Match Game '90 - The Lawrence/Shafer Debacle

During a week Vicki Lawrence was a celebrity panelist on the 1990 Match Game revival, a feud erupted between host Ross Shafer and Vicki that would remain a running gag all week. Here are the highlights of that memorable debacle.

Watch for Charles' intermittent news breaks about the "court case", and Vicki referencing her terrible day on Pyramid.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Match
• game
• 90
• vicki
• lawrence
• ross
• shafor
• charles
• nelson
• reilly
• show

[gameshowluvr86]

"I've never been treated this badly... not even by Dick Clark!" (Out-of-context Pyramid reference). "...and he was very famous!"

LOL! P'wned... XD

[gameshowluvr86]

Vicki Lawrence is the quintessential game show prima donna!!

[maleficentdiva]

LOVE VICKI LAWRENCE! FIERY REDHEAD!!!! I AM ALSO ONE MYSELF, DON'T MESS WITH US REDHEADS WE WILL CUT YOU!!!!

[tonshaad1230]

@gymnastix

Yeah I know some uneducated family member was on the computer some years back when that comment was made. I apologize for their ignornance.

[gymnastix]

@gymnastix That was supposed to read "resembled (not 'resemblked') Rayburn," and was a typo, not a misspelling.

[gymnastix]

@pem1974 Although, to be fair, I saw some video of Lawrence arriving at LAX airport, sometime in the last few years, being followed by paparazzi, and she was as nice as could be to them, chatting about the weather as she waited for her bags to come out of the carousel. No entourage, no fans, just Vicki by her lonesome.

And if anything would bring out a "bitch quotient," being stalked by the media could do it.

[gymnastix]

@gamshwfan Is Lawrence known for being "difficult?" What happened "seven years later?" I'd like to know, because I heard or read Lawrence had some situation, possibly even while on the Burnett show.

[gymnastix]

@pem1974 I thought I read somewhere that Lawrence had difficulties with some or someone on "The Carol Burnett Show." On later filmings/tapings of those infomercials plugging Burnett's show, Lawrence was a no-show, only Tim Conway and Harvey Kornman (until the latter's death).

Could it be that Lawrence and Burnett herself were feuding divas? Or perhaps the spat was between Lawrence and Korman? I just don't see anyone being angry with Conway.

Do you know of anything about that situation?

[gymnastix]

@pem1974 I agree with you on both counts. Gene would still have made a good emcee. But Shafer was quite a good substitute, even somewhat resemblked Rayburn, had the same body type, was congenial enough (apart from this unfortunate week with Vicki Lawrence).

[gymnastix]

@tonshaad1230 Actually, the original "Match Game" was titled "The Match Game," aired from New York on NBC, and was also hosted by Gene Rayburn.

But no "dumb Doras" or "Old Man Periwinkles" on that one--usually "John and Mary," or "John and Marsha."

The "blank" was the only consistency.

Instead of two vertical tiers of three celebrity contestants facing two guest players, there were two horizontal tiers, each with two celebrites and a guest player on the 1960s version of the show.

[gymnastix]

@tucsonia I think Brett and Charles were thick as thieves, though. After all, every fag needs a good hag. (That's a '70s-type remark that probably won't work in this "grim" era, as you said. Let's see how many of the LGBT "community" send me hate mail for that one.) But, just for the record, I'm one of those who has been provided "hagging."

[gymnastix]

@tucsonia But, no question, Rayburn, Reilly and Summers were a happy threesome. They used to refer, on the show, to some escapades in Encino. Do you recall? I think the trio may have had drinking soirees there, either in between shoots of the show, following, or some such. I'd like to know more details of that.