Ralph Story
Encyclopedia
Ralph Story, originally Ralph Bernard Snyder (August 19, 1920 – September 26, 2006) was an American
television
and radio
personality. He was best remembered as the host of The $64,000 Challenge, a spin off of the game show
The $64,000 Question, from 1956 until 1958.
. He started his broadcasting career in the late 1940s, after serving as an United States Army Air Forces
flight instructor and P-51 fighter pilot
during World War II
. Story had his big break in broadcasting in 1948, when he was hired to host and direct an early morning show on KNX
radio in Los Angeles
. At the suggestion of the station's managers, he changed his name to Ralph Story. Story's casual style and witty observations about life in Los Angeles made him a popular host and won him national recognition.
Story later moved into network television, where, in 1956, he began hosting the hugely popular game show
, The $64,000 Challenge. The CBS show was canceled in 1958 while several networks were embroiled in allegations
that popular contestants were supplied with answers in advance.
Story, who was not implicated in the scandal, returned to local broadcasting in 1960. He returned to KNX, this time anchoring a news program and later joined The Big News, one of the nation's first hour-long local TV newscasts, on KNXT
-TV (sister station to KNX radio, owned and operated by CBS). His regular feature, "Human Predicament," about people caught in unusual events and situations, became a popular segment. It developed into a local news magazine program about the people and places of Los Angeles called Ralph Story's Los Angeles. It aired for six years.
Ralph Story's Los Angeles aired from 1964–1970 on KNXT (now KCBS). Well-written and wittily hosted by Story, the show examined interesting features, events and sites documenting the history and culture of Los Angeles. Generations of Los Angelenos developed a passion for their city as a result of this documentary-style show. The 104 reels of Ralph Story's Los Angeles are housed at the UCLA
Film & Television Archive and are available for public viewing via the Archive Research and Study Center located in Powell Library, room 46 on the UCLA campus.
Story joined KABC-TV
in the 1970s, co-hosting AM Los Angeles, a morning news show with Stephanie Edwards
and newsman Bob Banfield that became the precursor to Good Morning America
. When it moved to New York City
, Story stayed in Los Angeles, where he continued working as a writer, producer, and reporter for several TV stations. In the mid-1980s, Story retired and moved to Santa Barbara County
's wine region, where he and his wife operated an art gallery in Los Olivos
. In 1989, Ralph appeared in the television film, "Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain" which was shot in Disneyland
. He volunteered for numerous civic groups, serving as a fundraiser for public television stations, narrator for the Hollywood Bowl
and judge of the Rose Parade
.
He died on September 26, 2006 in Santa Ynez, California
from complications due to emphysema
.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored him with its highest honor, the Governor's Award. Hollywood columnist Rona Barrett
said that "no one told a story on television better than Ralph." Former colleague Warren Olney IV described Ralph Story as "a master of the craft."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
and radio
Radio in the United States
Radio is one of the major mass media of the United States.-History:The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media...
personality. He was best remembered as the host of The $64,000 Challenge, a spin off of the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
The $64,000 Question, from 1956 until 1958.
Biography
Story was born Ralph Bernard Snyder in Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. He started his broadcasting career in the late 1940s, after serving as an United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
flight instructor and P-51 fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Story had his big break in broadcasting in 1948, when he was hired to host and direct an early morning show on KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
radio in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. At the suggestion of the station's managers, he changed his name to Ralph Story. Story's casual style and witty observations about life in Los Angeles made him a popular host and won him national recognition.
Story later moved into network television, where, in 1956, he began hosting the hugely popular game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, The $64,000 Challenge. The CBS show was canceled in 1958 while several networks were embroiled in allegations
Quiz show scandals
The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the show's producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition....
that popular contestants were supplied with answers in advance.
Story, who was not implicated in the scandal, returned to local broadcasting in 1960. He returned to KNX, this time anchoring a news program and later joined The Big News, one of the nation's first hour-long local TV newscasts, on KNXT
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
-TV (sister station to KNX radio, owned and operated by CBS). His regular feature, "Human Predicament," about people caught in unusual events and situations, became a popular segment. It developed into a local news magazine program about the people and places of Los Angeles called Ralph Story's Los Angeles. It aired for six years.
Ralph Story's Los Angeles aired from 1964–1970 on KNXT (now KCBS). Well-written and wittily hosted by Story, the show examined interesting features, events and sites documenting the history and culture of Los Angeles. Generations of Los Angelenos developed a passion for their city as a result of this documentary-style show. The 104 reels of Ralph Story's Los Angeles are housed at the UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
Film & Television Archive and are available for public viewing via the Archive Research and Study Center located in Powell Library, room 46 on the UCLA campus.
Story joined KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
in the 1970s, co-hosting AM Los Angeles, a morning news show with Stephanie Edwards
Stephanie Edwards
Stephanie Edwards may refer to:* Stephanie Edwards , longtime co-host of the Tournament of Roses Parade* Stephanie Edwards , American singer, contestant on TV show American Idol...
and newsman Bob Banfield that became the precursor to Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. When it moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Story stayed in Los Angeles, where he continued working as a writer, producer, and reporter for several TV stations. In the mid-1980s, Story retired and moved to Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
's wine region, where he and his wife operated an art gallery in Los Olivos
Los Olivos, California
Los Olivos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The ZIP Code is 93441, and the community is inside area code 805...
. In 1989, Ralph appeared in the television film, "Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain" which was shot in Disneyland
Disneyland Park (Anaheim)
Disneyland Park is a theme park located in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of the Walt Disney Company. Known as Disneyland when it opened on July 18, 1955, and still almost universally referred to by that name, it is the only theme park to be...
. He volunteered for numerous civic groups, serving as a fundraiser for public television stations, narrator for the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
and judge of the Rose Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
.
He died on September 26, 2006 in Santa Ynez, California
Santa Ynez, California
Santa Ynez is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The town of Santa Ynez is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley, and features the Santa Ynez Airport for general aviation with a paved 2804 x 75 foot runway. The population was 4,418...
from complications due to emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored him with its highest honor, the Governor's Award. Hollywood columnist Rona Barrett
Rona Barrett
Rona Barrett is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She currently runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens in need.-Career and personal life:As a teenager, Barrett overcame a degenerative...
said that "no one told a story on television better than Ralph." Former colleague Warren Olney IV described Ralph Story as "a master of the craft."