You Don't Say! is an American television game show that had three separate runs on television. The first version aired on NBC daytime from April 1, 1963, to September 26, 1969, with revivals on ABC in 1975 and in syndication from 1978 to 1979. The last two incarnations were executive produced by Ralph Andrews and produced (with Gary Hunt) and directed by Bill Carruthers.
NBC broadcasts were produced by Ralph Andrews-Bill Yagemann Productions in association with Desilu Productions (later Paramount Television). Ralph Andrews Productions produced both of the 1970s versions, with the ABC series produced in association with the Carruthers Company and Warner Bros. Television and the syndicated series produced in association with Viacom Enterprises.
Tom Kennedy hosted the original You Don't Say! and the 1975 revival while Jim Peck hosted the 1978 series. John Harlan was the announcer for almost the entire run of the series in its various incarnations, except for part of 1963 when Jay Stewart announced.
Similar to the announcer's function on Password, either Stewart or Harlan would whisper the name being guessed, along with a description.
Game play
NBC
Two teams competed, each composed of a celebrity and a contestant. The object was to convey the name of a famous person or character by giving clues, leading to words that sounded like part of the person's name (near the end of the run, places were also used as subjects). The contestant then had to sound the words out to figure out the person in question. The celebrities were not allowed to use anything that might give away the answer or to give a clue that would lead to the proper name of the person. They also could not say the clue to the contestant, with the penalty being loss of control for any violation. Each correct guess won a point, with three points winning the game.
For example: Clue #1: The part of the car that contains fuel is the gas... (Tank) Clue #2: The automobile is more commonly called a... (Car) Clue #3: George Washington is on the one-dollar... (Bill) Tank + Car + Bill = Tinkerbell
Or: Clue #1: A person who can't hear is... (Deaf) Clue #2: The fifth letter of the alphabet is... (E) Clue #3: When you park your boat, you tie it to the ... (Dock) Deaf + E + Dock = Daffy Duck
Proper names could not be used as clues, such as "Our president who was married to Jackie Onassis was named John F..." for "Kennedy". Clue-givers were also not allowed to describe a word that is spelled like part of the name.
The winning contestant played the Bonus Board for a chance at $300. A famous name (sent in by a home viewer) was given to the celebrity, who tried to convey the name to the contestant by way of clues. Guessing the word on the first clue won $300. Each additional clue reduced the value by $100. The celebrity could help on all three clues.
If the contestant won the front game 3–0, winning the Bonus Board on the first clue awarded the $300 plus a new car, usually a Pontiac. In this situation, the celebrity was not allowed to help on the first clue.
Home viewers whose Bonus Board clue led to a car win also won a special prize. At one point this was 100,000 Top Value trading stamps, then one million stamps.
Players on the daytime version stayed until losing twice or winning seven times (NBC's limit at the time). On the primetime version, two new players competed for the entire show with a trip awarded to whoever won the most cash.
ABC
When the show returned in 1975, it also returned with a new format influenced largely by the success of CBS's Match Game. The two teams were replaced by two individual players competing with the assistance of four celebrities on a panel.
The celebrities once again tried to convey the identity of a famous person or place to the contestants. One celebrity gave a clue to the controlling contestant, who had five seconds to guess who it was with a correct word guess. If it wasn't guessed, the next celebrity in line gave a clue to the next contestant. This continued until one player guessed the word, with a maximum of four clues. A correct guess on the first clue was worth $200, and decreased in $50 increments for each clue needed afterward. $500 won the game and a chance to win $10,000 more at the Bonus Board.