Celebrity Charades, when it launched in the winter of 1979, was a spiritual successor to Mike Stokey's legendary Pantomime Quiz and its follow-up, Stump The Stars. Unfortunately, Charades lasted just the one season, co-produced by Columbia Pictures Television.
Jay Johnson (Soap) serves as the series host, aided by his puppet, Squeaky. In the series opener, our 8 stars include Caren Kaye (ex-Blansky's Beauties), Debra Clinger (The American Girls, ex-The Krofft Supershow), Richard Paul (Carter Country), Ted Lange (The Love Boat), Rip Taylor (The $1.98 Beauty Show), Johnny Brown (ex-Good Times, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), and Bowzer (Sha Na Na).
Hmmm, a decided ABC vibe, no?
Inexplicably, Charades was revived a few years ago, under the guidance of husband & wife actors Chad Lowe & Hilary Swank for AMC. It, too, lasted one season.
Locally, the 1979 Charades aired on the same channel that had the rights to Sha Na Na. All this did was reinforce the fact that Bowzer (Jon Bauman) was also enough of a game show fanatic, such that he'd also appear on Match Game & Password Plus before losing the grease for a few years and landing a couple of hosting gigs of his own, which we've previously discussed (The Pop 'N' Rocker Game & The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, both in 1983). He'd later appear without the grease on Super Password.
Rating: B.
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