Number 1 Programs: THE $64,000 QUESTION

Before WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE or DEAL OR NO DEAL, the hottest game show on TV was THE $64,000 QUESTION. It is one of only two game shows to be the #1 program for an entire season.

THE $64,000 QUESTION lead the charge of game/quiz shows dominating both the TV landscape and the ratings. But, as quick as they rose to the top, the genre fell quickly and hard after the game show scandal of the '50s.

THE RATINGS:

Right off the bat, THE $64,000 QUESTION became the #1 program. Its freshman season, 1955/56, it achieved a 46.1 rating, topping the reining three time champ of television, I LOVE LUCY. It quickly spun imitators like TIC-TAC-DOUGH and TWENTY ONE.

It is hard for any show to stays #1 for multiple seasons, so in year two, 1956/57, the show dropped to #4, with a 36.4 rating. It was still the #1 game show on TV. It was so popular that CBS started the spin-off game show $64,000 CHALLENGE, which finished at #22 for the season. The network now had two hit game shows.

For the 1957/58, it finished at #19, with a 28.1 rating. Then the scandal hit. Rival game shows TWENTY-ONE and DOTTO, were found to have been fixing the outcome of their games. Some popular contestants were given the answers to questions to keep them on the show, and pump the ratings. $64,000 QUESTION had it own problems with the sponsor, Revlon, wanting to pull contestants they simply did not like, off the show. Credibility of any game came into question.

The final season, 1958/59, THE $64,000 QUESTION fell out of top 30 and was cancelled at mid-season.

SCHEDULING HISTORY:

Tuesdays (10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) - June 1955 to June 1958
Sundays (10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.) - September 1958 to November 1958

ABOUT THE SHOW:

THE $64,000 QUESTION ran on television from June 7, 1955 – November 2, 1958, but like most early programs, it had its root in radio.

Starting as a radio program called TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, airing on CBS radio, starting way back in 1940. Ten years later, now on NBC radio, the show was changed to THE $64 QUESTION. It ran on NBC radio until 1952.

Getting THE $64,000 QUESTION on television was tough for creator Louis Cowan. He tied many different companies to take on the role as title sponsor. Eventually, cosmetic make Revlon stepped up to the opportunity.

The show became so popular that movie theaters ticket sales, restaurants patrons and even the crime rate dropped when the show was on. That first season at #1, it out rated the #2 program (I LOVE LUCY) by a full point and a half. You know you are popular if you are the only show to dethrone the Queen of TV Comedy.

Within three months of the Game Show Scandal, THE $64,000 QUESTION was off the air. In face almost all of the game shows of the time, were pulled. Viewer confidence was lost and ratings took a plunge.

HOW THE GAME WAS PLAYED:

Contestants first chose a subject category from the Category Board.The contestant would then be asked questions only in the chosen category, and much like how MILLIONAIRE works, earn money which doubled ($64, $128, $256 to $512, then $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000 to $64,000) as the questions became more difficult. At the $4,000 level, a contestant would return each week for only one question per week. They could quit at any time and retire with their money, under the $1000 level, if they got a question wrong, they were eliminated without winning anything. Starting with the $8,000 question, they were placed in the isolation booth, where they could hear nothing but the host's words. As long as the contestant kept answering correctly, they could stay on the show until they had won $64,000.