Best of Match Game DVD Collection

the inevitable question is, just who's to say that this random sampling is indeed the "best" of Match Game? the initiated will inevitably remember at least one bit of inspired mischief they'll be sorry to see not included. basically, it's like a musical artist's greatest-hits package: there is inevitably more emphasis on the tangible "hits" part than on the more ethereal "greatest."much is made, for instance, of the fact that Kirstie Allie's television debut was as a Match Game contestant. an interesting piece of history, certainly, but how much, really, does it have to do with how the game goes that particular week? (do we really need all three of her episodes?) personally, i found it pretty cool at first as i recalled that Allie was in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, but ceased to be particularly impressed upon remembering that she also somehow ended up on the very worst (not to mention most overrated) sitcom of the coming decade, Cheers.so basically, the inevitable room for debate concerning what constitutes "best" will cast it's own shadow on the selection presented. but that being said, there's good laughs awaiting you here. i personally don't really think of Match Game as a game-show so much as an off-the-cuff comic free-for-all a' la Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and there's certainly no shortage of that element herein.one particularly pleasant surprise is that significant (of not quite equal) time is given to the last couple of years. you hear so much about Richard Dawson's contribution that i was frankly half afraid the post-Dawson era would get the cold shoulder. don't get me wrong. i'm not trying to downplay Dawson's appeal and or contribution. it's just that when ya get right down to it, "Dickie" Dawson is to Match Game what Davy Jones was to The Monkees: no one's denying that he was a significant contributor, but he was hardly (as some would have you think) the whole damn show.the most famous incident featured is probably the infamous "Dumb Dora's cultured pearls" incident. the contestant's answer was school, and when the show is running smoothly any sort of school would be considered close enough to match. but in this case the judges get all high-hat and reject such usually admissible embellishments as Finishing School and Scuba Diving School.my favorite bit here is probably when the "lower tier" decides to clone the upper. Richard Dawson adopts the flibbertigibbet urbanity of Brett Somers, and Fannie Flagg the campy arrogance of Charles Nelson Reilly.the special features are a similarly mixed bag. the interviews with Brett Somers are a fun look behind the scenes, but I was a little saddened to note how much emphasis is placed on the featured episodes. that sounds logical, but the result is that all the featured clips are things you've just seen rather than the honorable mention at least some could've been for the episodes that didn't quite make the cut.well, the heartfelt tribute to the memory of host Gene Rayburn at least partly makes up for that.also interesting is the original black-&-white pilot produced in 1962. about the only thing the two approaches have in common is host Gene Rayburn. this original prosaic version of the game wasn't exactly the 11:00 news, but it's still played less broadly and so seems positively somber by comparison.so you won't regret the purchase, even if you do regret that quite a few highlights fell short of the standards of whoever was in charge of the compilation. there's room and then some for The Best Of Match Game Vol. 2, and i'm pretty sure there's demand as well.meantime, thank God the reruns are still running GSN.

I took off a star ONLY because, like others, I don't know what makes this a "best of" collection. For example, Disc 1 starts with Episodes 1 and 3. Why? There was nothing special about those two episodes, which happened to have the same "champ" carried over. Who cares lol? Also, the viewers see only part of some episodes. I understand that they carried over, so some episodes weren't "complete," but not always. A better selection of episodes should have been possible.That said, the set arrived quickly and in perfect condition, it's well-packaged, and every disc played. It's fun to watch these reruns and see stars as they appeared decades ago.A few observations, unrelated to my rating: The show, later, put too much emphasis on busybody Brett Somers. You can thank her for subsequent MG reincarnations allowing every star to get involved when the contestants choose ONE star to match, and allowing stars to "peek" at each others answers. Sadly, they moved her to the top tier, favorite Richard Dawson to the bottom (where, if a contestant only needed one, two, or three matches, Dawson's answers weren't even revealed). Plus, they had to come up with a "wheel" during the star-match portion to give every star a chance, because no one was picking Brett Somers to match.Also interesting, is how boring some of the guest stars were, Vicki Lawrence, Michael Landon, Ed Asner for example, while some were great: Patti Deutsch, Betty White, Debralee Scott...I'd recommend this if only to see and remember how popular stars looked way back then. The original ads for discontinued products and defunct companies are fun to watch, too.

I just received my copy of the 4-Disc DVD set of "The Best of Match Game" a few days ago and have been having fun with it every since. I jumped between all 4 discs, watching certain episodes, just to see what is on this set. Yes, there is a slight defect on disc 1 where it tends to skip 2 scenes over, rather than to the next scene after the original commercial breaks. Don't know why it is doing that, but other than that, all the other discs seem fine. Also, the main menu could have been more readable, so to better understand where you want to go next while viewing different episodes.Even if you are not into game shows, this DVD set is a must for any fan of crazy, late 70's/early 80's television comedies because Match Game always featured some of the best celebrities that were big in this genre at the time the show was in production---Vickie Lawrence, Arte Johnson, Betty White, Fannie Flagg and Jack Klugman to name a few, plus the incredible comedic talents of the show's regulars, Brett Sommers (Jack's wife), Richard Dawson, Charles Nelson Riley and of course, the show's host, Gene Rayburn. With the exception of Betty White and Richard Dawson, most of the other key Match Game celebs including its host, have passsed on.It is such a pleasure to see these vintage episodes again (now on DVD) after so many years, even though they have been around for many years on GSN (Game Show Network). The famous Match Game set, complete with orange shag carpet and plastered/glittery wall designs seems like a blast from the 70's past all over again and that memorable, funky, disco-fied theme music will most definitely get you humming to the Match Game beat all over again. But somehow the show still looks somewhat fresh, even by today's high-tech television standards. For anyone who is into television trivia, the 70's/80's version of Match Game was taped at the famous Stage 33 (now the Bob Barker Studio) at CBS Television City in Hollywood, which was also home to The Carol Burnett Show and The Price Is Right (still to this day) at the same time Match Game was in production, sharing the same CBS stage with 2 other CBS classics.

item came in stated time frame and in condition described. Love the look at an old seriesi used to enjoy.