I've Got A Secret

I've Got A Secret Cast

Series Description

I've Got A Secret was a game show that aired its first episode on June 19, 1952 on CBS. The contestants would tell a secret to the host and the audience. Then a panel of four celebrities would ask them questions and try to figure out what their secret was. On one show this really old guy's secret was "I saw John Wilkes Booth Shoot Abraham Lincoln"! The longer it took the panel to guess, the more money the guest would win! (with a maximum of $20 in the early years and eventually up to a whopping $80) Guest celebrities would also come on the show with their own secrets, join the panelists in guessing the secrets, or even host the program.

I've Got A Secret Cast

Garry Moore .... Host (1952-1964)
Steve Allen .... Host (1964-1967)
Henry Morgan .... Panelist (1952-1967)
Bill Cullen .... Panelist (1952-1967)
Jayne Meadows .... Panelist (1952-1959)
Faye Emerson .... Panelist (1952-1958)
Kitty Carlisle .... Panelist (1952-1953)
Betsy Palmer .... Panelist (1957-1967)
Bess Myerson .... Panelist (1958-1967)
Johnny Carson .... Panelist (1960, 1963)
John Cannon .... Announcer (1952-1967)
Bern Bennett .... Announcer (Filled in when John Cannon couldn't be there)
Norman Paris .... Musical Director / Orchestra Leader (1952-1967)

I've Got A Secret Trivia

Steve Allen returned to I've Got A Secret as the host of the 1972-76 version of the show for the 1972-73 season. Bill Cullen also returned to host in 1976. Henry Morgan returned as a panelist for that version's entire run.

Probably the best episode of "I've Got A Secret" was broadcast on February 8, 1956. Not only did Lucille Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz ("I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour") both appear as guests; there was also a 96-year-old man who actually saw President Lincoln get shot at the Ford Theater in 1965!

Henry Morgan, Betsy Palmer, and Bill Cullen all hosted I've Got A Secret on several occasions when Garry Moore went on vacation.

On January 18, 1965, the panel from "To Tell the Truth" (Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, and Kitty Carlisle) swapped places with the panel of "I've Got A Secret" (Bill Cullen, Betsy Palmer, Henry Morgan, and Bess Myerson). CBS promoted that night as, "The Night of the Big Switch".

Garry Moore had his own comedy series before becoming host of "I've Got A Secret". It was called, "The Garry Moore Show". It ran for the 1950-51 season and then returned for the 1958-59 season. Garry would later go on to become host of "To Tell the Truth" and he served as a panelist on two more game shows; "The $10,000 Pyramid" and "Hollywood Squares".

Garry Moore's career began at station WBAL in Baltimore, Maryland in the mid 1930s. By 1939, he began working on network radio programs: "Club Matinee (1939)", "Beat the Band (1940)", "The Camel Caravan (1943-1947 as Jimmy Durante's partner)", "Take It Or Leave It (1947-1948)", "Breakfast In Hollywood (1948-1949)", and "The Garry Moore Show (1949-1950)" which led to Garry's move to television. By 1963, Garry had a daily radio program, an evening variety show, and was hosting "I've Got A Secret". He earned $2.2 million in 1963, a huge amount of money at that time! The sponsor for "I've Got A Secret" was Winston cigarettes. Garry Moore and many of the celebrities would puff, puff, puff away and even talk about how great Winstons tasted. For years, the guests not only won money, they also got a free carton of Winstons! My how things have changed!

The show would use any trick in the book to fool the panelists. On the May 3, 1961 episode, Harpo Marx was the celebrity guest and none of the panelists could guess his secret. The trick was that it was actually Chico Marx in Harpo's clothing. The brothers looked very much alike! One of the panelists who was fooled that night was guest star, Johnny Carson who would become Jack Paar's replacement as host of The Tonight Show just 17 months later! By the way, Steve Allen who hosted "I've Got A Secret" from 1964-1967 was the very first host of the Tonight Show from 1954 (when Jay Leno was just 4-years-old) to 1957!

Garry Moore was not forced off as host of "I've Got A Secret". By 1964, he had worked so hard for so many years that it was time to enjoy life a bit so he took off on a trip around the world and turned the show's hosting position over to Steve Allen.

The panelist job on the show was one of the easiest gigs in show business. They rarely arrived more than 10 or 15 minutes before the show began. That's probably one of the things that made the series so entertaining. The panelists had no idea what would be happening and that made the show exciting to watch.

Episodes List With Original Air Dates Guest Appearances (Including guest hosts, panelists, and contestants plus cast member appearances before and after they became regulars):

Please note that episode information on this series is "sketchy" at best. We have gathered all of the information we've been able to find sources for but there are missing dates and it's likely that some of the information is incorrect.

  1. Boris Karloff (6/19/1952)
  2. Ralph Kiner (7/31/1952)
  3. Mickey Mantle (10/2/1952)
  4. Basil Rathbone (12/25/1952)
  5. Charles Coburn (4/16/1953)
  6. Red Buttons (5/14/1953)
  7. Xavier Cugat (5/28/1953)
  8. June Byers (8/16/1953)
  9. Cesar Romero (10/7/1953)
  10. Patti Page (11/11/1953)
  11. George Raft (12/2/1953)
  12. Paul Hartman (12/23/1953)
  13. Boris Karloff / Jesse Owens (10/13/1954)
  14. Ginger Rogers (11/21/1954)
  15. Ed Sullivan (2/2/1955)
  16. Jackie Gleason / Josephine Hull (3/2/1955)
  17. Fred Astaire (4/6/1955)
  18. Fred Allen / Cy Young (4/13/1955)
  19. Ralph Bellamy / Rene A. Gagnon (5/18/1955)
  20. Jack Lemmon (6/22/1955)
  21. Boris Karloff (8/24/1955)
  22. Ty Cobb / Silvana Pampanini (9/28/1955)
  23. Ronald Reagan (10/5/1955)
  24. Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz (2/8/1956)
  25. Gregory Ratoff (2/22/1956)
  26. Farley Granger (3/7/1956)
  27. Emmett Kelly (4/18/1956)
  28. Edgar Bergen / Charlie McCarthy (4/29/1956)
  29. Jackie Cooper (5/9/1956)
  30. Marguerite Piazza (6/6/1956)
  31. Mark Goodson (6/20/1956)
  32. Ernie Kovacs / Edie Adams / Don McNeill / Sheree North (7/25/1956)
  33. David Wayne / Don McNeill / Dick Noel (8/8/1956)
  34. Ann Sheridan (9/5/1956)
  35. Paul Newman / Ann Sheridan (10/3/1956)
  36. Orson Welles (10/17/1956)
  37. Don Ameche (10/24/1956)
  38. Bud Collyer (10/31/1956)
  39. Robert Young (11/14/1956)
  40. Art Linkletter (12/5/1956)
  41. Vincent Price (12/19/1956)
  42. Howard Duff / Ida Lupino (1/2/1957)
  43. Jackie Robinson / Joe E. Brown (1/9/1957)
  44. Peter Lawford / Hal March (1/16/1957)
  45. George Gobel (1/30/1957)
  46. Rocky Graziano (2/13/1957)
  47. Tab Hunter (2/20/1957)
  48. Laraine Day (4/3/1957)
  49. Hedy Lamarr (4/10/1957)
  50. Mickey Rooney (4/24/1957)
  51. Lou Costello (6/26/1957)
  52. Buster Keaton / Philo T. Farnsworth (7/3/1957)
  53. Jim Backus / Gypsy Rose Lee / Hal March / Carl Reiner (7/24/1957)
  54. Carl Reiner (7/31/1957)
  55. Ricardo Montalban (8/7/1957)
  56. Tony Randall (9/18/1957)
  57. Jerry Colonna (10/9/1957)
  58. Diana Dors (10/23/1957)
  59. Dennis Day (10/30/1957)
  60. Farley Granger (12/18/1957)
  61. Miiko Taka (1/15/1958)
  62. Pat Boone / Bob Sweeney (3/12/1958)
  63. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. / Barney Martin (4/2/1958)
  64. Tony Curtis (6/11/1958)
  65. Sal Mineo / Gene Krupa (1/7/1959)
  66. Johnny Carson / Rocky Graziano (2/11/1959)
  67. Jane Powell (4/1/1959)
  68. Janis Paige / Jeanne Crain (4/22/1959)
  69. Vivian Blaine / Don McNeill (4/29/1959)
  70. Jack Lemmon (5/6/1959)
  71. Monique van Vooren (7/1/1959)
  72. Tab Hunter (7/22/1959)
  73. Red Buttons / Gorgeous George (8/5/1959)
  74. Jack Hawkins (10/7/1959)
  75. Vivian Vance (10/21/1959)
