Catchphrase (U.S. game show)

Catch Phrase
Genre	Game show
Created by	Steve Radosh
Directed by	Marty Pasetta Jr.
Presented by	Art James
Narrated by	John Harlan
Theme music composer	Marc and Ray Ellis
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	65
Production
Producer(s)	Steve Radosh
Location(s)	Metromedia Square, Hollywood, CA
Running time	approx. 22-26 minutes
Production company(s)	Pasetta Productions
Distributor	Telepictures Corporation
Release
Original network	Syndication
Original release	September 16, 1985 – January 10, 1986

Catch Phrase is an American game show which ran from September 16, 1985 through January 10, 1986 in syndication. The object of the show was to solve "catch phrases", which were animated picture puzzles designed to represent objects or sayings. Art James was the host of the show, his last game show hosting job before he retired from television, and John Harlan was the announcer. The program was created by Steve Radosh and produced by Pasetta Productions, with Telepictures distributing.

Although Catch Phrase did not succeed in its American run, the format found success in other countries. The British Catchphrase premiered two days after the American series came to an end in 1986 and aired weekly until 2002 on the ITV network, which brought the series back in 2013. In Australia, the show premiered in 1997 on Nine with former Aussie Wheel of Fortune host John Burgess presiding, and was known as Burgo's Catch Phrase from 1999 until it ended in 2002.

Two contestants competed, one usually a returning champion.

Each catch phrase was drawn on a large screen by the show's computer. Once there was enough information on the screen for the contestants to solve a catch phrase, a bell rang to alert them that they could buzz in and answer. If either contestant buzzed in before the bell rang, their opponent was allowed to see the remainder of the catch phrase and given a free guess. If a player gave a wrong answer, the other player got a chance to guess.

Correct answers added money to a bank. To determine how much money would be added to the bank for a correctly solved catch phrase, a randomizer was used before the start of each round of play. A total of nine dollar amounts were displayed on the screen and, to begin the game, the challenger would select one by hitting his/her buzzer to stop the randomizer. The highest amount on the board was $200 for the first round, but the values increased as the game progressed. Also, for each subsequent round, control of the randomizer was given to the trailing contestant.

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