DEFINITION (1974 - 1989)
‘Definition’ helped secure Jim Perry’s iconic TV game show host status
“Definition” was one of the longest-running game shows in Canada and helped secure venerable host Jim Perry’s iconic status.
The show was created by Canada’s own Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir, the duo behind “The Newlywed Game” and homegrown favourites like “Headline Hunters,” also hosted by Perry. “Definition” aired on CTV from 1974 – 1989.
Perry, an American folk singer, took over as host on the second season, after serving as the announcer for the first season. Following Perry’s move to host, Toronto weatherman Dave Devall (who also worked with Perry on “Headline Hunters”) took over announcing duties.
“Jim had a great knack for making contestants feel comfortable and never embarrassing them, while having a great instinct for knowing just how to handle what were essentially ‘live’ situations, with amateurs ‘performing’ in (these) shows,” says Pip Wedge, former television producer and Vice-President of Programming for CTV, who produced the game show ‘Fractured Phrases,’ which Perry also hosted.
Based loosely on the word game Hangman with similarities to “Wheel of Fortune,” “Definition” had contestants solving a series of puzzles. With two teams of two, one member of the challenging team was required to “give away” a letter (often choosing an obscure one like ‘X’) in the hopes that the letter wouldn’t be part of the clue and the champion team would still be stumped. If the team didn’t score, control of the game would pass back to the opposing team. Teams who won two (and later three) puzzles advanced to the bonus game.
When the show originally aired, one member of each team was a celebrity (including Martin Short, Andrea Martin and Alan Thicke) but from 1986 on, both team members were regular contestants.
Regular Canadian celebrities included Barbara Hamilton, Steve Weston and Dinah Christie.
A Canadian viewer, whose name and location was acknowledged by Perry, submitted at least one puzzle per episode.
Despite its popularity, the show was not known for its lavish prizes. Some prize amounts were cash prizes as small as $10.
The theme song for the show was taken from an instrumental jazz piece by Quincy Jones known as “Soul Bossa Nova.” It later became known as the “Austin Powers” theme song.