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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entertainment Productions
FormerlyLouis G. Cowan Agency (1931-1940)
Louis G. Cowan & Co. (1940-1946)
Louis G. Cowan, Inc. (1946-1956)
TypePrivate
IndustryTelevision and radio production
Founded1931; 95 years ago (1931)
FounderLouis G. Cowan
Defunct1959 (1959)
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Chicago, Illinois
ProductsGame shows

Entertainment Productions, Inc. is a radio, television and ad agency company that was originally started in 1931 by Louis G. Cowan as an ad agency company in Chicago, before expanding into radio production in 1940 and television production in 1949. The company opened a production office in New York in 1946.

Its most notable programs were Quiz Kids, Stop the Music and The $64,000 Question, and this company, along with Barry & Enright Productions were the companies affected by the game show scandals.

History

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

The company made its start in 1931 when university student at the University of Chicago, Louis G. Cowan was offering jobs by advertising agency companies in Chicago, but as he declined his offer, he formed his own company, Louis G. Cowan Agency.[1] Five years later, the company opened an office in Willoughby Tower.[2]

The company made its expansion into radio in 1940 as the company was renamed to Louis G. Cowan & Company, when Cowan conceived a concept on its own, Quiz Kids. It was a massive success.[3] The success led Paramount Pictures to attempt to adapt Quiz Kids into a short subjects, but never materialized due to World War II.[4]

Wartime years and establishment of New York office

[edit]

In late 1941, the United States to join World War II, and shortly afterwards, Cowan was hired to join the Radio Branch of the U.S. Army on a parttime basis as a special consultant on programs and production.[5]

During World War II, as the company took on a hiatus he headed the New York office of the United States Office of War Information.[6] He soon exited the firm in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II.[7] After that he returned to commercial radio, producing first Murder at Midnight and then Fighting Senator.[8] In 1946, he formed his new company to absorb the old Cowan company, Louis G. Cowan, Inc. with offices in New York and Chicago.[9] The company is looking to expand its property beyond the Quiz Kids IP.[10]

Afterwards, the company partnered with Mark Goodson to conceive Stop the Music, which aired from 1948 to 1956 and became another success for the company.[11] The company followed it with another game show Down You Go, for the DuMont Television Network, and became another smash hit for the company.[12]

Biggest success, rename and fallout

[edit]

The company made its biggest success in 1955, when CBS debuted a new Cowan series based on the radio show Take It or Leave It, who bought the rights from Milton Biow, The $64,000 Question, and was sponsored by Revlon. It was a success that turned the company around, eventually trailing I Love Lucy to became the #1 show for the 1955-1956 season.[13][14] The success led Cowan to produce The Big Surprise for NBC and The $64,000 Challenge for CBS, which also turned the company around.[15][16][17]

In 1955, in the peak of its success, Cowan moved in to CBS, and the following year, Cowan soon stepped down and the production company was renamed to Entertainment Productions, Inc. (EPI) under the presidency of Harry Fleischman.[18] The company became a victim of the game show scandals when Dale Logue sued NBC and EPI over the outcome of the game show The Big Surprise in 1956, seeking $103,000 in damages.[19] Its biggest setback came in 1958 when networks decided to cancel game shows following the scandals, most notably most of the EPI productions.[20]

The company eventually went defunct in 1959 shortly after Cowan left CBS and after the outcome of the game show scandals.[21][22] Producer Merrill Heatter, who worked at the company in the late 1950s, had soon started up Heatter-Quigley Productions in late 1959 to produce its first show, Video Village.[23] Cowan, the company founder went on to found Chillmark Press shortly after he left CBS.[24]

Shows

[edit]

Radio

[edit]
Title Year Network Notes
Quiz Kids 1940-1954 NBC, ABC, CBS
Hollywood Jackpot 1946-1947 CBS
Stop the Music 1948-1956 ABC, CBS co-production with Mark Goodson
Hollywood Calling 1949-1950 NBC

