The Last Word

The Last Word is an American television talk show about the English language that was broadcast on CBS. It debuted on January 6, 1957, and ended on October 18, 1959. As the series neared its end, The New York Times said, "Despite its susceptibility to periodic cancellations, the program has become an authority on good English usage." Audio of episodes was broadcast on CBS Radio. The program won a Peabody Award in 1957. Format An idea of CBS executive Hubbell Robinson Jr. led to his having a discussion with Bergen Evans, which in turn led to the creation of The Last Word. Evans said that Robinson wanted the network to have a program about the English language. As the two of them discussed the topic, they "had a violent argument about what's correct: 'It is I' or 'It is me.'" The program came into existence as a result of that meeting. Evans, as host of the show, discussed topics of English grammar and usage with a panel of celebrities and authorities that had John Mason Brown as a permanent member. Otherwise, the panel's composition varied from week to week. Guest panelists included Ilka Chase, John Crosby, Emily Kimbrough, Frank Baxter, Cecil B. DeMille, Greer Garson, Aldous Huxley, Clifton Fadiman, James Michener, Ogden Nash, S. J. Perelman, Katherine Anne Porter, and Sam Levenson. Topics of discussion included pronunciation, jargon, and puns. Discussions were based on questions that viewers submitted, sometimes as many as 8,000 per week. Viewers whose letters were read on the program received an encyclopedia. Two submissions came from an American president and a governor.