  76. Fred MacMurray (11/11/1959)
  77. Marion Lorne (11/25/1959)
  78. Pat Boone (12/16/1959)
  79. Elsa Maxwell (12/23/1959)
  80. Carol Burnett / Durward Kirby / Jean-Pierre Aumont (2/3/1960)
  81. Peter Lorre (2/17/1960)
  82. Zsa Zsa Gabor (2/24/1960)
  83. Lloyd Bridges / Florence Henderson (3/9/1960)
  84. Olivia de Havilland / Louis Jordan (3/16/1960)
  85. Victor Borge (6/29/1960)
  86. Myrna Loy (11/30/1960)
  87. Eva Gabor (12/14/1960)
  88. Patrice Munsel (1/11/1961)
  89. Spike Jones (2/1/1961)
  90. Ronald Reagan (2/8/1961)
  91. Lucille Ball (2/15/1961)
  92. Wally Cox (2/22/1961)
  93. Walter Slezak (3/29/1961)
  94. Carol Burnett / Arthur Treacher (4/21/1961)
  95. Harpo Marx / Chico Marx / Johnny Carson (5/3/1961)
  96. Donald O'Connor (5/10/1961)
  97. Cliff Arquette / Charley Weaver (6/7/1961)
  98. Edgar Bergen / Chuck McCann (6/14/1961)
  99. Jerry Lewis (6/28/1961)
  100. Tom Poston (8/9/1961)
  101. Edie Adams / Denise Lor (8/16/1961)
  102. Eve Arden (8/30/1961)
  103. Jayne Meadows (9/13/1961)
  104. Art Linkletter (10/16/1961)
  105. Martha Raye (10/30/1961)
  106. Vivian Vance (11/6/1961)
  107. Ray Bolger (11/13/1961)
  108. Peggy Cass (11/20/1961)
  109. Peter Lind Hayes (11/27/1961)
  110. Roy Rogers (12/4/1961)
  111. Janet Leigh (12/11/1961)
  112. Jack E. Leonard (12/18/1961)
  113. Dick Van Dyke (1/1/1962)
  114. Peter Lawford (1/8/1962)
  115. Jane Powell / Keith Schultz (1/15/1962)
  116. Hugh O'Brian (1/22/1962)
  117. Willie Mosconi / Michael Rennie (2/5/1962)
  118. James Garner / Marilyn Maxwell (2/19/1962)
  119. Ginger Rogers (2/26/1962)
  120. Milton Berle / Barry Nelson (3/5/1962)
  121. Wilt Chamberlain / Liberace (3/12/1962)
  122. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (3/19/1962)
  123. Merv Griffin / Ann Sothern (3/26/1962)
  124. Van Johnson (4/2/1962)
  125. Kim Novak (4/9/1962)
  126. Jonathan Winters (4/16/1962)
  127. Marty Allen / Morey Amsterdam / Steve Rossi (4/23/1962)
  128. Alan King / Charles Tobias / Harry Tobias / Henry H. Tobias / Helen Traubel (4/30/1962)
  129. Gretchen Wyler (5/7/1962)
  130. Faye Emerson (5/14/1962)
  131. Arlene Francis (5/21/1962)
  132. Jimmy Dean / Buddy Hackett (5/28/1962)
  133. Carol Burnett (6/4/1962)
  134. Arthur Godfrey (7/2/1962)
  135. No Known Guest Star (9/10/1962)
  136. Paul Anka (9/17/1962)
  137. Victor Borge / Chief John Big Tree (10/8/1962)
  138. Janet Leigh (10/22/1962)
  139. Jane Powell (10/29/1962)
  140. Carol Burnett (11/12/1962)
  141. Ray Bolger (12/10/1962)
  142. Guy Lombardo (12/31/1962)
  143. Hermione Gingold (1/14/1963)
  144. Carol Channing (1/21/1963)
  145. Carol Channing / Boris Karloff (1/28/1963)
  146. Jack Benny / Joan Benny (2/4/1963)
  147. Ann Sothern / Anthony Perkins / Faye Emerson (2/11/1963)
  148. Durward Kirby (2/18/1963)
  149. Salvador Dali (2/25/1963)
  150. George Gobel (3/4/1963)
  151. Morey Amsterdam / Rosemary Clooney / Dick Van Dyke (3/11/1963)
  152. Carol Burnett / Alan King / Jayne Meadows (3/18/1963)
  153. Meredith Willson (3/25/1963)
  154. Dorothy Loudon / Meredith Willson (4/1/1963)
  155. Kuda Bux / Dorothy Loudon (4/8/1963)
  156. Horst Buchholz (4/22/1963)
