influence today
Dotto
features a "connect-the-dots" board where contestants earn dots by answering questions correctly, dots reveal famous character, guess who to win
Twenty-One
- features two contestants competing against each other in sound proof booths to reach 21 points first
- first show was not rigged, "dismal failure" - Dan Enright, producer
- declared that they would do anything to increase ratings
THE 64,000 Question
- created by Louis Cowan, CBS
- general knowledge questions
- ? 1-3 chosen randomly by IBM sorter
- ? 4-6 given in isolation booth
- after $32,000 ?, contestants have choice to keep money or try for $64,000
- big money leads to growth in amount and popularity of quiz shows
- Revlon, the sponsor, was rewarded with tripled sales; creates motive for copy cat shows
The Quiz Show Scandals
of the 1950s
The 64,000 Rig
- a contestant, Reverend Charles E. Jackson, from the famous spinoff The 64,00 Challenge, revealed that he had been given answers to ensure his victory
- sponsors forced boring contestants to lose and falsely created suspense
"Prime Time and misdemeanors"
- Producer Enright plans for Charles Van Doren to replace Herbert Stempel, who was winning every week with low ratings due to his low popularity
- Van Doren makes Twenty-One one of most watched quiz shows, gains quick notoriety: landing cover of Time and a guest host job on NBC's Today show
- Stempel is angry about his loss and jealous of Doren's fame, exposes rigging publicly
- another guest of Twenty-One corroborates Stempel's story and states he spent the hours before the show going over the answers with Enright
- contestants were coached by a man named Albert Freedman on how to answer questions, when to pause, and how to increase suspense
- after this reveal, Twenty-One's ratings plummet and the show is canceled
legal
outcomes of any contests, like quiz shows, could not be fixed
- at this time, there were no laws restricting the rigging of quiz shows
- however, US fights it by viewing it as deception of the American public and fraud
- Eisenhower passes amendments to the Communications Act in 1960
shows are to make clear on air when money is rewarded
economics
THE aftermath
remove sponsors from direct involvement in shows = commercials,
sponsors wary to work with any show, could get bad reputation
producers and large corporations more wary, fearful of what happened with CBS and NBC
societal
television was new in the 50s and America was naive and trusting
don't believe everything they see on TV, wary
programs mainly quiz shows, "reality"
fictional shows like sitcoms become popular, tv regarded as fictional
trust big institutions, i.e. media, government
distrust with government, big corporations, news
Marie Winn & The notebook
- producers want Winn to win to increase views
- notebook with answers to study before show
- another contestant, Hilgemeier, intrigued by notebook, takes it, finds out she had advantage, and goes to his attorneys
- Dotto producers reveal contestants had been given "some help"
- show ends with no explanation: August 5, 1958
- now other quiz shows under investigation
by emma DESjardin
RADIO BEGINNINGS
- began during Great Depression
- sources of hope for many families, symbols of American Dream
RADIO QUIZ SHOWS
End of Depression:
50 shows
End of 1940s: 200 shows
FROM RADIO TO TV
1950s: televisions become prevalent in average American home with 90% owning a television set
TV new, Americans naive
1954: Federal Communications Commission v. American Broadcasting Co.: big cash prize quiz shows move to television
Information, Please
- renown for being most popular and intelligent
- audience submits questions to test experts
- mainly known for its' integrity
works cited
www.ukgameshows.com/p/images/thumb/d/d8/Dotto_game.jpg/400px-Dotto_game.jpg
images.rarenewspapers.com/ebayimgs/10.3.2009/image065.jpgvignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/gameshows/images/1/13/Quiz-scandal_01.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width/185?cb=20130518032440
www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/815/640003b9408e67954c4bb_large.jpeg
2.bp.blogspot.com/-UpdxGjLAumU/UukDQ9-T-yI/AAAAAAAAryo/_SWPSPHIsbo/s1600/1958+JACK+BARRY.png
www.incredibletvandmovies.com/21button.jpeg
images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/1d/4e/jeopardy-logo_yaprse3dr5jo1ff2j7qizvo2p.jpg?t=-1206134380
ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514cBuw6UPL._SX940_.jpg
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121206182136/entertainment1/images/d/dc/The-bachelor-logo.jpg
info: www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/quizshow/peopleevents/pande05.html
bl-libg-doghill.ads.iu.edu/gpd-web/historical/OWICode1942.pdf
jfredmacdonald.com/onutv/quiz.htm
farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/3039383225_360c9d795b.jpg
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/quizshow/peopleevents/pande06.html
boomerboulevard.com/dotto-scandal/
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/07/28/all-the-answers
www.museum.tv/eotv/quizshowsca.htm
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