Quiz Kids


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About

From Wikipedia:

Quiz Kids was a popular radio and TV series of the 1940s and 1950s. Created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan, and originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chicago, June 28, 1940, airing as a summer replacement show for Alec Templeton Time. It continued on radio for the next 13 years. On television, the show was seen on NBC and CBS from July 6, 1949 to July 5, 1953, with Joe Kelly as quizmaster, and again from January 12 to September 27, 1956, with Clifton Fadiman as host.

The premise of the original show involved Kelly asking questions sent in by listeners and researched by Eliza Hickok and Rachel Stevenson. Kelly often said that he was not an intellectual, and that he could not have answered any of the questions without knowing the answer from his flash card. Yet he was remarkably kind and affable, and put even novice young contestants at ease immediately. The answers were supplied by a panel of five children, chosen for their high IQs, strong academic interests, and appealing personalities, as well as such qualities as poise, quickness, and sense of humor. One of the first Quiz Kids was seven-year-old nature expert Gerard Darrow. For the initial premiere panel he was joined by Mary Ann Anderson, Joan Bishop, Van Dyke Tiers and Charles Schwartz.

Other Quiz Kids of the 1940s were Joan Alizier, Lois Jean Ashbeck, Claude Brenner, Geraldine Hamburg, Mary Clare McHugh, war refugee Gunther Hollander and math experts Joel Kupperman and Richard Williams. Panelists rotated, with the three top scorers each week joined by two others the following week; they were no longer eligible to participate once they reached the age of 16.

Highlights
Ruth Duskin Feldman on auditioning for Quiz Kids
02:44
Harve Bennett on appearing on the radio version of "Quiz Kids"
12:30
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the questions on Quiz Kids
06:13
Ruth Duskin Feldman on hanging out with her fellow Quiz Kids panelists 
03:44
Who talked about this show

Harve Bennett

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Harve Bennett on appearing on the radio version of "Quiz Kids"
12:30

Ruth Duskin Feldman

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Ruth Duskin Feldman on auditioning for Quiz Kids
02:44
Ruth Duskin Feldman on hanging out with her fellow Quiz Kids panelists 
03:44
Ruth Duskin Feldman on being accepted for Quiz Kids
01:34
Ruth Duskin Feldman on how Quiz Kids worked
03:22
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the scoring system of Quiz Kids
02:37
Ruth Duskin Feldman on her first appearance on Quiz Kids
03:13
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the prizes awarded on Quiz Kids and the aim of the show
02:22
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the sponsors of Quiz Kids
01:24
Ruth Duskin Feldman on Quiz Kids producer John Lewellen
05:10
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the questions on Quiz Kids
06:13
Ruth Duskin Feldman on being a gifted child
02:09
Ruth Duskin Feldman on becoming a regular on Quiz Kids 
02:08
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the effect of Quiz Kids on her family and school life
04:01
Ruth Duskin Feldman on how she was viewed by the public on Quiz Kids
01:02
Ruth Duskin Feldman on preparing to be on Quiz Kids  and her on-air persona
01:56
Ruth Duskin Feldman on Quiz Kids assistant director Rachel Stevenson and other staff members of the show
05:01
Ruth Duskin Feldman on Jack Benny appearing on Quiz Kids
01:48
Ruth Duskin Feldman on how fame affected her and writing a book when she was 12 years old
03:47
Ruth Duskin Feldman on fellow Quiz Kids  panelist Pat Conlon
00:42
Ruth Duskin Feldman on fellow Quiz Kids  panelist Joel Kupperman
03:19
Ruth Duskin Feldman on various fellow Quiz Kids panelists
09:47
Ruth Duskin Feldman on Quiz Kids' transition from radio to television 
05:39
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the proliferation of children's television shows in the '50s and retiring from Quiz Kids
04:02
Ruth Duskin Feldman on deciding to write the book "Whatever Happened to the Quiz Kids?: Perils and Profits of Growing Up Gifted"
04:23
Ruth Duskin Feldman on what she found when she interviewed former Quiz Kids panelists for "Whatever Happened to the Quiz Kids?: Perils and Profits of Growing Up Gifted"
03:32
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the response to her book "Whatever Happened to the Quiz Kids?: Perils and Profits of Growing Up Gifted"
01:39
Ruth Duskin Feldman on the short-lived revival of Quiz Kids
01:05
Ruth Duskin Feldman on auditioning for Quiz Kids
02:44

Sally Jessy Raphael

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Sally Jessy Raphael on appearing on the show Quiz Kids when she was a child
01:39

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