Number Please

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Number Please
Format	Game Show
Created by	Mark Goodson and Bill Todman
Starring	Bud Collyer and announcer Ralph Paul
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	January 30, 1961 – December 29, 1961

Number Please was a Goodson-Todman Productions game show hosted by Bud Collyer, which aired from January 30, 1961 to December 29 of that year. It was the show that replaced Collyer's Beat the Clock when its ABC run completed. The show was an early predecessor of Wheel of Fortune and other word-puzzle game shows.

Two contestants competed against each other on the game board, which had two rows of an equal number of spaces, each marked by a lighted number. Players alternated choosing a number from their puzzle which had not yet been revealed. The corresponding space would be revealed as a letter or a space.

Each puzzle would describe a prize. The first player who thought they could solve both rows would ring in and have to say their answer for each row twice exactly as it appeared on the board. If they were correct, they would win their prize. Prizes would sometimes include other related items to the one described in the puzzle. Originally, each win by a contestant meant the championship, and playing against a new opponent. Five wins retired the player as undefeated champion. Eventually, this was amended to a best-two-out-of-three wins, resulting in a player being named champion and remaining to face a new challenger.