I've Got A Secret

[The Pyramids]

'I've Got A Secret' is the odd-man out of all of the G/T syndicated revivals from the late 60's - early 70's.

Was it merely a victim of being one revival too many and bad ratings, or were there other reasons for its short run?

[Jimmy Owen]

I thought the pace was too frenetic, compared to WML? and TTTT, and I would presume that in most markets the once-a-week IGAS would have competed against WML or TTTT, splitting the panel show audience.

By the fall of 73, Goodson had seven strips in production (four for syndication) plus the Dennis James Price, so maybe they were content with that output.

Here in Michigan there were a couple of stations that ran IGAS through the fall of 74, so the show was still in distribution as reruns, after production ended.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Nov 8 2005, 09:48 PM\']I thought the pace was too frenetic, compared to WML? and TTTT, and I would presume that in most markets the once-a-week IGAS would have competed against WML or TTTT, splitting the panel show audience.

[snapback]101772[/snapback]

[/quote]

If it was competing at all--in major markets, no major market network stations were doing stripping in access in 1972 and I assume that with a few exceptions, indies were very happy to counterprogram with the sitcom reruns.

That saying, in Rockford, Illinois, whose channels we picked up in DeKalb, Illinois, where I went to college, the CBS affil WCEE was stripping "TTTT" at 6:30 p.m. in 1974 (they were one year behind the major markets) and "T or C" was a 6 p.m. fixture at ABC affil WREX, complete with an old ID slide and V/O cart used every night that didn't sound like anyone else working at that station at the time (and the slide didn't look like the graphics department's current fonts).  It went [Marc Summers] something like this... [MS]

(end of news)
NEWS ANNCR. (over perky synth theme):  "Dateline 13 News" is a presentation of the Dateline 13 News Department.

(music up and under as news fades)

(slide on screen saying "Truth or Consequences"-WREX-TV Rockford and the station logo--what sounds like worn-out cart plays)
ANNCR. 2:  "Truth or Consequences"--next on Channel 13, WREX-TV, Rockford, Illinois.

(Cut to audience laughing)
CHARLIE LYON:  Well, hello there!  Come on in, we've been waiting for you!  It's time to play "Truth..."