''That's My Line'' is a summer CBS

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

series developed by

Mark Goodson Mark Leo Goodson (January 14, 1915 – December 18, 1992) was an American television producer who specialized in game shows, most frequently with his business partner Bill Todman, with whom he created Goodson-Todman Productions. Early life and e ...

. Conceived in response to the success of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's '' Real People'' and ABC's '' That's Incredible!'', ''That's My Line'' borrowed its name from one of Goodson and Bill Todman's earlier productions, the panel game ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'', and shared its central conceit of highlighting average people with unusual occupations. Unlike the earlier show, ''That's My Line'' had no panel or game components, instead being centered around interviews and demonstrations. The series ran as a summer replacement series for two abbreviated seasons in 1980 and 1981. It was hosted by Bob Barker and announced by

Johnny Olson John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...

, both associated with Goodson-Todman's hit game show, ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

'' (Olson had also been the ''What's My Line?'' announcer for many years). The series was co-hosted by Suzanne Childs and Tiiu Leek, and joined during the 1981 run by Kerry Millerick. The thrust of the show during the 1981 season also changed from unusual occupations to an emphasis on the funny, bizarre, or ridiculous. Notable moments included voice artist Mel Blanc having a contest with an audience member on who does voice acting the best (the "audience member" being his son Noel) and magician James Randi contesting James Hydrick's psychic abilities.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 1641156 CBS reality television shows 1980s American reality television series 1980 American television series debuts 1981 American television series endings Television series by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions American English-language television shows