Liar's Club
Encyclopedia
Liar's Club is an American comedy
game show
, produced by Ralph Andrews
that had three syndicated runs. It was first seen in 1969 with Rod Serling
as host, and returned for a three-season run from 1976-1979. Bill Armstrong was the original host, soon succeeded by Allen Ludden
, with Bill Berry and Joe Seiter sharing the announcing duties.
It was later revived for almost one year from 1988-1989 as The New Liar's Club; Chicago
native Eric Boardman was the host, and former emcee Bill Armstrong was announcer. This version was produced by Blair Murdoch
at CKVU-TV in Vancouver
, with Stan Litke as the director for the first half of its run (from his employer, CFAC/CKKX in Calgary
), later replaced by Dave Stewart. A pilot for a new version in 1996 was done with Ed McMahon
hosting, but the series did not sell. The title is a spin on the Friars Club
.
Celebrity attorney/actress/producer Vicki Roberts was a regular researcher on the show, who brought in many of the strange objects that were used by scouring local antique shops in the Los Angeles area.
For the first episodes of Bill Armstrong's tenure, the odds were 2-1, 5-1, 10-1, and 20-1, and each contestant would be paid out at different odds in each round (one player would have 2-1 in the first round, one 5-1, one 10-1, and one 20-1, and then the odds would change for the players in each round after), with no maximum wager. Each contestant had to pick a different panelist, hence the increasing odds.
(Dr. Smith in Lost in Space
) and Betty White
.
Frequent panelists on the 1970s version included White, Joey Bishop
, Dick Gautier, Fannie Flagg
, David Letterman
and Larry Hovis
.
Canadian comedian John Barbour was a regular panelist throughout the 1980s version. Originally, the three other panelists changed from week to week. Celebrities who appeared with John Barbour during the run included:
Tweed, Walker, and Barbutti eventually joined Barbour as the show's permanent celebrity panelists for the second half of the run.
, was produced. It had many similarities to the New Liar's Club: both shows were taped at the same studio, and both used the same props with a few changes. The rules were very similar to Liar's Club in terms of the game and scoring, only rather than determine the correct description of an unusual item, players had to find which celebrity was giving the correct line to a cut-off video clip or song. Like The New Liar's Club, the show was produced by Blair Murdoch and featured Pete Barbutti as a regular panelist.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
game show
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 Ralph Andrews
Ralph Andrews
Ralph Andrews is an American television producer best known for producing the hit 1960s game show You Don't Say!, the 1970s game show Celebrity Sweepstakes, and the original 1987 version of Lingo....
that had three syndicated runs. It was first seen in 1969 with Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
as host, and returned for a three-season run from 1976-1979. Bill Armstrong was the original host, soon succeeded by Allen Ludden
Allen Ludden
Allen Ludden was an American television personality, emcee and game show host, perhaps most well known for hosting various incarnations of the game show Password between 1961 and 1980.-Early years:...
, with Bill Berry and Joe Seiter sharing the announcing duties.
It was later revived for almost one year from 1988-1989 as The New Liar's Club; Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
native Eric Boardman was the host, and former emcee Bill Armstrong was announcer. This version was produced by Blair Murdoch
Blair Murdoch
Blair Murdoch is a television producer during the mid 1980s to the mid 2000s. He independently produced many television series, mainly game shows, for Global Television Network in Canada and for MGM Television in Los Angeles...
at CKVU-TV in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, with Stan Litke as the director for the first half of its run (from his employer, CFAC/CKKX in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
), later replaced by Dave Stewart. A pilot for a new version in 1996 was done with Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon
Edward Peter "Ed" McMahon, Jr. was an American comedian, game show host and announcer. He is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's sidekick and announcer on The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. He also hosted the original version of the talent show Star Search from 1983 to 1995...
hosting, but the series did not sell. The title is a spin on the Friars Club
Friars Club
Friars Club can refer to:* The New York Friars' Club* The Friars Club of Beverly Hills* The Friar Society, University of Texas at Austin* The Friars , Louisiana State University* "The Friars Club", a Seinfeld episode...
.
Gameplay
The show featured a panel of celebrity guests, who would be presented with an unusual object; each would give a ridiculous explanation of what the object was used for. Contestants (two in the Serling era, three in the Ludden era, and four in the Armstrong and Boardman eras) would guess which star was telling the true story. On the original run, the player with the most correct guesses won $100. They also played for money in the 70s version; but they played for points on the New version. They started at 100 dollars/points at the beginning of the game and were allowed to place wagers in $10 increments up to $100 during most of Armstrong's tenure, half of their earnings during the Ludden era, and the 80s version's betting range was 10 to 50 points.Celebrity attorney/actress/producer Vicki Roberts was a regular researcher on the show, who brought in many of the strange objects that were used by scouring local antique shops in the Los Angeles area.
