CBS’s “$64,000 Question” was one of the most prominent of the shows. There was something about testing contestant’s knowledge that drew millions to circle the television in the evenings. The era of quiz shows began in the 1950’s.
After some further digging, Goodwin convinces Van Doren to confess, striking a blow to American television. Stempel admits to receiving them and suggests that Van Doren, the current champion, was also involved. He reveals the secret that had kept the show popular for two years: the answers had been supplied to the favored contestants in advance. When an investigation is launched into the show, Stempel jumps at the chance to speak with Harvard lawyer Richard Goodwin. Even though Stempel knew the answer to that question, he’d been encouraged by the producers to make way for Van Doren, who the show makers believed could push the ratings through the roof. Champion Herbert Stempel of the hit quiz show “Twenty-One” shocks America by providing “On the Waterfront” as the incorrect answer to a question about the Best Picture of 1955, allowing challenger Charles Van Doren, a Columbia University professor, to usurp his position.
