Goodson-Todman Productions

The topic of this page has a Wikia of its own: Mark Goodson wikia.

The Goodson-Todman logo, only seen on boxes of home games and used corporately.

The Mark Goodson logo

Goodson-Todman Productions was a long-running and long-serving television production company formed by Mark Goodson and his longtime partner Bill Todman. Together they produced & created some of the long-running and greatest game show formats ever in television history. They did manage to find time to produce other types of TV shows even though none of them was as successful: shows such as The Web, The Richard Boone Show and the Chuck Connors classic Branded.

After Bill died in 1979, Mark ran his company solo; he acquired Todman's share of the company in 1982, and renamed it as simply Mark Goodson Productions. The company slowly disbanded after Mark Goodson died on December 18, 1992. Mark's son, Jonathan, continued to run the company through 1995, when the family sold the rights to the library of shows (except for "Concentration", as well as its subsequent revivals, which is licensed by NBC) to All American Television (which later became Pearson Television, now FremantleMedia), in order to pay off a massive inheritance tax.

The Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement continued to be used on some of the shows in production at the time, despite the actual company no longer being in existence. The name, logo, and announcement was used on the 2000 revival of To Tell the Truth during the end credits for its run; as well as the 1999 revival of Family Feud and the 2001 revival of Card Sharks until 2002. The Price is Right continued to sign off with the Mark Goodson Productions name, logo, and announcement all the way up until Bob Barker retired in 2007. After that, the usage of the Mark Goodson company was no more. Price started using the FremantleMedia name, logo, and announcement, and is still used to this day (although current CBS press releases for the show refer to it as "a Mark Goodson Production, in association with FremantleMedia").

Some of the producers who worked on some of the Goodson-Todman shows went on to form their successful (and not-so-successful) game show companies. They were:

• Bob Stewart
• Robert "Bobby" Sherman
• Jay Wolpert
• Steve Ryan
• Merv Griffin
• Jonathan Goodson (Mark's Son)

Not all Goodson-Todman shows were created by Mark & Bill; some were created by the following producers working for Goodson-Todman:

Creator	Shows
Bob Bach	What's My Line?
Allan Sherman	I've Got a Secret
Frank Wayne	Match Game, Beat the Clock, and Now You See It
Chester Feldman	Card Sharks and Family Feud
Bob Stewart	Password, The Price is Right (1st Version), and To Tell the Truth
Jay Wolpert	Double Dare (1)
Ira Skutch	TattleTales
Steve Ryan	Blockbusters

At one time, then-blackballed producer Jack Barry worked for Goodson-Todman Productions and the company helped him create The Joker's Wild. Barry & Goodson-Todman broke contact with each other after Barry relaunched his TV career.

Two of Mark Goodson's children, Jonathan & Marjorie (née Cagle), worked on the company's shows in front of and behind the cameras.

Game Shows Produced

Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions (1946–1982)

• Beat the Clock (1950–1961, 1969–1974, 1979–1980)
• The Better Sex (1977–1978)
• Blockbusters (1980–1982, 1987)
• By Popular Demand (1950)
• Call My Bluff (1965)
• Card Sharks (1978–1981, 1986–1989, 2001-2002)
• Choose Up Sides (1956)
• Concentration (1973–1978)
• Double Dare (1976–1977)
• Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1993, 1988–1995, 1999-present)
• Get the Message (1964)
• He Said She Said (1969–1970)
• It's News To Me (1951–1953, 1954)
• I've Got a Secret (1952–1967, 1972–1973, 1976)
• Judge for Yourself (1953–1954)
• Make the Connection (1955)
• Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1979, 1975–1982, 1990–1991, 1998-1999)
• Mindreaders (1979–1980)
• Missing Links (1963–1964)
• The Name's the Same (1951–1954, 1954–1955)
• Now You See It (1974–1975, 1989)
• Number Please (1961)
• Password (1961–1967, 1971–1975)
• Password Plus (1979–1982)
• Play Your Hunch (1958–1963)
• The Price is Right (1956–1965, 1972-1980, 1985-1986, 1994-1995, 1972–present)
• Say When!! (1961–1965)
• Showoffs (1975)
• Snap Judgment (1967–1969)
• Split Personality (1959–1960)
• TattleTales (1974–1978, 1982–1984)
• To Tell the Truth (1956–1968, 1969–1978, 1980–1981, 1990–1991, 2000-2002)
• Two for the Money (1952–1956, 1957)
• What's Going On? (1954)
• What's My Line? (1950–1967, 1968–1975)
• Winner Take All (1948–1950, 1951, 1952)

