In a special salute to teenagers, the
evening’s young contestants (an astonishing number of whom would become quite famous) are all gathered behind Garry. Even before the panel is introduced we meet 12-year-old
artist [Daniel Rosen], 16-year-old classical pianist Raymond Jones, and
17-year-old ballet dancer Melinda Plank.
As Melinda Cordell, young Miss Plank would have a number of acting
credits in television, including roles on several soap operas.
10-year-old Tommy McClure from San Diego: “I was saved from
drowning by one of these teen-agers”
Cub Scout Tommy was saved by
16-year-old Girl Scout Bonnie Graham.
14-year-old Donald Rich displays a robot he built.
“Robetron” can walk, talk and do basic
mathematical calculations.
A masked Miss X is Carol Lynley, appearing on stage in Blue Denim
(1958). Lynley would go on to have a
successful career in films and television.
A Mr. X is Oscar Robertson, a sophomore at the University of
Cincinnati. The “Big O” would go on to
have a stellar professional career, ranking among the greatest to ever play
basketball.
Mary Seveland from Minnesota won $1000 in the Teen-age Dressmaking
Championships sponsored by Singer Sewing Machines, besting over 54,000 other
contestants.
Yet another Mr. X is 15-year-old Bobby
Fischer, already the US Chess Champion. The
show provides Bobby with air travel to allow him to compete internationally in
the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Years
later, his 1972 showdown with Boris Spassky, in which he won the World Chess
Championship, became a symbol of the Cold War and was the most closely followed
chess match in the world.
A final masked Mr. X: “I wrote 2 songs that sold a million records
each…Diana and You Are My Destiny”
Paul Anka, only 16 years old here,
would continue to have success as a singer and songwriter spanning
decades. Among his most famous melodies
is the theme song for The Tonight Show
Starring Johnny Carson. Anka
performs “Let the Bells Keep Ringing.”
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