American television series
This Is Your Life
is an American
reality
documentary
series broadcast on
NBC
radio from 1948 to 1952, and on NBC television from 1952 to 1961. It was originally hosted by its creator and producer
Ralph Edwards
. In the program, the host surprised guests and then took them through a retrospective of their lives in front of an audience, including appearances by colleagues, friends, and family. Edwards revived the show in 1971?1972, and
Joseph Campanella
hosted a version in 1983. Edwards returned for various specials in the late 1980s.
Concept
[
edit
]
The idea for
This Is Your Life
arose while Edwards was working on game show
Truth or Consequences
. He had been asked by the
United States Army
to "do something" for paraplegic soldiers at
Birmingham General Army Hospital
, a California Army rehabilitation hospital in
Van Nuys, Los Angeles
(a site later
converted into a high school
). Edwards chose a "particularly despondent young soldier and hit on the idea of presenting his life on the air, in order to integrate the wreckage of the present with his happier past and the promise of a hopeful future."
[1]
Edwards received such positive public feedback from the "capsule narrative" of the soldier he gave on
Truth or Consequences
that he developed
This Is Your Life
as a new radio show.
[2]
In the show, Edwards surprised each guest by narrating a biography of the subject. The show "alternated in presenting the life stories of entertainment personalities and 'ordinary' people who had contributed in some way to their communities."
[2]
The host, consulting his "red book", narrated while presenting the subject with family members, friends, and others who had affected his or her life.
By the 1950s, the show was aired live before a theater audience. The guests were surprised by
Ralph Edwards
and confronted by the microphone and cameras. Planning for the broadcast meant that some found out in advance that they were to be featured. For example,
Eddie Cantor
had a heart condition, so the show's producers made sure that he was not surprised.
[2]
Notable guests
[
edit
]
William Frawley
receives a lifetime baseball pass from the Angels'
Fred Haney
in January 1961.
Fred MacMurray
also was part of the Frawley show.
One of the show's subjects was Rev.
Kiyoshi Tanimoto
, a survivor of the
atomic bombing of Hiroshima
. During the episode Edwards introduced Tanimoto to
Robert A. Lewis
, the co-pilot of the
Enola Gay
, the plane that dropped the bomb on
Hiroshima
.
[3]
Hanna Bloch Kohner, a
Holocaust survivor
, was a subject on May 27, 1953.
[4]
In February 1953,
Lillian Roth
, a "topflight
torch singer
of the
Prohibition era
" was the subject of the show, "cheerfully admit[ting] that she had been a hopeless drunk for 16 years before being rescued by
Alcoholics Anonymous
."
[1]
[3]
Edwards described Roth's condition as "impending blindness, an inflamed sinus and a form of alcoholic insanity" and brought on a psychiatrist who had treated her, a brother-in-law "who had paid her bills" and several "glamorous foul-weather friends" such as
Lita Grey Chaplin
and
Ruby Keeler
.
[1]
Roth's story became the basis of her
1954 autobiography
and 1955 film adaption,
I'll Cry Tomorrow
, with Edwards appearing as himself.
Kate Newcomb, a doctor who practiced in a "70-mile circle" around
Woodruff, Wisconsin
, was the subject of a 1954 episode, bringing attention to her "million pennies" drive to raise funds for a small community hospital; viewers of the episode donated over $112,000 in pennies.
[5]
The New York Times
reported on September 1, 1955, that the
Sixth United States Army
requested a
kinescope
of the April 27 episode which honored World War II and Korean War
General Mark Clark
. The request stated, "We believe that showing of such a program would contribute materially toward the objectives of troop information, since it would create appreciation of the career of an outstanding military leader and further better understanding of certain highlights in the recent history of the Army."
[6]
According to
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946?Present
, one celebrity that was definitely forbidden was Edwards himself. He supposedly threatened to fire every member of his staff if they ever tried to turn the tables on him and publicly present Edwards' own life.
[7]
In a 1973 episode,
Vincent Price
was the surprised guest. The show had been planned with his wife Mary while Price was in the UK filming the movie
Theatre of Blood
. By the time he returned to his US home, he had split with his wife and begun a relationship with his co-star from the movie,
Coral Browne
. Price's daughter later revealed that his estranged wife had told him about the show in an attempt to manage any potential fall-out and unbeknownst to the producers, he agreed to act surprised when the show was recorded.
[8]
Reception
[
edit
]
Ralph Edwards
and
Lillian Roth
(1954)
This Is Your Life
was nominated three times for as "Best Audience Participation, Quiz or Panel Program" at the
Emmy Awards
, losing in 1953 at the
5th Emmy Awards
to
What's My Line?
and sharing the category's award with
What's My Line?
at the
Emmys in 1954
and
1955
. It also fared well in the ratings during the 1950s, finishing at #11 in 1953?1954, #12 in 1954?1955, #26 in 1955?1956, #19 in 1957?1958 and #29 in 1958?1959.
