Information Please

In this June 14, 1938, episode of Information Please, moderator Clifton Fadiman returns with another spirited round of trivia, challenging a panel of experts to answer quirky, thought-provoking questions from the listening public. This week’s guest of honor is playwright Marc Connelly, known for The Green Pastures, who joins columnist Franklin P. Adams, editor Marcus Duffield, and sports columnist...

Join us for the June 7, 1938, episode of Information Please, where moderator Clifton Fadiman orchestrates another delightful battle of wits between the listening public and a panel of esteemed experts. This week’s lineup includes humorist Franklin P. Adams, science educator Bernard Jaffe, Herald Tribune editor Marcus Duffield, and special guest, sports columnist John Kieran. With $5 on the line fo...

In this Christmas Day 1944 broadcast of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman leads the panel from the Naval Hospital in St. Albans, New York, bringing holiday cheer to service members and listeners alike. Regular experts Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran are joined by special guests Fred Allen, the famed radio comedian, and Judge James G. Wallace of the New York Court of General Sessions. The...

In this February 5, 1945, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman welcomes regular panelists Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, joined by special guests Clifton Webb and Moss Hart, both prominent figures of the stage and screen. The evening blends literary wit, theatrical insight, music, and art in a fast-moving session of cultural trivia and spirited banter. Highlights include a lively deb...

In this October 23, 1944, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes a uniquely cultured panel featuring virtuoso pianist Artur Rubinstein and celebrated author and lecturer Lewis Browne, alongside series regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran. Together, they dive into a rich mix of history, music, and literature, wrapped in the show’s trademark humor and intellectual charm....

In this September 11, 1944, season premiere of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes poet and Mrs. Miniver creator Jan Struther and actor Alexander Knox—acclaimed for his role as Woodrow Wilson—alongside beloved regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran. Originally slated to appear, Wendell Willkie sends his regrets due to illness, offering a touching note that opens the episode. High...

In this March 20, 1944, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman brings a unique political twist to the panel, welcoming Senate Majority Leader Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky and Senator Theodore Green of Rhode Island, alongside regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran. The blend of legislative insight and literary wit makes for an unusually rich and lively episode. The panel tackles a...

In this February 28, 1944, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman moderates a witty and illuminating panel featuring Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, Oscar Levant, and special guest Franchot Tone, the accomplished screen actor known for his recent role in Phantom Lady. Together, they explore a lively assortment of cultural and historical trivia with spirited exchanges and laughs. Highlights...

In this January 24, 1944, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes novelist Elizabeth Janeway and composer and music critic Deems Taylor to join regulars John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams. The panel dives into a rich mix of literature, music, history, and natural science, delivering sharp insights and plenty of laughter. Highlights include literary love triangles featuring Heat...

In this June 21, 1943, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman hosts a spirited panel including Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, Oscar Levant, and special guest Hilary St. George Saunders, the British author and co-writer of Combined Operations. The panel engages in a lively transatlantic exchange covering war operations, British customs, literary figures, and musical trivia. Highlights incl...

In this February 12, 1945, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman hosts regulars John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams, alongside two notable guests: best-selling novelist Faith Baldwin and beloved radio humorist Fred Allen. With Allen temporarily taking over as emcee mid-show, the episode blends highbrow wit with comic flair. The panel tackles a curious mix of questions—from ghostly cameos in...

In this February 19, 1945, episode of Information Please, quizmaster Clifton Fadiman leads the panel with regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, joined by two fascinating guests: foreign correspondent and author John Gunther, and Hollywood director-actor Gregory Ratoff. The conversation takes a cosmopolitan turn as Ratoff offers spirited insight into Russian drinks like kvass and kumis, while...

In this December 24, 1945, episode of Information Please, quizmaster Clifton Fadiman leads a spirited panel featuring regulars John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams, joined by distinguished editor and critic John Mason Brown and special guest Boris Karloff, the legendary actor known for his horror roles. The episode flows with wit and curiosity through a variety of challenging topics—from the scientif...

In this March 27, 1942, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman leads a dynamic panel including regulars Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, and Oscar Levant, joined by special guest Wallace R. Deuel, the esteemed journalist and foreign correspondent. The evening features spirited exchanges across history, music, literature, and global affairs. Topics range from the mythic origins of Pando...

In this January 30, 1948, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes two of the most powerful voices in opera: Wagnerian greats Helen Traubel and Lauritz Melchior. Joining regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, the panel delivers a program brimming with musical insights, operatic humor, and classical knowledge. The evening’s highlights include identifying famous delusions in...

In this July 23, 1940, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes comedic radio genius Fred Allen and acclaimed playwright Howard Lindsay to the panel, alongside regulars John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams. The result is a fast-paced, hilariously unpredictable half-hour brimming with satire, sharp wit, and impressive trivia knowledge. Fred Allen's dry humor and Lindsay's theatrica...

In this June 20, 1939, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes a dynamic and delightfully contrasting duo—famed journalist and author John Gunther and comedienne Gracie Allen. Joining regular panelists Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, the panel dives into trivia with a unique blend of intellect and whimsy. Highlights include a comical exploration of mythical flying figures,...

In this January 10, 1944, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman hosts a dynamic panel featuring regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran, alongside special guests Congressman John M. Coffey and celebrated author and essayist Christopher Morley. The show brims with erudition and wit as the panel tackles an eclectic mix of history, literature, language, and even cosmetics. Highlights incl...

In this January 3, 1944, episode of Information Please, host Clifton Fadiman welcomes a sharp-witted panel including Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, Oscar Levant, and special guest Louis Bromfield, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and conservationist. The discussion meanders through literary pairings, famous paintings, and even barnyard brawls in classic Information Please fashion. Listeners ar...

In this December 27, 1943, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman moderates a spirited session with panelists John Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, and special guests Leon Henderson, noted New Deal economist and former OPA head, and Jan Struther, poet and creator of “Mrs. Miniver.” The panel tackles a wide array of questions ranging from the etymology of peculiar phrases like “namby-pamby” and “...

In this December 20, 1943, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman hosts the ever-engaging panel featuring Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, Oscar Levant, and special guest Jesse Stuart, celebrated author of Taps for Private Tussie. Hailing from Kentucky, Stuart brings homespun charm and literary insight to the witty exchanges. The panel fields a lively assortment of trivia, ranging from fict...

In this December 13, 1943, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman moderates regulars Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran with two distinguished guests: news commentator Quincy Howe and diplomat-scholar T. F. Tsiang. The panel ricochets from literature to geopolitics—quoting Shakespeare and Confucius, revisiting wartime maps, and trading quips about clocks, conferences, and courtship—while He...

In this December 6, 1943, episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman presides over a lively panel featuring Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, and special guests Lewis Browne and Nobel Prize–winning novelist Sinclair Lewis. Wit flies as the “friendly enemies” trade barbs and brainpower across literature, language, and legend. Highlights include melodrama in verse from “The Highwayman” to “The Sho...

Journey back to the golden age of radio with this lively episode of Information Please, aired on May 17, 1938. Hosted by the witty Clifton Fadiman, this quiz show flips the traditional format by allowing the public to quiz a panel of renowned experts, each one ready to field questions on topics ranging from classical literature and science to history and humor. The esteemed panel for the evening i...

In this November 29, 1943 episode of Information Please, Clifton Fadiman hosts the familiar panel of Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, and Oscar Levant, joined by the eminent guest Artur Rubinstein, the celebrated concert pianist. Together, they mix sharp wit with high culture in a lively wartime broadcast. Highlights include painterly trivia from Goya to Whistler, a dazzling test of musical paraphr...