version.
* DoubleEntendre: About half of the words out of the panelists' mouths, especially in the Bergeron version.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** The very earliest episodes had games dragging out due to the panelists drawing out their gag answers for too long. Less than a month into the run, executive producer Merrill Heatter sent out a memo stating he intended to do as much editing as necessary to fit in 20 questions per show; the celebrities got the hint, and heading into the end of November 1966 the show was played at the pace viewers came to expect.
** Creator/PaulLynde didn't become the permanent center square until 1968, although he was a center square the second, third and fifth weeks of the daytime series. Early center squares – from between October to December 1966 – included Ernest Borgnine, Buddy Hackett, Bill Bixby, George Jessel, Marty Allen, Glenn Ford, Shelley Berman and Creator/VeraMiles.
** The Bergeron version originally had front-game payouts similar to the Davidson version for the first four weeks[[note]]$500 for the first two games, $1000 for the third, and $2000 for anything beyond that, plus $250 for each captured square when time was called[[/note]]; they were doubled after that. In addition, the Secret Square Stash didn't come until the next season (they'd simply move it to another star); some sound effects were different, and the endgame was a bit different (see above).
* EndOfSeriesAwareness: Toward the end of the ''H2'' run, whenever Martin Mull was seen in the intro, he was seen doing things like browsing the classifieds, making a "gravestone" for the center square (featuring his name, Paul Lynde's and Whoopi Goldberg's), and for the final week, he held up a sign saying "[[IncrediblyLamePun It's A King World After All]]"[[note]]King World was the producer/distributor of that version, they acquired the format rights from Orion in 1991[[/note]].
* EpicFail:
** The infamous "YouFool" episode, where the poor contestants guessed incorrectly with Gilbert Gottfried nine consecutive times (in a block-and-win situation) before finally someone was correct. Amusingly, Gottfried kept bluffing and the contestants kept agreeing. It only ended when Gottfried finally provided a correct answer which the contestant obediently agreed to, if he hadn't, the game would've ended with a tie as the times up bell sounded afterwards.
** A situation involving numerous consecutive incorrect answers in a similar block-or-win situation also happened at least once on the original Peter Marshall version, this being a 1968 NBC episode, this time with Don Adams as the celebrity. At one point, in a variation of his ''Series/GetSmart'' CatchPhrase, Adams quipped: "Would you believe we may never finish this game?!"
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Almost everything out of Creator/PaulLynde's mouth. Many later panelists, especially on the Bergeron version, were much less subtle in their crassness:
--->'''Tom Bergeron:''' Is Viagra kosher for Passover?\\
'''Whoopi Goldberg:''' Not if it leads to pork.
** Then again, the blatant crassness is older than you might think:
--->'''Peter Marshall:''' Rose, hundreds of years ago, English bartenders called it 'dry sack'. What is it known as today?\\
'''Rose Marie:''' Grounds for divorce.
** The Peter Marshall era Hollywood Squares features this dialogue between the host and Paul Lynde:
-->'''Peter''': In the Shakesperean Play ''King Lear'', King Lear had three of them: Goneril, Cordelia, and Regan. Who were they?
-->'''Paul''' [with slight disgust]: King Lear had ''Goneril''? [audience laughter][[note]] Paul's first DoubleEntendre laden response involved wordplay on "gonorrhea".[[/note]]
* GuestHost:
** On the John Davidson version, Shadoe Stevens, Jm. J Bullock, Joan Rivers, and Series/{{ALF}} all got to do this. During Shadoe's week, had Creator/HowardStern took his usual spot as bottom center square/announcer, and for Joan's April Fool's Day stint, John sat on the panel.
** Rosie O'Donnell hosted a round of the Bergeron version during the Whoopi Goldberg era.
** Whoopi hosted part of one round during the second season of the Bergeron version.
** Peter Marshall returned to guest host for Game Show Hosts Week on the Bergeron version.
** The Bergeron era also had a rare example of guest announcers: Rod Roddy announced the first Game Show Hosts Week, and Shadoe returned one last time to do the second.
* HotterAndSexier:
** Bergeron's version was far more overt in its sexual overtones than previous versions.
** Both versions of ''Hip Hop Squares'' also fall under this (a given with the hip hop theme), but the [=VH1=] revival is loads more sexually tinged than the original [=MTV2=] version.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: During the infamous "YOU FOOL!" episode, Tom promised that if they ran out of time playing that game, "we're all going out for drinks."
* InstantWinCondition: Claiming the majority of the board results in a "Five-Square Win", even if you don't have three-in-a-row, so every round will have a winner. The rule of having to claim it yourself (as opposed to your opponent getting a question wrong) applies if you already have four squares.
* {{Jerkass}}:
** Creator/PaulLynde would often belittle the contestants during the commercial break (and sometimes on the show, too). He sometimes took this a step further by belittling fellow celebrities as well (most notably Music/TanyaTucker).
** Redd Foxx (of ''Series/SanfordAndSon'') was also this way to many of his fellow female panelists, and was at times lecherous, especially if they were younger and physically very attractive. Peter Marshall recalled in his autobiography that one time, when actress Totie Fields was on the same panel as Foxx, she saw him getting downright creepy with one of the stars (Marshall said it was Sandy Duncan), took note ... and then confronted him during a taping break. Marshall -- who recalled that he had also talked with Duncan backstage during the taping break, found out what was going on, and had the producer switch Duncan's seat with Fields' -- said he never found out what Fields told Foxx, but he never acted up again on the show and left the girls alone from then on.
* {{Joisey}}:
