This Is Your Life (1952–1961, 1970, 1983) is one of the most excessively sentimental yet fascinating shows in television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) history. It was one of the first exploitation-oriented TV programs; that is, it used the lives of everyday people for entertainment.

Each week, an unsuspecting individual would be invited to a public place, often in the company of a friend, a relative, or a colleague. While spending what was supposed to be a quiet evening in a restaurant, or making an low-profile appearance at a social function, he or she would be met by This Is Your Life host Ralph Edwards (1913–). Edwards then announced to the unknowing person and to the world, "This is your life!" The surprised person would be hustled off to the show's studio, where childhood pals and acquaintances would be paraded across the...