Winner Take All (game show)

Last updated
Winner Take All
Created by Mark Goodson
Bill Todman
Presented by Ward Wilson
Bill Cullen
Bud Collyer
Barry Gray
Sonny Fox
Narrated byBill Cullen
Bern Bennett
Harry Kramer
Don Pardo
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes1951 (TV): ~50
1952 (pre-Matinee): ~45
1952 (Matinee): ~65
Original release
Network CBS (Radio; 1946–1952)
CBS (Television; 1948–1951)
NBC (1952)
ReleaseJune 3, 1946 (1946-06-03) –
September 5, 1952 (1952-09-05)

Winner Take All is an American radio-television game show that ran from 1946 to 1952 on CBS and NBC. It was the first game show produced by the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman partnership. [1] The series was originally hosted by Ward Wilson, but is best known for being the first game hosted by Bill Cullen. [2]

Although the game format was very simple, Winner Take All served as the genesis for many future game-show formats. It was the first game to use lockout devices, and the first to use returning champions. [1]

In July 1952, CBS launched a Saturday night version of the show, in addition to the regular Monday-Friday daytime broadcasts. [3]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Billboard described the July 1, 1948, televised version of the program as being "loud as radio and twice as lurid". [4] The review pointed out the "banality" of MC Bud Collyer's performance but added that little could be criticized about the technical aspects of the episode. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Newcomb, Horace (2014). Encyclopedia of Television. Routledge. p. 1013. ISBN   9781135194796 . Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  2. ↑ Baber, David (2009). Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars. McFarland. p. 53. ISBN   9781476604800 . Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "'Winner Take All' Is To Be Aired Saturday". The Roanoke Times. July 30, 1950. p. 18. Retrieved May 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Chase, Sam (July 10, 1948). "Winner Take All". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved December 12, 2024.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.