Information Please
Information Please was probably the longest running "quiz" program. It was on for 13 years and aired more than 500 programs. It was a simple format - hire a highly intellectual quizmaster or Master of Ceremonies or Moderator and give him full rein over a group of more intellectuals. Clifton Fadiman was chosen for the job. He was well educated and at that time was a book reviewer for the New Yorker magazine. This was a different kind of quiz show. The much quizzed public was able to turn the tables and ask the experts questions. In the beginning those who submitted questions that were used, were awarded $2.00. If the experts couldn't answer the question, then another $5.00 was given. There was a total of $100 prize money to begin with and if after all the prize money was gone, any money left went for refreshments for the panelists. So a visit to a local pub was a good excuse for the experts to get the right answer. After settling in, the regulars or panelists were Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, with many appearances by bon vivant Oscar Levant. The guests were the intellectuals of the nation but they also included people from all walks of life - authors, politicians, comedians, movies and sport figures. The program became such a household name that in 1947 the show's creator saw a need for a reference book and in that year the Information Please Almanac made its appearance and it has been published yearly ever since.
38/05/17 1 Guest - Harry Overstreet, Marcus Dufield 38/06/07 4 Guest - John Erskine, Bernard Jaffe, Marcus Duffield 38/06/14 5 Guest - Marc Connolly 38/06/21 6 Guest - Oscar Levant 38/06/28 7 Guest - Carmen Snow 38/07/05 8 Guest - Oscar Levant 38/07/12 9 Guest - Quincy Howe, George S Kaufman 38/07/19 10 Guest - Thomas Craven, Ben Hect 38/07/26 11 Guest - Oscar Levant, John Gunther 38/08/02 12 Guest - Moss Hart, Quincy Howe, George Kaufman 38/08/09 13 Guest - Alton Cook, Alice Dever Miller 38/08/23 15 Guest - Percy Waxman 38/08/30 16 Guest - Ben Hecht 38/09/06 17 Guest - Ben Bernie, Bernard Jaffe 38/09/13 18 Guest - Percy Waxman 38/09/27 20 Guest - Basil Rathbone, Sigmund Spaeth 38/10/04 21 Guest - Dorothy Thompson, William Bonnell 38/10/11 22 Guest - Lillian Gish 38/10/18 23 Guest - Gene Tunney 38/11/01 25 Guest - Oswald Jacoby 38/11/15 27 Guest - John Gunther 38/11/29 29 Guest - Kathleen Norris 38/12/27 33 Guest - William Lyon Phelps, Yale Professor 39/01/03 34 Guest - Cornelia Otis Skinner, Erwin Edgar 39/01/10 35 Guest - Alxander Wolcott 39/01/24 37 Guest - General Hugh Johnson 39/01/31 38 Guest - Gilbert Seldes, Elizabeth Hoare 39/02/07 39 Guest - University of Michigan Student - Myron Wallace 39/02/14 40 Guest - Russel Crouse, Frank Sullivan 39/02/21 41 Guest - Moe Berg 39/03/21 46 Guest - John Gunther 39/03/28 47 Guest - Rex Stout, Moss Hart 39/04/11 49 Guest - Deems Taylor, Marc Duffield 39/04/18 50 Guest - H V Kaltenborn 39/04/25 51 Guest - Arthur Crock, Alice Roosevelt Longworth 39/05/16 54 Guest - John P Marquand 39/05/23 55 Guest - Bernard Jaffe, Clarence Buddington Kellen 39/05/30 56 Guest - Stanley Walker 39/06/13 58 Guest - Helen Wills Moody 39/06/20 59 Guest - Gracie Allen, John Gunther 39/06/27 60 Guest - Wilber Cross 39/07/04 61 Guest - Lillian Gish, Marc Duffield 39/07/11 62 Guest - Elliot Roosevelt 39/07/18 63 Guest - Clarence B Kellen, William Peavey 39/07/25 64 Guest - Maury Maverick 39/08/01 65 Guest - Russel Crouse, James Kiernan 39/08/22 68 Guest - H Napier Moore 39/08/29 69 Guest - Rex Stout, Wilford Funk 39/09/05 70 Guest - Raymond Graham Swing 