The Answer Man

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The Answer Man was a 15-minute radio program that aired from 1937 to 1956 on the Mutual network and also in syndication. Albert Mitchell was the Answer Man, and the series was created by Mitchell and Bruce Chapman. During the 1940s, the program was sponsored by Trommer's White Label Beer.

Questions submitted by listeners were answered on the air by the Answer Man, and the questions which were not used in the program were given answers by mail. The offices were located across the street from the New York Public Library, which helps to explain how Chapman and his staff were able to deal with a constant flow of a million questions a year. The show was carefully scripted, yet it created the illusion that Mitchell was answering spontaneously. Many listeners believed that he was a genius with total recall of all information.

On some stations, such as New York's WOR, the program was heard twice a day. The questions and answers covered every conceivable topic, from stain removal to legal advice. Typical questions:

• How tall was Jesus?
• What makes bubble gum bubble?
• Is it true that only the male cricket chirps?

According to an article printed in the 1940s, there were two questions that the Answer Man was unable to answer:

• How many buffalo would it take to fill Grand Canyon?
• Do birds dream?

The series was sometimes developed for individual markets, such as local versions in Germany, Greece, Holland and Poland, with Radio Luxembourg also broadcasting the concept in Europe. In Los Angeles, Joe Mansfield was the Answer Man.

There was a spin-off quiz book, The Answer Man by Albert Mitchell (Miles-Emmett, 1946), distributed by Dodd, Mead & Co. It featured more that 2000 questions and answers, grouped by subject.