Game Play: Two contestants competed. MacKrell read a question, and the studio audience pushed one of six buttons in front of them to indicate which of the stars was most likely to answer the question correctly. That instant poll determined the odds set on each celebrity. The contestants, in turn, then picked an amount to wager of their money on hand and a celebrity. At various points in the show’s run they started with either $20 or $50 apiece, and players could bet two, five, or ten dollars – unless a) they had $10 or less, in which case they could only bet two, and b) if they bet on the favorite, in which case they could bet up to $100. If the celebrity answered correctly, the contestant was paid according to the celebrity’s odds; if not, they lost the money wagered. Near the end of the show, the contestant could double the question’s worth by picking a second celebrity with the correct answer (if more than one had it). The final question’s odds were based on the number of questions the celebrity had answered correctly that day; the amount wagered was a secret until the answer was revealed, and contestant could only bet all or none of their winnings to that point. The champion returned the next day on the network edition, to a maximum of five days, with a car awarded as a bonus prize after three.

End Game: None.

Background: Celebrity Sweepstakes replaced the first game produced under Lin Bolen’s regime, Baffle, in April 1974. In the wake of the success of The Hollywood Squares and Match Game ’74, games with multiple celebrities and a lot of humor were added to daytime schedules frequently. (Tattletales, Rhyme and Reason, Break the Bank, and Hollywood Connection, all with six or more celebrities appearing daily, would follow in the next three years.) Celebrity Sweepstakes featured six quipping celebrities, and originally three contestants (whittled down to two early in the show’s run). Host Jim MacKrell (the spelling was altered slightly for television, as it was feared others would mispronounce it "mackerel") had previously run Chuck Barris’ syndicated The Game Game for one season. Maxine Fabe’s TV Game Shows alleges Lin Bolen, NBC’s daytime VP, tried to establish an image for MacKrell of "that nice boy who just might become crazy when drunk." In fact, this was not the case at all -- Fabe picked up the quote from a supermarket tabloid.

Whose Sweepstakes Are These, Anyway?: Originally a Ralph Andrews Production, the rights for Celebrity Sweepstakes gradually diverted to Burt Sugarman over the next 12 months, and then went back to Andrews by the end. I’ve had this explained to me, but I’ve forgotten how the deal went down – I’ll try to clear this up sometime soon. The theme music changed back and forth as well.

Wayne’s World: Apparently, using the boss’ wife as a regular was a common modus operandi in the ‘70s (witness Merrill Heatter’s wife Elaine Stewart on Gambit), perhaps to save a few bucks, perhaps to increase the spouse’s exposure. Carol Wayne was married during Sweepstakes’ run to producer Burt Sugarman. (To be fair, however, Wayne was a panelist before Sugarman worked on the show.) Better known as the Tea Time Lady on Johnny Carson’s Art Fern Tea Time movie sketches (for those who don’t remember, let me give an example: "King Arthur Hurts Himself on a Chastity Belt, with Mama Cass, Fatha Hines, Brother Theodore, Sister George, and Splotch the Wonder Seagull!"), she stayed with Sweepstakes over almost the entire run. After its cancellation her career went downhill, with only a few sporadic film and Carson appearances and a Playboy layout representing her later years. She divorced Sugarman in 1980, declared bankruptcy in 1984, and died in a swimming accident in 1985 at age 43. Sugarman is now married to Entertainment Tonight co-host Mary Hart.

Celebrity Sweepstakes used a number of different celebs from all facets of entertainment. Besides the list above, some others appearing included John Astin and his then-wife Patty Duke, Ted Knight, Greg Mullavey, Dody Goodman, Robert Reed, singers Gladys Knight and Olivia Newton-John. Shown here in a backstage moment are George Segal, Loretta Swit, and Jim MacKrell.

Questions and Answers: And an apology. I had been under the impression that the celebrity panelists on Celebrity Sweepstakes were furnished questions and answers in advance, as was the case on The Hollywood Squares. This is probably due to not seeing the show in 24 years, as well as seeing a disclaimer in Gil Fates’ book about What’s My Line? that he claimed was from Sweepstakes. Recently, however, I have been told by both host Jim MacKrell and producer Ralph Andrews that was not the case, that in fact the celebrities were on their own (and the pilot, which is the only episode of the series still in circulation, bears this out). Celebrities were only furnished with gag lines. I apologize for this error.

Sweeping Up: In 1976, NBC moved Sweepstakes to 10:30 a.m. to take on the second half hour of The Price Is Right, following Sanford and Son reruns. Previously, Wheel of Fortune and High Rollers had struggled there, and Sweepstakes was no exception. NBC dropped the program on October 1. The syndicated edition, which was dropped in September 1975, returned September 1976 for another year of once-a-week episodes.

• "We have a tote board showing how many questions the celebrities have answered…" Or something like that. Never shown to the audience and, considering the celebrities were being fed the answers, kind of unnecessary for the contestants too.

The Home Game: None was every issued. I suspect a home game wouldn't have been very interesting anyway; most games featuring four or more celebrity guests are difficult to rework into a home game.

Reruns: You know the story… NBC has destroyed almost all episodes to their 1970s game shows. The pilot is the only episode floating around the trading circuit, and it’s not really the best way to judge the show.

Revivals: Believe it or not, it has been discussed. I can reveal here Burt Sugarman (who bought the rights to the show 19 years ago in a friendly deal with Ralph Andrews) is considering a revival, and has been in touch with Ralph Andrews to help make it come to life. (In fact, Mr. Sugarman located Mr. Andrews with the help of yours truly after a member of his staff found this site.) Stay tuned!

Celebrity Sweepstakes is a copyrighted title of Ralph Andrews Productions and/or Burt Sugarman Productions. This page is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Ralph Andrews Productions, Burt Sugarman Productions, their subsidiaries, affiliates, or successor organizations. No challenge to their ownership is implied. Black-and-white photos originally appeared on eBay. Color photo courtesy of Matt Ottinger.

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