Quiz+Shows



"The scandals mark an important turning point because in the years following, programs formerly known as "quiz shows" were renamed "game shows." This change coincides with a shift in content, away from high culture and factual knowledge common to the big money shows of the 1950s. But the renaming of the genre also represents an attempt to distance the programs from the extremely negative connotations of the scandals, which had undermined the legitimacy of the high cultural values that quiz shows--the term and the genre--embodied. Thus, the new name, game shows, removed the genre from certain cultural assumptions and instead creates associations with the less sensitive concepts of play and leisure. Nevertheless, the historical and material causes for this re-naming still fail to provide a sufficient basis for a definition of this genre as a whole." []

[|Quiz Show Scandal]

Beat the Clock
Classic game show where couples (and sometimes families) competed to win prizes by completing stunts within a time limit. 1950-1961 media type="youtube" key="rTi_17q3q1U" height="314" width="382"

The $64,000 Question
The $64,000 Question was one of the most popular of the quiz shows in the fifties, like many off the TV shows of the time they had a single sponsor ( which started as Revlon cosmetics in 1955 ). The show did not last long after Revelations in the press that quiz shows were made that many of the shows were fixed to ensure the contestant the sponsors wanted to win did win. Original Series ran from 1955 till 1958.

Price is Right
Originally with Bill Cullen as host, aired 1956-1967

**To Tell the Truth media type="youtube" key="kb9TKdsPQnI" height="314" width="382"1965 The Supremes**
Each contestant claimed to be the same person and panelists had to guess which one was telling the truth. The phony claimants could lie but the actual person had "to tell the truth" when questioned. At the conclusion of the show, Collyer would say, "would the real please stand up." 1956-1968

What's My Line media type="youtube" key="0gKlwD66Id0" height="279" width="339"
A panel of four celebrities tried to guess the occupation of the guest by asking a series of yes or no questions. The guest got $5 for each "no" answer.

Panelists were blindfolded for the weekly mystery guest who was a celebrity. Some famous folks who dropped by: Warren Beatty, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Ty Cobb,Walt Disney, Ronald Reagan, Alfred Hitchock and Elizabeth Taylor. 1950-1966..

Match Game
Two contestants had to match the words a celebrity panel used to fill in the blanks. Sexual innuendo and hilarious answers made this one a classic. 1962-1982. ==nts had to match the words a celebrity panel used to fill in the blanks. Sexual innuendo and hilarious answers made this one a classic. ==

Jeopardy 1964 - present [[image:jeopardy.jpg width="139" height="210"]]
**__FURTHER READING__** Anderson, Kent. //Television Fraud: The History and Implications of the Quiz Show Scandals.// Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 1978. Karp, Walter. "The Quiz-show Scandal." //American Heritage// (New York), May-June 1989. Real, Michael. "The Great Quiz Show Scandal: Why America Remains Fascinated." //Television Quarterly// (New York), Winter 1995. Stone, Joseph. //Prime-time and Misdemeanors: Investigating the 1950s TV Quiz Scandal: A D.A.'s Account.// New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1992. Barnouw, E. //A History of Broadcasting in the United States: Volume III--The Image Empire.// New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. Boddy, W. //Fifties Television: The Industry and its Critics.// Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990. Schwartz, D., S. Ryan, and F. Wostbrock. //The Encyclopedia of Television Game Shows.// New York: Zoetrope, 1987.