Can You Top This?

Can You Top This? was a variety panel game show that had everything about talent and jokes.

Broadcast
Radio 1940-1952

ABC (TV) 1950-1951

Syndicated (TV) 1970

Hosts
Peter Donald 1940-1952 (Radio)

Ward Wilson 1940-1952 (Radio and ABC TV)

Roger Bower 1940-1952 (Radio)

Dennis James 1940-1952 (Radio)

Wink Martindale 1970 (Syndicated TV Version)

Gameplay
Listeners contributed approximately 3,000 jokes a week. Host Donald told the best of these jokes, each one centered around a different topic, while a "laugh meter" took note of the audience reaction. The "Knights of the Clown Table" - Ford, Hershfield and Joe Laurie, Jr. attempted to top listeners with their own jokes, which sometimes presented an extra challenge as their jokes had to be pertinent to the topic.

Any submission used on the program received ten dollars. Each time a panelist failed to top Peter Donald's joke (as registered on the laugh meter which went as high as 1000), an additional five dollars was added, so a listener could potentially win as much as $25, though on many occasions Donald's jokes would score perfect 1000s which would guarantee the top prize to the submitter regardless of how the rest of the panel fared. Further, listeners were also given phonograph recordings of Peter Donald telling their jokes on the air. The panelists claimed that together they knew over 15,000 jokes.

Panel
Harry Hershfield

Edward Ford

Joe Laurie Jr.

Link
[http://rjgameshows.bravehost.com/canyoutopthis.html Josh Rebich's Can You Top This? Rule Sheet]