Landau Murphy Jr. Appearing on West Virginia Squares
Hosted by the original “Hollywood Squares” host and native West Virginian, Peter Marshall. Be there or be square!
Show times 7 & 8:30 p.m., June 23-24 at the Clay Center
Special late “Hillbilly Squares” show 10 p.m., Tuesday
Free Admission!
As part of FestivALL 2014, the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame is producing four segments of a game show we’re calling “West Virginia Squares.” Based on the popular “Hollywood Squares” game show, “WV Squares” will take place June 23-24 at the Clay Center’s Maier Foundation Performance Hall, and feature questions about WV music and WV history.
Admission is free!
The shows will be MC’d and co-produced by Peter Marshall, the original host of “Hollywood Squares” – and a proud WV native. The four “WV Squares” shows – two on June 23 and two on June 24 – will be filmed.
“I’m excited to be coming back to West Virginia and turning ‘Hollywood Squares’ into ‘WV Squares,’” said Marshall. “I love coming home – and we’re going to have a lot of fun. I hope you will join us!”
The celebrity squares will feature notable WV natives including: Wheeling native Joyce DeWitt (Janet Wood on the TV show “Three’s Company”); 2008 WVMHoF inductees Charlie McCoy and Billy Edd Wheeler; “America’s Got Talent” winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.; Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris; Miss West Virginia Charisse Hailsop; Donnie Davisson (Davisson Brothers), “Chasing Nashville” star Autumn Blair; Five-time winner of the WV Liars Contest Bil Lepp; Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, “Mountain Stage” host Larry Groce; and radio personality Steve Bishop.
Contestants will include winners of the 2014 West Virginia Golden Horseshoe Award.
Each show will include a warm-up with songs performed by Peter Marshall, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Charlie McCoy, Larry Groce, Michael Cerveris, and BobThompson.
Following the two “WV Squares” tapings on Tuesday, June 24, the WVMHoF will host a ribald segment called “Hillbilly Squares.” The 10 p.m. show – which is not recommended for children – will be hosted by Pierre LaCock (Peter Marshall’s given name).
“It’s something Peter has done many times before,” said WVMHoF director Michael Lipton. “We thought it would be fun – and a great opportunity for the celebrities turn their senses of humor loose. Peter comes from a vaudeville background so It will be an old-school ‘blue’ show with some good-natured off-color humor.”
“Hollywood Squares” first aired in 1966 and ran almost uninterrupted through 2004.
Peter Marshall, who has roots in Clarksburg, Wheeling and Huntington, hosted more than 5,000 episodes of “Hollywood Squares” between 1966 and 1981 and won five Emmy Awards. In 2013, TV Guide ranked “Hollywood Squares” No. 7 in its list of the “60 Greatest Game Shows of All Time.” Marshall also co-hosted the 2011 West Virginia Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony and was inducted in 2013.
For information, call 304/342-4412 or email: wvmhof@gmail.com