The Ad-Libbers
GenreGame show
Directed byHal Persons
StarringPeter Donald (host)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Producers
  • Hal Persons
  • Ted Persons
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseAugust 3 (1951-08-03) –
August 31, 1951 (1951-08-31)

The Ad-Libbers is a CBS comedy sketch game show that began on August 3, 1951, and ended on September 1, 1951, as a summer replacement for Mama.[1]

Format

Home viewers were invited to send in story ideas. The host would read the story outline to the performers, who would then attempt to ad-lib dialogue to fit the story.[2]

Cast

The show was hosted by Peter Donald. Regulars included Jack Lemmon, Charles Mendick, Patricia Housley, Joe Silver, Earl Hammond and Cynthia Stone.[3]

Background

The series was based on a similar program titled What Happens Now? The program aired on local New York station WOR-TV in 1949 and was hosted by Nelson Olmsted.[4] Regulars on the 1949 program included Ross Martin, Carol Ohmart and Larry Blyden.[5]

Production

Ted and Hal Persons produced the show, and Hal Persons directed it. Maxwell House was the sponsor.[3] It was broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time.[2]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Billboard said that the program "comes off as fitfully interesting but hardly strong enough to stand the rigors of strong audience competition."[3] It said that because the actors were not trained in performing spontaneously the demands of the show's format were unrealistic.[3]

References

  1. ↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 15. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Morse, Leon (August 11, 1951). "The Ad Libbers". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
  5. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1976). The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs 1947-1976 (Vol. 1). South Brunswick and New York: A.S. Barnes and Company. ISBN 0-498-01561-0.
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