This Is Your Life is a
television documentaryDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
series hosted by its producer,
Ralph EdwardsRalph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:...
. It originally aired in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1952 to 1961, and again in 1972 on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
. It originated as a radio show airing from 1948 to 1952 on NBC Radio.
A version of itThis Is Your Life was a television documentary series airing in the United Kingdom, originally on BBC Television, and now ITV. It is based on the US show of the same name which aired from 1952 to 1961, and again in 1972 on NBC....
continues a very long run in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
starting in 1955, and another version is still running in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. It has also been broadcast from time to time in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
and
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
.
Concept
The format of the show consisted of the host, who would surprise someone (usually a celebrity or public figure, occasionally an ordinary citizen) and, consulting his "red book", conduct a biography of the subject in a television studio. The subject would be presented with family members and old friends, reunited with old acquaintances, and often shed a tear when a personal tragedy was recounted.
The 1950s edition of the show was aired live before a theater audience. The celebrity guests were ambushed by
Ralph EdwardsRalph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:...
and confronted by the microphone and cameras. They made their way to the studio during the first commercial break. Most of the honorees quickly got over their initial shock and enjoyed meeting bygone friends again, as with
Don DeForeDonald John DeFore was an American actor who played "the regular guy" and "the good, ol' boy next door" in many films in the 1940s and 1950s.-Life and career:...
on 6 May 1953. Pioneer movie producer
Mack SennettMack Sennett was a Canadian -born Academy Award-winning director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy."-Early life:...
's response was typical: he hated being caught off-guard, but as the tribute progressed he relaxed, and by the end of the show he was quite pleased with the experience.
Advance planning for the broadcast meant that, inevitably, certain celebrities would know in advance about the surprise.
Carl ReinerCarl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards during his career.-Early life:...
later admitted that he knew beforehand about his appearance. Only once was a celebrity told deliberately in advance, when
Eddie CantorEddie Cantor was an American comedian, dancer, singer, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about...
was chosen for an appearance. Cantor had a heart condition, so Edwards made sure that he knew everything about the show to avoid a possible relapse from shock. In addition,
Lillian RothLillian Roth was an American singer and actress.-Early Life and Career:Born Lillian Rutstein in Boston, Massachusetts, she was merely six-years-old when her mother took her to Educational Pictures, where she became the company's trademark, symbolized by a living statue holding a lamp of knowledge...
was honored on a special telecast in 1953, with all involved knowing about it, and endorsed by
Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who share a desire to stop drinking alcohol, and subsequently maintain their sobriety...
(her story became the basis of her autobiography and the film,
I'll Cry TomorrowI'll Cry Tomorrow is a 1955 MGM biographical film which tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and reacts to the death of her fiancé by becoming an alcoholic...
).
Some celebrities were unpleasantly surprised.
Angie DickinsonAngie Dickinson is a Golden Globe-winning American actress who has appeared in more than 50 films and starred on television as Sergeant Leann "Pepper" Anderson in the successful 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:...
refused to appear, and
Stan LaurelStan Laurel was an English comic actor, writer and director, famous as the first half of the comedy double-act Laurel and Hardy, whose career stretched from the silent films of the early 20th century until post-World War II.-Early life:Stan Laurel was born in his grandparents' house on 16 June...
of
Laurel and HardyLaurel and Hardy were a popular comedy team composed of thin, English-born Stan Laurel and heavy, American-born Oliver Hardy . They became famous during the early half of the 20th century for their work in motion pictures and also appeared on stage throughout America and Europe.The two comedians...
was angered by being "tricked" into what would be the team's only American television appearance on 1 December 1954. The meticulous Laurel later said, "[Oliver Hardy] and I were always planning to do something on TV. But we never dreamed that we would make our television debut on an unrehearsed network program... I was damned if I was going to put on a free show for them," although he mellowed in later years when so many viewers told him how much they enjoyed the show.
Lowell ThomasLowell Jackson Thomas was an American writer, broadcaster, and traveller best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous...
was probably the most hostile and annoyed on-air guest. When host Ralph Edwards tried to assure him that he would enjoy what was to come, Thomas replied, "I doubt that very much."
