Art Baker delivers when you ask for it | TV Guide Chicago, April 10-16 1953

IF you want to see a bull in a china closet, a barrel of monkeys, the world's fattest cowboy (all 342 pounds of him), a girl who likes to be frozen in ice, or any other animal, vegetable or mineral, the place to look is Art Baker's You Asked For It (ABC).

The show breaks down into five major categories: mind over matter (the swivel neck performer who turned his head 180 degrees); man versus elements (the fire eater); nostalgia (El Brendel, Ruby Keeler were brought back); animals (the ping-pong playing cat); and human interest (the one-armed and one- legged dancer).

The show was conceived by Maury Cohen, Cran Chamberlin, Wayne Steffner and Frank Oxarat, men in their 30's who were promising advertising and network executives before embarking on program. They chose Baker, whose career includes radio, film stints and a session as a lecturer on guided cemetery tours, for master of ceremonies. Chamber- lin originated the idea and his wife the catchy title.

THE RESULT - Art Baker posing with six lovely models wearing bathing suits of different eras since the beginning of the century. They appeared on his program in response to the letter written by Mrs. Wilson M. Dye, of Grand Rapids, Mich., one of 3000 letters received by Baker each week.

The lady and the tiger. While Baker discreetly remains outside the cage, Mabel Stark, famed animal trainer, demonstrates her mastery over a tiger to delight the vast TV audience. The program has brought all sorts of entertainment to Hollywood from points around the globe, just because some viewer asked for it.

Baker putting Electro and the robot's dog Sparko through their paces for the thousands who wanted to see the mechanical pair. The show's viewers, in response to the "Wanted" feature, which Baker telecasts, help the show track down elusive features.