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Quiz Show is a dramatic retelling of the famous brouhaha over the TV show 21 in the late 1950s, when a Congressional investigation found that the quiz show had been elevating certain contestants by feeding them the correct answers in advance, then asking them to “take a dive” by deliberately giving wrong answers once their popularity had begun to wane.

The film depicts the famous case of 21‘s producers elbowing contestant Herbert Stempel (played by John Turturro) off the show to make room for the more photogenic and charismatic Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes). A disgruntled Stempel spills the beans about his experience, ultimately forcing Van Doren and other contestants to testify that the show is fixed. Future television shows would avoid the quiz format for many years in favor of a softer “game show” approach, and Van Doren’s teaching and TV careers were thoroughly derailed.

In defense of their actions, the producers themselves raise an important and undeniable point — quiz shows are entertainment. They may be displayed as reality, but so, to a lesser degree, are Westerns, soaps, and most other TV dramas and comedies. The fact that we viewers know we’re watching an enhanced depiction of how the world really works is significant, and certainly 21 made no effort to clarify its methods, but the fact remains that real life, by itself, consists largely of boredom. In fact, the first episode of 21 was unscripted. It was also so stupendously dull that the fix was in from that point forward.

Consider today’s “reality shows,” which are so heavily edited as to barely resemble the actual events as they unfolded before the camera. We play along when we watch these shows, suspending just enough disbelief to buy what we’re seeing for the moment but fully aware that footage can be shuffled and participants prompted. Even local and national news programs take frequent flack for putting its own journalistic spin on events. If we watch a story about a two-hour high-speed chase, we’re not going to see two hours of cars driving around — we’re going to see the most exciting few seconds of the story. That’s just how drama works.

It’s the same situation when you’re selling your products or services. You can’t just feed us information; you have to entertain us with the most compelling few points about why we MUST call now or order today. By all means, remain ethical about it, but remember to entertain! Too many businesses lard their marketing with endless laundry lists of specifications, features and benefits, bludgeoning us with completeness in the name of full disclosure. But in marketing, you have to cut to the chase. Make us go “Wow,” and then we’ll want to hear the rest of story. Otherwise, you’ll have a magnificently detailed show that no one wants to watch.