Show Business: How It Was Done

The checkered troupe of supporting witnesses that followed Charles Van Doren showed that no one seemed to be immune. Entertainers, admen, producers—everyone played along.

"Most of us have a great deal of larceny in us," drawled the Rev. Charles ("Stony") Jackson of Tullahoma, Tenn. "The fact that I am an ordained minister [Disciples of Christ] does not make me a saint." In 1957 Jackson wrote to The $64,000 Question, said he planned a book about quizzes (working title: Hucksters and Suckers), asked for help. The producers took the hint. Back came an invitation for Stony to audition as a contestant. The category...

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