Pantomime Quiz was an American television game show produced and hosted by Mike Stokey. Running from 1947-1959, it has the distinction of being one of the few television series—along with The Arthur Murray Party, Down You Go, and The Original Amateur Hour -- to air on all four TV networks in the US during the Golden Age of Television.

Overview

Based on the parlor game of Charades, Pantomime Quiz was first broadcast locally in Los Angeles from November 13, 1947 to June 30, 1950; In that format, it won an Emmy Award for "Most Popular Television Program" at the first Emmy Awards ceremony. The competition involved two teams of four contestants each (three regulars and one guest). In each round, one member acts out (in mime) a phrase or a name while the other three try to guess it. Each team had five rounds (in some broadcasts there were only four); the team that took the less amount of time to guess all phrases won the game.

Home viewers were encouraged to send in suggestions for phrases to be used in a telecast. Those that were actually used earned cash or a prize for the people who sent them; a bonus was given if the team trying to solve it could not do so within two minutes.