History Series / The64000Question

* ProductPlacement: As was customary at the time, the program was heavily sponsored, in this case by the Revlon cosmetics company, who experienced a surge in prominence due to the show's runaway success. The Revlon staff were very smart behind the scenes, meticulously adjusting how it promoted its products during breaks to ensure maximum effectiveness.

* UnexpectedlyObscureAnswer: These kinds of questions were used in an attempt to force losses from contestants Revson didn't like, going so far as to swap out the questions that had been secured in a bank vault prior to the show.

** In April 2000, CBS piloted a revival to cash in on the success of ''Millionaire'' with a top prize of $1,028,000, but it was scrapped. The pilot has been seen by a select few outside the network (such as [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=64000Question2000 this review]]), and is generally considered terrible.

** GameShowHost: Hal March hosted the original TV run along with Sonny Fox on the ''Challenge'' spin-off. Mike Darrow hosted the first season of the 1970s revival, with [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Alex Trebek]] replacing him on the second. Greg Gumbel hosted the unsold 2000 attempt.

Saying that ''Question'' was an instantaneous success is an understatement. It beat the traditional ratings juggernaut ''Series/ILoveLucy'' to become the #1 show of the 1955–56 television season, and its popularity was so absolute that cinemas and restaurants were practically empty on Tuesday nights because just about everyone was watching. Those who managed to win the $64,000 prize became instant celebrities, and the recurring "Jazz" category even spawned a co-branded jazz compilation album. Cowan, owing to the success, was also promoted to president of CBS-TV. There was even a spin-off the following Spring, ''The $64,000 Challenge'', which aired on Sunday nights and featured top winners from the main show competing against each other for more money.

** GameShowHost: Hal March hosted the original TV run, with Mike Darrow hosting the first season of the 1970s revival and [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Alex Trebek]] doing the second. Greg Gumbel hosted the unsold 2000 attempt.

** In April 2000, CBS piloted a revival to cash in on the success of ''Millionaire'', but it was scrapped. The pilot has been seen by a select few outside the network (such as [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=64000Question2000 this review]]), and is generally considered terrible.

** CBS actually considered producing a revival to cash in on the success of ''Millionaire'', but it was scrapped. The pilot, shot in April 2000, has been seen by a select few outside the network (such as [[http://www.usgameshows.net/x.php?show=64000Question2000 this review]]), and is generally considered terrible.

In the late 1990s, Creator/{{ABC}} planned to produce a new revival, ''The $640,000 Question''. The producer had a better idea, and decided to import a little British quiz show called ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the scandal investigations that ''Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning players, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, yet subverted their expectations by aggressively studying every boxing-related book she could find, and becoming the first woman to win the $64,000.

On April 21, 1940, the Creator/{{CBS}} radio network premiered a simple little quiz show called ''Take It or Leave It''. The game was simple: answer correctly, and you won $1. You could "take it" and stop, or answer another question to double the money, losing what you earned if you answered incorrectly. A contestant could keep going until they reached the seventh and final question, which awarded the [[GameShowWinningsCap grand prize]] of $64. The show became ingrained in the pop culture of the time; the notion of a "$64 question" was a popular metaphor, and even the StudioAudience's warning about what would happen if you answered wrong ("You'll be ''SORRY!''") was notable enough to be referenced in a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short. It moved to Creator/{{NBC}} in 1947 and was renamed ''The $64 Question'' in 1950; the show ended in 1952.

With television picking up steam by the mid-1950s, and the FCC ruling that television game shows were not gambling, Louis G. Cowan decided that it was about time to resurrect the classic in a big way: on June 7, 1955, CBS television viewers witnessed the arrival of ''The $64,000 Question''. The game was simple: pick a category, and answer questions from it to win money. The first was worth $64, and as always, the next question was worth double the previous amount ($64 doubled up to $512, then an increase to $1,000, which doubled up to $64,000). The contestant could stop at any time, but lost everything or dropped to a safepoint if they answered wrong. Beginning at the $4,000 level, each contestant was only asked one question per week. Further, the contestant was also placed in an isolation booth beginning at $8,000, and later questions had multiple parts.

