The first game shows were heard over the radio many years ago. Some of these radio quiz shows were The Pop Question Game, Do You Know, and Ask Me Another. These radio game shows were popular during the 1920's.
When television was installed in most households by the 1950's or so, game shows were an instant hit. You Bet Your Life began as a radio show in1947 and then moved on to television in 1950.
The show was hosted by George Finneman and he was helped to grill contestants by the famous comedian Groucho Marx. Marx was so funny that people would tune in just to watch him. Contestants had the opportunity to win up to $10,000 dollars. This was pretty big money in those days.
Queen for a Day was another on the most popular early game shows. Jack Bailey was its host. Four contestants told of their hardships and the winner could get prizes like washing machines for their efforts. This show also got its roots in radio and later moved to television.
Today's game show are the same in some ways and different in others. The things that are the same are the celebrities that contestants get to meet, the fun they get to have, and they questions or stunts they have to do to win. The thing that has changed is the prizes and money that can be won. Of course, comparing then and now, the value might work out pretty close.
It seemed that game shows might have been less popular for a while despite shows like Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right that have been on television for years. When Who Wants to Be a Millionaire came on in 1999, hosted by Regis Philbin, it was extremely successful.
The format of the show was different than others and it was the largest sum of money to be won. It is no longer shown on the ABC network, but can be seen on satellite or cable channels with its new host, Meredith Vieira. It was originally a prime time show, but is now shown during the day.
Ever since Millionaire, new great game shows have continued to be put on in primetime television. Deal or No Deal and Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader are two of the most intriguing game shows on right now.
