To Tell the Truth - PANEL: Dick Van Dyke, Mike Wallace (Dec 25, 1956) [W/ COMMERCIALS]

This was the first show to air with the title "To Tell The Truth". Sadly, the first broadcast episode from the prior week is not available, making this the earliest episode we can see with Bud Collyer as host (he took over the prior week from Mike Wallace, who hosted the pilot episode, and here joins the panel.)
PANEL: Polly Bergen, Mike Wallace, Hildy Parks, Dick Van Dyke
CONTESTANT #1: Mitchell Parish (Songwriter & amateur boxer)
CONTESTANT #2: Hermaine Zawacky (Lady barber)
NOTE: The original commercials come from an alternate copy in lower video quality. I've used both sources in order to preserve as much as possible of the better quality copy.
Many thanks, as always, to epaddon for providing both the copies of this episode that I used to create this version.
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/ @totellthetruthcbs4220

[@kenyongray2615]

The slight tweaks that were changed from the pilot were great. Bud Collyer was always a fantastic host no matter what show he was doing. The name change worked also. What is fun about this show, is that everyone in the audience, the panel and now us viewers on KZbin can and probably are playing along trying to guess who is telling the truth. Thanks for the video.

[@Celluloidwatcher]

Thank you for the early version of To Tell the Truth from Christmas of '56. I remember this wonderful game show as a child a few years later, and admired Bud Collyer as a host. Kitty Carlisle ended up being my favorite panelist, as she brought grace, beauty, and charm to the show. Then, again, when I watched the other CBS primetime game shows, I had other favorites. On What's My Line, it was Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf. On I've Got a Secret, it was Betsy Palmer. I miss those days very much. A lot of class back then.

[@ericlarsen4050]

Dick Van Dyke is still alive and well at 96 years old.

[@tomservo56954]

Make that 98

[@rolex4524]

A wonderful show. For a few years (1960 thru 1962) my mom would request tickets, then she, my sister and I would get on the subway train in Brooklyn, go to the CBS studio in Manhattan and watch them tape a couple episodes (with host Bud Collyer). After the show, most of the audience would wait in the back alley of the studio to see the celebrity panelists come out (I remember meeting Joan Fontaine, Kitty Carlisle and James Mason). Great way to spend a day!

[@williamanthony9090]

How cool that must have been!

[@joeambrose3260]

Haven't read the comments. Is that the Yankees announcer?

[@TheRikRacer]

How fantastic to meet Joan Fontaine! Such a smart, and lovely star.

[@ShortyGirl63]

Lucky you! What great memories you must have.

[@MrMenefrego1]

@@joeambrose3260 Is who the Yankee's announcer?

[@adelebz7]

This is fantastic! Television history at its best! Thank you!

[@paco3343]

I missed Mr. Collyer's familiar signature closing, " ... reminding you to tell the truth [shaking pointer finger]!"

[@JayTemple]

"Deep Purple" would in fact be back on the hit parade (as Mike called it) seven years later.

[@RobotWillie]

Sometimes songwriters don't remember all the words to even their most famous songs. Its why rehearsals are a thing for the musicians that actually perform them live. Some of them even use a teleprompter these days to help with songs they seldom perform. An example of this I can think of from the 90s is the band REM had to print the lyrics off of the internet to perform their song Its The End of the World As We Know It live for MTV for an acoustic set even though that was a hit, they rarely performed it live, and that song is like a rap song in the sense that it has a lot of unique words and even names in it that are not repeated more than once in the song, and the singer and the band did write it themselves. So I wouldn't trust that a guy who writes a lot of songs would remember all words to all of them if they have not been performing them live on a regular basis. Thats my defense of someone not knowing for that question. As the host would go on to say you don't always remember your own work as much as someone else's you are a fan of I will add to that.

[@ayushjain139]

Thanks so much for uploading these videos!! I am a fan of this series and though these videos were shot long way back from when I was born.. I just enjoy all of them.

