Jack Barry (television)

Jack Barry
Barry in 1957 as host of Twenty One
Born	John Barasch (1918-03-20)March 20, 1918 Lindenhurst, New York, USA
Died	May 2, 1984(1984-05-02) (aged 66) New York City, USA
Cause of death	Cardiac arrest
Years active	1942–1984
Spouse(s)	Marcia Van Dyke (1952-1958; divorced) 2 children Patte Preble (1960–1984; his death) 2 children

Marcia Van Dyke (1952-1958; divorced) 2 children

Jack Barry (born John Barasch; March 20, 1918 – May 2, 1984) was an American television personality and executive who made a name for himself in the game show field. Barry served as host of several game shows in his career, many of which he developed along with Dan Enright as part of their joint operation Barry & Enright Productions.

Barry's reputation became tarnished due to his involvement in the 1950s quiz show scandals and the ensuing fallout affected his career for over a decade.

Barry was born and raised in Lindenhurst, New York, graduating from Lindenhurst High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, in Philadelphia. In the 1940s he began on radio, where he met his eventual business partner Dan Enright.

Once television broadcasting began, Barry and Enright got involved in local programming, and eventually national programs, thanks in part to the success of early Jack Barry hits such as the children's show Winky Dink and You, reputedly the world's first-ever interactive television program. Barry and Enright also produced Juvenile Jury, Life Begins at Eighty, and Wisdom of the Ages. In the 1950s, Barry and Enright got involved in game shows, with Barry hosting The Big Surprise. He was eventually dismissed from his hosting duties and was replaced by Mike Wallace, persuading Barry to begin packaging game shows by himself.

In 1956, Barry and Enright launched Tic Tac Dough and Twenty One, the latter sponsored by Geritol. Both quiz shows were hosted by Barry. In a 1992 PBS documentary, Barry's partner, Dan Enright, said that after the first unrigged broadcast of Twenty One, sponsor Geritol complained to Barry and Enright the following day about the dullness of that episode (the two contestants repeatedly missed questions). According to Enright, "from that moment on, we decided to rig Twenty One." The show was then meticulously choreographed, right down to how contestants comported themselves on the air, making them complicit in the deception.