The Object Is
Encyclopedia
The Object Is was a game show
which aired on ABC
from December 30, 1963 to March 27, 1964. The series was the first game for host Dick Clark. Mike Lawrence was the announcer.
For example, if the person was "Charles Lindbergh" a clue from the first celebrity might be "transatlantic airplane"; if the contestant guessed correctly, it was 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 $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 $5 for each correct answer.
game Seven Keys
in a scheduling shuffle. Object faced the same competition its predecessor did – the Ed McMahon
-hosted Missing Links
on NBC
and local programming on CBS
. 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!
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
.
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...
which aired on ABC
American 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...
from December 30, 1963 to March 27, 1964. The series was the first game for host Dick Clark. Mike Lawrence was the announcer.
Gameplay
Three celebrities and three contestants competed in a game in which they tried to identify people (either 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 was "Charles Lindbergh" a clue from the first celebrity might be "transatlantic airplane"; if the contestant guessed correctly, it was 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 $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 $5 for each correct answer.
Changes
For the last two or three weeks of the run, the format changed to two celebrity-contestant teams (similar to Password) 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 $100.Broadcast history
Object debuted on the second-to-last day of 1963 at 11:30 AM (10:30 Central), replacing the Jack NarzJack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
game Seven Keys
Seven Keys (game show)
Seven Keys is an American game show hosted by Jack Narz and based on Chutes & Ladders that aired from September 12, 1960 to January 15, 1965 on KTLA and ABC.The first KTLA series is one of the few non-syndicated television game shows to air daily in nighttime...
in a scheduling shuffle. Object faced the same competition its predecessor did – the 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...
-hosted Missing Links
Missing Links (game show)
Missing Links is a Goodson-Todman game show hosted by Ed McMahon which originally ran on NBC from September 9, 1963 to March 27, 1964.Nipsey Russell was a panelist on this series, and whenever he appeared the host asked him to give a poem...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and local programming 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...
. 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!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
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.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
Shenanigans (TV series)
Shenanigans is a children's television game show that aired on ABC Saturday mornings from September 26, 1964 to March 20, 1965, and again from September 25 to December 18, 1965. The show was a revival of Video Village, produced by Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley, and also featured a life-size game...
.