Lindsey Graham (6:24)
From Wondery I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American Scandal. By the spring of 1957, quiz shows had become a bona fide phenomenon in American television. They often appear in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings and earned big money for their networks, production companies, and sponsors. But as the profits grew, so too did the pressure to keep that success going, and over time, producers began tweaking their shows to ensure they remained hits. They learned that audiences responded best to contestants with compelling backstories and personalities who were able to win multiple episodes and return week after week. This allowed viewers to emotionally connect with the contestants, so some quiz show producers began writing trivia questions tailored to the strengths of their most popular contestants. Other producers, like 21 creator Dan Enright, took the manipulation much further. Enright began fully scripting every episode, feeding both of the contestants the questions and answers beforehand, instructing them which ones to get right or wrong, and even when to pause or wipe their brow for dramatic effect. But these extreme measures came with enormous risk, because as more contestants participated in the deception, it became more and more likely that the truth would come out. And in the spring of 1957, 21's former champion, Herbert Stempel, seemed very prepared to blow the whistle. This is episode three. Consolation prize it's the morning of March 7, 1957. Dan Enright, the creator and lead producer of 21, is in his Manhattan office sifting through a list of potential trivia questions. When his secretary buzzes in to say that Herbert Stempel is waiting in the lobby, Enright sighs in irritation. Stempel is an hour early, and Enright still needs to prepare for their meeting. The last time Enright saw Stempel, he sounded unhinged, rambling on about what he was owed and threatening to expose the show as a fraud. But as much as Enright would like to just ignore Stempel, he knows he can't risk it, because right now, he has a lot to lose. Enright and his partner, Jack Berry, are in the middle of negotiating a deal to sell 21 to NBC, along with a handful of their other shows. It's a deal that will likely bring in more than a million dollars, and if Stempel were to blow the whistle now, the whole thing could go up in flames. So Enright has decided to take some precautionary measures. Enright buzzes his secretary, instructing her to stall Stemple. Then he jumps up from his desk and heads to the bookcase. He reaches up to the top shelf and pulls off a reel to reel tape machine the size of a small suitcase. Enright pulls the tape recorder off the shelf and loads it off with a fresh reel. Then he hits record and places it back on top of the bookcase behind a potted plant. So now, as Stempel walks into the office, making threats and raving like a lunatic, this recording will give Enright all the evidence he needs to paint the former contestant as an unreliable witness, one whose mental state has been in sharp decline since losing his title as quiz show champion. And if Enright accidentally incriminates himself in the process, he can easily edit those parts out of the recording before sharing it with anyone. So, with the tape rolling, Enright returns to his desk and tells the secretary to send in Stamp. A few moments later, he's in Enright's office and looking a bit desperate. Enright leans forward, hoping to take charge of the conversation. How are you, Herb? I hope our conversation can be a little more civil this time. Well, that's up to you, isn't it? Look, Dan, I'll level with you. I wouldn't be here asking for more money if I didn't need to. I'm in a tight spot. I've already spent all the money I want. I bought a nice car, okay? There's no crime in that. But. But then I've got this friend, and, yeah, he did some time in prison, but we grew up together, you understand. So this. This guy was setting up some kind of gambling operation in Florida and said I could double my money, but I. I haven't seen a dime. I asked a few questions, and then the next thing I know, he shows up at my door. Not so friendly this time. He was sending a message, Dan, this man's capable of murder. Enright is taken aback by Stemples rambling semi coherent tale. Hold on, Herbad. I mean, it sounds like you might have committed a crime here. Yeah, I know. You're stupid. I haven't been in my right mind since I left the show. Okay, let's put money aside, because now I'm worried about your mental state. Are you seeing a psychiatrist? Yeah, twice a week. Well, let's make it five times a week. I'm serious. I'll pay for the extra sessions. Well, I appreciate it, but that won't solve the money problem. How about this, then? I've got a new game show in the works with NBC. It's called High Low. The contestant competes against a panel of celebrities, and I want to have you on that panel once a week. It premieres in July, right after you