Mark Goodson Television Productions (1982–2007)

• Child's Play (1982–1983)
• Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour (1983–1984)
• Body Language (1984–1986)
• Trivia Trap (1984–1985)
• Super Password (1984-1989)
• Classic Concentration (1987-1991)
• Illinois Instant Riches (1994-1998)
• Bonus Bonanza (1995)
• Flamingo Fortune (1995)

Shows based on Goodson-Todman Formats (2000-2009)

• Beat the Clock (2002-2003)
• I've Got a Secret (2000-2001, 2006)
• Celebrity Family Feud (2008)
• Million Dollar Password (2008-2009)

Shows based on Goodson-Todman Formats not by Mark Goodson Productions

• NY Wired (1997-1999)
• Illinois' Luckiest (1998-2000)
• You Lie Like a Dog (Animal themed version of To Tell The Truth) (2000)
• The Big Spin (2000 format)
• Gameshow Marathon (Five shows based on Goodson games) (2006)
• ¿Que Dice la Gente? (Spanish Language Family Feud) (2006-2008)
• Dame la Pista (Spanish language Child's Play) (2008)
• Philly Pheud (Philadelphia area clone of Family Feud) (2013-Present)
• 100 Latinos Dijeron (Spanish language Family Feud) (2013-Present)

Gallery

Shows Logos

List of International versions of their shows in different countries

Press Ads

Logos

"In Association with Mark Goodson"

Stop the Music 1955

"A Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production"

Over the years, the company name appeared in different fonts depending on the show and sometimes have an asterisk over & under it.

Beat the Clock

Here's the variant from Jack Narz's run.

The variant from Gene Wood's run is seen in lowercase letters.

From the 1979 pilot.

The logo with the asterisks from The All-New (All-Star) Beat the Clock over a shot of an audience on the set. Similar to the asterisks used from The Price is Right.

Concentration

1973 era

1974 era

The Price is Right

The early variant in the Pricedown font from 1972.

A variant with yellow G-T asterisks was used from after the earliest episodes up until 1975.

A variant with white G-T asterisks and the names still horizontal from 1975.

A variant with white asterisks and the names side by side and in two rows each from 1975 to April 6, 1984.

A variant seen on episodes with full credit roll from 1981 to April 1984.

Family Feud

The logo against a yellow background. Can you see it? It must be camouflaged.

Taken from premiere week.

The logo against a BG filled with lights from the game board.

The logo appeared while a family could be seen talking with host Richard Dawson during the credits.

The logo had also appeared over a shot of just one family member. It only happened very rarely in Richard's first run.

Match Game

NOTE: On the 1970s versions, the logo and credits would appear over any episode's closing act inside an "Orange Popsicle" lighting prop, which would spin around to change from one camera shot to another during the credits.

An extremely rare variant with orange asterisks and the word "Production" in green instead of the usual white, from Match Game 73 with Michael Landon.

A variant in blue from a later episode of any other 70s version, with Charles Nelson Reilly.

Tattletales

Tattletales 1974, with the asterisks

Tattletales 1982, minus the asterisks

Card Sharks 1978

Card Sharks 1978 Pilot

Card Sharks 1978 Series

Blockbusters 1980

Other Shows See notes & information below this gallery.

Say When!! 1961

Password 1964

To Tell the Truth 1968

What's My Line? 1972

Now You See It 1974

Password All-Stars 1975

Showoffs 1975

What's My Line? at 25 1975

Double Dare 1976

I've Got a Secret 1976

The Better Sex 1977 pilot

The Better Sex 1977 series

Mindreaders 1979

To Tell the Truth 1980

That's My Line 1980

Puzzlers (1980 pilot)

Password Plus 1982

Child's Play (1982 Pilot)

• Password 1964 - A black-and-white version from Password in 1964. All episodes of the original show had the logo and credits in lowercase.
• Concentration 1973 - A variant as seen on Jack Narz's version of Concentration as announcer Johnny Olson signed off.
• Now You See It 1974 - A variant on Jack Narz's version of Now You See It in which Mark and Bill's names appear on the game board. Taken from the show's premiere.
• Double Dare 1976 - A variant from Double Dare in which the logo and credits would appear on the main game board in either yellow or white, depending on the episode. After the credits, the title would appear the same way as in the opening but with the two weird shapes coming together afterwards.
• Mindreaders 1979 - Mindreaders had the logo at the bottom of the screen in a different font.
• Blockbusters 1980 - A variant from Bill Cullen's version of Blockbusters in brown. The logo and credits were shown in either white, yellow, or brown, depending on the episode.
• Password Plus 1982 - A variant from Password Plus during Tom Kennedy's run. The logo and credits were shown in white or yellow, depending on the episode.

