Brett Somers Dies at 83

By James Poniewozik | @poniewozik | September 17, 2007 | +

Brett Somers has died. She follows Charles Nelson Reilly, who passed away in May; I looked back on Match Game then, and Somers (who debuted on the show doing a guest stint with husband Jack Klugman) was an indispensible, combative part of it. (If I had based my top 100 TV list solely on my personal fond memories, I might have given that risque cocktail half-hour the slot occupied by What’s My Line–i.e., the slot for Game Shows That Are Really About Listening to Witty People Talk.) But today I’ll let her work (and Fannie Flagg’s) speak for itself:

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Susan Guy

Good bye, Brett,
You will be missed. Thanks for all the great Match Game and “Odd Couple” memories.
Beth

Brett,you found your true home on Match Game making millions laugh and miss you when you weren’t there! You, Charles, and Gene were the ultimate “Match Pack.” We are all sad to see you go, but we know you will continue on as the feisty Brett wherever you are!!!
David

The Match Game was an integral part of my college and grad school experience. Brett and Charles’s banter regularly comes up in conversations within my circle of friends today as they might have done in the 70′s. Thanks for all the fond memories Brett. I hope that you and Charles are back at it wherever you are.
Rob

So many shows from my childhood do not hold up. Match Game does. It’s still extremely funny — not to mention often shocking. Which is really amazing, considering how old it is.

I actually knew some people who once had dinner with Brett and said she was utterly charming and rather sweet. Very sad to hear. RIP Brett Somers. I hope you’re having highballs in Heaven.
Beth

I agree with Rob’s post….Match Game will always be a great TV memory from childhood. My husband and I also get a kick out of the fact that GSN has helped make Match Game one of our 19 year old son’s favorite game shows!
LB

James linked back to the comment I posted when Charles Nelson Reilly passed away, and of course it is just as applicable here.

It’s interesting how many of the blogs I read which have posted about Brett’s passing, and the number of folks who’ve shared similar fond memories of Match Game. It seems like a shared happy experience that most of us haven’t really thought about in a long time. And a reminder of a time when the world didn’t have to be taken quite so seriously.

The one thing I truly regret is having not even realized that Charles and Brett were still out there doing other stuff all these years, which would’ve been more opportunities to see their work and wit.

Fyi, Game Show Network is running Match Game all day this coming Saturday as a tribute to Brett, plus “The Real Match Game Story: Behind the Blank”. And an episode of Password is being shown early Monday morning (3:30am EDT) when she appeared with (then) husband Jack Klugman.