Judge for Yourself

Judge for Yourself, at first subtitled The Fred Allen Show, is an unconventional Mark Goodson and Bill Todman quiz and audience participation television program, with comedian Fred Allen as the emcee. It aired on NBC from August 18, 1953, to May 11, 1954. Dennis James was the series announcer but took over as host in January 1954. Each week three performers – singers, dancers, musicians, or comedians – were judged by two panels, one of professional entertainers and the other from the studio audience. If one of the amateur judges rated the acts 1, 2, or 3 in the same order as the celebrities, that individual would win a $1,000 prize. Two instrumental jazz groups that appeared on Judge for Yourself had considerable success thereafter,...