39/09/12 71 Guest - Alice Marble, Bernard Jaffe 39/09/19 72 Guest - P Cal Simms 39/09/26 73 Guest - Rex Stout, Carl Van Doren 39/10/03 74 Guest - Dean C Mildred Thompson of Vasser College 39/10/10 75 Guest - Christopher Morley, John T Flynn 39/10/17 76 Guest - Moe Berg 39/10/31 78 Guest - Carl Sandberg 39/11/07 79 Guest - Christopher Morley, Marcus Jacques 39/11/14 80 Guest - James Farley 39/11/21 81 Guest - Moe Berg, JP MacElvoy 39/12/05 83 Guest - Deems Taylor, Henry Pringle 39/12/12 84 Guest - Walter B Pitkin 39/12/19 85 Guest - Christopher Morley, Albert Spaulding 39/12/26 86 Guest - Sir Cedric Hardwick 40/01/02 87 Guest - Carl Van Doren, Gloria Stewart 40/07/16 115 Guest - Deems Taylor, Monte Woolley 40/08/20 120 Walter Wanger 40/08/27 121 Christopher Morley, James Roosevelt 40/09/03 122 Henry Beedle Hough 40/09/10 123 Jan Struther, John Gunther 40/09/17 124 Otto Tallicious 40/09/24 125 Guest - Alva Johnson, Marc Connolly 40/10/01 126 Guest - Clair Boothe 40/10/08 127 Guest - Jan Struther, Louis Bromfield 40/10/15 128 Louis Hacker 40/10/22 129 Deems Taylor, Herbert Bayard Swope of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel 40/10/29 130 John Mason Brown 40/11/05 131 Guest - Christopher Morley 40/11/15 132 Guest - Fred Allen 40/11/22 133 Warden LewisGuest - E Lawes, Deems Taylor 40/11/29 134 Guest - Leon Henderson 40/12/06 135 Elmer Rice, Jan Struther 40/12/13 136 Guest - Professor Ernest Albert Hooton 40/12/20 137 Louis Bromfield, Herbert Marshall 40/12/27 138 Walter Edmonds 41/01/03 139 Deems Taylor, Vincent Sheehan 41/01/10 140 Judge James C Wallace, Kenneth Simpson 41/01/17 141 Owen Davis 41/01/24 142 Guest - Boris Karloff, Warden Lewis E Laws 41/01/31 143 Alexander Wolcott, Sj Perleman 41/02/07 144 Jan Struther, Sir Wilmot Lewis 41/02/14 145 Guest - Deems Taylor, Dr Henry Noble McCracken 41/02/21 146 Guest - Jo Davidson 41/02/28 147 John O'Hara, Deems Taylor 41/03/07 148 Christopher Morley, Elmer F Layden 41/03/14 149 Claude Wickard 41/03/21 150 Guest - Roland Young, Deems Taylor 41/03/28 151 Guest - Elsa Lanchester 41/04/04 152 Guest - John Gunther, Lymon Bryson 41/04/11 153 Guest - Philip Merivale 41/04/18 154 Rex Stout, Henry Curran - Chief Magistrate 41/04/25 155 Paul Lukas 41/05/02 156 Donald Ogden Stuart 41/05/09 157 Gene Tunney 41/05/16 158 Frank Sullivan, Dick Maney 41/05/23 159 Third Anniversary Show 41/05/30 160 Cornelia Otis Skinner, Jan Struther 41/06/06 161 Guest - Sally Benson 41/06/13 162 William Tilden 41/06/20 163 Guest - Judge James Wallace, Governor Alfred E Smith 41/06/27 164 Guest - Alfred Hitchcock 41/07/04 165 John Gunther, Walter Durante 41/07/11 166 Guest - Mary Boland 41/08/01 169 Guest - Lyman Bryson, Dr Henry Noble McCracken 41/08/08 170 Guest - Larry Macphale 41/08/15 171 Guest - Deems Taylor, Russel Crouse 41/09/05 174 Guest - Deems Taylor 41/09/12 175 Louis Bromfield, Margarite Leach 41/09/19 176 Guest - Stephen Vincent Bonet 41/09/26 177 Guest - Sir Thomas Beecham, Jan Struther 41/10/03 178 Guest - Lefty Gomez, Mayor Fiorellio Laguardia 41/10/17 180 Guest - Fred Allen 41/10/24 181 Guest - C S Forester, Russell Crouse 41/10/31 182 Guest - Groucho Marx 41/11/07 183 Guest - Douglas Miller 41/11/21 185 Guest - Cornelia Otis Skinner 41/11/28 186 Guest - Drew Pearson, Robert Allen 41/12/05 187 Edna Ferber, Deems Taylor 41/12/12 188 Dr George N Shuster 41/12/19 189 Jan Struther, Joseph E Davies 41/12/26 190 Guest - John Gunther 42/01/16 193 Guest - Paul Gallico, Russell Crouse 42/01/23 194 Alexander Wolcott, Deems Taylor 42/02/06 196 Ruth Hussey, Christopher Morley 42/02/20 198 