''Add a Line'' was a daytime radio

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

which aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

July 4, 1949, to September 26, 1949.Terrace, Vincent. (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 8. The title came from the show's format, which "called for players to add the final line to a rhyme given to them by the host."Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930-1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . P. 3. The 30-minute program was broadcast at 2:30 p.m. and other time periods during its run. The host was John Nelson (1915-76), who was heard on other audience participation radio shows, including ''Bride and Groom'' and '' Breakfast at Sardi's''. In ''Radio and Television'' (Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1950), Garnet R. Garrison and Giraud Chester noted: :By 1949, the give-away programs had taken on the character of a bonanza. One CBS program offered a jackpot of $50,000 to the lucky winner.

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

launched a mammoth quiz called ''Hollywood Calling'' to compete with the

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

show.

had ''Stop the Music'', '' Strike It Rich'' and ''Add a Line''. Mutual, with its ''

Queen for a Day ''Queen for a Day'' is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. ''Queen for a Day'' originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, i ...

'', managed to give away more prizes than any of the other networks.Garrison, Garnet R. and Chester, Giraud. ''Radio and Television'', 550 pages. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1950.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Add A Line 1940s American radio programs 1950s American radio programs American radio game shows 1940s American game shows ABC radio programs