For more than fifty years, the quiz show has thrived on American television and radio. From Pot o' Gold and The $64,000 Question to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, quiz and game programs have entertained and informed millions of Americans, promoted and sold untold quantities of products, generated fortunes for their creators and producers, and filled the pockets of a multitude of jackpot winners. In this volume, Thomas DeLong offers the first in-depth history of quiz and game formats available in print. He describes how mass communications transformed the old parlor guessing games into enormously popular features on radio and television and examines their impact on American society and the consumer marketplace. DeLong also explores their decline in the wake of the quiz scandal inquiry of the late 1950s and their subsequent revival as new shows on daytime TV that began to build up a loyal following.

Quiz Craze is enhanced by the recollections, insights, and anecdotes of many who brought the quiz show genre to listeners and viewers. Producers, directors, gamemakers, writers, emcees, panelists, and advertisers have added their first-hand observations on the inner workings and widespread influence of quiz show programming. Former contestants and their families offer reminiscences from shows such as To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, Name That Tune, and many others. DeLong also draws on the resources of key organizations in the broadcast field, archival records, and published media reports to demonstrate the extraordinary popularity of the game show format.