1975-76 Television Season 50th Anniversary: Match Game 75 (w/Pat Crowley)

We continue our look back at the television season of the fall of 1975, and we had this video clip of Match Game 75 pre-selected last spring for showing this fall on September 17th to pay tribute to Pat Crowley on her birthday... she would have been 92 today.

As you all know, Pat passed away on Sunday... nevertheless, 'the show must go on', and we are showing this clip today to honor Pat and her lasting memory. The two names on her Match Game card that Pat is holding up for her introduction are her two children, Jon and Ann, who would have been teenagers back in 1975. Both of her children have grown up and gone onto raising their own families, as well as fine careers over these many decades, with Jon being an EVP at Sony Pictures. Pat (and husband Edward Hookstratten, the well known sports and entertainment attorney/agent) did a great job raising those kids!

On the week in 1975 that Pat appeared on the daytime game show Match Game, she was just starting her second weekly television series: Joe Forrester on NBC, co-starring with Lloyd Bridges. Her guest appearance that week on Match Game helped promote the new NBC series to a larger daytime audience. The show did relatively well in the prime time ratings race, but alas, lasted just the one season of 1975-1976.

A final thought for today - over the years, we at Television Vanguard have been great fans of Pat Crowley, and would read various comments by other fans on various web sites, social media posts, and so forth. We emailing a few years ago with a college professor and author who was collaborating with Pat on a potential memoir. Pat was well regarded in the industry, and well loved by her many fans. From time to time, we'd read from fans who were childhood friends of son Jon and daughter Ann. These fans, now adults, wrote about how nice Pat (and husband Edward) were and how much fun the friends of Jon and Ann would have when they would visit the Hookstratten family at their home. That says a lot about the quality of Pat, Ed, Jon and Ann... that decades later, adults are recalling their childhood and the great memories they had of growing up around the Hookstratten family. Bless them all.

Rest in peace now Pat - you lived a good life, made people smile, and left this world a better place because you were a part of it and made a positive impact on the people around you, and a positive impact on those who admired you from afar.

She is survived by husband Andy Friendly, an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, director and programming executive, son Jon, and his wife and family, and daughter Ann and her husband and family. Our sincere condolences to all.

This video segment is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended.