Ralph Edwards dies at 92

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralph Edwards, the radio and television pioneer who created, produced, and hosted "This Is Your Life" and "Truth or Consequences," has passed away. Edwards died peacefully in his sleep on November 16th, 2005 at 9:13 a.m. surrounded by his family at his home in West Hollywood. He was 92.

Edwards' charm, wit, and one-of-a-kind voice were enjoyed in American living rooms for more than half a century. Perhaps best remembered for the groundbreaking reality television series "This Is Your Life" and "Truth or Consequences," Edwards hosted, produced, and wrote thousands of hours of TV programming, much of it live. Among the now-standard television production techniques Edwards developed is the multiple-camera, live-on-film format, which was later adapted by Desi Arnaz for "I Love Lucy"* and is still used in sitcoms today. Every year since 1950, there has been at least one Ralph Edwards' series on television.

Throughout his career, Edwards devoted his time and energy to worthy causes. During the 1940s and 50s, he raised more money for charity than any other broadcast personality through his radio and television shows and helped seed many of today's most notable and thriving charities, including the American Heart Association and March of Dimes.

Ralph Livingstone Edwards was born on Friday, June 13, 1913, at 9:13 p.m., near Merino, CO, to Harry and Minnie Mae Edwards. He attributed much of his creative success in radio and television to the early encouragement of his mother. When Edwards was 12, the family moved from its Colorado farm to Oakland, CA, where he began appearing in school plays.

As a young man, jobs at radio stations in Oakland and San Francisco helped pay his way through college, and he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama. Edwards began working in New York City as a CBS radio announcer in 1936, after he auditioned and won the position over 60 candidates. Within two years, he was announcing as many as 45 network shows a week.

In 1940, Edwards created his first radio show, "Truth or Consequences," which was based on a game he played as a boy. The program would become a landmark in broadcast history as radio's No. 1 audience participation show. As its host, Edwards asked contestants humorous questions and made them "pay" the consequences for missed answers by performing unusual and often elaborate and outlandish stunts.

Emmy award-winning "Truth or Consequences" aired for 38 consecutive years on radio and television, and launched the career of Edwards' handpicked successor, Bob Barker, who says of his mentor, "Ralph Edwards is truly a giant of radio and television." The show was so popular that in 1950 a New Mexico town performed the biggest stunt of all: It renamed itself Truth or Consequences, NM.

"Truth or Consequences" is credited with a number of entertainment "firsts": It was the first television program regularly filmed live before an audience on 35mm film; the first to go out of the studio to produce outrageous stunts on remote; the first to stage surprise reunions; and the first series to combine entertainment with a greater cause. These ideas became the springboard for later programs and inspired many of today's game and reality shows.

The "Truth or Consequences" radio show proved to be a valuable fundraising vehicle: During World War II, Edwards raised over half a billion dollars in War Bonds. Almost a million and a half dollars were raised to benefit the March of Dimes from efforts such as the "Hush" contests, featuring celebrities like Clara Bow and Martha Graham. Contributions from the "Walking Man" contest featuring Jack Benny launched the American Heart Association as a national organization.

A Ralph Edwards-created stunt literally put Hollywood on the map. On a cross-country trip, a contestant on "Truth or Consequences" gathered more than 500,000 signatures requesting recognition for Hollywood and delivered the petition to the Postmaster General. By official decree in 1948, the Hollywood, California postmark was born.

From the outgrowth of an act of goodwill on "Truth or Consequences," Edwards created, produced, and hosted "This Is Your Life" on radio in 1948, and he introduced it to television on NBC in 1952. The show that touched the hearts of millions of viewers surprised guests with the story of their lives by reuniting them with friends and family.

"'This Is Your Life' (is) arguably the most successful biography-family reunion show in history," wrote Lisa Mitchell in emmy magazine in 1996. "Edwards, as a producer and packager as well as performer has had an impact on TV in terms of innovation and longevity that few can match."(1)

"This Is Your Life" profiled some of Hollywood's biggest stars and other notable personalities, including Milton Berle, Bette Davis, Roy Rogers, Boris Karloff, Carl Reiner, Betty White, Steve Allen, Dick Van Dyke, and Nat King Cole. Also featured were people Edwards called "the heroic unknowns," often in an effort to aid deserving causes. He was especially proud to endow the Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky and to help Dr. Laurence C. Jones fund the Piney Woods School in Mississippi.