There was one celebrity who gave strict orders never to be made the subject of the show, and that was
Ralph EdwardsRalph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:...
himself. He made it clear to his entire staff that they would all be terminated if they ever attempted to surprise him on his own show, which never happened.
Attempted revivals
Edwards would revive the series twice in syndication, the first one with Edwards again as host and in 1983 with
Joseph CampanellaJoseph Campanella is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in 1967 as Lew Wickersham in the television...
. Both failed to capture the magic of the original series, mostly due to the series being filmed or taped and, in the case of the 1971-72 version, some stations that aired it gave away the surprise elements in ads and promos for the show. During the late-1980s, Ralph Edwards hosted a few one-off prime-time network airings of
This Is Your Life, most memorably an episode featuring
Betty WhiteBetty Marion White is an American actress, comedian and former television host with a career spanning over sixty-five years...
and
Dick Van DykeRichard Wayne “Dick” Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades...
.
In November 2005,
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American 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. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
announced that it was developing a new version of the show, to be hosted by
Regis PhilbinRegis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality and occasional actor, known for fronting various talk and game shows...
. Coincidentally, the show's creator, Ralph Edwards, died not long after the announcement was made. In August 2006, Philbin decided not to renew his contract with the show (he was committed to hosting
America's Got TalentAmerica's Got Talent is a British-owned American reality television series on the NBC television network. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of US$1 million. The show debuted in June 2006...
on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
), and ABC is considering moving forward with another host.
In May 2007, on the television series
American IdolAmerican Idol is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted on June 11, 2002 on the Fox network, and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television...
, Sir
Trevor McDonaldSir Trevor McDonald OBE is a Trinidadian-born British newsreader and journalist. He is a news presenter with ITN, notable for having been the first black news reader in the UK...
presented
Simon CowellSimon Phillip Cowell is an English television personality, A&R executive, television producer, and entrepreneur. He is famous in the United Kingdom and in the United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent...
with the red book. The full version of the revived show was broadcast on 2 June 2007 on British television.
In
October 2008October 2008 was the tenth month of the leap year. It began on a Wednesday and ended after 31 days on a Friday.-International holidays and other major events:* October 02 - Gandhi Jayanthi India* October 13 - Columbus Day in many U.S. states...
,
SurvivorSurvivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
producer
Mark BurnettMark Burnett is a British television producer. He is known for introducing competition based reality television as a genre to the United States.-Career:...
announced he was developing another revival of the series, though the project is yet to be attached to any network.
UK version
The show was adapted in several countries, including the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, where it was launched in 1955 on the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
and was presented by
Eamonn AndrewsEamonn Andrews, CBE was an Irish television presenter based in the United Kingdom.Andrews was born in Synge Street, Dublin, Ireland, the same street as playwright George Bernard Shaw. He was educated at the local school, Synge Street CBS. He began his career as an amateur boxer and went on to be...
(who also ended up being the first "victim"). It ended in 1964 when
Eamonn AndrewsEamonn Andrews, CBE was an Irish television presenter based in the United Kingdom.Andrews was born in Synge Street, Dublin, Ireland, the same street as playwright George Bernard Shaw. He was educated at the local school, Synge Street CBS. He began his career as an amateur boxer and went on to be...
moved to
ABCAssociated British Corporation was one of a number of commercial television companies established during the 1950s by cinema chain companies in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television which was taking away their cinema audiences.In this case, the parent company...
, but it was revived on
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
(produced by
Thames TelevisionThames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992. It was both a broadcaster and a producer of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered...
) in 1969, and
Michael AspelMichael Terence Aspel, OBE is an English journalist and television presenter, known for his reserved demeanour and rich speaking voice. He has been a high-profile TV personality in the United Kingdom since the 1960s, presenting programmes such as Crackerjack, Aspel and Company, This is Your Life,...
(himself a "victim" in 1980) became presenter after Andrews died in 1987. It returned to the BBC in 1994, though it was still produced independently by Thames Television, and was axed in 2003. The show made its return on the ITV Network in June 2007, produced by
SMG ProductionsSTV Productions is the television production arm of the STV Group plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. With bases in Glasgow, Scotland and London, England, the company's output includes drama, factual, entertainment and children's programming for broadcast on national, international and...
and
ITV ProductionsGranada Productions is one of Europe's leading commercial television production and distribution companies.From January 2006, the company used the name ITV Productions when making programmes for the ITV family of channels. From March 2009 the company has been fully rebranded as ITV Studios Limited...
