Walter Cronkite (It's News To Me - 1954)
The final celebrity who you probably didn't know hosted a game show is another television legend, best known for his work behind the news desk. For 19 years, millions of Americans would watch the CBS Evening News to hear the latest headlines and the day's happenings from this man. Many referred to him as the Most Trusted Man in America or Uncle Walter, and he was the man who famously announced the terrible news on television that President John F. Kennedy had been shot and passed away on November 22, 1963. He is Walter Cronkite. Back in the '50s, many newscasters hosted game shows because of their proven track record to command a show from start to end and because they were some of the most recognizable people in the industry. The most famous newsman to host a game show was John Charles Daly, who moderated the classic CBS panel show What's My Line? for over 17 years. In fact, Daly was also the original host of the panel show Walter Cronkite eventually emceed, It's News To Me.
It's New To Me played a bit like Liar's Club did. The panel was shown either an object, a picture or some footage relating to a recent news story. The host would then pick one of the panelists to describe it and give it's significance to the news. The contestant would then agree or disagree with the story with a correct guess earning them money and an incorrect guess losing them money. During Cronkite's 1954 version, contestants start with $30 and could gain or lose $10 depending on whether they were correct or incorrect with their guess.
It's News To Me was not the most entertaining game, but then again, most of the game shows during that time were pretty bland and simplistic. For the show that it was, Walter Cronkite seemed like the best fit to be its host. His booming voice, his warming smile and his intelligent newscaster persona were all great qualities that helped him guide the game along. There really isn't another kind of game show fit for Cronkite to host, so if one of his goals was to host a game show, he found the right one. Out of all the names on this list of celebrities who you never knew hosted a game show, Walter Cronkite is probably the one you would never have thought would be a game show emcee because he really has no background in the entertainment industry or a connection with games. However, he most certainly was not the worst host on this list.
Which celebrity game show host surprised you the most? Tell us below!
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