''The Object Is...'' is a

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, ...

which aired on

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 ...

from December 30, 1963 to March 27, 1964. The series was the first game for host

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

. Mike Lawrence was the announcer.

Gameplay

Three celebrities and three contestants competed in a game in which they tried to identify people (celebrities, historical figures, or fictional characters) from objects typically associated with that person. Each contestant played with two celebrities - one who gave a clue and one who received it. For example, if the person were "Charles Lindbergh", a clue from the first celebrity might be "transatlantic airplane"; if the contestant guessed correctly, it would be worth ten points; if not, the contestant gave a clue to the second celebrity for seven points. Clues were worth ten points, then seven, then five, then three. If the subject was not guessed after the three-point clue, the subject was thrown out. The first contestant to score fifteen points won US$75 () and the right to team with a celebrity in the "Winner's Game", in which they attempted to identify as many celebrities associated with a particular object as possible in thirty seconds, earning US$5 () for each correct answer. The Winner's Game was later eliminated, and the winner of each game simply won US$100 () up front. Each of the other players earned US$5 () per point, with all players competing for the entire episode, and the winner of the most cash returning to play again.

Changes

For the last two or three weeks of the run, the format changed to two celebrity-contestant teams (similar to ''

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 ...

'') who tried to identify the person in a maximum of three clues for up to 10 points; they now played a two-out-of-three match, with each game worth US$100 ().Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). "The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows", 3rd Edition.

Broadcast history

''Object'' debuted on the second-to-last day of 1963 at 11:30 AM (10:30 Central), replacing the

Jack Narz John Lawrence Narz Jr. (November 13, 1922 – October 15, 2008) was an American radio personality, television host, and singer. Early years Narz was born to John and Ado Narz, in Louisville, Kentucky, along with sister Mary, and younger brothe ...

game '' Seven Keys'' in a scheduling shuffle. ''Object'' faced the same competition its predecessor did – the

Ed McMahon Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. (March 6, 1923 – June 23, 2009) was an American announcer, game show host, comedian, actor, singer, and combat aviator. McMahon and Johnny Carson began their association in their first TV series, the ABC game sh ...

-hosted '' Missing Links'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

and local programming on

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 Entertainm ...

. While ''Links'' had a nearly four-month jump on ''Object'', local programming managed to cause both games to bow in defeat on March 27, 1964. The following Monday, however, showed there was a clear winner – ''Missing Links'', which moved to ABC with Clark as host (McMahon was still under contract to NBC). Nine months later, ''Links'' fell to the Peacock's replacement series – ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given gene ...

Episode status

Compared to most other game shows of the era, ''Object'' is completely intact – all 65 episodes, plus the pilot (taped November 26, 1963), are held by the

UCLA Film & 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 ...

. Three episodes circulate among collectors – the premiere, the finale, and the second-to-last episode; notably, in the latter, Stubby Kaye promotes the debut of '' Shenanigans''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Object Is American Broadcasting Company original programming 1960s American game shows 1963 American television series debuts 1964 American television series endings