Players called in live from anywhere in the
United States. First, John Nelson supplied a line, and the player attempted to come up with any rhyming line within ten seconds. If successful, the player progressed to the second task: John Nelson recited a couplet from a popular work of writing without the last word and the player attempted to fill in the blank. For example, if he said "I think that I shall never see / A poem as lovely as a...", the player might correctly answer "tree" by recognizing the poem
Trees or by guessing with context clues. The player would then win the $1000 prize that was given out once per day. The 30-minute program was typically broadcast at 2:30 p.m. and was hosted by John Nelson (1915–76), who had previously emceed a daily radio show called
Bride and Groom in which he interviewed couples before and after their weddings, and had also appeared on audience participation radio shows such as ''
Breakfast at Sardi's. Add a Line
emerged amid a wave of call-in shows that relied on telephones and its prize offerings, which included the $1000 daily jackpot as well as varying household items such as a television set, did not generate as much publicity as the large prizes offered by competing shows. In September 1949, after one season, hosting duties transferred to Jack McCoy, a Hollywood radio personality known for shows such as Kay Kyser's College of Musical Knowledge
and Let's Meet McCoy
, while John Nelson focused on Bride and Groom
and the new ABC television show Auction-Aires.'' ==References==