Let's Play Post Office
Encyclopedia
Let's Play Post Office was an American
game show
which aired on NBC
from September 27, 1965 to July 1, 1966. Don Morrow
was the host, with Bill Wendell
and Wayne Howell
as announcers. Paul Taubman, who had previously worked with Morrow on Camouflage
, provided music.
The series aired at 12:30 PM Eastern and was the second game show by Merv Griffin Productions
; the first was Jeopardy!
, which had premiered on NBC eighteen months earlier (and in fact had moved to 12:00 Noon on the day Post Office debuted, becoming the show's lead-in throughout its run).
Morrow specified when and where the letter might have been written, then began to read the letter one line at a time; the value of the letter decreased as Morrow continued to read. Contestants could buzz in at any point to make a guess, with a correct answer winning the current value of the letter. Clues were often puns; for example: "The temperature outside is zero. I mostel you." (Answer: Zero Mostel
.)
The high scorer after this round became champion and returned on the following episode.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
which aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from September 27, 1965 to July 1, 1966. Don Morrow
Don Morrow
Don Morrow is an American actor and announcer. He started his broadcast career while a student at Syracuse University on the GI Bill shortly after World War II. His first job was with Syracuse's first TV station WHEN as newscaster and announcer...
was the host, with Bill Wendell
Bill Wendell
Bill Wendell was an NBC television staff announcer for almost his entire professional career.-Biography:...
and Wayne Howell
Wayne Howell
Wayne Clay Howell Chappelle , known professionally as Wayne Howell, was a voice-over announcer for the NBC television and radio networks from 1947 through 1986...
as announcers. Paul Taubman, who had previously worked with Morrow on Camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, provided music.
The series aired at 12:30 PM Eastern and was the second game show by Merv Griffin Productions
Merv Griffin Enterprises
Merv Griffin Enterprises was a television production company founded by Merv Griffin, in business from 1964 to 1994.-History:The company was first established as Merv Griffin Productions in 1964 and Griffin's first production was Jeopardy! In 1965, his talk show The Merv Griffin Show returned to...
; the first was Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, which had premiered on NBC eighteen months earlier (and in fact had moved to 12:00 Noon on the day Post Office debuted, becoming the show's lead-in throughout its run).
Gameplay
Three contestants competed, one usually a returning champion, to identify celebrities from fictitious letters they might have written. Each letter had a predetermined value of $5–$100.Morrow specified when and where the letter might have been written, then began to read the letter one line at a time; the value of the letter decreased as Morrow continued to read. Contestants could buzz in at any point to make a guess, with a correct answer winning the current value of the letter. Clues were often puns; for example: "The temperature outside is zero. I mostel you." (Answer: Zero Mostel
Zero Mostel
Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel was an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in Fiddler on the Roof, Pseudolus on stage and on screen in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Max Bialystock in the original film version...
.)
Zip Round
The final round had five one-line messages, with the contestants trying to identify the name of each "sender". Correct answers added $25, while wrong answers deducted $25.The high scorer after this round became champion and returned on the following episode.