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Body Language (game show)
Encyclopedia
Body Language is an American game show
produced by Mark Goodson
Productions. The show aired on CBS
from June 4, 1984 until January 3, 1986, and was hosted by Tom Kennedy. Johnny Olson
announced until his death in October 1985; Gene Wood
and Bob Hilton
shared the announcing duties afterward, and had substituted on occasion before that.
The show pitted two teams against each other, each consisting of a contestant and a celebrity guest. The gameplay centered around the party game charades
, but contestants also had to solve word puzzles to win money.
The puzzle was a sentence or question with seven numbered blanks. Five of the blanks corresponded to the words or phrases that were acted out, and any that had been guessed correctly were revealed. The contestant then had one guess at what person, place or thing puzzle described. If the player was correct, they won money for that puzzle. If not, the player's opponent was called over to choose a blank to reveal and then make a guess. The two players alternated revealing blanks and making guesses until one got the correct answer and won the puzzle; if neither player had solved the puzzle after all seven blanks were filled in, the teams' "actors" would each receive one guess. In the sixth week of the show's run, parentheses were added to the two "unacted" words.
After the show had been on the air for a year, a $500 bonus (not counted toward the score) was awarded if a team guessed all five words before time ran out (this bonus only applied in round two).
The game had two rounds with each team acting once per round. In the first round, celebrities acted and contestants guessed, and puzzles were worth $100. In the second round, the celebrities guessed while the contestants acted, and puzzles were worth $250. If a puzzle went completely unsolved, the value of that puzzle carried over to the next puzzle (for example, if the second $100 puzzle was not solved, the next one would then be worth $350 instead of the normal $250).
The first team that reached $500 won the game. Because the puzzles from the first round were only worth $100, a team had to win both their own $250 second round puzzle and their opponent's to reach a score of at least $500. It was common for neither team to reach that mark after two rounds. If this occurred, a playoff puzzle was played with no acting. Contestants again took turns revealing a chosen blank and guessing the puzzle until one guessed correctly, won the extra $250 and the game. The champion player was given the choice to start or have their opponent start.
After the first half of the bonus game, a 20-second round was played with three new words or phrases. If the team guessed all three before time expired, the money won in the first half of the bonus round was increased tenfold, for a maximum possible bonus of $10,000; otherwise, the player kept the money won in the first half.
computer.
program Showoffs
, replaced the second version of Tattletales
at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central). Although its sole network competition on ABC, The Edge of Night
, was nearing the end of a long run, the game nonetheless struggled, because many local affiliates had for years preempted the network feed at that time in favor of syndicated programming, which likely brought in larger advertising revenues.
Although some stations tape-delayed the show for broadcast the next morning, Body Language still managed only a fraction of the audience that daytime games such as The Price Is Right
and The $25,000 Pyramid
did. As such, CBS canceled the game in early 1986 in favor of a revival of Goodson's Card Sharks
, which necessitated a move of Press Your Luck
to Body Language's time slot. CBS would give the 4 PM slot back to the affiliates eight months later after Press Your Luck ended its three year run.
All episodes of Body Language were taped at Studio 33, now the Bob Barker
Studio, at CBS Television City
in Hollywood.
has aired the show at various times since 1994.
The endgame was called "7 Chances." Two puzzles were shown with the requisite 7 blanks. The celebrity chose the blank to be revealed, and the contestant tried to guess the puzzle. If the contestant got both puzzles, they won $7,000 + $1,000 per leftover chance. If they got one puzzle, that contestant won $500.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
produced by Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
Productions. The show aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from June 4, 1984 until January 3, 1986, and was hosted by Tom Kennedy. Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
announced until his death in October 1985; Gene Wood
Gene Wood
Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the...
and Bob Hilton
Bob Hilton
Robert "Bob" Wesley Hilton is an American television game show personality. He hosted The Guinness Game, a revival of Truth or Consequences and the 1990 revival of Let's Make a Deal, and announced on several other shows....
shared the announcing duties afterward, and had substituted on occasion before that.
The show pitted two teams against each other, each consisting of a contestant and a celebrity guest. The gameplay centered around the party game charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
, but contestants also had to solve word puzzles to win money.
