Stewart Television was an American game show production company formed by Bob Stewart in 1964 originally based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

Stewart found a job and started creating

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

s for Goodson-

Todman Todman (7 October 1954 – 1976) was one of the greatest Australia, Australian Thoroughbred racehorses and an important sire. He was perhaps best known as the winner of the inaugural STC Golden Slipper in 1957, being the first of Star Kingdom ...

Productions in 1956. One of the first game shows he created was ''

The Price is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...

'' aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

and was hosted by

Bill Cullen William Lawrence Cullen (February 18, 1920 – July 7, 1990) was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades. Known for appearing on game shows and later as a prolific game show host, he hosted 23 shows, ear ...

. The second game show Stewart created was ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

'' the same year. The third was ''

Password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

'' in 1961. In 1964, Stewart left Goodson-Todman and formed his production company Bob Stewart Productions. His first production for his independent company was the game show ''

Eye Guess ''Eye Guess'' is an American game show created by Bob Stewart and hosted by Bill Cullen that aired on NBC from January 3, 1966, to September 26, 1969. The game combined a general knowledge quiz with a ''Concentration''-style memory element, in ...

'' that aired in 1966 and was co-produced by

Filmways Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production c ...

and lasted until 1969. It was followed by the game ''

Personality Personality is any person's collection of interrelated behavioral, cognitive, and emotional patterns that comprise a person’s unique adjustment to life. These interrelated patterns are relatively stable, but can change over long time per ...

'' that ran from 1967 to 1969. In 1973, he created the successful ''Pyramid'' game show series starting with ''

The $10,000 Pyramid ''Pyramid'' is an American game show franchise that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The show was developed by Bob Stewart. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on CBS on March 26, 1973, and spawned ...

'' with his son Sande Stewart who joined his father the same year and produced the series and also formed another production company Basada, Inc. on February 23, which was named after his sons: Barry, Sande, and David Stewart. As years went by, the series changed its name from ''The $10,000 Pyramid'' all the way to ''The $100,000 Pyramid''.

New location

In 1978, Bob Stewart Productions was relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, with its first syndicated program at its new location, '' The Love Experts''. Programs already on air in the meantime were still taped in New York, mainly ''The $20,000 Pyramid'' and '' Pass the Buck''. In 1982, Stewart revived ''The $25,000 Pyramid'', but to keep the name and the game show confused with Cullen's version, the format was renamed as ''The New $25,000 Pyramid'' with Dick Clark as host. The show was taped at

CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles, Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, United States. The facilities are located at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, California. The same year, Bob and his son Sande created the unsold game show ''Twisters''. It would be the first game show credited by Bob Stewart & Sande Stewart Productions (which would officially exist starting in 1987). Another game show was '' Go'', that was based on the bonus round of ''

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that sys ...

'' produced alongside his son, Sande one year later. In 1979, Bob Stewart had signed a deal with

Metromedia Producers Corporation Metromedia, Inc. (also often MetroMedia) was an American media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and controlled Orion Pictures from 1988 to 1997. Metromedia was established in 1956 after the ...

to launch new projects. In 1985, Bob Stewart formed another production company called Bob Stewart Cable, Inc. for game show programs produced for cable. There were only two game shows produced under this banner, which were taped in two

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

cities and produced for the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

. The first was '' Jackpot!'', a revival of Stewart's 1974 series, which was taped in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The other was '' The New Chain Reaction'', a revival of Stewart's short-lived 1980 series, which was taped in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. By 1987, Bob Stewart was semi-retired, and his son Sande took over operations. In 1990, the company was renamed again as Stewart Television, while the cable production company was likewise renamed Stewart Cable TV, Inc. A short time later, Sande Stewart formed Stewart Tele Enterprises and produced the revived ''The $100,000 Pyramid'' in 1991, which was hosted by John Davidson and was canceled in 1992 after its second season, the same year Bob Stewart fully retired.

Sale to Sony

In 1994, Bob Stewart sold his company to

Sony Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (imaging and sensing), ...

. Sande, in the meantime, went ahead and created and produced more game shows with his own independent company Sande Stewart Television. A majority of Bob Stewart's game shows Sony owns has been aired on GSN. Two of Bob Stewart's game show formats have been revived into new incarnations. They were ''

Pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

'' and was hosted by

Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...

in 2002 for syndication and ''

'' in 2006 produced by British television producer Michael Davies' production company

Embassy Row Embassy Row is the informal name for a section of Northwest Washington, D.C., with a high concentration of embassies, diplomatic missions, and diplomatic residences. It spans Massachusetts Avenue N.W. between 18th and 35th street, bounded ...

in association with and distributed by

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

aired on GSN and was hosted by

Dylan Lane ''Chain Reaction'' is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart, in which players compete to form chains composed of two-word phrases. The show has been revived four times. Bill Cullen hosted the original series on NBC from Janu ...

. Ironically, Embassy Row would be acquired by SPT on January 14, 2009.Sony Pictures Television Acquires Michael Davies' Embassy Row
reuters.com Today, Stewart Television is an active in-name-only unit of Sony Pictures Television.STEWART TELEVISION, INC.
businessprofiles.com, Retrieved on 5 March 2015

Employees

Recently said was Bob Stewart's son Sande Stewart, who joined the company in 1973. The most prolific announcers for Stewart were

Don Pardo Dominick George "Don" Pardo Jr. (February 22, 1918 – August 18, 2014) was an American radio and television announcer whose career spanned more than seven decades. A member of the Television Hall of Fame, Pardo was noted for his 70-year tenur ...

and

Bob Clayton Bob Clayton (born James Robert Box, August 17, 1922 – November 1, 1979) was an American television game show announcer and host of several shows. He spent his early television career hosting shows in Miami, Florida before moving to New York in ...

