July 5, 1950 - 1974
CBS, NBC, & Syndicated Game Show
Hosts:
Ralph Edwards
Jack Bailey
Steve Dunne
Bob Barker
Bob Barker's Assistant:
Dresser Dahlstead
Announcers:
Frank Barton
Jerry Lawrence
Ken Carpenter
Charles Lyon
Wendell Niles
John Harlan
Truth or Consequences had originally aired in 1940
as an NBC radio program with its creator, Ralph
Edwards, as the emcee. A decade later it moved to
television on CBS, with its format and emcee unchanged.
Contestants on the show were asked silly trick
questions which they almost invariably failed to
answer correctly. If they answered incorrectly, or
failed to come up with any answer in a short time,
Beulah the Buzzer went off. The emcee then told them
that since they had failed to tell the truth, they
would have to pay the consequences. Consequences
consisted of elaborate stunts, some done in the
studio and others done outside, some completed on
that week's episode and others taking a week or more
and requiring the contestant to return when the
stunt was completed. Some of the stunts were funny,
but more often they were also embarrassing, and
occasionally they were sentimental (as when long-
separated relatives were reunited within the
context of the stunt).
The original TV version of this series, with
Edwards as host, lasted only a single season.
When in returned three years later on NBC, Jack
Bailey was the emcee, later replaced by Steve
Dunne. NBC aired a daytime version of the show
from 1956 until 1965, first with Jack Bailey as
host, succeeded by Bob Barker at the end of 1956.
Barker made a career of the show after that,
remaining with it through the rest of the daytime
run and on into the original syndicated run from
1966 to 1974. A short-lived syndicated revival in
1977-1978 was emceed by Bob Hilton. And a decade
later, in the fall of 1987, comic Larry Anderson
turned up as emcee of yet another version which
quickly faded from the airwaves.
Click HERE to enter The Showcase Online Store!
You can help support this website by clicking on the banners below.
Scroll down for links and TV Guide covers when available.
By TV Party
How Hot Springs Became Truth or Consequences
By Sierra County Chamber of Commerce
Truth or Consequences
By Chris Lambert
Truth or Consequences
From The Internet Movie Database
These links were last tested July 2004.
UNITED STATES |
CANADA |
UNITED KINGDOM |
| Click the buttons above for amazing savings! | ||
Hosted By
