game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...
that aired on the DuMont Television Network from September 9, 1953, to January 20, 1954, before moving to
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
from January 23 to April 17.
The series originated from New York City, and was sponsored by Welch's Family Wine.
Gameplay
In this quiz show the contestants, which consisted of pairs, had the chance to win a trip to any part of the United States. The more questions they won, the further they would get to travel on bus. For example, in one episode a contestant and her partner/friend stated that they would like to travel to
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, so that they could improve their education. Occasionally, the full prize would be given to the contestants even if they ''didn't'' win, if it was decided that they had a sad enough story.
At the end of each episode, the winning couples would get a chance to fly to their destination on an airplane, then a luxury to most people.
Format change
After the series moved to ABC, the network only used the game show format on January 23 and 30; on February 6, the program was changed to a talent contest.
Episode status
One of the last three DuMont episodes is known to exist from January 1954, with special guest Jackie Cooper; although the gameplay is intact, all copies found have no last segment.
See also
* ''
Down You Go
''Down You Go'' is an American television game show originally broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The Emmy Award-nominated series ran from 1951 to 1956 as a prime time series primarily hosted by Dr. Bergen Evans. The program aired in el ...
'' (another popular DuMont game show)
*
List of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network
This is a list of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network, which operated in the United States from 1942 to 1956. All regularly scheduled programs which were aired on the DuMont network are listed below, regardless of whether they orig ...
*
List of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts
The DuMont Television Network was launched in 1946 and ceased broadcasting in 1956. Allen DuMont, who created the network, preserved most of what it produced in kinescope format. By 1958, however, much of the library had been destroyed to recove ...
*
Wiping
Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect.
Common reasons for loss
A significant prop ...
Bibliography
* David Weinstein, ''The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television'' (Philadelphia:
Temple University Press
Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach ...
, 2004)
* Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', Fourth edition (New York:
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Ballantine Books, 1964)