Quiz Show Page #5

Synopsis: An idealistic young lawyer working for a Congressional subcommittee in the late 1950s discovers that TV quiz shows are being fixed. His investigation focuses on two contestants on the show "Twenty-One": Herbert Stempel, a brash working-class Jew from Queens, and Charles Van Doren, the patrician scion of one of America's leading literary families. Based on a true story.
Director(s): Robert Redford
Production: Buena Vista Internationa
  Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 28 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.5
Metacritic:
88
Rotten Tomatoes:
96%
PG-13
Year:
1994
133 min
1,327 Views


l'm Jack Barry.

So let's meet our

first two players as Geritol,

America's #1 tonic,

presents:
Twenty-One.

From New York City,

Mr. Charles Van Doren.

- And returning with $69,500,

from Queens, New York,

- Van Doren ?

Mr. Herbert Stempel.

- Think that's his son ?

- [ Barry ] Are you related

in any way...

- to Mark Van Doren

of Columbia University,

- l don't know. l guess so.

- the famous poet and author ?

- Yes, he's my father.

- He is your father.

- Yes, both he and my uncle Carl

have won the Pulitzer Prize,

and Dorothy Van Doren, the author of the

recent The Country Wife, is my mother.

- [ Barry ] Okay, Herb, you know

something about Mr. Van Doren.

- Joey, punch the audio a little.

You have $69,500. Do you want to take

it and quit while you're ahead...

or risk it by

playing against him ?

lt's a tough decision,

l know.

- What'll it be ?

- l-l'll take a chance.

You will take a chance.

All right, then, here we go, gentlemen.

You sure Herbie's

on board with this ?

Can l take

the third part last ?

l guess-- l guess that Atahualpa

was the leader of the lncas

at the time of the conquest.

- [ Barry ] Correct.

- Wouldn't that be William Allen White ?

- [ Barry ] That's correct.

- l'd like to take the third part last.

His fourth wife

was Anne of Cleves.

He divorced Catherine of Aragon.

- He divorced her.

- He beheaded Anne Boleyn.

- Well, they all died.

- Herb Stempel leads

at this point by 18 to 10.

- Herb ?

- Yes, Mr. Barry ?

The category is ''Movies.''

How many points you want to try for ?

l'll try for three.

Three points.

Which motion picture

won the Academy Award for 1955 ?

Marty.

Best Picture.

- Marty.

- Best Picture.

Marty.

He doesn't know it ?

[ Barry ] All right, Herb, l'll

tell you when your time is up.

l don't re-remember.

l don't remember.

Are you sure you wouldn't want

to guess at it, Herb ?

- Otherwise, l'll have to call it wrong.

- Wait.

Marty.

[ Barry ] Your time is up, Herb.

l'll need your answer.

Best Picture...

of 1955--

On The Waterfront ?

[ Barry ] No, l'm sorry.

The answer is Marty.

[ Audience Exclaiming ]

Marty. lt was Marty

that won the Academy Award...

for Best Picture

in 1955.

- Marty was Ernest Borgnine.

- Geez, what an easy question.

The Academy Award for 1955.

You lose three points.

You go back down to 15.

Better luck on the next round.

And now for you, Professor,

the category is...

Civil War.

How many points you want

to try for, from 1 to 11 ?

Civil War. That's a--

That's an awful big subject.

Well, here goes nothing.

l'll-- l'll try for 11.

Eleven points will bring you to 21,

and you will be our new champion !

- [ Thump ]

- Because of a disagreement

with his commanding general,

Ulysses S. Grant was virtually

placed under arrest...

for a brief time

early in 1862.

Who was the commanding general

of the Union army at that time ?

Tough question.

lt's just so oddly familiar.

[ Barry ] Would you like

some more time ?

- Whatever you can spare.

- All right.

Do you know

the name ?

Yes, l know his name.

Halleck. General H.W. Halleck.

You are our new

champion for $20,000 !

[ Audience Applauding ]

[ Barry ] Come on out, Herb.

Come on out, Professor.

Wasn't that somethin',

folks ? Huh ?

You feelin' all right ?

Very good. Perhaps we can get

an ice pack out here for the professor.

l suspect his gray matter

is red-hot.

l wonder if

he's married.

