Who Do You Trust? - encyclopedia article about Who Do You Trust?.

Who Do You Trust? was a fairly popular game show during the 1950s and 1960s emceed by Johnny Carson. Trust is commonly referred to as a Newlywed Game-esque game. It aired on ABC at 3:30 in the afternoon on the East Coast, a time slot which helped garner a significant number of young viewers coming home from school.

Audio samples:


Johnny Carson interviews Atlanta, Georgia native, Rubye Posner in the summer of 1958 - 11.3 MB
Problems listening to the file? See media help

In actuality, the show was fairly similar to Groucho Marx' You Bet Your Life. Announcer Ed McMahon would introduce pairs of players, nearly always a man and a woman chosen for their unique backgrounds. Carson spent more time interviewing the contestants than quizzing them. In the quiz portion, Carson would tell the male contestant the category of the upcoming question; the man would then have to decide whether to answer the question himself or "trust" the woman to do so. Three questions were played per couple, and three couples competed on each show. The questions were worth $25, $50, and $75; if two or all three couples tied in the cash winnings, they were asked a question involving a numerical answer; the couple coming closest to the correct answer moved on to the bonus game.

One major difference between Carson and Groucho was that Carson often participated in demonstrations of the contestants' interests or hobbies. On one memorable show he tried his hand at driving a miniature race car (and crashed into a wall); on another, he donned scuba gear and dived into a tank of water. Groucho, on the other hand, almost never left his desk, letting his announcer, George Fenneman, take part in the demonstrations.

As was often the case in daytime television programs of the era, including soap operas and even children's shows, all of the background music on Who Do You Trust? was supplied by a single organist.

From 1957 until the quiz-show scandals in 1959, the bonus round pitted the day's winners against the winners from the previous day. One partner from each team, usually the man, was placed in an isolation booth and asked a question with several answers. The one who got the most correct answers won $500 and the right to return the following day. After the scandals, in which Who Do You Trust? was not involved, the bonus round involved the winning couple attempting to unscramble a name or phrase in fifteen seconds.

When Carson and McMahon left to do The Tonight Show in 1962, they were replaced by comedian Woody Woodbury and announcer Bill Nimmo, who had preceded McMahon as the show's announcer. The show continued until December 27, 1963.

Who Do You Trust? was originally a CBS prime time show titled Do You Trust Your Wife? and emceed by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. That version lasted from January 1956 to March 1957. When it returned as a daytime show on ABC in September 1957 it kept the original title, adopting the more familiar title in July 1958.

In April 2007 CBS announced plans for a semi-revival of this show, titled Do You Trust Me?, with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson as host. The format is designed to test how well total strangers work together (see Mediaweek for the week of April 16, 2007).

game show involves members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. In some shows contestants compete against other players or another team whilst other shows involve contestants
..... Click the link for more information.

worldwide view.

2nd millennium
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

- -
- The 1950s
..... Click the link for more information.

Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

- -
-

Their 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive.
..... Click the link for more information.

John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23,2005) was an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his iconic status as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years.
..... Click the link for more information.

The Newlywed Game was an American television game show where newly-married couples answered questions to find out how well the husband and wife knew each other. Produced by Chuck Barris, the show became famous for some of the arguments that couples had over incorrect answers
..... Click the link for more information.

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Type Broadcast radio network and
television network
Country United States
Availability
..... Click the link for more information.

Eastern Seaboard," or "Atlantic Seaboard" are terms referring to the easternmost coastal states in the United States. They touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. It usually includes all thirteen original states, as well as such selected places as Washington, D.C.
..... Click the link for more information.

Atlanta, Georgia
Downtown Atlanta

Flag
Nickname: Hotlanta,^[1] The A-T-L^[1]
Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
..... Click the link for more information.

19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s
1955 1956 1957 - 1958 - 1959 1960 1961

Year 1958 (MCMLVIII
..... Click the link for more information.

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian and film star. He is famed as a master of wit. He made 15 feature films with his siblings, the Marx Brothers as well as a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio
..... Click the link for more information.

You Bet Your Life is an American radio and television quiz show. The first and most famous version was hosted by Groucho Marx, of Marx Brothers fame, with the unflappable announcer and assistant George Fenneman.
..... Click the link for more information.

Edward "Ed" Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. (born March 6, 1923) is an American comedian, game show host, announcer and television personality most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's announcer on Who Do You Trust? from 1957 to 1962 and on the Tonight Show
..... Click the link for more information.

The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were the result of the revelation that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition.
..... Click the link for more information.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992.

For all but a few months of its first ten years of existence, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City.
..... Click the link for more information.

CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (CBS)

Type Broadcast radio network and
television network
Country United States
Availability National; also available in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean
..... Click the link for more information.

Edgar Bergen

A scene from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Birth name Edgar John Bergren
Born January 16 1903
Chicago, Illinois
Died
..... Click the link for more information.