Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in

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 ...

s, most frequently with his business partner

Bill Todman William Selden Todman (July 31, 1916 – July 29, 1979) was an American television producer and personality born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest-running shows with business partner Mark Goodson, with whom he created ...

, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions.

Early life and early career

Goodson was born in Sacramento, California, on January 14, 1915. *^a "Born Jan. 14, 1915 in Sacramento, CA." — ¶ 1. His parents, Abraham Ellis (1875–1954) and Fannie Goodson (1887–1986), emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s. As a child, Goodson acted in amateur theater with the Plaza Stock Company. The family later moved to

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

. Originally intending to become a lawyer, Goodson attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He financed his education through scholarships and by working at the Lincoln Fish Market. He graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

in 1937 with a degree in economics. That year, he began his broadcasting career in San Francisco, working as a disc jockey at radio station KJBS (now

KFAX KFAX (1100 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, and heard around the Bay Area. , the station is owned by Salem Media Group and programs a Christian radio teaching and talk format. The studios and offices are i ...

). In 1939, he joined radio station KFRC, where he produced and hosted a radio quiz called ''Pop the Question'' in which contestants selected questions by throwing darts at multicolored balloons.

Television production

Goodson and long-time partner Bill Todman produced some of the longest-running game shows in US television history, and their names were well known at least to the large audiences for these shows. Their first television show, '' Winner Take All'', debuted on CBS television on July 1, 1948. The long list of Goodson-Todman productions includes ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

'', ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. It features two families who compete to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'', ''

Classic Concentration ''Concentration'' is an American television game show based on the Concentration (game), children's memory game of the same name. It was created by Jack Barry (game show host), Jack Barry and Dan Enright. The show featured contestants matching pr ...

'', ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...

'', ''

Password A password, sometimes called a passcode (for example in Apple devices), is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of ...

'', ''

Beat the Clock ''Beat the Clock'' is an American television game show that involves people trying to complete challenges to win prizes while faced with a time limit. The show was a creation of Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The show began on radio as ' ...

'', '' To Tell the Truth'' (Goodson's personal favorite show), ''

I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

'', ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'', ''

Card Sharks ''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row o ...

'', and ''

Tattletales ''Tattletales'' is an American game show produced by Goodson-Todman Productions in association with Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June 1984. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several a ...

''. Goodson-Todman Productions/Mark Goodson Productions created content for U.S. channels and other international channels. (including

Talbot Television Ltd Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...

. and

Fremantle UK Productions Ltd Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

.). such as

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

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 ...

, and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in the US,

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

( Anglia,

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

LWT London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

, TVS,

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is the ...

, and

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

, and

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

, (also Challenge TV). It licensed many of its shows to the

Reg Grundy Organisation Reg Grundy Organisation (founded as Reg Grundy Enterprises, later known as both Reg Grundy Productions and Grundy Television and known informally as Grundy's) was an Australian-based multinational mass media company, primarily involved in tele ...

to be adapted in Australia and Europe. Goodson and Todman's shows endured through the decades, many over multiple runs, because of Goodson's sharp eye for production and presentation, and their strict insistence on maintaining clean, honest contests, thus allowing their shows to survive the quiz-show scandals of the late 1950s. After those scandals wiped out most of their competition, much of the newer game-show output of the 1960s and 1970s came from either Goodson-Todman or companies launched by their former employees:

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...

, Bob Stewart,

Monty Hall Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...

, and later

Jay Wolpert Jay Wolpert (January 29, 1942 – January 3, 2022) was an American television producer and screenwriter. Life and career Wolpert was born in The Bronx, New York City. His first television appearance came as a contestant on the original version o ...

. Goodson-Todman was involved with Jack Barry's comeback vehicle ''

The Joker's Wild ''The Joker's Wild'' is an American television game show that aired at different times between 1972 and 2019. In the show, contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's ...

