Camouflage

In Arlington Heights, IL we never had a cafeteria in any of the elementary schools (1961) so I rode my bike home from school for lunch and always watched this game. True, I was 11, but I thought it was the greatest thing on! I'd draw hidden pictures on my blackboard and see if my family or friends could find it. I also remember winning wonderful cars (Pontiac or Oldsmobile) if the contestant got the final hidden picture game. I even had the home version!

I wonder why this game lasted so briefly. I enjoyed the music and the hidden pictures - the only one I could ever get was the lemon hidden as part of a bridge over a garden stream.

Really good memories are connected with Camouflage.

This game show lasted just one season, but was intriguing to audiences because it required visual aptitude and a steady hand. One false move would disqualify the contestant from winning the prize, even though it was clear the contestant knew the correct answer. It was always exciting as the contestant began drawing, wondering if they would complete the drawing or be buzzed out; allowing the other contestant to easily win the contest. It was a light-hearted show, but it was clear that the contestants were often times embarrassed from a silly mistake made unintentionally. Rarely seen, the game show did not survive past one single season. Only a seasoned game show addict will remember this show, as it proved to be quite unpopular, even though game shows were making a big return to the TV screen after the scandals of the 1950's game shows. But it was a unique concept for a game show, and one that has as yet never been seen again.

One has to wonder just how far they'd reach to dig up this poorly-conceived idea for a game show. They had these back-lit translucent boards with a complicated line drawing superimposed on it. Contestants were told to find a specific object concealed within the drawing and trace it with a wand. As kids we recalled seeing many errors which were overlooked by the judges, and we marveled at the lameness of the whole format. There was cheesy suspense-building organ music which furthered the lowbrow quality of the show. It was just a way to blow a half-hour between "Lucy" re-runs and 'Concentration' game. I comment here only because it needs to be mentioned and is indeed stuck in the memory of a few people as a trivia gem.

I remember watching this show regularly during its brief tenure on the air. Yes, there were problems sometimes with the complete accuracy of the contestants' tracing of the "hidden object," but overall I think this was a fun concept that made it interesting for home viewers to play along. If the idea were updated for today, I'm sure they could come up with some kind of electronic tracing system that would eliminate the possible fuzziness of "tracing with a long stick." Overall, I actually can't see the concept as any more lame than that of "The Price is Right" or any number of other silly game shows of the past (and present!) I recall it was fun to watch, and that's what counted. Of course, I was only about ten years old at the time :))

I watched "Camouflage" for about three months when I was seven, after we started getting ABC in Raleigh, NC, and have fond memories of that short time. Maybe it was a silly concept, but a person with good powers of observation would have done well on this show, I think, having to spot and trace an object not always that easy to see. As I've gotten older I've learned that a lot of people my age watched when they were kids; maybe ABC should have scheduled it after school, along with two other kid-appeal shows, "Who Do You Trust?" and "American Bandstand." The best thing about the show, though, was Don Morrow. He never let the show degenerate into silliness, despite the basic premise. I've been a fan of his ever since, and am glad to know he's still going strong.