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Think Fast
Think Fast was an American quiz show that ran on ABC from March 26, 1949 to October 8, 1950. The program revolved around a group of five panelists who would compete to see who had the most to say about a particular subject. They sat at a large table, each getting a chance to sit at the "King's" throne by out talking the others on subjects decided by the host. The regular panelists were Leon Janney, David Broekman, who was also the show's musical director, and Eloise McElhone. The moderator was Mason Gross for the first episodes, then Gypsy Rose Lee afterward. The series originally aired on Saturdays until April, followed by Fridays until September, then Sundays for the rest of its run.
ABC TV Shows
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0Think Fast
Think Fast was an American quiz show that ran on ABC from March 26, 1949 to October 8, 1950. The program revolved around a group of five panelists who would compete to see who had the most to say about a particular subject. They sat at a large table, each getting a chance to sit at the "King's" throne by out talking the others on subjects decided by the host. The regular panelists were Leon Janney, David Broekman, who was also the show's musical director, and Eloise McElhone. The moderator was Mason Gross for the first episodes, then Gypsy Rose Lee afterward. The series originally aired on Saturdays until April, followed by Fridays until September, then Sundays for the rest of its run.
0AM America
AM America is a morning news program produced by ABC in an attempt to compete with the highly rated Today on NBC. The show never found an audience after its premiere on January 6, 1975. Lasting just under ten months, its final installment aired on October 31. The program's concept was based on Ralph Story's AM, the local morning show on the network's owned-and-operated Los Angeles station KABC-TV. Like Today, AM America employed two hosts and a news anchor. ABC chose Bill Beutel, who was co-anchor of Eyewitness News on the network's New York City flagship station WABC-TV, and Stephanie Edwards from Ralph Story's AM to host the program. Peter Jennings, who at the time was ABC's Washington correspondent, provided the news reports. One notable episode of AM America aired on April 25, 1975, when members of the British comedy troupe Monty Python made one of their earliest appearances on American television. Edwards quit the show by the end of May, and Beutel followed her out a few months later. On November 3, the Monday following its final broadcast, AM America was replaced by Good Morning America.
0Before They Were Stars
Before They Were Stars is a 1996 30-minute American ABC television show which was hosted by Scott Baio, with John Cramer as announcer and narrator; it was preceded by four specials, each an hour long. The term "Before They Were Stars" has since become widely used by television shows and magazines when featuring segments and articles on famous actors in their lesser-known performances.
0Showoffs
Showoffs is an American game show which ran on ABC from June 30 to December 26, 1975. Bobby Van was host, with Gene Wood as announcer. The Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production involved two teams competing in a game of charades.
Strictly Dancing
Strictly Dancing is an Australian television show that aired between 2004 and 2005 on ABC TV. Hosted by Paul McDermott, the show is a form of dance competition, with each episode featuring four dance couples from around Australia and New Zealand. The competition has three rounds, each consisting of two similar dance types. The styles range from basic traditionals, such as Cha-Cha and Rumba, to modern styles of Hip-Hop, to strange hybrids. Competitors are picked via auditioning, which is done around Australia before each season. Chosen competitors are alerted three weeks in advance of their appearance of their dances and competition date. Whilst the actual show is only a half-hour segment and appears to be live, the creation takes over eight hours and competitors usually have ample time to return home and watch themselves on TV, and as such are made to sign a contract forbidding them from revealing their final position. Scoring is done by three judges, with the score out of 10 for each dance, with the average of the three being the score being an average of the three. All scores are then added up. On top of the dance score, the judges award the dances at the end of the show with an X-Factor score. This score has no relation to the technical side of the dancing, but relates to the other factors that improve the dance, such as dancers compatibility or energy. This makes things more interesting as a technically better dance couple may lose to a couple who appeared more captivating or simply 'worked better' together. The winner of the round qualifies for the semi-finals. The winner of the finals receives a cash prize and a flower bouquet. The runners up receive a cash prize of half the first prize amount.
Second Chance
Second Chance is an American game show that ran from March 7, 1977 to July 15, 1977 on ABC. Jim Peck hosted, with Jay Stewart and Jack Clark serving as announcers. Second Chance is the predecessor to the CBS game show Press Your Luck, and was produced by The Carruthers Company. Artist and animator "Savage" Steve Holland, later a film director, used Second Chance's Devils as his model for the "Whammy" on Press Your Luck.