'' for its 1969 pilot, but ended involvement with the show before it debuted in 1972. While Todman oversaw the company's lucrative businesses outside of television, Goodson handled the creative aspects of producing game shows. The people who worked for the company and created most of the Goodson-Todman shows were pivotal to the success of those shows. Goodson-Todman executives Bob Stewart, Bob Bach,

Gil Fates Joseph Gilbert Fates (September 29, 1914, Newark, New Jersey - May 1, 2000, New York City) was an American television producer. Fates was the executive producer of ''What's My Line?'' Fates produced the game show during its entire quarter-century ...

Ira Skutch Ira Skutch (September 12, 1921 – March 16, 2010) was an American television director, producer, and, in his later years, an author. In the early days of television he produced and directed episodes of ''Kraft Television Theatre'' and ''The Philc ...

Frank Wayne Frank Wayne (born Rocco Francis Rossi Jr.; July 9, 1917 – March 18, 1988) was an American game show producer and host. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was also associated with Mark Goodson Productions. Biography Wayne was the original executi ...

Chester Feldman Chester Feldman (January 8, 1926 – May 25, 1997) was an American producer of game shows born in The Bronx, New York, who was also associated with Mark Goodson Productions. Biography Before beginning his career in television, Feldman served in ...

Paul Alter Paul Alter (March 11, 1922 – June 11, 2011) was an American television director, specializing in game shows for Mark Goodson Productions. Alter was best known as the original director of ''Family Feud'' from the show's origin in the mid-1970s ...

Howard Felsher Howard Felsher (October 18, 1927 – July 23, 2018) was an American game show producer. He produced shows such as '' Tic Tac Dough''; ''Password''; ''Password Plus''; ''Super Password''; '' He Said, She Said''; ''Concentration''; and most notabl ...

, Ted Cooper, Jay Wolpert, and others were instrumental in making the shows successful. The company proved itself to be masterful at games, but was not as successful when it tried other fields of television programs, including the anthology dramas ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

'' and ''

The Richard Boone Show ''The Richard Boone Show'' is an anthology television series. It aired on NBC during the 1963-64 season. Synopsis Richard Boone hosted the series and starred in about half of the episodes, garnering an Emmy nomination for himself and a Golden G ...

'', a talk-variety show for famed insult comic

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner's '' Enter La ...

– and what was possibly the company's biggest failure, a sitcom titled ''

One Happy Family ''One Happy Family'' is an American sitcom television series where newlyweds Dick and Penny Cooper live with both her parents ("The Hogans") and grandparents ("The Hacketts") all in the same house together that aired from January 13 until June 23, ...

''. Goodson-Todman Productions was also involved with three

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

: ''

Jefferson Drum ''Jefferson Drum'', also known as ''The Pen and the Quill'', is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards that aired on the NBC network from April 25 to December 11, 1958. Overview Jefferson Drum, portrayed by Jeff Richards, i ...

'' (1958–59), starring Jeff Richards as a newspaper editor in the Old West; '' The Rebel'' (1959–1961), starring Nick Adams as a former Confederate soldier who traveled to the West after the American Civil War (

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

sang the theme); and '' Branded'', starring

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...

as a soldier who had wrongly been given a dishonorable discharge from the Army. For many years, the company was headquartered in the

Seagram Building The Seagram Building is a skyscraper at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd Streets, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with minor assistance from Philip Johnson, Ely Jacques Kahn, ...

at 375 Park Avenue in New York City. Most of the company's production moved to Hollywood in the early 1970s (as did many other production companies), starting with the ABC revival of ''Password'' in 1971. The Los Angeles offices were based at 6430 Sunset Boulevard, moving to 5750 Wilshire Boulevard. The company's last New York-based show was the 1980 version of ''To Tell the Truth'', but the New York office remained open and was used for East Coast '' Child's Play'' auditions. A few years after Bill Todman's death in 1979, Goodson acquired the Todman heirs' share of the company, and in 1982, the company was renamed Mark Goodson Productions. Traditionally, shows signed off with "This is (announcer's name) speaking for (show name), A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production/A Mark Goodson Television Production." After Goodson's death, to pay off a massive inheritance tax, Goodson's family sold the rights (except for '' Concentration/Classic Concentration'', which had been licensed from NBC) to

All-American Television All American Television (later known as All American Communications Television) was a television syndication company active from 1981 to 1998. It was founded by Anthony J. Scotti, Ben Scotti, and Syd Vinnedge. The company was known for producing ...