-->'''Peter Marshall:''' Marty, we know you're from Pittsburgh, right? OK, what does a guy from Philadelphia dip his pretzel in?\\
'''Marty Allen:''' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar A girl from New Jersey]]!
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Inverted with a famous Secret Square question with Art Fleming, host of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''. Art was asked a multiple-choice question (as all Secret Square questions are) about tennis, which he later admitted did not know the answer to, and just blurted out a guess. The (rather naive) contestant remarked that since he was Art Fleming, he just ''had'' to be correct. Luckily for her, he was right, and the contestant won a $10,000 prize package.
* MythologyGag: For [=VH1=]'s ''Hip-Hop Squares'', the celebrities aren't enclosed in boxes, but rather have the Xs and Os displayed on their backdrops, rear-projection style- a lot like how it worked on ''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour''. The contestant areas, meanwhile, has patterns of Xs and Os behind the contestants that resemble the ones of the Davidson version.
* NoOSHACompliance: Averted! You might think that giant tic-tac-toe board would be a deathtrap, especially during the original run, but according to [[http://www.classicsquares.com/squarefacts.html this fansite]], the original board (which was mainly scaffolding with a front and small floors and such) managed to survive an earthquake aftershock that struck the NBC Studios in 1971--and according to some accounts, with ''Paul Lynde still in the center square''! The later versions were more solid looking and had backs to the squares (though during the Bergeron years, whenever someone picked the Secret Square that square would turn the show into ''Seizure Squares,'' and halfway through the run they decided to start putting giant neon logos on the floor).
* OpeningNarration:
-->'''Kenny Williams:''' One of these stars is sitting in the Secret Square, and the contestant who picks it first could win a prize package worth over $x,000! Which star is it? (The stars are introduced one by one, finishing with the center square, usually...) ...or Paul Lynde...all in ''The Hollywood Squares!'' And now here's the Master of ''The Hollywood Squares'', Peter Marshall!
* PanelGame: ''Hollywood Squares'' is one of the most widely-known and popular game shows in this format, with ''Series/MatchGame'' as its only real rival.
* ParodyAssistance: Given the show's comedic bent, the cast and crew have helped a few times with parody skits. Peter Marshall, Creator/PaulLynde and Rose Marie appeared in "The Towering Squares", a mash up of this and ''Film/TheToweringInferno'' where the game board (the actual thing) catches on fire (really just some smoke) and the celebs try to evacuate ([[WeirdnessCensor despite Marshall trying to]] [[TheShowMustGoOn keep the game going]]); this was from a mid 70s Rich Little special. Much later, Marshall hosted the ''[[Series/InLivingColor East Hollywood Squares]]'', where the panel was made up of entirely black celebrities. And ''Series/MadTV'' had a few skits during the ''H2'' era with Bergeron himself hosting.
* {{Pilot}}: A 1965 [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=HollywoodSquares1965&sort=0 pilot for the original version]] was hosted by Bert Parks for Creator/{{CBS}}, but it was passed up. Creator/{{NBC}} only took on the show a year later on the condition that Parks be replaced by Peter Marshall and the rest is history. The 1985 version [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=HollywoodSquares1985&sort=0 also had a pilot]].
* PrettyInMink: Furs were often part of a Secret Square prize package (with female celebrities frequently modeling them) and generally from Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills. Although politically incorrect now, they were stereotypical of the HollywoodDressCode of the day.
* RattlingOffLegal:
** Kenny Williams' quote, seen at the top of this page.
** Peter Marshall before the Secret Square game: "The stars are briefed before the show to help them with their bluffs, but they are hearing the actual questions for the first time."
* RearrangeTheSong:
** The famous Marshall theme got a Disco[=/=]''Series/{{Supertrain}}''-style [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CBqGIG1XsM update]] in 1979, which was used until the end in 1981.
** Stormy Sachs re-arranged the Davidson theme in that version's third season.
** "I Love Hollywood" was redone for Whoopi's final season.
* RunningGag: Big Bird almost always referred to Peter Marshall as "Mr. Marshmallow" (a variant on how he would mispronounce Mr. Hooper's name over on his home show), while Oscar the Grouch referred to him as "Mr. Mush-Face".
* ShoutOut:
** When Susan Stafford appeared to model prizes for Game Show Week, she was introduced as being from "classic ''Series/WheelOfFortune''".
** Sometimes questions would be about another celebrity in another square. After the contestant agrees or disagrees with the celeb they picked, Peter would sometimes ask the celeb the question was about to answer instead of giving it himself.
* SpinOff: ''The Storybook Squares'', in 1969. Yes, [[RecursiveAdaptation a children's version of an adult-oriented game show based on a children's game]].

