I've Got a Secret

Did You Know?

• The first theme used on the show from 1952 to 1961 was 'Plink, Plank, Plunk!', by Leroy Anderson.
• An Australian version of the show aired in Brisbane on QTQ Channel 9 from 1967 to 1973, hosted by newsreader Don Seccombe.
• A Japanese version aired on NHK from 1955 to 1967 called My Secret, hosted by Keizo Takahashi.

Hosts and panelists

Garry Moore, a familiar face from radio and early TV, was the first host of "I've Got a Secret." The panel initially changed frequently, but eventually settled on four regulars: game show host Bill Cullen, comedian Henry Morgan, TV hostess Faye Emerson, and actress Jayne Meadows. Emerson departed in 1958 to perform in a play, with actress Betsy Palmer taking her place. Later that same year, Meadows moved to the West Coast, and former Miss America Bess Myerson joined the panel. Guest hosts occasionally filled in for Moore, including panelists Cullen, Morgan, and Palmer, and other comedians and celebrities would sit in when regulars were absent. John Cannon was the announcer for most of the show's original run from 1952 to 1967. Moore left after the 1963–64 season, choosing to retire from television and travel the world with his wife after his own comedy series was canceled. Steve Allen, who had signed with CBS in March 1964, took over as host on September 21, 1964, leaving his syndicated talk show to do so. Allen also hosted the 1972–73 revival. Former panelist Bill Cullen hosted a brief CBS summer run in 1976, with frequent panelists including Richard Dawson, Henry Morgan, Pat Carroll, and Elaine Joyce. The Oxygen network version aired from January 2000 to August 2001, hosted by Stephanie Miller, with regulars Jim J. Bullock, Jason Kravits, Amy Yasbeck, and Teri Garr. The GSN version was hosted by Bil Dwyer and, unlike earlier editions, had a permanent panel of Billy Bean, Frank DeCaro, Jermaine Taylor, and Suzanne Westenhoefer.

Original series

A typical episode of the show usually had two rounds with regular contestants, then a round with a celebrity guest, and sometimes an extra regular round after that. Each round was a guessing game where the panel tried to figure out a contestant's secret. The definition of a secret was pretty loose, but it always had to be unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or funny. Common secrets included something that had happened to the contestant, something they owned, or a notable job, hobby, achievement, or skill. The show kicked off with one or more contestants walking in. The host would introduce them or ask for their name and hometown, then say, "whisper your secret to me, and we'll show it to the folks at home." The contestant would pretend to whisper, while the audience and TV viewers saw the secret as text on the screen. After that, the host gave the panel a clue, like "the secret concerns something that happened to [name]." The host then picked a panelist to start asking questions. At the start of the series, each panelist got 15 seconds to ask questions, and they went through the panel twice in order. Every round of questioning that ended without a correct guess earned the contestant $10, with a maximum prize of $80. In mid-1954, the rules changed so the panel only went around once, and each stumped panelist won the contestant $20. The time limit wasn't fixed anymore, and the buzzer that cut off questioning was now controlled by the production staff. This change happened partly because the show was live, and they sometimes needed to stretch or shorten the questioning to stay on schedule. As the series went on, panelists were often buzzed out when they were getting close to the secret, when the staff thought they might guess it, or just at a moment that got a laugh. This was partly because, like "What's My Line?", the top prize never went up with inflation, so the money became less important than the game itself. By the end of the show's run, the cash awards weren't even mentioned anymore.

Changes in the revivals

The 1970s revivals of the show kept the same basic setup as the original, with celebrity secrets replacing panel challenges and a rotating group of panelists each week. Richard Dawson was a regular on both versions during that decade, while Pat Carroll frequently appeared and Henry Morgan sat in a few times. Steve Allen, who had been a panelist on the original, hosted the syndicated revival from 1972 to 1973, and Bill Cullen hosted the CBS version in 1976. Neither revival caught on with audiences, unlike the other two CBS panel shows that were brought back. On the Oxygen revival, each panelist had 45 seconds to ask questions. A contestant earned $250 for every panelist they stumped, and a full sweep paid $1,000. Stephanie Miller hosted, and the set looked like a fancy city apartment. This version ran for more than 120 episodes. In one episode, Steve Allen—making one of his last major TV appearances before his death—and Betsy Palmer appeared as special guests. The GSN revival gave each panelist 40 seconds for questioning, plus one group conference. Stumping everyone won the contestant $1,000 and dinner for two in Beverly Hills. A disclaimer at the end noted contestants also received an appearance fee, and losers got unspecified parting gifts. Several minor show business professionals performed, such as piano juggler Dan Menendez. A distinctive feature of this revival was that all the panelists were openly gay, though this was mostly hinted at through double entendres—for example, host Bil Dwyer was introduced as "the straight man to the panel."

Episode status

Like its companion show What's My Line?, the original run of I've Got a Secret lost some early episodes from its first season in 1952. Most episodes from late 1952 through the 1967 cancellation survive as digital transfers of black-and-white kinescopes. The premiere, which had a very different format, is believed lost. A large chunk of the series may never air again because Winston cigarettes sponsored it for years. Since cigarette ads on TV and radio were outlawed in January 1971, and Winston is still around, those old commercials can't run. In a 1956 episode featuring Samuel J. Seymour, who saw Abraham Lincoln shot, the prize was $80 plus a carton of Winstons. Seymour didn't smoke, so he got Prince Albert pipe tobacco instead. It's not known whether GSN avoids these episodes due to legal rules or just chooses not to; GSN did air many Winston-sponsored episodes in the past. The network also skipped certain episodes that had been skipped in earlier broadcasts, possibly because they're lost or in poor condition. All later revivals of the show survive completely, except for the 1976 version. Its status is unclear, though the pilot (which also served as the premiere) is on YouTube, and the finale exists as an audio recording. GSN has occasionally aired single episodes from the 1972–73 syndicated run. Buzzr, a digital channel owned by Fremantle, shows the program in a two-hour block alongside To Tell the Truth and What's My Line?. These episodes run uncut in a 40-minute slot, including original commercials except for the cigarette ones.