AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, THE: THE QUIZ SHOW SCANDAL (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series. Hosted by David McCullough, this program examines the quiz show rigging scandal of the late 1950s, in which it was revealed in congressional hearings that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were coached in their appearance and demeanor and/or given the answers to the questions they would be asked on air. This documentary focuses on two of the most famous quiz shows found to be involved in the rigging: "The $64,000 Question," the first "big money" quiz show, and "Twenty One," which produced perhaps the most popular quiz contestant of all time, Charles Van Doren. Topics include the following: the various manipulation strategies used by the producers to make the shows more dramatic, including the "casting" of contestants in order to elicit emotional responses from the public; pressure from sponsors to keep popular contestants coming back for as long as possible; unsuccessful attempts to manipulate "$64,000 Question" contestant Dr. Joyce Brothers; the creation of "The $64,000 Challenge" as a way to bring popular contestants back on the air; the sponsor pressure that made the producers of "Twenty One" turn to the casting and coaching of contestants; the story of "Twenty One" contestants Herbert Stempel, who blew the whistle on the producers, and the popular Charles Van Doren; a stand-by contestant's discovery of an "answer book" backstage at "Dotto," a high-rated daytime quiz show, and how this evidence helped bring all of the shows down; the over one hundred witnesses, including producers and contestants, who lied under oath in grand jury hearings about the rigging; the ensuing congressional investigation and Van Doren's final confession; and the long- and short-term consequences of the scandal, which included the blacklisting of certain producers in Hollywood and federal regulations against broadcast fraud. Includes interviews with the following people: producer/director Joseph Cates; "$64,000 Challenge" host Sonny Fox; "Dotto" host Jack Narz; producer Mark Goodson; producer Merton Koplin; contestant the Rev. Stoney Jackson; congressional investigator Richard N. Goodwin; producer Daniel Enright; contestant Herbert Stempel; syndicated columnist Jack O'Brian; assistant district attorney Joseph Stone; NBC programming head Robert Lewine; and contestant James Snodgrass. Also includes 1950s television footage of Van Doren, Brothers, Narz, Fox, and Stempel.
Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: January 6, 1992 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:37
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:34185
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Game/Quiz programs - Scandals; She Made It Collection (Dr. Joyce Brothers); She Made It Collection (Judy Crichton)
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1988-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "The American Experience":
- Judy Crichton … Executive Producer
- Susan Mottau … Coordinating Producer
- Margaret Drain … Senior Producer
- Charles Kuskin … Theme Music by
- David McCullough … Host
- For "The Quiz Show Scandal":
- Julian Krainin … Producer, Writer
- Michael R. Lawrence … Producer, Director
- Johanna T. Lawrence … Associate Producer
- Will Lyman … Narrator
- Joyce Brothers
- Cates, Joseph (See also: Cates, Joe)
- Daniel Enright
- Sonny Fox
- Mark Goodson
- Richard N. Goodwin
- Stoney Jackson
- Merton Koplin
- Robert Lewine
- Jack Narz
- Jack O'Brian
- James Snodgrass
- Herbert Stempel
- Joseph Stone
- Van Doren, Charles