''Call My Bluff'' was a short-lived American

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

from

Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions. Early life and ea ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

daytime from March 29 to September 24, 1965.

Bill Leyden William Leyden (February 1, 1917,Born in 1917 peSocial Security Death Index under name William Leyden/ref> in Chicago, Illinois – March 11, 1970, in Hollywood, California) was a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows ...

was emcee, with

Johnny Olson John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...

Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenure with ...

and

Wayne Howell Wayne Howell Chappelle (February 16, 1921 – July 8, 1993) was a voice-over announcer for the NBC television and radio networks from 1947 through 1986. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and became one member of a core group of New York-based ...

as announcers. ''Call My Bluff'' originated from Studio 6A at NBC Studios in Manhattan's

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

Game Play

Main Game

Two teams, each consisting of two contestants and one celebrity, competed. The object was for the teams to earn points by determining the correct definitions to obscure words. Both teams were given a word. Each player on one team was provided a definition for that word, one of which was correct and the other two being "bluffs". The opposing team had to then determine which one was the correct definition. If the correct choice was made the team earned one point, if not, the bluffing team earned one point. Both teams alternated turns bluffing and determining definitions. Whichever team scored two out of three points won the game and $100. Towards the end of the show's run, this was amended to three out of five points.

Bonus Game

Both teams participated, with the winning team playing for a cash jackpot starting at $200 and the losing team playing to stay in the game. A guest with an unusual or interesting story was introduced, who then gave brief clues as to the identity of his/her story. The winning team was given three cards, one with the correct story and the other two with blank cards allowing those players to make up bluffs. The losing team then tried to determine the correct story by determining which winning player had the correct story. If the correct choice was made, the losing team earned the right to play another game and $200 was added to the jackpot for the next bonus game. However, if one of the bluffs was chosen, the winning team won the cash jackpot and the losing team was defeated and replaced.

Celebrities

Among the celebrities who appeared on ''Call My Bluff'' were

Bill Cullen William Lawrence Francis Cullen (February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990) was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades. His biggest claim to fame was as a game show host; over the course of his career, he host ...

Art James Art James (born Arthur Simeonovich Efimchick; October 15, 1929 – March 28, 2004) was an American game-show host, best known for shows such as ''The Who, What, or Where Game'', ''It's Academic''. and ''Pay Cards!'' He was also the announcer a ...

Gene Rayburn Gene Rayburn (born Eugene Peter Jeljenic; December 22, 1917 – November 29, 1999) was an American radio and television personality. He is best known as the host of various editions of the American television game show ''Match Game'' for over tw ...

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...

Peggy Cass Mary Margaret "Peggy" Cass (May 21, 1924 – March 8, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting ...

Abe Burrows Abe Burrows (born Abram Solman Borowitz; December 18, 1910 – May 17, 1985) was an American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage. He won a Tony Award and was selected for two Pulitzer Prizes, only one of which was awarded. Ear ...

, and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

Board Game

Despite its short run,

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

issued a board game adaptation of ''Call My Bluff'' in 1965.

Episode status

Recordings of ''Call My Bluff'' were believed to be

destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...

due to network practices at the time. Two rehearsal shows are known to exist, one of which is held by the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

Buzzr Buzzr is an American digital terrestrial television, digital broadcast television network owned by Fremantle North America, a unit of the Fremantle (company), Fremantle subsidiary of RTL Group. The network serves as an outlet for the extensive li ...

featured ''Call My Bluff'' as a part of its 5th annual Lost and Found line-up on September 27, 2020.
Buzzr on Twitter: "Our 5th annual Lost and Found lineup of never before seen on #BUZZR shows and episodes is here!! Watch Sunday, 9/27 starting 4 PM EST/1 PM PST! #LostAndFound"

International versions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Call My Bluff (Us Game Show) NBC original programming American game shows 1960s American game shows 1965 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings Lost television shows Television series by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions