You Don't Say!: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|American television game show}}

[[Image:Ydstitle.jpg|thumb|250px|You Don't Say! title card for the Jim Peck version.]]

{{distinguish|You Don't Say?}}

'''''You Don't Say!''''' was an American television game show that had three separate runs on television. The first version aired on [[NBC]] daytime from [[April 1]], [[1963 in television|1963]] to [[September 26]], [[1969 in television|1969]] (with a nighttime run in 1963-64). Years later, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] ran a revival from [[July 7]] to [[November 28]], [[1975 in television|1975]] (replacing ''[[Money Maze|The Money Maze]]''). A final version appeared in [[television syndication|syndication]] during [[1978 in television|1978]]-[[1979 in television|79]], but did not last the entire season.

{{more citations needed|date=May 2020}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{See Wiktionary||you don't say|interjection}}

{{Infobox television

| image = Ydstitle.jpg

| runtime = 22–26 minutes

| creator = [[Ralph Andrews]]<br>Bill Yagemann

| presenter = [[Jack Barry (television personality)|Jack Barry]]<br>[[Tom Kennedy (television host)|Tom Kennedy]]<br>Clark Race<br>[[Jim Peck]]

| announcer = [[Jay Stewart]]<br>[[John Harlan (announcer)|John Harlan]]

| country = United States

| network = [[KTLA]] (1962–1963, 1975)<br>NBC (1963–1969)<br>ABC (1975)<br>Syndicated (daily, 1978–1979)

| first_aired = {{Plainlist|

* {{Start date|1962|11|25}} – {{End date|1963|03|22}}

* {{Start date|1963|04|01}} – {{End date|1969|09|26}}

* {{Start date|1975|04|27}} – {{End date|1975|06|29}}

* {{Start date|1975|07|07}} – {{End date|1975|11|28}}

* {{Start date|1978|09|18}} – {{End date|1979|3}}

}}

| company = Ralph Andrews Productions<br>[[Desilu Productions]]<br>(1963–1967)<br>[[Paramount Television]]<br>(1968–1969)<br>[[Warner Bros. Television]]<br>(1975)

}}

'''''You Don't Say!''''' is an American television game show. Two teams competed to guess the names of famous people and places, by using verbal clues that hinted at similar-sounding words. The first version aired on [[NBC]] daytime from April 1, 1963, to September 26, 1969, with revivals on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1975 and in [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] from 1978 to 1979.<ref name=Daytime>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television |date=1997 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=978-0823083152 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/476/mode/2up|access-date=22 March 2020|page=476}}</ref> The last two incarnations were executive produced by Ralph Andrews and produced (with Gary Hunt) and directed by [[Bill Carruthers]].

NBC broadcasts were produced by [[Ralph Andrews]]-Bill Yagemann Productions in association with [[Desilu Productions]] (later [[Paramount Television]]). [[Ralph Andrews]] Productions produced both of the 1970s versions, with the ABC series produced in association with the Carruthers Company and [[Warner Bros. Television]] and the syndicated series produced in association with [[Viacom Enterprises]].

[[Ralph Andrews Productions]] produced all three versions of ''You Don't Say!'', with [[Desilu Productions]] co-producing the original NBC run.

[[Tom Kennedy (television host)|Tom Kennedy]] hosted the original ''You Don't Say!'' and the 1975 revival while [[Jim Peck]] hosted the 1978 series. [[John Harlan (announcer)|John Harlan]] was the announcer for almost the entire run of the series in its various incarnations, except for part of 1963 when [[Jay Stewart]] announced.

== Hosts and Announcers ==

Similar to the announcer's function on ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'', either Stewart or Harlan would whisper the name being guessed, along with a description.

The original version and ABC version of ''YDS!'' were hosted by [[Tom Kennedy]]; [[Jim Peck]] hosted the syndicated version.

==Gameplay==

[[Jay Stewart]] and [[John Harlan]] announced for the show (Stewart, on the earliest episodes of the original; Harlan, the rest of the original and its two subsequent revivals).

===NBC===

Two teams competed, each composed of a celebrity and a contestant. The object was to convey the name of a famous person or character by giving clues, leading to words that sounded like part of the person's name (near the end of the run, places were also used as subjects). The contestant then had to sound the words out to figure out the person in question. The celebrities were not allowed to use anything that might give away the answer or to give a clue that would lead to the proper name of the person. They also could not give the clue to the contestant, with the penalty being loss of control for any violation. Each correct guess won a point, with three points winning the game.

For example:

==NBC 1963-69 format ==

* Clue #1: The part of the car that contains fuel is the gas... (Tank)

* Clue #2: The automobile is more commonly called a... (Car)

* Clue #3: George Washington is on the one-dollar... (Bill)

* Tank + Car + Bill = [[Tinker Bell]]

Or:

Two celebrity-contestant teams competed.

* Clue #1: A person who can't hear is... (Deaf)

* Clue #2: The fifth letter of the alphabet is... (E)

* Clue #3: When you park your boat, you tie it to the ... (Dock)

* Deaf + E + Dock = [[Daffy Duck]]

Proper names could not be used as clues, such as "Our president who was married to Jackie Onassis was named John F..." for "Kennedy". Clue-givers were also not allowed to describe a word that is spelled as part of the name.

The object was to convey the name of a famous person by giving clues, leading to words that sounded like part of the person's name. The contestant then had to sound the words out to figure out the person in question.

The winning contestant played the Bonus Board for a chance at $300. A famous name (sent in by a home viewer) was given to the celebrity, who tried to convey the name to the contestant by way of clues. Guessing the word on the first clue won $300. Each additional clue reduced the value by $100. The celebrity could help with all three clues.

The celebrities were not allowed to use anything that might give away the answer or to give a clue that would lead to the proper name of the person. They also could not say the clue to the contestant, with the penalty being loss of control for any violation.

If the contestant won the front game 3–0, winning the Bonus Board on the first clue awarded $300 plus a new car, usually a [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]]. In this situation, the celebrity was not allowed to help on the first clue.

Each correct guess won a point, with three points winning the game.

Home viewers whose Bonus Board clue led to a car win also won a special prize. At one point this was 100,000 Top Value [[trading stamps]], then one million stamps.

'''Bonus Board'''

Players on the daytime version stayed until losing twice or winning seven times (NBC's limit at the time). On the primetime version, two new players competed for the entire show with a trip awarded to whoever won the most cash.

The winning contestant played the Bonus Board for a chance at $300.

===ABC===

A famous name (sent in by a home viewer) was given to the celebrity, who tried to convey the name to the contestant by way of clues. Guessing the word on the first clue won $300. The second clue netted $200, and the third, $100.

When the show returned in 1975, it also returned with a new format influenced largely by the success of [[CBS]]'s ''[[Match Game]]''. The two teams were replaced by two individual players competing with the assistance of four celebrities on a panel.

The celebrities once again tried to convey the identity of a famous person or place to the contestants. One celebrity gave a clue to the controlling contestant, who had five seconds to guess who it was with a correct word guess. If it wasn't guessed, the next celebrity in line gave a clue to the next contestant. This continued until one player guessed the word, with a maximum of four clues. A correct guess on the first clue was worth $200 and decreased in $50 increments for each clue needed afterward. 500 won the game and a chance to win $10,000 more at the Bonus Board.

If a contestant swept the front game and got the name right on the first try, he or she also won a new car.

At the Bonus Board, the contestant had to give a maximum of six (originally five) clues to four famous names or places to the celebrities. If a celebrity guessed one name correctly, the contestant won $500, which doubled to $1,000 if two names were guessed correctly, and then $2,000 if three names were guessed correctly. If all four names were guessed correctly, the contestant won $5,000. However, if each of the celebrities guessed the name after only one clue (four clues in total), the contestant won $10,000.

Players stayed on until losing twice or winning seven times (NBC's limit at that time).

Players competed until either losing twice or exceeding ABC's winnings limit of $20,000 (but were allowed to keep winnings of up to $25,000).

==ABC 1975 format==

===Syndicated===

When ''You Don't Say!'' returned in 1975, it also returned with a new format, influenced largely by the success of [[CBS]]' ''[[Match Game]].''

Peck's version was played very similar to the ABC version, but with a few changes to accommodate the syndicated series (since the then-standard process of "bicycling" tapes shuffled the airings from city to city and made returning champions impractical). Two contestants played on Monday and Tuesday of a particular week, while two more played on Wednesday and Thursday. In a tournament fashion, the highest scorers from those games played each other on Friday. Instead of cash being awarded on a scale for each correct answer, every answer scored only one point, regardless of the number of clues necessary, with five winning the game. Correct answers were worth $100 on the Monday–Thursday shows and $200 on Fridays, but these payouts were not reflected in the scoring.

If the game ended in a tie due to time running out, the player who needed fewer clues during the game was declared the winner.

Gone were the two teams. Instead, two individual players competed, with four celebrities on a panel.

The Bonus Board was played the same as the ABC run for $5,000 in cash on Monday–Thursday shows. The Friday game, which was harder than the rest of the week, was played for $10,000 in prizes. This time, the player was allowed a maximum of five clues.

The celebrities once again tried to convey the identity of a famous person or place to the contestants. One celebrity gave a clue to the controlling contestant, who had five seconds to guess who it was with a correct word guess. If it wasn't guessed, the next celebrity in line gave a clue to the next contestant. This continued until one player guessed the word, with a maximum of four clues.

==Broadcast history==

A correct guess on the first clue was worth $200, and decreased in $50 increments for each clue needed afterwards. $500 won the game and a chance to win $10,000 more at the Bonus Board.

===KTLA (1962–1963)===

''You Don't Say!'' began as a local series on [[Los Angeles]] station [[KTLA]] in November 1962 with [[Jack Barry (television personality)|Jack Barry]], still in exile from the networks in the wake of the 1950s [[quiz show scandals]], as host.

===NBC (1963–1969)===

''' '70s Bonus Board '''

''You Don't Say!'' moved to NBC's afternoon lineup on April 1, 1963, at 3:30 PM Eastern (2:30 Central) with Tom Kennedy replacing Barry as host. For most of its run, the show placed a solid second against the popular CBS [[soap opera|soap]] ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' and numerous weak ABC soap operas. A nighttime version in 1964 was not as successful, running from January 7 to May 12.

On July 15, 1968, ''[[One Life to Live]]'' debuted on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] at 3:30/2:30 and was a ratings success. In what may have been the largest housecleaning of its daytime schedule ever, NBC dropped ''You Don't Say!'' and three other games (''[[Personality (TV series)|Personality]]'', ''[[Eye Guess]]'', and ''[[Match Game|The Match Game]]'') on September 26, 1969. Replacing ''You Don't Say!'' on the lineup was the serial ''[[Bright Promise]]'', which ran until [[1972 in television|1972]].

The Bonus Board changed also.

===KTLA (1975)===

A contestant was faced with the task of giving the clues to four famous names or places to the celebrities. The contestant had a maximum of six (originally five) clues to give to the stars. A celebrity guessing one right was worth $500, two $1000, three $2000, with all four stars netting the player $5000. If it only took four clues, the contestant won $10,000.

The 1975 revival was also given a trial run on KTLA, airing on Sunday nights from April to June 1975. Originally hosted by local radio personality Clark Race with Kennedy as a regular panelist, these roles were reversed later in the show's brief run.

===ABC (1975)===

Again, players competed until losing twice (or hitting the $20,000 ABC winnings limit in place at the time).

With CBS' revival of ''Match Game'' bringing celebrity games back into popularity, Andrews managed to interest ABC in a similar revival of ''You Don't Say!'' Kennedy was called upon to reassume his role as the show's host, doing so ten days after ending a three-year stint on ABC's ''[[Split Second (game show)|Split Second]]''; the show entered ABC's schedule on July 7 at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central), replacing ''[[The Money Maze]]''. However, many affiliates either tape-delayed the network feed until the next morning or preempted the 4:00/3:00 slot entirely, garnering low ratings for the revival despite facing NBC's soap opera ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'' and two low-rated CBS games, ''[[Musical Chairs (1975 game show)|Musical Chairs]]'' and ''[[Give-n-Take]]''.

Meanwhile, CBS' ''[[The Edge of Night]]'' had been its lowest-rated soap opera since a move in 1972 to 2:30/1:30. With ''[[As the World Turns]]'' set to expand to a full hour, the network decided to oust the 19-year-old show (which debuted on the same day ''As The World Turns'' did in [[1956 in television|1956]] and packaged by the same company). In the first instance of a daytime serial moving to another network, [[Procter and Gamble Productions]] agreed to CBS' terms and moved ''The Edge of Night'' to ABC. ABC, desperate to get some affiliates back on board, banked on the show's instant familiarity and decided that the only viable slot for that show was 4:00/3:00.

==1978 Syndicated format==

On November 28, ''You Don't Say!'' ended its five-month run, giving way to ''The Edge of Night'' the next Monday; as a result, a special [[Christmas]] week of shows with children playing, which Tom had plugged on-air during the last few weeks and would have continued the tradition from the NBC era, was never seen. According to an ABC press release dated November 6, 1975, ''You Don't Say!'' was slated to return to ABC's daytime schedule at a later time, but for unknown reasons, this never occurred.

Peck's version was played very similar to the ABC version, with the following exceptions:

===Syndicated (1978–1979)===

*Two contestants would play on the first two games of the week, while two more would play the next two days. In a tournament fashion, the highest scorers from those games would play each other on Friday.

''You Don't Say!'' returned on September 18, 1978, as a daily [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] series, with [[Viacom Enterprises]] serving as the co-producer. However, due to Tom Kennedy hosting ''[[Name That Tune]]'', the hosting reins were taken instead by [[Jim Peck]].

*Instead of cash being awarded on a scale for each correct answer, every answer scored only one point, regardless of the number of clues necessary, with five winning the game; while correct answers were worth $100 apiece on the Monday-Thursday shows and $200 on Fridays, these payouts were not reflected in the scoring.

*If the game ended in a tie due to time running out, the player who needed fewer clues during the course of the game was declared the winner.

*The Bonus Board was played for a flat $5000 on Monday-Thursday, with the Friday game being played for $10,000 in prizes.

This version did not sell to many markets, and those who ran it tended to do so in non-peak slots (save for [[WPIX]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], which aired it at 8:30 PM as part of a primetime syndicated game show block with the premiering ''[[Tic-Tac-Dough|Tic Tac Dough]]'' and reruns of the syndicated editions of ''[[Let's Make a Deal]]'' and ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'', as did [[KCAL-TV|KHJ-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]]). With little to no promotion, the show ended its run completely before even making it through the first half of 1979.

==Scheduling History==

NBC's answer to [[CBS]]' hit game ''[[Password (game show)|Password]]'' (see "Notes" below), ''YDS!'' joined the network's afternoon lineup in spring [[1963]] at 3:30 Eastern/2:30 Central. Its nemesis throughout most of its run was the popular CBS [[soap opera|soap]] ''[[The Edge of Night]],'' which led it in the ratings. However, weak competition from numerous ABC soaps helped keep ''YDS!'' afloat for a solid five years. This changed, however, when ABC scored a surprising success at 3:30/2:30 with ''[[One Life to Live]],'' which premiered in [[July]] [[1968 in television|1968]]. The new, youth-oriented, intrigue-driven soap stole quite a portion of the ''YDS!'' audience; furthermore, games featuring celebrities were increasingly going out of style, in favor of hard quizzes such as ''[[Jeopardy]].'' In what may have been the largest housecleaning of its daytime schedule ever, NBC dropped ''YDS!'' and three other games, ''[[Personality (game show)|Personality]]'', ''[[Eye Guess]],'' and the original ''[[Match Game]]'' before the begininng of the [[1969 in television|1969]]-[[1970 in television|70]] season. Taking its place on the lineup was a soap titled ''[[Bright Promise]],'' which ran until [[1972 in television|1972]].

==Music==

Six years later, with CBS' revival of ''Match Game'' bringing celebrity games back into vogue, Andrews managed to interest ABC in a similar revival of ''YDS!'' Kennedy, ten days after ending a three-year stint helming ABC's ''[[Split Second]],'' once again stepped up to the podium on [[July 7]]. However, the 4 p.m./3 Central timeslot, at which many affiliates either tape-delayed the network feed until the next morning or preempted entirely (despite the success of the likes of ''[[Dark Shadows]],'' ''Password,'' and ''[[The $10,000 Pyramid]]'' there), proved to render the revival stillborn, despite facing NBC's fast-fading soap opera ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'' and two low-rated CBS games, ''[[Musical Chairs (game show)|Musical Chairs]]'' and ''[[Give-n-Take]].''

Composer Rex Koury was the musical director for the 1960s version, leading a small combo in the studio consisting of [[organ (music)|organ]], [[xylophone]] and [[harp]]. Koury would play appropriate music after each name was guessed, or a generic "win cue" when a game was won.

Stan Worth composed the theme for the 1970s versions, called "Downwind".

Meanwhile, an old problem would prove to drive the nail in the ABC ''YDS!'' coffin. ''Edge of Night'' had been CBS' lowest-rated soap since its 1972 move to 2:30 Eastern/1:30 Central. With ''[[As the World Turns]]'' set to expand to a full hour, CBS decided to get rid of the 19-year-old show (which debuted on the same day in [[1956 in television|1956]], and was packaged by the same company, [[Procter and Gamble Productions]], as ''ATWT''). In the first instance of a daytime serial moving to another network, P&G agreed to CBS' terms, and sold ''Edge'' to ABC, who decided that the only viable slot for that show, given its long history of attracting audiences other than housewives, was 4/3. Desparate to get some affiliates back on board, ABC banked on the show's instant familiarity. Therefore, on [[November 28]], ''YDS!'' ended its five-month run, giving way to its old enemy ''Edge'' the next Monday.

==References==

The Peck version did not sell to many markets, probably because of the 1975 ABC disaster. The few stations which did buy it ran it in non-peak slots, never in proximity to primetime (save for [[WPIX]] in [[New York]], which aired it at 8:30 PM as part of a primetime syndicated game show block). With little if any promotion, the show folded up after about a half season.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:NBC game shows]]

==Notes==

[[Category:American Broadcasting Company game shows]]

[[Category:First-run syndicated game shows]]

*Before its [[NBC]] premiere, ''You Don't Say!'' was given a trial run on [[Los Angeles]] station [[KTLA]] from November [[1962]] to early [[1963]], with [[Jack Barry]] as host; since Barry was still considered anathema to the networks in the wake of the 50s [[quiz show scandals]], he was replaced by Tom Kennedy when the show went national.

[[Category:1960s American game shows]]

*[[Goodson-Todman Productions]] sued ''YDS!'' packager Ralph Andrews during the NBC run, because they thought that the format was too similar to G-T's ''Password''. Although Goodson-Todman did not win the case, they did win an unusual concession from Andrews: Kennedy's podium on ''You Don't Say!'' had to be moved to the end of the playing table, from the center where it originally stood, since the original set layout did indeed look very similar to that of ''Password.''

[[Category:1963 American television series debuts]]

*Much like the original version, the [[1975]] revival was also given a trial run on [[KTLA]] in Los Angeles before its network premiere; it ran on Sunday nights from April to June of [[1975]], with [[Clark Race]] as host, though Tom Kennedy actually appeared as a panel celebrity.

[[Category:1969 American television series endings]]

[[Category:Game1970s American game shows]]

[[Category:Ralph1975 AndrewsAmerican Productionstelevision series debuts]]

[[Category:Television1975 seriesAmerican bytelevision CBS Paramountseries Televisionendings]]

[[Category:1978 American television series debuts]]

[[Category:1979 American television series endings]]

[[Category:Television series by Ralph Andrews Productions]]

[[Category:Television series by CBS Studios]]

[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios]]

[[Category:American English-language television shows]]

[[Category:American television series revived after cancellation]]