Truth or Consequences 665707 224708738 2008-07-10T01:46:24Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{Cleanup|date=December 2007}} {{distinguish2|the [[parlor game]] called [[Consequences]], or the ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' episode [[Truth & Consequences]]}} {{otheruses}} {{Infobox Television | show_name = Truth or Consequences | image = [[Image:Actioncomics127.jpg]] | caption = ''Action Comics'' #127 (December 1948), featuring [[Superman]] appearing on the show with Ralph Edwards | format = [[Game shows|Game Show]] | runtime = 30 minutes (per episode) | creator = [[Ralph Edwards]] | starring = Ralph Edwards (1940-1957) <br> [[Jack Bailey]] (1954-1956) <br> [[Bob Barker]] (1956-1975) <br> [[Bob Hilton]] (1975-1978) <br> [[Larry Anderson]] (1987-1988) | country = {{USA}} | network = [[CBS]] (1950-1954), [[NBC]] (1954-1965), [[Television syndication|Syndication]] (1966-1978, 1987-1988) | first_aired = 1940 | last_aired = 1988 | num_episodes = undetermined }} '''''Truth or Consequences''''' was an American [[Game show|quiz show]], originally hosted on [[NBC]] [[radio]] by [[Ralph Edwards]] from 1940 to 1957, and later on television by Edwards himself from 1950 to 1954, [[Jack Bailey]] from 1954 to 1955, [[Bob Barker]] from 1956 to 1975, [[Bob Hilton]] from 1975 to 1978 and [[Larry Anderson]] from 1987 to 1988. The show ran on [[CBS]], [[NBC]] and also in [[television syndication|syndication]]. The syndicated ''ToC'' became the first successful 1first-run daily game show (as opposed to reruns) to not air on a network, having ended its NBC run in 1965. Fueled further by the emergence of the [[Prime Time Access Rule]] in 1971, ''ToC'' achieved such a place in the hearts of viewers that, despite the program ceasing production in 1975, tapes of shows from the last two seasons or so continued to be circulated to local stations throughout the U.S. as late as 1977. This likely prompted Edwards to revive the game during the next season, which, unfortunately, did not maintain the popularity of the Barker-hosted version. ==Gameplay== Ralph Edwards would say later that he got the idea for a new radio program after playing a parlor game called "forfeits".<ref> "Ralph Edwards," ''Current Biography 1943'', p192, 193 </ref> The show premiered on NBC radio in March, 1940 and was an instant hit with listeners. The idea of the show was to mix the original quiz element of game shows with wacky stunts. On the show, people had to answer a trivia question correctly (usually an off-the-wall question that no one would be able to answer correctly, or a bad joke) before "Beulah the Buzzer" was sounded. If the contestant could not complete the "Truth" portion, there would be "Consequences," usually a zany and embarrassing stunt. From the start, most contestants preferred to answer the question wrong in order to perform the stunt. Said Edwards, "Most of the American people are darned good sports."<ref> Id. at p193 </ref> During Barker's run as host, "Barker's Box" was played. Barker's Box was a box with four drawers in it. If a contestant was able to pick the drawer with money in it, he or she won a bonus prize. In many broadcasts, the stunts on ''Truth or Consequences'' included a popular, but emotional, heart-rending surprise for a contestant, that being the reunion with a long-lost relative or with an enlisted son or daughter returning from military duty overseas, particularly Vietnam. Sometimes, if that military person was based in California, his or her spouse or parents were flown in for that reunion. ==Theme song== One of the theme songs used on the show was "Stop Gap" by Wilfred Burns. ''Truth or Consequences'' was the first game show to air on commercially-licensed television, airing on the first day of [[WNBC|WNBT]]'s program schedule in 1941. This was a one-time experiment; ''T or C'' did not appear on TV again until 1950, when the medium had caught on commercially.[http://www.tvhistory.tv/1941_June_30_WNBT_Program.jpg] ==Cultural references== {{Trivia|date=January 2008}} * An early 1950s "[[Looney Tunes]]" [[cartoon]] called "[[The Ducksters]]" featured [[Daffy Duck]] as the host of a radio game show called ''Truth or AAAAAHHHH!,'' with [[Porky Pig]] as the contestant. * In ''[[Action Comics]]'' #127 (December 1948), [[Superman]] was a contestant on ''Truth or Consequences'' ([http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/97/400/97_4_0000127.jpg]). * The town of [[Truth or Consequences, New Mexico]] named itself after the game show in 1950 (its former name was ''Hot Springs''). Ralph Edwards announced that he would do the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Edwards himself continued to make appearances at the annual fiesta every May until his death. * On [[George Carlin]]'s 1969 debut album, ''[[Take-Offs and Put-Ons]]'', the character Congolia Breckinridge appears on a similar show called ''Truth or Penalties'' (although at one point Carlin goofs and says the original show's name). Because she has too little time to buzz in, when she is invited to pull back the curtain, an empty stage is revealed. The host then announces, "We were going to reunite you with your sister, whom you haven't seen in 27 years, but you blew the question, so we sent your sister back to Maine." * [[Donald Duck]] competes with [[Huey, Dewey and Louie]] in a television show that resembles ''Truth or Consequences'' in a 50's or 60's comic. He prepares himself by reading [[tome]]s of trivia and ends up humiliating himself on air. {{start box}} {{succession box | title=12:00 p.m. EST, NBC| before=local | after=[[Your First Impression]]| years=9/11/61 &ndash; 12/29/61}} {{succession box | title=12:30 p.m. EST, NBC| before=[[It Could Be You]] | after=[[Let's Play Post Office]]| years=1/1/62 &ndash; 9/24/65}} {{end box}} ==External links== *{{imdb title|id=0143074|title=Truth or Consequences}} *http://www.archive.org/details/TruthorConsequences Radio Programs *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=N4OL7SX0c4U Truth or Consequences - 1966] [[Category:Game shows]] [[Category:American game shows]] [[Category:NBC network shows]] [[Category:CBS network shows]] [[Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States]] [[Category:1950 television series debuts]] [[Category:1978 television series endings]] [[Category:1987 television series debuts]] [[Category:1988 television series endings]] [[Category:1950s American television series]] [[Category:1960s American television series]] [[Category:1970s American television series]] [[Category:1980s American television series]]