Comments on: Q & A: Stump the Stars, “Campo 44″ http://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/10/q-and-a-stump-the-stars-campo-44/ Keeping Obscure TV From Fading Away Forever Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:58:32 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Barry I. Grauman http://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/10/q-and-a-stump-the-stars-campo-44/comment-page-1/#comment-16748 Barry I. Grauman Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:48:52 +0000 http://www.tvobscurities.com/?p=4672#comment-16748 "PANTOMIME QUIZ" (aka "STUMP THE STARS") was Mike Stokey's "annuity" in television: he was not only its producer and host, he OWNED it as well. Any time a network and/or sponsor had trouble figuring out what to schedule during the summer (or a mid-season replacement), Stokey managed to sell them another 13 weeks [or so] of "PANTOMIME QUIZ", throughout the '50s. I believe Jim ["The Smiling Cobra"] Aubrey of CBS suggested that Pat Harrington, Jr. serve as host when they bought it for a full season as "STUMP THE STARS" in the fall of 1962, on MONDAY nights at 10:30pm(et), right after "THE NEW LORETTA YOUNG SHOW" {"The title's gotta go, too- 'too ancient'- come up with a snappier one, huh?", was probably Aubrey's suggestion as well}. Well, as good as Pat is as an actor and comedian, he just wasn't cut out to be an "emcee"- that's why Stokey returned as the one and only host of the show that December. Even though the network cancelled it at the end of the season, it gained enough momentum for Stokey to produce new episodes for syndication during the remainder of the '60s (he also saved the videotapes of the '62-'63 edition, and sent THEM to local stations for a brief period). "CAMPO 44" was intended to become a series on NBC's 1965-'66 season. However, I believe the network changed its mind when they learned that CBS had bought "HOGAN'S HEROES" from Bing Crosby's production company for THEIR fall 1965 schedule. TWO comedies about World War II German prisoner of war camps, on two different networks during the same season, would have been too much, and possibly lead to criticism about "trivializing" the real events military officers faced in those camps [which is exactly what happened to "HOGAN'S HEROES"] and the "sameness" of network schedules, forcing viewers to decide which one they wanted to see {if either}...or the possibility that CBS and NBC might schedule both series OPPOSITE EACH OTHER? Let's face it, copying successful formats has always been a trademark of the entertainment industry, but NBC KNEW they might be risking their reputation if they scheduled "CAMPO 44" ("Our show was created first!"/"No, OURS was submitted last December!!"/"We have the contracts to prove it!!"/"Aah, you got ****....."). “PANTOMIME QUIZ” (aka “STUMP THE STARS”) was Mike Stokey’s “annuity” in television: he was not only its producer and host, he OWNED it as well. Any time a network and/or sponsor had trouble figuring out what to schedule during the summer (or a mid-season replacement), Stokey managed to sell them another 13 weeks [or so] of “PANTOMIME QUIZ”, throughout the ’50s. I believe Jim ["The Smiling Cobra"] Aubrey of CBS suggested that Pat Harrington, Jr. serve as host when they bought it for a full season as “STUMP THE STARS” in the fall of 1962, on MONDAY nights at 10:30pm(et), right after “THE NEW LORETTA YOUNG SHOW” {“The title’s gotta go, too- ‘too ancient’- come up with a snappier one, huh?”, was probably Aubrey’s suggestion as well}. Well, as good as Pat is as an actor and comedian, he just wasn’t cut out to be an “emcee”- that’s why Stokey returned as the one and only host of the show that December. Even though the network cancelled it at the end of the season, it gained enough momentum for Stokey to produce new episodes for syndication
during the remainder of the ’60s (he also saved the videotapes of the ‘62-’63 edition, and sent THEM to local stations for a brief period).

“CAMPO 44″ was intended to become a series on NBC’s 1965-’66 season. However, I believe the network changed its mind when they learned that CBS had bought “HOGAN’S HEROES” from Bing Crosby’s production company for THEIR fall 1965 schedule. TWO comedies about World War II German prisoner of war camps, on two different networks during the same season, would have been too much, and possibly lead to criticism about “trivializing” the real events military officers faced in those camps [which is exactly what happened to "HOGAN'S HEROES"] and the “sameness” of network schedules, forcing viewers to decide which one they wanted to see {if either}…or the possibility that CBS and NBC might schedule both series OPPOSITE EACH OTHER? Let’s face it, copying successful formats has always been a trademark of the entertainment industry, but NBC KNEW they might be risking their reputation if they scheduled “CAMPO 44″ (“Our show was created first!”/”No, OURS was submitted last December!!”/”We have the contracts to prove it!!”/”Aah, you got ****…..”).

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