In the 1940s, the Creator/{{CBS}} radio network premiered a simple little quiz show called ''Take It or Leave It''. The game was simple: answer correctly, and you won $1. You could "take it" and stop, or answer another question to double the money, losing what you earned if you answered incorrectly. A contestant could keep going until they reached the seventh and final question, which awarded the [[GameShowWinningsCap grand prize]] of $64. The show became ingrained in the pop culture of the time; the notion of a "$64 question" was a popular metaphor, and even the StudioAudience's warning about what would happen if you answered wrong ("You'll be ''SORRY!''") was notable enough to be referenced in a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short. In 1947, it moved to Creator/{{NBC}}, and a few years later was renamed ''The $64 Question'', continuing until 1952.

* ProductPlacement: As was customary at the time, the program was heavily sponsored, in this case by the Revlon cosmetics company, who experienced a surge in prominence due to the runaway success of ''Question''. The Revlon staff were very smart behind the scenes, meticulously adjusting how it promoted its products during breaks to ensure maximum effectiveness.
* SoundProofBooth: Used on the higher-level questions. Sponsored by Revlon!

* TransatlanticEquivalent: There were British versions: the 1950s version was just ''The 64,000 Question''; the prize was 64,000 sixpences (later shillings), and they had their own version of ''Challenge'' as well. Unusually, the 1990s revival with Bob Monkhouse was still called ''The $64,000 Question'', even though the prize (£6,400) was in British Pounds, which is [[NonIndicativeName nowhere near $64,000]].

In the 1940's, the Creator/{{CBS}} radio network premiered a simple little quiz show called ''Take It or Leave It''. The game was simple: answer correctly, and you won $1. You could "take it" and stop, or answer another question to double the money, losing what you earned if you answered incorrectly. A contestant could keep going until they reached the seventh and final question, which awarded the [[GameShowWinningsCap grand prize]] of $64. The show became ingrained in the pop culture of the time; the notion of a "$64 question" was a popular metaphor, and even the StudioAudience's warning about what would happen if you answered wrong ("You'll be ''SORRY!''") was notable enough to be referenced in a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short. In 1947, it moved to Creator/{{NBC}}, and a few years later, was re-named ''The $64 Question'', continuing until 1952.

With television picking up steam by the mid-1950's, and the FCC ruling that television game shows were not gambling, Louis G. Cowan decided that it was about time to resurrect this classic, in a big way: on June 7, 1955, CBS television viewers witnessed the arrival of ''The $64,000 Question''. The game was simple: pick a category, and answer questions from it to win money. The first was worth $64, and as always, the next question was worth double the previous amount ($64 doubled up to $512, then an increase to $1,000, which doubled up to $64,000). The contestant could stop at any time, but lost everything or dropped to a safepoint if they answered wrong. Beginning at the $4,000 level, each contestant was only asked one question per-week. Furthermore, the contestant was also placed in an isolation booth beginning at $8,000, and later questions had multiple parts.

Saying that ''The $64,000 Question'' was an instantaneous success is an understatement. It beat the traditional ratings juggernaut ''Series/ILoveLucy'' to become the #1 show of the 1955–56 television season, and its popularity was so absolute that cinemas and restaurants were practically empty on Tuesday nights because just about everyone was watching. Those who managed to win the $64,000 prize became instant celebrities, and the recurring "Jazz" category even spawned a co-branded jazz compilation album. Cowan, owing to the success, was also promoted to president of CBS-TV. There was even a spin-off the following Spring, ''The $64,000 Challenge'', which aired on Sunday nights and featured top winners from the main show competing against each other for more money.

