Ripley's Believe It or Not (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
is a documentary television series based on the newspaper feature that aired in three incarnations.
The first Believe It or Not TV series, a live show hosted by Robert L. Ripley, premiered on NBC
television March 1, 1949. Shortly after the 13th episode, on May 27, 1949, Ripley died of a heart attack
and several of his friends substituted as host, including future Ripley's Believe It or Not! president Doug Storer
. Robert St. John served as host from the second season until the series ended on October 5, 1950.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! later returned to television in a second series from 1982 to 1986 on the American ABC
network. Character actor Jack Palance
hosted the popular series throughout its run, while three different co-hosts appeared from season to season, including Palance's daughter, Holly Palance, actress Catherine Shirriff
, and singer Marie Osmond
. The 1980s series reran on the Sci-fi Channel (UK) and Sci-fi Channel (US) during the 1990s.
In the 2000s, a new series was produced for TBS
with actor Dean Cain
and field correspondent Kelly Packard
as hosts. Each new episode opens with an act involving the audience
. The show also features such regular elements as "Spot the Not," a weekly trivia
segment in which viewers are challenged to pick the claim that is not real and a special "Ripley's Record" commemoration for people who break a world record
while appearing on the show. Reruns of the 2000 version of the show began airing on Chiller.
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
is a documentary television series based on the newspaper feature that aired in three incarnations.
The first Believe It or Not TV series, a live show hosted by Robert L. Ripley, premiered on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television March 1, 1949. Shortly after the 13th episode, on May 27, 1949, Ripley died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and several of his friends substituted as host, including future Ripley's Believe It or Not! president Doug Storer
Doug Storer
Doug Storer was a radio producer, talent agent, and writer responsible for creating and producing radio programs from the 1930s to the 1960s, including Ripley's Believe It or Not and Renfrew of the Royal Mounted.-External links:...
. Robert St. John served as host from the second season until the series ended on October 5, 1950.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! later returned to television in a second series from 1982 to 1986 on the American ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network. Character actor Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
hosted the popular series throughout its run, while three different co-hosts appeared from season to season, including Palance's daughter, Holly Palance, actress Catherine Shirriff
Catherine Shirriff
Catherine Shirriff is a Canadian actress. Her notable roles include the Klingon Valkris in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and co-host with Jack Palance of the first season of the ABC television documentary series Ripley's Believe It or Not!....
, and singer Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond is an American singer, actress, doll designer, and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s...
. The 1980s series reran on the Sci-fi Channel (UK) and Sci-fi Channel (US) during the 1990s.
In the 2000s, a new series was produced for TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
with actor Dean Cain
Dean Cain
Dean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
and field correspondent Kelly Packard
Kelly Packard
Kelly Chemane Packard is an American actress who has starred in TV shows such as Baywatch and California Dreams and has also hosted shows such as Ripley's Believe It or Not!....
as hosts. Each new episode opens with an act involving the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
. The show also features such regular elements as "Spot the Not," a weekly trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
segment in which viewers are challenged to pick the claim that is not real and a special "Ripley's Record" commemoration for people who break a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
while appearing on the show. Reruns of the 2000 version of the show began airing on Chiller.
See also
External links
- TV.com summary (third run)
- Ripley's Believe It Or Not! fan site with episode descriptions and video clips of 1980s and 2000s series