, which was subsequently taken over by

Pearson PLC Pearson plc is a British multinational corporation, multinational publishing and education company headquartered in London, England. It was founded as a construction business in the 1840s but switched to publishing in the 1920s.J. A. Spende ...

(an educational publisher and communications company based in the United Kingdom), and, in turn, was acquired by

RTL Group RTL Group (for "Radio Television Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate centre in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 68 television channels and 31 radio stations in Germany, France and ...

(a division of

Bertelsmann Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA () is a German private multinational conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, and is also active in the service sector and ...

), to form

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, which now owns the rights to the library from Mark Goodson Productions. The Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement continued to be used for some shows until 2007, when

Bob Barker Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American televis ...

's last episode of ''The Price Is Right'' aired. Afterwards, at the close of each episode of ''The Price Is Right'', the announcer credits the show as "a FremantleMedia Production" until 2018; it is now credited simply as "a Fremantle Production", reflecting the name change of the company. Copyrights to many of the Goodson-Todman's game shows were assigned to its specially formed companies, named in ''The (program name) Company'' scheme, such as ''The Family Company'', ''The Password Company'' etc. They are currently in-name-only units of Fremantle North America. In 1990, Goodson received the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

"Lifetime Achievement Award for Daytime Television", which was presented to him by

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 ...

. Two years later, in 1992, Goodson earned induction into the

Television Hall of Fame The Television Academy Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. television. The hall of fame was founded by former Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) president John H. Mitchell (1921–1988). In ...

Foreign versions

Many Goodson-Todman games were produced internationally, some under different titles, and were distributed by

Reg Grundy Reginald Roy Grundy (4 August 1923 – 6 May 2016) was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul, best known for his numerous television productions. He was the producer of various Australian game shows, such as '' Blankety Blanks'' (based on ...

Productions. ''Family Feud'' was known in the United Kingdom as ''

Family Fortunes ''Family Fortunes'' is a British television game show based on the American game show ''Family Feud''. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2002. A celebrity version, ''All Star Family Fortunes'', followed from 2006 to 2 ...

'', and ''Card Sharks'' went under the title ''

Play Your Cards Right ''Play Your Cards Right'' (or ''Bruce Forsyth's Play Your Cards Right'') is a British television game show based on, and played similarly to, the American show ''Card Sharks''. History ''Play Your Cards Right'' broadcast on ITV from 1 February ...

''. In Germany, ''Match Game'' was known as '' Schnickschnack'' (loosely translated, "something, anything" and used as a counterpart for the word "blank", for which German has no direct word). In the United Kingdom, it was known as ''

Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

'', while in Australia, it was known as '' Blankety Blanks'' (which, coincidentally, was the title of an unrelated American game show, created by former Goodson-Todman staffer Bob Stewart).

Shows

Of the numerous shows Goodson produced in his lifetime, five are currently on the air: ''The Price Is Right'', which has run continuously since 1972; ''Family Feud'', which ran in two different iterations during 1976–1985 and 1988–1995, and was revived in its current form in 1999; ''Match Game'' and '' To Tell the Truth'', both of which were revived in 2016 after lengthy stints off the air; and ''Card Sharks'', which already had a brief comeback in 2001 but was later revived in 2019. All revivals since 1994 have been produced by successor companies (All-American Television from 1994 to 1998, Pearson Television from 1998 to 2002, FremantleMedia from 2002 to 2018, and Fremantle since 2018).