However, ''The $64,000 Question'' would fall as quickly as it rose, for multiple reasons. The success of the show resulted in a wave of other big-money quiz shows [[FollowTheLeader competing for the nation's conscience with serialized, week-by-week drama of their own]], including ''Series/{{Dotto}}'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', and perhaps its most formidable opponent, ''[[Series/TwentyOne Twenty-One]]''. However, in mid-1958, a scandal emerged when it was revealed that ''Twenty-One'' had been rigging matches in an effort to drive viewership. Following a summer hiatus, ''The $64,000 Challenge'' was cancelled and ''Question'' moved to its Sunday-night time slot in September 1958. In response to the significant decline in viewership that the scandals brought, ''The $64,000 Question'' was cancelled just two months later in November.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, yet subverted their expectations by aggressively studying every boxing-related book she could find, and becoming the first woman to win the $64,000.

The scandals, and ensuing scrutiny over how game shows were produced (in particular, the networks wanted more creative control to ensure fairness), led to a period where there were no big money game shows on TV at all; five-figure prizes were generally avoided until the arrival of ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $10,000 Pyramid]]'' in the 1970's. With that in mind, ''The $64,000 Question'' received a syndicated revival in 1976, ''The $128,000 Question'', which lasted two seasons-- the first was produced in New York with Mike Darrow, the second was produced in Canada and hosted by [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Alex Trebek]]; this version gave $64,000 winners entry into a tournament for another $64,000. In the late-1990's, Creator/{{ABC}} planned to produce a new revival, ''The $640,000 Question''. The producer, however, had a better idea, and decided to import a little British quiz show called ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''. The rest was history.

!! This series contains examples of
* BroadcastLive: A common practice at the time, of course.
* ConsolationPrize: Getting the $1,000, $2,000, or $4,000 questions wrong awarded the player $512. At the $4,000 milestone, the consolation prize is changed to a Cadillac.
** On the 70's revival, missing between $64-$4,000 won $1, $8,000 or $16,000 won a Buick Skylark, while missing $32,000 or $64,000 gave the player $16,000. Season 2 players missing the $32,000 question won $8,000 and a Buick Electra, while missing the $64,000 question won $24,000 and an Electra.
* GameShowHost: Hal March; unusual for the genre at the time, ''Question'' elected to have an actor serve as host rather than a normal game show host.

* TransatlanticEquivalent: There were British versions: the 1950's version was just ''The 64,000 Question''; the prize was 64,000 sixpences (later shillings), and they had their own version of the ''Challenge'' too. Unusually, the 1990's revival with Bob Monkhouse was still called ''The $64,000 Question'', even though the prize (£6,400) was in British Pounds--which is [[NonIndicativeName nowhere near $64,000]]
* WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire: It is clear that ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' can be viewed as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''The $64,000 Question'' in more ways than one: it had a money ladder with checkpoints, thousands of dollars on the line, a glitzy set, and suspense. ''Millionaire'' may have codified the modern version of a big money quiz show, but it has a lot to owe to ''The $64,000 Question'' .
** Ironically, CBS actually considered producing a revival--''The $1,064,000 Question''--to cash in on the success of ''Millionaire'', but it was scrapped (CBS would instead import another show from the creators of ''Millionaire'', ''Series/WinningLines'', to serve as its competitor)

* ProductPlacement: As was customary at the time, the program was heavily sponsored, in this case by the Revlon cosmetics company, who experienced a surge in prominence due to the runaway success of ''Question''. The Revlon staff were DangerouslyGenreSavvy behind the scenes, meticulously adjusting how it promoted its products during breaks to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, yet subverted their expectations by aggressively studying every boxing-related book she could find, and became the first woman to win the $64,000.

With television picking up steam by the mid-1950's, and the FCC ruling that television game shows were not gambling, Louis G. Cowan decided that it was about time to resurrect this classic, in a big way: on June 7, 1955, CBS television viewers witnessed the arrival of ''The $64,000 Question''. The game was simple: pick a category, and answer questions from it to win money. The first was worth $64, and as always, the next question was worth double the previous amount ($64, $128, $256, $512, $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000, and the end plateau of $64,000). The contestant could stop at any time, but lost everything or dropped to a safepoint if they answered wrong. Beginning at the $4,000 level, each contestant was only asked one question per-week. Furthermore, the contestant was also placed in an isolation booth beginning at $8,000, and later questions had multiple parts.

