Mark Van Doren also compiled and wrote the introduction for 'The Whitman Reader,' a popular collection of writings by Walt Whitman.
The film is largely about the conflict between the polished (but phony) refinement of the pseudo-genius Charles Van Doren, contrasted with the slobby, nerdy true genius of the working class Queens native played by John Torturro, who he displaces as quiz-show champion. I liked this film fairly well, but I resent the implication that people from Queens are slobby nerds.