Putting SOME VARIOUS loose pats together, the creative team of Merrill Heater & Bob Quigley soon found that they had something that was greater than the sun of its parts. Although there was really nothing new, in and of itself; yet the very pleasant half hour installments continually pulled in huge Nielsen Ratings.
FIRST OF ALL, we have the assembly of nine showbiz personalities, the configuration of a Tic Tack Toe game, two contestant, competition for board position based on questions asked and answered. Add to this we add a great, likable MC and see the magic flow freely.
ALTHOUGH THIS WHOLE premise could have fizzled and blown up on the launch pad, careful engineering and selection of permanent panelists provided us with a tightly knit sort of kaleidoscope of a laugh fest.
ONE VERY POWERFUL element that may have tipped the scales of a potentially fickle public was the selection of Peter Marshall as the Host. It was during the 1950s that he was half of the Comedy Team of Noonan & Marshall. Playing the role of Straihght Man to Tommy Noonan's stooge proved to be the perfect training for asking the stars their questions.
AND SPEAKING OF those questions and the answers that kept us all in stitches for years, there are some misconceptions about them. In spite of popular belief, the questions were premeditated and known to both Host and the celeb in question. Ergo, the responses were also preconceived; be they comical or straight answers.
THIS ALLOWED REGULARS, such as Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Clif Arquette (Charley Weaver), Joan Rivers and especially Paul Lynde to come up with the most amusing responses on a consistent basis.
