A half-century ago, Hollywood Squares, the life-size celebrity tic-tac-toe game, won its first Emmy for outstanding game show.

Hollywood Squares had premiered as a pilot on NBC in 1965, with the premise that famous panelists in a giant board help (or hinder) contestants by answering a question from the host. The contestant chooses to agree or disagree with the answer and earns the square for themselves if they choose correctly, or for their opponent if incorrect. Three squares in a row wins the contestant cash and prizes.

When the show became a series in 1966, Peter Marshall signed on as a temporary host after pilot host Bert Parks became unavailable. Marshall ended up holding the job for 15 years ­— and winning the outstanding game show host Emmy four times, including in 1975. That season’s board was populated by such panelists as Sandy Duncan, Vincent Price, Charo, Redd Foxx and Paul Lynde, who became a “center square” regular through 1981.

Hollywood Squares won the Emmy again in 1978 and 1979; it split the honor in 1980 with new companion game The $20,000 Pyramid, and was canceled the same year (to make way for David Letterman’s daytime talk show, a precursor to The Late Show). It has since been revived several times and spun off a few more, having been produced over seven different decades. And it still lives on: Drew Barrymore, Nate Burleson (who also hosts) and Jesse Collins executive produce the current version, now on CBS. 

This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.