Mark Goodson–Bill Todman Productions (1948–1982)

*'' All-Star Family Feud Special'' (ABC 1978–1984) *''About Last Night'' (HBO Max 2022-present; a remake of ''Tattlettales'') produced by Sweet July Productions and Unanimous Media *''

'' (CBS, ABC 1950–1961, 1969–1974, CBS 1979–1980 copyrighted as The Clock Co., 2002–2003 copyrighted as Tick Tock Productions, Ltd., 2018–2019) *''

The Better Sex ''The Better Sex'' is a television game show in the United States where men competed against women in a "battle of the sexes" format. The Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production ran on ABC from July 18, 1977 to January 13, 1978. The show had two hosts ...

'' (ABC 1977–1978) *''Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations'' (1966) *'' Blockbusters'' (NBC 1980–1982, NBC 1987); UK version produced from 1983 to 1995 *'' Branded'' (NBC 1965–1967) *''

Broken Sabre ''Branded'' is an American Western series that aired on NBC from 1965 through 1966. It was sponsored by Procter & Gamble in its Sunday night, 8:30 p.m. Eastern time period. The series is set in the Old West, following the end of the Americ ...

'' (1965) *''By Popular Demand'' (CBS 1950) *''

Call My Bluff ''Call My Bluff'' is a British panel game show based on the short-lived US version of the same name. It was originally hosted by Robin Ray and later, most notably, by Robert Robinson. Its most prominent panellist was Frank Muir. Format The ga ...

'' (NBC 1965) *''

'' (NBC 1978–1981, CBS/Syn 1986–1989, Syn 2001–2002, ABC 2019–2021) copyrighted as Suzanne Productions (later MG Productions), and The Card Sharks Company. *''

Celebrity Family Feud ''Celebrity Family Feud'' is a broadcast network spin-off of the syndicated American game show ''Family Feud''. Like the primetime ''All-Star Specials'' aired during the late 1970s and early 1980s by the show's then-network home ABC, the episode ...

'' (2008, 2015–present) *''

Choose Up Sides ''Choose Up Sides'' is a children's television game show that aired on NBC from January 7 to March 31, 1956. It was hosted by Gene Rayburn, announced by Don Pardo and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions. Format The show had two teams of child ...

'' (NBC 1956) * ''Concentration'' and ''Classic Concentration'' (Syn 1973–1978, NBC 1987–1991) copyrighted as G-T Enterprises and The Concentration Company *''

The Don Rickles Show ''The Don Rickles Show'' is an American Television comedy, comedy television series. The series stars Don Rickles, Louise Sorel, Erin Moran, Robert Hogan (actor), Robert Hogan, and Joyce Van Patten. The series aired on CBS from January 14 until May ...

'' (ABC 1968–1969) *'' Double Dare'' (CBS 1976–1977) *''(The New)

(Challenge)'' (ABC 1976–1985, CBS 1988–1995, 1999–present) copyrighted by The Family Company, The New Family Company, Feudin' Productions, and Wanderlust Productions *'' Get the Message'' (ABC 1964) *''

Goodyear Theatre ''Goodyear Theatre'' (also known as ''Award Theatre'' and ''Golden Years of Television'') is a 30-minute dramatic television anthology series telecast on NBC from 1957 to 1960 for a total of 55 episodes. The live show was directed by many notable ...

'' (NBC 1957–1960) *'' He Said, She Said'' (Syn 1969–1970) *''

It's News to Me ''It's News to Me'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS Television. It was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show ''What's My Line?''. Originally aired as a one-time special on May 11, 1951; I ...

'' (CBS 1951–1953, 1954) *''

'' (CBS 1952–1967, Syn 1972–1973, 1976, 2000–2001, 2006) produced by Oxygen Media LLC in the 2000–01 version and Burt DuBrow Productions in association with Get Real Entertainment in the 2006 version *''

'' (1958–1959) *''Judge for Yourself'' (NBC 1953–1954) *''Las Vegas Beat'' (1961) *''

Make the Connection ''Make the Connection'' is an American game show, sponsored by Borden (company), Borden, that ran on Thursday nights from July 7 to September 29, 1955, on NBC. Originally hosted by Jim McKay, he was replaced after the first four episodes by Gene R ...

