About Faces
Ben Alexander, the show's host.
GenreGame show
Created byRalph Edwards
Presented byBen Alexander
Narrated byTom Kennedy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time25 minutes
Production companyRalph Edwards Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 4, 1960 (1960-01-04) –
June 30, 1961 (1961-06-30)

About Faces is an American game show that aired from January 4, 1960, to June 30, 1961, created by Ralph Edwards.[1] The host was Ben Alexander and the show's announcer was Tom Kennedy.[2]

Gameplay

Competitors were selected from the studio audience.[3] Each pair of contestants was challenged to recall how the two of them had come into contact with each other previously. The first to do so won a prize. The program was similar to Place the Face.[4]

For guest stars who appeared on the program, Alexander interviewed the star briefly before a "mystery person out of the star's past" was shown inside a picture frame. The star then heard a series of clues to help him or her identify the person in the frame.[5]

Schedule and production

About Faces was broadcast from 1 to 1:30 p. m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday.[6] The show was recorded on videotape.[7] After the show's run on ABC ended, its reruns were broadcast in some local markets.[8] Joe Landis was the producer and director.[9]

Guest stars

Guest stars who appeared on the show included Barbara Nichols,[5] Joan Blondell,[10] Rosemary Clooney, and Jose Ferrer.[11]

Episode status

The UCLA Film and Television Archive lists among its holdings the premiere episode with Zsa Zsa Gabor, Red Schoendienst (and family), Fred Haney, and Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan.[12] The March 17 edition exists on YouTube with Tom Kennedy as substitute host.[13]

The Paley Center for Media lists among its holdings the series pilot, taped May 6, 1959. Ferrer and Clooney are listed as the celebrity guests for that episode.[14]

References

  1. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 5. ISBN 978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. ^ Schwartz, David - The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows, 1987
  3. ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  4. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 12. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  5. ^ a b "Mayor Is 'Surprise' Guest on 'About Faces'". The Desert Sun. California, Palm Springs. March 3, 1961. p. 12. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "2d Godfrey show on tv postponed". The New York Times. December 11, 1959. p. 67. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Local Banker, Wife to Be In TV Show". The Shreveport Journal. November 12, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Ben Alexander Spends Money On Own Shows, as a Sponsor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 20, 1960. p. 132. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Programming" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 1, 1963. p. 136. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Matthew (September 28, 2009). Joan Blondell: A Life between Takes. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-62674-432-5. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "(photo caption)". The Modesto Bee. August 7, 1960. p. G-12. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ UCLA Archive: About Faces[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
  14. ^ Paley Center: About Faces

External links


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