. One notable difference to previous UK runs is that the programme's subject was trailed in advance.
Australian version
In Australia, the show was aired on the
Nine NetworkThe Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. For nearly 40 years between 1956 and 2005, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
on Thursday nights for a relatively short annual season. It began in 1975 on the
Seven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1970, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne. It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, hosted by Andrew Barbeler. Subsequent seasons were compered by
Digby WolfeDigby Wolfe is an actor, screenwriter and university lecturer in dramatic writing.Wolfe was born in London, England, and began writing and performing in comedy series in England in the 1950s. Together with Jimmy Wilson he wrote a Revue, with music by John Pritchett and Norman Dannatt, for the...
(1976) and Geordi Hunt (gay) (1977 - 1980). The program was re-launched on the Nine Network in 1995, hosted by
Mike Munro- Early life :Munro cites a tough childhood with an abusive and alcoholic mother, as one of the main reasons behind his motivation to succeed . Munro attended Sacred Heart Primary School in Mosman, New South Wales and Marist College North Shore in North Sydney. He began his career at 17 as a...
.
New Zealand version
Thirty-nine New Zealanders have been honoured in the New Zealand version of the show, which has been broadcast on and off since 1984
http://www.liveupdater.com/speakers/livearticle.asp?ArtID=453498717 on
Television New ZealandTelevision New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2 and new media services.-History:...
's TVOne. It was originally hosted by
Bob ParkerBob Parker is a former television host and current mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Television and film:Parker was the original host of the New Zealand version of the successful This is Your Life series.-Local body politics:...
(1984-1996), but more recent episodes have been presented by
Paul Holmes* Paul Holmes , New Zealand radio and television broadcaster* Paul Holmes , British politician* Paul Holmes , American priest and academic* Paul Holmes , English footballer...
(1996-2000) and
Paul HenryPaul Henry is an New Zealand radio and television anchor. He is recognized in New Zealand as one of co-hosts of TVNZ's Breakfast and also as a backup host for Close Up.-External links:**...
(2007-2008). Most recently, racecar driver
Scott DixonScott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 20 wins...
was honoured, on 21 September 2008. Other recent recipients have included extreme sports pioneer, A.J Hackett (who was profiled on 6 November 2007.)
Mark InglisMark Joseph Inglis is a mountaineer, researcher, winemaker and motivational speaker. He holds a degree in Human Biochemistry from Lincoln University, New Zealand, and has conducted research in Leukemia. He is also an accomplished cyclist and won a silver medal in the 1 km time trial event at the...
(who lost his legs on Mt Cook in 1982), the subject of an episode that was broadcast on 5 June 2007, and former
All BlacksThe New Zealand national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, is the representative side of New Zealand in rugby union. Rugby union is regarded as the country's national sport...
winger
Jonah LomuJonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. One of the sport's most intimidating players on the field, he has had a huge impact on the game...
, who was honoured in a show that aired on 9 April 2007.
Prior to that, the last
This Is Your Life programme in New Zealand was broadcast in September 2000. The subject of that episode was the great New Zealand runner,
Peter SnellSir Peter George Snell, KNZM, OBE,KBE, is a former New Zealand athlete, now resident in Texas. He had one of the shortest careers of world famous international sportsmen, yet achieved so much that he was voted New Zealand’s "Sports Champion of the Century"...
. Previous subjects of the show have included prominent figures in sports (such as John Walker,
Sir Peter BlakeSir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
,
Mark ToddMark James Todd, born March 1, 1956 is a champion New Zealand horseman, voted Rider of the 20th Century by the International Equestrian Federation, ....
,
Lance CairnsBernard Lance Cairns is a former all-rounder who played for the New Zealand cricket team, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns....
,
Scott DixonScott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 20 wins...
and
Colin MeadsSir Colin Earl Meads, KNZM, MBE is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played 55 test matches , most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1971....
