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The $64,000 Question was an American game show broadcast in primetime on CBS-TV from 1955 to 1958, which became embroiled in the 1950s quiz show scandals. Contestants answered general knowledge questions, earning money which doubled as the questions became more difficult.
- Game Show
Jun 3, 2018 · Though Charles Van Doren’s streak as Twenty-One’s champion had ended, scandals involving the quiz show were just heating up. Around 1955, it was revealed that a different show, The $64,000 Question, was being manipulated by the producers in an attempt to stop a female contestant from winning the grand prize.
- Kara Goldfarb
Nov 5, 1989 · Sponsored by Revlon, “The $64,000 Question” was an immediate smash, transfixing a nation enthralled by amassing riches vicariously through television.
In 1955, a group of executives at the Columbia Broadcasting Station (CBS) stumbled on a monumentally popular and profitable programming concept. They began to air a quiz show called “The $64,000 Question”, in which competitors answered questions with varying monetary prize value.
By October, 1958, both "Twenty-One" and "The $64,000 Question" were off the air. Louis Cowan, then president of CBS, defended his innocence. He never appeared before the Congressional committee...
The success of the show resulted in a spin-off series, The $64,000 Challenge (1956–58). On this show, contestants who had won at least $8,000 on the first program were invited back to compete for further riches. In 1958 and 1959, the quiz-show scandals erupted and shook the TV industry.