Line #17 Series/Tattletales


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3	GameShow[=/=]PanelGame hybrid created by Ira Skutch and produced by Creator/MarkGoodson-Bill Todman Productions. A loose {{revival}} of ''Series/HeSaidSheSaid'', it was hosted by Bert Convy and saw three celebrity couples trying to match answers. Only one half of each couple played the game onstage; the other half was placed offstage with headphones. Each episode of the show was directed by Creator/PaulAlter.
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5	Originally, the show used a format wherein Convy would ask a question, and whichever spouse was onstage would ring in and relate a similar experience. If the offstage half could match the description given a one- or two-word clue, they would receive a cash award. These questions alternated with "''Tattletales'' Quickies", or multiple-choice questions involving incidents in the couples' lives. In June 1974, the format was retooled to include only the "Quickie" clues. On all versions, the game was played in four rounds -- two with the husbands onstage, and two with the wives onstage. Any money won by the celebrity couples was divided among StudioAudience members sitting in sections that corresponded to that couple — red, yellow (or "banana", as Convy called it), and blue.
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7	The show ran from 1974 to 1978 on Creator/{{CBS}} (with a concurrent syndicated run in the 1977-78 season) and was brought back from 1982 to 1984, again with Convy as host. This version was replaced in June 1984 with ''Series/BodyLanguage'', another Goodson creation and another revival (this one of 1975's ''Series/{{Showoffs}}''). A revival of ''Tattletales'', under the new name ''About Last Night,'' was announced for HBO Max in early 2022. Co-produced and hosted by NBA star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha, the series premiered in February of that year, but was pulled from the service that August.
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9	!!This show provides examples of:
10	* AdvertisingCampaigns: One Creator/{{GSN}} promo featured some couples laughing as they were introduced, after which the date of their future divorce popped up on the screen. The tagline? "Nothing Ruins a Marriage Quicker than a Tattletale."
11	* AprilFoolsDay: A couple of times during the show's original run, Bert would ask a fake question to the ladies while they were backstage, then revealed the deception to everyone after they went into isolation and that each rooting section would receive $100 automatically.
12	* TheAnnouncer: Jack Clark announced in 1974, followed by Gene Wood for the rest of the original series. Johnny Olson announced the revival.
13	* ColourCodedMultiplayer: The aforementioned Red-Banana-Blue motif.
14	* ADayInTheLimelight: Convy, along with his wife Anne, occasionally got the chance to play the game while [[Series/MatchGame Gene Rayburn]], [[Series/ThePriceIsRight Bob Barker]], [[Series/{{Showoffs}} Bobby Van]], [[Series/NowYouSeeIt Jack]] [[Series/{{Concentration}} Narz]], or [[Series/FamilyFeud Richard Dawson]] would take over hosting duties.
15	* FishEyeLens: Used in the intro.
16	* GameShowHost: Bert Convy. Occasionally, he would sit on the panel (with his then-wife, Anne) and hand hosting duties over to another Goodson-Todman host (usually [[Series/MatchGame Gene Rayburn]]).
17	** At least one week featured two established hosts, and soon-to-join-the-club Country Singer [[Series/WheelOfFortune Chuck]] [[Series/LoveConnection Woolery]] appearing as contestants.
18	* GuestHost: Convy wanted to sit on the panel, so a rotation of guest hosts ensued.
19	* InSeriesNickname: "Banana" for the yellow section of the audience. Orson Bean went one step further and called the red section "the Pimentos", although this usually didn't stick.
20	* OpeningNarration: "Everyone in this arena has a money stake in one of our famous couples! The red section has its money on (male celebrity) and his wife, (name). The yellow section backs (male celebrity) and his wife, (name). The blue section is betting on (male celebrity) and his wife, (name). As we play the game of celebrity gossip, ''Tattletales''! On the first few episodes, "red section/yellow section/blue section" were "rooting section number one/two/three" respectively, and by 1975, the introduction of the panel was done away with entirely. The 1980s revival shortened it even further to "It's the game of celebrity gossip, ''Tattletales''!"
21	* SoundProofBooth: While the husbands were onstage, the wives were in a different room wearing headphones, and then brought "onscreen" via closed-circuit television.
22	* StudioAudience: The audience was divided into "rooting" sections corresponding to each couple. Any money won by a couple was split evenly among the members of their section, and the high scorer's section received a $1,000 bonus.
23	* WritersCannotDoMath: At the end of each show, the highest-scoring couple received a $1,000 bonus for their section. If two couples tied for the high score, each received a $500 bonus. A three-way tie was more...problematic, getting rounded up to $334.

Context Series / Tattletales