Make the Connection


Aired
NBC Primetime, Thursday, July 7, 1955 – Thursday, September 29, 1955
Number of episodes
13
Run time
30 Minutes
Host
Jim McKay July Gene Rayburn August-September
Announcers
Lee Vines Durward Kirby
Origination
Century Theatre, New York City, New York

Make the Connection was a different kind of short-lived, Goodson-Todman panel show.

Game format[]

Two contestants with a special connection with each other, sat on opposite sides of the host (i.e. McKay/Rayburn) and facing a panel of four celebrities. The panel's job was to figure out what the connection is. Each panelist had 30 seconds to ask the contestants. Each time a panelist's time ran out and the connection was not guessed, the team won $25. The panel was stumped if they did not guess the connection after three minutes (3:00) of questioning, making the possible total of $150 for the team.

Like most Goodson-Todman panel shows, a celebrity guest would visit and try to stump the panel. One notable guest was the monkey J. Fred Muggs from the Today Show.

Personnel[]

Host: Jim McKay, Gene Rayburn
Announcer: Lee Vines, Durward Kirby
Executive Producer: Gil Fates
Producer: Chester Feldman
Director: Jerome Schnur
Music Director: Jack Shaindlin

Panelists[]

Regular Panelists were:

Trivia[]

Gene Rayburn made his debut as a game show host on this show.

Merchandise[]

No Merchandise

Photos[]

Main Article: Make the Connection/Photos

Episode Status[]

Twelve of the thirteen episodes exist, including three McKay episodes, with eleven of them being held by UCLA. GSN (or Game Show Network) has occasionally shown an episode (mostly those hosted by Rayburn) in its "black and white" programming blocks. The status of the premiere is unknown. It also aired twice on Buzzr as part of its annual "Lost & Found" week in 2017 & in 2021.