In-Class Write

     Robert Redford’s Quiz Show provides a look into the importance and influence of television in American history. By watching this movie, one could learn about what is perhaps one of the most intriguing scandals to grace the small screen: the “Twenty-One” scandal. The information discussed in this film is very important and relevant because it encapsulates the consumer-producer relationship. By that I mean that it seems as though Americans don’t care if what they are watching is accurate or true, as the contestants on “Twenty-One” were cheaters, but are just looking to be entertained. This film begs the question of if it is okay to lie to a collective of people as the television executives did, and (spoiler alert) it comes to the conclusion that it is. This should be very important to all people because we should know if what we are being told every day is false.

     Of course, this is slightly ironic because historical films have a reputation for not being completely true or for leaving things out, and this one is no exception. What one may not realize while watching this film is that there were many other quiz shows at the time that did similar things to “Twenty-One.” What is also not discussed is the fact that these quiz shows became a political issue, with an Arkansas Democrat named Oren Harris announcing that he would be investigating these crooked game shows. Also, the whole ordeal went on for at least three years, which is much longer than was portrayed in the film.

     I think that if Robert Redford had added another twenty minutes to Quiz Show, he should have covered similar game shows of the time because it would have added some really great context of just how far over the line “Twenty-One” stepped comparatively.  Other shows of the time asked “favored contestants” easier questions than unfavored ones, but “Twenty-One” went even further by giving contestants the answers! In my mind, I am envisioning a montage of actual clips from game shows like “The $64,000 Question”. Quiz Show has a very elegant feel to it so this would have to be done with some poise, but I think this would have made for some very informative scenes. It would have been neat to see the television executives from the other shows justifying their crazy ways because “look at what Twenty-One is doing, we aren’t as bad as them!” Again, I’m sure that Redford could have found a way to do this and still have kept the lavish charm in his film.

     Quiz Show is a fascinating film and is actually pretty on the money with a lot of historical details, and I applaud that. However, it definitely would have been nice to have seen a bit more context given.

Exhibit

From Amazon.com, this is a board game based around the television program, Twenty-One, which is the subject of the film Quiz Show. I would include this in my exhibit because it is a very tangible example of American consumerism that is also deeply ingrained in the theme/topic of the film.

From Oakridge Stores, this is a small replica of a bottle of Geritol, which was the sponsor of Twenty-One. This bottle is made for a dollhouse, and is not an actual bottle of Geritol. I would include this also for the fact that it represents American consumerism, but also because it is very closely related to the film, and I think that the "dollhouse" factor is pretty neat.

From Ebay, this is a jacket similar to the one that Charles Van Doren wore in Quiz Show. I would include this because it provides some insight into class in the 1950s. One can imagine that somebody who didn't have Van Doren's seemingly affluent life wouldn't have worn this. However, I do hope the one in my gallery is a bit higher resolution than the one above.

From History for Sale, this is a signed photograph of Robert Redford, who directed Quiz Show. He is also an actor, known for films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which is what the picture above is from. I would put this is my gallery because I think that it is important to not only acknowledge the actor in a film, but the director, producer, and other crew members.

From mlahart.com, this is a diploma frame from Columbia University. I would include this in my exhibit because this is the university where Charles Van Doren received his education and also was a professor at. I would probably put a fake diploma with Van Doren's name in it to clarify its presence in my exhibit.

"Quiz Show" Menu

Soup- Cream of Cheat

• A delicious blend of 100% real cream and dishonesty, this soup is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Starter- Scorsese Salad

• A tribute to Scorsese's extra small part in Quiz Show, this salad is an extra small part of your meal, but for some reason you still feel obligated to eat it because... you've gotta have the salad.

Entree- Quiznos Subs

• Do I even need to explain? Here: QUIZnos subs. They can't all be winners.

Dessert- Sugar Free Twenty-One Flavor Ice Cream Sundae

• I mean, it's sugar free so it can't be bad, right? Nope, it's still cheating. I'm looking at you, Stempel. And of course, twenty-one flavors for our favorite and most honest game show. 

Drinks- Tumult '94

• A tribute to the year in which Quiz Show was released, this non-alcoholic cocktail contains some of the most powerful, sense-overloading ingredients imaginable. It's pretty much half cinnamon and half lemon juice.

GUESTLIST

Robert Redford- Not only would I like to ask Redford about his fantastic direction of this film, but I would also like to ask him about his involvement in other projects such as A River Runs Through It, which I was not so big on.


Hank Azaria- Not only would I love to grill this man on The Simpsons, but I would love to talk to him about his versatility as an actor, from more vile roles such as his in Quiz Show to his many wacky roles in the aforementioned The Simpsons.

John Turturro- I would like to invite John Turturro and Herbie Stempel so that I could talk to them both about if Turturro's performance is accurate to how Stempel was. It's a great performance and I would be interested to know if Stempel was truly as odd as he is portrayed.

Herbie Stempel- See above.

Jack Barry- I think it would be fascinating to know Jack Barry's thoughts on the Twenty-One scandal, as I'm sure he was forced to comply with the madness. Specifically, I would like to question him about the scene where he mistakenly says that one of the contestants on the show gave an incorrect answer because that's what was supposed to happen.

Michael Ballhaus- The cinematography in Quiz Show was great, and he has been the cinematographer in many other films such as Goodfellas, and it would be cool to get to talk about the profession of cinematographer with somebody who knows it very well. I also noticed that Ballhaus started out doing only German films, and a lot of them too, so I think it would be neat to talk about how one gets from German films to only American films, and very prominent ones at that.

Sources

American Heritage, "The Quiz Show Scandal"

HISTORY, "The Rigged Quiz Shows That Gave Birth to 'Jeopardy'"

The Guardian, "Quiz Show: Robert Redford's film gets all the answers right"

LA Times, "COUNTERPUNCH LETTER : The Historical Facts About ‘Quiz Show’"

Choice Film, "Quiz Show"

I have decided to watch Quiz Show for a few reasons. First of all, I've never heard of this film and I like giving lesser-known things a try. Secondly, I'm fascinated by film and television, as well as scandals, and this seems to be the perfect mixture.

Experiencing WWII and Cold War Era Research topics.

I did a quick study on fascism during the World War 2 era and how it relates to modern times. I think it's fascinating that the definition of fascism is so vague and unknown to most people.

A Block Slides

I watched a clip from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), which was mentioned on Mary Ellis' slide. I have a deep appreciation of movies and entertainment in general, and I love allegories, which is exactly what that movie is. After only watching one scene, it's clear that the film has an agenda, and one which I won't complain about. It's an anti-communist message, although certainly it could be interpreted other ways, which is the beauty of metaphors. I definitely want to go watch the whole movie now.

Wikipedia