Jay Jackson
Encyclopedia
Jay Jackson was an American radio
and television
quiz show host and announcer more familiar for a one-off, fictitious host he played on a legendary situation comedy
than he was during his time as a real radio and television performer.
Jackson was the master of ceremonies
of the panel quiz show
Twenty Questions
when it aired on the ABC Television Network
starting in early 1953 and ending in May 1955. He then hosted the nighttime version of the popular quiz show
Tic Tac Dough from its debut on September 12, 1957 through September 1958, yielding that job to Win Elliot
for the remaining 13 weeks of the show's nighttime run (September 1957 - December 1958). Before he got that job, Jackson appeared in one of the best-loved among the so-called "original 39" episodes of The Honeymooners
.
The episode involved blustery bus driver Ralph Kramden spending a week reviewing everything there was to know about popular songs, the category in which he would compete on a fictitious television quiz called The $99,000 Answer -- a too-obviously satirical salute to CBS's quiz show phenomenon, The $64,000 Question. Kramden makes his appearance on the show and blows the very first question he is asked by host Herb Norris, played by Jackson, in a hilariously poignant conclusion. The episode first aired over CBS
on January 28, 1956.
When the quiz show scandals
exploded in 1958, among the materials a federal grand jury investigated was a series of 1957 Tic Tac Dough episodes hosted by Jackson and preserved on kinescope, featuring U.S. Army captain Michael O'Rourke winning over $140,000 during his reign as champion. Jackson himself was never accused of any wrongdoing; it was noted that he left the show well before the investigations began in earnest. One episode in that series of shows is available through classic video sellers. After leaving Tic Tac Dough Jackson never hosted another quiz or game show, though he did narrate a series of Laurel and Hardy
retrospectives during the 1960s.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
quiz show host and announcer more familiar for a one-off, fictitious host he played on a legendary situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
than he was during his time as a real radio and television performer.
Jackson was the master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
of the panel quiz 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...
Twenty Questions
Twenty Questions
Twenty Questions is a spoken parlor game which encourages deductive reasoning and creativity. It originated in the United States and escalated in popularity during the late 1940s when it became the format for a successful weekly radio quiz program....
when it aired on the ABC Television Network
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...
starting in early 1953 and ending in May 1955. He then hosted the nighttime version of the popular quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
Tic Tac Dough from its debut on September 12, 1957 through September 1958, yielding that job to Win Elliot
Win Elliot
Win Elliot, was an American television and radio sportscaster and game show host who was best-known for his long tenures as a play-by-play broadcaster of NHL New York Rangers and NBA New York Knicks games and host of Sports Central USA on the CBS Radio Network.Born Irwin Elliot Shalek in Chelsea,...
for the remaining 13 weeks of the show's nighttime run (September 1957 - December 1958). Before he got that job, Jackson appeared in one of the best-loved among the so-called "original 39" episodes of The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
.
The episode involved blustery bus driver Ralph Kramden spending a week reviewing everything there was to know about popular songs, the category in which he would compete on a fictitious television quiz called The $99,000 Answer -- a too-obviously satirical salute to CBS's quiz show phenomenon, The $64,000 Question. Kramden makes his appearance on the show and blows the very first question he is asked by host Herb Norris, played by Jackson, in a hilariously poignant conclusion. The episode first aired over CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on January 28, 1956.
When the quiz show scandals
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....
exploded in 1958, among the materials a federal grand jury investigated was a series of 1957 Tic Tac Dough episodes hosted by Jackson and preserved on kinescope, featuring U.S. Army captain Michael O'Rourke winning over $140,000 during his reign as champion. Jackson himself was never accused of any wrongdoing; it was noted that he left the show well before the investigations began in earnest. One episode in that series of shows is available through classic video sellers. After leaving Tic Tac Dough Jackson never hosted another quiz or game show, though he did narrate a series of Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
retrospectives during the 1960s.