Career
He was hired by NBC after the war, based on the recommendation of a fellow soldier who had worked for the network before the war.
At NBC, he produced or directed shows including Who Said That?, in which journalists and celebrities competed to identify the source of quotations in the news. Other programs included The NBC Opera, The Wide, Wide World, and Your Hit Parade. Muir produced The Howdy Doody Show, during its run on NBC from 1947 to 1960. In 1948, Muir conceived of a promotion in which Howdy Doody would run for President of the boys and girls in the November election, running on a campaign platform advocating two Christmases and one school day a year, more pictures in history books and free lollipops, among other pledges. In response, the show received thousands of requests for Howdy Doody campaign buttons. The show was canceled in 1960, with Muir observing that advertisers preferred to spend their money to reach adults rather than children, as adults could offer a more immediate return on their advertising spending. NBC chose Shari Lewis to fill the slot on the schedule.
In 1961, Muir joined with Robert "Nick" Nicholson to form a production company, Nicholson-Muir Productions, under which joint banner they created and/or produced a number of game shows including Concentration, which was initially produced by Jack Barry and Dan Enright and later produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, The Newlywed Game, which was produced by Chuck Barris, Pay Cards! and its revival, Super Pay Cards, Matches and Mates, Give 'N' Take, Spin-Off, and The Shopping Game. Muir also co-produced The New Howdy Doody Show with Nicholson. The show ran in syndication in 1976 and 1977. The duo also created Canada's longest-running game show, Definition, which ran from 1974 to 1989.
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