Break the Bank (1948)

Break the Bank was a quiz show which aired variously on ABC, CBS and NBC from 1948 through 1957. It began on radio, and generally had Bert Parks as a host. Bud Collyer co-hosted from 1948 through 1953.

Gameplay

Contestants were drawn from the studio audience and brought up on stage to play a quiz game. The contestant was asked a series of questions worth progressively more money. One wrong answer was permitted, but two wrong answers lost the money to the bank. Question seven was the "Gateway to the Bank" worth $500, and question eight would win the contents of the bank which started at $1,000.

Records

The record bank win was $8,870, until "Break the $250,000 Bank" was created in response to "The $64,000 Question" and other big money shows. However, this big-money version was to run for only three months (October 1956 – January 1957) and during this brief run no one was to come close to the $250,000 top prize theoretically possible. The most notable contestants during this period were African American actress Ethel Waters, who won $10,000 she said would go toward back taxes, and two escapees from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, who competed in a special category, "Fight for Freedom".