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+ Can You Top This? was a popular radio panel show in which comedians told jokes. The unrehearsed program, sponsored at one point by Colgate-Palmolive, was created by veteran vaudevillian "Senator" Edward Ford, who claimed he was taking part in a joke session at a New York theatrical club when he conceived the idea. However, the format was quite similar to a prior joke-telling radio series, Stop Me If You've Heard This One (1939-40), which featured Ford and cartoonist Harry Hershfield as panelists. Many jokes involved ethnic humor told in dialect. Listeners contributed approximately 3,000 jokes a week. Host Peter Donald told the best of these jokes, each one centered around a different topic, while a "laugh meter" took note of the audience reaction. The "Knights of the Clown Table" - Ford, Hershfield and Joe Laurie, Jr. - attempted to top listeners with their own jokes, which sometimes presented an extra challenge as their jokes had to be pertinent to the topic. Any submission used on the program received ten dollars. Each time a panelist failed to top Peter Donald's joke (as registered on the laugh meter which went as high as 1000), an additional five dollars was added, so a listener could potentially win as much as $25, though on many occasions Donald's jokes would score perfect 1000s which would guarantee the top prize to the submitter regardless of how the rest of the panel fared. Further, listeners were also given phonograph recordings of Peter Donald telling their jokes on the air. The panelists claimed that together they knew over 15,000 jokes. Can You Top This? debuted on New York's WOR radio in 1940. NBC picked up the show in 1942, and it continued 12 more years. Hosts at one time or another included Peter Donald, Ward Wilson, Roger Bower and Dennis James.-WikiPedia Click here to read more about Can You Top This

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Please enjoy these 35 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
N/A	conceit	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Conceit." WRV...
N/A	restaurants	+ Can You Top This is an unrehearsed carousel of jokes. The three guests do not know what jokes have...
08.15.1945	suitors	+ Sponsored by: Kirkman's Soap Flakes and Complexion Soap.
07.05.1947	secretary	+ Sponsored by: Palmolive Shave Cream, Colgate Toothpaste. The first topic is, "Secretary."
07.26.1947	service	+ Sponsored by: Palmolive Shave Cream, Colgate Toothpaste. The first topic is, "Service."
08.09.1947	health
11.07.1947	bus	+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpaste, Palmolive Shave Cream, Lustre Creme Shampoo. The first topic is...
11.28.1947	psychiatry	+ Sponsored by: Palmolive Shave Cream, Colgate Tooth Paste, Lustre Creme Shampoo. The first topic i...
12.05.1947	can you top this	+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpaste, Palmolive Shave Cream, Lustre Creme Shampoo. Can You Top This ...
04.30.1948	barbers	+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpaste, Palmolive Shave Cream, Lustre Creme Shampoo.
05.14.1948	hats	+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpaste, Palmolive Shave Cream. The first subject is, "Hats." The progra...
04.03.1949	salesmen	+ The first subject is, "Salesmen."
05.14.1954	gossip
09.19.1974	railroads	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Railroads." W...
09.26.1974	repremands
10.17.1974	punishment	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Punishment." ...
10.24.1974	economy	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Economy." WRV...
11.03.1974	help	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Help." WRVR r...
11.07.1974	automobile	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Automobile." ...
11.21.1974	receptions	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Receptions." ...
11.28.1974	ghosts	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Ghosts." WRVR...
12.05.1974	campaign	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Campaign." WR...
12.12.1974	advertising	+ Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. Participating sponsors. The first topic is, "Advertising."...
N/A	jail
N/A	suggestion

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Featuring all of the programs of this popular radio joke-swapping panel show that was broadcast by WOR-New York, NBC, Mutual and ABC from 1940 to 1954. Listeners sent in jokes, which were read to a panel of well-known jokers, each of whom tried to top it.

CAN YOU TOP THIS?