332:. (For instance, once the panel was asked to supply a common household expression. Adams: "Please pass the salt." Kieran: "The front doorbell's ringing." Levant: "Are you going to stay in that bathroom all day?") Due to the spontaneous nature of the program, it became the first show for which NBC allowed a prerecorded repeat for the
173:. A panel of experts would attempt to answer questions submitted by listeners. For the first few shows, a listener was paid $ 2 for a question that was used, and $ 5 more if the experts could not answer it correctly. When the show got its first sponsor (
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356:. Instead of the usual cash prize, a question writer would win a bond. The show received several awards as an outstanding radio quiz show. It is also believed to be the earliest example of the
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world atlas, and stumping the panel added a $ 50 savings bond plus the complete encyclopedia. They also replaced the regular sponsorship with a different sponsor for certain broadcasts.
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550:, a musical variety series. Adams and Kieran returned to the show, with Fadiman again as host and two guest celebrities. On August 17, Fadiman was replaced by
246:. A typical question would have three or four parts and would require the panelists to get a majority of the questions right, lest they lose the prize money.
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The show was as much a comedy as a quiz show. The panelists displayed a quick wit in answering the questions, reveling in puns and
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The show would always have a fourth guest panelist, usually either a celebrity, a politician or writer. Guest panelists included
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The program was so popular that, from 1939 to 1943, excerpts of 18 radio broadcasts were filmed and released by
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was the host. (Stuart was a prominent 3DB broadcaster who presented the breakfast program under the pseudonym
393:, a reference book which continued through the years in different formats (including the website Infoplease).
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was later added to the prize for questions that stumped the panel. The amounts rose to $ 10 and $ 25 when
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from May 17, 1938, to April 22, 1951. The title was the contemporary phrase used to request from
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371:. Two card games based on the series were also released, as was a 1939 tie-in quiz book from
214:. All the panelists were well versed in a wide range of topics, though each had a specialty.
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By 1948, the prizes changed to the following: submitting a question awarded the viewer an
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An
Australian version of the program was first broadcast from Melbourne radio station
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questions were often addressed to Levant. Adams was well known for his mastery of
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The
Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present
177:), the total amounts were increased to $ 5 and $ 10 respectively. A complete
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815:"Before the Parrot: The 'News Commentator' on Australian Commercial Radio"
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Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of 'Information Please.'
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579:-hosted game show lasted eleven weeks on the national airwaves.
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and newspaper columnists and renowned wits and intellectuals
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Changing
Stations. The Story of Australian Commercial Radio
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from July 1941. It was soon relayed nationwide through the
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went to television from June 29 to
September 21, 1952, on
771:"Groucho Wins More Friends; Other Notes on the TV Scene"
544:
on
Sundays at 9:00 pm as a summer replacement for
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https://www.scripts.com/script/woman_of_the_year_23618
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what was then called "information" and later called "
742:(9 ed.). Random House Publishing. p. 665.
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The show was satirized by the zany panel of radio's
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591:in about 1939, and was relayed to Sydney station
415:'s character enters a bar and hears on the radio
777:. District of Columbia, Washington. p. C 8
695:On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio
599:. The program continued into the early 1960s.
348:, the show frequently went on tours from its
202:Panel regulars included writer-actor-pianist
8:
1008:Radio programs adapted into television shows
565:in 1953. After two years of local success,
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25:
804:(Melbourne weekly journal), 25 July 1941.
658:. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2003
1013:Television series based on radio series
993:1952 American television series endings
669:
988:1952 American television series debuts
845:From Wireless to Radio. The 3DB Story
681:. New York: Random House. p. 152.
571:became a summer replacement series on
187:took over sponsorship of the program.
7:
915:Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs:
21:Time Almanac with Information Please
769:MacArthur, Harry (April 27, 1952).
619:, who broadcast as "The Watchman",
847:McLaughlin, Bill, Melbourne, 1985.
736:Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007).
14:
1018:Australian comedy radio programs
983:1950s American comedy game shows
978:1940s American comedy game shows
973:1930s American comedy game shows
698:. Oxford University Press, Inc.
607:, and the children's session as
554:for the rest of the show's run.
