Edward Theodore Cooper (November 11, 1920 – December 5, 1999) was a long-time

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

scenic designer Scenic may refer to: * Scenic design * Scenic painting * Scenic overlook * Scenic railroad (disambiguation) * Scenic route * Scenic, South Dakota, United States * Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse Aviation * Airwave Scenic, an Austr ...

and creative consultant. Cooper is best known as the

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

and creative consultant for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, the leading producer of American TV

game shows A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating wh ...

. He joined the firm in 1960 and was associated with it until his death at age 79. Cooper was hired as a TV art director for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

in 1949 where he worked on various shows, including ''

Your Show of Shows ''Your Show of Shows'' is a live 90-minute variety show that was broadcast weekly in the United States on NBC from February 25, 1950, through June 5, 1954, featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were Carl Reiner, Ho ...

'', '' The Martin and Lewis Show'' (until it moved to Los Angeles), ''The

Paul Winchell Paul Winchell (''Birth name, né'' Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted ''The Pa ...

and Jerry Mahoney Show'', ''The Jimmy Durante show'' and the game shows '' Haggis Baggis'' and ''Charge Account'', among others. Through his association with NBC he knew

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...

of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood fame and contributed to the first version of that show. He was also responsible for the sets for the 1956

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Broadway production of

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

which lasted for only 21 performances. Cooper's best-known achievements were in creating set designs and game displays for TV quiz shows. He is credited with being the motivating force behind taking game shows from a simple table set in front of a drape to a full set designed for the show. The Goodson-Todman shows for which Cooper served as art director or creative consultant after 1960 include ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

'', ''

The Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game, panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebr ...

'' (including '' The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour''), ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'', '' I've Got a Secret'', ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'', '' He Said, She Said'' (and its successor ''

Tattletales ''Tattletales'' is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson, Goodson-Bill Todman, Todman Productions in association with Fremantle (company), Fremantle. The program had two runs on the CBS daytime schedule between February 1974 and June ...

''), ''

Family Feud ''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes. The show has had three separate runs, the ...

'', ''

Beat the Clock ''Beat the Clock'' is an American television game show. Contestants attempted to complete challenges such as physical stunts within a time limit in order to win prizes. The show was a creation of Mark Goodson- Bill Todman Productions. The sho ...

'', ''

Password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

'' (and its revivals ''

Password Plus ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

'' and '' Super Password''), '' Say When!!'', the Jack Narz and

Alex Trebek George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian and American game show host and television personality. He was best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 seasons ...

revivals of ''

Concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', '' molar concentration'', '' number concentration'', ...

'', '' Double Dare'', ''

Card Sharks ''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Contestants attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row of oversized playing cards ...

'', '' Mindreaders'', '' The Better Sex'', ''

Now You See It Now You See It may refer to: * ''Now You See It'' (American game show), a 1974–1975 game show, resurrected in 1989 * ''Now You See It'' (Australian game show), a 1985–1999 children's game show * ''Now You See It'' (British game show), a 1981 ...

'', '' Blockbusters'', '' Child's Play'', ''

Body Language Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use o ...

'', and '' Trivia Trap'', as well as assorted pilots. In addition to being the scenic designer of '' Say When!!'', he was also the associate producer of that show. Cooper's design for "Say When" was among the first uses of alpha-numeric electronic readouts on TV and in the U.S., and helped the

Split-flap display A split-flap display, or sometimes simply a flap display, is a digital electromechanical display device that presents changeable alphanumeric text, and occasionally fixed graphics. They were (from the 1960s to 1990s) commonly used as public tr ...

to become so popular for a time on TV and in other venues. Cooper's designs typically included technology not only for displaying numbers and letters, but also technology for controlling electromechanical devices such as lights and sound effects. Most of his designs were executed without the benefit of computer-generated special effects for which the industry is known today, but one of his shows, '' Classic Concentration'', was one of the earliest shows to implement its game board on a fully computerized display. Many of his sets utilized rotating elements: ''

'', ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity paneli ...

