Information Please

Information Please is a popular American radio show on NBC, which ran from 1938 to 1951. It also created a series of short films, a ( short-lived ) TV show, quiz books, almanacs, card games, etc., which were based on the show.

Radio show

The concept of the show, which aired a week and had a length of 30 minutes, was developed by Dan Golenpaul. In the radio show, viewers could send in questions that had to answer a group of experts. Abolished the expert group is not to answer the questions that the submitter won a sum of money, as well as the Encyclopaedia Britannica. First five U.S. dollars could be obtained, which increased the amount of money over the years, also because of sponsorship.

Host of the show was Clifton Fadiman. The jury consisted of three experts Franklin Pierce Adams (Shakespeare expert and columnist ), John Kieran ( linguist, botanist, bird expert ) and Oscar Levant (actors, musicians). A fourth member of the jury was usually a well-known Hollywood star or politician. Among the guests were, for example, Boris Karloff, Alfred Hitchcock and Lillian Gish.

The first program was broadcast on 17 May 1938. In a short time was information, Please! in public extremely popular, reaching more than 20,000 weekly mail shots with questions to the jury. Until the setting of the show 1,366 copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica were awarded. On 22 April 1951, the last episode of Information Please ran.

Short film series

The success of the radio show led to a series of show short films that was marketed from 1939 to 1942 in three seasons as a series of information Please. The radio show was brought into the cinemas. Each film was a reel (about 10 minutes) long and was produced by RKO Radio. Director was Frank Donovan, acted as producer Frederic Ullman junior. The first broadcast of the first season of 8 September 1939, 1940 for an Oscar in the category Best Short Film nominee ( a roll of film ).

The following short films published 1939-1942:

  • # 1: September 8, 1939 Guest: Rex Stout
  • No. 2: October 6, 1939 Guest: Gene Tuney
  • No. 3: November 3, 1939 Guest: Clarence Budington Kelland
  • No. 4: December 1, 1939 Guest: Deems Taylor
  • No. 5: December 29, 1939
  • No. 6: January 28, 1940
  • # 7: February 22, 1940 Guest: Clarence Budington Kelland
  • # 8: March 22, 1940, Guest: Ruth Gordon
  • # 9: April 10, 1940 Guest: Elmer Davis
  • # 10: May 17, 1940 Guest: Deems Taylor
  • No. 11: June 2, 1940 Guest: Christopher Morley
  • # 12: July 22, 1940 Guest: Wendell Wilkie
  • No. 13: August 9, 1940
  • # 1: September 4, 1940 Guest: Anna Neagle
  • No. 2: October 4, 1940 Guest: Ruth Gordon
  • No. 3: November 1, 1940
  • # 4: November 29, 1940
  • No. 5: December 23, 1940
  • No. 6: January 1941
  • No. 7: February 21, 1941
  • # 8: March 21, 1941 Guest: Boris Karloff
  • No. 9: April 18, 1941, guest: Alice Marble
  • # 10: May 16, 1941 Guest: Louis Bromfield
  • No. 11: June 13, 1941
  • # 12: July 11, 1941 Guest: Boris Karloff
  • No. 13: August 8, 1941
  • No. 2: October 17, 1941 Guest: Howard Lindsay
  • No. 3: December 1941
  • No. 5: April 3, 1942, Guest: John Carradine
  • No. 6: April 24, 1942
  • No. 7: May 22, 1942
  • No. 8: June 19, 1942
  • No. 9: July 17, 1942
  • # 10: August 14, 1942
  • No. 11: September 11, 1942

TV show

From June 29 1952 to September 21, 1952 Information Please ran as a 30- minute television show on CBS; she was going placeholder for the Fred Waring show that paused during the summer months. The jury Franklin Pierce Adams and John Kieran sat and two guest stars. The show was initially hosted by Clifton Fadiman and from August 17 to September in 1952 by John McCaffery.

William Shakespeare Reel (dance) Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film John Gunther
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