The scandals, and ensuing scrutiny over how game shows were produced (in particular, the networks wanted more creative control to ensure fairness), led to a period where there were no big money game shows on TV at all; five-figure prizes were generally avoided until the arrival of ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $10,000 Pyramid]]'' in the 1970's. With that in mind, ''The $64,000 Question'' received a syndicated revival in 1976, ''The $128,000 Question'', which lasted two seasons--the second was produced in Canada and hosted by [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Alex Trebek]]. In the late-1990's, Creator/{{ABC}} planned to produce a new revival, ''The $640,000 Question''. The producer, however, had a better idea, and decided to import a little British quiz show called ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''. The rest was history.

However, ''The $64,000 Question'' would fall as quickly as it rose, for multiple reasons. The success of the show resulted in a wave of other big-money quiz shows [[FollowTheLeader competing for the nation's conscience with serialized, week-by-week drama of their own]], including ''Series/{{Dotto}}'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', and perhaps its most formidable opponent, ''[[Series/TwentyOne Twenty-One]]''. However, in mid-1958, viewers began to learn that the drama on these particular shows was literally manufactured. Following a summer hiatus, ''The $64,000 Challenge'' was cancelled and ''Question'' moved to its Sunday-night time slot in September 1958. In response to the significant decline in viewership that the scandals brought, ''The $64,000 Question'' was cancelled just two months later in November.

In the 1940's, the Creator/{{CBS}} radio network premiered a simple little quiz show called ''Take It or Leave It''. The game was simple: answer correctly, and you won $1. You could "take it" and stop, or answer another question to double the money, losing what you earned if you answered incorrectly. A contestant could keep going until they reached the seventh and final question, which awarded the [[GameShowWinningsCap grand prize]] of $64. The show became ingrained in the pop culture of the time; the notion of the elusive "$64 question", and even the StudioAudience's warning about what would happen if you answered wrong ("You'll be ''SORRY!''") was notable enough to be referenced in a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short. In 1947, it moved to Creator/{{NBC}}, and a few years later, was re-named ''The $64 Question'', continuing until 1952.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, yet still managed to be the first woman to win the $64,000 by intentionally studying every boxing-related book imaginable.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category. After reading up on practically every boxing-related book, Brothers become the first woman to win the $64,000.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by executives of the program's main sponsor, Revlon, including its CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, but aggressively researched enough of the subject to answer every last question, and become the first woman to win the $64,000.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by Revlon executives, including CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, but aggressively researched enough of the subject to answer every last question, and become the first woman to win the $64,000.

** Ironically, CBS actually considered producing a revival--''The $1,064,000 Question''--to cash in on the success of ''Millionaire'', but it was scrapped.

Saying that ''The $64,000 Question'' was an instantaneous success is an understatement. It beat the traditional ratings juggernaut ''Series/ILoveLucy'' to become the #1 show of the 1955–56 television season, and its popularity was so absolute that cinemas and restaurants were practically empty on Tuesday nights because just about everyone was watching. Those who managed to win the $64,000 prize became instant celebrities, and the recurring "Jazz" category even spawned a co-branded jazz compilation album. Cowan, owing to the success, was also promoted to president of CBS-TV.

Although the show was not outright rigged, it was later revealed during the quiz show scandals that ''The $64,000 Question'' was the subject of ExecutiveMeddling by Revlon executives, including CEO Charles Revson. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Dr. Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, but aggressively researched enough of the subject to answer every last question, and become the first woman to win the $64,000.

* WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire: It is clear that ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' can be viewed as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''The $64,000 Question'' in more ways than one: it had a money ladder with checkpoints, thousands of dollars on the line, a glitzy set, and suspense. ''Millionaire'' may have codified the modern version of a big money game show, but

* MarketBasedTitle: There were British versions: the 1950's version was just ''The 64,000 Question''; the prize was 64,000 sixpences (later shillings). Unusually, the 1990's revival with Bob Monkhouse ''was'' called ''The $64,000 Question'', with a prize of £6,400.

However, ''The $64,000 Question'' would ultimately fall as quickly as it rose, for multiple reasons. The success of ''Question'' resulted in a wave of other big-money game shows [[FollowTheLeader competing for the nation's conscience]], including ''Series/{{Dotto}}'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', and perhaps its most formidable opponent, ''[[Series/TwentyOne Twenty-One]]''. But then, 1958 saw revelations that nearly killed the entire genre of quiz shows: following a summer hiatus, ''The $64,000 Challenge'' was cancelled and ''Question'' moved to its Sunday-night time slot in September 1958. In response to the significant decline in viewership that the scandals brought, ''The $64,000 Question'' was cancelled just two months later in November.

Although not to the same extent as ''Twenty-One'' and not outright rigging, it was later revealed that ''Question'' was also being [[ExecutiveMeddling manipulated with behind the scenes]]. Taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revlon's CEO Charles Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants he felt would get the show good ratings, and giving the "duds" a hard time. However, this idea backfired spectacularly when Dr. Joyce Brothers was meddled into having ''boxing'' be her category, but aggressively researched enough of the subject to answer every last question, and become the first woman to win the $64,000.

With television picking up steam by the mid-1950's, and the FCC ruling that television game shows were not gambling, Louis G. Cowan decided that it was about time to resurrect this classic, in a big way: on June 7, 1955, CBS television viewers witnessed the arrival of ''The $64,000 Question''. The game was simple: pick a category, and answer questions from it to win money. The first was worth $64, and as always, the next question was worth double the previous amount ($64, $128, $256, $512, $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $8,000, $16,000, $32,000, and the end plateau of $64,000). The contestant could stop at any time, but lost everything or dropped to a safepoint if they answered wrong. Beginning at the $4,000 level, each contestant was only asked one question per-week. Furthermore, the contestant was also placed in an isolation booth beginning at $8,000.

Saying that ''The $64,000 Question'' was an instantaneous success is an understatement. It beat the traditional ratings juggernaut ''Series/ILoveLucy'' to become the #1 show of the 1955–56 television season, while Robert Metz wrote in his book on CBS that the show's popularity was so absolute, that cinemas and restaurants were practically empty on Tuesday nights because just about everyone was watching. Those who managed to win the $64,000 prize became instant celebrities. The recurring "Jazz" category even spawned a co-branded jazz compilation album! Cowan, owing to the success, was also promoted to president of CBS-TV.

Although not to the same extent as ''Twenty-One'' and not outright rigging, it was later revealed that ''Question'' was being manipulated behind the scenes as well; taking advantage of its use of returning champions, Revlon's CEO Charles Revson insisted on stacking the decks in favor of contestants they felt would get good ratings, while giving the "duds" a hard time (although one Dr. Joyce Brothers, a victim of this meddling, still managed to win the $64,000). No game show dared to give away prizes in the five-figures until ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $10,000 Pyramid]]'' broke the barrier once more in the 1970's. The series got a syndicated revival in 1976, ''The $128,000 Question'', which lasted two seasons (with the second produced in Canada and hosted by [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Alex Trebek]]). In the late-1990's, Creator/{{ABC}} considered producing a new revival, ''The $640,000 Question'', but scrapped it in favor of importing a little British hit called ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''.

* BroadcastLive: It added to the drama. It was also a common practice at the time, of course.

* WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire: As the UrExample of a big money game show, ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' would not have existed if it weren't for what ''Question'' accomplished with its use of glitz and suspense. ''Millionaire'' is, essentially a SpiritualSuccessor to ''The $64,000 Question''.