Goodson, Mark, and Bill Todman

Goodson, Mark (1915-1992), and Bill Todman (1918-1979) U.S. Producers

Mark Goodson and Bill Todman were among televi- Most popular radio quizzes did not survive on tele- sion's most successful producers of game shows. They vision. Straight quizzes proved visually dull and failed refined celebrity panel quizzes with What's My Line? to involve the audience. Before the rise and fall of the and I've Got a Secret and created games that lasted for big -money shows, Goodson and Todman found their years. Some, like The Price Is Right, became even success by going in two different directions: celebrity more popular in revived versions. Many of their shows panel shows and celebrations of ordinary people. have been adapted for production in television systems Their first panel show began in 1949 with Bob outside the United States. Bach, a staffer who had bet the partners that he could In 1939 Goodson created his first game, Pop the deduce the occupations of total strangers. This wager Question, for San Francisco radio station KFRC. In inspired a proposal called "Occupation Unknown," Pop the Question, players threw darts at balloons to which CBS bought in 1950 and renamed What's My collect prizes inside. Goodson left for New York City Line? Bach became its associate producer as a reward in 1941, with an introduction from Ralph Edwards, an for creating the basic concept for the program, a cus- alumnus of University of California, Berkeley, where tom that continued at Goodson-Todman. What's My Goodson was also educated. While working several Line? brought tuxedo -wearing bon vivants into view- announcing and writing jobs, Goodson met Todman, a ers' homes for parlor games. These wits seemed radio writer, director, and advertising copywriter. The amazed and amused by the occupations of ordinary two found a shared love of games and set to work on working people. There was also a chance for sugges- their first quiz show. They developed the methods that tive exchanges: when questioning a guest whose "line" would serve them throughout their careers: Goodson was "sells mattresses," Arlene Francis innocently pro- refined the format, while Todman tested possible flaws voked gales of laughter by asking, "If Bennett Cerf in the rules and worked out the financial angles. CBS and I had your product, could we use it together?" Radio finally picked up the game, Winner Take All, af- Beat the Clock, meanwhile, let ordinary folk attempt ter World War II, and the two also partnered to create difficult, wacky stunts, which often involved whipped four local radio quizzes: Hit the Jackpot, Spin to Win, cream, mashed potatoes, or water balloons. This was

Rate Your Mate, and Time's a Wastin'.Winner Take All the only Goodson-Todman show to join the trend in " used a lockout buzzer system and was the first quiz big -money" games, as the prize for completing the show to pit two contestants against each other, rather stunts rose from $100 to $5,000 by 1958. than against the quizmaster one at a time. It was also In 1950 CBS gave Goodson and Todman a shot at first to have winners return each week until they were live drama when the producers of the popular anthol- defeated. Winner Take All became the first Goodson ogy Suspense abruptly announced they were taking a and Todman show on CBS's new television network, summer hiatus. With just four weeks to the first air debuting July 8, 1948. date, their studio put together The Web, an anthology Quiz shows had been popular on radio through the of stories focused on people caught in a "web" of situ- 1940s, and they were equally popular with TV execu- ations beyond their control. The show stayed on the air tives: they cost little to produce, and merchandise until 1954, and, like many New York-produced dra- prizes, so scarce during the war, were furnished free by mas, it featured several future Hollywood stars. James manufacturers in return for plugs. An oft -repeated Dean made his television debut on The Web and later story had the partners carrying prizes for Winner Take worked as a "stunt tester" for Beat the Clock. He All from their office to the studio. Todman slipped, proved so well coordinated, however, that his times at sending small appliances clattering to the sidewalk. completing stunts could not be used to gauge average Writer Goodman Ace witnessed the accident and contestants. Dean was obliged to seek his fortune else- shouted, "Hey, Todman, you dropped your script!" where. Goodson and Todman made a few other forays

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