[@ClassiCole]

Out of all these To Tell the Truth hosts, I like Bud Collyer the best.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Mike Wallace is much more suited to panel than host, imo. I think he's having more fun too than he did on that pilot. Dick Van Dyke - is there anything he can't do? God bless him. I remember seeing Rose Marie years ago saying that Dick really had no idea how talented he was/is.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

A few months ago, I saw an extensive interview he did with the Television archives, I guess it was back in the '90s when he did that and yes, so much class and honesty and humbleness - so missing from today's "celebrities".

[@debtpeon]

Superman was the host.

[@TheKazadoodle]

Let's be honest, Dick Van Dyke was and is in a class all of his own. Frank Sinatra, amongst quite a few of the celebrities of the time, didn't have much class, honesty and humbleness, guess it was missing from yesterday's celebrities too.

[@judy-9999]

😎👍 AWESOME comment. I agree that he was amazing & in a class above the most (especially in the pitiful usa).

[@shaunbarr1856]

Dick van Dyke is still Alive 5 May 2022

[@olive6405]

I see I'm not the only one who thought Mike Wallace belonged on the panel.

[@bubgum00]

Number one looks like Betty Boop.

[@JayTemple]

+bubgum00 I agree.

[@mizzyroro]

That's exactly what came to my mind when she said she's an elevator operator.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

That's what I thought! Was going to comment on it😊.

[@Djm8520]

I looked up Zarumin. It was patented under ‘leather goods’ and was sold over-the- counter. It was an Amphetamine pain reliever. In 1971, this class of drugs became a controlled substance and Zarumin disappeared from the market.

[@MrTrashcan1]

Fascinating. I was a 7-month infant at the time. My earliest memories of TTTT were the '60s shows with the set reversed and the second theme. And while I remember watching it, and clearly remember Bud Collyer and the panelists, I don't think I really understood much of what was going on.

[@soulierinvestments]

Mitchell Parrish was one of the most sophisticated lyricists this side of Lorenz Hart. "Stardust" at first glance seemed to be about nothing -- until you think about the words, and then the words turn in your head about three times.

[@soulierinvestments]

23:17>> this goof up in number printing may account for one reason why the format eventually went to the panelist's posting large numbers on cards themselves and announcing "I voted for one three because .... That change made the game more dramatic.

[@savethetpc6406]

soulierinvestments Yes, I really like that part of the game and missed it here.

[@justrelax1539]

Mitchell Parrish would go on to appear on the 90s version of the show

[@keithnaylor1981]

Polly Bergen must have been the most beautiful woman on TV at the time (and since!).

[@williamdunphy352]

Bern Bennett is the show's announcer. Dwight Wrist does the Zarumin ads. Bob Shepherd does the Geritol ads.

[@andyk5467]

im fascinated by the slight fishbubble effect when the camera pans

[@wattsjetton3027]

Celebrity Guests: 1. Polly Bergen 2. Mike Wallace 3. Hildy Parks 4. Dick Van Dyke Host: Bud Collyer

[@WindowsGG]

you telling me that game show network aired a FULL episode of *To Tell The Truth* WITH IT'S ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS?! THIS IS LIKE A REAL *CBS* AIRING! W GAME SHOW NETWORK & SONY! wait is this just a recreation?

[@betsydonato6817]

Courtesy of the Dictionary of Biographical Quotation 1978: Sir Malcolm Sargent 1895 - 1967 Conductor You have only to see the eyes of a choral society screwing into him like a thousand giblets to know what he means to them...He plays upon their imaginations and minds like a mesmerist. Bernard Shore, The Orchestra Speaks.

[@betsydonato6817]

Sir John Barbirolli 1899 - 1970 Conductor I prefer to face the wrath of the police rather than the wrath of Sir John Barbirolli. A member of the Halle' Orchestra, to a magistrate, on being fined for parking his car outside Huddersfield Town Hall in order not to be late for rehearsal.

[@MrHopeTelevision]

Ah, I knew I had tired blood

[@vickihshallenberger3644]

I was four years and one month old when this was aired

[@jacquelinebell6201]

It was just under 4 years before I was born!