  157. Alan King (4/29/1963)
  158. Vic Damone / Cliff Robertson (5/6/1963)
  159. Robert Goulet / Cliff Robertson (5/13/1963)
  160. Morey Amsterdam (5/20/1963)
  161. Joan Crawford (5/27/1963)
  162. Hugh O'Brian (6/3/1963)
  163. Lauren Bacall / Arnold Palmer (6/10/1963)
  164. Lauren Bacall / Peggy Cass / Joan Fontaine / Frank Coghlan Jr. (6/17/1963)
  165. Sally Ann Howes / Sam Levenson (6/24/1963)
  166. Jack E. Leonard (7/1/1963)
  167. Merv Griffin / Peter Lawford (7/8/1963)
  168. Phil Silvers / Sam Snead / Rod Kanehl / Bob Mathias / Barney Ross (7/15/1963)
  169. Phil Silvers / Sam Snead / Rod Kanehl / Bob Mathias / Barney Ross (9/9/1963)
  170. Alan King / Craig Breedlove / John Cale (9/16/1963)
  171. George Hamilton (9/23/1963)
  172. Gordon MacRae / Milbourne Christopher / Phil Linz (9/30/1963)
  173. James Garner (10/7/1963)
  174. Tony Randall / James Garner (10/14/1963)
  175. Art Linkletter / The Magid Triplets (10/21/1963)
  176. Groucho Marx / Dayton Allen (10/28/1963)
  177. Durward Kirby (11/4/1963)
  178. No Known Guest Stars (11/11/1963)
  179. Ronnie Kroll / Allan Sherman (11/18/1963)
  180. Troy Donahue / Michael de la Vega (12/2/1963)
  181. Michael de la Vega (12/9/1963)
  182. Ruby Dee / Hal March (12/30/1963)
  183. No Known Guest Stars (1/6/1964)
  184. Carol Channing / Phyllis Diller / Stephanie Diller / Sue Diller / Judy Crichton (1/13/1964)
  185. Rosemary Clooney / Arthur Godfrey / Richard Kollmar / Joan Bishop / Mary Ann Anderson / Brace Beemer / Al Hodge / Adele Ronson / Anne Elstner / Jack Lucal / Brett Morrison / Vivian Smolen / Julie Stevens (1/20/1964)
  186. Alan King (1/27/1964)
  187. No Known Guest Stars (2/3/1964)
  188. Jonathan Winters / Johnny Olson (2/10/1964)
  189. Bobby Darin (2/17/1964)
  190. Morey Amsterdam (2/24/1964)
  191. Woody Allen (3/2/1964)
  192. Connie Stevens (3/9/1964)
  193. Art Carney (3/16/1964)
  194. E.G. Marshall (3/23/1964)
  195. Bette Davis (3/30/1964)
  196. Wally Cox / Harland Sanders (4/6/1964)
  197. Suzy Parker (4/13/1964)
  198. Ed Begley / Allan Sherman (4/20/1964)
  199. Olivia de Havilland / Kenneth Travis Johnson / Louis Jordan (4/27/1964)
  200. Woody Allen / Lloyd Bridges (5/4/1964)
  201. Woody Allen / Durward Kirby (5/11/1964)
  202. No Known Guest Stars (5/18/1964)
  203. Tom Smothers / Dick Smothers / Mickey Rooney Jr. / Ruth Burke / Richard Remick / Eleanor Godfrey / Mrs. Edwin Remick (5/25/1964)
  204. Victor Borge (6/1/1964)
  205. Robert Merrill (6/8/1964)
  206. John Hinley / Bob Drew / Herb Strauss / Roy Blakeman / Janie Cox / George Dolph / Chester Feldman / Harry Rhodes / Clarence Schimmel / Kay Tacuni (6/15/1964)
  207. Sam Levenson (6/22/1964)
  208. No Known Guest Stars (9/14/1964)
  209. Edie Adams (9/21/1964)
  210. Connie Francis (9/28/1964)
  211. Arlene Francis (10/5/1964)
  212. Carol Channing (10/12/1964)
  213. Julie Newmar (10/19/1964)
  214. Ray Walston / Timothy Brown (10/26/1964)
  215. Victor Borge / Jim Marshall (11/9/1964)
  216. Robert Goulet / Irma Reichert / The Shangri-Lass (11/16/1964)
  217. Louis Nye / Stirling Moss (11/23/1964)
  218. Robert Merrill (12/7/1964)
  219. Steve Lawrence (12/14/1964)
