It Could Be You (US game show)
Encyclopedia
It Could Be You was a television game show produced by Ralph Edwards Productions
in the late 1950s in the United States, broadcast daily in the weekday daytime schedule for five years 1956-61, and weekly in the evening on-and-off over three years 1958-61. Bill Leyden
was the host, and Wendell Niles
was the announcer.
, where a woman who had gone through many hardships in her life was selected and awarded prizes. However, It Could Be You, though still awarding prizes, focused most often on a woman's more embarrassing moments — for example: being seen by a neighbor while getting out of a bathtub, or engaging in a romantic interlude with a boyfriend while parked next to a bus full of tourists. Sometimes, the contestant had to perform a stunt or activity to claim the prize. The title of the series was part of the show, in that the woman called to the stage was from a studio audience which had been told ... "It Could Be You".
Prizes were often more humorous than useful — a woman who complained about moving from city to city so much that she could never get used to her new bathtub received a bathtub on wheels. At times, though, the producers of the show were much more sensitive, bringing about reunions of relatives long thought dead, or re-uniting families torn apart by the Iron Curtain
.
Guest celebrities would sometimes appear to aid the host. Among those appearing were:
NBC broadcast both a daily weekday daytime version (1956 through 1961), and a weekly primetime evening version that appeared on various days at various times over the summer of 1958, within the 1958-59 and 1959-60 television seasons, and over the summer of 1961. The show was filmed in Studio 1 of the NBC Studios in Burbank, California.
The producer of the show was Stefan Hatos
, best known for his later collaboration with Monty Hall on the famous 1960s and 1970s TV game show Let's Make A Deal
.
.
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:Born in Merino, Colorado , Edwards worked for KROW-AM in Oakland, California while he was still in high school...
in the late 1950s in the United States, broadcast daily in the weekday daytime schedule for five years 1956-61, and weekly in the evening on-and-off over three years 1958-61. Bill Leyden
Bill Leyden
William "Bill" Leyden was a World War II veteran serving in the Marine Corps and a television game show host and announcer who emceed six game shows, including It Could Be You , Your First Impression , and You're Putting Me On...
was the host, and Wendell Niles
Wendell Niles
Wendell Niles was one of the great announcers of the American golden age of radio. He was an announcer on such shows as The Bob Hope Show, The Burns & Allen Show, The Milton Berle Show and The Chase and Sanborn Hour ...
was the announcer.
Details
It Could Be You used a variation of the format made famous in another popular show of the time, Queen for a DayQueen for a Day
Queen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945 in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months...
, where a woman who had gone through many hardships in her life was selected and awarded prizes. However, It Could Be You, though still awarding prizes, focused most often on a woman's more embarrassing moments — for example: being seen by a neighbor while getting out of a bathtub, or engaging in a romantic interlude with a boyfriend while parked next to a bus full of tourists. Sometimes, the contestant had to perform a stunt or activity to claim the prize. The title of the series was part of the show, in that the woman called to the stage was from a studio audience which had been told ... "It Could Be You".
Prizes were often more humorous than useful — a woman who complained about moving from city to city so much that she could never get used to her new bathtub received a bathtub on wheels. At times, though, the producers of the show were much more sensitive, bringing about reunions of relatives long thought dead, or re-uniting families torn apart by the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
.
Guest celebrities would sometimes appear to aid the host. Among those appearing were:
- Lex BarkerLex BarkerLex Barker was an American actor best known for playing Tarzan of the Apes and leading characters from Karl May's novels.-Early life:...
- Annette FunicelloAnnette FunicelloAnnette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...
- Steve McQueenSteve McQueenTerrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
NBC broadcast both a daily weekday daytime version (1956 through 1961), and a weekly primetime evening version that appeared on various days at various times over the summer of 1958, within the 1958-59 and 1959-60 television seasons, and over the summer of 1961. The show was filmed in Studio 1 of the NBC Studios in Burbank, California.
The producer of the show was Stefan Hatos
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions was a television production company responsible for producing several American game shows in the 1970s and 1980s...
, best known for his later collaboration with Monty Hall on the famous 1960s and 1970s TV game show Let's Make A Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
.
Daytime schedule
The daily daytime version of the show premiered June 4, 1956 on the NBC daytime schedule in the 12:30–1 PM (EST) timeslot, and continued every weekday at that time through December 30, 1961.Summer 1958
The weekly evening version of the show premiered July 2, 1958, in the 10:30–11 PM (EST) timeslot on Wednesday nights, where it continued until September 1958.1958-59 Season
The weekly evening show began again in November 1958 in a new timeslot, 8:30–9 PM (EST) on Thursday nights, and continued there until the end of March 1959. The evening show was not broadcast in the summer of 1959.1959-60 Season
In September 1959, the weekly evening show appeared in another new timeslot, 10:30–11 PM (EST) on Saturday nights, until January 1960. The evening show was not broadcast in the summer of 1960.1960-61 Season
The evening show did not appear within the 1960–61 season1960-61 United States network television schedule
The 1960–61 United States network television schedule was for the period that began in September 1960 and ran through March 1961.On May 9, 1961, at the annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters new FCC chairman Newton Minow delivered a scathing speech directed at the "procession...
.
Summer 1961
The evening show began again June 1961 in a fourth timeslot, 10–10:30 PM (EST) on Wednesday nights. The last prime time show was broadcast September 27, 1961.Critical reception
Although the viewing public enjoyed the show and appreciated host Bill Leyden's quick wit, critics of daytime television found fault with what they called the patronizing and condescending behavior the host had toward the women brought on stage.External links
- "It Could be You" subsection of SHOWS webpage on Ralph Edwards Productions website
- "It Could Be You" webpage on the IMDB website