Break the Bank was spawned during the postwar quiz boom, when radio giveaways
were the hottest things on the air. Originally a war-time summer show, it had
used a different master of ceremonies every week. One of them was Bert Parks,
a young soldier just returned. Parks displayed such vigor and enthusiasm on
the air that when Mutual decided to book the show in 1945, he was tapped as
permanent emcee.
It became one of the biggest cash giveaways on Radio Row. Bank jackpots of
four figures were common. The "bank" started at $1,000 and was enriched weekly
until someone won. On Christmas Eve 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Clifton Powers walked
out of the ABC Ritz Theatre $9,000 richer-then an all-time record for radio.
And Mrs. Powers got on the air only because her 3-year-old son Michael
squirmed out of her arms and ran up on the stage during the broadcast.
Break the Bank ran on Mutual for a year, then moved to ABC where it ran
Fridays for Bristol-Myers until 1949. It moved to NBC for a final season on
Wednesdays in 1949-50. The show was designed for people in the know; the
questions were definitely tougher than average, but the rewards were greater.
Break the Bank was built around different category questions, each category
containing eight queries worth $10 to $500. The contestant who got that far
was asked one final question to "break the bank." One miss was allowed; when
a contestant missed twice, the "bank" was enriched by the total of his or her
winnings.
One of the most interesting sidelights was the selection process for
contestants. Co-host Bud Collyer scanned the audience for potentials, and
directed men with portable microphones to the people in their seats. The
potentials were brought onstage before the show and were interviewed briefly
by producer Ed Wolfe. Wolfe would then select the order of their appearance,
giving $5 to those who didn't make it.
In its salad days, Break the Bank was telecast simultaneously. The most
visual thing about it was the table piled high with fresh greenbacks. Break
the Bank paid its smaller winners-in cash and on the spot. Winners of large
"bank" jackpots were paid with checks that were being processed even before
the applause had died away. The questions were written by Joseph Nathan Kane,
author of Famous First Facts, and the show was tied together with the music
of Peter Van Steeden.
Reprinted from the book "Tune In Yesterday" by John Dunning
Replies
Dear James,
Thanks so much for teaching me something new about old time radio game shows. I look forward to hearing the episodes.
Bob
You're welcome, Robert.......enjoy!!
Break the Bank was spawned during the postwar quiz boom, when radio giveaways
were the hottest things on the air. Originally a war-time summer show, it had
used a different master of ceremonies every week. One of them was Bert Parks,
a young soldier just returned. Parks displayed such vigor and enthusiasm on
the air that when Mutual decided to book the show in 1945, he was tapped as
permanent emcee.
It became one of the biggest cash giveaways on Radio Row. Bank jackpots of
four figures were common. The "bank" started at $1,000 and was enriched weekly
until someone won. On Christmas Eve 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Clifton Powers walked
out of the ABC Ritz Theatre $9,000 richer-then an all-time record for radio.
And Mrs. Powers got on the air only because her 3-year-old son Michael
squirmed out of her arms and ran up on the stage during the broadcast.
Break the Bank ran on Mutual for a year, then moved to ABC where it ran
Fridays for Bristol-Myers until 1949. It moved to NBC for a final season on
Wednesdays in 1949-50. The show was designed for people in the know; the
questions were definitely tougher than average, but the rewards were greater.
Break the Bank was built around different category questions, each category
containing eight queries worth $10 to $500. The contestant who got that far
was asked one final question to "break the bank." One miss was allowed; when
a contestant missed twice, the "bank" was enriched by the total of his or her
winnings.
One of the most interesting sidelights was the selection process for
contestants. Co-host Bud Collyer scanned the audience for potentials, and
directed men with portable microphones to the people in their seats. The
potentials were brought onstage before the show and were interviewed briefly
by producer Ed Wolfe. Wolfe would then select the order of their appearance,
giving $5 to those who didn't make it.
In its salad days, Break the Bank was telecast simultaneously. The most
visual thing about it was the table piled high with fresh greenbacks. Break
the Bank paid its smaller winners-in cash and on the spot. Winners of large
"bank" jackpots were paid with checks that were being processed even before
the applause had died away. The questions were written by Joseph Nathan Kane,
author of Famous First Facts, and the show was tied together with the music
of Peter Van Steeden.
Reprinted from the book "Tune In Yesterday" by John Dunning
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