Make a Wish
Make a Wish is an American children's television series which ran on ABC from 1971 to 1976. Produced by ABC News, it was hosted by musician Tom Chapin and created and produced by Lester Cooper. It replaced Discovery, a similar series for children also produced by ABC News. Each episode of the series, broadcast on Sunday mornings, focused on a particular theme. One episode, for instance, was about snakes, and another was about motorcycles. Chapin would introduce the topic in much the same manner: "I think a snake is what I'll be. Imagine all the possibilities." After that there would be a sort of free association presentation on the theme featuring stock footage, animation, and Chapin's music and voiceover commentary. The quick-cutting, free-association, stream-of-consciousness style of the show caused Chapin, years later on a talk show, to describe Make a Wish as "a show for six-year old speed freaks." The series won a Peabody Award for Best Children's Series in 1971. Some songs performed on the show were written by Tom's brother, Harry Chapin. General composer of the show was Bernard Green, who also wrote the music to the title song "Make a Wish," with lyrics by Cooper, sung by Chapin.
Animals, Animals, Animals
Animals, Animals, Animals is an educational television series on ABC about different species of animals. The program, produced by ABC News, was hosted by Hal Linden. Information about animals was provided by Roger Caras and, songs about animals were performed by Lynn Kellogg, who also performed the opening theme song. Zoo personnel and animal researchers frequently appeared on the show. During segments about animals, voiceover was provided by Estelle Parsons and Mason Adams. The show first aired in 1976, replacing Make a Wish on ABC's Sunday morning schedule. The series won Emmies for four consecutive years and the Peabody Award. 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Informational Series. Animated segments were provided by Al Lowenheim, Arland Barron, Jeff Melquist, Jim Comstock, Ray Pointer, and Stacey Mann of Lions' Den Studio and David Labelle of David Labelle Animation Studios. Five years later, in 1981, Animals, Animals, Animals was replaced by This Week with David Brinkley; this marked the end of ABC's scheduling of children's programming on Sunday mornings, a practice which began with Discovery in the 1960s.
0Professional Bowlers Tour
The Professional Bowlers Tour, also known as Pro Bowlers Tour, is a broadcast of the Professional Bowlers Association that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1997. In the telecasts, Chris Schenkel and the graphics displayed during the show would refer to the show as "The Professional Bowlers Tour", possibly to disambiguate from the NFL's use of the term "pro bowler" when referring to players who were selected for the Pro Bowl - an event also televised on ABC for many years.
0The Reel Game
The Reel Game was an American game show that aired on ABC from January 18 to May 3, 1971. The series was hosted by Jack Barry and announced by Jack Clark. This show marked Barry's return to producing shows for national television after his 13-year hiatus from television after the quiz show scandals of the 1950s.
Home
Home, also referred to as The Home Show, was a daytime informational talk show that aired on ABC from 1988 to 1994. The program was co-hosted by Robb Weller and former Good Morning America co-host Sandy Hill during the first season. Gary Collins hosted the show for the remainder of its run. Co-hosts included Cristina Ferrare, Dana Fleming, Beth Ruyak and Sarah Purcell. Decorating and craft segments were frequently presented by Sally Marshall, Dian Thomas, Carol Duvall and Kitty Bartholomew. Marc Summers and Wil Shriner presented segments on the latest in technology. The show's various directors were Arthur Forrest, Booey Kober, Bob Loudin, Jerry Kupcinet, Paul Forrest and Bob Levy. Mother Love joined the show as the announcer in the final season, replacing Bob Hilton.
Split Second
Split Second is an American television game show which originally aired on ABC from March 20, 1972, to June 27, 1975. The show returned in December 15, 1986 on syndication and ran until September 11, 1987. The show was produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions, and was distributed by Viacom Enterprises in its syndicated season. Tom Kennedy was the host for the original ABC version, with Jack Clark serving as announcer. When the show returned in syndication in 1986, production moved to Toronto and producer and joint creator Monty Hall became the host, with Sandy Hoyt as announcer.
Make Me Laugh (original)
Make Me Laugh is an American game show in which contestants watched three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian got sixty seconds to try to crack the contestant up.
Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends
Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends is an hour-long daytime talk/variety show that ran on ABC from June 10, 1996 to May 30, 1997. The series was produced by Viacom Productions.
Wide World of Sports
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006. As the title suggests, it aired on the American Broadcasting Company, primarily on Saturdays.
