September
7, 1950
Truth
or Consequences makes Television Debut
The
game show Truth or Consequences made its debut on the CBS television network at
10:00 pm Eastern Time, after having been a successful radio program
On
the show, contestants received roughly two seconds 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" sounded (in the
rare occasion that the contestant answered the question correctly before Beulah
was heard, the question inevitably had two or even three parts). 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.
Truth
or Consequences was the first game show to air on broadcast television, airing
as a one-time experiment on the first day of New York station WNBT's commercial
program schedule on July 1, 1941. Truth or Consequences did not appear on TV
again until 1950, when the medium had caught on commercially.
Born in 1950?
Then
congratulations on entering the world of Medicare. Like to know more …
