As we mark the 23 January anniversary of Don Walsh’s historic 1960 bathyscaph dive to the deepest part of the ocean, the Naval History research team has unearthed a long-forgotten appearance of the deep-sea pioneer on the hit TV game show To Tell the Truth.
The young Lieutenant Walsh appeared on the show on 27 March 1961, a little over a year after his history-making dive.
One of the most beloved game shows of its era, To Tell the Truth would feature three guests, two of them impostors, one of them the real McCoy. The panel of celebrity contestants would grill the trio with probing questions in an effort to deduce who was really who they said they were.
As the sprightly introductory theme music played, the curtain would rise on three silhouetted figures. The announcer would intone iconically, “WHAT . . . is your name, please?” Each, in turn, would identify himself as the same person. Then it was up to the celebrity panel to sort out who the two liars were.
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