Guest - Boris Karloff, John Carradine 42/02/27 199 Guest - Emil Ludwig 42/03/06 200 Julian Huxley, Jan Struther 42/03/20 202 John Carradine, Sir Thomas Beecham 42/03/27 203 Guest - Wallace R Deuel 42/04/17 206 Guest - Grantland Rice 42/05/22 211 Roland Young, Deems Taylor 42/05/29 212 Guest - Wallace R Deuel 42/06/19 215 Cornelia Otis Skinner, Christopher Morley 42/07/10 218 Guest - Hi Philips, Deems Taylor 42/07/17 219 Guest - Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr 42/07/24 220 Guest - Paul Gallico, Arthur Garfield Hayes 42/08/07 222 Guest - Ned Sparks, Russell Crouse 42/08/14 223 Guest - Dr Mildred McAfee 42/08/21 224 Leon Henderson, Raymond Clapper 42/08/28 225 Quincy Howe 42/09/04 226 Guest - C S Forrester, Jan Struther 42/09/11 227 Guest - Alva Johnston 42/09/18 228 Guest - Orson Welles, Christopher Morley 42/09/25 229 Guest - Leon Henderson 42/10/02 230 Robert St John, Deems Taylor 42/10/09 231 Gregory Ratoff 42/10/30 234 Carl Sandburg, Christopher Morley 42/11/06 235 Hanson W Baldwin 42/11/20 237 Louie Bromfield 42/12/04 239 Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, Governor Leverett Saltenstahl 42/12/11 240 William L Shirer, Christopher Morley 42/12/18 241 Guest - Ilka Chase 42/12/25 242 James Wallace, Leon Henderson 43/01/01 243 Gregory Ratoff 43/01/08 244 Will Rogers, Jr 43/01/15 245 Charles Coburn, Deems Taylor 43/01/22 246 Guest - Alfred Hitchcock 43/01/29 247 Guest - Emily Kimbrough, Cornelia Otis Skinner 43/02/05 248 Guest - Jan Struther 43/02/15 249 Guest - Fred Allen 43/03/01 251 Guest - Will Rogers, Jr 43/03/08 252 Guest - Gregory Ratoff 43/03/15 253 Guest - Jan Struther 43/03/29 255 Guest - Colonel Carlos Romules 43/04/05 256 Guest - Cornelia Otis Skinner, Jan Struther 43/04/12 257 Guest - Wendell Willkie 43/04/19 258 Guest - Ford Frick, Grantland Rice 43/04/26 259 Guest - Leon Henderson 43/05/10 261 Guest - George V Denny, Jr 43/05/17 262 Guest - Boris Karloff, Jan Struther 43/05/24 263 Guest - Ethel Barrymore, Richard Manney 43/05/31 264 Guest - Sir Thomas Beecham 43/06/07 265 Guest - Marsha Davenport, Deems Taylor 43/06/14 266 Guest - George Saunders 43/06/21 267 Guest - Dr C Mildred Thompson, Christopher Morley 43/06/28 268 Guest - Walter Yust 43/07/12 270 Guest - Jan Struther 43/09/13 271 Guest - Marsha Davenport, Deems Taylor 43/09/20 272 Guest - Clair Booth Luce 43/09/27 273 Guest - James W Fulbright 43/10/04 274 Guest - Red Barber, Bill Stern 43/10/25 277 Guest - Richard Lockridge, John Mason Brown 43/11/01 278 Guest - Bette Smith 43/11/08 279 Guest - Senator Lester Hill, Senator Joseph Ball 43/11/15 280 Guest - Gregory Ratoff 43/11/22 281 Guest - Russel Crouse, Moss Hart 43/11/29 282 Guest - Artur Rubenstein 43/12/06 283 Guest - Louis Brown, Sinclair Lewis 43/12/13 284 Guest - Quincy Howe, Dr. T F Tsiang 43/12/20 285 Guest - Jesse Stewart, Oscar Levant 43/12/27 286 Guest - Leon Henderson, Jan Struther 44/01/03 287 Guest - Louis Bromfield 44/01/10 288 Guest - Christopher Morley, Rep John F Coffee 44/01/17 289 Guest - John P Marquand 44/01/24 290 Guest - Elizabeth Janeway, Deems Taylor 44/02/28 295 Guest - Franchot Tone 44/03/20 298 Guest - Senator Alben Barkley, Senator Theodore Green 44/09/11 315 Guest - Alexander Knox, Jan Struther 44/10/23 321 Guest - Artur Rubenstein, Louis Brown 44/11/06 323 Guest - Christopher Morley, Will Durant 44/12/25 330 Guest - Fred Allen, James Wallace 45/01/29 335 Guest - Jan Struther, Russel Crouse 45/02/05 336 Guest - Clifton Webb, Moss Hart 45/02/12 337 Guest - Faith Baldwin, Fred Allen 45/02/19 338 Guest - John Gunther, Gregory Ratoff