Television
| 20 Questions | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Fred van de Venter (1949-1955) Ron Greenberg by arrangement with Dick Rubin Ltd (1975 Pilot) |
| Directed by | Roger Bower (1949-1955) Dick Sandwick (1949-1955) Harry Coyle (1949-1955) Bill McCarthy(1949-1955) Arthur Forrest (1975 Pilot) |
| Presented by | Bill Slater (1949–1952) Jay Jackson (1952–1955) Jack Clark (1975 Pilot) Dick Wilson (1989 Pilot) |
| Narrated by | Frank Waldecker (1949-1955) John Gregson (1949-1955) Bob Shepard (1949-1955) Wayne Gossman (1975 Pilot) Burton Richardson (1989 Pilot) |
| Composer(s) | Score Productions (1975 Pilot) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Fred van de Venter (1949-1955) Ron Greenberg (1975 Pilot) |
| Producer(s) | Norman Livingston (1949-1955) Jack Wyatt (1949-1955) Duane McKinney (1949-1955) George Elber (1949-1955) Gary Stevens (1949-1955) |
| Location(s) | New Amsterdam Theatre, New York (1949-1955) ABC Television Center, New York (1975 Pilot) KTLA Studios, Hollywood (1989 Pilot) |
| Running time | 25 mins. |
| Production company(s) | Fred van de Venter Productions (1949-1955) Mutual Broadcasting System (1949-1955) Ron Greenberg Productions (1975 Pilot) MCA-TV Ltd (1975 Pilot) |
| Distributor | Buena Vista Television (1989 Pilot) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | WOR (1949) NBC (1949) ABC (1950–1951, 1954–1955) DuMont (1951–1954) |
| Picture format | Black-and-white (1949-1955) Color (1975 Pilot, 1989 Pilot) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | November 2, 1949 (1949-11-02) – May 3, 1955 (1955-05-03) |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | 20Q (2009) |
As a television series, Twenty Questions debuted as a local show in New York on WOR-TV Channel 9 on November 2, 1949. Beginning on November 26, the series went nationwide on NBC until December 24, after which it remained dormant until March 17, 1950 when it was picked up by ABC until June 29, 1951.
Its longest and most well-known run, however, is the one on the DuMont Television Network from July 6, 1951 to May 30, 1954. During this time, original host Bill Slater was replaced by Jay Jackson. After this run ended, ABC picked up the series once again from July 6, 1954 to May 3, 1955. The last radio show had been broadcast on March 27, 1954.
See also List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network and List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts.
In 1975, producer Ron Greenberg made a pilot for a revival on ABC with host Jack Clark, which did not sell. The pilot featured four celebrities; actress Kelly Garrett, movie critic Gene Shalit, commedianne Anne Meara, and actor Tony Roberts, along with two contestants who competed against each other.
Each contestant joined the panel, one at a time, to earn a $500 jackpot for themselves by identify subjects from three categories chosen out of five. Any panelist can guess the subject at any time at the risk of using a question. After every five questions asked the at stakes money is reduced. The panel is then given a clue and a fifteen second conference. Afterward, the contestant is then given a free guess of the subject with the risk of giving their opponent a chance to guess and steal the pot. If the guesses are incorrect the money is reduced again and more questions are then asked. The third round features both contestants on a toss-up basis and the panelists asking questions without being allowed to guess the subject.
The contestant with the most money won the game, then rejoined the panel for a bonus game. To win a $5,000 pot, the panel asks as many questions as possible within a sixty second time limit. The player can buzz in a anytime to stop the clock and receive one of three clues, one clue at a time, in exchange for losing half the bonus pot.
In 1989, another revival pilot was made for syndication by Buena Vista Television. This version, hosted by Dick Wilson and featuring Markie Post and Fred Willard, also did not sell.
Read more about this topic: Twenty Questions
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