998:NBC Blue Network radio programs
405:At the start of the 1942 movie
387:In 1947, Golenpaul edited the
352:base to promote the buying of
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1:
958:1940s American radio programs
953:1930s American radio programs
948:1951 radio programme endings
889:(68 episodes from 1938-1943)
677:Zolotow, Maurice (c. 1952).
169:The series was moderated by
943:1938 radio programme debuts
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679:No People Like Show People
597:Major Broadcasting Network
419:'s character appearing on
390:Information Please Almanac
234:. Kieran was an expert in
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963:American radio game shows
902:. RadioEchoes. 1938–1948.
16:American radio quiz show
399:A Letter to Three Wives
192:Encyclopædia Britannica
180:Encyclopædia Britannica
860:Griffen-Foley, Bridget
692:Dunning, John (1998).
629:Professor W.A. Osborne
611:.) Panelists included
381:It Pays to Be Ignorant
885:OTR Network Library:
617:Edward Alexander Mann
19:For the almanac, see
968:American panel games
900:"Information Please"
547:The Fred Waring Show
373:Simon & Schuster
323:Myron "Mike" Wallace
232:Gilbert and Sullivan
164:directory assistance
321:, and a very young
299:Alexander Woollcott
160:telephone operators
1003:NBC radio programs
917:Information Please
887:Information Please
878:Information Please
656:Information Please
648:General references
559:Information Please
538:Information Please
524:September 21, 1952
470:(August–September)
435:Information Please
421:Information Please
140:Information Please
30:Information Please
749:978-0-345-49773-4
705:978-0-19-507678-3
654:Martin Grams Jr.
633:Dr Charles Souter
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534:
475:Country of origin
417:Katharine Hepburn
408:Woman of the Year
369:theatrical shorts
303:George S. Kaufman
263:Clare Boothe Luce
255:Leonard Bernstein
208:Franklin P. Adams
154:, which aired on
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64:Country of origin
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542:CBS Television
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478:United States
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465:(June–August)
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453:Dan Golenpaul
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876:Archive.org
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829:. Retrieved
822:the original
809:
799:
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785:– via
779:. Retrieved
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764:
753:. Retrieved
738:
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720:
709:. Retrieved
694:
687:
678:
672:
655:
631:, Ian Mair,
625:Alan Nichols
608:
605:Daybreak Dan
604:
586:
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558:
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537:
536:
488:Running time
459:Presented by
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420:
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379:
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365:RKO Pictures
362:
346:World War II
343:
330:malapropisms
327:
311:Orson Welles
291:Deems Taylor
287:Jan Struther
267:Groucho Marx
248:
204:Oscar Levant
201:
191:
189:
185:Lucky Strike
178:
168:
139:
138:
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115:May 17, 1938
88:Running time
54:Presented by
29:
880:radio shows
801:Radio Times
613:Barry Jones
601:John Stuart
577:Bill Leyden
563:Los Angeles
307:Ruth Gordon
212:John Kieran
927:Categories
831:2015-01-24
755:2023-02-19
711:2019-02-11
643:References
637:Eric Welch
609:Bob Breezy
528:1952-09-21
518:1952-06-29
491:30 minutes
483:Production
449:Created by
427:Television
358:panel game
334:West Coast
251:Fred Allen
244:literature
175:Canada Dry
129:1951-04-22
119:1938-05-17
91:30 minutes
83:Production
75:of seasons
44:Created by
870:Listen to
781:March 21,
354:war bonds
340:Accolades
283:Rex Stout
148:quiz show
319:Moe Berg
198:Regulars
526: (
522: –
516: (
514:June 29
511:Release
501:Network
360:genre.
344:During
127: (
123: –
117: (
112:Release
101:Network
746:
702:
575:. The
240:sports
224:poetry
825:(PDF)
818:(PDF)
441:Genre
216:Music
145:radio
107:Radio
39:radio
36:Genre
783:2022
744:ISBN
700:ISBN
242:and
230:and
220:film
218:and
210:and
593:2CH
589:3DB
505:CBS
166:".
156:NBC
105:NBC
73:No.
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131:)
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