Twenty Questions

Production
Game show
Presented by	Bill Slater (1949–1952) Jay Jackson (1952–1955) Jack Clark (1975)
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	6
Running time	30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	WWOR (1949) NBC (1949) ABC (1950–1951, 1954–1955) DuMont (1951–1954)
Original run	November 2, 1949 – May 3, 1955
Chronology
Related shows	20Q (2009)

Description

As a television series, Twenty Questions debuted as a local show on WWOR-TV Channel 9 on November 2, 1949. Beginning on November 26, the series went nationwide on NBC until December 24, after which it remained dormant until March 17, 1950 when it was picked up by ABC until June 29, 1951. Its longest and most well-known run, however, is the one on the DuMont Television Network from July 6, 1951 to May 30, 1954; during this time, original host Bill Slater was replaced by Jay Jackson. After this run ended, ABC picked up the series once again from July 6, 1954 to May 3, 1955. The last radio show had been broadcast on March 27, 1954. In 1975, a pilot for a revival was made with host Jack Clark, which did not sell. Episode status Like many game shows of the era, Twenty Questions was a victim of wiping. A DuMont episode from January 18, 1952 and the 1975 pilot circulate among collectors. It is unknown how many radio episodes survive. Foreign versions Twenty Questions also appeared in several other countries. United Kingdom The BBC aired a version on radio from February 28, 1947 to 1976 with TV specials airing in 1947 and 1948 plus a series from 1956-1957. On radio, the subject to be guessed was revealed to the audience by a "mystery voice" (originally Norman Hackforth from 1947-1962; he was later a regular panelist).2 Hackforth became well-known for his aloofness as much as his knowledgeability amongst the British public, something which listener Nella Last commented upon.3 The series was originally presented by Gilbert Harding, who was ousted in 1960 by producer Ian Messiter when he, after having drank a triple gin-and-tonic he originally offered to Messiter, proceeded to completely ruin the night`s game – he insulted two panelists, failed to recognise a correct identification after seven questions (after revealing the answer upon the 20th question, he yelled at the panel and audience), and ended the show three minutes early by saying "I`m fed up with this idiotic game ... I`m going home").4 He was replaced by Kenneth Horne until 1967, followed by David Franklin from 1970-1972. A revival ran for one season in the 1990s on BBC Radio 4, hosted by Jeremy Beadle. A version with a rival line-up,3 produced by commercial station Radio Luxembourg, is not acknowledged by the BBC.2 A televised version ran from 1960-1961, produced by Associated-Rediffusion for ITV and hosted by Peter Jones (who later hosted in 1974). The "mystery voice" later became a running gag on the radio series I`m Sorry I Haven`t A Clue. Canada Twenty Questions aired on CTV in 1961; its host, Stewart Macpherson, went on to become the original host of the UK version. Norway NRK aired its own version continuously from 1947 to the early 1980s. In 2004, the radio series was revived and regained its popularity, leading to a 2006 TV version. The Norwegian 20 spørsmål continues on NRK radio and TV, and a web-based game is available at the official NRK website. A 2006 board game based on the series is currently the prize sent to listeners who beat the panel.5 References ^ "A Letter From The Publisher: Nov. 23, 1962". Time. 1962-11-23. ISSN 0040-718X. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829455,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-18. ^ a b "Obituary: Norman Hackforth". The Independent. 1996-12-18. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-norman-hackforth-1315049.html. Retrieved 2009-08-26. ^ a b David Kynaston (2008). Austerity Britain 1945–51. Bloomsbury. p. 583. ISBN 9780747599234. ^ UK Game Shows: "20 Questions" ^ "NRK". Nrk.no. 2009-06-20. http://www.nrk.no. Retrieved 2009-07-25. See also 20Q artificial intelligence Guess Who? board game Listen to The Glowing Dial: Twenty Questions (March 24, 1946) External links Akinator A computer program that plays 20 questions against a human opponent to figure out a character or person. Twenty Questions at IMDb 20Q.net - Play 20 Questions against the computer with this artificial intelligence version of Twenty Questions. Everything that it knows and all questions that it asks were entered by people playing the game. Barelybad Web Site Detailed rules of the game. One: the movie Independent filmmaker Ward Powers presents interviews employing 20 ultimate questions on the meaning of life. (Is the correct guess "one"?) Zoo Keeper: The animal guessing game Version of Twenty Questions restricted to animals. 20 Questions Game with Haptek avatar Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Questions" Categories: Party games | Guessing games | American game shows | NBC network shows | American Broadcasting Company network shows | DuMont network shows | 1940s American radio programs | 1940s American television series | 1949 television series debuts | 1955 television series endings | 1950s American radio programs | Television series with missing episodesHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from June 2009 Views Article Discussion Edit this page History Personal tools Try Beta Log in / create account if (window.isMSIE55) fixalpha(); Navigation Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Search Interaction About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact Wikipedia Donate to Wikipedia Help Toolbox What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Printable version Permanent linkCite this page Languages 한국어 עברית Magyar 日本語 ‪Norsk (bokmål)‬ ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ Svenska தமிழ்

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