The Movie Masters
A panel game show identifying movie scenes behind a puzzle board.
The Movie Masters is an American television panel game show that aired on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable network from August 2, 1989, to January 19, 1990. It was the last game show hosted by Gene Rayburn. The regular panel included Clive Barnes, Kitty Carlisle, and Peggy Cass.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Alan Goodman; Albie Hecht
- Executive producers
- Fred Seibert
- Alan Goodman
- Albie Hecht
- Presenter
- Gene Rayburn
- Narrator
- Peter Pratt
- Country
- United States
- Seasons
- 1
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Company
- Chauncey Street Productions
Facts from the source article.
Game play
Each episode kicked off with the announcer naming Cass, who then introduced Barnes, followed by Carlisle, and finally Rayburn, with the hostess leading him out. Players had to figure out a well-known movie scene hidden behind a nine-square board. Each square held a film-related question sorted by category, often a fill-in-the-blank quote reminiscent of Rayburn’s earlier show Match Game. Getting a question right uncovered that square; two wrong answers in a category locked that square for good, since only two questions were prepared per category. A winning panelist secured a prize package for a home viewer, with the value tied to how many questions they answered correctly. Instead of buzzers, panelists were called on in order, each getting a turn before the others were asked.
Production
The Movie Masters was among American Movie Classics' first original series. Chauncey Street Productions parent Fred/Alan, Inc. had collaborated with Josh Sapan for several years at Showtime before he oversaw AMC at Rainbow Media; based on that work, he thought Chauncey Street might have ideas for an AMC series. Chauncey Street majordomo Albie Hecht, who loved game shows, and Fred/Alan principal Alan Goodman developed the concept, aiming to recreate the salad days of broadcast network quiz shows. After dozens of casting calls that included speaking with Betty Comden and Margaret Whiting, the production decided to replicate a classic quiz show lineup, landing on Gene Rayburn as host and Peggy Cass, Clive Barnes, and Kitty Carlisle as panelists.
More in AMC Original Programming
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