"Cheating on a quiz show? That's sort of like plagiarizing a comic strip." Poet Mark Van Doren

It was the 50s, the Eisenhower era, and America felt good about itself. WWII had left America as the Superpower and the automobiles were back, bigger than ever and flashy with chrome and high tail fins; 340 Horsepower V8s and automatic convertible tops were available accessories. And the new medium, television, was being magically beamed into millions of American homes.

Into this fast-moving milieu was injected the TV game show, son of the vastly popular old radio quizzes. Quiz Show, by Director Robert Redford, addresses this age of innocence in the life of the TV generation.

In case you have any doubts, then as now, the ratings were the driving force behind television. Television programs usually had a single sponsor, which was announced at the beginning of each program (And now, ..., brought to you by ...) and frequently plugged throughout the show. Even the Master of Ceremonies' podium had the sponsor's trademark prominently displayed. Sponsors eagerly watched the weekly ratings and fired off orders to the networks when they felt their vehicles were beginning to plod.

In this case, our sponsor is Geritol ("Feel Stronger Fast!") and the game show is NBC‘s 21. NBC President Bob Kintner gets a call from Geritol's president telling them to dump the contestant because the ratings have "plateaued." Kintner makes a call to show producer, Dan Enright (David Paymer) and gives him the bad news.

John Turturro plays Herbert Stempel, a geeky New York trivia expert who has been the champion on "21" for fourteen straight weeks. Obviously Jewish, with bad teeth and a complete set of annoying mannerisms, Stempel has been perceived to have become a liability to the future of the show. Enright has to figure out how to gracefully dump Herbie, but first he has to find a new contestant that can successfully unseat the champion.

As luck would have it, a photogenic blond-haired, blue-eyed intellectual has just auditioned for a rival quiz show, "Tic-Tac-Dough," which Enright and Jack Barry also owns. Charles Van Doren gets called into Enright's office and asked whether he wouldn’t rather be on "21"?

Charlie Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes) is perfect for the part; besides his stunning good looks, Charlie has a masters degree in astrophysics and a PhD in Literature; the son of TWO Pulitzer Prize winners and an instructor at prestigious Columbia University. Charlie is a bit reticent about going up against Stempel but is coaxed into taking a chance after taking a sample quiz and being told they will ask him questions that he knows the answer to.

Enright breaks the news to Herbie Stempel over a steak dinner in a fashionable restaurant. Herbie has won seventy thousand dollars so far and Enright says he should be satisfied with that. He makes vague rumblings about future television opportunities if Herbie "plays nice."

Rob Morrow plays Dick Goodwin, also obviously Jewish but with an atrocious Boston accent. Goodwin is a newby Federal lawyer who is burning to make a name for himself in DC. He is stuck in the bowels of the Interstate Commerce Commission studying railroad manifests, looking for fraud… His actual job is an advisor to the Congressional Subcommittee that oversees the ICC. He fastens on the idea of investigating television, as it is involved in interstate commerce he reasons. The chairman gives him a week to come up with something or get back to his job reviewing railroad records…

What Goodwin uncovers in that week in New York unleashes a chain of events that completely backfires on Goodwin's intentions: instead of bringing down television and its sponsors (his aim), it brings down a couple of individuals. Television itself gets stronger as do the advertisers. The ending reveals that the now disillusioned Goodwin has in effect sold himself out, much as the people he brought down have.

The movie is very engrossing, and is a must-see for viewers who like a good drama with real life characterizations. Robert Redford deserves kudos for his direction which tells the true story while skirting the tendency to bog itself down into soap opera territory.

As Shakespeare said, "The play's the thing," and Quiz Show has an admirable script, adapted by Paul Attanasio from the book by Dick Goodwin. There are many gem-like set pieces that abound with luscious dialogue that reveal the similarities and differences between the various characters.

Acting, by the ensemble cast, is impeccable, with strong performances by all involved, including John Turturro (maybe his best), Ralph Fiennes, David Paymer, Rob Morrow, Paul Schofield (as the elder Van Doren), and Christopher MacDonald (as "21" emcee Jack Barry).

The photography, lighting, and sets are very believable and first class. You will really feel you have been transported to the 50s when you watch Quiz Show.

Lots of little nuances reveal Redford's views without hitting you over the head. For example, the opening credits have a jaunty version of Mack the Knife over the visuals of a brand new Chrysler 300 convertible with the Hemi engine while the closing credits feature a depressed version of the same song over a visual of people inanely smiling in the studio audience of a typical game show. Clearly Bob Redford doesn't have a lot of respect for television. After viewing Quiz Show, the viewers respect (if any) may also be lessened. Five stars.

Happy viewing!

See also A Face in the Crowd


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening