''The Dating Game'' is an American television

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 demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by

Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host. Barris was known for hosting '' The Gong Show'' and creating '' The Dating Game'' and '' The Newlywed Game''. He was also a songw ...

from the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Bu ...

through the

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to t ...

. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it continued in syndication for another year (1973–1974) as ''The New Dating Game''. The program was revived three additional times in syndication afterward, with the first from 1978 to 1980 as ''The All-New Dating Game'', the second from 1986 to 1989, and the third from 1996 to 1999. Jim Lange hosted ''The Dating Game'' for its entire ABC network run and for the 1973 and 1978 syndicated editions. The 1986 revival was hosted by Elaine Joyce for its first season and Jeff MacGregor for its remaining two seasons. When the show was revived with a different format in 1996, Brad Sherwood was named as its host.

Chuck Woolery Charles Herbert Woolery (born March 16, 1941) is an American game show host, talk show host, and musician. He has had long-running tenures hosting several game shows. Woolery was the original host of '' Wheel of Fortune'' (1975–1981), the or ...

took over for the two final seasons, with the original format reinstated, in 1997 after he had left '' The Home and Family Show.'' Beginning in 1966, ''The Dating Game'' was often paired with '' The Newlywed Game''. This was especially true when the two shows entered syndication, and in 1996, the revivals of ''The Dating Game'' and ''The Newlywed Game'' were sold together as a package called "The Dating-Newlywed Hour". The program was originally broadcast in black-and-white, but when a prime-time version began in October 1966, both versions were broadcast in color, making the daytime version the first ABC daytime series to be regularly broadcast in color. In February 2021, it was reported that ABC and current distributor Sony Pictures Television would revive the show as ''The Celebrity Dating Game'', with actress Zooey Deschanel and singer Michael Bolton as hosts, which premiered on June 14, 2021. It ran for eight episodes until August 16, 2021, and was canceled in April 2022.

Format

Typically, a bachelorette would question three

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymol ...

s, who were hidden from her view; at the end of the questioning period, she would choose one to accompany her on a date, with expenses paid by the show. Occasionally, the roles would be reversed with a man questioning three ladies; other times, celebrities would question three players for dates for themselves, co-workers or relatives. Before becoming famous,

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...

, Suzanne Somers, Yvonne Craig, Lindsay Wagner, Leif Garrett,

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

and Lee Majors appeared as contestants on the show in the 1960s and early 1970s. Other contestants who appeared before becoming famous included the Carpenters,

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Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom ''Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering ...

, Joanna Cameron,

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

(who went under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Baji Kimran), Steve Martin, Burt Reynolds, John Ritter, Phil Hartman, Jennifer Granholm (governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2010), Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alex Kozinski. Serial killer Rodney Alcala's episodes were shown during his murder spree and after he had been convicted of assault in California. Some contestants appeared even after they were fairly well known, including a young

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

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, Ron Howard, Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams, Sally Field, Richard Dawson, Jay North and Paul Lynde. A trademark of the show was that at the end of each episode, the host and winning contestants would blow a kiss to the viewers.

Gameplay

Original version

Generally, the bachelorette would ask questions, written in advance on cards, to each of the three hidden bachelors. The same question could be asked to multiple bachelors. This continued until time ran out. The bachelorette would make her choice based solely on the answers to her questions. Occasionally, the contestant was a bachelor who would ask questions to three bachelorettes. Certain kinds of questions were "off-limits", such as name, age, occupation and income.

1996 revival

For the first season of the 1996 revival, a different format was used. A notable change was that the prospective bachelor/bachelorette knew the first names of the three contestants at all times. Instead of asking questions of the contestants, the bachelor/bachelorette was presented with two pun-laden statements, each pertaining to one of the contestants. When chosen, a new statement replaced the old one and the potential date explained the reason why that fact pertained to him or her. Play continued until time expired, and then the bachelor/bachelorette would announce his or her choice. In several weeks of episodes that aired at various times throughout the season, another format was used. This format had the players choose a potential date based on appearance and another based on personality. To decide the "looks" portion, the bachelor/bachelorette would observe each contestant (another change not seen on any ''Dating Game'' series beforehand) for several seconds, with the contestants wearing noise-canceling headphones to prevent them from hearing the bachelor/bachelorette talking about them. The statement round was used to determine the "personality" portion. After the game ended, the bachelor/bachelorette would select one contestant based on appearance and one based on personality, then would be prompted to choose between the two. If the bachelor/bachelorette was to select the same contestant for both looks and personality, the contestant would win a $500 cash prize. The remaining two seasons reverted back to the original format, but there was more of a variety between bachelors and bachelorettes.

Episode status

Various episodes from the ABC daytime run have aired on

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 reviv ...