'' (1955) *''

'' (NBC 1962–1969, CBS 1973–1982, 1990–1991, 1998–1999, 2016–2021) copyrighted as Sojourn Productions, Celebrity Productions, The Match Game Company, and others. *''

Million Dollar Password ''Million Dollar Password'' is an updated version of the game show ''Password'' on CBS, which was hosted by Regis Philbin and ran from June 1, 2008, to June 14, 2009. FremantleMedia produced the program. Production and broadcast history ''Millio ...

'' (2008–09) *''

Mindreaders ''Mindreaders'' is an American game show produced by Goodson-Todman Productions (now part of Fremantle (company), Fremantle) which aired on NBC from August 13, 1979 through January 11, 1980. Although NBC originally agreed to a 26-week run, the ne ...

'' (NBC 1979–80, unrelated to the 1975 pilot) *'' Missing Links'' (NBC, ABC 1963–1964) *''

The Name's the Same ''The Name's the Same'' is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson, Goodson-Bill Todman, Todman for the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from December 5, 1951 to August 31, 1954, followed by a run from October 25, 19 ...

'' (ABC 1951–1954, 1954–1955) *'' Now You See It'' (CBS 1974–1975, 1989) copyrighted as Suzanne Productions and The Now You See It Company *'' Number Please'' (ABC 1961) *''One Happy Family'' (1961) *''

'' (CBS 1961–1967, ABC 1971–1975) copyrighted as Peak Productions. *''

Password Plus and Super Password ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

'' (NBC 1979–1982, NBC 1984–1989) copyrighted as The Password Company and The Super Password Company. *''

Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe () is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The hardboiled crime fiction genre originated in the 1920s, notably in ''Black Mask'' magazine, in which Dashiel ...

'' (1959–60) *''

Play Your Hunch ''Play Your Hunch'' was an American game show first hosted by Merv Griffin from 1958 to 1962, and then hosted by Robert Q. Lewis until 1963. The announcers for the show were, respectively, Johnny Olson, Wayne Howell and Roger Tuttle. In 2001, ' ...

'' (CBS, ABC, NBC 1958–1963) *''

'' (NBC, ABC 1956–1965, 1985–86, 1994–95, Syn 1972–1980, CBS 1972–present) copyrighted as Marbil Productions, Price Productions and The Price Is Right Productions. *'' The Rebel'' (1959–1961) *''

'' (1963–1964) *''

Ride Beyond Vengeance ''Ride Beyond Vengeance'' is a 1966 American Western film starring Chuck Connors. The film was directed by Bernard McEveety and written and produced by Andrew J. Fenady, adapted from the story "The Night of the Tiger" by Al Dewlen. The executiv ...

'' (1966) *''

Say When!! ''Say When!!'' is an American game show emceed by Art James which aired on NBC television from January 2, 1961, to March 26, 1965. The show was a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production and James' only game show for them. Wayne Howell was the announc ...

'' (NBC 1961–1965) *''

Showoffs ''Showoffs'' is an American television game show which ran on ABC from June 30 to December 26, 1975. Bobby Van was host, with Gene Wood as announcer. The Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production involved two teams competing in a game of charades. Gam ...

'' (ABC 1975) *'' Snap Judgment'' (NBC 1967–1969) *''Split Personality'' (NBC 1959–60) *'' Stop the Music'' (ABC 1948–1952, ABC 1954–1956) produced in association with Louis Cowan Productions *''

'' (CBS, Syn 1974–1978, CBS 1982–1984) copyrighted as Panel Productions and The Tattletales Company. *''

That's My Line ''That's My Line'' is a summer CBS reality show developed by Mark Goodson. Conceived in response to the success of NBC's ''Real People'' and ABC's ''That's Incredible!'', ''That's My Line'' borrowed its name from one of Goodson and Bill Todman's e ...

