Beginning as a local series on Los Angeles station KTLA in November 1962 (with Jack Barry hosting), this American television game show had three separate runs on network television. The first version aired on NBC from April 1963 to September 1969 with revivals on ABC in 1975 and in syndication from 1978 to 1979.
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 the various incarnations, except for part of 1963 where Jay Stewart announced.
Two teams, each composed of one celebrity captain and one non-celebrity contestant, competed.
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.
The contestant then had to sound the words out to figure out the person in question.
A round continued until the name was identified or five clues had been used.
The first team to score three points won the round (and the cash) and the opportunity to play the bonus round, where a larger cash prize was offered for identifying a famous name in one clue.
Players competed until they were defeated by losing two games.
When the show was revived in 1975, the format changed with the two teams now replaced by two individual players competing with the assistance of four celebrities on a panel, in the style of The Match Game.
Celebrity guests included Betty White, Richard Long, June Lockhart, John Astin, Vincent Price, Mary Tyler Moore, Cesar Romero, Leonard Nimoy, Larry Hovis, Paul Lynde, Lee Marvin, Nancy Sinatra, Jonathan Harris, Jackie Coogan, Peter Falk, Bob Crane, Robert Reed, Agnes Moorehead, Dennis Weaver, William Shatner and Juliet Prowse.
Host
Tom Kennedy
Jim Peck Announcer
John Harlan
Jay Stewart
Two teams, each composed of one celebrity captain and one non-celebrity contestant, competed.
