Keep Talking (game show)

Keep Talking
From top: Host Merv Griffin and panelists Morey Amsterdam, Jayne Meadows and Danny Dayton.
Genre	Panel/Game show
Created by	Herb Wolf
Written by	Herb Wolf
Directed by	Lloyd Gross
Presented by	Monty Hall Carl Reiner Merv Griffin
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
Production
Producer	Wolf Productions
Production locations	Studio 51 (CBS) ABC Studios
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS ABC
Release	July 15, 1958 (1958-07-15) – May 3, 1960 (1960-05-03)

Keep Talking is an American game show broadcast on CBS and ABC from the summer of 1958 to the spring of 1960. The show was first hosted by Monty Hall, then by Carl Reiner, and then Merv Griffin.

Production

The show was a hosted panelist/game show produced by Wolf Productions ^[1] and broadcast in the United States the summer of 1958, and in both the 1958-59 and the 1959-60 primetime television seasons, though on different days, times, and networks each season.

CBS broadcast the show on three different days in various timeslots: ^{[2] [3] [4]}

• 8:30-9 PM (EST) ^[5] on Tuesdays from July 15, 1958 through October 1958, (moving to 8 PM in September) ^[2] with Monty Hall as host
• 10–10:30 PM (EST) on Sundays (November 1958 through February 1959) with Carl Reiner as host
• 8–8:30 PM (EST) on Wednesdays (February 1959 through September 1959) with Carl Reiner as host

During this CBS run, other celebrities, such as Vincent Price, filled in as host when needed. These shows were filmed at CBS' Studio 51 in New York City.

The show moved to ABC for the 1959-60 season, filmed in the ABC Studios in California with Merv Griffin as host — the show was broadcast back on Tuesday again, but at a later time, 10:30-11 pm (EST). The last show was broadcast May 3, 1960. ^[2]

Format

Six celebrity panelists, divided into two teams, would try to guess a secret word given to one player on each team. These two players would then proceed to tell a story to their team involving that word, yet not using that word. Narration of the story would jump from team-mate to team-mate, often leaving the new narrator at a loss as to how to continue the story. Little attention was paid to scoring and points—the point was for the panelists to build their ad-lib story seamlessly and entertainingly.

Stars

Among the panelists who appeared during the run of the show were:

• Morey Amsterdam
• Paul Winchell
• Peggy Cass
• Pat Carroll
• Orson Bean
• Joey Bishop
• Danny Dayton
• Ilka Chase (CBS run only)
• Elaine May (CBS run only)
• Jayne Meadows

References

1. Adams, Val (December 7, 1958). "News of TV and Radio: 'Keep Talking' May Not On C.B.S.-TV -- Items" . The New York Times. p. X 15. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
2. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (9 ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 732. ISBN   978-0-345-49773-4 . Retrieved February 26, 2026.
3. "Keep Talking" Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine from the Old TV Tickets website
4. Marc, David "Comic Visions: Television Comedy and American Culture", (Routledge, 1989) page 90, ISBN   0-04-445284-5
5. "Tonight's TV Key Previews". Toledo Blade (Ohio). July 16, 1958. p. 4 (Peach Section). Retrieved February 26, 2026.

External links

• Keep Talking at IMDb