The spirit of 1976: Remembering Richard Dawson's 'Family Feud,' 'The Gong Show,' 4 more game shows from a crazy TV year

Fifty years ago this month, "Family Feud" arrived, changing the TV game show forever. Here's a look at six shows that made 1976 such a special year in game show history:

"Family Feud" (ABC)

The original incarnation of "Feud," hosted by British actor-comedian Richard Dawson ("Hogan's Heroes"), was the first quiz show based on what we would now call crowdsourced opinions, as opposed to those hard, cold, just-the-facts of (say) "Jeopardy!." Before this, Dawson had been a panelist on long-running "Match Game," while "Feud" was a spinoff of that show's "Super Match Bonus" round. (Everything about this family-versus-family quizzer was different, notably Dawson's creepy penchant for kissing female contestants as much as for his lightning-fast repartee. (The so-called Kissing Bandit met his second wife, Gretchen Johnson, when she was a contestant.) Dawson spent 10 seasons on "Feud," which continues today with Steve Harvey, who has logged 16 years as host.

"The Gong Show" (ABC)

This truly bonkers talent contest hosted by Chuck Barris featured three panelists who struck a giant gong whenever said talent failed to meet their aesthetic criteria, such as it was. Improbably, quite a few before-they-were-famous performers embarrassed themselves here (Paul Reubens, Andrea McArdle) and some of the panelists too (David Letterman among them). But Barris was never looking for "talent" as much as a way to shock the audience. There were lots of innuendos and double-entendres  here, alongside Barris's manic effrontery of good taste. "Gong" only lasted a couple of seasons, but alternately offended/amused plenty of viewers.

"Double Dare" (CBS)

This notably serious gamer ("a mix of knowledge and nerves") was hosted by a Canadian-born host who would go on to become the most famous of all. Still six years away from "Jeopardy!" glory, Alex Trebek was the alt-universe equivalent of Barris and Dawson: All business, and absolutely no kissing. Two contestants in isolation booths got clues to answer a tough question, and when stumped, "dared" the rival contestant to get the answer. Alas, "Double Dare" lasted but a few months. Other than the name, this show had nothing in common with Nickelodeon's iconic game show 1986-'93). Green slime — remember?

"Hot Seat" (ABC)  

  

Launching the same day as "Family Feud," "Hot Seat" was all about family dynamics too, but in a way no one had ever quite anticipated on a TV game show — a husband and wife guess personal answers about each other while hooked to a polygraph, or galvanic skin response device. The   r game show, hosted by Jim Peck, was designed to expose contestants' secret thoughts while each had to guess what the other was lying about, based on the squealing sound effects from the polygraph. Too much squealing, not enough drama, "Hot Seat" lasted only through the summer.

"I've Got a Secret" (CBS)

Audiences in 1976 would have instantly, and fondly, recalled this panel game from the early days of TV (cocreated by Allan "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" Sherman). A contestant comes on stage, whispers a secret to the host — Bill Cullen, for this edition — then the four-person celebrity panel had to guess what the secret was. (Rodney Dangerfield was one of the guests, while the ubiquitous Dawson was a panelist on this reboot.) But this version only lasted four episodes (although several more revivals would air in subsequent years).

"Battle of the Network Stars" (ABC)

"They came girding for battle, to hurl themselves against one another in mortal combat, all lusting for victory at any cost, and when they met, it was called the Battle of the Network Stars ..." So began the introduction by William Conrad ("Cannon") to this surprisingly durable primetime competition game that so perfectly captured the kitschy heart of the kitschiest decade. Sure, this was a send-up of sorts (Howard Cosell was the host), and clearly designed for an audience in-on-the-joke. But it was also a real competition, while contestants got a promotional wallop for themselves and their respective shows. The winning team for the premiere was, conveniently enough, ABC, whose stars didn't need all that much promotion anyway. Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Lynda Carter, Gabe Kaplan, Ron Howard and Penny Marshall were among the conquering heroes who competed at relay races, tug-of-war, and obstacle courses.