Game Shows Past-Feb. 28-March 6, 1953

[Tim L]

These listings come from a somewhat unique source-The Pittsburgh Based TV DIGEST, which was basically a prelude to TV Guide, which was just being rolled out in other parts of the country.

     Because this was just after the 1952 freeze on TV station licenses had been lifted by the FCC, There were still relatively few TV stations broadcasting outside of the larger cities.  Therefore there was still only one station in Pittsburgh (and would be until 1957).  Thus, there were but 3 stations listed in this TV Magazine:

2 WDTV Pittsburgh (DuMont Owned and Operated but also carried some NBC, ABC and CBS programming)-two years later would be sold to Westinghouse and become KDKA-TV

6 WJAC Johnstown, Pa. (NBC, CBS, ABC)

27 WKBN Youngstown, Ohio (CBS, DuMont, ABC)

WFMJ-TV 73 NBC (Later 21) would be on the air in Youngstown within about two weeks of these listings
Basically only 3 stations-within a radius of about 225 Miles.

Monday-Friday Daytime

11 AM
6 There's One In Every Family-John Reed King-CBS

11:15
2 Bride And Groom-CBS-John Nelson

11:30
2, 6 Strike It Rich-CBS-Warren Hull

Noon
6 Bride And Groom-CBS

2:30
2 Meet Your Neighbor-"Audience Quiz And Music"-Local

3PM
2, 6 Big Payoff-Randy Merriman-Bess Myerson-CBS

6PM
6 Viz Quiz-Home game

6:30
27 Strike It Rich-Hull-CBS
(Tuesday, Friday Only)
Station did not sign-on till 3PM

6:55
2 Viz Quiz

Prime Time/Weekends

Monday March 2, 1953

8PM
6 What's My Name?-Paul Winchell/Jerry Mahoney-NBC

10:30
6 Who Said That?-Walter Kiernan-NBC
Panel:Frank Conniff, Janis Carter, Gene Lockhart

Tuesday, March 3, 1953

9PM
2 Where Was I?-Photo Quiz-DuMont
Host:John Reed King
Panel:Nancy Guild, Bill Cullen, Elsa Maxwell, Samuel Grafton
Guest:Sammy Steppe

9:30
2 Wisdom Of The Ages-Jack Barry-DuMont

10PM
6 Two For The Money-Herb Shriner-NBC

Wednesday March 4, 1953

9PM
27 Strike It Rich-Hull-CBS

9:30
2 Guest To Ghost-Bill Burns-Local
(not sure of the signifigance of the show Title)
"Bill Burns Emcees Word Game"

27 Chance Of A Lifetime-Dennis James-ABC

Thursday, March 5, 1953

8:30
6 Chance Of A Lifetime-James-ABC

9PM
6 You Bet Your Life-Groucho Marx-NBC

9:30
27 What's The Story-Walter Kiernan-DuMont
Panel:Harriet Van Horne Robert Sullivan, Bosley Crowther

10:30
2 I've Got A Secret-Garry Moore-CBS
Panel:Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen, Faye Emerson, Jayne Meadows

Friday, March 6

10PM
27 Wheel Of Fortune-Todd Russell-CBS

Saturday February 28, 1953

2:30
6 Beat The Clock-Bud Collyer-CBS

3:30
6 Life Begins At 80-Jack Barry-DuMont

4PM
2 The Name's The Same-Robert Q. Lewis
Panel Joan Alexander, Jerry Lester, Meredith Willson

10PM
27 Quiz Kids-Joe Kelley-CBS


Sunday March 1, 1953

Noon
6 Balance Your Budget-Bert Parks-CBS

2:30
2 Professor Yes N  No-Bill Cullen-CBS



4PM
6 Quiz Kids Kelley-CBS

4:30
2 Whats My Name?Winchell/Mahoney-NBC

7PM
2 You Bet Your Life-Marx-NBC

Apparently No One Carried "What's  My Line"  in this area:  One More oddity:
All 3 stations carried "Arthur Godfrey And Friends"(Wednesday 8PM).The only show the whole week carried by all 3 stations at once.

Tim Lones
Canton, Ohio

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Oct 25 2004, 01:39 AM\']9:30
2 Guest To Ghost-Bill Burns-Local
(not sure of the signifigance of the show Title)
"Bill Burns Emcees Word Game"

[snapback]61852[/snapback]

[/quote]

Ghost is an old word parlor game.  Don't remember how to play it, but there was a national attempt to do the game called "Super Ghost," hosted by Bergen Evans of "Down You Go" fame and also employing a panel, with one or two of "Down You Go"'s regular panelists also involved, IIRC.

Bill Burns, of course, is a legend in Pittsburgh television, forming for many years at KDKA what was the probably the only father-daughter anchor team in the business with his daughter Patti.

[Neumms]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Oct 25 2004, 03:58 PM\'][quote name=\'Tim L\' date=\'Oct 25 2004, 01:39 AM\']9:30
2 Guest To Ghost-Bill Burns-Local
(not sure of the signifigance of the show Title)
"Bill Burns Emcees Word Game"

[snapback]61852[/snapback]

[/quote]

Ghost is an old word parlor game.  Don't remember how to play it, but there was a national attempt to do the game called "Super Ghost," hosted by Bergen Evans of "Down You Go" fame and also employing a panel, with one or two of "Down You Go"'s regular panelists also involved, IIRC.

[snapback]61915[/snapback]

[/quote]


If I recall from the ride home from a 5th grade field trip, the idea with Ghost is players take turns adding letters to a series trying not to complete a word. The trick is that there must be a word with those letters--the next player could challenge you to come up with it. Each round you lost gave you a letter in G-H-O-S-T (a la H-O-R-S-E).