Orson Bean was an American film, television, and stage actor. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He appeared frequently on several televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s and was a longtime panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth. "A storyteller par excellence", he was a favorite of Johnny Carson, appearing on The Tonight Show more than 200 times.
Bean in 1965
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel show in which four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual occupation or experience has been read aloud by the show's moderator/host. When the panelists question the contestants, the two impostors may lie whereas the "central character" must tell the truth. The setup adds the impostor element to the format of What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret.
The original daytime panel with Bud Collyer. From left: Sam Levenson, Mimi Benzell, and Barry Nelson. The fourth panel member was Sally Ann Howes.
Image: Robin Ward, RIT Nand E Vol 13Num 3 1981 Jan 22 Complete
Image: To Tell the Truth set, RIT Nand E Vol 13Num 3 1981 Jan 22 Complete
