TVSquad

Listen up, game show wonks and wonkettes! If you haven't gotten enough of the Match Game episodes that GSN has been airing for years, then you will want to sit in front of the television on Thanksgiving weekend. Not only will the network air a marathon of classic Match Game episodes, but it will also premiere a new documentary, and show a rare black-and-white episode of the first incarnation of the series from the 1960's. This, on the heels of the release of the Best of Match Game DVD only a few days before Turkey Day.

It will all begin on Saturday, November 25th, with a three-hour marathon of shows, which will air from 8 to 11pm. Included will be two episodes where host Gene Rayburn comes out with a drink in his hand and a syndicated 1981 episode where semi-regular McLean Stevenson takes over as host while Gene sits with the panel. At 3:30 am the next morning, during GSN's black-and-white overnight slot, the network will show a rare 1960's version of The Match Game, which was also hosted by Gene Rayburn. If you have never seen the first version of the show it may be something you want to set the recorder for because it is very different from the show that aired in the 1970's and early 80's.

Finally, at 8 pm on November 26th, GSN will air Match Game: Behind the Blanks, the first in a series of game show documentaries. The program will briefly touch on the original game of the 60's, but its main focus will be the mega-hit version that aired on CBS. I'm sure they'll touch on the fact that many of the players, and the host himself, were a tad drunk sometimes during taping. But hey, that's what made the show so good.