Place the Face
Encyclopedia
Place the Face is an American game show
that aired on CBS
and NBC
from 1953
to 1955
. The series was hosted by Jack Smith, Jack Bailey, and then Bill Cullen
. Jack Narz
was the announcer.
' This Is Your Life
biography series. At first, regular persons were invited to be contestants. They would seek to identify an important face from their past, perhaps a former teacher, a police officer who had given the contestant a ticket, or the person next to the contestant in the graduation line. The emcee gave the contestant clues, and he or she could pose "yes or no" questions.
Jack Smith, a former radio
figure and singer for "The Three Ambassadors" and later the host of You Asked For It
, was the first host of Place the Face, with audience members in the starring role. The prizes won by the studio guests were greater when they identified the mysterious face quickly. Smith was soon replaced by Jack Bailey, also the host of the reality show Queen for a Day
(1945-1964).
Effective February 11, 1954, when Bill Cullen became the host, celebrities were invited to recognize faces of persons from their past who had played an important role in their lives. Among such guest stars were John Carradine
, Jeff Chandler
, Xavier Cugat
and Pat O'Brien
. When the celebrities became integral to the series, the prizes awarded to contestants were minimized.
Place the Face first aired as a summer replacement on Tuesdays on NBC from July to August 1953. It then switched for its first full season to CBS, where it aired at 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays following The Public Defender
, which premiered on CBS on March 18, 1954, late in the 1953–1954 season. In the second season, the series was switched to NBC on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, sandwiched between NBC's The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
and The Imogene Coca Show
. The show ended in December 1954, only to return to NBC as another summer replacement in 1955.
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...
that aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and NBC
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...
from 1953
1953 in television
The year 1953 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1953.-Events:*January 19 – 68% of all US television sets were tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth to little Ricky....
to 1955
1955 in television
The year 1955 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1955.-Events:*March 5 – Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time...
. The series was hosted by Jack Smith, Jack Bailey, and then Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
. Jack Narz
Jack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
was the announcer.
Synopsis
The program was based on a similar premise to Ralph EdwardsRalph 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...
' This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
biography series. At first, regular persons were invited to be contestants. They would seek to identify an important face from their past, perhaps a former teacher, a police officer who had given the contestant a ticket, or the person next to the contestant in the graduation line. The emcee gave the contestant clues, and he or she could pose "yes or no" questions.
Jack Smith, a former radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
figure and singer for "The Three Ambassadors" and later the host of You Asked For It
You Asked For It
You Asked for It is a popular human-interest show created and hosted by Art Baker. Initially titled The Art Baker Show, the program originally aired on American television between 1950 and 1959...
, was the first host of Place the Face, with audience members in the starring role. The prizes won by the studio guests were greater when they identified the mysterious face quickly. Smith was soon replaced by Jack Bailey, also the host of the reality show Queen for a Day
Queen 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...
(1945-1964).
Effective February 11, 1954, when Bill Cullen became the host, celebrities were invited to recognize faces of persons from their past who had played an important role in their lives. Among such guest stars were John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, Jeff Chandler
Jeff Chandler (actor)
Jeff Chandler was an American film actor and singer in the 1950s.-Early life:Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Anna and Phillip Grossel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities...
, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
and Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (actor)
Pat O’Brien was an American film actor with more than one hundred screen credits.-Early life:O’Brien was born William Joseph Patrick O’Brien to an Irish-American Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as an altar boy at Gesu Church while growing up near 13th and Clybourn streets...
. When the celebrities became integral to the series, the prizes awarded to contestants were minimized.
Place the Face first aired as a summer replacement on Tuesdays on NBC from July to August 1953. It then switched for its first full season to CBS, where it aired at 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays following The Public Defender
The Public Defender (TV series)
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.-Premise:...
, which premiered on CBS on March 18, 1954, late in the 1953–1954 season. In the second season, the series was switched to NBC on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, sandwiched between NBC's The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan
The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan is an American sitcom that aired from 1954 to 1955 on NBC. The series stars Mickey Rooney who was particularly remembered for his starring role in numerous Andy Hardy films made between 1937 and 1958, which overlapped with Hey Mulligan.-Synopsis:Rooney stars...
and The Imogene Coca Show
The Imogene Coca Show
The Imogene Coca Show is a half-hour NBC television series starring Imogene Coca in both situation comedy and variety show formats. The program debuted on October 2, 1954, after the ending of Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, on which Coca had been a popular regular performer.The first two episodes...
. The show ended in December 1954, only to return to NBC as another summer replacement in 1955.