The Name's the Same
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The Name's the Same was an American game show produced by Goodson-Todman for the ABC television network from December 5, 1951 to October 7, 1955, and was sponsored by Swanson and Johnson Wax for the majority of its run. The show's final sponsor, Ralston Purina, also sponsored the program which replaced this one on the ABC schedule, Ethel and Albert.
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[edit] Gameplay
The show's guessing-game premise was similar to Goodson-Todman's What's My Line?. The panelists could ask 10 questions each, to determine the "famous name" of an ordinary citizen -- named for an actual person ("Jane Russell," "Abraham Lincoln," "Napoleon Bonaparte"), a place ("Virginia Beach," "Monte Carlo"), or a thing ("A. Lap," "A. Table," "Ruby Lips"). Any member of the panel who failed to identify the contestant's name had to write the contestant a check for $25.
Sometimes a contestant's celebrity namesake (Ronald Reagan, Phil Rizzuto) was brought out at the end of the round to surprise the contestant. The panelists then had to guess what the celebrity's "secret wish" was (Gloria DeHaven wished she were Eve; Kirk Douglas wanted to coach the Vassar lacrosse team; Van Johnson wanted Marilyn Monroe to sit on his lap; Charles Coburn's wish was to dance the rumba with Monroe again as he did in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).
[edit] Hosts
Robert Q. Lewis was the original emcee, from December 1951. During Lewis's two-week vacation in September 1953, film star Brian Aherne substituted for him, as did Conrad Nagel during a one-week absence earlier that year. The show went on hiatus in 1954 (Lewis insinuated on the August 31 episode that the show's future was in doubt), but did return in October with a new emcee: Dennis James, who remained until June 1955. Bob and Ray hosted from June to early September, and for the final five weeks the hosting chores were taken over by Clifton Fadiman.
[edit] Panelists
The only panelist to remain for the show's entire run was New York-based actress and socialite Joan Alexander. From 1951 to 1953 her co-panelists were Abe Burrows and Meredith Willson. In 1953 Burrows's chair was taken by Carl Reiner and Willson's by sportscaster Bill Stern. Host Lewis would always call on Reiner first when the mystery name was a thing: Reiner's innocent questions always took on funny meanings, followed by Alexander straying even farther away, to the studio audience's delight. (For "A. Harem," Reiner asked, "Is this thing used for recreational purposes?" and Alexander pursued this: "Do fat men use this to reduce their weight?") Lewis would enjoy these detours as much as the audience. It was then left to Stern, a veteran reporter, to zero in on the actual name with serious, shrewd questioning.
In 1954 Gene Rayburn replaced Reiner, and former Miss America Bess Myerson replaced Stern. A fourth panelist was added: humorist Roger Price. The final panelist who lasted at least six months was The Honeymooners' Audrey Meadows. Many familiar faces of the era, such as Mike Wallace, Basil Rathbone, Arnold Stang, and Jerry Lester were guest panelists.
[edit] Theme
The first theme song, a busy string arrangement, was "Shooting Star" by Sidney Torch and His Orchestra. The second theme song was "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" about the city which is where the show's later sponsor, Ralston Purina was headquartered.
[edit] Foreign versions
A UK version was made for radio (BBC Home Service) and TV (BBC Television) with British namesakes of famous people, buildings, and things. A one-off revival edition was produced for BBC Four in 2005 as part of a season of programs detailing the "lost decade" (1945-1955).
