This Is Your Life

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For other uses, see This Is Your Life (disambiguation).

This Is Your Life was a television documentary series hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards. It originally aired in the United States from 1952 to 1961, and again in 1972 on NBC. It originated as a radio show airing from 1948 to 1952 on NBC Radio. A version of it had a very long run in the United Kingdom starting in 1955, and another version is still running in Australia. It has also been broadcast from time to time in New Zealand.

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[edit] The concept

The format of the show was simple: the host would surprise someone (usually a celebrity or public figure, occasionally an ordinary citizen) and, consulting his "red book", conduct a biography of the subject in a television studio. The subject would be presented with family members and old friends, reunited with old acquaintances, and often shed a tear when a personal tragedy was recounted.

The 1950s edition of the show was aired live before a theater audience. The celebrity guests were ambushed by Ralph Edwards and confronted by the microphone and cameras. They made their way to the studio during the first commercial break. Most of the honorees quickly got over their initial shock and enjoyed meeting bygone friends again. Pioneer movie producer Mack Sennett's response was typical: he hated being caught off-guard, but as the tribute progressed he relaxed, and by the end of the show he was quite pleased with the experience.

Advance planning for the broadcast meant that, inevitably, certain celebrities would know in advance about the surprise. Carl Reiner later admitted that he knew beforehand about his appearance.

Some celebrities were unpleasantly surprised. Angie Dickinson refused to appear,[1] and Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy was angered by being "tricked" into what would be the team's only American television appearance on December 1, 1954. The meticulous Laurel later said, "[Oliver Hardy] and I were always planning to do something on TV. But we never dreamed that we would make our television debut on an unrehearsed network program... I was damned if I was going to put on a free show for them," although he mellowed in later years when so many viewers told him how much they enjoyed the show. Lowell Thomas was probably the most hostile and annoyed on-air guest. When host Ralph Edwards tried to assure him that he would enjoy what was to come, Thomas replied, "I doubt that very much."

[edit] Attempted revivals

Edwards would revive the series twice in syndication, the first one with Edwards again as host and in 1983 with Joseph Campanella. Both failed to capture the magic of the original series, mostly due to the series being filmed or taped and in the case of the '71-'72 version some stations that aired it gave away the surprise elements in ads and promos for the show.

In November 2005, ABC announced that it was developing a new version of the show, to be hosted by Regis Philbin. Coincidentally, the show's creator, Ralph Edwards, died not long after the announcement was made. In August 2006, Philbin decided not to renew his contract with the show (he was committed to hosting America's Got Talent on NBC), and ABC is considering moving forward with another host. [2] [3]

In May 2007, on the popular television series American Idol, Sir Trevor McDonald presented Simon Cowell with the infamous red book. The full version of the revived show was broadcast on Saturday June 2nd on British television.

[edit] The UK version

Main article: This Is Your Life (UK TV series)

The show was adapted in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it was launched in 1955 on the BBC and was presented by Eamonn Andrews (who also ended up being the first "victim"). It ended in 1964 when Eamonn Andrews moved to ABC, but it was revived on ITV (produced by Thames Television) in 1969, and Michael Aspel (himself a "victim" in 1980) became presenter after Andrews died in 1987. It returned to the BBC in 1994, though it was still produced independently by Thames Television, and was axed in 2003. The show made its return on the ITV Network in June 2007, produced by SMG Productions and ITV Productions. One notable difference to previous UK runs is that the programme's subject was trailed in advance.

[edit] The Australian version

In Australia, the show was aired on the Nine Network on Thursday nights for a relatively short annual season. It began in 1975 on the Seven Network, hosted by Michael Willesee. Subsequent seasons were compered by Digby Wolfe (1976) and Roger Climpson (1977 - 1980). The program was re-launched on the Nine Network in 1995, hosted by Mike Munro.

[edit] The New Zealand version

Thirty-eight New Zealanders have been honoured in the New Zealand version of the show, which has been broadcast on and off since 1984[1] on Television New Zealand's Channel One. It was originally hosted by Bob Parker (1984-1996), but more recent episodes have been presented by Paul Holmes (1996-2000) and Paul Henry (2007). Most recently, extreme sports pioneer A. J. Hackett was honoured, on 6 November 2007. Other recent recipients have included Mark Inglis (who lost his legs on Mt Cook in 1982), the subject of an episode that was broadcast on 5 June 2007, and former All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu, who was honoured in a show that aired on 9 April 2007.

Prior to that, the last This Is Your Life programme in New Zealand was broadcast in September 2000. The subject of that episode was the great New Zealand runner, Peter Snell. Previous subjects of the show have included prominent figures in sports (such as John Walker, Sir Peter Blake, Mark Todd, Lance Cairns and Colin Meads), the arts (like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who also once appeared on the British edition of the show, Dame Malvina Major, Rob Guest, Rowena Jackson and Sir Howard Morrison), politics (e.g. Sonja Davies and Dame Catherine Tizard), broadcasting (like Sir Geoffrey Cox, Nola Luxford, Selwyn Toogood and Davina Whitehouse), literature (Barbara Ewing and A.K. Grant), science (Brian Harold Mason and William Pickering) and the military (Johnny Checketts and Charles Upham). The show has also featured iconic New Zealanders such as mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and Maori activist Dame Whina Cooper.

[edit] Spoofs

[edit] References

  1. ^ Armor Archerd: This is Angie Dickinson's Life, 16 November 2005
  2. ^ "ABC Contemplates Life Without Regis", Broadcasting & Cable, August 30, 2006.
  3. ^ "TV Q&A with Rob Owen", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 25, 2006.

[edit] External links

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