| Play the Game | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Starring | Dr. Harvey Zorbaugh (host) |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | DuMont (broadcasting company) ABC (production company) |
| Original run | September 24, 1946 – December 17, 1946 |
Play the Game, also known as Let's Play the Game, is the first game show to be broadcast over an American television network.
Contents |
Play the Game was essentially a televised version of the parlor game charades. It was hosted by Dr. Harvey Zorbaugh, professor of educational sociology at New York University. The show aired over the DuMont Television Network from September 24 to December 17, 1946, weekly from 8 to 8:30 p.m. EST. A previous version of the program had been broadcast locally in New York City on WNBT Channel 1 (the predecessor to WNBC-TV) in 1941.
Although broadcast on DuMont, the program was actually produced by ABC in order for that network to develop experienced crews in anticipation of its own entry into television broadcasting; in this sense, it was the first ABC television series. WABC-TV Channel 7 subsequently broadcast later episodes of the program to the New York City market during 1948.
Celebrity panelists during the DuMont Network run included Ireene Wicker, Ray Knight, and Will Mullin. There were also audience participation segments during which viewers were invited to call in their guesses to the charades being presented.
As with most DuMont programs, no episodes of this show are known to exist in the UCLA Film and Television Archive or other collections.