Down You Go
Encyclopedia
Down You Go is an American television
game show
originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network
. The Emmy Award
-nominated series ran from 1951
–1956
as a prime time
series hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans
. The program aired in eleven different timeslots during its five-year run.
Down You Go is one of the few series — along with The Arthur Murray Party
, Pantomime Quiz, and The Original Amateur Hour — shown on all four major television networks of the Golden Age of Television
: ABC
, NBC, CBS, and DuMont.
", with a group of four celebrity
panelists who were asked to guess a word or phrase submitted by a home viewer. The phrase "down you go" came about when a panelist would be eliminated from play for making an incorrect guess, which would be signified by the eliminated panelist pulling a handle to switch their name to "DOWN YOU GO".
Among the regular panelists were comedian Fran Allison
, journalist Phyllis Cerf
, editor Francis Coughlin, actress Patricia Cutts
, actress Carmelita Pope, actor Boris Karloff
, author Jean Kerr
, and athlete Phil Rizzuto
.
Down You Go has been described as "one of the wittiest, most intelligent panel shows on television". The popular series was nominated for an Emmy
in 1953, in the category Best Audience Participation, Quiz, or Panel Program.
When the struggling DuMont network cancelled Down You Go along with most of its other series during the Summer of 1955, rival network CBS briefly picked up the series for the Summer. Host Bergen Evans and some of the panelists stayed for the new CBS version, which aired from June 11 to September 3, 1955. After twelve days, Down You Go returned to network television, this time on ABC, where it aired until June 4, 1956.
When NBC began airing the program on June 16, making Down You Go one of only four programs to air on all four "Golden Age" television networks (the other three being The Arthur Murray Party
, The Original Amateur Hour, and Pantomime Quiz). This version was more comedy-oriented, with new host Bill Cullen
and the celebrity panel of Jayne Mansfield
, Jimmy Nelson
, Hildy Parks
, and Arthur Treacher
. The series ended on September 8, 1956.
aired their own version from January 1, 1953 to 1954, hosted originally by Marcus Dick and then by Roy Rich beginning in April 1953. Notably, Evans-era regular Patricia Cutts was a regular on the British version as well.
No episodes are known to have survived.
as per network practices of the era, with the DuMont version destroyed in 1958 (many kinescopes were wiped to recover the silver
content) and/or the 1970s (three trucks dumped the remaining DuMont archive into Upper New York Bay).
One episode is known to exist from the 1955 CBS run, although nothing is said during the show to directly support this; only a brief promo for The Loretta Young Show, airing the following night "on another network
", hints at the network of origin. This episode is held by the Museum of Broadcast Communications
in Chicago, and also circulates among collectors.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. The Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-nominated series ran from 1951
1951 in television
The year 1951 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1951.-Events:*March 22 - RCA introduces an eight-pound monochrome television camera with a 53-pound backpack transmitter, both operated by batteries...
–1956
1956 in television
The year 1956 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1956.-Events:*January 28 – Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on CBS on Stage Show, the first of six appearances on the series....
as a prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
series hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans
Bergen Evans
Bergen Baldwin Evans was an American lexicographer, a Rhodes Scholar, a Harvard College graduate, a Northwestern University professor of English, and a television host...
. The program aired in eleven different timeslots during its five-year run.
Down You Go is one of the few series — along with The Arthur Murray Party
The Arthur Murray Party
The Arthur Murray Party is an American television variety show which ran from July 1950 until September 1960. The show was hosted by famous dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray, and was basically one long advertisement for their chain of dance studios...
, Pantomime Quiz, and The Original Amateur Hour — shown on all four major television networks of the Golden Age of Television
Golden Age of Television
The Golden Age of Television in the United States began sometime in the late 1940s and extended to the late 1950s or early 1960s.-Evolutions of drama on television:...
: ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, NBC, CBS, and DuMont.
Gameplay
Down You Go was similar to the game "HangmanHangman (game)
Hangman is a paper and pencil guessing game for two or more players. One player thinks of a word and the other tries to guess it by suggesting letters.-Overview:...
", with a group of four celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
panelists who were asked to guess a word or phrase submitted by a home viewer. The phrase "down you go" came about when a panelist would be eliminated from play for making an incorrect guess, which would be signified by the eliminated panelist pulling a handle to switch their name to "DOWN YOU GO".