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Man #1 in Game #1 Lady #2 in Game #2

[@peternagy-im4be]

Please remove this idiot from KZbin

[@gymnastix]

Interesting there were only two contestant segments in this episode. Customarily, "To Tell the Truth" featured three contestant segments. I would also rather enjoy the fact of the panelists having more time to ask questions of the contestants, unless it was just there was more time for commercials with the one less contestant segment.

[@soulierinvestments]

OK. I like the TTTT trademark sketch well enough. but in some basic way, I miss Diogenes and the lamp. The symbolism was fantastic -- with or without the bathtub.

[@nadiazahroon6573]

I miss Mike Wallace.

[@VahanNisanian]

Originally, the show was live. But sometime later, they started taping in advance, for playback at a later date, and unlike the original WML, I think they went to taped shows, and never looked back.

[@soulierinvestments]

***** I suspect TTTT staff went to videotaping in a major way because it can be edited. Editing is certainly useful when somebody falls down those d@^* stairs.

[@RobotWillie]

The whole difference between Girls and Mens basketball isn't a regular thing anymore, the NCAA and WBNA its the standard 5 like the men. I never knew in the old days they did it differently with an extra player. I know high school is that way now too. There are always different variations you can do though, but 5 is the standard for both sexes. In fact my city is home to Hoopfest which the teams are 3 vs 3, the largest 3 vs 3 public tournament in the world, which 3 vs 3 is the most common standard outside of 5 vs 5.

[@KIRK976]

That intro music and the approaching silhouettes give me the creeps!

[@dennistucker9081]

By the way, the title of the theme music is “Peter Pan,” according to IMDB.

[@VahanNisanian]

Bud Collyer and Bern Bennett had worked together previously on "Beat the Clock" and "Winner Take All".

[@vintagetvandexciting]

yup.

[@sheriheffner2098]

Bud Coliyer was also the voice of Superman on.the radio. I gave Sirius XM' and they have old time radio programs. In 1955 My mother was almost thirteen and my father was sixteen on December 6th.

[@9094nancyj]

What happened to Zaramun?

[@therev6730]

Spidey & the behavior panel should comment on a few episodes.

[@alanfollett6242]

My--only the second regular episode, and already a lady barber. These were a staple of WML, too. Must have been considered an oddity at the time; nowadays, when I go to my local Great Clips for my monthly shearing, I almost never encounter a male barber. Maybe twice in the last ten years.

[@Gravydog316]

I never really watched this show much before, but now i am going to.

[@RobotWillie]

I'm starting my run through now myself after only have seen a few episodes before.

[@Gravydog316]

RobotWillie there aren't a huge # of episodes tho, i watched 'em, pretty fast

[@WhatsMyLine]

There are over 400 episodes, actually-- they just haven't all been posted yet!

[@Gravydog316]

What's My Line? oh. i started watching & got through the ones on here pretty quickly, i thought. WML & IGAS is better tho.

[@kristabrewer9363]

I never watched the show at all, til yesterday. Yesterday I watched the pilot, which I didn't find too bad, so I thought I'd try again)

[@VahanNisanian]

I remember a clip from this episode, mistakenly called the first show was featured on the January 30, 1991 episode with Lynn Swann as host (his last week before Alex Trebek replaced him). Bern Bennett, who recently passed away at 92, was in Game 1, and tried to fool the panel.

[@zacharydunlap-tunnage2220]

I had NO IDEA that Bern Bennett had passed on. Where (& when) did you hear this?

[@SuperWinterborn]

Zachary Dunlap-Tunnage Bern Bennett passed away May 29, 2014, not 2015. So it's not _that_ recently. :)

[@zacharydunlap-tunnage2220]

SuperWinterborn I feel like I am the only one that did NOT know this. :-(

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Zachary Dunlap-Tunnage Well, I don't even know who Bern Bennett is, so you're one up on me there.