** TheAnnouncer: Kenny Williams handled the entirety of the Marshall era. Shadoe Stevens (best known as Creator/CaseyKasem's replacement on ''Radio/AmericanTop40'') did both the Davidson version — on which he often pulled double duty as a panelist — and the first four seasons of the Bergeron version. After Shadoe left the latter, Jeffrey Tambor (''Series/TheLarrySandersShow''; he had already been a semi-regular during the Whoopi era) announced Season 5, and John Moschitta (aka the Micro Machines man and [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Blurr]]) announced Season 6. Fill-ins included Shadoe's brother Richard and Creator/HowardStern (!) on the Davidson version, while Creator/HenryWinkler (also executive producer at the time) sometimes filled in for Tambor. "[[TotallyRadical DJ Ms. Nix]]" (real name: Nicole Lyn Hill) was the announcer on the original version of ''Hip Hop Squares''; Creator/IceCube is the announcer on the current revival.

A hip-hop–themed revival, ''Hip-Hop Squares'', premiered on Creator/{{MTV}}2 on May 22, 2012. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682103/hip-hop-squares-show-mtv2.jhtml Yes, you read that right.]] While serviceable, the show didn't live to see 2013, but Creator/VH1 [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-ice-cube-team-hip-915108 announced]] plans to revive the series in 2016, with Creator/IceCube on board to produce. The revival premiered on March 13, 2017. ''Nashville Squares'', another music-themed spinoff with a Country/Western theme, [[https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-nashville-squares-hollywood-squares-hip-hop/ was announced in March 2019 by CMT]], and is set to premiere on November 1, 2019, with Creator/BobSaget hosting.

A hip-hop–themed revival, ''Hip-Hop Squares'', premiered on Creator/{{MTV}}2 on May 22, 2012. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682103/hip-hop-squares-show-mtv2.jhtml Yes, you read that right.]] While serviceable, the show didn't live to see 2013, but Creator/VH1 [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-ice-cube-team-hip-915108 announced]] plans to revive the series in 2016, with Creator/IceCube on board to produce. The revival premiered on March 13, 2017. ''Nashville Squares'', another music-themed spinoff with a Country/Western theme, [[https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-nashville-squares-hollywood-squares-hip-hop/ was announced in March 2019 by CMT]], and is set to premiere on November 1 with Creator/BobSaget hosting.

** GameShowHost: Bert Parks hosted the 1965 pilot. Peter Marshall hosted the series proper from 1966 to 1981, followed by John Davidson from 1986 to 1989, and Tom Bergeron from 1998 to 2004. Peter Rosenberg hosted the original [=MTV2=] version of ''Hip Hop Squares'', and [=DeRay=] Davis hosts the [=VH1=] revival.

A hip-hop–themed revival, ''Hip-Hop Squares'', premiered on Creator/{{MTV}}2 on May 22, 2012. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682103/hip-hop-squares-show-mtv2.jhtml Yes, you read that right.]] While serviceable, the show didn't live to see 2013, but Creator/VH1 [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-ice-cube-team-hip-915108 announced]] plans to revive the series in 2016, with Creator/IceCube on board to produce. The revival premiered on March 13, 2017. ''Nashville Squares'', another music-themed spinoff with a Country/Western theme, [[https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-nashville-squares-hollywood-squares-hip-hop/ was announced in March 2019 by CMT]], and is set to premiere in November.

A hip-hop–themed revival, ''Hip-Hop Squares'', premiered on Creator/{{MTV}}2 on May 22, 2012. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682103/hip-hop-squares-show-mtv2.jhtml Yes, you read that right.]] While serviceable, the show didn't live to see 2013, but Creator/VH1 [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-ice-cube-team-hip-915108 announced]] plans to revive the series in 2016, with Creator/IceCube on board to produce. The revival premiered on March 13, 2017. ''Nashville Squares'', another music-themed spinoff with a Country/Western theme, [[https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-nashville-squares-hollywood-squares-hip-hop/ was announced in March 2019 by CMT]], but seems to have fallen into DevelopmentHell.

A hip-hop–themed revival, ''Hip-Hop Squares'', premiered on Creator/{{MTV}}2 on May 22, 2012. [[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682103/hip-hop-squares-show-mtv2.jhtml Yes, you read that right.]] While serviceable, the show didn't live to see 2013, but Creator/VH1 [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-ice-cube-team-hip-915108 announced]] plans to revive the series in 2016, with Creator/IceCube on board to produce. The revival premiered on March 13, 2017. Another music-themed spinoff with a Country/Western theme [[https://www.thewrap.com/cmt-nashville-squares-hollywood-squares-hip-hop/ was announced in March 2019 by CMT]].

* Personnel: