Most Popular Game Show Hosts in History

Jack Barry was involved in many early game shows on television as host and executive, including “Juvenile Jury,” “21,” and “Tic Tac Dough.” “21” was the highest-rated game show of the 1950s. He became embroiled in the quiz show scandals of the 1950s and for years did not appear on television. Barry eventually returned to the small screen in 1972 to host “The Joker’s Wild.”

Dennis James, frequently referred to as “The Dean of Game Show Hosts,” is credited as the host of television’s first network game show, “Cash and Carry,” in 1946. During a career that lasted until 1977, James hosted “The Name’s the Same,” the nighttime version of “The Price Is Right,” and “Name That Tune.”

Daytime TV viewers in the 1960s and 1970s will remember Jim Lange as the host of the long-running “The Dating Game,” where contestants would ask cringeworthy questions of prospective dates. Among the celebrities who appeared on the show were Tom Selleck, Farrah Fawcet, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Andy Kaufman.

Tom Kennedy, who hosted game shows for more than 30 years, including “You Don’t Say!” “Name That Tune,” and “The Price Is Right,” was the brother of one game show host, Jack Narz, and the brother-in-law of another, Bill Cullen.

Bud Collyer cut his teeth in show business on radio during the 1940s, playing the title role in “The Adventures of Superman.” He switched over to the nascent medium of television in the late 1940s and hosted several game shows. Collyer became famous as the host of “Beat the Clock” and as the bowtie-wearing host of “To Tell the Truth.”