Goodson/Todman Game Show directed by Paul Alter, hosted by Joe Garagiola, sponsored entirely by Holiday Inn and most remembered as being the precursor to the Bert Convy-hosted Tattletales.
The format was a bit different to its successor, in that four celebrity couples played for pre-selected couples in the audience and were given 100 points at the outset. One half of each team would be asked the questions, with Garagiola talking to their partner through an onstage speaker phone.
Much like early episodes of Tattletales, Garagiola read a statement and each contestant had to raise his/her hand and give a story plus a one- or two-word "summary". The answers were then read over the phone, with the offstage partner ringing in if they thought their partner had said it; a correct identification and subsequent explanation earned 25 points, while a wrong answer deducted 10 points from that couple and the one which actually gave the answer.
After four questions like this (two men, two women), a final question was played with only two of the couples. The team with the most points after this won the grand prize of $250 and a full week's stay at any Holiday Inn.
Later in the run, several elements were changed, probably at the same time: the starting point was removed, the theme song changed, and Garagiola now entered from the back of an audience (passing an NBC camera on his way down).
Game Show Tropes in use:
- Consolation Prize: The losing couples got a $100 gift certificate for Holiday Inn.
- Personnel:
- The Announcer: Johnny Olson and Bill Wendell alternated.
- Game Show Host: Joe Garagiola.
- Studio Audience: Where the proxy players were.
- Sound Proof Booth: While one half of the team related stories, the other half was offstage and brought "onscreen" via closed-circuit television.
This show provides examples of:
- Pilot: Existing as a monochrome kinescope, with one celebrity couple (Gene Rayburn and his wife Helen) playing for a pre-selected couple in the audience against three civilian couples. Also, the rule about the offstage partner having to give the same story was not in use.
- The pilot for the developmental version, It Had To Be You, was hosted by Ed McMahon and pitted four couples in what was a variation on Password. The on-stage spouse had to give word associations and an explanation for it their mates had to match. There were no TV monitors; one mate from each couple were sequestered offstage then brought back on stage after the word associations were made. This pilot is on YouYube and aired September 25, 2021 on Buzzr's Lost & Found block.
