Steve Carlin

Creator-producer of 'The $64,000 Question'

By GARY NORTH

Steve Carlin, creator-producer of TV's "The $64,000 Question" and spinoffs plus Emmy-nommed "Science All Stars" and early TV kidshow "Rootie Kazootie" along with many television skeins and numerous RCA records, died Feb. 4 in New York City from the effects of Alzheimer's. He was 84.

Brooklyn son of Russian immigrants was remembered as a quiet, poetic man with a brilliant mind and understated humor who early on grasped TV's potential. But he was also involved in numerous other fields: At one point or another he was in charge of RCA Victor Records' children's division; fostered the well-received "Showbiz" record set (made in conjunction with Variety's editor-in-chief Abel Green, based on idea the two had), charting the history of the industry from 1900 to 1950; wrote the syndicated cartoon strip "Happy the Humbug"; and co-owned various syndication and related enterprises including Cinecor Associates, Cinelar Associates and Cinecom Theaters.

Some of the gameshow formats he created or produced -- many with longtime business partner Barry Yellen -- are now handled by FreemantleMedia.

He produced a total of 19 different TV skeins in the U.S. and six in Europe. One of his favorites was "Science All Stars, featuring brilliant young people; the show was endorsed by President Kennedy and featured famed aviator Chuck Jaeger. In Italy, he created the first nongovernmental TV show, "M'ama, non M'ama" (Love Me, Love Me Not), which was No. 1 for three years there.

But he is best remembered as the creator-exec producer of TV's take on radio's "The $64,000 Question," followed by "The $64,000 Challenge" and much later "The $128,000 Question." The granddaddy show at one point reached an 86 share of the viewing audience and was often No. 1, at one point taking the crown from "I Love Lucy." However, the on-air presence of the high-pressure games came to a relatively abrupt end when the infamous quizshow scandal broke in 1958 with programs "Dotto" and "Twenty-One," spelling the end of big-money games all around.

Games weren't his only passion. While at RCA Victor, he produced children's record featuring stars such as Joan Crawford, Jimmy Stewart, Danny Kaye and Charles Lawton. His kidshow "Rootie Kazootie," which began in 1950, ran for several years and also became a series of Golden Books. He teamed with artist Myron Waldman to create the "Happy the Humbug" color comic that appeared every Sunday for about five years in newspapers across the U.S. His syndication and licensing businesses kept him busy beyond that.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Peggy (former exec VP of the United Nations Assn.), a daughter, a brother and two sisters.