Catchphrase (U.S. game show)
| Catch Phrase | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Steve Radosh |
| Directed by | Marty Pasetta Jr. |
| Presented by | Art James |
| Narrated by | John Harlan |
| Theme music composer | Marc and Ray Ellis |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Steve Radosh |
| Running time | approx. 22-26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Pasetta Productions |
| Distributor | Telepictures Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | September 16, 1985 – January 10, 1986 |
Catch Phrase is an American game show which ran from September 16, 1985 through January 10, 1986 in syndication. The object of the show was to solve "catch phrases", which were animated picture puzzles designed to represent objects or sayings. Art James was the host of the show, his last game show hosting job before he retired from television, and John Harlan was the announcer. The program was created by Steve Radosh and produced by Pasetta Productions, with Telepictures distributing.
Although Catch Phrase did not succeed in its American run, the format found success in other countries. The British Catchphrase premiered two days after the American series came to an end in 1986 and aired weekly until 2002 on the ITV network, which brought the series back in 2013. In Australia, the show premiered in 1997 on Nine with former Aussie Wheel of Fortune host John Burgess presiding, and was known as Burgo's Catch Phrase from 1999 until it ended in 2002.
Gameplay
Two contestants competed, one usually a returning champion.
Each catch phrase was drawn on a large screen by the show's computer. Once there was enough information on the screen for the contestants to solve a catch phrase, a bell rang to alert them that they could buzz in and answer. If either player buzzed in before the bell rang, the other player was allowed to see the remainder of the catch phrase and given a free guess. If a player gave a wrong answer, the other player got a chance to guess.
Correct answers added money to a bank. To determine how much money would be added to the bank for a correctly solved catch phrase, a randomizer was used. Nine dollar values would be displayed, with the largest initial value being $200, and the challenger was given the opportunity to set the amount by stopping the randomizer.
Answering correctly gave the contestant that did so a chance to solve the Super Catch Phrase, a completed picture concealed behind nine squares. To pick a square, the contestant was given control of the randomizer and stopped it with his/her buzzer. The square that the randomizer stopped on was then removed from the board, and the contestant was given five seconds to study the puzzle and take a guess. If the contestant did so, he/she won the money in the bank and the round ended. Otherwise, play continued until someone solved the Super Catch Phrase. If the Super Catch Phrase went unsolved after all nine squares were revealed, the solution was given to the players and the bank rolled over into the next round.
The process repeated during the show as often as time permitted, and each subsequent round's catch phrases were played for higher stakes. If time was called in the middle of a round, the remaining squares in the Super Catch Phrase were revealed and the first player to buzz in and solve it won the bank.
The contestant in the lead when the game was completed was declared the day's champion and advanced to play for a bonus prize. Both players got to keep whatever cash they won, and the losing player also received parting gifts.
Bonus Round
In the bonus game, the champion faced a board of 25 squares, each concealing a catch phrase and marked with a letter from A through Y. The board was laid out in a five-by-five grid, and the champion had to make a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line by solving catch phrases. The phrase hidden behind the letter M, in the center of the board, was always the most difficult. The champion had 60 seconds to complete a line, and could pass on phrases and return to them later if desired.
The champion could win one of two bonus prizes. If the winning line did not pass through the M square, he/she won a prize with a minimum value of $5,000 - usually a trip, but sometimes a piece of merchandise such as a player piano.[1] However, if the winning line contained M, the champion won a prize worth at least $10,000, often a car or a more extravagant trip.
If the champion failed to complete a line before time expired, he/she won money for each square claimed: $200 if the M phrase was not solved, or $400 if it was.
Champions were allowed to return for five consecutive days. If a champion won on all five of those days, he/she was awarded an additional bonus prize on top of whatever he/she had won to that point. At various points in the run, that prize was a car, $10,000 in cash,[2] or one of the larger merchandise prizes featured in the bonus round.[3]
Overall, contestants on Catch Phrase could accumulate a total of $75,000. Host Art James made it a point to remind contestants and the viewing audience of this at the beginning of every episode.[4]
Mascot
The mascot for Catch Phrase was a robot named Herbie, who was gold colored and wore a blue bandanna around his neck. On occasion he would appear in catch phrases performing some action that was part of the solution to the puzzle (e.g. carrying a piece of paper with "FISHER" written on it, the solution being Carrie Fisher). Herbie's design, right down to the blue bandanna, was replicated in the British series' mascot "Mr. Chips", with the difference being Mr. Chips having a bright red nose while Herbie did not have an easily visible nose.
2006 pilot
In 2006, a pilot was taped for a possible syndicated revival of Catch Phrase, called All-New Catch Phrase. Hosted by Todd Newton and produced in association with Granada USA, the pilot ultimately did not sell.[5][6]
International versions
| Country | Local name | Host | Network | Years aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Catch Phrase | John Burgess | Nine Network | 1997–1998 |
| Burgo's Catch Phrase | 1999–2001 2002–2003 | |||
 Greece |
Bρες тη φράση Vres ti Frasi |
Miltos Makridis (1998–2000) Joyce Evidi (2000–01) |
Mega Channel | 1998–2001 |
 Indonesia |
Tebak Gambar | David Chalik | RCTI | 2001–03 |
 Poland |
O co chodzi? | Agenieszka Wróblewska | TVN | 2000 |
 United Kingdom |
Catchphrase | Roy Walker Nick Weir Mark Curry Stephen Mulhern |
ITV | 1986–99 2000–02 2002 2013–present |
| Family Catchphrase | Andrew O'Connor | The Family Channel | 1994 (only 50 episodes were produced for the short-lived series) | |
 Vietnam |
Đuổi hình Bắt chữ | Xuân Bắc | Hanoi Radio Television | 2004–2013 |
| Pham Hai Anh Nguyen Minh Tiep Luong Vu Tuan Nguyen Xuan Bac Ta Bich Loan Tran Xuan Viet Le Chi Thanh |
Thanhhoa Radio Television | 2000–2002 2002 2013–present |