Prime Time and Misdemeanors: Investigating the 1950s TV Quiz Scandal [Paperback]

Joseph Stone (Author), Tim Yohn (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

From 1955 to 1958, big money quiz shows ruled prime time television, and were responsible for much of the industry's rapid growth. But in the summer of 1958, television was rocked by the greatest scandal in its history when news of a quiz-rigging scandal broke. Former district attorney and judge Joe Stone tells the complete story. 19 illustrations.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stone's account of his experiences is being released in time for Robert Redford's fall movie Quiz Show .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Stone, the Manhattan assistant district attorney who investigated the fixing of The $64,000 Question and other TV quiz shows, takes us step by step through his complex inquiry, finding ``lying so pervasive that it was woven into the fabric of American life.'' Writing with free-lance editor-writer Yohn, Stone, who's now in private practice, begins in August 1958, when a Dotto contestant came to his office complaining that the show had been rigged. Soon after, Herbert Stempel, a CCNY graduate forced to lose to Columbia professor Charles Van Doren on Twenty-One, claimed that the show's producer, Daniel Enright, had scripted and coached his appearances and given him answers. Ironically, the fixing of TV quiz shows was not illegal at the time, though the success of these lucrative programs depended on public perception of their ``integrity.'' The fiasco would have been limited, Stone contends, if producers like Enright had told the truth. Instead, with contracts and reputations to lose, they lied and pressured contestants--mostly ``well- educated'' citizens made famous by quiz victories--to lie, first to Stone himself, and then--despite his warnings--to a grand jury. Conflicting testimony and a billowing coverup led to congressional hearings, a second grand jury, and indictments for perjury. This story of corruption also involves lawyers, whom Stone wanted to investigate for suborning perjury, and a judge who, in Stone's view, ``danced to Enright's tune.'' What was never clarified (in part because Stone never made William Paley, Robert Sarnoff, et al., testify) was ``the nature of decision-making at the highest corporate levels that led to the proliferation of fixed quizzes.'' Although quiz-show rigging became a federal crime, the TV industry, Stone says, diluted proposed legislation for greater regulation. A through and sobering document, laying out a case of deceit and fraud before the public that was the victim. (Nineteen b&w illustrations--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813521009
• ISBN-13: 978-0813521008
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,296,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, April 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Prime Time and Misdemeanors: Investigating the 1950s TV Quiz Scandal (Paperback)

A brilliant examination of the contributing factors to, and results of the 1950s Quiz Show scandal.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about nothing, January 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Henderson, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prime Time and Misdemeanors: Investigating the 1950s TV Quiz Scandal (Paperback)

This book satisifies its intended goal; the author gets to brag on himself constantly. From the cover blurb that says "Watch Robert Redford's Quiz Show and then read this book for the true story" to the introduction where the author tells you just how great it was that he uncovered this injustice that was "woven into the fabric of American life", Stone shows exactly what can happen when government in general and one district attorney in specific, is allowed to run unchecked. By his own admission, nothing illegal was done through this "scandal". However, this book details how quiz shows were disemboweled because the government and Stone saw television as a big evil that needed to be taught a lesson. You can't read this book without developing a distrust for the powers that be.