# If I said "Match Game", who immediately springs to mind? (think of them before opening this topic) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 5, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787 "2016-08-05T00:06:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/1 "2016-08-05T00:06:06Z")
Well? Who was it you thought of? Poll coming, give me time to write it. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/2 "2016-08-05T00:09:36Z")
Gene Rayburn, first. Followed by, in this order: Richard Dawson Brett Somers Charles Nelson Reilly Then… Alec Baldwin (Host of the new American version.) Seán Cullen (Regular panelist on the new Canadian version.) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/3 "2016-08-05T00:19:33Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Seán Cullen (Regular panelist on the new Canadian version.) Checking to see the host…it’s not new, I just missed it when it was. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/4 "2016-08-05T00:24:36Z")
First was: Alec Baldwin - cuz I’m watching the new version. Leslie Jones - because she was on it recently and that whole racist twitter stuff that happened to her. Jack McBrayer - cuz he was on a couple of times and I love that little doofus. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/5 "2016-08-05T00:32:17Z")
Brett Somers was the first name. I had Gene Rayburn and Reilly pictured in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/6 "2016-08-05T00:48:03Z")
Charles Nelson Reilly because of the great job Alec Baldwin did playing him in an SNL sketch. Also because every time I watched it, I was like who the Hell is CNR? Should I know who he is? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/7 "2016-08-05T00:59:05Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Charles Nelson Reilly because of the great job Alec Baldwin did playing him in an SNL sketch. Also because every time I watched it, I was like who the Hell is CNR? Should I know who he is? [The Ghost and Mrs. Muir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_%26_Mrs._Muir_(TV_series)). It ran from 1968-70 and was based on a 1947 movie and a 1945 book. Reilly played the descendant of a 19th century sea captain whose spirit haunts a New England cottage. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/8 "2016-08-05T01:22:19Z")
Betty White was first, but very quickly followed by Gene Rayburn and then Allen Ludden. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/9 "2016-08-05T15:45:01Z")
In order: Gene Rayburn’s Microphone The funky music Gene Rayburn Johnny Olsen CNR Brett Somers ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/10 "2016-08-05T15:49:28Z")
Gene Rayburn, followed closely by Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, and then the rest of the half drunk panel, whose names I forget. ETA: oh, yeah, Betty White. And, of course, sexually suggestive banter and double entendres galore. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/11 "2016-08-05T16:11:56Z")
Gene Rayburn. No one else was close. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/12 "2016-08-05T16:12:08Z")
Without looking at the poll or the other posts, Gene Rayburn, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Riley, Richard Dawson, Betty White, Nipsy Russell, McLean Stevenson, Gary Burghoff, Patty Deutsch, Fanny Flagg. I’m sure some of those names are spelled incorrectly. I also think of John Boy from the Waltons, Richard Thomas maybe? He was on in the early parts of the second run of the show, before they allowed Rayburn and cast to loosen up and have fun with it. My recollection from those episodes (through reruns, I was a toddler at the time) is that they were awful to the point of being unwatchable. ETA: I see I hit most of the options in the poll. I forgot about Johnny Olsen – he was a big part of the show. And while I know Bill Daily was on, I don’t really associate him with Match Game. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/13 "2016-08-05T16:35:47Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Also because every time I watched it, I was like who the Hell is CNR? Should I know who he is? [This will give you all the information you need.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnapb-30hA) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/14 "2016-08-05T17:08:45Z")
CNR was the first, and if I could have voted for two Brett Somers would have been right there with him. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/15 "2016-08-05T17:24:02Z")
Gene Rayburn first, then Richard Dawson. I would have had to think for a bit to come up with any other names, but the theme music came to me almost immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/16 "2016-08-05T17:34:51Z")
Gene Rayburn and his weird lollipop microphone ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/17 "2016-08-05T18:27:00Z")
To be honest, the first person I thought of was [Amanda Brooke Perrin](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5926441/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t33), because we know each other. We’ve done sets in the same show a few times. She’s very funny. If she’s touring near you, see her. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/18 "2016-08-05T18:27:44Z")
The first thing that jumped to mind was a match head, as my brain is weird like that. But then a face, who I looked and found was Gene Rayburn. ---
**Author:** ![jsquire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jsquire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsquire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/19 "2016-08-05T18:30:30Z")
Until GSN came around, there were few things in life I missed more than Match Game. And nobody on earth looked like he was having more fun at his job than Gene Rayburn. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787/20 "2016-08-06T07:36:27Z")
CNR came to me first, followed shortly by Rayburn and Somers. By the way, in one of the sketches Mick Jagger appeared in when he hosted SNL about three years ago, he was gay and (to me, at least) clearly adopting Reilly as his model. Further by the way, I thought at the time that Reilly was merely British, or Irish, or something, and that Paul Lynde was merely something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-said-match-game-who-immediately-springs-to-mind-think-of-them-before-opening-this-topic/761787.md?page=2)