Quiz Scandal Instigators

[Bryce L.]

I have recently been reading about the Quiz Show Scandals of the 1950s (the ones that pretty much got Jack Barry and Dan Enright blacklisted for the next decade), and I've been trying to track down something...

I know that Jack Barry gave an interview to TV Guide sometime prior to his death in 1984 (obviously, but I haven't been able to track down the exact issue date, I mean) where he said he went through a rough period before getting work on local TV in Los Angeles, but did any of the other major players of that time speak openly about it after the fact (and after the Grand Jury hearings, I mean). There are three names in particular I am interested in hearing about:

• Dan Enright
• Robert Noah
• Howard Felsher

Just for my own interest, I'm not writing a book or anything. Thank you for your help.

[BrandonFG]

The TV Guide was from January 1984...I believe the week Hot Potato premiered...so around the 22nd or so?

[Bryce L.]

The TV Guide was from January 1984...I believe the week Hot Potato premiered...so around the 22nd or so?

I could have sworn I had either seen a picture, or else heard about a January 1984 issue with several game show hosts on the cover... I believe Bill Cullen, Bob Barker, Jack Barry, and I'm not sure who else was there... Is this the same issue you are talking about?

[Winkfan]

I could have sworn I had either seen a picture, or else heard about a January 1984 issue with several game show hosts on the cover... I believe Bill Cullen, Bob Barker, Jack Barry, and I'm not sure who else was there... Is this the same issue you are talking about?

Sorry to steal Brandon's thunder, but the others were Monty Hall, Wink Martindale, and Pat Sajak. I happen to have my own copy of that issue in my collection.

Forgive me, Brandon?

Cordially,
Tammy

[whewfan]

The TV Guide was from January 1984...I believe the week Hot Potato premiered...so around the 22nd or so?

I could have sworn I had either seen a picture, or else heard about a January 1984 issue with several game show hosts on the cover... I believe Bill Cullen, Bob Barker, Jack Barry, and I'm not sure who else was there... Is this the same issue you are talking about?

I think that same issue was the one that Richard Dawson declined to be interviewed, supposedly because he wanted a solo feature. On an ep. of Feud, Richard briefly addressed this saying he didn't want to be interviewed (he doesn't state specifically why) and as a result he was "attacked" by the hosts that were featured.

[BrandonFG]

I could have sworn I had either seen a picture, or else heard about a January 1984 issue with several game show hosts on the cover... I believe Bill Cullen, Bob Barker, Jack Barry, and I'm not sure who else was there... Is this the same issue you are talking about?

Sorry to steal Brandon's thunder, but the others were Monty Hall, Wink Martindale, and Pat Sajak. I happen to have my own copy of that issue in my collection.

Forgive me, Brandon?

No worries! :-)

I've heard Matt's story about Dawson as well.

[Eric Paddon]

I believe Enright's on-camera comments in the 1992 PBS documentary "The Quiz Show Scandal" were his only public comments on it.    Barry also admitted his own knowledge of the rigging on a Tomorrow Show interview in the late 70s I think, and also made some brief comments (filmed in 1984) for the PBS documentary "Television" which aired in early 1988.

[Bryce L.]

I believe Enright's on-camera comments in the 1992 PBS documentary "The Quiz Show Scandal" were his only public comments on it.    Barry also admitted his own knowledge of the rigging on a Tomorrow Show interview in the late 70s I think, and also made some brief comments (filmed in 1984) for the PBS documentary "Television" which aired in early 1988.

Thank you, and thank you to all of you. Any statements by Noah or Felsher?

[tvrandywest]

I believe Enright's on-camera comments in the 1992 PBS documentary "The Quiz Show Scandal" were his only public comments on it.    Barry also admitted his own knowledge of the rigging on a Tomorrow Show interview in the late 70s I think, and also made some brief comments (filmed in 1984) for the PBS documentary "Television" which aired in early 1988.

Thank you, and thank you to all of you. Any statements by Noah or Felsher?

The rigging, the subsequent investigation and the changes in production are covered extensively in "Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time." I'm excerpting a small portion of the material here to answer your question; paragraphs are eliminated and long quotes truncated. The numbers (26-xx) refer to footnotes in the references; they make for an excellent list of resources for further research.

If you really are interested in a definitive recounting of this amazing chapter in game show history, spend a few bucks to buy the book at my website; I'll autograph it free. If money is tight, you can download the Kindle version for the price of a McDonalds lunch.   ;-)


The most damning evidence of manipulation came from Hilgemeier and from
Greenwich Village artist James Snodgrass. Snodgrass had mailed registered letters
to himself with the questions and answers to be featured on Twenty One on
the date of his appearance. The letters were postmarked May 11, two days before
the contest.

