To Tell the Truth

To Tell the Truth was one of the most durable and popular panel quiz shows ever to appear on television, having a run of more than twenty years in both network and syndicated form. Along with What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth was one of three similar shows introduced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in the 1950s. These shows were designed to appeal to a relatively upscale television audience and to counter the effects of widely publicized quiz show payola scams. In the original version of To Tell the Truth, which ran from 1956 to 1968 on CBS, Bud Collyer was host (he also hosted Beat the Clock), moderating a group of celebrity panelists that included Orson Bean, Polly Bergen, Kitty Carlisle, Peggy Cass, and Tom Poston. The show ran on prime time from 1956 to 1967 and in the daytime from 1962 to 1968.

The panelists' goal was to determine which one of three players was telling the truth about an unusual event or circumstance in which they were involved. All three claimed by affidavit to be the authentic truth-teller, and each panelist was given an opportunity to question the contestants individually for a designated amount of time. After the panelists completed their questioning, the host asked, "Will the real John Doe please stand up?" The contestants were then awarded money based on their success in fooling the panel. Because the genuine contestant was not identified until the end of the question sessions, those in the home and studio audience were able to play along. After the "real John Doe" introduced himself or herself, the impostors identified themselves to the panelists. The information disclosed in these introductions was almost as entertaining as the game itself, as the impostors were often struggling actors or individuals employed in careers that could not have been more dissimilar from that of the "real" truth-teller.

To Tell the Truth had a second run in syndication from 1969 to 1978 with hosts Garry Moore (1969-1977) and Joe Garagiola (1977-1978). Orson Bean, Peggy Cass, and Kitty Carlisle returned as panelists and were joined by Bill Cullen. Another short-lived version ran in syndication from 1980 to 1981 with host Robin Ward and regular panelists Peggy Cass and Soupy Sales. The longevity of this show and others like it probably had much to do with its extremely low production costs. The consistent appearance of familiar panelists also added to the show's popularity, as the personal style of each of the celebrities was part of the entertainment. Kitty Carlisle could be expected to make her appearance in floor-length gown and feather boa, Peggy Cass would look erudite but down-to-earth in her horn-rimmed glasses, and Orson Bean could be counted on to ask questions that revealed a font of obscure knowledge. After the demise of the show, these personalities would continue to be remembered by the public primarily in their roles as panelists on To Tell the Truth, although each went on to other unrelated ventures: Peggy Cass, for example, joined the company of the popular musical Nunsense, and Kitty Carlisle Hart established herself as a prime mover in the arts world through her role as head of the New York State Council on the Arts.

—Sue Russell

Further Reading:

Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York, Ballantine, 1979.

DeLong, Thomas A. Quiz Craze: America's Infatuation with Game Shows. New York, Praeger, 1991.

Harris, Jay S., editor. TV Guide: The First 25 Years. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1978.

Schwartz, David, Steve Ryan, and Fred Wostbrock. The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows. New York, Zoetrope, 1987.