In 1984, Lucille Ball and Richard Simmons teamed up to create the perfect charades game show
Two greats at the top of their game. What's not to like?
This is pure nostalgia.
There are few celebrities so universally loved as Lucille Ball and Richard Simmons. Each was completely their own person with a unique and contagious sense of humor that lit up every room they walked in. So it’s no wonder that when they appeared on a live game show together over 40 years ago, they completely dominated.
The gameshow in question was Body Language, wherein one contestant used charades to convey a list of words, and a celebrity guest would try to correctly guess as many words from that list as possible in under 60 seconds. This particular episode, which aired the day after Christmas 1984, had both Simmons and Ball—as well as The Jeffersons' Isabel Sanford and Broadway star Robert Morse—competing.
The real magical moment came when Simmons was in charge of acting out clues and Ball was the guesser. In the clip below, there’s a sweet exchange between the two, where a starstruck Simmons tells Ball, “I’ve watched you on television…I can’t believe I’m sitting here…doing these things” before launching into the round.
You instantly see that the dynamic plays perfectly to their strengths (both Simmons’ balls-to-the-wall physicality and Ball’s incredibly sharp wit) because in mere seconds they rack up seven correct guesses, earning $900.
It’s a hoot to watch:
- YouTube youtube.com
Glorious, wasn’t it? Unsurprisingly, the short clip left many feeling a bit nostalgic.
"Pure joy. Two people who brought so much joy to humanity despite their personal pain. Now gone into Love and Light forever."
"Two of the good ones. Always brought a smile to my face."
"Both of them were loved by so many people for completely different reasons!! I hope both of them knew how much they were truly loved!"
That same year, Ball would be inducted into the 1st Television Academy Hall of Fame, tape for her TV special, All-Star Party for Lucille Ball, and discuss the legacy of her show with Entertainment Tonight. Meanwhile, Simmons, at the height of his own fame, would film the final season of The Richard Simmons Show, and continue growing his fitness empire.
Both legends are gone now, but continue to bring a smile to so many. At the end of the day, is there any marker of success greater than that?
If you’re curious, you can see the full episode of Body Language below:
- YouTube www.youtube.com