The Big Moment
The Big Moment is an American television game show that aired on ABC in 1999 and was hosted by Whose Line Is It Anyway? alumnus Brad Sherwood. John Cramer served as announcer. The show was based on a Japanese show of the same concept, Happy Family Planning. The show's premise centered on one member of a family who was given one week to practice a certain task before the episode's taping. A video camera was provided to record the rehearsal process at home. At the end of the week, the contestant came to the studio to perform the task. The contestant was given only one attempt; if successful, he/she won a pre-selected prize package worth $25,000. If unsuccessful, he/she received a $2,000 consolation prize. Two contestants appeared each episode. Some of the stunts presented: ⁕Memorizing pi to the 100th decimal ⁕Playing Beethoven's Für Elise on a piano, without missing a note ⁕Answering ten questions on the film Ghost ⁕Riding around three cones on a unicycle and returning to a starting line ⁕Pulling a tablecloth out from a fully set table without any items hitting the floor or glasses being knocked over
0Howard K. Smith: News and Comment
Howard K. Smith: News and Comment was a half-hour ABC news and documentary program hosted by commentator Howard K. Smith, which aired from February 14, 1962, to June 16, 1963. It was broadcast at the 10:30 Eastern time slot on Sundays opposite CBS's long-running quiz show, What's My Line?, hosted by John Charles Daly, himself the first ever ABC News anchorman. In 1961, Smith left CBS News because of a dispute about a documentary that he produced on police violence against civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama. He then joined ABC, where his contract stipulated that neither the network nor sponsors could interfere with the content of his program. While at CBS, Smith hosted the documentary program Behind the News with Howard K. Smith for twenty-one weeks from January 11 to September 20, 1959. Selected episodes focused on communism in Cuba, the status of Berlin, the Cold War, Charles de Gaulle, Nikita Khrushchev, unemployment in depressed areas, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Smith's News and Comment began early in 1962. On November 11, five days after mid-term elections were held on November 6, Smith broadcast a program entitled "The Political Obituary of Richard M. Nixon", which proved highly controversial as well as premature. He included an interview with Nixon nemesis Alger Hiss, the Cold War convicted perjurer from Massachusetts, as well as remarks from Nixon loyalist Murray Chotiner. Some said that Smith's program in the long-run benefited Nixon's six-year political comeback because there was a backlash of sympathy caused by Hiss's appearance.
Talent Varieties
Talent Varieties is a country music talent show on American network television and radio in 1955 that featured performers hoping to achieve fame in the entertainment business. The weekly ABC-TV program was a live half-hour summer replacement series hosted by Slim Wilson. Wilson introduced the amateur and professional talent, including music and comedy acts; and his Tall Timber Trio, composed of Speedy Haworth, Bob White and Bryan "Doc" Martin provided accompaniment. Auditions were handled by Bill Ring. The Westport Kids appeared July 12, and Buck Griffin appeared August 2. The show aired on Tuesday nights from June 28–November 1. Its original time slot was 7:30–8 p.m. Eastern Time, replacing Cavalcade of America, but moved to 10–10:30 p.m. in September to briefly replace Break the Bank. ABC Radio simulcast the program under the name Talent Round-Up from 7:30 p.m., as well as carrying an additional half-hour until 8:30. The program originated from the Jewell Theatre in Springfield, Missouri, home to ABC's Ozark Jubilee; and was produced and directed by the Jubilee's Bryan Bisney, who took over from Ring in September.
Murder Can Hurt You
Murder Can Hurt You is a 1980 ABC television movie that parodies detective and police TV shows of the 1960s and '70s, much like the way Murder by Death made fun of literary detectives. The plot involves a mysterious "Man in White" who's out to kill famous detectives in bizarre ways, and the heroes are obvious parodies of Kojak, Baretta, Starsky and Hutch, Ironside, Police Woman, Columbo, and McCloud.
Our World
Our World is an American television news series that ran for 26 episodes, from September 25, 1986 to May 28, 1987. The show was anchored by Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf. Each episode of the series examined, through the use of archival film and television footage, one short period in American history. Our World aired on ABC. Our World grew out of an earlier ABC News special called 45/85, whose producer, Avram Westin, would go on to produce Our World. Each episode was produced on a budget of $350,000, less than half of the budget of a typical hour of prime time programming at the time. Our World premiered to indifferent critical response but as the series progressed critics became effusive with their praise. Despite being critically well received and profitable for the network, Our World performed poorly in the Nielsen ratings, as its first half-hour was programmed against the extremely popular The Cosby Show. ABC canceled the show after one season. Ellerbee tried to move the series to PBS but was unsuccessful.