Odds
The odds increase for each round:- Round 1 - 1-1 ($10-$100)
- Round 2 - 2-1 ($20-$200)
- Round 3 - 5-1 ($50-$500)
- Round 4 - 10-1 ($100-$1,000)
For the first episodes of Bill Armstrong's tenure, the odds were 2-1, 5-1, 10-1, and 20-1, and each contestant would be paid out at different odds in each round (one player would have 2-1 in the first round, one 5-1, one 10-1, and one 20-1, and then the odds would change for the players in each round after), with no maximum wager. Each contestant had to pick a different panelist, hence the increasing odds.
The Liar's Club Gallery / The Art Corner
Except for Ludden's tenure as host, this was the last round of the game in which artwork was presented before the panel and contestants. Each celebrity would each offer their own title for the art. Each player would then make one last wager on which star gave the right title. Correct answers from the contestants won the wager at a 10-1 payoff. The player with the highest score won the game and a bonus prize (during the Ludden era of the '70s version and the '80s revival, a correct bet in all 4 rounds also won an additional prize). If there was a tie, the player who bet the most in the final round wins. If there was still a tie, depending on episode, the player who got the most right throughout the game, or came closest to their pregame score selection without going over, wins.Ludden-era final round
During Ludden's tenure as host, the final round consisted of each celebrity describing his/her own unusual item. For Ludden's second season, this round became the "Liar of the Day Round", and in a departure from the first three rounds, three of the celebrities were giving correct descriptions for their items while one was lying; it was now up to the contestants to predict which celebrity was the liar, with no betting limit in this round.Panelists
Regular panelists on the Rod Serling version included Jonathan HarrisJonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
(Dr. Smith in Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
) and Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
.
Frequent panelists on the 1970s version included White, Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
, Dick Gautier, Fannie Flagg
Fannie Flagg
Patricia Neal , known professionally as Fannie Flagg, is an American actress, comedienne and author. She is perhaps best-known for the 1988 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was adapted into the 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes; Flagg was nominated for an Academy Award for...
, David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis
Larry Hovis was an American singer and actor best known for playing a fictional prisoner of war on the 1960s television sitcom Hogan's Heroes.-Early life and career:...
.
Canadian comedian John Barbour was a regular panelist throughout the 1980s version. Originally, the three other panelists changed from week to week. Celebrities who appeared with John Barbour during the run included:
- Jed AllanJed AllanJed Allan is an American actor.- Daytime television roles :Allan has starred in several soap operas. He is perhaps best known for his role as Don Craig on Days of our Lives, which he played from 1971 to 1985. He gained a new audience when he played C.C...
- Rebecca Arthur
- Pete BarbuttiPete BarbuttiPete Barbutti is an American comedian and musician . He made at least twelve appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, from 1971 through 1992...
- Heidi BohayHeidi BohayHeidi Bohay is an American actress and television presenter.Born in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, Bohay is best known for her role as Megan Kendall from 1983 to 1987 on the prime-time ABC drama Hotel. She appeared as a celebrity guest on game shows, including The $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramid,...
- Jim ByrnesJim Byrnes (actor)James Thomas Kevin "Jim" Byrnes is a blues musician, guitarist, and actor.-Life and career:Byrnes was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a homemaker mother and a municipal accountant father. He has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, since the mid-1970s...
- Robert ConradRobert ConradRobert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
- Teri CopleyTeri CopleyTeri Copley is an American actress. She was best known for her roles on the American television series We Got it Made and I Had Three Wives. She posed nude for Playboy for the November 1990 issue....
- Abby DaltonAbby DaltonAbby Dalton is an American actress.Born as Marlene Wasden in Las Vegas, Nevada, she has made numerous appearances on television, including the recurring role of "Julia Cumson" on Falcon Crest...
- James DoohanJames DoohanJames Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
- Leslie EasterbrookLeslie Easterbrook-Early life:Easterbrook was born in Los Angeles and adopted by a family in rural Nebraska, where she was raised. Her father later earned a Ph.D and became a voice/trumpet professor at University of Nebraska at Kearney...
- Teresa GanzelTeresa GanzelTeresa Ganzel is an actress, comedienne, and cartoon voice-over actress.-Career:Teresa Ganzel was best known as a recurring cast member of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, having replaced the late Carol Wayne as the Matinee Lady in the popular "Mighty Carson Art Players" skits...