[@SuperWinterborn]

Zachary Dunlap-Tunnage I didn't know it myself, I looked it up when I saw *Vahan's* comment. Feeling better now? ;)

[@VahanNisanian]

Does the picture of the 2nd contestant (#2 being the real one) with Dagmar exist anywhere? I can't seem to find it.

[@MerleOberon]

The audience is really jacked up.

[@VahanNisanian]

29:09 Ah, the infamous "Twenty-One".

[@tomservo56954]

I love the phrase "Over another network"

[@kristabrewer9363]

I see the title, "Nothing But the Truth" lasted a long time lol (and yes, the pilot IS on here. I watched it yesterday with Mike Wallace (so why did they change hosts after only one episode)?

[@randylovering24]

yes that is Bob Sheppard

[@soulierinvestments]

TTTT is one tough game. I draw blanks trying to figure out what questions I would ask a contestant on "What's My Line?" -- and this is even worse by three times. The potential for amusement, though is obvious, watching the panelists squirm with discomfort trying to ask intelligence questions about subjects of which they have no knowledge.

[@savethetpc6406]

soulierinvestments I wonder how much time for preparation and research the impostors got.

[@soulierinvestments]

I hope someone finds some articles on that subject and posts them.

[@519djw6]

*What was Hildy Parks talking about when she mentioned "the big shakedown"?*

[@nickmad887]

love them

[@sheriheffner2098]

Was this the first To Tell The Truth show?

[@williamdunphy352]

Bern Bennett is the announcer. Bob Shepherd does the Zarumin/Geritol commercials.

[@shanuthejackal4817]

15:19 Quality dips 16:37 Back to normal

[@lees.gibson9808]

Polly is full of it !!!

[@patriciamooney928]

Stopped the audience participation in vote

[@PriceRight89]

I wonder what happened to the premiere. I doubt it was destroyed so it's either lost or in bad condition if it exists.

[@Adamdavidk1]

Are you going to do the Color Verison's of To Tell The Truth and What's My Line?

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Adam Curry No. I don't have them to post. Many of the shows have never been rerun since the 1970s.

[@krystonjones]

Bu -ha ha-ud “if you will’ Collyer. Martin Gable, Robert.Q. would’ve been great as the regular host.

[@dennistucker9081]

Do I remember correctly that Robert Q. Lewis did host “To Tell the Truth” at least once?

[@briansheil9763]

I saw Garry Moore of "I've Got A Secret" guest starred on this show. Did John Charles Daly of "What's My Line?" make an appearance?

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

No-- John did appear on I've Got A Secret a couple of times, but never on TTTT.

[@byrd56]

Although I think Dorothy Kilgallen and Martin Gabel (Arlene Francis' husband and frequent "WML?" panelist) each did a guest turn on "TTTT" during its early years.

[@aaronbruceladner1983]

Only One of These People is the Real MITCHELL PARISH, And is the Only One Sworn... TO TELL THE TRUTH

[@charlesmeadows6285]

Dwight Weist announced at that time,Search for Tomorrow.

[@karltiedemann9329]

And had established himself on radio as "Mr. District Attorney!"

[@VahanNisanian]

I KNEW it was #1, because he knew the lyrics to the song "Deep Purple". #2, not at all. I'm talking about Game 1.

[@Beson-SE]

***** He was the last I expected! I thought it was #3.

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Johan Bengtsson So far, in watching in a lot of these shows in a short span of time, I can say that I'm averaging less than one in three correct guesses. Worse than if I selected at random. :) That's either a testament to how bad I am at this, or how good the impostors were, or maybe both.

[@Beson-SE]

To Tell the Truth (CBS) I am being confused by all questions and I can't separate the contestants until very late in each show. Then there are some really technical questions which I don't understand a bit.

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Johan Bengtsson One drawback is that, naturally, we wouldn't be asking the same questions that the panelists did. They only ask about factual things when they know the answer themselves. When we don't know the answer, and they give no indication of whether the contestant answered correctly (which is almost always the case), those questions don't help us much as viewers, except on the basis of reading into the body language/tone of voice, I guess.

