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.

After the success of Professor Quiz

Professor Quiz

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...

, radio's first quiz show which began four months earlier, Uncle Jim's Question Bee was broadcasting's second quiz program. The questions came from listeners. Three men and three women were chosen from the audience by the show's publicist, Adele Wesley, to become the contestants competing for the $25 prize money.

Schedule

Sponsored by George Washington Coffee, the half-hour program premiered September 26, 1936 and ran until December 16, 1939, airing on Saturday evenings at 7:30pm. George Washington Coffee also sponsored Professor Quiz. The following year it was sponsored by Lever Brothers (Spry), as it moved to Tuesdays (and later Wednesdays at 8pm) on CBS, where it was heard from June 18 to October 2, 1940, as a summer replacement show for Big Town

Big Town

Big Town is a popular long-running radio drama series which was later adapted to both film and television and a comic book published by DC Comics.-Radio:...

. It returned to the Blue Network for a run from October 8, 1940 to July 8, 1941, still sponsored by Lever Brothers but hosted by Bill Slater

Bill Slater (broadcaster)

Bill Slater was an educator, sports announcer, and radio/television personality from the 1920s through the 1950s. He was perhaps best known for hosting the radio shows Twenty Questions and Luncheon at Sardi's...

.

Television

A special telecast of the show was shown on the formal commercial television debut of NBC (WNBT in NY). This one-time event was seen July 1, 1941, preceding Truth or Consequences

Truth or Consequences

Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...

that evening as first commercial TV game show telecast.

Products

The program generated tie-in merchandising, including Uncle Jim's Question Bee Game, which was given to both contestants and those who sent in questions. Listeners could also purchase a Q&A book, Uncle Jim's Question Bee Quiz Book. Jim McWilliams was seen on the front cover.