Late at night here, they play old re-runs of game shows from the late 50s and early 60s, specifically “To Tell The Truth”, “I’ve Got a Secret” and (my fave) “What’s My Line?”. I love these things. There’s something very classy about them; everyone is referred to as “Mr. Brown” or “Mrs. Jenson”, Ties and Dresses all around, and everyone is so complimentary.
It’s fun to see things that in hindsight were very interesting too: a gentleman that built a microscopic motor responding to a challenge by Richard Feynman, Paul Butterfield when noone actually knew what he looked like (on To Tell the Truth), etc.
Also amusing to see one of them sponsored by Winston, and the host chain-smoking through the whole show.
Guest stars like a young Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Harpo Marx, on and on.
And boy that Bess Myerson was hot.
For me these are all new. Anybody else addicted to these things?
I love To Tell the Truth. From time to time someone who became famous will show up as one of the impostors. Cynthia Nixon (“Miranda” from Sex and the City) was on as a child and I recently saw Lauren Hutton.
That show had the best panelists!
BTW, Bill H., did you know that Bess Myerson was a former “Miss America”? Betsy Palmer was in the first “Jason” movie – Friday the Thirteenth?
i love watching some of those old b/w shows. My fave for a long time was “Name’s the Same” where someone with the same name as a famous person (or sometimes thing) would come on and answer yes/no questions as if they were that famous person. Or a celebrity guest would come on with a “wish” that the panelists would try to guess. My favorites were the things because of the hilarity that would often unintentionally ensue. Never cared for “I’ve Got A Secret” and the old-school “The PRice is Right” was just dull. Love “What’s My Line” because for heaven’s sake when was the last time a book publisher could cornerstone a TV show that wasn’t on PBS? I wish Game Show Network would show them sometime other than the dead of night. I’d much rather see them than The Newlywed Game or Cram or about 2/3 of the crap they do show.
Oh, I love them—especially What’s My Line? and I’ve Got a Secret, from the 1950s. It’s like attending a witty, insider’s cocktail party in someone’s Park Avenue apartment.
It’s not really a game show unless it involves Kitty Carlisle, Arlene Francis and/or Dorothy Kilgallen. I will not accept Peggy Cass or Betsy Palmer as substitutes.
I love those shows. Part of the joy of staying up late on Friday and Saturday nights is to watch them.
It is like a time capsule - the contestants dressed up in their new “gonna be on TV” clothes - ladies with pearls and white gloves. Shaking hands with the members of the panel…the men stand and the women remain seated; winning a carton of cigarettes - especially loved when the US Olympic swim team were all told that their cartons of cigarettes were waiting for them backstage.
I also love the secret guest celebrities who I have never heard of and the panel’s questions, “Did you recently return to the US on the QE2?” Also fun to hear them plug some “fantastic new picture” that I also have never heard of.
I wish they would show the real commercials of those days as well.
BTW, they don’t show them anymore, but I also liked the old 70’s color Let’s Make A Deal. The prizes were amazing! Lime shag carpeting, 8 track cassette players, new cars (list price $2,400!), avocado colored kitchen appliances, real fur coats…classic. My all-time favorite prize was the new fridge with a built-in am/fm radio and 8 track player built into the front of the freezer door.
One of my personal favourite moments came when George Burns and Gracie Allen appeared on What’s My Line? Since they were instantly recognizable, the panelists had to wear blindfolds and the “yes or no” questions had to be answered by George and/or Gracie knocking on the tabletop, one for yes, two for no.
The segment was getting boring, since neither George nor Gracie could use the verbal comedy that had firmly established them on radio and television. Finally, after one question, Gracie leaned over to her husband and said very clearly “Don’t tell him, George.” The audience, and Burns, laughed immediately.
Wow, a young Hunter S. Thompson (they call him “Hunter Thompson”) is on To Tell The Truth right now. Well, not right now, the right now back in 1967.
These shows just trip me out with seeing some current elder statesmen as younguns. Have seen Ronald Reagan, Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward, a thin-mustachioed Groucho Marx (who was hilarious with his off the cuff remarks), many others. (and did I mention that Bess Meyerson was hot? wow.) Of course for every Groucho there’s 50 celebrities-of-the-moment who didn’t really last long, but fun to see the occasional gems.