You Asked For It - Volume 1

A wonderful snapshot of what Americans were curious about in the 50s, "You Asked For It" debuted in 1950 and continued offering its special "believe-it-or-not" brand of entertainment on ABC until 1959. Attempts were made to revive the show in the 1980s and 90s, but were unsuccessful in capturing the wide-eyed wonder and innocence of the original series. Each week for nearly a decade, inquiring viewers from all over the country wrote in requesting to see the strange and bizarre. The show's producers delivered it all, from the sublime to the ridiculous, the heart-lifting to the heart-stopping, and everything in between!

Episode 1: A wrestling chimpanzee; jive pianist Ivory Joe Hunter; secrets of card sharps and more!

Episode 2: A diver wrestling an octopus; a theremin soloist; movie special effects demonstrations; lost relatives found; Comedian El Brendel!

Episode 3: A Hindu fakir on a bed of nails; a man shot wearing a bullet-proof vest; carnival game conmen; a classic French clown act; baseball player Babe Dahlgren remembers Lou Gehrig!

Episode 4: An Eskimo building an igloo; America's tallest man; largest star sapphire in the world; singer Arthur Lee Simpkins; a deadly python attack; silent movie stars; a log-rolling contest!

• television