October 12, 2017
He was known as "the messiest man on television." On Friday, Marc Summers returns to Philadelphia for the premiere of a documentary that tells his story.
The feature-length documentary "On Your Marc" details Summers' long career and struggles that included an OCD diagnosis, a five-year battle with leukemia and a nasty car accident in 2012 that left the 65-year-old with a badly injured face.
Summers may be best remembered by millennials as the host of "Double Dare," a popular game show for children in which two teams competed for cash and prizes by answering trivia questions and performing messy stunts that often involved green slime.
The show, filmed at the WHYY Studios in Philadelphia for three of its seasons, aired on Nickelodeon from 1986-93 and helped the network establish itself in cable television.
Among other later gigs, he hosted the Food Network show Unwrapped from 2001 to 2011.
"A man who’s no stranger to live performances – having cut his teeth in magic and comedy shows at such hot spot venues as the Comedy Store and the Magic Castle for years before finding his niche in television – Summers’ entry into theater as a means of telling his story is one whose development will be well worth the watch for any diehard fan or curious novitiate alike," the documentary's website states.
The film premieres 8:30 p.m. at the Trocadero Theatre at 10th and Arch streets, one of six stops along a "sneak preview tour."
Tickets for the 21-and-over show cost $20-$22 apiece and can be bought here.
