Professor Quiz
Encyclopedia
Professor Quiz was radio's first true quiz program, broadcast with many different sponsors from 1936 to 1948 on CBS and ABC. The program featured Professor Quiz, his wife Betty and his son, Professor Quiz Jr. The program's announcer was Robert Trout
.
It began May 9, 1936, sponsored by George Washington Coffee, on a limited CBS hook-up from Washington, D.C., expanding to the full network on September 18, 1936 from New York. George Washington Coffee also sponsored Uncle Jim's Question Bee
, radio's second quiz show which began four months after the debut of Professor Quiz. Arthur Godfrey
was a host of the program in 1937. The series moved to ABC on January 24, 1946, continuing until the last program on July 17, 1948.
Winners who correctly answered questions received $25 in silver dollars. The quizmaster, Professor Quiz, was Dr. Craig Earl, a pseudonym for Arthur E. Baird, who claimed to have a degree in theology from Tufts University
, and did an early exercise and health program on Boston radio in the early 1920s under that name. Baird eventually reinvented himself as Craig Earl, scholar and world traveller. Radio historian Donna Halper writes:
Robert Trout
Robert "Bob" Trout was an American broadcast news reporter, best known for his radio work before and during World War II...
.
It began May 9, 1936, sponsored by George Washington Coffee, on a limited CBS hook-up from Washington, D.C., expanding to the full network on September 18, 1936 from New York. George Washington Coffee also sponsored Uncle Jim's Question Bee
Uncle Jim's Question Bee
Uncle Jim's Question Bee was a radio quiz program, hosted by Jim McWilliams, which began on the Blue Network in 1936 and continued until 1941....
, radio's second quiz show which began four months after the debut of Professor Quiz. Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
was a host of the program in 1937. The series moved to ABC on January 24, 1946, continuing until the last program on July 17, 1948.
Winners who correctly answered questions received $25 in silver dollars. The quizmaster, Professor Quiz, was Dr. Craig Earl, a pseudonym for Arthur E. Baird, who claimed to have a degree in theology from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, and did an early exercise and health program on Boston radio in the early 1920s under that name. Baird eventually reinvented himself as Craig Earl, scholar and world traveller. Radio historian Donna Halper writes:
- One article claimed he had been an orphan, and bravely overcame that tragic circumstance. His 1918 draft card revealed he was living at home in Medford with his folks and attending college...The reason for the reinvention, as it turns out, was he didn't want to pay alimony or child support to his first wife. But the courts did find him, and in 1942, he lost his case and had to pay his ex a then-large sum of cash (more than $25,000). The story was carried by a number of newspapers, and in the court case, his real name (Arthur E. Baird) was given along with his nom de radio, Craig Earl. And yet... despite what must have been some bad publicity at the time, he was still able to continue being Craig Earl and after a hiatus, his career continued till he once again dropped from view.