We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!
Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at noon (Eastern).
Wear some flowers in your hair and join us this Saturday as we relive "The History of Psychedelic Rock!"
We all remember To Tell the Truth. It ran once a week on CBS’s prime-time schedule from 1956 to 1967. A 5-day-a-week daytime version was added in 1962 and ran until 1968.
Each episode started with the camera panning across three figures who were shrouded in darkness. The announcer would ask each “What is your name, please.” The lights would come up on each one in turn as they all gave the exact same name.
Then host Bud Collyer would read “a signed affidavit” that explained the unusual story of that round’s central character.
Following that, a celebrity panel of four (usually Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean and Kitty Carlisle) would ask questions, trying to figure out who really gave their true name and which two were imposters.
Finally, Bud would intone, “Would the real [person’s name], please stand up!”
There was some faking out with the contestants until finally, the real person in question would rise to their feet.
But “to tell the truth,” there are some things most of us have forgotten or simply never knew about this beloved game show classic.
- The Show Was Almost Named Nothing But the Truth
The key phrase comes from the oath witnesses take in court “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” When Goodson & Todman produced the pilot, they called it Nothing But the Truth. When CBS bought the pilot, the title was changed to To Tell the Truth.
- Bud Collyer Was Not the Original Host
Mike Wallace hosted the pilot, but the network decided to go with Collyer, who was already hosting Beat the Clock when the show debuted in December of 1956.
- Mark Goodson and Bill Todman Did Not Create the Show
It was created by one of their employees, a guy named Bob Stewart. While with Goodson-Todman, Stewart also created The Price Is Right and Password. Eventually, Stewart formed his own production company that created many network game shows, the most successful being The $10,000 Pyramid.
- The Show Offered Very Little Cash to Contestants
On the daytime version, stumping the panelists paid $100 for every incorrect vote for a possible maximum of just $400, which had to be divided 3 ways (who got the extra penny, we don’t know). Should they not stump the panel at all, they got to split a measly $75.
On the prime-time version, the maximum payout was a little better: $1,000 with a $150 consolation prize if no one was fooled.
- The Show Spawned 12 International Versions
Local versions of To Tell the Truth were also produced in the UK, Australia, Thailand, the Ukraine and 8 other countries.
- The Show Is One of Only 2 Game Shows to Be Broadcast for 7 Consecutive Decades
After To Tell the Truth ended its initial run on CBS, it has been revived in syndication and on NBC and ABC. It has aired at least one new episode in every decade from the 1950s to the present. The other 7-decade run is Bob Stewart’s The Price Is Right.
And that’s the truth, we swear it!
“Come Softly to Me” is a rock & roll classic. It’s been covered by a multitude of artists including Fleetwood Mac’s Bob Welch & Christine McVie.
The original was recorded in the fall of 1958 by the three kids that wrote it: Barbara Ellis, Gretchen Christopher and Gary Troxel – better known as the Fleetwoods.
The group got its start at Olympia High School where all three were students. Ellis and Christopher began as a duo, but felt something was missing. So, they asked their friend, Gary Troxel, to join them. At one of their first rehearsals, the girls sang Gary a song the two of them had composed. They called it “Come Softly.” Troxel then improvised a part for himself, softly singing “Um-doobee-doo down-down down-doo-down…” Troxel’s improvisation gave the song what it need – a hook! He also improvised some lyrics to go between the girls harmonizing on “Come softly, darling, etc.”
What happened next sounds so corny you wouldn’t believe it if you saw it in a movie. The trio recorded an acapella version of the song in Gretchen's living room and sent the tape to the tiny independent Dolphin Records label. Bob Reisdorf, head of the label, was so impressed, he not only signed the group to a recording contract, he went ahead and used the home recording as the basis for the single that was finally released. Reisdorf added an acoustic guitar, bass and mild percussion to the already existing vocals. What sounds like a tambourine in the song is actually Gary Troxel shaking his car keys. Reisdorf also added the words “to Me” to the title, feeling “Come Softly” was a little too suggestive for 1958 (although that exact phrase appears nowhere in the song). Again, just like in the movies, their virtually homemade record went all the way to #1
The group went on to place 11 more songs in the top 40, including another #1 (“Mr. Blue”). Unfortunately, Troxel, who had joined the Naval Reserve in 1956, was called up to active duty just as the group’s career was peaking. That meant less time in the recording studio and another young, unknown singer named Vic Dana occasionally taking Troxel’s place when the group performed live.
By the time Troxel was out of the Navy and ready to resume his singing career, the British Invasion had changed the musical taste of American teenagers overnight.
The group hung on for a few more years, but eventually disbanded. When the rock & roll revival kicked in during the 1970s, the Fleetwoods did not reform. Instead, both Christopher and Troxel formed separate groups. Although legal rights to the name The Fleetwoods belong to Christopher, it was Troxel’s thin, whispery voice that gave the group its identifiable sound. It was Troxel and two new ladies that PBS called on to appear as the Fleetwoods when they were making their “Doo-Wop Revival” fund-raising shows. All three original members of the group are still with us today.
There is a right way and a wrong way to fall. As we get older, falls that result in broken bones, concussions or other injuries can be more serious.
The people who fall for a living – Hollywood’s stunt men and women, have some tips should you find yourself losing your balance:
- Protect Your Head – If you’re falling backward, tuck your chin into your chest. If you’re falling forward, turn your face to the side.
- Land Where the Bones Aren’t – Try to position yourself so you fall on muscle, not bone. The best place to absorb a fall is on your butt. Second best would be your back or thighs.
- Stay Bent – Our natural instinct when we fall is to panic and stiffen up. This is the wrong move. Try to stay loose with your arms and legs bent. Do not try and stop your fall with an outstretched hand. That’s a good way to break your wrist.
- Keep Falling – Don’t try and stop suddenly. The more you can roll and spread the stress out to a larger area of the body, the better your chances of minimizing injuries.s