), the arts (like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who also once appeared on the British edition of the show, Dame Malvina Major,
Rob GuestRobert John Guest, OBE was a British-born New Zealand actor and singer, best known for his work in the Australian musical theatre scene, particularly in various productions of The Phantom of the Opera...
,
Rowena JacksonRowena Othlie Jackson MBE is a New Zealand prima ballerina. Jackson was born in Invercargill, to William Ernest Jackson and Lilliane Jane, née Solomon. She attended Epsom Girls' Grammar School, in Auckland, and in 1941 won the first Royal Academy of Dancing Scholarship in New Zealand. In 1946 ...
and
Sir Howard MorrisonSir Howard Morrison, OBE, was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009, Morrison was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.-Early Life:...
), politics (e.g.
Sonja DaviesSonja Davies, ONZ was a New Zealand trade unionist, peace campaigner, and Member of Parliament.-Involvement in Unions:...
and
Dame Catherine TizardDame Catherine Tizard, ONZ, GCMG, GCVO, DBE, QSO, DStJ was Mayor of Auckland and the sixteenth Governor-General of New Zealand, the first woman to hold either office.-Early life:...
), broadcasting (like Sir Geoffrey Cox,
Nola LuxfordNola Luxford was a New Zealand born film actress of the silent film era, and into the 1930s.Born Minola Adelaide Pratt in Hastings, New Zealand, Luxford relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in film acting. Her first film appearance was in the 1920 film The Tiger's Coat...
,
Selwyn ToogoodSelwyn Toogood was a New Zealand radio and television personality. He born in Wellington and lived there all his life...
and
Davina WhitehouseDavina Whitehouse, OBE was a stage, film and television actress acclaimed in both her native UK as well as Australasia.She was a star of the London stage in the 1930s before emigrating to New Zealand in 1952,...
), literature (
Barbara EwingBarbara Ewing is a UK-based actress, playwright and novelist. Born in New Zealand, she graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a BA in English and Maori before coming to Britain in 1965 to train as an actress at RADA in London.She made her film debut in the horror film Torture...
and A.K. Grant), science (
Brian Harold MasonBrian Harold Mason is one of the pioneers in the study of meteorites.He has played a leading part in understanding the nature of the solar system through his studies of meteorites and lunar rocks. He has also examined and classified thousands of meteorites collected from Antarctica...
and
William PickeringWilliam Hayward Pickering ONZ KBE was a New Zealand born rocket scientist who headed Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 22 years, retiring in 1976...
) and the military (
Johnny CheckettsWing Commander John "Johnny" Milne Checketts, DSO, DFC was a World War II Flying ace.Johnny Checketts.Checketts was born in Invercargill on 20 February 1912 and was educated at the Invercargill South School and Southland Technical College...
and
Charles UphamCaptain Charles Hazlitt Upham VC & Bar was a New Zealand soldier who earned the Victoria Cross twice during the Second World War: in Crete in May 1941, and at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942...
). The show has also featured iconic New Zealanders such as mountaineer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and
MaoriThe Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand . The group probably arrived in southwestern Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300...
activist Dame Whina Cooper.
Parodiess
- Your Show of Shows
Your Show of Shows was a live 90-minute sketch comedy television series appearing weekly in the United States on NBC , from February 25, 1950 until June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca...
did a parodyA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of this show, titled This Is Your Story (broadcast 3 April 1953), in which emcee Carl Reiner surprises Sid Caesar, who can't stop crying and embracing the friends and relatives on stage
- Batman
The Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
's life story was told in Batman Number 87 (October 1954) on a TV show called "Your Life Story" with similar elements to This Is Your Life including the giant red book
- Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies was the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in...
cartoon This is a Life? (1955) with Elmer FuddElmer J. Fudd is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to shoot Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antagonizing characters. He has a...
as the host, Bugs BunnyBugs Bunny is a fictional character who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1945. In 2002, he was named by TV Guide as the greatest cartoon character of all time, an honor he shares...
as the guest of honor, and Yosemite SamYosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park. He is commonly depicted as a short-tempered and extremely grouchy cowboy...
as the mystery guest
- Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:...
appeared on an episode of The Flip Wilson ShowThe Flip Wilson Show is a variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become highly successful with a...
to do a This is Your Life of Wilson's character Geraldine Jones
- Edwards himself was the recipient of a This Is Your Life parody when he appeared as a guest on The Mike Douglas Show
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982.-Format and production: A former big band singer, Douglas moved to television in the 1950s...
(Edwards for years said that if any member of his staff ever surprised him by making him the central subject of his own This Is Your Life show, he would fire them)
- Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? was a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the men's and women's departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John Chapman...
parodied This Is Your Life with Young Mr. Grace as the guest in the 1977 Series Five episode "Founder's Day"
- Fairly Oddparents had a parody of this show, with Cosmo as the guest star
- Sesame Street
Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and...
also had a recurring parody called Here is Your Life, showing the life and times of several everyday items, like a loaf of bread, an oak tree, a shoe, etc. It was hosted by Guy SmileyGuy Smiley was a character on Sesame Street who was dubbed "America's Favorite Game Show Host." His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. This nattily attired character is easily excitable and is perpetually shouting, and resembles host Jim Perry...
- The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977. After it ceased production that...
had a one shot parody, called This Was Your Life
- Donald Duck
Donald Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers...
was the honored guest on a version of This is Your Life hosted by Jiminy CricketJiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of "The Talking Cricket" , a fictional character created by Carlo Collodi for his classic novel Pinocchio, which was adapted into an animated film by Walt Disney in 1940...
(and authorized by Ralph Edwards), produced as a 1960 episode of Walt Disney Presents, later repeated on The Wonderful World of Disney
- German sketch comic Loriot
Bernhard Victor Christoph Carl von Bülow , more commonly known under the pseudonym Loriot, is a German humorist, graphic artist, film director, actor and writer....
also parodied the show
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an animated spoof talk show. The show centers on numerous characters from the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Space Ghost, in which they return to host a humorous talk show purportedly shot and broadcast from Space Ghost's studio on the Ghost Planet in outer space...
aired a parody episode which featured ZorakZorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall, green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
- Monday Night Raw
WWE Raw is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States. The show's name, which is sometimes stylized as RAW, is also used to refer to the Raw brand, in which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform...
in 1999 Mick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
presented then tag-team partner The Rock with a This Is Your Life-type presentation. Years later The Rock would return the favor
- The Internet flash cartoon Happy Tree Friends
Happy Tree Friends is a Flash cartoon series by Mondo Mini Shows, created by Rhode Montijo, Kenn Navarro, Warren Graff, and Aubrey Ankrum. The show has become a popular internet phenomenon since its debut and has also won a cult following....
featured an episode titled This Is Your Knife, a parody on the show's name
- Jack Chick
Jack Thomas Chick is an American publisher, writer and comic book artist, and has been called the most published comic book author in the world...
wrote a tract entitled "This Was Your Life," where God reviews someone's life after death
- The Price Is Right featured a parody of the show in a showcase
The Showcase is the major prize round featured at the end of every episode of the game show The Price Is Right.The two prize packages each typically involve three prizes or prize packages usually connected by a common theme or a story...
entitled "Janice PenningtonJanice Marie Pennington was one of the original "Barker's Beauties" models on The Price Is Right, from 1972 to 2000. She was also Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the May 1971 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mario Casilli...
, This Is Your Strife," with Johnny OlsonJohn Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
reading from a red book recalling Pennington's various mishaps with prizes
- A This Is Your Life re-enactment constitutes the series finale of the animated short Batfink
Batfink is an animated television series, consisting of five-minute shorts, that first aired in September 1967. The 100-episode series was quickly created by Hal Seeger, starting in 1966, to parody the popular Batman and The Green Hornet television series which had premiered the same...
- In the Viva Pinata
Viva Piñata is a life simulation game developed by Rare, for the Xbox 360 video game console. The project was headed by Gregg Mayles and the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie series, based on an idea from Tim Stamper. Although rumors of the title circulated among fans for some time, Viva Piñata was...
television series Hudson Horstachio is brought onto a similar show called "This Here's Your Life"
- On The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992....
in 1982, Johnny CarsonJohn William “Johnny” Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
surprised Burt ReynoldsBurton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in The Longest Yard, Coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, J.J...
with his own comedic version of This Is Your Life, with Dom DeLuiseDominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death, and the father of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise, and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise.- Early life...
appearing as Burt's assistant
External links