Body Language (game show)

Body Language
Created by	Robert Sherman
Directed by	Paul Alter
Presented by	Tom Kennedy
Narrated by	Johnny Olson (1984–1985) Gene Wood (1985–1986) Bob Hilton (1985)
Theme music composer	Score Productions
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	396
Production
Executive producer(s)	Robert Sherman Chester Feldman
Producer(s)	Mimi O'Brien
Location(s)	CBS Television City Hollywood, California
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Mark Goodson Productions
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	June 4, 1984 – January 3, 1986

Body Language is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. The show aired on CBS from June 4, 1984 until January 3, 1986, and was hosted by Tom Kennedy. Johnny Olson announced until his death in October 1985; Gene Wood and Bob Hilton shared the announcing duties afterward, and had substituted on occasion before that.

The show pitted two teams against each other, each consisting of a contestant and a celebrity guest. The gameplay centered on the party game charades, in the same vein as the earlier Goodson program Showoffs, but contestants also had to solve word puzzles to win money, making Body Language a cross between Showoffs and Password Plus/Super Password.

For each team's turn, both celebrity and contestant would walk to the stage floor to play. One would stand behind a podium at stage left, while the other would be stationed at center stage in front of him/her. A screen was built into the podium and the team member at center stage would look into it in order to receive a series of five words or phrases to convey.

In each turn, the teammate serving as "actor" had 60 seconds to get their partner to say as many of the five words or phrases as possible. The clue-giver was not allowed to talk or use props, including their own clothing. They instead had to "pantomime" (as Kennedy referred to it) the words. The pantomiming player could pass on any words they wished and come back if time remained. If an illegal clue was given (e.g., saying a word, using a prop), the acting portion immediately ended and the actor/actress was disqualified for that round. The guesser then attempted to solve the puzzle portion of the round. If, in post-acting conversation, the actor revealed or discussed a word that had not been guessed, the opposing team received the first chance at the puzzle.

The puzzle was a sentence or question with seven numbered blanks. Five of the blanks corresponded to the words or phrases that were acted out, and any that had been guessed correctly were revealed. The contestant then had one guess at what person, place or thing puzzle described. If the player was correct, they won money for that puzzle. If not, the player's opponent was called over to choose a blank to reveal and then make a guess. The two players alternated revealing blanks and making guesses until one got the correct answer and won the puzzle; if neither player had solved the puzzle after all seven blanks were filled in, the teams' "actors" would each receive one guess. In the sixth week of the show's run, parentheses were added to the two "un-acted" words.

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