Old Hat

Though its instant popularity made Who Wants to be a Millionaire seem like a new phenomenon, the show is in fact setting no precedent. Americans have long been enthralled and entranced by trivia quiz shows. Particularly in the fifties, America became positively infatuated. Ever heard the phrase " that's the $64,000 question?" The phrase comes from a quiz show in the fifties called The $64,000 Question, not unlike Who Wants to be a Millionaire. These thriving quiz shows took a steep dive when the popular show Twenty-One (on which NBC's current quiz show with the same name is based) was revealed as being a sham.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire is simply following the formula that America has fallen for for years.

 

 

Quiz Show Mania

A naively trusting public of the Fifties fell in love with television game shows. Some of the games were played for laughs and some for prizes and some for big money. On Sunday nights everything came to stop while America watched The $64,000 Question. At their peak, there were 22 game shows on the air. By 1958 no one was laughing. That naive trust had been replaced by a suspicious cynicism that is with us yet. Why? Because many of the shows were rigged. The "winners" Americans had rooted for had been supplied with the answers in advance. The scandal prompted Congressional hearings. Although there were no laws prohibiting the "fixing" of game shows, both the networks and their sponsors acknowledged the public's distaste and kept game shows off the air for quite some time.

 

I've Got A Secret ('52)(Garry Moore, host)

(Panelists included Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan and Betsy Palmer)(*This was played strictly for laughs.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Is Your Life ('53) (Ralph Edwards, host)

(*This was like a surprise party for the guests, who'd be reunited with people from their pasts. Celebs included Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Stan Laurel, Bette Davis and Jack Benny. Most took it in good humor. Except Lowell Thomas, who flatly refused - on camera and live - to participate.)

What's My Line ('54)(John Daly, host)

(Panelists included Arlene Francis, Desi Arnaz, Bennett Cerf, Deborah Kerr and Robert Q. Lewis)

Queen For A Day ('55)(Jack Bailey, host)

(*Some poor bedraggled woman would tell her tale of woe and, if hers was the most pathetic story, she got prizes. Just what some woman who supposedly just lost her home in a fire needed - a refrigerator. This show was strange.)

Do You Trust Your Wife? (Edgar Bergen, host)

The Price is Right ('56)(Bill Cullen, host)

(*Popular and sought after as a host and panelist, Cullen was a regular on a couple of networks at the same time. Between radio and TV he has been on 25 game shows. No scandal has ever been associated with Bill Cullen.)

Tic Tac Toe ('57)(Jay Jackson, host)

 

The Bad Guys

The $64,000 Question (Hal March, host)

Contestants entered an isolation booth and "struggled" to answer the most arcane questions in their personally chosen category. Unbeknownst to the viewers and (some of the players) the producers had already provided answers to the more charismatic contestants. If a contestant was likeable, the viewer was more apt to tune in next week to follow their progress.

Interestingly, one contestant preselected by the producers to fail actually succeeded in going all the way to the big prize. Her name - Dr. Joyce Brothers. The subject - prize fighting. Needing the money, she studied for three months before the show and was unstoppable.

Twenty-One ('56)(Albert Freedman, Producer)

Producer Freedman approached a young attractive English instructor at Columbia University, Charles Van Doren, about becoming a player on Twenty-One. Assistance would be provided to augment the "entertainment value" of the show.

As Van Doren kept winning, his popularity grew until he became a recognized celebrity. His acting ability didn't suffer either as America watched him "agonize" over each question. Ultimately, he won $129,000 - a hefty sum at any time, but a huge amount in the 50's.

One opponent, Herbert Stempel, didn't like being passed over for greatness by the producers. Bitter, he talked to investigators about Twenty-One and the practice of supplying some players with answers. Van Doren, now a broken and humiliated man, gave one last public performance - testifying before the Congress about his complicity in the deception.

 

 

Return to "Who Wants to be a Trojan-heir" Home Page