graduate. You'd be paid for every appearance. Really? Well, that would be great. Yeah. Thank you. But I need you to do something for me in return. Enright takes out a pen and paper and slides them across the desk to Stample. I'm going to dictate a letter for you to write out and sign, word for word. A letter? Yeah. I need you to say that you were never given the answers on 21. I need it to be in writing. But that's not the truth. Last couple of times we've met, your tone hasn't been exactly friendly, Herb. In fact, it sure sounds like you're trying to blackmail me. Oh, come on, Dan. I would never do anything like that. I've just got a little worked up seeing Van Doren and all the money he's winning the whole Time magazine thing, you know? Meanwhile, I'm up to my eyeballs in this whole gambling mess. I don't know. It's. It's difficult. I'm sorry. Well, apology accepted. But I need to protect myself. Her. I need to know I can trust you. Oh, you can. I promise. All right. Just tell me what to write. Enright speaks slowly as Stemple dutifully takes down every word in the letter. Stempel writes that he was never supplied with the answers to any questions before the show. And as Stempel signs at the bottom and slides the letter back, Enright feels himself relaxing. He now has a tape recording where a clearly unwell Stempel admits to financing an illegal gambling operation and to threatening Enright. He also has a signed letter where the contestant definitively states that no collusion ever occurred on the show. So if Stempel tries to pull anything, Enright should have everything he would need to bury him. While Enright is managing the Herbert Stemple situation, he still has a show to run. So he turns his attention back to 21's current champion, Charles Van Doren. By March of 1957, Van Doren has been on the show for more than three consecutive months. He's earned more than $100,000, a record for any quiz show contestant. He's also become a bonafide celebrity, and Enright has been milking his star contestant to generate as much publicity as possible. Enright's even gone so far as to send Van Doren on prearranged, highly public dates with famous actresses to ensure that 21 stays in the papers. But Van Doren has grown anxious from all of the attention, along with the pressure of maintaining the hoax. He yearns to get back to a normal life. And after several weeks of pleading, Enright finally grants him his wish. Van Doren is taken off the show much the same way he was brought on. Enright engineers a long series of tie games between Van Doren and another contestant, Vivian Neering. The standoff lasts three weeks, until finally, on March 11, Van Doren throws the game. And with Enright feeding her the correct answers, Neering goes on a winning streak of her own. And when her run ends, Enright manufactures yet another new compelling rivalry, with this time pushing his favorite gimmick even further. The next pair of star contestants, James Snodgrass and Hank Bloomgarden, continuously tie and return to face each other for a full month. But once again, Enright underestimates the dangers of colluding with the wrong contestant. Although Snodgrass enjoys the fame that comes with being a returning contestant on a hit game show, he feels uneasy about the legality of their arrangement. And he becomes even more uneasy when the show's producers explain to him that after all the tie games, Snodgrass will be the one who has to lose. He'll be sent home with a consolation prize of $3,000, while Bloom Garden stands to win over 50,000. As a young man struggling to make a career for himself as a screenwriter and painter, Snodgrass feels he's in no position to turn down thousands of dollars, so he agrees to play his part. But as he heads home that evening, his resentment begins to grow and by the time he opens the door to his Greenwich Village apartment, Snodgrass has decided to throw caution to the wind. When it comes time for him to take a dive, he's going to answer the question correctly, forcing the producers to keep him on the show. Snodgrass has no idea what will happen next, but he's sure the producers won't be happy. So he's going to take an extraordinary step to protect himself from potential fallout. Snodgrass hunts around in his desk until he finds a sheet of carbon transfer paper. Then he grabs a ballpoint pen and begins writing. He writes out all the questions the producers had him memorize the questions he'll be given on the episode three days from now. And when Snodgrass is finished, he tears off the carbon paper copy and tucks it in his desk for safekeeping. Then he takes the original, slides it into one envelope, and undresses it to himself. First thing tomorrow morning, he'll head to the post office and mail the questions back to himself via certified mail, ensuring the date is stamped clearly on the sealed envelope. A date two days before the questions inside will be asked live on air. Snodgrass is creating undeniable physical evidence that 21 is rigged, and