1956

"Twenty-One"

This game show is perhaps less notable for its content than for its place in history. Along with "Dotto," "The $64,000 Question" and "Big Surprise," NBC's "Twenty-One" was at the center of a scandal in which some popular quiz shows were revealed to be corrupt. Once a showcase for U.S. smarts, the programs became a public example of the dangers of intellectualism and the downfall of American morality. "It has grave possibilities in our international relations," said Arkansas Sen. William Fulbright. "What seems to be new about these scandals is the moral blindness or callowness which allows those in responsible positions to accept the practices which the facts reveal." Robert Redford's Oscar-winning film, "Quiz Show," took up this scandal in 1994.