Ralph Story

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Birth: Aug. 19, 1920 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo County Michigan, USA Death: Sep. 26, 2006 Santa Ynez Santa Barbara County California, USA

Television and Radio Personality. He was best remembered as the host of The $64,000 Challenge, a spin off of the game show The $64,000 Question, from 1956 until 1958. The CBS show was canceled in 1958 while several networks were embroiled in allegations that popular contestants were supplied with answers in advance. Story, who was not implicated in the scandal, returned to local broadcasting in 1960. He returned to KNX, this time anchoring a news program and later joined The Big News, one of the nation's first hour-long local TV newscasts, on KNXT-TV (sister station to KNX radio, owned and operated by CBS). His regular feature, "Human Predicament," about people caught in unusual events and situations, became a popular segment. It developed into a local news magazine program about the people and places of Los Angeles called Ralph Story's Los Angeles. It aired for six years. Ralph Story's Los Angeles aired from 1964–1970 on KNXT (now KCBS). Well-written and wittily hosted by Story, the show examined interesting features, events and sites documenting the history and culture of Los Angeles. Generations of Los Angelenos developed a passion for their city as a result of this documentary-style show. The 104 reels of Ralph Story's Los Angeles are housed at the UCLA Film & Television Archive and are available for public viewing via the Archive Research and Study Center located in Powell Library, room 46 on the UCLA campus. Story joined KABC-TV in the 1970s, co-hosting AM Los Angeles, a morning news show with Stephanie Edwards and newsman Bob Banfield that became the precursor to Good Morning America. When it moved to New York City, Story stayed in Los Angeles, where he continued working as a writer, producer, and reporter for several TV stations. In the mid-1980s, Story retired and moved to Santa Barbara County's wine region, where he and his wife operated an art gallery in Los Olivos. In 1989, Ralph appeared in the television film, "Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain" which was shot in Disneyland. He volunteered for numerous civic groups, serving as a fundraiser for public television stations, narrator for the Hollywood Bowl and judge of the Rose Parade. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored him with its highest honor, the Governor's Award. (bio courtesy of: Wikipedia)

Burial: Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend.