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+ Information Please was an American radio quiz show, created by Dan Golenpaul, which aired on NBC from May 17, 1938 to April 22, 1951. The title was the contemporary phrase used to request from telephone operators what was then called "information" but is now called "directory assistance". The series was moderated by Clifton Fadiman. A panel of experts would attempt to answer questions submitted by listeners. For the first few shows, a listener was paid two dollars for a question that was used, and five dollars more if the experts could not answer it correctly. When the show got its first sponsor (Canada Dry), the total amounts were increased to five and ten dollars respectively. A complete Encyclopaedia Britannica was later added to the prize for questions that stumped the panel. The amounts went up to ten and twenty-five dollars when Lucky Strike took over sponsorship of the program.-WikiPedia Click here to read more about Information Please

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Please enjoy these 230 old time radio episodes:

Air Date	Title	Synopsis
01.31.1939	gilbert seldes and elizabeth hoare	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "In what game or sport can you jump...
01.24.1939	general hugh johnson	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "Give five familiar expressions whi...
01.17.1939	guests hendrics william van lone ogden nash	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "Name five songs or literary works ...
01.10.1939	alxender wolcott	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. A letter from Walter Winchell is read on the air. His ques...
01.05.1939	jan struther louis bromfield	+ A new type of question and answer game in which the public quiz the professionals. The public are ...
01.03.1939	edwin edgar	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "What is commonly associated with t...
12.27.1938	william lyon phelps	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "We're going to play...five songs, ...
11.29.1938	kathleen norris	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first question is, "Give four common expressions that ...
11.15.1938	john gunther	+ Blue Network. Sponsored by: Canada Dry. The first program of the series sponsored by Canada Dry. T...
11.01.1938	oswald jacoby	+ Blue Network. 8:30 P. M. The first question is, "Give the present-day slang that parallels these ...
10.25.1938	lillian gish	+ A new type of question and answer game in which the public quiz the professionals. The public are ...
10.18.1938	gene tunney	+ The first question is, "Give five common expressions which use the names of nations or peoples."...
10.11.1938	lillian gish	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "Name five typical cliches used in the home." The . The clo...
10.04.1938	dorothy thompson	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "Finish four of the five following "Joe Miller" gags. The sy...
09.27.1938	sigmund spaeth b rathbone	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "What is the usual cliche said during a long spell of hot we...
09.13.1938	percy waxman	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "Recite the first line of the appropriate nursery rhyme." A ...
09.06.1938	ben bernie	+ Blue Network. 8:30 P. M. The first question is, "Name a novel or play that deals with a rich man,...
08.30.1938	ben hecht	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "The first line of the following sets of couplets will be re...
08.23.1938	percy waxman	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "I'm going to give you the first line of a long nursery rhym...
08.09.1938	alice duer miller	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "Complete the following famous "Little Willie" jingles. A ne...
08.02.1938	moss hart	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "Answer the following questions based on famous ballads."
07.26.1938	oscar levant john gunther	+ Blue Network. Franklin P. Adams was in the hospital and not on the program. The first question is...
07.19.1938	thomas craven ben hecht	+ Blue Network. Franklin P. Adams was in the hospital and not on the program. The first question is...
07.12.1938	george s kaufman	+ Blue Network. Franklin P. Adams was in the hospital and not on the program. The first question is...
07.05.1938	oscar levant	+ Blue Network. The first question is, "What performer made 'I Don't Care' famous?"

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This comedy quiz program was hosted by the former Simon and Schuster book editor Clifton Fadiman. Panelists on the program during its run was Franklin P. Adams (columnist for the New York Herald Tribune) and sports columnist John Kiernan. It was broadcast on NBC, CBS and Mutual from 1938 to 1951.

INFORMATION PLEASE

My mother listened to "Information, Please" principally to hear Oscar Levant whom she appreciated for his wit and wisdom. (What a roster of guest participants!) I recall her watching Levant's short-lived talk show on KCOP (Channel 13) in Los Angeles (1958-60). I just watched a tape of that show with Fred Astaire. Poor visual quality, but priceless. All the other tapes of the show were lost. This one exists because Astaire himself taped it. Thanks for the detailed information on "Information, Please." Very much appreciated.

Sam Ludu