Five Little Thinkers

Fortnight ago, a quintet of children filed into the studios of Chicago's WMAQ, proceeded to make the wizards of Information Please look like a bunch of backward spratlings. Ranging in age from seven to 14, the five little thinkers played the title roles in a new NBC show called the Quiz Kids, sponsored by Alka-Seltzer. Standing up under a fierce grilling on mythology, ornithology, spelling, music, breeds of dogs, the Chicago prodigies left listeners awed with the scope of their learning, a trifle doubtful that the program was entirely unrehearsed. Snorted Variety: "If Alka-Seltzer is as remarkable for a hangover as these smarties, then the cure-all of the century comes in a long glass tube." Last week once again the Quiz Kids went through their paces, sounded just as knowing as they had before.

No chicanery was responsible for the brilliance of the Quiz Kids. Selected from the ranks of Chicago's brightest school children, they face their grueling weekly questionnaire like the senior masterminds of Information Please, with no preparation. The Quiz Kids' resemblance to the Canada Dry show has not been altogether helpful. Afraid of offending the ginger-ale sponsors, NBC hedged the Chicago program with all kinds of restrictions. It forbade the Quiz Kids to maintain a permanent board of experts, banned the use of the word "unrehearsed" in connection with the show, tried to induce the Quiz Kids' directors to aim their scripts at children rather than adults.

Stepping warily around these network hazards, Publicist Louis G. Cowan, who conceived the program, managed to make the quizzes entertaining adult stuff. Questions flung at the tiny intelligentsia were selected by TIME'S Chicago News Bureau chief, Sidney James, who was interlocutor for the Quiz Kids until NBC deposed him on the ground that his magazine connection made him too much of a rival for Clifton Fadiman.

Star of the show was handsome, seven-year-old Gerard Darrow, who, on the Quiz Kids' first program, startled listeners with the information that a "candlefish is a small fish of the smelt family, used by the Pacific Coast Indians for its oil. The oil burns readily and very brightly and has a terrible odor." Runner-up in popularity to Gerard on the two programs so far is 13-year-old Van Dyke Tiers. Pacing right along, last week Van Dyke showed his speed by fully explaining PK4 (a chess term). Thirteen-year-old Mary Ann Anderson, a high scorer on the first program, placed fourth on the second quiz. Mary Ann was asked to identify the term FM (frequency modulation), quipped: "Let's send that to Mr. Kieran."

Dropped each week from the quizzed quintet are a pair of Kids for whom the going has been too tough. For consolation they receive $50 in Government bonds, which is half the reward paid their successful associates. Master of ceremonies on Quiz Kids' program is Joe Kelly. A National Barn Dance hayseed, Joe never got any higher than grammar school, feels pretty uneasy in the heady company of the kids.

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