Can Do

Can Do is an American television game show that was broadcast on NBC from November 21, 1956, until December 31, 1956.[1]

Format

Each contestant had to guess whether a celebrity could perform a specific stunt successfully after hearing statistics from the American Standard Testing Bureau about what percentage of people had successfully completed the stunt during tests. Housed in an isolation booth, the contestant pressed a button to indicate his or her decision.[2] A correct guess in the first round earned $1,500 for the contestant. The person then had to choose whether to leave with what he or she had earned. Continuing meant doubling the earnings with a correct guess, but if the guess was wrong, he or she received approximately 20 percent of his or her winnings. Each successive round offered the same option, with a maximum prize of $50,000.[3]

Robert Alda was the master of ceremonies. Guest celebrities included Martha Raye, Gypsy Rose Lee, Rocky Graziano, Polly Bergen,[4] Rory Calhoun and Sal Mineo.[3] Stunts included pulling a tablecloth from under dishes, shooting at moving targets with table-tennis balls, and hitting balloons with beanbags.[2]

Production

Can Do was broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time,[3] replacing Medic.[5] Its competition included I Love Lucy.[6] Revlon was the sponsor.[7] Joe Cates was the producer.[6] He and Elroy Schwartz developed the program. Revlon originally planned to have another new program, Most Beautiful Girl in the World, in the time slot, but three postponements caused the company to change plans.[5]

Can Do's cancellation was under way two weeks after it debuted. Val Adams wrote in The New York Times, "The failure of Can Do to stimulate new interest in Monday-evening viewing has proved a disappointment to Revlon and N. B. C."[8] It was replaced by Twenty-One.[8]

Critical response

Jack Fitzgerald wrote in the Hartford Courant that Can Do did not seem to be a strong program, but it was likely to attract "that large number of viewers that watches any program which doles out big sums of money to contestants."[9] He described Alda as "personable" but "appearing somewhat nervous on the first program".[9] In summary, Fitzgerald said the program "is 30 minutes of clowning and fun, but not a whole lot more."[9]

References
  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 140. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. Coppola, Jo (November 28, 1956). "'Can Do' Just Didn't". Newsday (Nassau Edition). p. 3 C}. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  4. Tucker, David C. (24 June 2016). Martha Raye: Film and Television Clown. McFarland. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7864-9583-2. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  5. "'Can Do' Subs 'Beautiful Girl'". Variety. November 14, 1956. p. 28. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  6. "'Can Do', New Quiz Show, Built on Contestant Stunts". Billboard. November 17, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  7. Adams, Val (November 13, 1956). "N.B.C.-TV to Offer Contest Program: 'Can Do,' With Robert Alda and Sponsored by Revlon, Will Bow on Nov. 26". The New York Times. p. 58. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  8. Adams, Val (December 12, 1956). "'Can Do' Won't Do on N. B. C.: Stunt Show to Be Withdrawn in Favor of 'Twenty-one,' a Quiz,". The New York Times. p. 63. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  9. Fitzgerald, Jack (December 2, 1956). "Newest TV Quiz Program Boasts Bagful Of Tricks". Hartford Courant. p. TV Week - 7. Retrieved September 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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