Stewart Television facts for kids

Stewart Television was a company in America that made exciting game shows for TV. It was started by a man named Bob Stewart in 1964. The company first began in New York City.

History of Stewart Television

Bob Stewart started his career in 1956, helping to create game shows for another big company called Goodson-Todman. Some of the first famous game shows he helped create were The Price is Right, which aired on NBC, and To Tell the Truth, both in 1956. He also helped create Password in 1961.

In 1964, Bob Stewart decided to start his own company, which he called Bob Stewart Productions. His first show for his new company was Eye Guess, which ran from 1966 to 1969. Then came Personality from 1967 to 1969.

In 1973, Bob Stewart created a very successful game show series called Pyramid. It started as The $10,000 Pyramid. His son, Sande Stewart, joined the company that same year and helped produce the show. Sande also started his own company called Basada, Inc. on February 23. This name came from his sons' names: Barry, Sande, and David Stewart. Over the years, the Pyramid show's top prize grew from $10,000 all the way to The $100,000 Pyramid.

Moving to a New Place

In 1978, Bob Stewart Productions moved its main office to Los Angeles, California. The first show they made in their new Los Angeles home was The Love Experts, which was shown in many different TV markets. Shows that were already on TV, like The $20,000 Pyramid and Pass the Buck, continued to be filmed in New York.

In 1982, Bob Stewart brought back The $25,000 Pyramid. To make sure people didn't confuse it with an older version, it was called The New $25,000 Pyramid. This version was hosted by Dick Clark and filmed in Hollywood, California. That same year, Bob and his son Sande created a game show called Twisters, but it was never sold to a network. This was the first show where they were both credited as Bob Stewart & Sande Stewart Productions. This official company name started in 1987.

Another game show they made together was Go in 1983. It was based on a bonus round from their earlier show, Chain Reaction. In 1979, Bob Stewart also made a deal with Metromedia Producers Corporation to create new projects.

In 1985, Bob Stewart started another company called Bob Stewart Cable, Inc. This company made game shows specifically for cable TV channels. Only two shows were made under this name for the USA Network. They were filmed in Canada. One was Jackpot!, a new version of a 1974 show, filmed in Toronto. The other was The New Chain Reaction, a new version of a 1980 show, filmed in Montreal.

By 1987, Bob Stewart started to slow down, and his son Sande took over running the company. In 1990, the main company was renamed Stewart Television, and the cable company became Stewart Cable TV, Inc..

A little later, Sande Stewart started his own company, Stewart Tele Enterprises. He produced a new version of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991, hosted by John Davidson. This show was canceled in 1992, which was also the year Bob Stewart fully retired.

Stewart Television and Sony

In 1994, Bob Stewart sold his company to Sony Corporation. Sande Stewart continued to create and produce more game shows with his own company, Sande Stewart Television.

Many of Bob Stewart's old game shows that Sony now owns have been shown again on the GSN. Two of Bob Stewart's game show ideas have even been brought back as new shows. One was Pyramid, hosted by Donny Osmond in 2002. The other was Chain Reaction in 2006, hosted by Dylan Lane. This show was made by Embassy Row, a company that Sony Pictures later bought in 2009.

Today, Stewart Television is still a part of Sony Pictures Television, but it mostly exists in name only.

People Who Worked at Stewart Television

Many talented people worked at Stewart Television. Bob Stewart's son, Sande Stewart, joined the company in 1973 and became very important.

The main announcers for Stewart's shows were Don Pardo and Bob Clayton. Don Pardo announced many shows made in New York for NBC, like Eye Guess and Three on a Match. Bob Clayton was another key announcer, known for being the first announcer for Pyramid.

Johnny Gilbert, who is famous for announcing Jeopardy!, also worked for Stewart Tele Enterprises. He announced shows like the 1980 Chain Reaction and The (New) $25,000 Pyramid. Other announcers who sometimes filled in for Pyramid included Charlie O'Donnell and Bob Hilton.

Jack Clark, who was an announcer for Wheel of Fortune, also worked on The $10,000 Pyramid and The New $25,000 Pyramid until 1985. He also announced for The Love Experts and Eye Guess.

Dick Clark was a very well-known host for Stewart Television. He hosted almost all the Pyramid shows from 1973 to 1988. Another person who worked with Bob Stewart for a long time was Bill Cullen. He hosted many shows, including the syndicated version of The $25,000 Pyramid, Pass the Buck, and Eye Guess.

Ann Marie Schmitt was a producer for many of Bob Stewart's shows. Erin Perry, the daughter of game show host Jim Perry, was also part of the production team. Francine Bergman and David Michaels were associate producers for many of the 1980s game shows. The directors included Mike Gargiulo and Bruce Burmester.

The Show Library

Sony Pictures Entertainment now owns all the TV shows and game show ideas created by Bob Stewart Productions. Sadly, many of the original recordings of shows made before 1978 were lost or erased. This happened because of how TV networks used to store tapes back then. However, many episodes from that time were saved by people who recorded them at home or by TV station employees. These saved copies are now shared by fans and can be found online.

Game Shows Bob Stewart Created for Goodson-Todman

• The Price is Right (1956–1965) (Bob Stewart was a producer)
• To Tell the Truth (1956–1968) (Bob Stewart was an executive producer from 1956-1965)
• Password (1961–1967) (Bob Stewart was an executive producer from 1961-1965)

Game Shows Created by Bob Stewart for Stewart Television

Unsold Pilot Shows

These are game shows that were created and filmed, but never picked up by a TV network to be shown regularly:

• Celebrity Doubletalk (1967)
• 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)
• Caught in the Act (1979)
• Punch Lines (1979)
• Strictly Confidential (1980)
• Twisters (1982)
• Famous Last Words (1983)
• Jackpot (1984)
• $50,000 a Minute (1985)
• Money in the Blank (1987)
• Eye Q (1988)
• The Finish Line (1990)

Past Company Names

The company used a few different names over the years:

• Bob Stewart Productions (the original name)
• Bob Stewart & Sande Stewart Productions (used from 1982–1984 and 1987–1991)
• Bob Stewart Cable (for shows made for cable TV, later renamed Stewart Cable TV, Inc. in 1990)
• Basada, Inc. (used for copyright on Pyramid shows, Go, Double Talk, and the Money in the Blank pilot)