Bob Hawk Quiz Whiz

The Milwaukee Journal – Apr 27, 1941        

Bob Hawk Quiz Whiz

SOME persons may shine at answering questions on a radio contest of wits—when they are seated by their own firesides. They can make allowances for themselves, conceding this and that, and there is nobody to contradict them.

But let these same people step on a stage before a microphone, with one eye on the adlibbing Bob Hawk and the other on a large and enthusiastic audience. Then their knees are wabbly and their brains befogged, as the master of ceremonies of the radio game show “Take It Or Leave It” volleys questions at them.

However, as Bob says, this broadcast is offered in the spirit of good fun and not as any real test of an individual’s intelligence. A simple question begins each series. Occasionally it baffles a nervous contestant, who is more or less in a daze through the thought of his voice being heard by millions, including his friends and his employer, and also because of the presence of the large gathering, watching as well as listening. Imagine the embarrassment of the policeman on one program who flunked when asked. “What do runners jump over in a hurdle race?” A hurdle never occurred to him. All he could think of were ditches and bushes.

Correct answers to seven questions, by the simple process of doubling up from $1 on, end in a successful contestant winning $64. Hence, when people take their places in a theater where the broadcast is being held, they are hopeful of being drawn among the contestants. A cheery, energetic young man picks the lucky numbers from a glass bowl containing the ticket stubs and one after another the candidates appear on the stage. If the first five contestants happen to be men, all the other must be women.

AT 8 P. M. (CST) the program is on the air. A nervous contestant is apt to envy David Ross, the announcer, and also Bob Hawk, for they are as cool as the proverbial cucumber. The master of ceremonies rattles off the details of the show, very much as he has done since it started in April, last year. He emphasizes that the contestants can “take or leave” the question and draw down the money they may have won up to that point.

The 10 contestants are seated to the audience’s left and near them is a blackboard on which is written the various categories of questions from which the candidates may choose.

A man “takes” a seventh question. There are cries from the audience of “Take it” and “You’ll be sorry.” There is round of applause when he gives the correct answer, for the final question is usually a stiff one.

Then a girl elects to answer Bob Hawk’s queries about Broadway. She knows that Tallulah Bankhead was the stellar performer in the play “The Little Foxes” but is forced to resign when she can’t remember the principal player in “Louisiana Purchase.”

The next, candidate is a tall young man, who tells Mr. Hawk that he is unemployed and that he would like to get work as contact man in the advertising business. There is naturally a great deal of sympathy for this rather nervous candidate, who chooses to take this chances on the category listed as “Cities.”

He knows that Buffalo is the second city on point of population in New York State, that Los Angeles is the largest city west of the Mississippi. He stumbles over another query, but Bob Hawk allows him to make a quick correction and finally he answers the seventh question. He is quite excited as he returns to his chair with $64, which he at first stuffs in the top pocket of his coat with a handkerchief. Then, thinking that that is no place to keep money, he takes out his wallet and puts the bills in it.

INTEREST in the program is sustained to the very end, for after the individual queries are finished, there is a jackpot question, the correct answer to which gives the fortunate ones a chance to share in the money of those who have flunked, plus $25 added by the sponsors.

Some of these questions have been, “What is the state in this country that reaches farthest north? (Minnesota). “Give a common word of six letters or more with a vowel in it” (Rhythm); “Who was the only vice-president who resigned from office?” (John C Calhoun); “Give a common English word with three sets of double letters in sequence?” (Bookkeeping or Bookkeeper);  “In what year were dollar bills reduced to their present size?” (July, 1929); “What is the largest body of fresh water in the world?” (Lake Superior); “What is the largest state completely east of the Mississippi?” (Georgia); “What letter of alphabet starts more English words than any other? (S); “In what state was Abraham Lincoln born?” (Kentucky).

After one program, several months ago, many listeners were certain that Bob has made a mistake. It was after he asked how many times does the number eight appear between 1 to 100. The answer is 20 times and most of the listeners had omitted to remember the 8’s that come in a row of the eighties. Quite a number of these “Jackpot Questions” have resulted in the money going to the Red Cross, which happens when nobody gives the correct answer.

Many of the comments and replies of the candidates have been humorous. There was the case of a Mrs. O’Leary who, not being at her case, said that she was related to the cow that kicked over the lantern in a Chicago barn. Another young lady chose to answer questions about hall.

She was emphatic in saying that Scarlet O’Hara was redhead, refusing to agree with Mr. Hawk that the character was a brunet. The master of ceremonies allowed the answer. The nest question was, “What does the saying ‘Splitting bans’ mean?” The wide awake contestant replied, “What you and are doing now.”

SHOULD any mistake be made by Hawk, he is quick to see that matters are remedied. Not so long ago a contestant was asked. “What state is second to New York in sending most representatives to congress.” At the moment, Mr. Hawk thought it was Illinois, but he discovered his error in time to reward the contestant, who had answered “Pennsylvania,” which is correct, and, as it was the seventh question, the man received his $64.

Hawk says that he was surprised at the results from the question category, “Name the states of which given cities are capitals” It has so far been tried five times and none of the candidates has passed the examination Bob Hawk is thinking of having a category on dates in history, which, to encourage the candidates, might, he said staff off with. “When was the war of 1812?”

The answers to questions are never a case of opinions. They must be factual. The idea of the “Take It Or Leave It” radio program was thought up by a schoolteacher in Atlanta Ga., but it has been improved upon by Bob Hawk. The largest audience at the broadcast was recently in the ballroom of the Astor hotel when 4,000 were present. The average number of requests for tickets each week is more than 37,000.

Bob Hawk (above) rose from a local Chicago announcer to emcee of one of radio’s top radio quiz shows, “Take It OrLeave It.” In the upper picture is shown a typical Sunday night broadcast. Hawk is at the mike, facing the young lady.