Blockbusters

That's game show legend, Bill Cullen, at his best hosting Blockbusters.  Steve co-created this popular NBC game show for Mark Goodson early in his career.  To this date, Blockbusters remains the most successful Goodson produced Q & A game show.  Blockbusters also earned Bill Cullen an Emmy nomination for best game show host.  

Each day, home viewers watched to see if "two heads were better than one" as a solo player was pitted against a family pair.  The object of the game was to be the first to make a connection of colored hexagons across the game board.  To balance the contest the family pair's shortest possible connection (white to white) was five blocks while the solo players shortest possible path (red to red) was four blocks. 

Blockbusters remains a popular favorite on (GSN) The Game Show Channel.

Classic Concentration

(left to right) David Schwartz, Steve Ryan and Fred Wostbrock on the set of Classic Concentration for a publicity photo used for the release of the first edition of The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows.

One of Steve's early functions for Mark Goodson was creating and writing the puzzles for Password Plus.  That's Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence playing in character as Eunice and Mama.  Legendary host Allen Ludden seems just as dumbstruck as Eunice that Mama can't guess the password.  Mark Goodson was a big fan of Carol Burnett (she loved to play Password) and often utilized her talent.  In an office run-through in preparation for the return of the new and improved Password '79 (as the show was to be titled) Carol made the comment, "…this is more than Password, it's Password plus."  Mark Goodson recognizing the elegance and genius of Carol's remark gave the show a brand new name…Password Plus!

That's Bob Eubanks hosting Trivia Trap.  Have you ever heard of a game show where you could give a wrong answer (for fewer points) if you didn't know the correct answer?  That's the essence of this Mark Goodson created game show and Steve Ryan is credited with giving the show that distinctive twist.  Steve also served as a writer and studio judge for Trivia Trap.

That's host Tom Kennedy giving last minute instruction to celebrity guest and comedy legend Lucille Ball.  One can only imagine what thoughts were going through Lucy's mind as she prepared to put her physical comedy and pantomime genius to work.  The more words a player could convey using only body language the better chance their partner had at solving the puzzle.  Whenever a show needed puzzles Steve was up to the challenge.

There were plenty of thrills and surprises as contestants competed for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes on Catch Phrase.  That's host Art James enjoying the victory celebration of a very happy contestant.  Catch Phrase was the very first game show to introduce computer animation---generating thousands of Catch Phrase puzzles.  Each show averaged more than 25 puzzles. Steve Ryan created all of the puzzles for this show. 

Moments before a taping of The Late Show, celebrity game show hosts clown around in the green room. (standing left to right) That's Dennis James, Gary Owens, Gene Rayburn, Jim Lange and Tom Kennedy who gathered to help promote The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows. (kneeling left to right) We see authors  Fred Wostbrock, David Schwartz and Steve Ryan. 

Steve Ryan joins in on the fun with new host of  Let's Make A Deal, Bob Hilton, at the NBC photo shoot to promote the show's premiere.  That's right the rebus says "Let's Make A Deal."  (Let + Z May + "K"  D + eel)

Three great hosts of the long running TV Game Show Concentration pose with Steve and one of  his rebuses.  That's Jack Narz from the seventies on the left, Ed McMahon from the sixties in the middle and Alex Trebek from the eighties and nineties on the right. 

Legendary game show icons turn out to salute fifty years of game shows:  (Standing from left to right) Charlie O'Donnell, Jack Smith, Ralph Story, Ralph Edwards, Tom Kennedy, Jack Narz, Bob Eubanks, Betty White, Ed McMahon, Charles Nelson Reilly, Alex Trebek, Peter Marshall, Bill Armstrong, and Gene Wood.  Kneeling (from left to right) are the authors of The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, David Schwartz, Steve Ryan and Fred Wostbrock.  That's right the rebus reads, "Fifty years of game shows."  

The master of The Hollywood Squares returns for a very special reunion show.  This time Peter Marshall joins other hosts and stars from game shows and plays the game from the center square.  Fred Wostbrock and Steve Ryan join Peter to promote their latest collaboration, The Ultimate TV Game Show Book -- Volume 1 from Bonus Books.  

There's that rebus again.  This time its held by three lovely ladies of game shows.  That's Diane Parkinson, Betty White and Vicki Lawrence.  To learn more about these ladies, check out The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows for fun facts and more.  

That's a very young Pat Sajak hosting a Steve Ryan game show pilot created for Goodson-Todman Productions.  As we all know, Pat went on to become the quintessential host of Wheel of Fortune.

 Another game show pilot created by Steve Ryan for Goodson-Todman Productions.  That's whispering Bill Anderson on the right.  Bill hosted several games shows but is probably better known as a country music singer, songwriter and regular host of The Grand Ole Opry.  

Decades after Bill Anderson and Steve worked together on Spellbinders,  Bill invites Steve and wife, Cathi, backstage at The Grand Ole Opry.  It was great to reminisce with Bill about the good old days when Mark Goodson and Bill Todman were still with us.