[9]
By October 1960,
Time
magazine was calling
This Is Your Life
"the most sickeningly sentimental show on the air"; it cited a May 1960 episode on "
Queens
housewife and mother" Elizabeth Hahn as evidence that the show had "run through every faded actress still able to cry on cue" and had instead "turned to ordinary people as subjects for its weekly,
treacly
'true-to-life' biographies."
[10]
The episode on Hahn was also cited as an example of the limited research that the show was doing on its guests. The show had presented Hahn as "devoted to her husband and so dedicated to her children that she had worked as a chambermaid, waitress and cook to further their education and keep them off the streets", ignoring details such as that Hahn, on the advice of her rabbi, had brought her daughter into a magistrate's court as a delinquent, and that before the episode was broadcast, Hahn's husband had sued her for divorce.
[10]
Virginia Graham
, in her
autobiography
, noted that the show had been characterized as a maudlin
invasion of privacy
.
Reruns and revivals
[
edit
]
In the late 1980s, Edwards made many episodes that featured celebrities available for re-broadcasting:
American Movie Classics
aired them for several years, accompanying them with "screenings of movies from
studio-era
Hollywood."
[2]
Edwards revived the series twice in syndication, the first in 1971 with Edwards again as host, and in 1983 with
Joseph Campanella
. Both failed to capture the magic of the original series, mostly due to the series being filmed or taped and, in the case of the 1971?72 version, some stations that aired it gave away the surprise elements in ads and promos for the show. During the late 1980s, Edwards hosted a few single prime time network airings of
This Is Your Life
, most memorably an episode featuring
Betty White
and
Dick Van Dyke
.
Pat Sajak
hosted an episode in November 1993 on NBC where
Roy Scheider
and
Kathie Lee Gifford
were the honorees, and Edwards made a cameo at the beginning, then appeared again when Kathie's work as a singer on the 70s version of
Name that Tune
, which Edwards produced, was mentioned. Actress
Angie Dickinson
was supposed to have been one of the two celebrities honoured in the special, and was lured under the pretext of being interviewed for a special about director
Brian de Palma
, but when host Sajak surprised her with the typical "this is your life!" greeting to kick off the show she refused to participate and walked out.
[11]
[12]
She later said that she had previously been approached about being a guest on the show and had declined, and that the main reason she refused to participate was that she didn't look good crying.
[11]
In November 2005,
ABC
announced that it was developing a new version of the show, to be hosted by
Regis Philbin
. Coincidentally, creator, Ralph Edwards, died not long after the announcement was made. In August 2006, Philbin decided not to renew his contract with the show (he was committed to hosting
America's Got Talent
on
NBC
). ABC announced it was considering moving forward with another host in 2006, but this never came to fruition.
[13]
[14]
In October 2008,
Survivor
producer
Mark Burnett
signed a deal with Ralph Edwards Productions to produce an updated version.
[15]
This also did not come to fruition.
International versions
[
edit
]
International adaptations of the show:
- Australia
?
This Is Your Life
(1975?1980, 1995?2005, 2008, 2011, 2022?)
- Chile
?
Esta es su vida
[
es
]
(1965)
- Denmark
?
Her er dit liv
[
dk
]
(1983?1985, 1987, 1991, 1997?2000, 2011?2014)
- France
?
C'est votre vie !
[
fr
]
("This is your life!") (1993?1994, 2013?2015)
- Israel
?
???? ?????
[
he
]
("What a life") (1972?2000, 2007, 2011?2012)
- Netherlands
-
In de hoofdrol
[
nl
]
(1960?1961, 1985?1987, 1992/1993)
- New Zealand
?
This Is Your Life
(1984?2000, 2007?2008, 2010?2011)
- Norway
?
Dette er ditt liv
[
no
]
(1985?1986, 1995)
- Peru
?
Esta es su vida
(1961)
- Sweden
?
Har ar ditt liv
[
sv
]
("Here is your life") (1980?1991, 1995, 2009?2010, 2019),
Ett sant liv
(1995)
- Spain
?
Esta es su vida
[
es
]
(1962?1968, 1993)
- United Kingdom
?
This Is Your Life
(1955?1964, 1969?2003, 2007)
In the Taiwanese variety show
Super Sunday
, the second half of each episode has a
This Is Your Life
-style segment where a celebrity or a local discussed their past followed by a cinematic re-enactment (usually exaggerated or serious) then a remote segment to search for the individual. However, the final result for each segment may or may not be successful.
