This probably doesn't belong here, since it happened on radio, but
it's worth a retelling anyway, since it relates to the "King For A Day"
episode of "Top Cat." Back in the late 1940s big-prize game shows
such as "Break The Bank" and "Stop The Music" were the hottest shows
on radio (and quite popular on television as well, considering that in
1950 "Stop The Music" and "The Lone Ranger" were the only two ABC
television shows in the top 30), and on one of Fred Allen's many appearances
on Jack Benny's show, he announces that he has decided to become the host of one of
these shows. The show he's going to do is also called "King For A Day,"
and Jack wants to be a contestant after he sees all the expensive prizes
the show is giving away. No, says Fred, professional people cannot appear
as contestants. So Jack disguises himself as one "Myron Proudfoot" and wins;
among his prizes is a free pressing of his trousers. The stagehands move in to
remove them, and an angry Jack says, "Come on, Allen, give me back my pants!"
Allen refuses. Jack: "Allen, you haven't seen the end of me!" Allen: "Won't
be long now!"
Allen did a number of game-show parodies on his radio show, such as "Cease The
Melody," a satire of "Stop The Music" with Henry Morgan playing Bert Parks; and
"Break The Contestant," a satire of "Break The Bank" with Don McNeill ("The Breakfast
Club") playing the host.
Ironically, Allen ended his career on real television game shows, as host of "Judge For
Yourself" and then as a panelist on "What's My Line?" (which he was still doing at
the time of his death in 1956). (He was also first choice to host "Two For The Money,"
but had to bow out because of a heart attack, and Herb Shriner got the job. Allen
did substitute for Shriner at least once, on January 9, 1954; that show has aired on GSN.)
Benny did another game-show related sketch, this one on television, in 1955, as
he disguises himself to be a contestant on "You Bet Your Life." He loses on the
big question: What is Jack Benny's real age?
Burns and Allen did a two-parter (I think it was in 1958) in which Gracie is hypnotized
into being the smartest woman in the world; she goes on a big-money quiz show, wins
a huge amount of money, and drives people even more crazy than usual, spouting off
all sorts of obscure facts. Eventually, the hypnotist breaks the trance and Gracie is her
usual self again...to George's relief.
(BTW, Gracie once appeared on the radio show "Information Please" and proved to be
quite knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects.)
I should also mention one that Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did on "The Colgate Comedy
Hour": "The $64,000,000 Question," with Dean as Hal April (the host of the real "$64,000
Question" was Hal March) and Jerry as a contestant who, instead of entering an isolation booth, is
pushed under water.
And there was Bob Newhart playing an unwilling contestant on an SNL sketch, "The Dating
Zone." In the interest of not getting kicked off this board, I won't elaborate.