Number Please
| Number Please | |
|---|---|
 Reggie Dombeck and host Bud Collyer with actor Paul Burke as a contestant. | |
| Format | Game Show |
| Created by |
Mark Goodson Bill Todman |
| Presented by | Bud Collyer |
| Narrated by | Ralph Paul |
| Country of origin |
 United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | January 30, 1961 – December 29, 1961 |
Number Please is a Goodson-Todman Productions game show hosted by Bud Collyer which aired from January 30 to December 29, 1961.[1] It replaced Collyer's Beat the Clock when its ABC run completed, and was an early predecessor of Wheel of Fortune and other word-puzzle game shows.
Game play
Two contestants competed against each other to solve a puzzle on a game board. Each contestant had their own row on the board, with each row's spaces numbered 1–20.[2] Contestants alternated choosing a number not yet revealed in their own puzzle, with each number revealing either a letter or a space.
Each puzzle described a prize, and the first contestant who thought they could solve both rows rang in and said their answer for both rows exactly as they appeared on the board. If they were correct, they won both prizes and, occasionally, other related items.
When the series began, the winner played against a new opponent and five wins retired that contestant as an undefeated champion. By May, this was amended to best-of-three with the appearance limit dropped.
References
- ↑ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total television: the comprehensive guide to programming from 1948 to the present. University of Michigan: Penguin Books. p. 610. ISBN 0-14-024916-8.
- ↑ Schwartz, David (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows. Checkmark Books. p. 156. ISBN 0-8160-3847-3.