Ralph Edwards has died

LOS ANGELES--Broadcasting pioneer Ralph Edwards, who hosted the popular "This Is Your Life" in the 1950s, has died of heart failure, his publicist says.

Here's the AP Obit...

LOS ANGELES - Broadcasting pioneer Ralph Edwards, host of the popular 1950s "This Is Your Life" television show, died Wednesday of heart failure, his publicist said. He was 92.

Publicist Justin Seremet confirmed that Edwards, whose career as producer and host included "Truth or Consequences" and "People's Court," had died. Other details were not immediately available.

Edwards first hit it big in radio in 1940 with "Truth or Consequences," a novelty show in which contestants who failed to answer trick questions - the "truth" - had to suffer "the consequences" by performing some elaborate stunt.

Then came television. The Federal Communications Commission approved commercial broadcasts beginning on July 1, 1941, after a few years of experimental broadcasts, and NBC's New York station was the first to make the changeover.

"Amazingly enough, I did 'Truth or Consequences' on television in July 1941. It was the first commercial show for NBC," Edwards recalled.

"A 10-second commercial was $9," he said.

The United States' entry into World War II five months later disrupted TV's progress. "Truth or Consequences," which prospered on radio in the interim, returned to television in 1950.

I remember that show. He would bring in people from a celebrity's life by having them talk off camera before coming on stage.

I was hoping someday Bill Clinton could be suckered into a appearing on a This Is Your Life and have all his victims come in one at a time.

how coincidental!

this yesterday:

Regis Philbin is returning to primetime.

The "Live with Regis and Kelly" host will helm the new version of "This Is Your Life" for ABC. The series is a new version of the 1950s and '60s NBC original created and hosted by Ralph Edwards that each week surprised a guest with an often-emotional recounting of his or her life.

"This Is Your Life" _ which ABC calls "the original reality show" _ varied its subjects from celebrities to prominent business figures to regular folks. The format for the Philbin-hosted version hasn't yet been announced, nor has an air date.

I used to catch some of those old "This is Your Life" episodes when they were being rerun on American Movie Classics, about a decade ago. Always found the show weirdly disquieting. But interesting, too, since you got to see a lot of old-timers, now long-deceased, in rare 'real life' footage, so to speak. A set of episodes came out on dvd a while back; I saw it at Best Buy, and toyed with getting it, but never did.

As for "Truth or Consequences," I recall enjoying the tv-show as a kid, in the early-70s, but by that time Bob Barker was hosting it.

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