More about Information Please

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Funniest moment ever on 'Information Please?'

Information Please was known by some as being a stuffy, stuck-up show with a bunch of over-educated snoots.  Really, nothing farther could be the case.

Yes, the questions were sometimes very hard but sometimes the questions weren't that at all.

At any rate, Deems Taylor, who many would call the "4th regular" on the show (as he was on often but not as much as the "regulars") had an answer few would expect on this show.  I'm going to post the full clip of the question and answers.  Taylor's response is farther at the end of the clip but it's very unexpected - especially for this show:


©Jimbo 2010/2011

Commercial for Heinz suggests a substitute for butter, 1943

 In 1943, butter was a hard thing to come by.  As a matter of fact, it was almost impossible to find.

The H.J. Heinz company or commercial spokesman Ben Grauer had an idea.  Here's a commercial for Heinz on Information Please in October of 1943.  See what you think of it:

(((HEAR)))

10th year anniversary of Information Please

John Keiran's wife writes about him

Information Please; An interview with Tony Baechler

It's my pleasure to have Tony Baechler on the Buffet today talking about one of our favorite shows, Information Please.



OTR BUFFET: Tony, thanks for doing this interview with me. Can you tell us about the website you run?

Tony Baechler: Thanks very much for having me. I feel honored to be in such great company as Ian, Jim and Randy. I have great respect for them and what they're doing for the hobby. I'm constantly amazed at their generosity. I was really hoping to be interviewed and am thrilled to finally get the chance.

Actually, I'm working on several different sites, so I'm not 100% sure which site you mean. I'll start off with the podcast first as I assume that's the one in which your readers are most interested.

Back in 2009, I decided that I wanted to start a podcast. I had hopes of being in radio one of these days, but I realized that with modern radio being the way it is, it would probably never happen. At the time, I really missed the great shows done by John and Larry Gassman. They are among my OTR heroes and I really hope to start a Gassman fan club one of these days. Jerry Haendiges did an excellent job filling in, but it just wasn't the same. Anyway, I realized that I could potentially reach a much wider audience online with a podcast, so I started one called CARE, or Classic Adventures in Radio Entertainment. It only lasted a few episodes and I had no idea what I was doing. I had to quit due to many factors, not the least of which was that I couldn't keep to a weekly schedule. I still have all of the old episodes and plan on releasing them soon.

Let's move ahead two years to January, 2011. I had been pushing OTRR to start a podcast for a long time, but no one seemed interested in doing it. I wanted to, but I had some concerns, like not getting enough new shows. Jim Beshires has been very generous in this regard, sending me several DVDs, so that was settled. I had other issues, like my ongoing health problems, but I finally decided to go ahead and do it myself. Therefore, in March, I launched Radio's Best Years. It's at the exact same site as my old effort, but I think it's much better. A really nice guy by the name of Jimbo Mason did an incredible job redesigning it. I have no web design ability to speak of, so that was much appreciated. If you don't believe me, just look at my other sites. :-) At the moment, it's off for the summer, but I hope to start regular shows again in early September. It mostly depends on my health though. I'm in stage IV kidney failure and I often don't have the energy to do it every week. It takes a tremendous amount of time, work and energy just to create a single episode, very much like writing or any creative task. I hope people are actually listening to it and getting some enjoyment out of it. You can find it at: http://classicradio.us/podcast. 

 I'll briefly mention my other sites. I'm working on OMIT, or OTR Materials in Text. It hasn't had much done with it yet, but I hope to get back to it one of these days. It's at: http://classicradio.us/omit/ There's also my non-OTR site, batsupport.com, but there isn't anything there yet. I'm starting a business called BATS or Baechler Access Technology Support Services. It's primarily designed to offer tech support and a help desk service to the blind interested in trying, using and learning Linux. Linux is a free, open source operating system which is very accessible to the blind and is far more stable than Windows, not to mention that it runs well on older hardware.

OTR BUFFET: I wanted to start off with you about what I think is the King of all quiz shows, Information Please. This show doesn't seem to be very popular with today's OTR enthusiasts but I'm sure you'll agree with me that the show is not only for trivia, it's got more than it's share of funny moments.

