DECEMBER 18, 1956

[AaronHandy3]

This date saw CBS taking on a brand-new Goodson-Todman game show. It would become The Eye Network's third big G-T hit in primetime after What's My Line? and I've Got A Secret. Its name was: To Tell The Truth.

The simple basic premise is as follows: Three contestants, each of whom claims to be the same person, are interrogated by a panel of four celebrities in an attempt to identify who is the real one and who is bluffing. The contestant in question usually holds an unusual occupation or has done something noteworthy. After each celebrity has had a turn to question the guests, they each vote as to who they think is the real person. When this is finished, the moderator says the now-famous line, "Will the real (John Doe) please stand up?" The real person stands, the other two then reveal who they really are, and money is awarded to the players based on how many incorrect votes were placed.

The original pilot, Nothing But The Truth, featured as host future 60 Minutes commentator Mike Wallace!! Numerous other emcees were considered to host Truth: including Vincent Price, Don Ameche, and CBS News' Walter Cronkite; eventually, the job went to Clayton "Bud" Collyer, the original voice of Superman on radio, once The Eye Network picked up the game. 6 years after the nighttime series bowed, a CBS Daytime edition of To Tell The Truth was instituted, in June 1962. Bern Bennett, Roger Forster, and Johnny Olson all took their turns at announcing Truth on CBS. Panelists which frequently turned up on TTTT during the CBS run include Johnny Carson, Dick Van Dyke, John Cameron Swayze, and creator Mark Goodson himself, who stood in for ailing Bud Collyer as host in 1967. Only 2 regulars saw the series throughout its entire run, daytime and nighttime: host Bud Collyer and panelist Kitty Carlisle. Peggy Cass, another popular Truth panelist, served in this vein for the nighttime edition for its last 3 seasons, yet has become a frequent T4 panelist for its next 3 incarnations (more on them later).

The CBS primetime edition lasted for 9 seasons, ending on Monday, May 22, 1967; the daytime version outlasted it for over a year, before finally grinding to a halt in September 1968, after 6 years. The cancellation of Daytime Truth seemed to bring down the curtain on an era for CBS, as for the next four years, The Eye Network became the only functioning network not to air game shows of any kind, and sitcom repeats became a regular staple of its daytime schedule…until that magical date of September 4, 1972, when CBS scrapped sitcom repeats in favor of premiering 3 brand-spanking new games on its schedule: The Joker's Wild, The New Price Is Right, and Gambit!

As for To Tell The Truth itself, in 1969, Goodson-Todman, after launching a rather successful daily syndie revival of the 1950-67 CBS game What's My Line?, decided to do the same with T4 and revamp it…big time! A psychedelic set and a very 1960s-pop theme song with lyrics helped make it very memorable. Kitty Carlisle and Peggy Cass returned as panelists. With original host Bud Collyer sadly deceased, Garry Moore, original host of G-T's I've Got A Secret for 12 seasons (1952-64), was tapped as new host. The new T4 was originally recorded before a live studio audience in The Ed Sullivan Theater; in 1971, NBC's Studio 6A became T4's new headquarters, which saw the use of a different set and the title now encased in interlocking letters. Throughout its run, the show was announced by Johnny Olson, Bill Wendell, Alan Kalter, and Don Pardo.

At the end of 1976, Garry left To Tell The Truth undergo throat surgery. Joe Garagiola (previous emcee of TattleTales' 1969-70 precursor He Said She Said) originally took over the job on an interim basis, But when Moore decided to retire rather than return to Truth, Garagiola became host full-time…even though Moore showed up at the beginning of the final season (1977-78) to officially turn the reins over to Garagiola.

After 9 seasons, the 1820th and final installment of the new syndicated TTTT aired in spring 1978, which featured on its panel actor Barry Nelson. Unfortunately, the next 2 incarnations of Truth didn't quite pan out as well: the 1980-81 syndie version hosted by Robin Ward, and the 1990-91 NBC Daytime fiasco emceed by Gordon Elliott, Lynn Swann, and Jeopardy!'s Alex Trebek. It seems the most recent edition of Truth, the 2000-02 edition emceed by John O'Hurley and Meschach Taylor, Paula Poundstone (2000-01), Kim Coles (2001-02), and Brooke Burns (2001-02) as panelists, has done well enough. Original panelist Kitty Carlisle [Hart], a staple of every edition of To Tell The Truth ever distributed, even found some time to appear in an episode of the 21st-century edition of Truth! It proves that To Tell The Truth continues to be one of the most popular icons of TV history.


"This is Bud Collyer reminding you to To Tell The Truth!"

(Source of info: The Game $how Page: To Tell The Truth)


CELEBRATING TO TELL THE TRUTH'S GOLDEN JUBILEE
(1956-2006)

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...no one seems to have the kinescope of the first telecast of "TO TELL THE TRUTH". Not even Game Show Network! The first few telecasts, as I've seen on GSN over the years, were a bit ragged. It took almost a full season before Bob Stewart settled on the "proper" format the show would adhere to. Dick Van Dyke, a CBS employee at the time, did not stick around long enough to become a regular panelist. But Polly Bergen, John Cameron Swayze and Hy Gardner DID, in those first few seasons. And Don Ameche eventually took a seat on the panel between 1959 and 1961.