Garry Moore

At 78 years old, Garry Moore has this physical status:

Garry Moore (January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic comedian, game show host, and a parody expert best known for his television work.

In the 1940s, he began working on radio and later became a television host on several network and game shows from the 1950s to the 1970s. Moore came to fame as a radio host and then migrated to television after dropping out of high school.

The Garry Moore Show was hosted on multiple daytime and prime time programs, and the game shows "I've Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth."

He was instrumental in the success of comedic actress Carol Burnett's career.

He was known for his bow tie and his crew cut fashion early in his career. Moore resigned from television in 1976 after being diagnosed with throat cancer, and only made a few rare television appearances.

He spent the last years of his life in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and in Maine's summer home in Northeast Harbor.

He died on November 28, 1993 at the age of 78.

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Early life and radio career

Moore was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 31, 1915, as the son of Mason P. Morfit and Mary L. (née Harris) Morfit. He attended Baltimore City College (well, a high school), but he left to pursue a career in radio and writing but not so much.

He began working with WBAL in Baltimore as an announcer, writer, and comedian/comedian. Sherman used his birth name until 1940, when he was on the radio announcing Club Matinee hosted by Ransom Sherman at NBC, Chicago, Sherman organized a radio contest to find a more recognizable one. The winning entry, "Garry Moore," was submitted by a woman from Pittsburgh who received a $100 reward.

Durward Kirby, his long-time friend and broadcasting partner, was on hand at Club Matinee.

In 1941, Moore headed Talent, Ltd., a talent service. Moore appeared on a number of television shows in the years that followed. He began as an announcer and then became a sponsor for broadcast stars, one of whom was Jimmy Durante.

Durante and Moore had a joint exhibition with Moore as the straight man from 1943 to 1947. CBS gave him his own show after being impressed with his ability to connect with audiences. The Garry Moore Show started on CBS in 1949 and was one of the one-hour daytime variety show The Garry Moore Show appeared on CBS. Moore briefly appeared on radio as the host of NBC's Monitor in 1969.

Television career

Moore began to take tentative steps into the digital age between 1947 and 1950 as a panelist and host on quiz and musical performances. He was rewarded with his own 30-minute CBS early-evening talk-variety TV show The Garry Moore Show, which was a shorter version of his radio show, on June 26, 1950. It was also simulcast on radio until September 1950. He facilitated prime-time variety hour summer replacements for Arthur Godfrey and his Families between 1950 and 1951. He appeared on other shows, including CBS's Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town.

Moore was asked to host CBS' weekly prime-time TV panel show I've Got a Secret during his tenure as a variety-show host. It premiered on June 19, 1952. Moore began his friendships with comedian Henry Morgan and game show host and panelist Bill Cullen, with whom he had a long working relationship. Moore later said that he had helped him keep his job as a television presenter.

Moore became well-known for his participation in a variety of stunts and exhibitions of the show's competitors. In the 1959 film It Happened to Jane, the success of I've Got a Secret led to a cameo. Doris Day's character was a contestant on the program, with Moore and all the panelists playing themselves.

Moore's variety show was moved to the daytime slot, where it was on display until June 27, 1958. Moore and his longtime colleague Durward Kirby moved the revived The Garry Moore Show from September 30, 1958, to June 14, 1964, in three months.

Despite the fact that the show was a hit in prime time, Moore still loved the daytime housewife crowd. He thought it gave lonely housewives something to listen to and watch while working. Several celebrities, including Alan King, Jonathan Winters, Carol Burnett, and Dorothy Loudon, all got a break into show business. Durward Kirby, Marion Lorne, Denise Lorne, and Ken Carson, as well as a range of song-and-dance routines and comedy skits were among the Garry Moore show's regular supporting cast members. Carol Burnett, the public erupted, was also introduced to the show on Thursday. Burnett was a star in her own right after the show ended, hosting The Carol Burnett Exhibition from September 1967 to 1978.

Moore and his writing staff knew it wasn't going to be a good episode even though staying up late the night to do rewrites. Moore went out in front of the live audience and flat out, as well as the home audience, that it wasn't going to be a good show, and we told the viewers and the viewers that it would not be a good show. So, the home viewing audience, as well as the local audience, was encouraged to tune in to what was broadcast on the rival networks that night. Moore would look into the camera every time a joke is going to break with the audience, "it's your fault for still watching this!" Moore's sincere honesty compelled them to stick with the series, and it was one of the season's highest-rated episodes.

In 1964, the Garry Moore Show was cancelled, and Moore, who had been on radio and television for 27 years, decided to resign, saying he had "said everything [he] had ever wanted to say three times before." He canceled hosting I've Got a Secret and was replaced by comedian Steve Allen, who would host the show until its conclusion in 1967). (although Moore had ended his retirement before I've Got a Secret's demise), Allen did not return to the series as host and Allen handled a subsequent, one-season syndicated revival in 1972). Moore's main pastime during his absence was a trip around the world with his wife.

Garry Moore was tied up and placed into a trunk during an episode with Fresh magician Michel de la Vega in 1961. Garry turned out to be a fantastic assistant to the magician, and the show went off without a hitch -- thanks to the cameras. Audience reactions were so high and fast that a repeat appearance was called. The second appearance brought an even greater flood of mail and telegrams celebrating the act. For the third time, Michel was brought back to "l've Got a Secret." Gary Moore was hypnotized live by Michel de la Vega's "I Have A Secret" in 1962. Gary Moore's body is stretched out over two chairs by the French hypnotizer. Michel de la Vega stands on the roof of Gary Moore's body to show how hard it had become in a matter of seconds. It was the first appearance of hypnosis on American television.

Moore revealed on the tenth anniversary of his I've Got a Secret on June 19, 1962, that he had recently undergone an operation on his right hand, and that was the reason he was seen shaking hands with his left hand for a few months, shielding his hand from good handshakes. In the fall of 1966, The Garry Moore Show returned to the CBS prime-time lineup after a two-year absence. Due to poor ratings against NBC's highly rated western Bonanza, it was cancelled mid-season.

In the CBS time slot, the popular Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour took over The Garry Moore Show. Moore performed on sporadic television guest appearances, including cameos on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, reunions with Carol Burnett on her show, and even as a panelist on various game shows before Mark Goodson asked him to host another series.

That program was a revival of To Tell the Truth, which had a long run on CBS in 1968. Moore was asked to host a revival of the series for syndication, which began in September 1969. When To Tell the Truth was supposed to be revived for syndication, producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman had requested Bud Collyer to host the show for the second time. However, Collyer declined when they called him, blaming his poor health.

"I am just not up to it," Goodson and Todman told Moore about his work. Moore had participated in the show's bizarre and goofy stunts, as he had on I've Got a Secret, magic tricks, and catering. This led to this version of To Tell the Truth's being likened to I've Got a Secret. Moore hosted the series from its debut to the 1976-77 season, the revival's eighth.

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