Beat the Clock (1950–1961)

Classic game show where couples (and sometimes families) competed to win prizes by completing stunts within a time limit.

Stars:

Bess Myerson, Bud Collyer, Bern Bennett

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Bess Myerson	...	Herself (1 episode, 1952)

Storyline

"Beat the Clock" was one of televisions most durable game shows. Its popularity was derived from its simple format and wacky action. Two couples, preselected from the studio audience, had to complete various stunts within a time limit (usually 60 seconds or less) to win cash and prizes. Examples of the often-messy stunts (the centerpiece of the show) included blowing a plastic ship carrying a ping-pong ball from one side of a water-filled tub to the other, without allowing the ball to fall off; stuffing eight balloons in a lidded wastebasket without breaking any; and extracting three marshmallows buried in Jell-O using a spoon held in his mouth, then placing each marshmallow on a plate next to them. A huge clock counted down the seconds, as host Collyer provided commentary and encouragement. Couples who successfully completed their stunt won cash (usually $100 to $200, depending on the round) and a prize. After the first round of stunts, each couple got a chance to complete an ...

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Plot Keywords:

stunt | non fiction

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Genres:

Family | Game-Show

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1950 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Dean, whose first TV appearances were in Goodson-Todman-produced anthology dramas, was also employed by G-T as a stunt tester for this program. He proved so agile at completing the stunts that his results couldn't be used to set time limits for contestants to complete them. So he was reluctantly let go.

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: A Renaissance Most Foul (2011)

User Reviews

The Producers of Fear Factor and Dog Eat Dog Should Watch this Show

This is truly one of the classic game shows from the golden era of television. This show is definitely better than shows like "Fear Factor" and "Dog Eat Dog", which to me take the premise of "Beat the Clock" to a rather unwatchable extreme. At least the contestants of BTC didn't humiliate themselves or put themselves in great danger as they tried to win prizes every week. You really could tell that even if they lost on the show that they still had fun and really had a good time and it was for the whole family. The other two shows just seem like they take pride in trying to sicken as many people as they possibly can and they also seem to take great pride in humiliating people and putting them in all sorts of dangerous situations. Hopefully, a new generation can see why "Beat the Clock" was so beloved and then question why such garbage as the other two shows are still on the air.