'' (CBS 1980–1981) *'' To Tell the Truth'' (CBS 1956–1968, Syn 1969–1978, Syn 1980–81, 1990–91, 2000–2002, 2016–present) *'' Two for the Money'' (CBS 1952–1956, NBC 1957) *'' What's Going On?'' (ABC 1954) *''

'' (CBS 1950–1967, Syn 1968–1975) *'' What's My Line? at 25'' (ABC 1975) *''

'' (CBS 1950–1954) *''

'' (NBC 1957) *'' Winner Take All'' (CBS, NBC 1948–1950, 1951, 1952)

Mark Goodson Productions (1982–1996)

*''

Body Language Body language is a type of communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Th ...

'' (CBS 1984–86) *''Bonus Bonanza'' (1995) *'' Child's Play'' (CBS 1982–83) *''

'' (NBC 1987–91) copyrighted as The Concentration Company, a subsidiary of NBC. *'' Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'' (1982) *''Flamingo Fortune'' (1995) *''TV's Funniest Game Show Moments'' (1984) *''TV's Funniest Game Show Moments #2'' (1985) *''

Illinois Instant Riches ''Illinois Instant Riches'' (later known as ''Illinois' Luckiest'') is a lottery game show airing in the state of Illinois, as well as nationally on Chicago-based Superstation WGN-TV. The show was hosted by Mark Goodman, with Linda Kollmeyer ...

'' (1994–96) *''

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour ''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – ''Match Game'' and ''Hollywood Squares'' – into an hour-long format. The series ran from October 31, ...

'' (NBC 1983–1984) *''

Trivia Trap ''Trivia Trap'' is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each competing again ...

'' (ABC 1984–1985)

Unsold pilots produced by Goodson-Todman Productions and Mark Goodson Productions

*''Rate Your Mate'' (1951, for CBS) *''Take Your Choice'' (1954, for NBC) *''Play for Keeps!'' (1955, for CBS) *''It Had to Be You'' (1966, for NBC) *''It's Predictable'' (1970) *''Mindreaders'' (1975, unrelated to the eventual series) *''Spellbinders'' (1978, for NBC) *''Puzzlers'' (1980, for NBC) *''Star Words'' (1983, for CBS) *''Concentration'' (1985, for Syndication) *''Now You See It'' (1985, for Syndication) *''Oddball'' (1986, for NBC) *''On a Roll'' (1986, for CBS) *''TKO'' (1989, for CBS) *''Body Talk'' (1990, for ABC) *''I Accuse!'' (1994, for Syndication) *''MG2'' (1996) *''Card Sharks'' (1996)

Personal life and final years

In 1941, Goodson married Bluma Neveleff and moved to New York City, where he teamed up with partner Bill Todman. The pair's first radio show, '' Winner Take All'', premiered on CBS in 1946. Outside of television production, Goodson and Todman went on to own several newspapers in New England and purchased radio station KOL, Seattle, in 1962. Bill Todman died in July 1979, and in 1982, the Goodsons acquired the Todman heirs' portion of the company. Goodson and Neveleff had two children, Jill (1942) and Jonathan (1945). They divorced and he married Virginia McDavid, a former

Miss Alabama The Miss Alabama competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the annual Miss America Competition. Alabama has won three Miss America titles: Deidre Downs in 2005, Heather Whitestone (the first deaf ...

. In 1962, Goodson and McDavid had a daughter, Marjorie, who was a prize model on ''

'' from July 1987 until its finale in September 1991. In 1972, he married Suzanne Waddell, who had once been a guest on ''

'' They divorced in 1978.

Death

Goodson died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on December 18, 1992 in New York City, a month before his 78th birthday. He is interred at

Hillside Memorial Park The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (design ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

, along with his parents Fannie Goodson and A.E. Goodson. After his death, Bob Barker gave him a small tribute that aired after an episode of ''The Price Is Right'', as an attached segment that followed the end credits: Following was a portrait of Goodson and a message saying "Mark Goodson 1915-1992".

