Twentieth Century Talkers

Bud Collyer (Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., 1908-1969) was an American radio actor and announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars, known for his numerous bow-ties. 

By 1940, Collyer had become a familiar voice on all three major radio networks in starring or major supporting roles. He was the announcer for a number of radio soap operas, including The Guiding Light and The Goldbergs. But his most lasting radio starring role was for The Adventures of Superman on the Mutual Broadcasting System, a role he also performed in the subsequent Superman cartoons with his dashing pencil mustache. Collyer supplied the voices of both Superman and Clark Kent. Collyer conveyed the "costume switch" while speaking a phrase like, "This looks like a job for Superman!" His voice would drop to a lower register to become the superhero.

For television fans, though, he is best remembered as the first host of the game shows Beat the Clock (1950) and To Tell the Truth (1956). The former show pitted couples to beat the clock in a series of stunts, sometimes messy fun, in order to hopefully win cash or home appliances. More popular and longer-lasting was, To Tell The Truth, where a panel of four celebrities questioned three challengers all claiming to be the same person. 

A devoted man to God, Collyer contributed to various Christian works, including authoring at least one book and making a recording of the New Testament of the Good News Bible. He wrote two inspirational books, Thou Shalt Not Fear (1962) and With the Whole Heart (1966). He also recorded a number of Bible story record albums for children.

The Collyer family in 1953, above.

Television Talkers

 

Bob Eubanks (1938-) is an American disc jockey, and television personality best known for hosting the game show, The Newlywed Game, off and on since 1966. The show ended in 1974 and made Eubanks one of the most popular game show hosts at the time. He also hosted various editions in syndication spanning the years 1977 to 1999. Eubanks hosted an episode of The Newlywed Game, subtitled "Game Show Kings". It featured past notable game hosts and their wives. This makes him the only person to host the same game show in six consecutive decades from 1960s to the 2010s.

Eubanks was a popular radio DJ in Los Angeles prior to entering the game show world. As music promoter and manager between 1960 and 1968, he was responsible for bringing The Beatles to Los Angeles for their first West Coast performances in 1964 and 1965 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Television Talkers

Allen Ellsworth Ludden (Allen Packard Ellsworth 1917-1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and best known as the congenial host of the game show Password in dark-framed eyeglasses and the husband to Betty White. The Wisconsin-born native was an English and dramatics major at the University of Texas (University of Texas at Austin), graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1940 and received his Master of Arts in English from the same university in 1941. He served in the United States Army as an officer in charge of entertainment in the Pacific theater and was discharged with the rank of captain in 1946. By the early 1950s, Ludden was an adviser for youth in teen magazine columns. His radio show for teenagers, Mind Your Manners, received an honorable mention Peabody Award in 1950. 

Ludden hosted many game shows, including the College Bowl, but he become hugely popular and well-liked for hosting both the daytime and primetime versions of Password on CBS and ABC between 1961 and 1975. Notable was his opening catchphrase, "Hi doll," directed toward his beloved real-life mother-in-law, Tess White, mother of Betty. Ludden met White near the beginning of the Password craze and their romance blossomed while playing summer stock theatre together in the Critic's Choice in 1962. His ten television acting roles began in 1966 often splitting his time cast as a fictitious host within an episode. More memorable were the couple's appearances together in an episode of The Odd Couple in which Felix and Oscar appeared on Password and then as a couple on The Love Boat.

Entertaining Renaissance Man

 

Robert Q. Lewis (Robert Goldberg 1921-1991) was an American entertainer of radio and television, a game show host, commercial pitchman, and part-time actor in film. If that were not enough, Lewis had a very popular nightclub act as singer and comedian. Aside from his wit, he is famously recognized by his bold-rimmed glasses, which became his trademark. In fact, for his second Robert Q. Lewis Show, they became a logo for the show's title card. 

Already a fixture during television's early years, Lewis is perhaps best known today for his game show participation, regularly appearing as a panelist on Goodson-Todman-produced shows. He first settled into his enduring game show role as host of ABC's The Name's the Same (1952-54). Lewis was often recruited to fill in for performers who were ill or otherwise unable to perform. He frequently sat in for Arthur Godfrey, whom Lewis credited for giving him his first big breaks in show business. He hosted and appeared on a multitude of television shows and sitcoms through the 1970s. By far, he was most visible as a panelist on What's My Line? with forty appearances. Lewis had a sketched pair of glasses amusingly applied on his blindfold that was used during the final celebrity guest segment. 

The "Q" was simply part of his professional name. Lewis added the middle initial accidentally on the air in 1942 when referencing another radio comedian's character, Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle, saying, "and this is Robert Q. Lewis." He retained the unique moniker by telling interviewers that it stood for "Quizzical."

Note: Lewis scored his biggest hit song in 1951 with the Italian dialect humorous novelty song, Where's-a Your House?, (a parody of the Rosemary Clooney hit, Come On-a My House) about a guy who cannot locate Rosie's house. You can hear it here.