Game show producer and creator of Password and Pyramid Bob Stewart (1920-2012)

[Vahan]

http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com...es-away-at-91/

We’ll add more to this growing story as time goes on and as more people inform us of the situation, but popular game show announcer Randy West has announced that the monumentally influential producer Bob Stewart has passed away at the age of 91. If you like game shows, then you like Mr. Stewart’s work. He created immensely successful shows such as The Price is Right, To Tell The Truth, Password, Pyramid, and countless others. We’ll be updating this story as the day progresses so stay tuned.

[Zoneboy]

He was behind the long-running shows “The Price Is Right,” “To Tell the Truth,” “Password” and “The $10,000 Pyramid.”

Link


Bob Stewart, the creator and producer of such legendary TV game shows as The Price Is Right, To Tell the Truth and Password, died Friday of natural causes at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 91.

Stewart created the formats for these long-lasting game shows as a producer with Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions.

In 1964, Stewart started his own production entity and during the next 28 years created and produced 15 network series, highlighted by the Pyramid franchise. Hosted by Dick Clark, The $10,000 Pyramid and its various bigger-money incarnations collected nine Emmys for best game show.

A native of Brooklyn who entered the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2009, Stewart landed his first show business job after World War II as a writer for WNEW-AM New York. He entered television in the early 1950s, writing, producing and directing for several New York broadcasters.

Stewart’s big career break came during a 1956 meeting with Goodson, during which he pitched the concepts for Price Is Right and To Tell the Truth. He created Password five years later.

Price Is Right premiered on NBC in November 1956 with Bill Cullen as host and lasted seven years before a retooled version, still running and now hosted by Drew Carey, debuted on CBS in 1972. Bob Barker hosted the show from 1972 to 2007.

CBS' To Tell the Truth, emceed by Bud Collyer, debuted in December 1956. The show featured a panel of four celebrities attempting to correctly identify a contestant with an unusual occupation or experience. Password was hosted for nearly two decades by Allen Ludden, the late husband of frequent panelist Betty White.

Password was the first game show to pair celebrities and “civilians” as teammates. It also was the first “to test the intelligence of a celebrity,” Stewart said during a 1998 interview with the Archive of American Television.

Stewart also described a particularly funny moment when famous cheapskate comedian Jack Benny was on the show.

“The card [the word Benny has to guess to win the game] comes up on the screen: ‘miser,’ ” Stewart recalled with a smile. “When he got this, Jack didn’t say a word. He just looked at the camera with that look of his. The audience was falling apart. Finally, he says [as a clue] to his contestant partner: ‘Me.’ The contestant says, ‘Comedian?’ And the game went on.”

Services will be private with a memorial to be announced.

[howilu]

Bob Stewart was one of the greatest game show creators who ever lived. Before he started his own production company, he worked for Goodson-Todman and created the classic games "To Tell The Truth", "The Price is Right" and "Password." All were durable formats that had successful revivals.

When he started Bob Stewart Productions in 1964, it took two years before his first success "Eye Guess", hosted by his best friend Bill Cullen. He also produced the prime time game show "The Face is Familiar."

After moderate success with shows such as "Personality", "You're Putting Me On and "Three on a Match," Stewart had his biggest success with "The $10,000 Pyramid." Debuting in 1973 on CBS and hosted by Dick Clark, it ran for a year before it was picked up by ABC and ran until 1980. By then the top prize was increased to $20,000 and there was also a nighttime syndicated version "The $25,000 Pyramid" that ended the preceding year." It wouldn't be long before the Pyramid returned to TV, in syndication under the title "The $50,000 Pyramid" in 1981. It only lasted 39 weeks but CBS returned the Pyramid to daytime in 1982 as "The $25,000 Pyramid". It would also be the first incarnation to be produced in Hollywood and it ran until 1987 before a brief revival in the spring of 1988. There was also the syndicated "$100,000 Pyramid."

"Pyramid" was the best of Stewart's creations, derived from "Password" and featured the best bonus round of any TV game show, where a contestant had to identify six subjects in less than a minute. It had a lot of drama and success.

In an article I read about Stewart, he mentioned that what makes a great game show is acheiving the goal of getting the viewer to speak to the TV set. That's why a lot of his shows as well as "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" have been successful for years. The game show world has lost an outstanding creator in Stewart. May he rest in peace.

[Marvo301]

Bob Stewart

[rezny717]

And I hope one thing:If they revive any of the game shows he did on his own,Freemantle Media doesn't get is grubby little mits on the shows .Freemantle would ruin them.Anyway,RIP Bob Stewart.He,along with the late Mark Goodson,the late Bill Todman and the late Merv Griffin wil be soely missed by fans (such as myself)of game shows.

[Vahan]

Betty White said that Bob's greatest production was introducing her to the love of her life, Allen Ludden. That was, of course, Password.

But the thing is, when Pyramid, Stewart's most popular creation, was based in New York City from its inception in 1973 to 1981, Betty never once did the show there. Not even when it briefly moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 1973.

