Play Your Hunch

Play Your Hunch
Play Your Hunch title logo.
Created by	Mark Goodson and Bill Todman
Presented by	Merv Griffin (1958–1962) Gene Rayburn (1962) Robert Q. Lewis (1962–1963)
Narrated by	Johnny Olson Wayne Howell (substitute) Roger Tuttle (substitute)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	1365
Production
Running time	30 Minutes
Release
Original network	CBS (1958–1959) ABC (1959) NBC (1959–1963)
Original release	June 30, 1958 – September 27, 1963

Play Your Hunch was an American game show first hosted by Merv Griffin from 1958 to 1962, and was then hosted by Robert Q. Lewis until 1963. The announcers for the show were, respectively, Johnny Olson, Wayne Howell and Roger Tuttle. In 2001, Play Your Hunch was ranked #43 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time".

Play Your Hunch was a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production. It has been considered to be something of a "spin-off" of another more successful Goodson-Todman game, To Tell the Truth.

It featured one of Robert Redford's first professional acting roles, with Ted Koppel also making an early career appearance.

The show first aired on CBS from 1958–1959. ABC picked it up in the same year, and then NBC aired it for the rest of its run, concluding in 1963. During the NBC run, two different prime time versions aired - one in 1960, and one in 1962.

The series was originally hosted by Merv Griffin. After he left on September 28, 1962 to begin his talk show. Gene Rayburn briefly took over from October 15 to November 16, 1962, but was fired due to decreased ratings. Robert Q. Lewis then took over for the rest of the run.

Announcer Johnny Olson substituted for Griffin on December 29, 1961 and March 6, 1962. This was Olson's first regular announcing job with longtime employer Mark Goodson. Later, Olson became well known as the first announcer on the Bob Barker version of The Price Is Right and as announcer for every version of Match Game through 1982.

Two couples (or occasionally pairs with other relationships) competed. The game revolved around "problems" which involved a choice between three visible possibilities (often three people) which were always labeled X, Y, and Z. Some questions would have an element of observation; for example, one couple was asked which of three labeled musicians amongst the show's band was not playing his instrument and was merely pretending. Other problems depended mainly on luck in guessing correctly.