- Beverly GarlandBeverly GarlandBeverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
- Bryan Genesse
- Arlene GolonkaArlene GolonkaArlene Golonka is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Millie Swanson on the television comedies The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., and often portrayed bubbly, eccentric blondes in supporting character roles on stage, film, and television.-Early years:Golonka was...
- Dody GoodmanDody GoodmanDolores "Dody" Goodman was an American character actress known for her playing the mother of the title character Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman...
- Jane Higginson
- Lisa HowardLisa HowardLisa Howard is a Canadian television actress. She is most notable for her role as Lili Marquette in the series Earth: Final Conflict and her role as Anne Lindsey in Highlander: The Series...
- Anne-Marie JohnsonAnne-Marie JohnsonAnne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
- Bill KirchenbauerBill KirchenbauerBill Kirchenbauer is an American actor and stand-up comic who has appeared in television shows and films since the 1970s...
- Paul KreppelPaul KreppelPaul Kreppel is an actor, producer, director. On television, he was best known as the pianist, Sonny Mann in the show, It's a Living. In his work as theater director- producer-creator, he received the 2007 Tony Award for Jay Johnson: The Two and Only.-Early Theater Career:Kreppel was born in...
- Alison LaPlacaAlison LaPlacaAlison LaPlaca is an American actress best known for the role of acid-tongued yuppie Linda Phillips in the Fox sitcoms Duet and its spin-off Open House, both of which aired in the late 1980s....
- Kate LinderKate LinderKate Linder is an American actress, best known for her role as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, which she has played since 1982.Linder graduated with a BA in theatre arts from San Francisco State University...
- Rolfe Peterson
- Alaina Reed-Hall
- Stella StevensStella StevensStella Stevens Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The...
- Marc SummersMarc SummersMarc Summers is an American television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and a two-time talk show host. He is best known for hosting the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare and currently hosts Unwrapped on The Food Network.- Early career :Summers was born Marc Berkowitz in...
- Betty ThomasBetty ThomasBetty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
- Deborah TranelliDeborah TranelliDeborah Marie Tranelli is an American actress and singer.Tranelli is best known for her recurring role in the television series Dallas as Phyllis, secretary to Bobby Ewing . She appeared in the series from 1981 to its end in 1991...
- Shannon TweedShannon TweedShannon Lee Tweed is a Canadian actress and model. One of the most successful actresses of mainstream erotica, she is identified with the genre of the erotic thriller...
- Jimmie WalkerJimmie WalkerJames Carter "Jimmie" Walker is an American actor and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans on the television series Good Times, which ran from 1974 to 1979...
- Tonja WalkerTonja WalkerTonja Walker is a former beauty pageant titleholder who has competed in the Miss USA pageant, an actress, and a singer. She is known for her role as Alex Olanov on One Life to Live and for her role as Olivia St. John Jerome on General Hospital.-Career:Walker held the Miss Teen All-American title...
- Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
- Jo Anne WorleyJo Anne WorleyJo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
- Don Yesso
Tweed, Walker, and Barbutti eventually joined Barbour as the show's permanent celebrity panelists for the second half of the run.
The Next Line
In 1991, a Canadian game show called The Next Line, hosted by Kevin FrankKevin Frank
Kevin Frank, born January 13, 1957, is a Canadian writer and actor. He is a popular host of TV shows such as The Next Line, Kidstreet and Pet Project.-Voice roles:* Kevin from Pet Project...
, was produced. It had many similarities to the New Liar's Club: both shows were taped at the same studio, and both used the same props with a few changes. The rules were very similar to Liar's Club in terms of the game and scoring, only rather than determine the correct description of an unusual item, players had to find which celebrity was giving the correct line to a cut-off video clip or song. Like The New Liar's Club, the show was produced by Blair Murdoch and featured Pete Barbutti as a regular panelist.
Episode status
- 1969: Only two episodes are known to exist, one of which was released (minus its final segment) on a "bonus disc" of The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
Season One DVD set. - 1976-1979: Most of Armstrong's tenure was rerun on USA NetworkUSA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
in the mid-1980s, while scattered episodes of the Ludden era circulate amongst traders. The series pilot with Larry Hovis, Betty White, Peter Marshall, and Pat McCormick is held by the UCLA Film and Television ArchiveUCLA Film and Television ArchiveThe UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
. - 1988-1989: The series was rerun on the Canadian-based Prime NetworkPrime NetworkThe Prime Network was a group of regional sports networks owned by Liberty Media that served several regionalized areas that was in operation between 1983 and late-1997. While Liberty owned many of these stations, some were affiliates and owned by other companies...
in the late 1990s.