. The remaining ABC versions of the show, which were made for primetime and for syndication, are assumed to exist in their entirety. After the syndicated finale in 1980, repeats of the 1978–1980 version were seen on KHJ-TV (now KCAL-TV) in

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from September 26, 1983, to September 12, 1986 (when The All-New Dating Game with Elaine Joyce premiered on September 15, 1986), as well as in some other cities. In another variation of the final year in reruns, some episodes from ABC daytime, ABC primetime and weekly syndication were shown.

Guests

Some of the celebrities that appeared on ''The Dating Game'' appeared as a bachelor or bachelorette before becoming famous, or as a special guest star, include: * Willie Aames (1978) * Rodney Alcala, subsequently dubbed "The Dating Game Killer" (1978) *

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim ...

(1967) * Famous Amos (1978) *

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...

(1980s) *

Desi Arnaz Jr. Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (born January 19, 1953), known professionally as Desi Arnaz Jr., is an American actor and musician. He is the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Early life Arnaz was born on January 19, 1953, at Cedars-Sinai Medical ...

(1967) *Mary Arnold of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1972) * Candice Bergen (1973) *

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in '' The Detective'', '' Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she re ...

(1973) *

Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...

(1968) * Karen Black (1973) *

Danny Bonaduce Dante Daniel Bonaduce (born August 13, 1959) is an American radio personality, actor, television personality, and professional wrestler. Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce (''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', '' One Da ...

(1972) *

(1968) * Julie Budd (1973) * Joanna Cameron (Late 1960s) * Bryan Cranston (1979) *

Perry Caravello Perry Frank Caravello (born November 17, 1963) is an American actor, comedian, and internet personality who is best known as the star of the 2003 movie ''Windy City Heat'' and the host of the internet stream ''Perry Caravello Live''. Early li ...

(1996) * Karen and Richard Carpenter (1970) * Angela Cartwright (1970) *

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in ...

(1970) *

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(1966) * Candy Clark (1973) *

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(1973) * Jeremy Clyde (1966) *

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(1967) * Michael Cole (1972) * Teri Copley (1979) * Yvonne Craig (1967) * Brandon Cruz (1972) * Joey D'Auria as himself, instead of as Chicago's Bozo the Clown (1980) * Cesare Danova (1969) * Ann B. Davis (1970 and 1971) * Richard Dawson (1968) *

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(1968) * Deep Purple (1968) * Samantha Eggar (1973) * Cass Elliot (1973 or 1974) *

(1969) * Sally Field (1966) *

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show '' Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel '' Fried Green T ...

(1973) * Jackie Fox (1980) * Leif Garrett (1972) * Kathy Garver (1966, 1970 and 1971) * Maurice Gibb (1968) * Robin Gibb (1968) *

Anita Gillette Anita Gillette ( Luebben; born August 16, 1936) is an American actress. She had numerous roles on Broadway, American television, and in feature films. She also made many appearances as a celebrity guest on television game shows. Early life Gill ...

(1972) * Cuba Gooding Jr. (1986) * Barry Gordon (1966) * Jennifer Granholm, former

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(1978) * Luke Halpin (1968) * Phil Hartman (1979) * Cheryl Hines (1997) *

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(1996) * Eddie Hodges (1966) * Ron Howard (1972) *

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(1969) *

(1972) * Sam J. Jones, " Flash Gordon" (1978) *

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(1967) *

(1978) *

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(1972) * Murray Langston, as

The Unknown Comic Murray Langston (born June 27, 1944), who frequently performed using the stage name "The Unknown Comic", is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian best known for his performances on '' The Gong Show'', during which he usually appeared with a pa ...

(1978) * Peter Lawford (1971) * Vicki Lawrence (1971) * Peggy Lipton (1973) * Donna Loren (1967) * Paul Lynde (1968 and 1972) * Dave Madden (1970) * Lee Majors (1966) * Steve Martin (1968 and 1970) * Groucho Marx, as a prank on his daughter Melinda, who was Bachelorette #1 (1967) * Meredith MacRae (1968) * Jerry Mathers (1966) * Maureen McCormick (1971 and 1973) *Jed Mills (1978) * Kathryn Minner, " The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" (1966) *

Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning four decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary '' Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was t ...

(1970) * Jaye P. Morgan (1980) *

Louisa Moritz Louisa Moritz (born Luisa Cira Castro Netto; September 25, 1936 – January 4, 2019) was a Cuban-American actress and lawyer. After arriving in New York from Cuba, she became a film and television actress, then earned a law degree. She is best k ...

(1973) *

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(1968) * Tom Netherton (1978) * Jay North (1969) * Charlie O'Donnell (1987) * Butch Patrick (1972) * Freda Payne (1971) * Paul Petersen (1966) * Vincent Price (1972) *

H.R. Pufnstuf ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...

