A group of panelists try to guess a guest's secret.A group of panelists try to guess a guest's secret.A group of panelists try to guess a guest's secret.
- Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
- 3 nominations total
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Did you know
- TriviaThe telecast that aired live on February 9, 1956, with Lucille Ball as a guest panelist, featured a 96-year-old contestant who was the last surviving witness to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Garry Moore introduced this senior citizen, Samuel Seymour, by saying he hailed from Maryland. When Seymour died two months later on the anniversary of the assassination, newspapers said he was a longtime resident of Arlington, Virginia. Whatever the truth of his residence, his secret was uncovered by Jayne Meadows. After she uncovered it, Moore explained to her, the other panelists and viewers that when John Wilkes Booth jumped down from the presidential box at Fords Theatre immediately after shooting Lincoln, five-year-old Seymour witnessed only that jump without knowing that any shots had been fired. The audience's laughter in reaction to the play muffled the sound of the gunshots for many people. The child felt sorry for the man who obviously had injured himself jumping from the presidential box to the stage. Booth indeed injured his leg and sought medical treatment before his capture.
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Television: Fun and Games (1988)
- SoundtracksPlink, Plank, Plunk (I've Got A Secret)
Written and Performed by Leroy Anderson from 1952 to 1961
Featured review
Fun artifact of the 1950s
It's no surprise that many people consider "I've Got a Secret" to be derivative of "What's My Line" - it was. Howard Merrill and Allan Sherman (later known for his work as a parody singer) modified the concept of "What's My Line" by having the panel guess the secret that a guest is keeping rather than their occupation, and having a celebrity guest at the end of the episode. They then offered the show to WML producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman who made Sherman the new show's producer.
The show's hosts - Gary Moore and Steve Allen in the original CBS run - and panelists didn't take the game anywhere near as seriously as John Charles Daly and most of the panel on WML. On the other hand I don't find the secrets on "I've Got A Secret" as interesting as the occupations on "What's My Line". And I confess that I don't particularly like host Gary Moore, mainly (but not exclusively) because of his habit of flicking his cigarette ashes onto the studio floor.
One episode that is definitely worth looking for is from September 17, 1962. Moore welcomes a couple whose secret is that their son became an astronaut that day. During his interview Moore asks them about how they'd feel if their son was the first man to walk on the Moon. The couple were Stephen and Viola Armstrong, the parents of Neil Armstrong.
The show's hosts - Gary Moore and Steve Allen in the original CBS run - and panelists didn't take the game anywhere near as seriously as John Charles Daly and most of the panel on WML. On the other hand I don't find the secrets on "I've Got A Secret" as interesting as the occupations on "What's My Line". And I confess that I don't particularly like host Gary Moore, mainly (but not exclusively) because of his habit of flicking his cigarette ashes onto the studio floor.
One episode that is definitely worth looking for is from September 17, 1962. Moore welcomes a couple whose secret is that their son became an astronaut that day. During his interview Moore asks them about how they'd feel if their son was the first man to walk on the Moon. The couple were Stephen and Viola Armstrong, the parents of Neil Armstrong.
helpful•20
- bmckee
- Jul 11, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Tengo un secreto
- Filming locations
- CBS Studio 52, New York City, New York, USA(1960-1967)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime30 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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