Editing Truth or Consequences (section)

==Broadcast history==
[[File:Ralph Edwards 1948.JPG|thumb|right|200px|[[Ralph Edwards]] in a promotional image for ''Truth or Consequences'', 1948.]]
[[Image:Bob Barker dec 31 1956.JPG|thumb|right|200px|[[Bob Barker]]'s TV hosting debut on ''Truth or Consequences,'' 1956''.'']]
[[File:Bob Barker 1958 Truth or Consequences.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Barker on ''Truth or Consequences'', circa 1958.]]
Ralph Edwards stated he got the idea for a new radio program from a favorite childhood parlor game, "Forfeits".<ref>"Ralph Edwards," ''Current Biography 1943'', p192, 193.</ref>  The show premiered on NBC Radio on March 23, 1940.

''Truth or Consequences'' was the first game show to air on broadcast television,{{Citation needed |date=September 2022}} airing as a one-time experiment on the first day of [[New York City|New York]] station [[WNBC|WNBT]]'s commercial program schedule on July 1, 1941. However, the series did not appear on TV again until 1950, when the medium had caught on commercially.<ref>{{cite web|title=Station WNBT Week of June 30th–July 5th, 1941|url=https://www.tvhistory.tv/1941_June_30_WNBT_Program.jpg|access-date=10 January 2012}}</ref> On September 6, 1950, [[WCBS-TV]] in New York City began local broadcasts of kinescopes of episodes that had been broadcast on [[KTTV]] in Los Angeles. Phillip Morris sponsored the series in New York.<ref>{{cite news |title=Debuts, Highlights, Changes (Continued) |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele10ross/page/n98/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=September 17, 2022 |work=Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index |date=September 3, 1950 |page=2}}</ref>

The program originated as a prime time series, airing on [[CBS]] from September 7, 1950, to May 31, 1951, hosted by Edwards. Three years later, it returned on [[NBC]] with Jack Bailey (of ''[[Queen for a Day]]'') as host, this time running from May 18, 1954, to September 28, 1956. NBC launched a new daytime version on December 31 of that year, with radio personality Bob Barker at the helm. This run not only marked the start of a hugely successful television career for Barker, but also became the longest-running incarnation of ''Truth or Consequences'' yet, airing until September 24, 1965. During Barker's run, another prime time version was attempted, this one with actor Steve Dunne emceeing, which ran on NBC from December 13, 1957, to June 6, 1958.

Edwards pioneered several technologies for recording live television programs. When ''Truth or Consequences'' established a permanent presence on TV in 1950, Edwards arranged to have it be recorded on 35mm film, using multiple cameras simultaneously—the first TV program recorded before a live audience to do so.<ref>Ralph Edwards discusses the details of the process in a 1997 interview conducted by the Television Academy Foundation, https://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/ralph-edwards .</ref> A similar process was then adapted by [[Desilu]] for ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' the following year. On January 22, 1957, the show, which was produced in Hollywood, became the first program to be broadcast in all time zones from a prerecorded [[videotape]]. This technology had previously been used only for time-delayed broadcasts to the West Coast.<ref>"Daily N.B.C. Show Will Be on Tape", ''The New York Times'', Jan. 18, 1957, p. 31.</ref>

In 1966, ''Truth or Consequences'' became the first successful daily game show in first-run syndication (as opposed to reruns) to not air on a network, having ended its NBC run one year earlier. This version continued through 1975.

In the fall of 1977, a syndicated revival titled ''The New Truth or Consequences'' premiered. Because Bob Barker had already agreed to take over ''The Nighttime Price Is Right'' from [[Dennis James]], he was unavailable and [[Bob Hilton]] took over hosting. However, this version did not click in the ratings and was cancelled after a single season.

A decade later, ''Truth or Consequences'' returned in syndication for the 1987–1988 season, this time with actor [[Larry Anderson (actor)|Larry Anderson]] as host, assisted by [[Murray Langston]] (better known as "The Unknown Comic" on ''[[The Gong Show]]''). This effort also failed to attract audiences and was gone after one season.