he has a good feeling it'll come in handy someday. Over the next two weeks, James Snodgrass sends himself two more letters via certified mail that contain the rigged questions and answers to that week's episode of 21. Then, on May 20, he follows through with his plan and gives a correct answer to a question he was supposed to miss. Snodgrass rebellion sends producers Dan Enright and Albert Friedman into a panic. This is the first time a contestant has refused to play ball. So at the next commercial break, they rush on stage and try to persuade Snodgrass to bow out, suggesting maybe he's not feeling well. But Snodgrass refuses to leave. He stays on to finish the episode, which ends in yet another set of ties. So in the next episode, the producers solve this problem by supplying the correct answers only to Bloom Garden, leaving Snodgrass to fend for himself. Bloom Garden easily wins the game, and Snodgrass is finally sent packing with his $3,000 consolation prize. Further tempting fate. A month later, Dan Enright reneges on his agreement with Herbert Stempel to cast Stempel as a celebrity panelist on the new quiz show High Low. Enright explains that he recently sold all of his shows to NBC, so the network is now responsible for casting, and they aren't interested in having Stempel. On hearing this news, Stempel is despondent with the poor investments he's made. He was counting on the steady income from this new show. Adding insult to injury, hi Lo casts John Van Doren, the brother of Stempel's hated rival, Charles Van Doren. Now consumed by vengeance and with nothing to lose, Stemple follows through on his previous threats to Enright. He reaches out to a few newspapers, offering to share his story about the backstage collusion he experienced from firsthand on 21. But to Stempel's dismay, no paper will take the story. Only one reporter even gives him a response, explaining that without physical proof, they can't print Stempel's accusations for fear of a libel suit from the deep pocketed NBC. But Stempel is relentless. He spends months searching for a reporter who's receptive to his story, and finally, In September of 1957, he finds one in Jack O'Brien, a reporter with the New York Journal American. That afternoon, O'Brien is at his desk in his living room, clacking away at a typewriter, working on the latest installment of his syndicated entertainment column, when he's interrupted by the phone ringing. O'Brien picks up the phone and hears the voice of a secretary at the paper. She says, there's a man named Herbert Stemple on the line, a former quiz show contestant who promises an explosive story. O'Brien is intrigued. He remembers Stempel as a nerdy genius with a long run on 21. So he tells the secretary to put Stempel through. But O'Brien can barely finish introducing himself before Stempel begins frantically dumping information. He rants about Dan Enright, calling the producer a liar and a crook. And then he moves on to Charles Van Doren, claiming the man is a phony. After several minutes, O'Brien begins to understand what Stempel is alleging. That 21 is rigged. He says that both he and Van Doren receive the answers to the questions in advance, and if true, it would certainly make for a great scoop. But O'Brien will need more than just one man's accusations before printing a story. So O'Brien interrupts Stempel, asking if he has any physical evidence to corroborate these claims. Stempel goes quiet for a moment before admitting he does not. O'Brien pauses to think. While Stempel's story is certainly interesting, the man is coming off like a crank with an axe to grind. There's no way O'Brien can put any of this in print without proof. His paper could be sued out of existence. So O'Brien thanks Stempel for the call, but says he won't be able to help. But just as O'Brien pulls the receiver away from his ear, Stempel says something that makes him pause. He asks O'Brien, doesn't he think it's strange that James Snodgrass and Hank Bloomgarden played a dozen games in a row that all ended in ties? Stempel explains that to reach a tie, not only do both contestants have to get questions right or wrong at the perfect time, but they also have to select questions with point values that add up to the exact same final score. But since both players are in isolation booths, they have no way of knowing what their opponent's score is. The odds of them blindly choosing the perfect combination of point values 12 times in a row must be astronomical. Which leaves only two possibilities. Either the producers of the show are the luckiest men in the world, or the show is rigged. O'Brien agrees that it certainly is strange and tells him he'll think the story over. Then, after he hangs up, O'Brien feels a flicker of excitement. Despite the lack of evidence, the claims Stempel made are so explosive that they're worthy of following up on. And if O'Brien can just find some way to confirm Stempel's accusations, he might have stumbled onto the biggest story in television.
