Number Please
Encyclopedia
Number Please is a Goodson-Todman Productions game show
hosted by Bud Collyer
which aired from January 30 to December 29, 1961. 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.
Each puzzle would describe a prize, and the first player who thought they could solve both rows would ring in and have to say their answer for both rows exactly as they appeared on the board. If they were correct, they would win both prizes and, occasionally, other related items.
When the series began, the winner played against a new opponent and five wins retired that player as an undefeated champion. By May, this was amended to best-of-three with the appearance limit dropped.
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...
hosted by Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
which aired from January 30 to December 29, 1961. It replaced Collyer's Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock
Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950.The original show, hosted by Bud Collyer, ran on CBS from 1950–1958 and ABC from 1958–1961. The show was revived in syndication as The New Beat the Clock from 1969–1974, with Jack Narz...
when its ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
run completed, and was an early predecessor of Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
and other word-puzzle game shows.
Gameplay
Two contestants competed against each other on the game board, which had two rows of 20 spaces each, numbered 1-20. Players alternated choosing a number from their puzzle which had not yet been revealed, with each number revealing either a letter or a space.Each puzzle would describe a prize, and the first player who thought they could solve both rows would ring in and have to say their answer for both rows exactly as they appeared on the board. If they were correct, they would win both prizes and, occasionally, other related items.
When the series began, the winner played against a new opponent and five wins retired that player as an undefeated champion. By May, this was amended to best-of-three with the appearance limit dropped.