Body Language (game show)
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| Body Language | |
|---|---|
 Body Language title logo. |
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| Format | Game Show |
| Created by | Mark Goodson, Bill Todman |
| Starring | Tom Kennedy - host Johnny Olson, Gene Wood, Bob Hilton - announcers |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | June 4, 1984 – January 3, 1986 |
Body Language was a television game show, created by Mark Goodson Television Productions. Based on the party game charades, it aired from June 4, 1984, until January 3, 1986, on CBS. Tom Kennedy hosted the Mark Goodson production. Johnny Olson announced until his death in October 1985; Gene Wood and Bob Hilton shared the announcing duties afterward.
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[edit] Premise
The show pitted two teams against each other, each consisting of a contestant and a celebrity guest. The gameplay had two elements. The main gameplay centered around the party game charades, but contestants also had to solve word puzzles to win money. Each episode contained one full game.
[edit] 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 his/her partner to say as many of five words or phrases as possible. The clue-giver could not talk or use props, including their own clothing. They instead had to "pantomime" (as host Kennedy referred to it) the words. The actor could pass on any words he/she wished and come back if time remained. If an illegal clue was given (e.g., saying a word), 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).[1]
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).[1]
The team that reached $500 first won the game.[1] It was common for neither team to reach that mark after two rounds, since the only way to do so would be to win one's own second round puzzle and steal his/her opponent's.[1] A playoff round was used if neither team reached $500. In this round, there was no acting, and a new puzzle was shown. Contestants again took turns choosing a blank to reveal and guessing the puzzle until one guessed correctly, won the extra $250 and the game. The championship player was given the choice to start or have his/her opponent start.
[edit] Sweepstakes
The winning team played a bonus round. Originally the celebrity player acted out the words; later in the run, beginning in June 10, 1985, the civilian player chose which team member would act and which would guess. 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. Each correct word was worth $100.[1] At the end of the first half, unlike the previous rounds, a contestant was informed of what words he/she 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 words or phrases.[1] 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.[1]
[edit] 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 in 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.
[edit] Tournaments
In the summer of 1985, Body Language had a month-long "Teen Week." The teens played the standard game; any winnings up to $2500 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 $2500 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 64 computer.
[edit] Broadcast History
Body Language, in effect a revival of the ill-fated 1975 ABC game Showoffs, replaced the second version of Mark Goodson's Tattletales at 4 p.m./3 Central. Although its sole network competition on ABC, 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 morning games like The Price Is Right and The $25,000 Pyramid did. As such, CBS cancelled the game in early 1986 in favor of a revival of Goodson's Card Sharks. The program succeeding Body Language in the 4/3 slot, Press Your Luck, would become the last-ever major network show to air in that timeslot.
[edit] Episode status
All episodes are intact. GSN is currently airing this show on Sunday and Monday late nights at 2:00 a.m.
[edit] 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, he or she won $7,000 + $1,000 per leftover chance. If they got one puzzle, he or she got $500.