Television

[edit]
Title Year Network Notes
Quiz Kids 1949-1956 NBC, CBS
Stop the Music ABC co-production with Mark Goodson
What's My Name? 1950-1953 NBC
Remember This Date 1950-1951
The Bert Parks Show 1950-1952 ABC
Down You Go 1951-1956 DuMont, CBS, ABC, NBC
Go Lucky 1951 CBS
Cosmopolitan Theatre DuMont
The Bill Goodwin Show 1951-1952 NBC
Ask Me Another 1952
Super Ghost 1952-1953
Fearless Fosdick
Balance Your Budget CBS
It's About Time 1954 ABC
The $64,000 Question 1955-1958 CBS
The Big Surprise 1955-1957 NBC
The $64,000 Challenge 1956-1958 CBS
Giant Step 1956-1957
What's It For? 1957-1958 NBC
How Do You Rate? 1958 CBS
Top Dollar 1958-1959

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "They Got the Jobs". Newsweek. March 24, 1958. p. 94. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ Green, Nat (April 11, 1936). "Chicago Chat". Billboard. p. 37. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Quiz of Kiddies" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 15, 1940. p. 52. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Behind the Mike" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 24, 1941. p. 34. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ "New radio booths in Army offices" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 2, 1942. p. 28. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Shortwave Commercials Restricted Under New Ruling" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 17, 1942. p. 70. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Cowan to Open New York Office; Leaves OWI Post" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 24, 1945. p. 44. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Radio: Senator Tyler, M. H." Time. August 12, 1946. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Louis Cowan heads new program firm" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 18, 1946. p. 91. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ Adams, Val (1949-06-26). "LOU COWAN: QUIXOTIC GIVEAWAY PRODUCER; The Man Who Presents 'Stop the Music' Yearns for the Richer Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  11. ↑ "Cowan-Packaged Show Starts on ABC in March" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 2, 1948. p. 20. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Allied Arts" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 14, 1951. p. 68. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "'$64,000 Question' Bought by Revlon from Cowan Inc" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 14, 1955. pp. 34, 51. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  14. ↑ Adams, Val (1955-03-09). "TV READY TO POSE $64,000 QUESTION; Revlon Is Considering New Quiz Show as Replacement for 'Danger' on C. B. S." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  15. ↑ Adams, Val (1955-08-23). "' SURPRISE' MAKES THE ANTE $100,000; TV Producers of '$64,000 Question' to Begin Another Giveaway, on N. B. C." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  16. ↑ "NBC-TV working on $100,000 details, denies trying to lure '$64,000' series" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 3, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  17. ↑ "TV Review: The $64,000 Challenge" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 16, 1956. p. 19. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Entertainment Productions New Name for Cowan Firm" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 6, 1956. p. 106. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Sues Quiz Program For $103,000". The News-Palladium. 1956-12-27. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  20. ↑ Adams, Val (1958-08-18). "DOTTO' CANCELED BY TWO NETWORKS; Quiz Show Ends at C. B. S. and N. B. C. -- Mary Martin Plans Easter Programs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
  21. ↑ Adams, Val (1959-12-09). "HEAD OF C.B.S. TV QUITS IN DISPUTE; Cowan, '$64,000 Question' Creator, Blames Stanton HEAD OF C.B.S. TV QUITS IN DISPUTE Involved in Change at C. B. S. TV". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  22. ↑ Adams, Val (1959-12-17). "TOP TV PACKAGER BEING LIQUIDATED; Entertainment Productions Owned '$64,000 Question,' 'Challenge,' Other Shows". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  23. ↑ "Heatter-Quigley In Biz Because of a Flight Over Zulu Village". Variety. December 7, 1960. pp. 31, 42.
  24. ↑ "Louis Cowan. Killed With Wife in a Fire; Created Quiz Shows". NY Times. November 19, 1976. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
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