Stump the Stars

Created by producer/host Mike Stokey, STUMP THE STARS can best be described as "celebrities playing charades." Under the title PANTOMIME QUIZ, it began life in 1947 as a local Los Angeles game show before becoming a yearly summer replacement on CBS in 1950. After two summers on ABC in 1958 and 1959, it went on hiatus until returning for an entire season in 1962-63 with the new name of STUMP THE STARS (there were also brief runs during the regular season on NBC, Dumont, and ABC throughout the 1950s.)

When the season started in the fall of 1962, Pat Harrington Jr. was the host, but he was replaced by the show's producer/creator Mike Stokey on December 10.

Stump the Stars lasted only a single season on CBS, unable to compete with the popular Ben Casey on ABC. It returned for brief runs in syndication in 1964 and 1969-70.