Tony Baechler: Yes, it does. It's one of my favorite shows. The Whistler and Our Miss Brooks are also favorites, but in different ways. I really don't know why Information Please is so unpopular. I wouldn't really call it a quiz show though, since the audience is trying to stump the experts instead of the other way around. Even in its day, it wasn't really popular. It had a long run, but I don't think it ever really had a big audience. To me, the funny moments are special. I definitely agree with you that I like it for trivia, but I really like the interactions between the guests. They were obviously very relaxed and, being that it was unscripted, anything could happen. Interestingly, It Pays to be Ignorant is very popular and also had a long run. Personally, I can't stand that show, but maybe whatever it is that people don't like about Information Please attracts them to It Pays to be Ignorant since they're opposites. It Pays to be Ignorant was, of course, a spoof on Information Please where no one ever got anything right. Maybe Information Please is over too many peoples' heads. 

The thing that immediately stands out about Information Please is the sense of class. From the rooster at the beginning to the guests being introduced through to the closing, everything was of high quality and was done well. Milton Cross was also an opera announcer, so having him as announcer was significant. He obviously enjoyed doing the show, as did they all. Even the early Canada Dry commercials were pleasant to listen to, not at all like the later Lucky Strike commercials. 

OTR BUFFET: Between the 3 regulars on the show, Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran and Oscar Levant, which one do you think was the smartest?

Tony Baechler: I don't know, I think they were all about equal in different ways. In terms of general knowledge about almost everything, I would say Adams. Even though Kieren was the sports expert, he still knew a lot about other subjects. Maybe I have Adams and Kieran reversed. That's the problem, they were both considered "experts." Likewise, Adams knew a lot about music. That's very hard to say though in terms of actual I.Q. It would be interesting to find out which had the highest I.Q if such information could be found. I guess I would still say that "F.P.A" was the smartest because he wrote a weekly newspaper column. Then again, often times Levant would come up with an answer to something totally unrelated to music that I didn't think he would know.

OTR BUFFET: Between the 3 regulars on the show, which one do you think was the funniest?

Tony Baechler: I would definitely say Levant. He was also the quietest, but when he said something, it was often funny and unexpected. The shows with Levant are definitely a treat for me, both for his musical ability and for his whit. I wish he would've been on more shows and wouldn't have left the series. He's funny and pleasant to listen to on other shows in which he was a guest as well. I wish I could go to one of his concerts. 

Clifton Fadiman

OTR BUFFET: The host, Clifton Fadiman was smart and funny himself, What are your thoughts about him and the way he handled the show?

Tony Baechler: I think he was perfect. One of the very early shows had someone else instead and it was terrible! The show dragged on endlessly and not even the guests were their usual selves. I don't think there was anyone else who could host that kind of a show in that way. His daughter, Anne (or Ann?) is also very funny and wrote many articles, often talking about her father. He was about the same in person as he was on Information Please. I heard him as a guest on Duffy's Tavern and he wasn't nearly as funny. It was obviously scripted and he was trying too hard. He was at his best when he was relaxed, comfortable and around people who he knew well. That was the case with Information Please. I can almost imagine a bunch of old friends agreeing to meet at their club every week. The club was the show to which we were all invited. They never let the audience get in the way of the show or them having a good time. Unlike a lot of other book reviewers and critics, he wasn't snobbish and didn't make a point of showing off. He was an expert in his own right, but he never let himself, his ego, or his personality get in the way. Paraphrasing what NPR said on his passing, he was able to draw out the experts and get them to say things which they wouldn't otherwise. He could relax and nudge them in such a way that they would want to answer, leading to many of the funniest moments. 

He took great delight in trying to find the oddest, strangest and most unusual questions and asked them in such a way as to challenge the experts to get them correct without being pushy. You could hear him, for example, take great delight when all of them got the question wrong about reciting the opening announcement spoken at the start of every show by the announcer. He liked to make them think and got their wheels turning. I would have liked to meet him, but I think he would have been much more reserved in person around people he didn't know. 

As you probably know but your readers might not, he eventually became blind in his later years. That was at first distressing to him because he thought he would have no way to read books. Fortunately, both the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and an organization called Choice Magazine Listening make books and articles available on cassette and now for download. I have been a subscriber to Choice Magazine Listening for several years as was he, so I am in good company. They featured a lot of the articles by his daughter. You can find them at: http://www.choicemagazinelistening.org/. 

To give a brief idea of his personality, he would correct mistakes in restaurant menus. I don't know if he pointed them out to the manager, but he would actually take a pen and fix misspellings and incorrect grammar. He did that with other books as well. He always had to have something to read.

OTR BUFFET: Information Please was a tough quiz show but it was very entertaining as well, mostly because of the zaniness and comedic abilities of the panel and Fadiman. Your thoughts on the puns, songs, limericks, etc...?

