TATTLETALES ORIGINAL AIRDATES GUIDE


In the mid-70s, Tattletales was one of my favorite game shows. I watched it and Match Game every afternoon when getting home from school.

I used to keep written records of this show and other game shows, and what puzzled me was the unusual way in which CBS aired the show - especially in the first year. After doing a fair bit of research, here is the definitive guide to original air dates for 1974. 1975 is also now up (see link at bottom). Other years will be added as time permits.
This list is taken from TVGuide listings, GSN reruns, my own notes and memories, online listings and logical deduction! See my notes at certain points explaining the rationale...


DATE - CELEBRITY COUPLES

Feb 18-22 - Dick Gautier, Jerry Stiller, Elaine Joyce
Feb 25-Mar 1 - Orson Bean, Phyllis Diller, William Shatner
Mar 4-8 - Patty Duke Astin, Pat Harrington, Elaine Joyce
Mar 11-15 - Steve Allen, Gary Collins, Dick Gautier
Mar 18-22 - Joyce Bulafont, Greg Mullavey, Elaine Joyce
Mar 25-29 - Bill Cullen, Allen Ludden, Chuck Woolery

*On Apr 11th, CBS pre-empted the show with a children's ballet special. That threw the cycle off so that new celebrities were starting on a Tuesday. TVGuide confirms this

Apr 1-5 - Steve Allen, Jack Narz, Jo Anne Worley
Apr 9, 10, 12,13, 15 - Ken Berry, Gary Crosby, Pat Harrington

*either in mid- or late-April, CBS altered the way they aired the series. Instead of showing all 5 shows with a group consecutively, they began alternating two weeks at a time, where it was one group one day, another the next, and back to the first the day after. TVGuide didn't pick up on this for quite a while, but I can assure you it WAS taking place as early as sometime in April.

Apr 16, 18, 22, 24, 26 - Orson Bean, Alejandro Rey, Elaine Joyce
Apr 17, 19, 23, 25, 29 - James Brolin, Dick Gautier, Patti Deutsch
Apr 30, May 2, 6, 8, 10 - Ken Berry, Jack Carter, Elaine Joyce
May 1, 3, 7, 9, 13 - Pat Harrington, Allen Ludden, Gavin MacLeod
May 14, 16, 20, 22, 24 - Gary Crosby, Robert Culp, Chris George
May 15, 17, 21, 23, 27 - Dick Gautier, Greg Morris, Jerry Stiller
May 28, 30, June 3, 5, 7 - Orson Bean, Janet Lennon, Glenn Ford
May 29, 31, June 4, 6, 10 - Jack Carter, Chad Everett, Cheryl Ladd
June 11, 13, 17, 19, 21 - John Astin, Charlie Brill, Scoey Mitchlll (*this is the week they started experimenting with all "quickies")
June 12, 14, 18, 20, 24 - Amanda Blake, William Shatner, Elaine Joyce
June 25, 27, July 1, 3, 5 - Bob Crane, Fabian, Elena Verdugo (*all "quickies" format made permanent)
June 26, 28, Julyl 2, 4, 8 - Dick Gautier, Bobby Troup, Rona Barrett

*these next two weeks might have been run in chronological order; but after so many years I really can't remember. The first two episodes of the week that Bert Convy played were repeated on CBS on Sept 5 and 6. This I'm certain of.

July 9-12, 15 - Bert Convy, Harvey Korman, Jo Anne Worley
July 16-19, 22 - Monty Hall, Patti Deutsch, Elaine Joyce

*they for sure were alternating again starting July 23rd

July 23, 25, 29, 31, Aug 2 - Charlie Brill, Alejandro Rey, Ross Martin
July 24, 26, 30, Aug 1, 5 - Orson Bean, Lyle Waggoner, Jessica Walter

*there were pre-emtions on Aug 8 and 9, likely because of Nixon's resignation

Aug 6, 12, 14, 16, 20 - Army Archerd, Robert Culp, Pat Harrington
Aug 7, 13, 15, 19, 21 - Joe Campanella, Allen Ludden, Scoey Mitchlll
Aug 22, 26, 28, 30, Sept 3 - Jack Carter, Chad Everett, Kaye Stevens
Aug 23, 27, 29, Sept 2, 4 - Gene Barry, Phyllis Diller, Patti Deutsch
Sept 9, 11, 13, 17, 19 - Bill Cullen, Bill Macy, Elaine Joyce
Sept 10, 12, 16, 18, 20 - Jim Backus, Charlie Brill, Max Julian
Sept 23, 25, 27, Oct 1, 3 - Robert Alda, Louis Nye, Elaine Joyce
Sept 24, 26, 30, Oct 2, 4 - Dick Gautier, Chris George, Robert Vaughn
Oct 7, 9, 11, 15, 17 - Conrad Bain, Allen Ludden, Cathy Rigby
Oct 8, 10, 14, 16, 18 - Patti Deutsch, Arlene Dahl, Willam Shatner

*there were two pre-emptions sometime in Oct which threw the cycle off two days. TVGuide confirms this. I'm pegging the pre-emptions at Oct 31 and Nov 1, but they could have occurred earlier.

Oct 21, 23, 25, 29, Nov 4 - Richard Dawson, Kaye Stevens, Bill Macy
Oct 22, 24, 28, 30, Nov 5 - Jack Carter, Chris Connelly, George Hamilton
Nov 6, 8, 12, 14, 18 - Marty Allen, Ronny Cox, Elaine Joyce
Nov 7, 11, 13, 15, 19 - Charlie Brill, Bobby Toup, Rona Barrett

*there was another pre-emption sometime in November. I'm pegging it at Nov 20, but it could have been a couple of days off. There was no show on Nov 28, which was Thanksgiving that year. These two pre-emptions throws the cycle off two more days, which TVGuide confirms, and I can verify TVGuide was right...more explanation on that in the section below:

Nov 21, 25, 29, Dec 2, 4 - Nancy Sinatra, Robert Blake, Orson Bean
Nov 22, 26, 29, Dec 3, 5 - Glenn Ford, Dick Gautier, Max Julian

*even though TVGuide still listed the alternating celebrities the next week, CBS reverted to airing them 5 consecutively again. Verification is that Gene Rayburn mentions on the Dec 9 Match Game that he and his wife will be appearing on Tattletales starting "this Friday". They must have been taping close to air date around that time because somehow he knew when the exact air date would be. I remember being disappointed I wouldn't get to see him and his wife on Tattletales that Monday as TVGuide stated and had to wait four additional days instead.

Dec 6, 9-12 - George Hamilton, Scoey Mitchlll, William Shatner
Dec 13, 16-19 - Gary Burghoff, Amanda Blake, Gene Rayburn
Dec 20, 23, 24, 26, 27 - Jimmie Walker, Chris George, Don Galloway (no show on Christmas that year)
Dec 30, 31 - Monty Hall, John McCook, Juliet Prowse (week continued in 1975)

TVGuide was pretty accurate from then on.

Here's: 1975