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The Big Question
The Big Question
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Author: Chuck Barris Publisher: Simon & Schuster Format: Hardcover # of Pages: 277 Pub. Date: 2007 ISBN-10: 141653525X ISBN-13: 9781416535256
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About
the Book:
From the revolutionary mind of
television's legendary mad genius Chuck Barris, a story of money, sex, greed,
revenge, murder – and reality TV. An aging game show host
hopes to make a comeback with a new concept: answer the quiz show's
final question correctly, and win $100 million; get it wrong, and get
executed on live TV.
The Most Famous Television Producer in the World is walking down a
wintry New York City block, he's accosted by a homeless-looking
physically disabled man who, like everyone else, insists he has the
formula for the greatest TV show of all time. As it turns out, he
does: Contestants will compete for one hundred million dollars. If
they win, they're rich. If they lose, they face immediate on-camera
execution.
As the Producer begins scheming to steal the idea and revive his
fading career, The Big Question
introduces the extraordinary characters who will ultimately become
the show's contestants – a brilliantly rendered, Dickensian cast
that includes the seventy-something Vera Bundle, with a taste for
scotch and encyclopedias; Arthur Durch, a convicted sex
offender-turned-relationship therapist; Retta Mae Wagons, a
sixteen-year-old prostitute with an IQ of 170 and an
ex-con-turned-Muslim fundamentalist boyfriend who doesn't appreciate
her; Billy Constable, the Kentucky rube who gets off a bus in New
York and promptly finds himself in trouble with the Mob; and Father
Brady, the devout Catholic priest with a mortifying secret to hide at
any cost. As the first episode is broadcast live in front of
millions, the audience, the cast, and the crew behind the scenes do
the unthinkable: they sit and watch, rapt and glassy-eyed, as the
final contestant left on stage meets an unimaginable fate.
To say The Big Question
is a novel of greed and immorality would be putting it lightly. But
to read this book without laughing out loud at every page would be
impossible. This is more than just a funny book, though. With uncanny
precision and razor-sharp wit, the inimitable Chuck Barris
reveals the inconceivable lengths to which people will go for those
priceless fifteen minutes, the fascination we have with the little
black box in our homes – and the horrifying deeds done in the name
of entertainment.
What people say:
"From
one of the original and most prolific creators of reality television
comes the latest, and extremely progressive, idea for a TV show, a
game where the pay-off is the ultimate – death! This is an amazing
and believable story. Another innovative creation from Barris."
— Dick Clark,
broadcast icon
"You'll
fall in love with Chuck's characters. What a great read."
— Dick
Ebersol,
legendary producer
About the Author:
Chuck Barris (1929-2017) was
an American game show creator, producer and host, whose credits
include The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The Gong
Show, and Treasure Hunt. The multi-talented game show
creator was also a songwriter, writing songs such as Palisades
Park for Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon as well as music for
his game shows.
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