. Pardo was an announcer on most of the Stewart productions that originated from New York for

(examples are ''

'', ''

Three on a Match ''Three on a Match'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film released by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, and Bette Davis. The film also features Lyle Talbot, Humph ...

'', ''

Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties. In sports, it can be applied to te ...

'', and many others). Clayton was an alternative for Pardo, as he was the first announcer for ''

'', and also announced for '' Blankety Blanks'', '' Pass the Buck'', and '' Shoot for the Stars''. Another longtime employee for Stewart Television was ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...

'' game show announcer

Johnny Gilbert John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from variou ...

, who would serve his announcement duties on the 1980 incarnation of ''Chain Reaction'', ''The (New) $25,000 Pyramid'', ''

Double Talk ''Double Talk'' is an American game show that aired on the ABC network from August 18 to December 19, 1986. The show was a Bob Stewart-produced word game which borrowed elements from Stewart's previous show '' Shoot for the Stars'' and his th ...

'', and both 1985 and 1991 incarnations of ''The $100,000 Pyramid''. He was also an announcer at

Barry & Enright Productions Barry & Enright Productions (also known as either Jack Barry-Dan Enright Productions or Jack Barry & Dan Enright Productions and first known as Barry, Enright & Friendly Productions) was a United States television production company that was form ...

and

Merv Griffin Enterprises Merv Griffin Enterprises was an American television production company founded by Merv Griffin, in operation from March 7, 1963, to June 4, 1994. History The company was first established as Milbarn Productions on March 7, 1963, and later as M ...

Charlie O'Donnell Charles John O'Donnell (August 12, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows, and for his distinctive baritone voice. Among them, he was best known for '' Wheel of Fortun ...

, Dean Goss, and

Bob Hilton Bob Hilton (born July 23, 1943) is an American television game show personality. He hosted ''The Guinness Game'', a revival of ''Truth or Consequences'', and the 1990 revival of ''Let's Make a Deal'' for one season and replaced by Monty Hall, and ...

were also fill-ins for ''Pyramid'' eventually. The above mentions were also employees for Stewart. Former '' Wheel of Fortune'' announcer Jack Clark also served his duties on ''The $10,000 Pyramid'' and ''The New $25,000 Pyramid'' until 1985. He was also an announcer for the short-lived game show/talk show '' The Love Experts'', ''

'', '' The Face Is Familiar'' and the unsold game show pilot ''The Riddlers''. He had also hosted pilots for Stewart, which failed to sell.

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...

was another longtime employee, having hosted all except one ''Pyramid'' incarnation from 1973 to 1988. One of the other longtime employees was a close friend to Bob Stewart;

, who has hosted the syndicated version of ''The $25,000 Pyramid'' among other series: '' Pass the Buck'', '' Blankety Blanks'', ''

'', ''

'', '' The Love Experts'', and the 1980 version of ''

''. Anne-Marie Schmitt (who was also Stewart's partner until her death in 2006) was the producer of most of the Bob Stewart series. Another member of the production staff was Erin Perry, who is the daughter of game show host

Jim Perry James Perry may refer to: * James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), British journalist and newspaper editor * James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry) * Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scr ...

. Francine Bergman and David Michaels were associate producers of most of Bob Stewart's 1980s game shows. Directors included Mike Gargiulo and Bruce Burmester.

Library

Sony Pictures Entertainment owns the entire Bob Stewart Productions program and format library. Pre-1978 master tapes of most of the series have been destroyed and completely wiped due to the network practices of the time. Many episodes from that era are preserved by home recorders and network/syndicated affiliate employees which surreptitiously either dubbed off, or retained bicycled copies, and exist mainly through

tape trading Tape trading is an unofficial method of distribution of musical or video content through the postal system, which was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Although most commonly used to distribute and publicize limited-release musical demo tapes in ...

and gray market uploads to video sites.

Created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman

*''

'' (1956–1965) (Stewart producer) *''

'' (1956–1968) (Stewart exec. producer 1956-1965) *''

'' (1961–1967) (Stewart exec. producer 1961-1965)

Created by Bob Stewart for Stewart Television

Unsold pilots

*''Celebrity Doubletalk'' (1967) (co-produced by Filmways) *''Second Guessers'' (1969) *''Says Who?'' (1971) *''Monday Night Quarterback'' (1971) *''The $10,000 Sweep'' (1972) *''Caught in the Act'' (1975) *''The Finish Line'' (1975) *''Get Rich Quick'' (1977) *''The Riddlers'' (1978) *''Mind Readers'' (1978) (Hosted by Geoff Edwards, and unrelated to the Goodson-Todman show of the same name) *''Caught in the Act'' (1979) *''Punch Lines'' (1979) *''Strictly Confidential'' (1980) *''Twisters'' (1982) (co-production with Sande Stewart) *''Famous Last Words'' (1983) *''Jackpot'' (1984) (Hosted by Nipsey Russell) *''$50,000 a Minute'' (1985) *''Money in the Blank'' (1987) *''Eye Q'' (1988) *''The Finish Line'' (1990)

Past company names

*Bob Stewart Productions (original name of the production company) *Bob Stewart & Sande Stewart Productions (1982–1984 and 1987–1991) *Bob Stewart Cable (for cable broadcast productions), renamed as Stewart Cable TV, Inc. in 1990 *Basada, Inc. (was used as the copyright production for the ''Pyramid'' incarnations, ''Go'', ''Double Talk'', and the ''Money in the Blank'' unsold pilot)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website of Stewart Television, Inc.
Sony Pictures Television Television production companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1964