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Friday Flashback: Celebrity Squares

Before TV made stars self-distance there was 1975's Celebrity Squares (and you won't believe the guests!).

Before TV was self-distancing and putting personalities at 1.5m apart, there was Celebrity Squares, Nine’s local adaptation of Hollywood Squares.

It was hosted by the late, great Jimmy Hannan from 1975 -76.

In this episode, amazingly it features ABBA (no need for social distancing back than) and Laugh-In‘s Arte Johnson.

Seven later screened All Star Squares hosted by Ian Rogerson from 1999. Watch for the moment the stars discreetly refer to their cheat sheet notes before answering.

14 Responses

  1. if Australia did a modern version of this it would be all reality tv contestants, cause somehow going on a reality game show makes you a star and your opinion seems to matter

    1. I find some reality stars to be more entertaining than other types of celebrities.
      Chrissie Swan, Yvie Jones and Ryan Fitzgerald to name a few.

  2. What a fantastic find!
    And from the comments above, more reminders of how much of our TV history has been lost. I guess it all seemed pretty disposable at the time.

    To think that megastars like ABBA would deign to play along on a cheesy low budget game show from down under! The things you have to do when you are on the promotional treadmill!

    Oh, and the studio audience sounds rather thin…..a few dozen folks at most it seems.

  3. Ten had Celebrity Squares, which they renamed Personality Squares (presumably some issue with naming rights). It ran from 1967-69 (John Bailey et al.) and was revived in 1981 (Jimmy Hannan).

    Nine had Celebrity Squares 1975-76 (Jimmy Hannan).

    Seven had All-Star Squares 1999 (Ian ‘Dano’ Rogerson).

    Which was an awful lot of remakes of Hollywood Squares, which is the one I remember watching.

    1. Yep, the first time I walked into Studio A at TEN10’s original studios in North Ryde in January 1968, the set was occupying it – it was a big studio and a big set!!! I’m pretty sure at that time it was still “Celebrity” Squares …

  4. Celebrirty Squares is one of the shows I remember quite clearly from the 70’s. And the prize of a holiday at The Coconut Grove on The Gold Coast seemed so exotic.
    TEN also resurrected it as Personality Squares, I think in the 90’s.

      1. Not sure about it being the 90’s. I might be thinking of a 1981 version on TEN with Jimmy Hannan. I thought TEN did one later on with a different host, but can’t find anything online.

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