"C'mon Down!" Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Charles Daly

The original "What's My Line" was a game show which aired from 1950-1967. The show had a panel (consisting of Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf and one more celebrity 'du jour') trying to guess the occupation of the contestants, as well as the identity of a mystery guest.

It was hosted by John Charles Daly (1914-1991), a journalist, war reporter, radio personality, news executive and game show host. Daly was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was also the author of several books, including the prescient "Terrorism: what Should be Our Response?", published in 1982.

Answer: Hal March

"The $64,000 Question" was a game show which ran from 1955-1958. It was so popular it fathered a spin-off called "The $64,000 Challenge". The phrase "that is the $64,000 question" means an important question on which a lot depends. Unfortunately, it was one of the shows which was involved in the game show scandal of the 1950s, along with "Twenty One" and "The Price Is Right" (pre-Bob Barker).

The host was Hal March (1920-1970) who had been a comedian and an actor. As a result of the quiz show scandal, the show was cancelled and March was out of work for almost a decade.

Answer: Bud Collyer

The producers, Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, are responsible for "To Tell the Truth" which has aired in various forms since 1956. It was hosted by Bud Collyer from 1956 to 1968. The premise of the show was for the celebrity panel to correctly identify the contestant who was the 'real' person who belonged to the unusual job or experience stated in the summary read by Collyer, while the other two contestants lied. Bud Collyer (1908-1969), nee Clayton Johnson Heermance, Jr., was an actor and one of the nation's first TV game show stars. Collyer also emceed "Break the Bank", "Winner Take All" and "Beat the Clock".

Answer: Chuck Barris

After "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour", but prior to "American Idol", was the TV game show "The Gong Show". The show featured amateurs who competed in a talent show judged by a trio of celebrities (hmmm, sound familiar?). If the contestants were so bad that the panelists couldn't stand anymore, they would bang a large gong (they could have used that gong for William Hung). Chuck Barris was the host; he provided the humor and the party atmosphere that was part of the show. Barris also produced both "The Newlywed Game" and "The Dating Game", and wrote an autobiography "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind".

Answer: Ken Ober

MTV's first original non-musical program was a game show called "Remote Control" which ran from 1987 through 1990. The show was hosted by Ken Ober (1957-2009), with Colin Quinn as the announcer/sidekick. The premise of the show was that Ken Ober wanted to be a game show host so badly that he set up his basement (in his mother's house) as a television studio (pre "Wayne's World"). Three contestants answered questions about movies, music and TV; many of the questions were presented in skit form. Ober also performed hosting duties on "Make Me Laugh", "Smush" and ESPN's "Perfect Match".

Answer: Jenny McCarthy

Before "The Bachelor" and before "The Bachelorette", there was an MTV show called "Singled Out" which aired from 1995 to 1998. Each episode featured fifty men and fifty women vying for a date with the main contestant from the opposite sex. The original show was hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Chris Hardwick.

In 1997, when McCarthy left to host her own short-lived sitcom "Jenny" in 1997, she was replaced by Carmen Electra. Jenny has been 'Playmate of the Year' (1993), co-hosted "The View", authored books about parenting, and is an anti-vaccine activist.

Answer: Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall happens to be the brother of 1940s actress Joann Dru but, since many of you many not have heard of either one, let's move on. Marshall was the original host of the popular game show "Hollywood Squares" from 1966 to 1981. Besides being a radio and TV personality, he was also a singer and an actor. "Hollywood Squares" was a long-running game show with celebrities sitting at desks in the squares of a giant tic-tac-toe board.

They had to answer questions (humorously), and the contestants must guess whether their answer is correct. Example: "Why do Hell's Angels wear leather?"; Paul Lynde: "Because chiffon wrinkles too easily".

Answer: Hugh Downs

"Concentration" was a TV game show based on the children's memory game. Contestants had to find matching cards representing prizes which, when removed, showed part of a rebus which had to be solved in order to win: Example: WICK + E + PEA + D + UH. The original show was hosted by Hugh Downs from 1958 to 1969. Downs was also known for having been the announcer and sidekick on "Tonight Starring Jack Paar", anchor of news magazine "20/20" and co-host of the NBC news program "Today" from 1962 to 1971.

Answer: Jack Bailey

Based on the radio program "Queen for Today" broadcast from New York City in 1945, the TV show "Queen for a Day" began airing from Hollywood in 1951. Jack Bailey (1907-1980) emceed the show which featured three or four contestants who would tell their 'sob stories', and the live audience got to pick the winner (usually the one with the most pathetic tale). Jack Bailey had been a vaudeville musician and a World's Fair barker, excellent credentials for his role as game show host.

He also hosted the TV games shows "Place the Face" (1953-1954) and "Truth or Consequences" from 1954 to 1956 (pre Bob Barker).

Answer: Bill Malone

The original "Supermarket Sweep", which ran from 1965 to 1967, was hosted by Bill Malone. A little more athletic than most quiz shows, it involved running around a supermarket and collecting the highest priced items in your shopping cart before the time limit expired.

A contestant could earn more time by answering product-related questions, e.g., "What brand of soup uses the jingle, 'MMM, MMM, good?'" The contestant with the highest dollar value of groceries got to win and come back for the next show.

As far as Bill Malone (NOT the magician), he was a TV personality at WMAL in the 1950s, and a broadcaster for the NFL's Washington Redskins.