Barely surviving: Great shows with not enough episodes

There are thousands of series of shows out there that none of us have heard.  You'd be surprised to know just how many there are.  Most we will never hear because they are lost forever.  And some just have a few surviving episodes, enough to whet our appetite and make us want more.

Here's my short list of those I have heard but wish there were more:

Dr. I.Q. - The Mental Banker:  There are just 3 known surviving episodes but all are fun to the max.  The silver dollars, the candy bars and "I have a lady in the balcony."



Dear Adolph - All surviving episodes exists - but there were only 6 made. A stirring program about actual letters written to Hitler by people in various walks of life.

Here's an sample of the last episode, "Letter From a Foreign-born American":



Johnny Madero, Pier 23 - Essentially an intentional rip-off of Pat Novak For Hire (they could be twin brothers) by the same writers, using Jack Webb as Johnny Madero! There are only 2 surviving episodes but aside from the name and the opening/closing, this is Pat Novak For Hire, period.



Incredible But True: There are actually quite a few of these available but they are so short (about three and a half minutes long) and zip by so fast, you miss it as soon as it's gone. A really cool show that if they had made a thousand episodes and all were available, it still wouldn't be enough.




©Jimbo 2010/2011

Radio Mirror Magazine reviews Dr. I.Q.

click to enlarge

The show is officially called, "Dr. I.Q." not "Doctor I.Q."

Stuff I'd buy if I was a millionaire [#24]

Western Union telegram telling of a winning submittal on the Dr. I.Q. quiz program

Billboard vs Jimbo: Dr. I.Q.

Tons of fun here, even today with the unusual quiz-master asking questions that most anyone could know.

The show has an aura about it unlike any other show I can think of, as it is set in a large auditorium with men holding microphones all over the audience and picking people at random (I think) to be a part of the show and given a chance at an odd prize (seven silver dollars, for example.)

Some of the questions are seemingly easy: "I'm going to say this once and once only, repeat this sentence" - then an impossible to remember and say correctly sentance is given. Do it correctly and you might win thirty silver dollars.

The "I have a lady in the balcony" stuff is just too much fun. And even the losers on this show get a box of candy bars (disregard Billboard saying they backed out, we're on different time schedules here.)

Some of the most fun you will ever have if you enjoy quizzes.

Photo Dump [#09]

Agnes Moorehead doing a Suspense episode

La da da da dee da-da-da...

Red Skelton with unknown female

Stuff I'd buy if I was a millionaire [#08]

Dr. I.Q. puzzle game

Meet Dr. I.Q. and give that man 6 bars of Milky Way candy!

If you haven't heard Dr. IQ (find some here) you should try it! It's a fun quiz show.

Jimmie McClain aka Dr. I.Q.