  220. Durward Kirby (12/28/1964)
  221. Jack E. Leonard (1/4/1965)
  222. Tom Poston / Peggy Cass (1/11/1965)
  223. Bud Collyer / Orson Bean / Tom Poston / Kitty Carlisle / Peggy Cass (1/18/1965)
  224. Kitty Carlisle / Alan KingOrson Bean)
  225. Peter Lawford (1/25/1965)
  226. Kaye Ballard (2/1/1965)
  227. Shirl Conway (2/8/1965)
  228. Raymond Kurzweil (2/15/1965)
  229. Buddy Hackett (2/22/1965)
  230. Olivia de Havilland / Bette Davis / Lorraine Bloy / Buddy Hackett / Barbara Heller / Johnny Olson (3/1/1965)
  231. Lucille Ball / Jayne Meadows / Gary Morton (3/8/1965)
  232. Neil Sedaka (3/15/1965)
  233. Carol Channing / Vivian Vance (3/22/1965)
  234. David Wayne / Mike Henry (3/29/1965)
  235. Jayne Meadows / Durward Kirby / David Wise (4/5/1965)
  236. Morey Amsterdam (4/12/1965)
  237. Woody Allen / Jack Wheeler (4/19/1965)
  238. Edie Adams / Melissa Marandino (4/26/1965)
  239. William Frawley (5/3/1965)
  240. Eydie Gorme (5/10/1965)
  241. George Hamilton (5/17/1965)
  242. Sam Levenson (5/24/1965)
  243. Liza Minnelli (5/31/1965)
  244. Fritz Weaver (6/7/1965)
  245. Don DeFore / Frank Ryan (6/14/1965)
  246. Arlene Francis (6/21/1965)
  247. Jayne Meadows / Verina Greenlaw (6/28/1965)
  248. Tony Randall (7/5/1965)
  249. Carol Burnett (9/13/1965)
  250. Soupy Sales (9/20/1965)
  251. Jayne Meadows / Fred Gwynne (9/27/1965)
  252. Arthur Godfrey / Carol Channing (10/4/1965)
  253. Peter Falk (10/11/1965)
  254. Buddy Hackett / John Arnold (10/18/1965)
  255. Buddy Hackett / Alan King (10/25/1965)
  256. Durward Kirby (11/1/1965)
  257. Vivian Vance (11/8/1965)
  258. Omar Sharif (11/15/1965)
  259. Ethel Merman / Leroy "Satchel" Paige (11/22/1965)
  260. George Maharis (11/29/1965)
  261. No Known Guest Stars (12/6/1965)
  262. Debbie Bryant (12/13/1965)
  263. No Known Guest Stars (12/20/1965)
  264. Louis Armstrong (12/27/1965)
  265. Hugh O'Brian (1/3/1966)
  266. David Allen (Steve Allen's Son) / Brian Carney (Art Carney's Son) / Bobby Fontaine (Frank Fontaine's Son) / Dennis Kirby (Durward Kirby's Son) (1/10/1966)
  267. Carol Burnett (1/17/1966)
  268. Frank Gorshin (1/24/1966)
  269. Carol Burnett (1/31/1966)
  270. Robert Morse (2/7/1966)
  271. Arthur Godfrey / Phyllis Diller (2/14/1966)
  272. Arthur Godfrey / Phyllis Diller / John Daly / Henry Armstrong (2/21/1966)
  273. Vivian Vance / Jayne Meadows (2/28/1966)
  274. Edgar Buchanan (3/7/1966)
  275. Peggy Cass / Kitty Carlisle/ Orson Bean (3/14/1966)
  276. Bob Holiday (3/21/1966)
  277. Jayne Meadows / Paco Rabanne / Phil Ford / Mimi Hines (3/28/1966)
  278. Jayne Meadows / Doris Doscher / Phil Ford / Mimi Hines (4/4/1966)
  279. Gretchen Wyler (4/11/1966)
  280. Joe Garagiola (4/18/1966)
  281. E.G. Marshall (4/25/1966)
  282. Sheila MacRae (5/2/1966)
  283. Hugh O'Brian (5/9/1966)
  284. Hugh O'Brian (5/23/1966)
  285. Shelley Winters (5/30/1966)
  286. Stephen Boyd (9/19/1966)
  287. Madge Cleveland (11/28/1966)
  288. Ted Jordan (1/9/1967)
  289. George Kirby (1/23/1967)
  290. Dina Merrill / Bob McGrath (2/20/1967)
  291. Woody Allen / Bob McGrath (2/27/1967)
  292. Lynn Redgrave (4/3/1967)

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