Quiz Show starring Ralph Fiennes,
John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul
Scofield, David Paymer
The Real Question Is...
This vigorously entertaining film, sharply directed by Robert Redford from
Paul Attanasios brilliant screenplay, is based on the game-show scandals
of the 1950s, when TV quiz shows were rigged to attract higher ratings and
lucrative sponsorships. The fact-based story focuses on the quiz show
Twenty-One and popular contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a
charming, well-bred intellectual who agreed to win the game by using
answers supplied by the shows producers. This unfair advantage turned
Van Doren into a prototypical media darling at the expense of reigning
Twenty-One champion Herbie Stempel (John Turturro, in a bravura
performance), a working-class Jewish contestant who, according to the
shows sponsors, had worn out his welcome in the public eye. When a
congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) catches on to the scam and
Stempel blows the whistle on this backstage manipulation, Quiz Show
becomes a smart, political exposé about the first generation of television,
the corrupting effect of celebrity and success, and the ongoing loss of
innocence in American society. Bristling with superior dialogue and
energized by an excellent cast including Paul Scofield as Van Dorens
morally upstanding father, Quiz Show succeeds as history lesson,
intelligent thriller, and morality tale, setting the stage for the countless
scandals that would follow in a nation addicted to television. --Jeff
Shannon
Personal Review: Quiz Show starring Ralph Fiennes, John
Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield, David Paymer
Over the years director Robert Redford has made a number of splendid
motion pictures.
Redford won an Academy Award in his very first stab at directing with
1980's "Ordinary People". Likewise, he was nominated for the Golden
Globe Award for Best Director for 1992's magnificent "A River Runs
Through It" and the 1998 film "The Horse Whisperer".
While these were all terrific flicks my favorite Robert Redford-directed film
always has been 1994's "Quiz Show". Now in the 1950's quiz shows were
all the rage on network television. Shows like "21" and "The $64,000
Question" drew upwards of 50 million viewers each week. It is difficult to
imagine those kinds of numbers in this day and age where the audience is
so fragmented In any event, there was enormous pressure on network

executives to keep these shows fresh and interesting to the audience. The
networks quickly discovered that one of the best ways to achieve this end
was to manipulate the results. In that way a certain number of these
contestants would be sent packing before audiences grew tired of them.
This strategy was quite successful for a number a years before one
estranged contestant decided to blow the whistle on all of it. "Quiz Show"
recalls in a very compelling way the people and events surrounding this
scandal. This is a film that commands your undivided attention from the
outset and simply never lets go!
There are really three principal charactors in "Quiz Show". John Turturro
stars as Herb Stempel, the thirtysomething Jewish contestant who was
the reigning champion on "21". To be kind, despite winning for several
weeks in a row Herb proved to be about as charismatic as a mortician.
The sponser was calling the network demanding that Herb be "replaced".
Enter one Charles Van Doran (played by Ralph Fiennes), a handsome,
highly educated and captivating young man who possessed all of the
charactoristics that both the sponser and the network were looking for.
Would he be willing to "play the game" and be fed the answers? At first he
resisted but the allure of fame and fortune proved to be too much.
In order to make this all happen producer Dan Enright (David Paymer)
must convince Stempel to deliberately miss a question. Stempel is
outraged but reluctantly agrees and Van Doran would become the new
champion. In the ensuing weeks the ratings would go through the roof
and Charles Van Doran would become a household name. Meanwhile,
Herb Stempel, who is now nothing more than yesterday's news is seething.
His celebrity is gone and the network has refused to make good on a deal
he struck with them to throw that question and end his reign as "21"
champion. Totally frustrated, Stempel goes to the authorities and tells all.
It is at this point that Redford introduces us to the third major player in this
saga. Dick Goodwin finished at the top of his class at Harvard Law
School. Although he realized that he was one day destined for big things
on Wall Street he decided that he wanted to pursue other avenues first.
He goes to work as an investigator for a Congressional subcommitee and
finds the work to be rather mundane. All of that changes rather
dramatically when Goodwin (played by Rob Morrow) begins to suspect
there just might be something fishy about some of these TV quiz shows.
Goodwin is a feisty and persistant son-of-a-gun who relentlessly pursues
the investigation. Eventually, he catches up with both Stempel and Van
Doren and the whole tangled web slowly and painfully begins to unravel.
All three men are conflicted about their roles in this drama and soon
Goodwin discovers that there are forces at the highest levels of both the
government and corporate America that are out to discredit him.
Although the film was criticized for taking some "artistic license" Robert
Redford stands by his portrayal of these historic events. "Quiz Show"
features outstanding acting and a terrific script. In my opinion this was
one of the finest films made in the 1990's. Very highly recommended!
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