One of a series of short films that made up the “G.I. Movie Weekly”, a news magazine shown to troops, “Information Please” features radio commentator Clifton Fadiman peppering a team of noted experts with questions, many of which take the form of pantomimes. Host Clifton Paul “Kip” Fadiman was the Alex Trebeck of his era — an intellectual, author, editor, radio and (after WWII) television personality who had “encyclopedic knowledge” spanning many topics. “Information Please” ran as a radio show on NBC from 1938 to 1951. The title was the contemporary phrase used to request from telephone operators what was then called “information” and later called “directory assistance”. During World War II, the show frequently went on tours from its New York City base to promote the buying of war bonds.
In “Information Please” Clifton fires questions at a quartet of experts. If any of them get it right, a cash register sound is heard and a $25 defense bond is donated by Pathe to the Red Cross. Although this performance was filmed, the show is presented the same way it was recorded for radio broadcast. Three men and a woman answer the questions: Oscar Levant, pianist, Cornelia Otis Skinner, actress and author, Franklin P. Adams, newspaper columnist, and John Kieran, sports expert. Questions are asked (:49-2:58). A pantomime about Sir Francis Drake — a man practices bowling while the four watch him. The group then answers questions. A man plays cricket, referencing the Duke of Wellington’s famous quote about the fields of Eton. The four sit at a table. A man runs shirtless, he then collapses, referencing Pheidippides. They are to guess what this represents — the marathon (2:59-5:01). Clifton talks with John Kieran. Clifton asks them to identify a famous man based off the action of actors. A man enters handing out a newspaper. He then writes something down and then sits down and another man enters and whispers into his ear. Skinner correctly guesses this represents Thomas Edison. Next a man collects his winnings at a window and then the man who paid boxes before putting on a mustache. Levant correctly guesses James J. Corbett and jokes that he read about Corbett in Kieran’s book “The American Sporting Scene” (5:02-7:24). Clifton announces the next pantomime of famous shootings. First, a couple plays cards and another man enters and plays the piano before drawing a gun on the couple — but the other man draws a gun as well. Adams announces this is the death of Dan McGrew, the subject of a poem by Robert W. Service. Next two men are shown in a room, one man fixes a picture while the other man enters and shoots him in the back. Kieran correctly identifies this as the death of Jesse James (7:25-9:00). Next, a segment in which the experts have to guess the national origin of various dances. Skinner guesses oriental and then Indian. Oscar guesses Japanese, but it turns out it is Javan or East Indian. This costs the group a $25 defense bond. The performer does another dance move. This time Skinner guesses correctly that it is a Scotch Saw Dance. The performer does a final dance. Levant guesses it’s an American dance — the jitterbug. (9:01-11:09). End credits (11:10-11:14).
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