One of his most significant achievements resulted from a "This Is Your Life" broadcast at Pearl Harbor, which honored Rear Admiral Samuel G. Fuqua, the last man to leave the sinking USS Arizona. As a result of the 1958 televised appeal, viewers contributed the seed money for the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Original episodes of the NBC network staple ran for nine years until 1961. New shows aired in syndication from 1971-1973, and 1983-1984. A series of specials continued into the 1990s and vintage shows have been broadcast on the American Movie Classics cable channel. "This Is Your Life" has been produced and broadcast in numerous countries outside the United States. Edwards launched the show in the United Kingdom in 1955, and it continued to be televised by the BBC well into 2003.

"There have been certain landmark shows that have just changed the entire face of television," said Charles Champlin, arts editor emeritus of the Los Angeles Times. "'This Is Your Life' proved that there were common chords linking lives great and small."(1)

"Ralph came up with programs that crossed all boundaries of age and class," said Syd Cassyd, founder of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "He personalized television and fulfilled the American dream of participating in games. He was the right person at the right time for that type of programming ... Ralph Edwards simply epitomizes the best that television can do."(1)

Through the popularity of "Truth or Consequences" and "This Is Your Life," Edwards pioneered what is now known as "cause marketing," setting an industry precedent by utilizing the company's popular entertainment programs and its Hollywood influence to benefit innumerable causes.

During more than 60 years, Edwards and his company have been responsible for raising millions of dollars for charitable organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Women in Film, Easter Seals, American Parkinson Disease Association, American Cancer Society, and numerous hospitals and schools. Today, Ralph Edwards Productions continues the work of its founder, producing award-winning family entertainment and content-based marketing programs benefiting worthy causes.

In addition to hosting, acting was also a calling -- Edwards performed in summer stock in Holyoke, MA, and Santa Fe, NM, and appeared in six films including "The Bamboo Blonde" with Frances Langford, "Seven Day's Leave" with Lucille Ball and Victor Mature, and "I'll Cry Tomorrow" with Susan Hayward.

Edwards was as successful behind the camera as he was in front of it, producing more than 20 shows, including "It Could Be You," "Place the Face," "Name That Tune," and "the Cross-Wits." Edwards' company, in conjunction with Stu Billett Productions, continues to produce "The People's Court," which has been on the air since 1981.

Among Ralph Edwards' hundreds of honors and awards are three Emmys as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. He was a charter member of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, a networking organization for radio and TV professionals, and served as the group's third Chairman of the Board. Edwards' lifelong dedication to his community, to the arts, and to education includes support for the 100 Club, the University of California Berkeley Fellows, the Los Angeles Music Center, and the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.

Edwards married the late Barbara Jean Sheldon in 1939. He is survived by their three children and their families, which include six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service for Ralph Edwards is scheduled on Thursday, December 1st, 2005 at 11:00am at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church at 505 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. In lieu of flowers, the Edwards family requests donations be made to: American Parkinson Disease Association, Juvenile Diabetes International, or any breast cancer research organization.

* Source: "Laughs, Luck ... and Lucy: How I Came To Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time" Jess Oppenheimer, 1996, Syracuse University Press

(1) As appeared in "A Hollywood Life" by Lisa Mitchell in EMMY magazine, February 1996.

  ADDENDUM:

  RALPH EDWARDS - CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

 

  2001  Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award

  2001  Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award

  1997  Best Children's Video Award from the Video Software Dealer's Association (VSDA) for "Annabelle's Wish"

  1996  Headliner Award from the Greater Los Angeles Press Club

  1995  Radio Hall of Fame - The Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago

  1992  Saluted by the New York Museum of Television and Radio

  1988  Elected Chairman of the Board of Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters

  1985  George Washington Honor Medal from Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge

  1980  Inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame

  1976  Honorary Chairman of the Federal Savings Bond Drive

  1975  Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Seaver College of Pepperdine University

  1973  Chairman of the National Easter Seals Society

  1971  First Honorary Life Membership awarded by the American Heart Association

  1965  Alumnus of the Year Award from the California Alumni Association at UC Berkeley

  1963  National Crusade Chairman of the American Cancer Society

  1960  Awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- one for TV, one for radio

  1957  Gold Heart Award from the American Heart Association

  1957  Golden Globe for "This Is Your Life"

  1954  Emmy Award for "This Is Your Life"

  1953  Emmy Award for "This Is Your Life"

  1951  U.S. Treasury Award (Special Citation) as the top Bond salesman in the nation

  1950  Emmy Award for "Truth or Consequences"

  1950  The town of Hot Springs, NM votes to change its name to Truth or Consequences, NM

  1945  Distinguished Service Citation from the U.S. Treasury Department for having sold half a billion dollars in War Bonds during WWII