The $64, 000 Question
"The $64,000 Question" was based on the old radio program, "Take it or Leave It," which had a $64 top prize. Contestants who appeared on the show answered questions in one single category (e.g., Shakespeare, the Bible, American History or boxing). The first question was worth $64, and doubled as the questions increased in difficulty, up to that breathtakingly difficult $64,000 question. If the contestant reached the $1,000 plateau, the contestant returned to the next show to answer one question each week (the questions brought out by a bank executive and two security guards), so long as he/she kept winning. At the $4,000 plateau, he/she was placed in an on-stage isolation chamber; at the $8,000 plateau, any incorrect answer guaranteed the contestant a Cadillac Series 62 sedan as a consolation prize. At the $64,000, the contestant was given some reference material to study and/or could enlist the aid of an expert to help him/her answer the $64,000 question. The category for the first $64,000 winner, Capt. Tom McCutcheon, was in cooking; the second $64,000 winner was Dr. Joyce Brothers, whose expertise was in boxing. "The $64,000 Question" was among the most watched shows in all of television between 1955 and 1957, but its popularity would deteriorate rapidly in the face of the Quiz Show Scandals. Regardless of the connection "The $64,000 Question" may have had with the scandals, it remains among the most influential television game shows.
- 1955-1958
- 1 season
- CBS
- Family, Game Show
"The $64,000 Question" was based on the old radio program, "Take it or Leave It," which had a $64 top prize. Contestants who appeared on the show answered questions in one single category (e.g., Shakespeare, the Bible, American History or boxing). The first question was worth $64, and doubled as the questions increased in difficulty, up to that breathtakingly difficult $64,000 question. If the contestant reached the $1,000 plateau, the contestant returned to the next show to answer one question each week (the questions brought out by a bank executive and two security guards), so long as he/she kept winning. At the $4,000 plateau, he/she was placed in an on-stage isolation chamber; at the $8,000 plateau, any incorrect answer guaranteed the contestant a Cadillac Series 62 sedan as a consolation prize. At the $64,000, the contestant was given some reference material to study and/or could enlist the aid of an expert to help him/her answer the $64,000 question. The category for the first $64,000 winner, Capt. Tom McCutcheon, was in cooking; the second $64,000 winner was Dr. Joyce Brothers, whose expertise was in boxing. "The $64,000 Question" was among the most watched shows in all of television between 1955 and 1957, but its popularity would deteriorate rapidly in the face of the Quiz Show Scandals. Regardless of the connection "The $64,000 Question" may have had with the scandals, it remains among the most influential television game shows.
Currently not available to stream. Add it to your Watchlist to be notified when it becomes available.
Content not available in your region?ExpressVPNcan help you stay connected wherever you are.Get 4 extra months FREE with TV Guide's exclusive offer.
Season 1 Episode Guide
Episode 1
Premiere
Tue, Jun 7, 1955
Awards
- 1956 - Primetime Emmy - Best Audience Participation Series - Winner
You May Also Like
Popular Shows
Regular Show: The Lost Tapes
The continuing misadventures of Mordecai and Rigby as they try to make the most of their jobs at the park.
- 2026
- Animation, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction
The Little Rascals
Television syndication package of the classic 1929-1938 shorts from the "Our Gang Comedies" movie series.
- 1955
- Comedy, Family
America's Got Talent
"America’s Got Talent," NBC’s No. 1 summer show, returns in May with fresh new faces and familiar favorites, along with the excitement, thrills and feel-good performances that viewers have come to love each season.
- 2006
- Family, Game Show, Music, Reality
Leave It to Beaver
The Cleavers are the 1950s "All-American Family" in this "feel-good" family sitcom. Parents Ward and June and older brother Wally try to keep Theodore ("the Beaver") out of trouble. However, Beaver continues to end up in one kind of jam or another. Unlike real life, these situations are always easily resolved to the satisfaction of all involved, and Beaver gets off with a few stern moralistic words of parental advice. Instigator and troublemaker Eddie Haskell is an older guy who always manages to avoid being caught.
- 1957
- Comedy, Family
The Lawrence Welk Show
Renowned bandleader Lawrence Welk began his own variety series in 1955... and it has never stopped running. Each program was straightforward musical numbers from Welk's band (many of which had featured solos at one point or another), as well as vocal selections and dance numbers from the show's cast. Most of the introductions to the performances, read stiffy by Welk, were kept short. Many of the shows revolved around a certain theme (e.g., "The Music Man" or the Fourth of July), with appropriate songs and dance numbers. The most famous of the featured singers were the Lennon Sisters (Dianne, Janet, Kathy and Peggy), who were featured most every week for 13 years. At the end of each show, Welk would invite women from the audience on stage to dance with him as the theme, "Bubbles in the Wine" (and later, "Champagne Fanfare") played. The show enjoyed a 16-year network run on ABC, and later a successful 11-year syndicated run. Just months after the original series ended, older shows (from c. 1965-1982) were repackaged with new footage and entered a long run in both syndication and on PBS.
- 1955
- Family, Music
A Taste for Murder
Follows DCI Joe Mottram, a star detective with the Metropolitan police who, after a personal tragedy, retreats to Capri in Italy with his daughter to stay with his Italian in-laws for the summer.
- 2026
- Suspense, Drama, Family