Garry Moore, genial host of numerous successful network television programs throughout the 1950s and 1960s, played a major role in making the medium acceptable to American viewers during its early decades. During his long broadcast career, Moore appeared regularly during prime-time hours as well as other time periods; like Arthur Godfrey, he hosted prominent daytime and weekly evening shows, which contributed to his immense popularity. His programs were frequently among the top-ten prime-time programs. As a comedian, Moore combined genial humor with a pleasant personality and a relaxed style that made him a favorite with audiences.

Moore originally worked as a network radio comedian and writer known by his real name, Thomas Garrison Morfit. Because Morfit was difficult to pronounce, an on-air contest to select a stage name was conducted. Beginning in 1940, he became known to the listening audience as Garry Moore.

In 1949 CBS Radio originated The Garry Moore Show, a daily one-hour variety program produced in Hollywood. Network programmers recognized a successful radio personality in Moore, and given the need for programming talent on its young television network, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) provided the opportunity for Moore to host a variety television show in New York. When The Garry Moore Show was introduced on CBS Television in 1950, Moore established a distinctive on-air identity with his crew-cut hair and bow tie–wearing image. His physical appearance enhanced his casual demeanor and easygoing conversational style, which became familiar to home viewers.

Moore’s initial telecasts followed a somewhat checkerboard scheduling pattern. Beginning as a 30-minute evening series, live Monday through Friday, The Garry Moore Show made its television debut in June 1950. By August, the program changed to one night per week and expanded to an hour in length. For its fall 1950 lineup, CBS scheduled Moore weekday afternoons, a move that lasted eight years. By 1951 The Garry Moore Show reportedly was the second-largest revenue source for CBS, and for a time the network could not accommodate all the potential sponsors awaiting the opportunity to advertise on the program.

Moore’s daytime program format was flexible but generally included humorous skits, singing, monologues, and studio-audience interaction. Regular performers were featured along with special guests. Supporting Moore with the various program segments were singers Denise Lor and Ken Carson and announcer and sidekick Durward Kirby. Comedians Don Adams, George Gobel, Don Knotts, and Jonathan Winters made their earliest television appearances on Moore’s show, contributing to the entertaining tone and boosting their individual careers. The Garry Moore Show remained on the air until mid-1958, when Moore voluntarily relinquished his hosting duties owing to the exhausting work schedule. By the 1958 fall season, Moore returned to CBS, hosting a weekly evening program, again called The Garry Moore Show.

The hour-long evening series followed a format similar to Moore’s daytime variety program. During its six-year run, The Garry Moore Show introduced comedian Carol Burnett, who later starred in her own successful CBS show during the 1960s and 1970s. Other comedic and musical talents regularly appearing on the Moore nighttime variety show included Durward Kirby, Marion Lorne, and Dorothy Loudon. Allen Funt’s “Candid Camera” became a regular segment on the program. Another popular weekly feature was a lengthy nostalgia segment known as “That Wonderful Year.” Given the grueling work required to produce the show, Moore decided to discontinue the program in 1964. He reappeared in 1966 as host of yet another weekly Garry Moore Show variety series, but after five months of competition with Bonanza, CBS canceled the show because of poor ratings.

In addition to hosting several variety shows, Garry Moore moderated two television panel quiz programs, I’ve Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth. He began a 12-year reign as moderator of Goodson-Todman Productions’ I’ve Got a Secret in 1952. This popular CBS prime-time program featured celebrity panelists who tried to guess the secret of ordinary and celebrity contestants. Panel members appearing through the years included Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, Faye Emerson, and Betsy Palmer. I’ve Got a Secret was among the A.C. Nielsen top-20 television programs for seven years. It remained one of the most popular panel programs ever on television. Goodson-Todman sold I’ve Got a Secret to CBS and Moore in 1959, and he continued to moderate the show until 1964.

To Tell the Truth, also from Goodson-Todman, was moderated for a decade by Bud Collyer before it was taken over by Moore when the program went into syndication in 1969. Another half-hour celebrity panel show, the object of To Tell the Truth was to determine which of three contestants was telling the truth. Reguar panelists included Orson Bean, Bill Cullen, Kitty Carlisle, and Peggy Cass. Moore left the program and television for good in 1977, when he developed throat cancer. The wit, charm, and personality, so much a part of Moore, influenced numerous television hosts both during and following his long career. He died from emphysema in 1993 at age 78.