The 1950s Quiz Show Scandal

Quiz shows are a TV staple that have kept viewers watching for decades through many different methods, both ethical and unethical. In the 1950s, these methods of manipulating contestants and rigging shows were exposed in what came to be known as the 1950s Quiz Show scandals. These scandals mostly center around one event, the scandal of the show The $64,000 Question and contestant Charles Van Doren. The producers of the show rigged it so fan-favorite Doren would beat the less-liked Stempel. The scandals were felt throughout throughout the nation, and not only changed the quiz show game forever, but also America's perception of the media. The 1950s Quiz Show Scandals opened America’s eyes to the corruption present in the media, but the wrongdoings

were generally accepted.
The 1950s Quiz Show scandals exposed viewers to the corruption present in the American media.

When the scandals were exposed in the media, it was America’s first glimpse into the things that producers would do to keep ratings high. The edition of TIME magazine that “asked 'Are TV quizzes fixed?'” was the first instance of these scandals being revealed, as Stempel and other contestants wanted to get their stories heard (Holmes 48). Even “President Eisenhower voiced his dismay over the spreading scandal, comparing it to the 1919 Black Sox World Series baseball fix” (DeLong 223). The president acknowledging the scandal proved its severity and paved the way for federal action, such as the Communications Act of 1934. As Thomas DeLong states in Quiz Craze: America's Infatuation with Game Shows, regarding the court trial following the scandal, “Its findings did not constitute an indictment but rather a presentment, calling attention to corrupt practices within the television industry without holding specific people responsible” (DeLong 222). While what the television producers were doing was not illegal, it was definitely wrong, which is why Congress created a bill to stop these practices. Overall, the scandal exposed American media’s corrupt nature, while it was not actually

illegal.
Even though the Quiz Show Scandals did expose corruption in the American Media, people generally accepted the misconducts.

Although Americans saw the corruption present in the scandals, they were oddly accepting of them. This is most likely due to likable contestants and the viewer’s willingness to be entertained. As expressed in Charles Van Doren and the Quiz Show Scandal, “While people were shocked by the deception, some were sympathetic to Van Doren, who had become a familiar and well-liked public figure.” ("Charles Van Doren”) While some people were appalled by the scandals, others sympathized with the contestants such as the popular Van Doren. Some, such as writer Gordon Cotler, thought that the deception was necessary for people to be entertained, asking “"A television play always ends the way it ought to end. Why not a quiz show?" (DeLong 219). While the manipulation may have kept viewers watching, it uncovers a flaw in American society, a lack of ethicality. The widespread acceptance of the scandals was a phenomenon that Morgenthau went so far as to say “reflected an overall lack of morality in American society.” ("Charles Van Doren”). More realistically, the acceptance of the scandals reflected America’s willingness to root for a contestant and their desire for entertainment. While Americans recognized the media’s corrupt ways, they still accepted the wrongdoings of the Quiz Show Scandals due to likable contestants and the sake of

entertainment.
While at the time the corruptness of the 1950s Quiz Show Scandals was not widely acknowledged, it paved the way for many changes. In the court trial regarding the scandals, producers were not found to have committed any crimes, other than the perjury that many, such as Van Doren, committed during the trial. However, the court realized the corruption and the need for a bill to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again. This led to a 1960 bill “which declared it illegal to run a game or contest on television with intent to deceive” (Holmes 49). The fact that many Americans were not bothered by the scandals, even though they knew they were wrong exemplifies how the media was rampantly affecting people with the rise of television. The 1950s Quiz Show scandals exposed America to the corruption present in the media, but the malpractice was generally accepted.