Among the regular panelists were comedian Fran Allison
Fran Allison
Fran Allison was an American television and radio comedian, personality and singer. She is best known for her starring role on the weekday NBC-TV puppet show Kukla, Fran and Ollie, which ran from 1947 to 1957, occasionally returning to the air until the mid 1980s...
, journalist Phyllis Cerf
Phyllis Fraser
Phyllis Fraser Cerf Wagner was an American actress, journalist, and children's book publisher, and the co-founder of Beginner Books.-Early life:...
, editor Francis Coughlin, actress Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts was an English film and television actress.-Biography:Born in London, Cutts was the daughter of the writer-director Graham Cutts. Her first roles were small parts in American films such as I Was a Male War Bride and The Man Who Loved Redheads and the television shows Alfred...
, actress Carmelita Pope, actor Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
, author Jean Kerr
Jean Kerr
Jean Kerr was an American author and playwright born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and best known for her humorous bestseller, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, and the plays King of Hearts and Mary, Mary...
, and athlete Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
.
Broadcast history
The series debuted on May 30, 1951 on DuMont. Down You Go aired on Wednesday nights from 9 to 9:30 until July, when it moved to Thursdays. The program was moved to Friday at the start of the 1952–1953 television season. During the Summer of 1952, it aired on Fridays at 8; in October 1952, it would be moved back to a 10:30 time slot. The series was shuffled around DuMont's schedule (Wednesdays at 9:30, then 10, and finally Fridays at 10:30) until May 20, 1955.Down You Go has been described as "one of the wittiest, most intelligent panel shows on television". The popular series was nominated for an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 1953, in the category Best Audience Participation, Quiz, or Panel Program.
When the struggling DuMont network cancelled Down You Go along with most of its other series during the Summer of 1955, rival network CBS briefly picked up the series for the Summer. Host Bergen Evans and some of the panelists stayed for the new CBS version, which aired from June 11 to September 3, 1955. After twelve days, Down You Go returned to network television, this time on ABC, where it aired until June 4, 1956.
When NBC began airing the program on June 16, making Down You Go one of only four programs to air on all four "Golden Age" television networks (the other three being The Arthur Murray Party
The Arthur Murray Party
The Arthur Murray Party is an American television variety show which ran from July 1950 until September 1960. The show was hosted by famous dancers Arthur and Kathryn Murray, and was basically one long advertisement for their chain of dance studios...
, The Original Amateur Hour, and Pantomime Quiz). This version was more comedy-oriented, with new host Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
and the celebrity panel of Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
, Jimmy Nelson
Jimmy Nelson
Jimmy "T99" Nelson was an American jump blues and rhythm and blues shouter and songwriter. With a recording career that spanned over 50 years, Jimmy "T99" Nelson became a distinguished elder statesman of American music. His best known recordings are "T-99 Blues" and "Meet Me With Your Black Dress...
, Hildy Parks
Hildy Parks
Hildy Parks was an American actress and writer.Born in Washington, D.C., Parks pursued acting following her graduation from the University of Virginia...
, and Arthur Treacher
Arthur Treacher
Arthur Veary Treacher was an English actor born in Brighton, East Sussex, England.Treacher was a veteran of World War I. After the war, he established a stage career and in 1928, he went to America as part of a musical-comedy revue called Great Temptations...
. The series ended on September 8, 1956.
British version
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aired their own version from January 1, 1953 to 1954, hosted originally by Marcus Dick and then by Roy Rich beginning in April 1953. Notably, Evans-era regular Patricia Cutts was a regular on the British version as well.
No episodes are known to have survived.
Episode status
The series is believed to have been destroyedWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
as per network practices of the era, with the DuMont version destroyed in 1958 (many kinescopes were wiped to recover the silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
content) and/or the 1970s (three trucks dumped the remaining DuMont archive into Upper New York Bay).
One episode is known to exist from the 1955 CBS run, although nothing is said during the show to directly support this; only a brief promo for The Loretta Young Show, airing the following night "on another network
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
", hints at the network of origin. This episode is held by the Museum of Broadcast Communications
Museum of Broadcast Communications
The Museum of Broadcast Communications is an American museum that currently exists exclusively on the Internet and not in any physical capacity. Its stated mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain...
in Chicago, and also circulates among collectors.
See also
- List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
- List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
External links
- DuMont historical website
- The Adenoidal Moderator (Time, April 28, 1952)