Parodies
[
edit
]
- The show was parodied in 1954 by
Your Show of Shows
, as "This Is Your Story".
Carl Reiner
played the host, who surprises an uncooperative audience member played by
Sid Caesar
.
- In 1955,
Warner Bros.
animator
Friz Freleng
did a sendup called "
This Is a Life?
", hosted by
Elmer Fudd
and featured
Bugs Bunny
as the guest of honor. The cartoon also featured
Daffy Duck
,
Granny
and
Yosemite Sam
.
- Bob & Ray issued a 45 rpm record with a routine called "This Is Your Bed (You Made It, Now Lie in It)" on
Coral
(catalog number 9-61338) in 1955.
- A 1960 episode of
Walt Disney Presents
, "This Is Your Life, Donald Duck", was a parody tribute to
Donald Duck
, hosted by
Jiminy Cricket
.
- There was a recurring segment on the children's program
Sesame Street
, "Here is Your Life", which followed the show's format but featured inanimate objects ? a loaf of bread, an oak tree, a tooth, a house, a shoe, and a carton of eggs ? as its guests. Like most of the game show parodies on
Sesame Street
, the show was hosted by the
Muppet
character
Guy Smiley
; seven sketches were produced between 1972 and 1990. During Season 26 (1994?1995), two others were hosted by Sonny Friendly and the sketch was retitled as "The New Here is Your Life", featuring a storybook and a glass of milk as honorees. Another variant, "This Is Your Story" (1982), was a one-shot featuring Guy honoring Muppet Character Forgetful Jones.
- In 1976, the game show
The Price Is Right
parodied the show in one of its Showcase skits, called "This Is Your Strife," featuring bloopers involving model
Janice Pennington
. The cast had previously rehearsed a fake skit with Pennington, then sprung the "... Strife" skit on her as a surprise.
- As a part of a 1987
Howdy Doody
40th-anniversary retrospective special,
Monty Hall
and Buffalo Bob Smith imagined, as a way to celebrate Howdy Doody's birthday, a spoof of "This Is Your Life" called "Your Happiest Days".
- The
WWE
spoofed
This Is Your Life
three times with
Mick Foley
as the host. The purpose of these segments was to bring out individuals of the guest's past that embarrassed them. The most notable of these segments occurred on September 27, 1999, with
The Rock
. The first of these spoofs is still the highest
TV rating
for a non-wrestling match in
Raw
's
history.
[
citation needed
]
- In the early 1990s,
McGruff the Crime Dog
was honored by Ralph Edwards in a PSA from the
Ad Council
with
National Crime Prevention Council
.
- In Season 4 of
The Good Place
, a parody takes place in the show's afterlife setting, called "That Was Your Life."
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Radio: Sermon on the Air"
.
Time
. February 16, 1953. Archived from
the original
on February 4, 2013
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Mary Desjardins.
"This is Your Life"
.
Encyclopedia of Television
.
Museum of Broadcast Communications
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
- ^
a
b
"428: Oh You Shouldn't Have"
.
This American Life
. March 4, 2011
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
Photo: Rev. Kiyoshi Tanimoto appearing on a 1955 episode of the TV show "This Is Your Life." Host Ralph Edwards is at right.
- ^
"Movies > Classic TV > This is your Life: Hanna Bloch Kohner"
.
Moving Image Archive
.
Internet Archive
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
- ^
"Milestones"
.
Time
. June 11, 1956. Archived from
the original
on September 13, 2012
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
- ^
"GEORGE SANDERS TO BE VIDEO HOST / Cast as Narrator of Filmed Series, 'The Ringmaster.' Built on Circus Stories",
The New York Times
(September 1, 1955, p.46)
Retrieved February 12, 2019
- ^
Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh.
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946?Present
, revised and enlarged, p. 758. New York: Ballantine Books, 1981.
- ^
Price, Victoria: Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography. Open Road 2014.
ISBN
978-1497649446
- ^
"ClassicTVguide.com: TV Ratings"
.
- ^
a
b
"Television: This Is Your Wife?"
.
Time
. October 17, 1960. Archived from
the original
on February 4, 2013
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
- ^
a
b
"Angie Dickinson Refuses 'This is Your Life' Tribute"
,
AP News
, 11 November 1993.
- ^
"Angie Dickinson Stops 'This is Your Life' Surprise"
,
YouTube: Raw Footage from the 1993 TIYL Special
, 30 March 2020.
- ^
"ABC Contemplates Life Without Regis"
,
Broadcasting & Cable
, 30 August 2006.
- ^
"TV Q&A with Rob Owen"
,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, 25 August 2006.
- ^
"Mark Burnett Does 'This Is Your Life'
"
. TVWeek.com. October 2008
. Retrieved
2011-03-06
.
External links
[
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]