George Wallace

Some say laughter is the best medicine. It’s true. Standup comedy has been known to cure everything from bad moods and frowns to fits of pouting. So for those who need a heavy dose of hilarity, try a spoonful of “Comedy.TV.” With no traffic jams, parking debacles, or two-drink minimums of the local comedy clubs, the most clever comedians jump onstage for a full-fledged funny fest.

On September 14, 1998, a Hollywood Squares revival debuted with Tom Bergeron as its host. In addition to her production duties, Whoopi Goldberg served as the permanent center square, with series head writer Bruce Vilanch, Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Mull, and Caroline Rhea as regular panelists and Brad Garrett, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jeffrey Tambor, George Wallace, Kathy Griffin and various others as semi-regular panelists. Shadoe Stevens returned to announce, although he was not given a square on the panel as he had been when John Davidson was host.

The show revolved around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella.

When Longfellow Deeds, a small-town pizzeria owner and poet, inherits $40 billion from his deceased uncle, he quickly begins rolling in a different kind of dough. Moving to the big city, Deeds finds himself besieged by opportunists all gunning for their piece of the pie. Babe, a television tabloid reporter, poses as an innocent small-town girl to do an exposé on Deeds.

Hubie Dubois, despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts (and its legendary Halloween celebration), is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something really is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween.