- Masquerade Party
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Masquerade Party Format Game show Presented by Bud Collyer (1952)
Douglas Edwards (1953)
Peter Donald (1954–1956)
Eddie Bracken (1957)
Robert Q. Lewis (1958)
Bert Parks (Fall 1958–1960)Narrated by Johnny Olson Country of origin United States No. of seasons 8 Production Running time 22–24 minutes Production company(s) Wolf Productions Broadcast Original channel NBC (1952, 1957, 1958–1959, 1960)
CBS (1953, 1954, 1958, 1959–1960)
ABC (1954–1956)Picture format Black-and-white Audio format Monaural Original run July 14, 1952 – September 23, 1960 Masquerade Party is an American television game show. During its original run from 1952–1960, the show appeared at various times on all three major networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS). A syndicated revival was produced for one season in 1974-75.
A panel of celebrities met with another celebrity that was in heavy make-up and/or costume; this disguise would always provide clues to the celebrity's actual identity. For example, actor Gary Burghoff appeared in 1974 as a robot with radar, alluding to his role as Radar O'Reilly on M*A*S*H. The panel asked yes-or-no questions to the celebrity, and then received another clue about the celebrity's identity at the end of the round. After the clue, the panel had one last chance to guess the identity, followed by the celebrity revealing their true identity.
Contents
1952–1960
The original show had several well-known celebrities on its panel including Pat Carroll, Buff Cobb, Sam Levenson, Audrey Meadows, Ogden Nash, Betsy Palmer, and Jonathan Winters.
Comedian Allan Sherman was the producer, and Stefan Hatos was executive producer; The show's theme music was "The Comedians," an orchestral composition by Dmitri Kabalevsky. The oversentive of the show towards advertisers and political correctness complaints, made it fall into a hoax of the satirical magazine The Realist, in 1960.[1][2][3]
This incarnation was ranked eighth on TV Guide's 2001 list of "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time."
Episode status
Five episodes exist. Three exist among traders and are from 1955, 1957 and 1959 (Donald, Bracken, and Parks respectively). The 1955 episode features George DeWitt (then hosting Name That Tune) as a guest.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive holds episodes dated October 6, 1954 and May 5, 1955 (the latter also in the trading circuit).[1]
1974–1975
Masquerade Party Format Game show Created by Stefan Hatos
Monty HallPresented by Richard Dawson Country of origin United States No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 39 Production Running time 22–24 minutes Production company(s) Hatos-Hall Productions Broadcast Original channel Syndicated (weekly) Original run September 9, 1974 – September 1975 A syndicated revival was produced by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall in 1974, hosted by Richard Dawson and announced by Jay Stewart. The basic premise was the same as the original show. Bill Bixby, Lee Meriweather, and Nipsey Russell were regular panelists. Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame made an appearance as a celebrity guest. In an episode of The Odd Couple, Masquerade Party is referenced when Felix asks Oscar what he is watching on television. Oscar reports, "Masquerade Party" with Richard Dawson. Felix, who said he knew Richard Dawson in the Army, says, "I'm not speaking to Richard Dawson!"
This version was aired mainly in evening time slots across the nation, but failed to attract decent ratings. It was canceled after one season, and Dawson later went on to become the first emcee of Family Feud (which debuted in 1976).
Episode status
One episode is known to exist – a studio master taped July 10, 1974 featuring Allen Ludden as a guest; the UCLA Archive lists an episode dated July 9, 1974.
References
- ^ Michael DooleyJuly (2000) Here Lies Paul Krassner, at AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, vol.18, no. 2, 2000
- ^ Paul Krassner (1960) A Stereophonic Hoax, The Realist n.16 March 1960, pp.5-6
- ^ Paul Krassner (1960) Case History Of a TV Hoax, The Realist n.18 June 1960, pp.1, 3-4
External links
Categories:- 1952 television series debuts
- 1960 television series endings
- 1974 television series debuts
- 1975 television series endings
- 1950s American television series
- 1960s American television series
- 1970s American television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American game shows
- Black-and-white television programs
- CBS network shows
- English-language television series
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- NBC network shows
- Panel games
- Television series by CBS Paramount Television
- Television series by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
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