In hindsight, it was obvious that the original New York grand jury hearings featured
a parade of perjurers. State District Attorney Frank Hogan reflected that of the
150 who testified, “Maybe 50 told the truth.” 26-9 As Life reported, “The public was
learning that what it had assumed to be bright, clean fun was perhaps not so bright or clean as it looked.” 26-10 Harold Craig, an upstate New York farmer, who won $106,000 on Twenty One explained, “They... ” 26-10 Ethel Richardson of Los Angeles had taken home $100,000 on The Big Surprise. She explained, “Before the show... ” 26-10

Tic Tac Dough contestant Kirsten Falke testified that she had been shown question
cards in advance: “I was told to just memorize them as best I could because the
questions that would be asked of me were included in these card files... ” 26-11 Falke further told the Congressional subcommittee what happened
when she defeated a challenger she had been instructed to tie: “Immediately
after that there was a station break and Mr. [Howard] Felsher came rushing across
the stage, pulling his hair out, and he said, do you realize what you have done? I said ‘Yes.’ I didn’t, really, but there was not much else I could say.” 26-11

Although working in New York during the hearings, Johnny followed the action
in Washington with great interest, especially the testimony offered by Mark Goodson
and Goodson-Todman employees. Howard Felsher, Johnny’s co-worker and
producer of Tic Tac Dough, testified that 75 percent of contests on the evening version of the series were fixed. Felsher explained, “I was trying to put together an exciting show, and... ” 26-14 He further admitted lying to the grand jury and encouraging about thirty contestants to do likewise. Like Felsher, most of the production personnel who testified took the position that they were merely presenting entertainment.

Eric Lieber, who supervised the drawing of the caricatures on Dotto, explained
that the dramatic turns in each episode, including which players would win and
lose, were carefully plotted at regular meetings. Edward Jurist, the show’s producer,
explained that the world of information was so vast that “you cannot ask random
questions of people and have a show. You simply... ” 26-15

Jurist testified about Dotto, “We... ” 26-16

Shirley Bernstein, composer Leonard Bernstein’s sister, was an Associate Producer
on The $64,000 Challenge. She testified that the show was frequently rigged on
instructions from the sponsor, and that she personally briefed participants at the
direction of Executive Producer Steve Carlin: “There were... ” 26-17

Mert Koplin, producer of The $64,000 Question and The $64,000 Challenge, admitted
that practically every winner on his shows who had amassed more than $16,000
had received help. Koplin explained that the collusion was designed to fulfill the
sponsors’ wishes for super sized ratings, and that Revlon, his show’s sponsor, insisted on controlling the comings and goings of the contestants. Attention soon focused on those advertisers...

Jack Barry and Dan Enright found work in Canadian television producing
what would later be referred to as “reality television” programs. Despite escaping
prosecution, it was a difficult time for both. Barry recalled, “For five years, I was
virtually unable to conduct my life. I could not focus. I was drinking a lot. I almost lost my life.” 26-20

Jack Barry found an opportunity to return to American television, albeit in a
behind the scenes capacity. In 1967, Barry was the uncredited creator and producer
of Everybody’s Talking, a short-lived ABC daytime game. In 1969, he produced a
pilot for The Joker’s Wild starring Allen Ludden. In an industry that coveted ratings, both Barry and Enright were eventually welcomed back to the fold for as long as viewers followed...

The final chapter of the game show scandal was written when Dan Enright
marked the thirtieth anniversary of his appearance before Congress. He returned
to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, not as a game show producer, but as a guest on The Today
Show. On November 2, 1989, Enright humbly reflected, “We, at the time, deluded
ourselves into believing that what we were doing was not that wrong.” He apologized
publicly to Herb Stempel, saying, “I should have been more mindful and far more
sensitive,” and he apologized to America, saying, “We were driven by ambition and
greed.” Enright’s demeanor was slightly less repentant when he added, “The Congressional hearings into the rigging — the hearings were rigged, too. We rehearsed
the questions and answers.”

Copyright 2009, Randy West and BearManor Media


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[SFQuizKid]

I believe Enright's on-camera comments in the 1992 PBS documentary "The Quiz Show Scandal" were his only public comments on it.    Barry also admitted his own knowledge of the rigging on a Tomorrow Show interview in the late 70s I think, and also made some brief comments (filmed in 1984) for the PBS documentary "Television" which aired in early 1988.

Thank you, and thank you to all of you. Any statements by Noah or Felsher?

In 1988 Bob Noah wrote All the Right Answers, a memoir of that time in the form of a novel.  He appeared on Pat Sajak's late night show to plug the book.  While looking up the date, I found this article from the LA Times.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

Is it the same Robert Noah who worked for Reg Grundy Productions INC.?

[Chief-O]

Is it the same Robert Noah who worked for Reg Grundy Productions INC.?

The one and only.

[trainman]

I think that same issue was the one that Richard Dawson declined to be interviewed, supposedly because he wanted a solo feature. On an ep. of Feud, Richard briefly addressed this saying he didn't want to be interviewed (he doesn't state specifically why) and as a result he was "attacked" by the hosts that were featured.

The article says that he refused to be interviewed unless he could be guaranteed a solo spot on the cover, not necessarily a solo feature. The only host who's quoted talking about him is Wink Martindale (who says something to the effect of "he caught the tail end of a rocket but doesn't know how to hold on"), but Ira Skutch and Mark Goodson do give their opinions.

Plug alert: I happen to have a copy of this issue currently for sale on eBay (auction ends in less than a day) -- sorry, the cover's not in perfect condition, but all the pages are fine.

[The Ol' Guy]

That is quite the TV Guide article and cover...one that merited being printed up as one of the TV Guide "cover cards" players collect to win in the first TV Guide trivia game from 1984. Have a copy of the card here by my computer desk. What a collection of talent!

[Dbacksfan12]

Eric Lieber, who supervised the drawing of the caricatures on Dotto, explained that the dramatic turns in each episode, including which players would win and lose, were carefully plotted at regular meetings.

So he was a dink long before Love Connection, eh?