Main game
Teams played separately, with one player standing behind a podium, and the other in the acting area in front of it. In each turn, the teammate serving as "actor" had 60 seconds to get their partner to say as many of five words or phrases as possible. The clue-giver was not allowed to talk or use props, including their own clothing. They instead had to "pantomime" (as Kennedy referred to it) the words. The pantomiming player could pass on any words they wished and come back if time remained. If an illegal clue was given (e.g., saying a word, using a prop), the acting portion immediately ended and the actor/actress was disqualified for that round. The guesser then attempted to solve the puzzle portion of the round. If, in post-acting conversation, the actor revealed or discussed a word that had not been guessed, the opposing team received the first chance at the puzzle.The puzzle was a sentence or question with seven numbered blanks. Five of the blanks corresponded to the words or phrases that were acted out, and any that had been guessed correctly were revealed. The contestant then had one guess at what person, place or thing puzzle described. If the player was correct, they won money for that puzzle. If not, the player's opponent was called over to choose a blank to reveal and then make a guess. The two players alternated revealing blanks and making guesses until one got the correct answer and won the puzzle; if neither player had solved the puzzle after all seven blanks were filled in, the teams' "actors" would each receive one guess. In the sixth week of the show's run, parentheses were added to the two "unacted" words.
After the show had been on the air for a year, a $500 bonus (not counted toward the score) was awarded if a team guessed all five words before time ran out (this bonus only applied in round two).
The game had two rounds with each team acting once per round. In the first round, celebrities acted and contestants guessed, and puzzles were worth $100. In the second round, the celebrities guessed while the contestants acted, and puzzles were worth $250. If a puzzle went completely unsolved, the value of that puzzle carried over to the next puzzle (for example, if the second $100 puzzle was not solved, the next one would then be worth $350 instead of the normal $250).
The first team that reached $500 won the game. Because the puzzles from the first round were only worth $100, a team had to win both their own $250 second round puzzle and their opponent's to reach a score of at least $500. It was common for neither team to reach that mark after two rounds. If this occurred, a playoff puzzle was played with no acting. Contestants again took turns revealing a chosen blank and guessing the puzzle until one guessed correctly, won the extra $250 and the game. The champion player was given the choice to start or have their opponent start.
Sweepstakes
The team had 60 seconds to guess as many of ten words or phrases as possible. Like the previous rounds, only the clue-giver could pass on a word, but could come back to it if time permitted. Originally the celebrity player acted out the words; beginning June 10, 1985, the civilian player chose which team member would act and which would guess. Each correct word was worth $100. At the end of the first half, unlike the previous rounds, a contestant was informed of what words they had missed. Illegal clues forfeited the chance to solve that word.After the first half of the bonus game, a 20-second round was played with three new words or phrases. If the team guessed all three before time expired, the money won in the first half of the bonus round was increased tenfold, for a maximum possible bonus of $10,000; otherwise, the player kept the money won in the first half.
Champions/Returning players rule
Originally, winning contestants returned for up to five games, or until winnings reached $25,000, before being retired, and losing contestants did not return. Beginning on September 24, 1984, a new system was implemented under which players would remain until incurring two losses. It was initially explained that each pair of contestants would play best-of-three matches; however, in practice, two losses in different matches still resulted in a player leaving. Under that new system, champions could stay on the show for up to six wins. The winnings limit was increased to $50,000 the following November.Tournaments
In the summer of 1985, Body Language had a month-long "Teen Week." The teens played the standard game; any winnings up to $2,500 were awarded in cash, while anything over that amount went into a savings bond that matured on the player's 18th birthday. If the player didn't win $2,500 through the game, the total was increased to that amount. During Teen Week, getting all five words in the second round netted a special bonus prize that was different every time it was won, such as a Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer.
Broadcast history
Body Language, in effect a revival of the 1975 ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
program Showoffs
Showoffs
Showoffs is an American 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.-Gameplay:...
, replaced the second version of Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central). Although its sole network competition on ABC, The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
, was nearing the end of a long run, the game nonetheless struggled, because many local affiliates had for years preempted the network feed at that time in favor of syndicated programming, which likely brought in larger advertising revenues.
Although some stations tape-delayed the show for broadcast the next morning, Body Language still managed only a fraction of the audience that daytime games such as The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
and The $25,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
did. As such, CBS canceled the game in early 1986 in favor of a revival of Goodson's Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
, which necessitated a move of Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck is an American television daytime game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. It premiered on September 19, 1983 on CBS and ended on September 26, 1986. In the show, contestants collected "spins" by answering trivia questions and then used the spins on an 18-space game...
to Body Language's time slot. CBS would give the 4 PM slot back to the affiliates eight months later after Press Your Luck ended its three year run.
All episodes of Body Language were taped at Studio 33, now the Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
Studio, at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
in Hollywood.
Episode status
All episodes are intact. GSNGame Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
has aired the show at various times since 1994.
Pilots
Three pilots for the series were made on October 9, 1983. The only change in the front game was the scoring, with puzzles worth $100–$200–$300–$400, and $500 was needed to win the main game.The endgame was called "7 Chances." Two puzzles were shown with the requisite 7 blanks. The celebrity chose the blank to be revealed, and the contestant tried to guess the puzzle. If the contestant got both puzzles, they won $7,000 + $1,000 per leftover chance. If they got one puzzle, that contestant won $500.