Tony Baechler: I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at here. They were all funny in their own ways. I especially liked Levant and his musical ability, but it was the unrehearsed, relaxed atmosphere which made it what it was. I've often thought it would be great to recreate at a convention, but it wouldn't work because there was no script. I think it would be very hard to find a similar group of people with that blend of personalities. Once the audience got the point of the show, the questions became more interesting, so the series got better with time. The Lucky Strike shows are better than the Canada Dry shows, I think. Partially it was because the sponsor had more money, but also because the show had been around long enough to attract a regular following. The audience was as much a part of the game as the experts. The "game" wasn't just trying to stump the experts, but it was to make them say and do funny things in the process. For example, make Kieran sing even though Levant is the musical expert.

OTR BUFFET: Each week there was at least one noted star or writer who filled in to make up the 4 spots. Some of these people showed just how brilliant they were. Would you talk about the show's guests and those who have made an impression on you?

Tony Baechler: I haven't heard every show, but a few that immediately come to mind are Rex Stout, Fred Allen, Gracie Allen and Orson Welles. I of course knew who Rex Stout was from his Nero Wolfe novels, but I didn't know what he sounded like. He actually did a fair amount of radio work, almost none of which seems to be in circulation. He was very active during the second world war, completely giving up writing novels to help the war effort with his radio work. If any of it exists, I haven't found it, but I would really like to hear it. He was obviously very educated and you could hear it in how he answered. He was also very quiet, which I didn't expect. I somehow thought he would sound loud and fat, similar to how Wolfe sounded on radio. Instead, he's so soft-spoken that you can hardly hear him. In addition to writing, he was also a gourmet cook and invented a school banking system. He was well-read on many different subjects and seemed to have a broad range of knowledge. 

Orson Welles was Orson Welles, no matter where he was. I wouldn't say he dominated the show, but he certainly had a presence. He did very well as I recall and was able to answer quite a few questions. 

Gracie was also not at all like her character. She was bubbly on the show, however she was anything but an airhead. She had this odd way of answering. She sounded like she wasn't ever quite sure if she was right or not, but thought she would speak up anyway. George Burns said that part of why her character worked is because she was somewhat naturally that way. I mean that she had her own odd logic which made its own sense. I can definitely hear some of that on her all too few guest appearances. She was very pleasant to listen to and often surprised the audience with her correct answers. I think she surprised herself as well. 

Fred Allen was basically himself. He was also quiet. He almost mumbled a little and one wondered how involved he really was. He obviously knew a lot, but didn't say much. I got the impression that he was holding back so as to not take over the show. He wasn't very funny at all and his attempts at humor sounded forced. I think he felt uncomfortable without a script and didn't fit well into the show format. 

OTR BUFFET: Levant's knowledge has made a huge impression on me. Yes, he was a musical genius, without doubt. However, he was just as spooky-brilliant in many other areas. Surprisingly, Levant was someone who had mental problems later in life. What are your feelings about Levant?

Tony Baechler: Really? I had no idea that he had mental problems. I pretty much expressed my feelings above. I always looked forward to him as guest and I always hoped to hear him play something. He was a guest on an episode of Kraft Music Hall and was great there as well. He obviously had a flare for comedy and could easily put on a show by himself. I really wish I could've gone to one of his concerts and I hope that more of his musical work survives. He was definitely an artist, and often times artists are known to be odd.

Oscar Levant's book (1941)

Love baseball? Try Information Please

Do you enjoy very hard trivia?  I'll be honest with you, I don't. 

Information Please is very hard trivia with an amazing twist -- it's fabulously entertaining!

It is so because of the care-freeness of the game and the participants involved.  It all starts with Clifton Fadiman, who is sharp as a tack intellectually and his humor is sly and first rate. 

For instance, if you enjoy baseball (and it must be said that I love baseball!) you can find out many little tidbits on most every show.  I thought of this show because today the baseball season starts in the Major Leagues.

John Kieren is the resident sports expert on the show and knows a pitcher named Doc Pruitt "owned" Babe Ruth, striking him out a ridiculous 11 of 13 times he faced him.  He also shared the fat that Pruitt was left-handed and became a full-time dentist after his playing days. 

Kieren will also let you know that Casey Stengel got his first name because he was born in Kansas City (K.C.)

But it's not just baseball that gets the trivia treatment.  Science, politics, religion, geography, music, literature and even original limericks make the rounds.

The show is ripe with ingenious puns.  For instance, Fadiman asked the panel to name footwear in lines of literature.  Franklin P. Adams, who was a fixture on the show since the beginning, quipped, "These are the times that try men's souls."

Believe it or not, for a stuffy quiz show, the participants and the quizmaster yuk it up quite a bit - and this is the charm of the show.  Very few of us know the specifics of Shakepeare backwards and forwards or who made the final out in the 1922 World Series.  While you get a myriad of impossible-to-answer questions, you also get to hear four very scholarly men (and an occasional lady) sing barbershop quartet style;  the fact is that they can't sing -- which makes it even more fun.

Another fun feature of the show is that often the fourth part of the panel will be a Hollywood actor or actress.  Orson Welles and Boris Karloff are among the participants who find themselves looking rather brilliant but others did not fare so well or only answered questions about films, plays, popular tunes  or vaudeville.

Oscar Levant is one of the funniest ad-libbers out there and a genius when it comes to music.  It's hard to describe Levant, he must be heard to be appreciated.

This is the second time I have written to beckon you to Information Please.  I do this once again to let you know that you are missing a lot of fun.



©Jimbo 2010/2011

Again - more Information Please

It says above that John Kieran is 47 years old.  I always thought he was 65-70.

Clifton Fadiman

I'll say it AGAIN, these guys were as FUNNY as they were BRILLIANT

Not pictured was Clifton Fadiman, who wasn't funny but was brilliant, witty and 'punny.'  Levant was the funniest of them all and a bright musician.

Photo dump/March 1st

George Jessel

Information Please

Information Please

Mary Livingstone & Jack Benny

Burns and Allen

WC Fields, unknown, Charlie McCarthy/Edgar Bergen

Jack Benny

Abbott & Costello

Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone

Orson Welles

Fred Allen

Allen with Portland Hoffa (I think?)

Who knew: Information Please had a British counterpart

The show was called, "Any Questions?"

One of the best: Information Please

Information Please is a panel quiz show made up of 4 celebrities contestants.  Three of the panel were usually Franklin P. Adams (a newspaper columnist and writer of verse), John Kieran (another newspaper columnist and writer of books) and Oscar Levant (a composer, pianist and actor.)  Generally, the fourth spot would be held for an actor or actress but sometimes a noted author or newspaper columnist would wind up there.

Clifton Fadiman

The host was Clifton Fadiman a book editor and noted intellectual.  I dare say his wit was more clever and sly than any known game show host since or before.

While this crew sounds as if it were dryer than the desert, just the opposite is true.  While each had their own strength in the intelligence department, each was also very witty.  And this is a recipe for laughter -- intellectualism + cleverness.  Not a show goes by that I am not both amazed and also taken with laughter.

I'm usually surprised as well; for who knew the brilliance of Boris Karloff?   Karloff shows up as a guest now and again and wows you every time.

John Kieran

A young Orson Welles shows up and makes a monkey of the intellectuals; it seems he knows the answer to almost every question.

This goes on with almost the complete lot of guests - although it is obvious some are much brighter than others.

The questions are a bit high hat - a lot of Shakespeare questions and finish the quotation from books and plays and operas no one has ever heard of.  It really seems as though it would be boring - but I swear, nothing is further from the truth.

This is more than a quiz; the show is a spontaneous machine that makes me smile due to the panel's always-ready cleverness.  If you've never tried it before, give yourself a treat and try listening to this show.

Inside info on Information Please

Candid photo find for Information Please

Hodge-podging

One of my favorite shows is Information Please.  The host was Clifton Fadiman (he's pictured above.)

There was a lot of wit and wisdom of the show and even though the participants are like 1000x smarter than anyone I know, I really enjoy the banter and puns - there are a lot of puns.  (I think smart people enjoy puns, even though the old saying is that puns are the lowest form of humor.  I'm not so sure about that.

Above, a panel of Information Please contestants - and I am sorry but I do not recognize any of them.

These guys (above) I know because I found this photo in a newspaper online - one of the unique things about this blog... I plan on scouring those papers and bringing you insight and photos that you have never seen before.

I will also be exploring advertising premiums in specific programs.

When I hear a great or unusual program, I will let you know and let you know where you can find it.

Earlier today, I listened this Jack Benny program: 1936-10-25 229 Previews Romeo And Juliet.

Kenny Baker had some very funny lines in the first half of the program.

This blog will go here and there and do this and that.  I think you will enjoy it.