[@savethetpc6406]

To Tell the Truth (CBS) When I was a little girl, my method of "guessing" who the truth-teller was was simply to see who the panel chose and to vote for whomever got the most votes! Of course, that's not only cheating -- it doesn't even help all the time, as game 2 indicates. But hey, I was just a little kid and didn't really understand the game that well, I guess! :p

[@VahanNisanian]

The gameplay is a bit more like it compared to the pilot, but still a little lacking.

[@Norfolk250]

0:09:17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's too-cute of a Freudian Slip!

[@AbhinavS.R.]

Hahahahahahaha. The skngwriters👌👌

[@mikekeenanphd]

I like how they call Bud a "dealer" here as he sits in front of the now outlawed amphetamine product sign.

[@scottsoloway]

Zarumin did not contain amphetamines, its active ingredients were two aspirin like compounds.

[@mikekeenanphd]

Actually Geritol is just a multivitamin now. Zarumin is long since discontinued. There were many amphetamine products in the 50’s.

[@scottsoloway]

@@mikekeenanphd None of that matters as neither of them ever contained any amphetamines or other stimulants. Geritol was reformulated over concerns about its high iron content. The only reference to Zarumin and amphetamines is a fraudulent web entry with links to a nonexistent Wikipedia page and a NIH paper in which neither Zarumin or any of its ingredients are ever mentioned.

[@mikekeenanphd]

@@scottsoloway OK, thanks for the correction. I do see evidence that the main ingredients were aspirin-based. But, I couldn't find much else about it.

[@scottsoloway]

@@mikekeenanphd There is very little about it on the web because it was neither very successful or controversial.

[@DD-ys4pq]

#1👍❤️

[@cerbico12]

Drat am still older then this show.

[@hip2bdaniel]

Is the Geritol spokesperson, Bob Sheppard, the same Bob Sheppard who was the Yankees' PA announcer?

[@VahanNisanian]

18:50 Funniest moment of the episode.

[@HeWentThattaway]

In these early episodes, it seems the "real" persons try too hard to be vague and scatter-brained.

[@andyk5467]

zarumin

[@kirkmorgan-austin1187]

i find the music and openings in the earliest sbows rather creepy...

[@byrd56]

Yeah, inasmuch as the original theme song was by Dutch musician/conductor Dolf van der Linden, it sounded like something out of a sci-fi show.

[@soulierinvestments]

Bud Collyer performs his commercial just great. Earnest, but medium cool. Utterly sincere about selling all that junk science about that bogus potion.

[@terr777]

It was speed, it probably sold itself after the first bottle.

[@Amyangina]

i'm a good job is i'm a good day is

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

Number 2 cheated

[@bucksauvageau]

👁️ 🧿👁️ 👀

[@terr777]

Zarumin perked you up alright. Amphetamine OTC.

[@leestamm3187]

A number of mild amphetamines were marketed OTC in those days.

[@soulierinvestments]

It took "What's My Line?" years to get rid of that awful Walk of Shame. I hope it doesn't take the TTTT production staff that long to tighten up the questioning to a minute of questions from each panelist in turn. The panelists's post-game interviewing is interesting enough, yet the format still seems scattered.

[@44032]

They got rid of the audience voting from the pilot. I would have liked them to keep that but do the tabulating during the commercial so as not to waste time with it.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Zarumin😂Legal OTC amphetamine!😁 Avaiable OTC until 1971.

[@scottsoloway]

Zarumin contained no amphetamines, just two aspirin like compounds.

[@soulierinvestments]

Mike Wallace is wonderfully irritating. Almost obnoxious. If he had been willing, and or if his time had been such, and or if G-T had been willing -- he could have been The Dorothy Kilgallen of TTTT.

[@rebeccaquartieri3564]

soulierinvestments JCS was even worse, strident actually.

[@abhinavs5213]

Ah, What's My Line and The Name's The Same were better than this elaborate, pretentious show.

[@patriciamooney928]

Geritol.today would be called liquid vitamins