"A Mark Goodson Television Production"

The Price is Right

From March 18, 1987, the classic mechanical version used 1984-1996.

A computerized variant from the 1990s.

From a 2004 episode, another computerized variant.

Taken from Bob Barker's final show in 2007. This is also Mark Goodson Television Productions’ final day before switching to FremantleMedia.

A computerized variant from Doug Davidson's nighttime version.

Family Feud

From 1985 at the end of Richard Dawson's final episode until 1994.

From the 1987 Combs Pilot.

From its first (and only) on-the-road show in Opyrland circa 1993.

A computerized variant from Richard's return in 1994.

From 1999.

Another computerized version from Louie Anderson's run. The name and logo was dropped from Feud in 2002.

For the logos from the Ray Combs era, see below.

Match Game

A mechanical version from the 1989 pilot.

A green version from the 1990-91 ABC run.

Charles Nelson Reilly wearing a red "A Mark Goodson Production" sweater on Match Game '90.

A darkish blue logo from the 1998 pitchfilm for Match Game.

The logo from the 1998 syndicated version, taken from Mandel Ilegan's show.

The logo from the 1998 syndicated version, as seen on WGN cable (now WGN America).

Card Sharks

From the 1986 premiere show against the suit shapes on backdrop.

From Christmas 1986

From 2001

For more logos from Card Sharks, see below.

Now You See It

From the 1985 Pilot

From the 1989 Series

(Classic) Concentration

The logo appears over a shot of the pilot set.

In the series, it appeared over a shot of the set with four rings worth of lights.

Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour 1983

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour 1984.

Child's Play

The mechanical variant as seen over a shot of the Turnabout prop, with four kids, as seen on GSN in 1997.

As seen on the series finale in 1983, over a shot of kids in the audience.

To Tell the Truth

A computerized variant from 1990. After the sign off from Burton Richardson, the logo would zoom in. In earlier weeks prior to the credit roll, that did not occur.

Another computerized version from 2000, John O'Hurley's run.

Illinois Instant Riches

A rather different version of the logo.

Here's the real logo as seen on other episodes.

Other Shows See notes & information below this gallery.

Tattletales 1982

Star Words Pilot 1983

TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 1984

Body Language 1984

Super Password 1984

Trivia Trap 1985

On a Roll Pilot 1986

Blockbusters 1987

Cash Tornado Pilot 1994

Bonus Bonanza 1995

Flamingo Fortune 1995

• 1983 Star Words Pilot - A variant from the 1983 pilot Star Words.
• Body Language 1984 - The mechanical variant from Body Language.
• Super Password 1984 - A yellow computerized variant on Super Password in which the logo flies out of view (with the sound of a jet) after either Rich Jeffries, Gene Wood, or Bob Hilton signed off.
• TV's Funniest Game Show Moments 1984 & On a Roll 1986 - The 3D variant in which the logo would zoom in.
• Card Sharks 1986 - The early variant from the CBS run of Card Sharks in 1986. Also used on the nighttime syndicated version from 1986-1987.
• Blockbusters 1987 - The variant from Blockbusters with Bill Rafferty. On episodes with a full credit roll, the staff credits scroll up until the scrolling stops at this logo, which scrolls up to reveal the closing card. The credits and logo appear over a shot of the big blue hexagon (different from the ones on the set). Sometimes, the hexagon zooms out after the credits to reveal a shot of the entire set which by that time went dark.
• Bonus Bonanza 1995 - A giant gold variant.
• Flamingo Fortune - Flamingo Fortune had the logo over a shot of its own set.

Color Coded See notes & information below this gallery.

Red - Card Sharks 1988

Red - Card Sharks 1989

Red - Family Feud 1988

Blue - Family Feud 1988

Blue - Family Feud 1990

Blue - Family Feud 1990

• Card Sharks 1986 - Taken from 1989 CBS daytime Card Sharks finale.
• Family Feud 1988 - Shown on the CBS daytime and nighttime syndicated versions of Family Feud with Ray Combs. Early episodes used the red variant, while later episodes used the standard version.

Links

Mark Goodson Television Productions Brochure
Mark Goodson Wiki