Television producer Ralph Edwards is best known for creating the game show Truth or Consequences. Edwards began his career in the entertainment industry as a radio announcer while attending the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, Edwards moved to New York and became a nationally syndicated radio personality. In 1940 Edwards produced, wrote, and emceed the radio version of Truth or Consequences, which aired for 38 consecutive years on radio and television. Edwards introduced the "live on film" technique by having Truth or Consequences filmed before a live studio audience when it debuted on television in 1950; the show was hosted for 18 years by Bob Barker, who went on to become television's most durable game show host with The Price Is Right. Edwards produced dozens of television game shows, including This Is Your Life, Knockout, Place the Face, and It Could Be You. In 1981 Edwards teamed up with producer Stu Billett to create a show that introduced a new form of the reality genre to television; they called their show The People's Court.

Ralph Edwards

Further Reading:

Fabe, Maxene. TV Game Shows. New York, Doubleday, 1979.

Graham, Jefferson. Come On Down!!!: The TV Game Show Book. New York, Abbeville Press, 1988.

Schwartz, David, et al. The Encyclopedia of Television Game Shows. New York, New York Zoetrope, 1987.