''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'', an American documentary television series which was hosted by

Jack Palance Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk ( uk, Володимир Палагню́к); February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American actor known for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, all fo ...

and aired on

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 1982 to 1986 and is the second television version of ''

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

''. Based on the travels and discoveries of oddity-hunter Ripley, this show looked at the people, places and events that made up the stranger side of human history. Subjects have included Nikola Tesla, The Bermuda Triangle, The Elephant Man, and Mad King Ludwig. The series featured Palance or a co-host showcasing strange events, places of odd significance, trivia, and a commercial

bumper (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper, or break-bumper (often shortened to bump) is a brief announcement, usually two to fifteen seconds in length that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercia ...

of original art from Ripley's comics. In a few cases, such as the assassination of

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...

, Palance reenacted the event in period costume and a stage set.

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

and His Orchestra provided the theme song. The series was predated by two 1981 specials hosted by Palance on May 3, 1981 (directed by Ronald Lyon) and November 6, 1981. Co-hosts included actress

Catherine Shirriff Catherine Shirriff is a Canadian actress. Shirriff was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her notable roles include the horror comedy '' Vampira'' (1974), Bob Fosse's film '' All That Jazz'' (1979), as the Klingon Valkris in '' Star Trek III: The ...

in season 1, Palance's daughter

Holly Palance Holly Kathleen Palance (born August 5, 1950) is an American former actress and journalist. She is perhaps best known for her role as the nanny of Damien Thorn in Richard Donner's ''The Omen'' (1976). Palance also appeared in Pete Walker's horr ...

in seasons 2 and 3 and singer

Marie Osmond Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959) is an American singer, actress, television host, and a member of the show business family the Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a country and pop ...

, in season 4.

Episodes

Specials

Season 1

Total number of episodes: 20.

Season 2

Total number of episodes: 23.

Season 3

Total number of episodes: 21.

Season 4

Total number of episodes: 11.

References

External links

* {{Ripley's Believe It or Not! Ripley's Believe It or Not! television series American non-fiction television series Television series by Sony Pictures Television 1980s American television series 1982 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming