Bill Rafferty (born June 17, 1944 in Queens, New York) is a comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts (US game show) (1984, syndicated), Card Sharks (1986-87, syndication), and Blockbusters (1987, NBC). is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... See also Impressionist (entertainment): A girl with a watering can by Renoir, 1876 Impressionism was a 19th century art movement, which began as a private association of Paris-based artists who exhibited publicly in 1874. ... A game show is a radio or television program involving members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ... Every Second Counts was a television game show that aired in the United States for one season from September 17, 1984 - September 1985. ... Card Sharks was an American television game show in which contestants guessed whether a playing card was higher or lower than the card that preceded it. ... Blockbusters was an American game show which had two separate runs in the 1980s. ... This article is about the television network. ...

Rafferty's first national TV exposure came as a roving reporter on the NBC reality series Real People which ran from 1979-1984. This article is about the television network. ... Real People was an NBC reality television series that aired from 1979 to 1984, generally on Sunday nights. ...

Rafferty also did some guest spots on episodes of Laugh-In in the late 70's version of the show. Rowan & Martins Laugh-In was a United States comedy television show broadcast from January 22, 1968 through 1973 over the NBC Network. ...

During his brief game show hosting stints, Rafferty developed several catchphrases, including "dual implication" (meaning either that either contestant can win or someone has to win on Blockbusters) and "the land of parting gifts" on (Card Sharks) (meaning that the person who lost the game wins whatever prizes mentioned by the announcer in the closing plug). A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... Blockbusters was an American game show which had two separate runs in the 1980s. ...

Before his success as a comedian and television personality, Rafferty was a butcher at the Bolinas Store in Bolinas, Calif.

Rafferty is now currently the host of a television show on Retirement Living TV, called Retired and Wired, which debuted in October 2007. Retirement Living is an American television channel devoted to programming that is geared toward older residents of the United States. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Internet Movie Database: Bill Rafferty