Our congratulations for a wonderful

victory. Professor Charles Van Doren.

l am constantly amazed at the facts

these guys have at their fingertips.

- Tough questions tonight.

- Uh, yeah. Oh, well, not really.

Wow, you were fantastic. Hey, you

better unlist your phone number.

Can you believe the pressure ?

Look at him; he's soakin' wet.

- ls this guy a natural or what ?

Jesus !

- He's a natural.

- Do you think he's

involved with anyone ?

- l don't know.

l'm gonna miss ya, Herb. You know, l'm

really gonna miss this guy.

- Hey, Dan, listen, that guy is

really terrific.

- Oh, hi.

- We could easily beat out

l Love Lucy with him.

- l know we can.

Let's get a photo here.

Oh, George. Here we go.

Charles Van Doren. Miles Bronfman,

an executive here at the network.

- Oh, there we go.

- So what do you think, Charlie ?

You excited ?

- Professor, can l interrupt you ?

- Charlie, l just wanted to--

- My son was in your father's class.

Says he's a saint.

- Oh, really ?

Charlie, l want you to meet

Bill Henderson. He promotes the show.

- Congratulations.

Sensational. Just sensational.

- Thank you.

Now we have a clean-cut intellectual

instead of a freak with a sponge memory.

- See you next week, Charlie.

- Oh, l don't even want to think

about that. l was so nervous.

Dan ! Dan !

So pure, it floats ?

Hmm ?

Are you kidding ?

lt was great.

Go home and have a martini.

We'll talk in the morning.

Uh, l-l'm gonna

take the stairs.

- How did you know he'd go for it ?

- What would you do ?

[ Muttering ]

Meanwhile, it's okay

if you know the answer.

Yeah, so it's-- My God, it's not like

l haven't worked hard.

l deserve $20,000

as much as anybody.

My God ! $20,000.

The highest navigable lake

in the world is:

- Lake Titicaca.

- Lake Titicaca.

- That'd have to be Lake Titicaca.

- Correct for ten points !

[ Applause ]

[ Charlie ] Michel Montaigne.

Around his neck,

Montaigne wore a medallion

which read:
''What do l know ?''

- Hello. This is Herb Stempel

calling for Mr. Enright.

- l'm terribly sorry; he's not in.

Our current reigning champion,

from New York, New York,

Mr. Charles Van Doren.

[ Barry ] ...twenty-four hours,

Geritol liquid, or now, in new--

lt's the only town house

available in the Village.

l think l'll take it.

- Will do. lt's just that he's

out of the office right now--

- This is Herb Stempel.

This is about the 17th time

l've called.

l guess William Pitt

the Elder.

You have 21 !

[ Applause ]

Come to me, Charlie. Good. Smile.

Hold the bag right there.

Hold it right there.

Good.

[ Announcer ] Here, Professor

Van Doren turns in the evidence

of his amazing popularity:

thousands of letters a week for

the egghead turned national hero.

Winnings to date:

$50,000 !

Hey, Charlie !

The check's in the mail.

- ls Mr. Enright in ?

- l'm sorry; he's not right now.

This is Herb Stempel. You tell him that

he promised that he would call me back,

and if he doesn't, something

is going to happen.

- Do you understand that ?

That's right. Okay, bye.

- l understand.

You just tell Mr. Enright that if

he doesn't want to talk to me,

maybe the district attorney

would like to talk to me.

- lf he wants to play hardball,

l'll play hardball.

- Very well.

- Good morning, Mr. Van Doren.

- Hello.

[ Barry ] And returning with $83,000,

our champion, after seven weeks,

Charles Van Doren.

- [ Applause ]

- Welcome to Twenty-One, gentlemen.

- [ Van Doren ] Evening, Jack.

- Charlie--

- [ Screaming ]

- Gentlemen, please.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Paul Attanasio

All Paul Attanasio scripts | Paul Attanasio Scripts

1 fan

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Quiz Show" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Jul 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/quiz_show_16473>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Quiz Show

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.


    Quiz

    Are you a screenwriting master?

    »
    What does "POV" stand for in screenwriting?
    A Point of View
    B Plot Over View
    C Plan of Victory
    D Power of Vision