'', ''

'' and ''

'' with its well-known turntable. Game show producer

Dan Enright Daniel Enright (né Ehrenreich; August 30, 1917 – May 22, 1992) was an American television producer, primarily of game shows. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs fo ...

, whose shows competed with those of Goodson-Todman, once referred to Cooper as "Mark Goodson's secret weapon". For the 1958 Barry and Enright game show ''

'', which aired on NBC for 15 years before moving into syndication, he created the display that showed the list of prizes as the contestants matched them. The display did not show a stagehand slipping in the name of the prize on the side, but rather had the prize name in place obscured by a sliding front cover which would then be pulled to the side to reveal the prize name. For the syndicated version of ''

'', Cooper devised the "Head Start" feature in which four prizes were revealed prior to the start of the game. The prizes revealed were "fee items" for which the producers received a fee for being plugged on the show. "Head Start" guaranteed that the copy for those fee items was read and the fee collected regardless of whether or not the prizes were won during the game. For the 1972 version of ''

'' Cooper created the pricing games Any Number and Range Game. The physical game devices and other set pieces used on that version of the show prior to 2000 were designed by Cooper himself or under his supervision. Cooper designed the

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

set for the 1969 syndicated revival of ''

''. The brightly colored panels and elegant lettering he supervised for the show's set in the

Ed Sullivan Theater The Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein's Theatre; later the Manhattan Theatre, Billy Rose's Music Hall, CBS Radio Playhouse No. 3, and CBS Studio 50) is a theater at 1697–1699 Broadway, between 53rd and 54th streets, in the Theat ...

in New York gave a modern, youthful feel to a show that had already been a success for 12 years on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. Cooper was a gold card member of

IATSE The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, known as simply the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE or ...

Local 829, the

United Scenic Artists United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, formerly known as United Scenic Artists of America (USAA), is an American labor union. It is a nationwide autonomous Local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It organizes designers ...

, and for several years until his retirement was the oldest working member of that union.

Selected credits

Television

* '' All-Star Review'' (1953) * '' The Children's Corner'' (1955-1956) * '' The Jimmy Durante Show'' (1954-1957) * ''

The Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the serie ...

'' (1950-1951) * ''The Paul Winchell Show'' (1950-1956) * '' Startime'' (1959) * '' Sunday Showcase'' (1959) * ''

'' (1950-1954)

Game shows

* ''

'' (1969-1970, 1979-1980) * '' The Better Sex'' (1977-1978) * '' Blockbusters'' (1980-1982, 1987) * ''

'' (1984-1986) * ''

'' (1978-1981, 1986-1989) * '' Child's Play'' (1982-1983) * '' Classic Concentration'' (1987-1991) * ''

'' (1958-1960, 1973-1978) * '' Double Dare'' (1976-1977) * '' Dough Re Mi'' (1958-1960) * ''

'' (1976-1985, 1988-1995) * '' Haggis Baggis'' (1958-1959) * '' He Said, She Said'' (1969-1970) * '' High-Low'' (1957) * '' I've Got a Secret'' (1972-1973, 1976) * '' The Jan Murray Show'' (''Charge Account'') (1960) * '' Laugh Line'' (1959) * ''

'' (1962, 1973-1982) * '' The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' (1983-1984) * '' Mindreaders'' (1979-1980) * ''

'' (1974-1975, 1989) * ''

'' (1961-1963, 1971-1975) * ''

'' (1979-1982) * ''

'' (1972-1999) * '' Say When!!'' (1961-1965) * '' Showoffs'' (1975) * '' Split Personality'' (1959-1960) * '' Super Password'' (1984-1989) * ''

'' (1974-1978, 1982-1984) * '' Tic Tac Dough'' (1956-1959) * ''

'' (1969-1978, 1980–1981, 1990-1991) * '' Trivia Trap'' (1984-1985) * ''

'' (1968-1975)

Broadway

* '' Texas, Li'l Darlin''' (1949-1950) * '' A Story for a Sunday Evening'' (1950) * ''

'' (1956)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Ted 1920 births 1999 deaths American television producers 20th-century American businesspeople