This Beat the Clock was a radio quiz show were contestants answered questions aganst the clock.
Broadcast (CBS Radio)[]
Weekly: 10/6/1948 – 12/29/1948
Daily: 2?/1949 – 9/1949
Packager[]
Host[]
Bud Collyer (Weekly)
Bill Cullen (Daily)
Gameplay[]
Contestants were chosen from the audience to answer up to five mulit-part questions within ten seconds apiece, with correct answers awarding money that decreased by a 10% of the starting value for each passing second. On the weekly show, all questions were worth up to $1,000, but on the daily show, each question could award as much as follows:
- Question #1 – $50
- Question #2 – $100
- Question #3 – $150
- Question #4 – $200
- Question #5 – $250
Contestants answering all five questions correctly would attempt to solve a "Time Rhyme" for a larger merchandise prize.
Trivia[]
The original title of the show was Time's a Wastin, but Goodson-Todman made the strange discovery that listeners thought it was a sort of "hillbilly program", resulting in low ratings and the weekly show's cancelation. The show was renamed when it became daily.