(1972) * Paul Reubens as Pee Wee Herman (1979) * Emitt Rhodes, as part of his band The Merry-Go-Round (1967) *

(1967) * John Ritter (1967) * Nipsey Russell (year unknown; happened before 1971) *

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(1966) * Bob Saget (1979 and 1980) * Arnold Schwarzenegger (1973) *

(1965 and 1967) * Rhonda Shear (1986) * Suzanne Somers (1973) *

(1968) *

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(1968) * Kaye Stevens (1973) *

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(1968) * Strawberry Alarm Clock (1968) * Elaine Stritch (1971) * Rip Taylor (1973 and 1978) *

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(1966) * Jimmie Walker (1978) * Lindsay Wagner (1968) *

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(1969) * Adam West (1966) *

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(1969) * Barry Williams (1972) *Terry Williams of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1972) *

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(1967)

Theme music and cues

The show used many contemporary songs, ranging from those of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass from the 1960s to pop music used for celebrity guest and band appearances. For the first few episodes at the beginning of the ABC run, live music was provided by the Regents (unrelated to the doo-wop band of the same name who were famous for their song " Barbara Ann"), a house band from Jack Martin's A.M-P.M. on

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Starting in 1966, the show used recorded music, with the main theme provided by the Mariachi Brass, featuring trumpeter

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

. The show used cover songs made by Skip Battin & the Group (1967, Aurora 159) and the Challengers (196?, Triumph 64). The series used several songs by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass as cues for the show, including: * " Spanish Flea" (when introducing the bachelor) * "

Whipped Cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, and ...

" (when introducing the bachelorette)Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (2005).
Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed
'.

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, ...

. Retrieved February 15, 2020. * " Lollipops and Roses" (when the dates meet) Other songs were used after the interview portion, when guests were choosing a date, including: * "Ladyfingers" (Herb Alpert) * " Lemon Tree" (Herb Alpert) Music used during celebrity guest appearances included: * "Live" ( The Merry-Go-Round) * "Close to You" ( Carpenters) * "Midnight Confessions" ( The Grass Roots) * "I Want To Be Where You Are" (

) * "I Want You Back" ( The Jackson Five), during the prize description * "Cheyenne" ( The Brady Bunch) * "Goin' Out of My Head" ( Little Anthony) * "What's It Gonna Be" (

) Other music cues used on the show included: * "

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" by

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...

(when host Jim Lange would introduce the three potential dates to the audience) * " Love Sickness" by the Trumpets Ole (a brief cue used when the time limit for the interview portion is reached) * "Boston Bust-Out" by Jimmy McGriff (before the date is introduced to his or her prize) In 1972, ''The Dating Game'' added a

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

-style closing theme called "Little Rosie" to its ABC daytime version; the tune was used also on the first two syndicated versions, through 1980. The song, along with some of the show's other cues, was featured on the 1973 album ''Themes from TV Game Shows'', produced by Chuck Barris. The show continued to use the 1966 opening theme until 1974; during the 1978-80 version, the show used a rearranged version of it. The 1978 opening theme is found on the Barris album's first track and is credited to Barris and David Mook. The 1980s reboot of the show used music composed by Milton DeLugg, while later editions featured a re-recording of the original theme by Steve Kaplan. The music for ''The Celebrity Dating Game'' was composed by Cheche Alara.

International versions

These versions are no longer airing.

Legacy

In his first autobiography, ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'' (1988), Chuck Barris claimed that ''The Dating Game'' was a cover for his CIA activities, and was promoted by the CIA. However, his second memoir, ''The Game Show King: A Confession'' (1993), mentions neither the CIA nor his previous book. A CIA spokesman has categorically denied that Barris ever worked for the agency in any capacity. The show's popularity in the 1960s inspired a Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor called ''Dating Game''. It was pink ice cream with diced dates and butter-toasted pecans. In a 1980 '' Laverne and Shirley'' episode, Lenny and Squiggy appear as bachelors on ''The Dating Game''. ''The Dating Game'' was parodied by

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; ...

during a 1983

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

pre-launch event. The three "contestants" were Mitch Kapor of Lotus Software, Fred Gibbons of Software Publishing Corporation and

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

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. A recurring parody featured in the current version of ''

Let's Make a Deal ''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...

'' called ''The Dealing Game'' features

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and Jonathan Mangum (both as different characters in each appearance), but instead of a date, each represents a curtain and tries to convince the contestant to pick his curtain. Model Tiffany Coyne plays the role of the "hostess".

Licensed merchandise

Hasbro released three home games based on the original 1965 version of ''The Dating Game'' from 1967 to 1968, while Pressman Toy Corporation released a home game based on the late 1980s version in 1987. In 1968, a 33⅓ rpm party record called ''The Dating Game Party Pak'', narrated by Jim Lange, was released; it included postcard invitations, name tags and scorecards for six people to play. In the late 1990s, Sony's website released an online version of ''The Dating Game''. A video slot machine based on the original 1965 version with an animated Jim Lange was released by IGT in 2004 in both nickel and quarter versions. In March 2011, a new virtual version of ''The Dating Game'' was launched on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

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and other social media network sites. The game was developed by 3G Studios, under license from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

References

External links