Legacy

Reruns of Goodson's shows have continued to dominate both the schedules of

Game Show Network Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revive ...

and

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 ...

because his company saved most of the episodes of the shows, while other companies wiped theirs to reuse the tapes. The practice of wiping was stopped by the start of the 1980s.

Biography

On June 3, 2000, an episode of ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

'' called ''Mark Goodson: Will the Real Mark Goodson Please Stand Up?'' aired on A&E, where it profiled his life and career. This features many interviews of the hosts, panelists, and co-workers such as

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 ...

Kitty Carlisle Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American actress, singer, and spokeswoman for the arts. She was the leading lady of the Marx Brothers movie '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) and was a regular ...

, Marjorie Goodson, and Suzanne Goodson.

2009 Game Show Awards

On June 6, 2009, an awards special that aired on GSN called ''2009 Game Show Awards'' featured a brief tribute to Goodson as his daughter Marjorie held the Innovator Award herself.

''Game Show Marathon''

The series was based on the British format called '' Ant & Dec's/Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon'' and ran on CBS from May 31 until June 29, 2006 hosted by former actress/talk show host

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Be ...

, announced by

Rich Fields Richard Wayne Fields (born November 30, 1960) is an American broadcaster, spokesman, announcer, and meteorologist. He is best known for a seven-season stint in which he announced for the American version of ''The Price Is Right''. Early life and ...

(who formerly announced for ''The Price is Right'' from 2004 until 2010), and

Todd Newton James Todd Newton (born May 5, 1970) is an American entertainment reporter, game show host, and author. Career Newton started his entertainment career at age sixteen as a disc jockey for Kincaid Entertainment in St. Louis. Later, the compan ...

as the prize deliverer in which six celebrities (

Lance Bass James Lance Bass (; born May 4, 1979) is an American singer, dancer, actor, film, and television producer. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band NSYNC. NSYNC's success led Bass to work in film ...

Paige Davis Paige Davis is an American television personality and actress. She is best known as the host of the TLC home improvement reality television program ''Trading Spaces'' from 2001 until 2008, and hosted the morning talkshow ''Home and Family'' o ...

Tim Meadows Timothy Meadows (born February 5, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the longest-running cast members on ''Saturday Night Live'', where he appeared for ten seasons and for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy ...

, Kathy Najimi,

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

, and

Brande Roderick Brande Nicole Roderick (born June 13, 1974) is an American model and actress known for her appearances in ''Baywatch'' and ''Playboy''. In April 2000, she was selected as Playmate of the Month and then became the Playmate of the Year in 2001. ...

) played seven classic game shows for their favorite charities and the home viewer featured five formats based on Goodson-Todman/Goodson shows along with the recreation of their original sets such as ''The Price is Right (1972 version)'', ''Beat the Clock'', ''Card Sharks'', ''

'' and ''Family Feud''.

Buzzr (YouTube)

From 2014 until 2016, the Buzzr brand was first used by its parent company FremantleMedia (now Fremantle) for its YouTube channel created by its digital-content studio Tiny Riot. The online channel features mostly classic clips along with its short-form reboots of its classic game-show properties using various internet celebrities as contestants. Four of the Goodson-Todman/Goodson shows that were rebooted are ''Family Feud'', ''Password'', ''Beat the Clock'', and ''Body Language''.

References

External links

Museum of Broadcast Communications: Mark Goodson and Bill Todman

This is a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production

Goodson Collection

Mark Goodson: Will the Real Mark Goodson Please Stand Up?

Lords of Fun and Games, Sports Illustrated.com

A Mark Goodson Productions , Legacy.com

Myrna Oliver in the Los Angeles Times article about Mark Goodson from December 19, 1992

Mark L Goodson (1915 - 1992) - Genealogy - Geni.com
* * on the Emmy channel * *
Mark Goodson's Profile

Mark Goodson in Memory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodson, Mark 1915 births 1992 deaths Television producers from California American people of Russian-Jewish descent Deaths from pancreatic cancer Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Businesspeople from Sacramento, California Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American businesspeople