From the S&S archives: Airlift fliers hail quiz show

WIESBADEN, Feb. 17 — Garry Moore's "Take It Or Leave It" radio quiz show clicked like the Berlin airlift on a sunny day in the first performance of a 21-show tour of Air Force bases before 1,000 laugh-mad Wiesbaden airmen last night in the Palast Theater.

Although the overflow crowd got a big kick out of the half-hour quiz program that was transcribed for rebroadcast Sunday to Stateside listeners, they reserved their biggest applause for the post-broadcast entertainment that nimble-tongued Moore and his cast dished out.

Blond Miss Vivian Blaine sang.

They really made with the applause for Miss Sybil Bowen's uncanny imitations.

Sgt James F. Armstrong, of Ripley, W. Va., who participated as a contestant by remote control from his bed in the 317th Sta Hosp, was one $64 winner, while CPO Herbert F. Swader, of Brainerd, Minn., aviation machinist's mate with the Navy airlift squadron at RhineMain, also answered all questions correctly. Every contestant received $64 for competing, whether he could answer questions or not.

Airmen held their breaths while the five selected quiz contestants competed for the $6,190 "jackpot," then expelled them with a roar when a 29-year-old British airlift pilot from Wunstorf, Flight Lt Gordon O. Willis, correctly identified a quotation from songwriter Ira Gershwin.