(NBC Primetime, 1955 - 1957) [Yes, THAT Mike Wallace known as an interviewer later, and on "60 Minutes" actually MC'd a quiz show, and this was it. He was hired for the second season of the show after Jack Barry was fired, and went on to host the quiz show "21" which got embroiled in scandal. Norman Leyden who wrote the THEME of the "$64,000 Question" on CBS and also wrote this THEME for this NBC competitor; This series began as what used to be called a "giveaway" show, but morphed into a quiz show with contestants competing in a similar fashion to "21", the "$64,000 Question". The difference was the contestants were subject-matter experts and often celebrities. For example, Alex McNeil wrote in his book "Total Television" that "silent film star Francis X. Bushman won $30,000 as an expert in poetry."]
[above is the title as first filed for copyright; aka additional music filed as "The Big Surprise"; aka BMI title: "Big Surprise"] Composer: Norman F. Leyden (BMI) Original Publisher: Tree Publishing Co. (BMI) of New York, NY 2001 Publisher: Tree Publishing Company (BMI) of New York, NY [Filed as "The Big Surprise - Opening"]: Unpublished Copyright Date: Feb. 27, 1956; EU 427 755. Unpublished Renewal Date: July 20, 1984; RE 212 230. [Additional music by Norman Leyden, filed under the title "The Big Surprise"]: Unpublished Copyright Date: July 27, 1956; EU 445 212. Unpublished Renewal Date: July 20, 1984; RE 212 229. Recordings: