The game show community has suffered yet another major loss this year. Born Audrey Johnston, to us known as Brett Somers, who was best known for her appearances as a regular on the 1973-1982 versions of Match Game, has passed away over the weekend. She died from complications of stomach and colon cancer. She was 83.
Fans of The Odd Couple would also recognize her recurring appearances as Oscar Madison's ex-wife, Blanche Somers-Madison. Madison was played by her husband, Jack Klugman. It wasn't the idea in the beginning to have Brett on as a regular. But in the very beginning Jack was on the show and suggested that Brett should be added, and soon after she was, and magic would soon be in the air once more at Television City.
Several months ago, another Match regular, Charles Nelson Reilly, also passed away. Brett and Charles are one of my favorite television duos and game show panelists of all time. They both had their ways of making us laugh with their answers with questions filled with titillating innuendo, sometimes at her expense. For example, "You may or may not believe in reincarnation, but listen to this. In a previous life, Brett used to be a ________. "And stints like "lower tier imitates the upper tier." And it's always fun to see them make fun of each other's horrible answers.
I'll be watching the GSN marathon of Match Game episodes this coming Saturday, and the rare ABC Password episode from 1971 with both Brett and Jack appearing later on with a heavy heart as we say goodbye to yet another game show legend. I'm sure Brett, Charles, Gene Rayburn, and Johnny Olson are together again somewhere, known as Gene himself would call it sometimes "The Big Match Game in the sky."
1 comment:
R.I.P. Brett. :(
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