Betty began making regular appearances on Pyramid as early as the 4th week of the Dick Clark version of The $25,000 Pyramid, the first version of the show to be permanently located in Los Angeles, in 1982.

[megamanj2004]

I enjoyed Pyramid!

It was one of, if not THE ULTIMATE PERFECT show ever made. The suspense, set, drama, tension, big money all well-crafted and well-perfected.

He also created and perfected the formats to TPiR, TTTT and Password.

Eye Guess was a nce, nifty show, IMO. The answers are right in front of you but can you remember where they were? And I loved how sometimes revealing some of the answers to some question had humurous results.

Chain Reaction was un underrated show, IMO despite never having a worthy to look at set.

I enjoyed GO! and Double Talk as well. For the latter, it was a huge improvement over his earlier format based on DT in Shoot for the Stars (Shoot the Works the pilot for StW).



R.I.P. to both Dick Clark and Bob Stewart

[KurtfromPitts]

R.I.P. Bob. Thanks for giving us so many great shows.

[simmytbone]

Well here's more info on Mr. Stewart:

Bob Stewart was born Isadore Steinberg

Born in Brooklyn, Bob Stewart has been a TV Creator/Producer for 36 years from 1956-1992

He has created Game Shows for Goodson-Todman such as Password, To Tell the Truth and The Price is Right

In 1966, he formed his own production company Bob Stewart Productions along with its pet name Basada Productions, Inc. (named after his sons: Barry, Sande, and David)

He has produced such Game Shows as

Eye Guess w/the late Bill Cullen (NBC Daytime)
The Face is Familiar w/Jack Whitaker (CBS Primetime)
Personality w/the late Larry Blyden (NBC Daytime)
You're Putting Me On w/the late Bill Leyden & Blyden (NBC Daytime)
Three on a Match w/the late Bill Cullen (NBC Daytime)
Jackpot! w/Geoff Edwards & the late Mike Darrow for NBC, USA & syn.
Winning Streak w/the late Bill Cullen (NBC Daytime)
Blankety Blanks w/the late Bill Cullen (ABC Daytime)
Shoot for the Stars w/Geoff Edwards (NBC Daytime)
Pass the Buck w/the late Bill Cullen (CBS Daytime)
The Love Experts w/Bill Cullen and Jack Clark (Daily Syndication)
Chain Reaction w/Bill Cullen, Blake Emmonds & Geoff Edwards (NBC & USA)
The Chain Reaction Spin-off called GO w/Kevin O'Connell (NBC Daytime)
Double Talk w/Henry Polic II (abc Daytime)

But his biggest success was producing Pyramid from 1973-1988 and again in 1991

The $10,000 Pyramid w/Dick Clark 1973-1976 (CBS & abc Daytime)
The $20,000 Pyramid w/Dick Clark 1976-1980 (abc Daytime)
The $25,000 Pyramid w/the late Bill Cullen 1974-1979 (Weekly Syndication)
The $50,000 Pyramid w/Dick Clark 1981 (Daily Syndication)
The NEW $25,000 Pyramid w/Dick Clark 1982-1988 (CBS Daytime)
The $100,000 Pyramid w/Dick Clark 1985-1988 (Daily Syndication)
The NEW $100,000 Pyramid w/John Davidson 1991-1992 (Daily Syndication)

Stewart retired from television in 1992

His son Sande Stewart worked with his dad Bob and they once formed Bob Stewart/Sande Stewart Productions and later Stewart Tele-Enterprises

Sande Stewart once formed his own production company called Sande Stweart Productions when he produced Your Number's Up for NBC Daytime w/"The Poet Laureate of Television" the late Nipsey Russell as Host and Lee Menning (Former Hostess for Las Vegas Gambit and $ale of the Century) as Hostess, but Pyramid was too much for Your Number's Up as the show ran during the fall of 1985 for 3 months

and also, Sande Stewart formed Stewart Television Produced other shows such as Inquizition, Hollywood Showdown and Powerball Instant Millionaire

While Bob Stewart has not been an active producer since 1992, he served as a Creative Consultant in his son's new production company, Stewart Television, and is listed on the official website as Stewart Television's founder.

Up until 2006, Bob Stewart held a record for the most Daytime Emmy Awards in game show production.

The record was broken by Harry Friedman, who serves as Executive Producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!

Bob Stewart sold his company to SONY (who also owns Columbia TriStar Television)

and 2 of those shows from SONY were revived

The All New Pyramid w/Donny Osmond from 2002-2004 and The All New Chain Reaction w/Dylan Lane from GSN from 2006-2007

For more information on the history of Bob Stewart Productions and Sande Stewart Productions

Visit the official website:

http://www.stewarttelevision.com/

Thank You Mr. Stewart, God Bless You and R.I.P. to you and Mr. Clark, please say hello to Uncle Bill for us

[megamanj2004]

Sande Stewart also produced Sports on Tap for ESPN in 1994 as well.