60 Years Ago Eye Guess Debuts - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

howilu · 01-03-2026, 11:09 AM

On January 3, 1966, the first game show produced by Bob Stewart Eye Guess made its debut on NBC's daytime schedule. Stewart became an independent packager after he left Goodson-Todman in 1964.

Originally slated for a spring debut, Eye Guess' debut was moved up after the show it replaced Fractured Phrases, hosted by Art James turned out to be a flop and was axed after 13 weeks.

Hosted by Stewart's long time friend Bill Cullen, Eye Guess was a memory game similar to NBC's hit show Concentration. Two contestants studied an eight space game board that contained the answers to the questions Cullen would ask. After the board closed the answers, a question was asked and the contestant would call out the number that they thought was the right answer. The game consisted of two rounds. Correct answers in round one were worth 10 points and in the second round 20 points. One of the answers was also behind the center space Eye Guess. The first player to reach 100 points would win the game and advance to the bonus round.

There were three different bonus rounds used in the show's three year run. The first was where a contestant had to match a celebrity to their spouse. It was changed after two weeks to where seven of the eight numbers had prizes and one had a Stop The contestant picked numbers until they hit the Stop. If the contestant won all seven prizes, he/she won a new car. The third had five "Go" signs and one Stop. If all five go cards were revealed before hitting the Stop, a new car was won.

Eve Guess ran for one season in the 10 AM ET time period before it was moved a year later to the post Jeopardy spot at 12:30 ET. The show was canceled on September 26, 1969 in a shakeup of NBC's daytime lineup.

cd637299 · 01-18-2026, 12:04 AM

Such a simple and fun concept. It may be in my top three all time game shows.

So sad that only 1 episode has survived (well 1.5 actually). Also too bad that it didn’t have returning champions—but I guess that’s the way Bob S. wanted it—just for fun and laughs.

And Bill Cullen was the perfect host for Eye Guess…..and he is one of the few celebrity emcees to actually grace the lid of its home game!

cd

KurtfromPitts · 03-11-2026, 12:14 PM

I had the Eye Guess game back in summer 1968.

01-03-2026, 11:09 AM	#1
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,959	60 Years Ago Eye Guess Debuts On January 3, 1966, the first game show produced by Bob Stewart Eye Guess made its debut on NBC's daytime schedule. Stewart became an independent packager after he left Goodson-Todman in 1964. Originally slated for a spring debut, Eye Guess' debut was moved up after the show it replaced Fractured Phrases, hosted by Art James turned out to be a flop and was axed after 13 weeks. Hosted by Stewart's long time friend Bill Cullen, Eye Guess was a memory game similar to NBC's hit show Concentration. Two contestants studied an eight space game board that contained the answers to the questions Cullen would ask. After the board closed the answers, a question was asked and the contestant would call out the number that they thought was the right answer. The game consisted of two rounds. Correct answers in round one were worth 10 points and in the second round 20 points. One of the answers was also behind the center space Eye Guess. The first player to reach 100 points would win the game and advance to the bonus round. There were three different bonus rounds used in the show's three year run. The first was where a contestant had to match a celebrity to their spouse. It was changed after two weeks to where seven of the eight numbers had prizes and one had a Stop The contestant picked numbers until they hit the Stop. If the contestant won all seven prizes, he/she won a new car. The third had five "Go" signs and one Stop. If all five go cards were revealed before hitting the Stop, a new car was won. Eve Guess ran for one season in the 10 AM ET time period before it was moved a year later to the post Jeopardy spot at 12:30 ET. The show was canceled on September 26, 1969 in a shakeup of NBC's daytime lineup.

01-18-2026, 12:04 AM	#2
cd637299 cd637299 Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 14, 2022 Location: South Florida Posts: 845	Such a simple and fun concept. It may be in my top three all time game shows. So sad that only 1 episode has survived (well 1.5 actually). Also too bad that it didn’t have returning champions—but I guess that’s the way Bob S. wanted it—just for fun and laughs. And Bill Cullen was the perfect host for Eye Guess…..and he is one of the few celebrity emcees to actually grace the lid of its home game! cd

03-11-2026, 12:14 PM	#3
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,531	I had the Eye Guess game back in summer 1968.