The maximum (perfect) score in bowling is 300. “Have you heard about the guy who bowled three hundred and one?” is an old joke. When someone says this is not possible, the answer is, “Well, did you ever hear someone bowl three hundred and lose?” The joke is that “won” sounds like “one.”
 
The joke was told on the American television sitcom All in the Family, on the episode “The Battle of the Month” that originally aired on March 24, 1973. The episode was written by Johnny Speight and the writing team of Michael Ross and Bernard West. All in the Family depicted a typical working-class Caucasian family living in Queens, New York.
     
   
IMDb (The Internet Movie Database
All in the Family (1971–1979)
The Battle of the Month
TV-PG | 30min | Comedy, Drama | Episode aired 24 March 1973
 
Springfield! Springfield!
All in the Family s03e24 Episode
Script
The Battle of the Month
(...)
ARCHIE BUNKER: We was all sitting around at lunchtime talking, see, and I says to Stretch, “Hey, I was watching a bowling tournament. I see a guy, he bowled 301.” Stretch says, “That can’t be.” I says, “Oh, no? You wanna bet? Put your money where your mouth is.” So the dumb sucker bets me a buck. He hollers, “Hey Arch, you lost. In bowling, how could a guy bowl 301?” I says, “Did you ever see a guy bowl 300 and lose?” You get it, huh. Oh yeah.
EDITH BUNKER: He lost because somebody else bowled 301.
ARCHIE BUNKER: No, no no, Edith, y-y-you—you can only bowl 300, see?
EDITH BUNKER: Then you didn’t tell Stretch the truth because you said the man bowled 301.
ARCHIE BUNKER: No, I didn’t mean “one” one. I meant him, the guy, won.
EDITH BUNKER: Then why didn’t you explain that to Stretch?
ARCHIE BUNKER: Because he wouldn’t have bet with me, Edith. You see, in bowling, you got ten frames there. See, I mean, you’re supposed to get a certain…each frame you get a…I mean…if you get thirty from each frame… Ah, forget it! You don’t understand bowling.
 
Google Groups: alt.folklore.urban
Windows 98 Catches Illegal Copies of Itself
D.P. Roberts
11/19/98
(...)
From “All In The Family”—Archie was telling someone how a guy bowled “three hundred and one”.  The maximum score in a bowling game is 300, so the guy called him on it.  Archie said, “Did you ever year of a guy who could bowl three hundred and LOSE”, playing on the one/won.
     
Google Groups: rec.travel.cruises
bowling
Ronald Emerson
1/22/02
Bowling is right up my alley. I think all ships should should have a bowling alley so let’s all get the ball rolling and e mail the cruise lines demanding this. BTW,I once told a friend that I bowled three hundred and one. He said that was impossibe. I said did you ever see anyone bowl three hundred and lose!
         
Staring At Empty Pages
MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2009
What colour is my hat?
(...)
Like this one, which I remember from an old episode of All in the Family:
 
Archie: Edith, did I tell you about the guy who bowled three hundred and one?
Edith: Whaaaat?
Archie: Yeah, I know a guy who bowled three hundred and one.
Edith: But Archie, the most you can get is three hundred.
Archie: Well, this fella bowled three hundred and one.
Edith: Oh, no, Archie, that can’t be.
Archie: You don’t think so. Edith?
Edith: No, I don’t. It’s impossible.
Archie: Well… did you ever see anyone who bowled three hundred… and lost?
   
Reddit—Jokes 
Posted by u/Op_youre_a_Dick September 6, 2014
I knew a guy who bowled a three hundred and one
How do you bowl a 301? Do you know anyone who has bowled a 300 and lost?
COMMENTS
downsouthcountry
I’ve seen All in the Family as well.
       
YouTube
All in the Family S3 E24 The Battle of the Month
Loanne Madison
Published on Nov 26, 2016
(At 1:45 in.—ed.)
 
YouTube
All in the Family S03E24 The Battle of the Month
James Tubb
Published on Dec 21, 2017
All In The Family Full Episodes.
 
Twitter
Jimijams
@Jimi_Jammin
Replying to @RockyMntnMike
You heard about the guy who bowled three hundred and one?
Well he didn’t bowl three hundred & lost!
4:15 PM - 29 Apr 2018
 
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/Lelandt50 July 7, 2019
Have you heard of the guy that bowled three hundred and one? No? Because I’ve never heard of anyone that bowled three hundred and lost.