I was at the Cleveland Public Library about a week ago and copied the Feb. 26-March 4, 1955 Cleveland TV Guide Listings off microfilm mostly for the fact WEWS 5 and WXEL 8 (WJW) switched affiliations that week..(March 2) There is a listing that intrigued me (copied below as listed-except for parentheses)

Saturday, Feb. 26, 1955

9:00 PM 5 27 (WKBN Youngstown) Two For The Money (CBS)

Fred Allen Subs as quizmaster for the Vacationing Herb Shriner

Question I have is this..Did Fred Allen actually sub for Herb..If so, has GSN ever shown this episode. Don't remember seeing it myself. I had heard that Allen was the first choice for TFTM..but had to decline I think because of health reasons

Edit:Just for the heck of it..other Channels had

3 KYW 21 WFMJ Youngstown Imogene Coca Show-NBC

8 WXEL Ozark Jubilee-ABC

49 WAKR (Akron) Akron Univ. Basketball vs. Heidelberg College (From 8:15)

The GSE confirms that he hosted Two for the Money, but the date they give was January 9, 1954. Not to say he didn't take mre then one vacation.

I know Herb took extended vacations diring the summers and others Sub-hosted for him (cant think of any others offhand) Unless GSN doesnt have the whole series, I cant remember seeing Allen as host. Its also possible another change had to be made after this issue went to press ..and the listing would be wrong.

Particularly when you consider that this was a live show, as they all were back then, except for Groucho. Knowing that Allen was having frequent health problems back then, he may very well have had to bow out that week.

While I have also heard that Fred hosted TFTM once, I know that he was on an episode (that GSN has aired), but as a contestant. More to the point, he was on to promote his new show, Judge For Yourself. While I haven't watched it in a while, I seem to recall that this heralded JFY taking TFTM's current timeslot while TFTM went to another timeslot and network. I can't recall if this was also Shriner's last show before Sam Levenson took over. I have the show, and I'll attempt to pull it out and watch it. Watch this space.

Herb was at it for a couple more years before Levenson took over.

And the move to CBS for "Two for the Money" came about because Old Gold really wanted Fred Allen in the first place. Too bad G-T gave them a bad format.

Thanks for the correction. I have too few of these shows, and since the cigarette ban, it doesn't look like I'll get any more from GSN.

I have an ep. of Two for the Money with Fred Allen hosting, and it was sad to watch. Fred looked very old, and he had noticeably slowed down.