What's the Story

infobox television
show_name = What's the Story
format = Game show
runtime = 30 minutes
starring = Walter Raney (Host, 1951)
Walter Kiernan (Host, 1951-1953)
Al Capp (Host, 1953)
John McCaffery (Host, 1953-1955)
Harriet Van Horne (Panelist)
Jimmy Cannon (Panelist)
Robert Sullivan (Panelist)
Bosley Crowther (Panelist)
Porthos The Dog
country = USA
network = DuMont
first_aired = July 25, 1951
last_aired = September 23, 1955
imdb_id = 0043245

"What's the Story" was an American television game show broadcast on the DuMont Television Network from July 25, 1951 to September 23, 1955 and was originally hosted by Walter Raney. The series aired in eleven different time slots during its four-year run.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows" (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.]

Format

In each episode, well-known newspaper columnists or other celebrities would appear on a panel. They were asked to try to identify famous events from clues given by the moderator and his assistants.McNeil, Alex. "Total Television". Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.] Among the regular panelists were Robert Sullivan of the "New York Daily News", Jimmy Cannon of the "New York Post" and Harriet Van Horne of the "New York World-Telegram".

History

Hosts

Walter Raney hosted for the first three months (until September, 1951), after which he was replaced by Walter Kiernan, who hosted until June 20, 1953.

The following week, Al Capp took over and moderated until sometime in the Fall, during which John McCaffery stepped in and took the reigns through its 1955 Finale (see below).

Final episode

Though "What's the Story" was reasonably successful, the series is most notable for being the last regular series to air on the dying DuMont Network. After the Finale the network aired only a few scattered sporting events and ceased broadcasting altogether in 1956.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows" (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.]

Episode status

Like most DuMont programs, no known episodes of "What's the Story" exist today. Although a few episodes of DuMont series survive at the UCLA Film and Television Archive or at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications, there are no copies of "What's the Story" among either of the archives.Ingram, C. (2002). [http://members.aol.com/cingram/television/dumonta5.htm "The DuMont Television Network Historical Web Site"] . Retrieved January 22, 2007.]

Footnotes

References

* McNeil, Alex. "Total Television". Fourth edition. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
* Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows" (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1.

External links

*imdb title|id=0043245|title=What's the Story