People Are Funny

The quintessential variety show host Art Linkletter was adept at touching the average American's funny bone and pulling the heartstrings often simultaneously. His "House Party" made the listener and later the viewer feel at home. His forte came to be conversations with children which eventually put him on the best-seller list with "Kids Say The Darndest Things," culled from his many interviews with the little tads. Beginning as a radio personality, Linkletter found it easy to transfer his easy-going down-home mannerisms to the tube.

His most successful prime time show came to be "People Are Funny," begun on radio in 1942, which reached its peak on television in the mid 1950's. He would have guests chosen beforehand from the studio audience do crazy stunts--mainly of a slapstick nature. Some of the tricks were psychological in tone, for example having the guest attempt to give money away to passers-by on the street, turning out to be a very difficult task indeed.

Being a youngster at the time, what I remember most about the show was the huge computer labeled Univac by the producers, which today would be little more than a giant calculator, but very impressive in 1956. Linkletter attempted to use the computer as a matching machine for couples. It was fun to watch and now considered a pioneering effort for early television.

I also recall Linkletter making a big to-do about an old codger living as a hermit in the Ozark hills. Since I lived in the Ozarks, my interest was aroused. Supposedly, the old timer had no contact with the outside world. Linkletter had him flown to LA to appear on "People Are Funny," his first confrontation with air travel and big city life. On stage he appeared nonplussed and somewhat dumbfounded. The gimmick didn't go as well as planned. The old geezer was hurriedly taken back to the Ozarks on a big bird.

For those early TV addicts who wanted their fun simple and down to earth, "People Are Funny" was for them. And who could ask for a more personable host than Art Linkletter?

Beginning as a radio show in 1942, People Are Funny hit the television screen in 1954 with the same simple premise, to bring on ordinary audience members as contestants to perform some "stunt", and awarding a prize based on the success of said task. Hosted by Art Linkletter, each episode follows a number of stunts, anything from asking contestants to find their own house which they have physically moved somewhere else in the city to a millionaire dressing up in rags and asking a stranger for a bed for the night in their home. Primarily just Art, the guests, and the audience, the show would have been filmed and aired live, something considered unique for more modern series like SNL, however at this time was the expectation. There are very few on-location segments, as camera equipment wasn't even something you could just wear on your shoulder at this point, and even fewer pre-recorded segments, so most of the footage is of Art interacting with the audience. Often for the retelling of what happened during the stunt guest would have to bring other witnesses back to describe what happened, as said they couldn't really go out and film the reactions to the stunts themselves. The show itself wasn't bad for its time though, and I didn't mind Art Linkletter himself, he's certainly an icon of the age, however didn't love how pushy he often was, grabbing the arms of guests to keep them in frame, or pushing them off set as soon as their segment ended, but again they were trying to get something out live in real time, so the pressure was certainly on. With only 12 episodes at my disposal, those I watched were fun, though a bit dry, and the undertone of 1950s sexism / racism got to be a bit much, it was non-surprisingly present throughout (though not any worse than its contemporaries). For any interested in TV history, it gives a strong look into every day people and their reactions, much like a candid camera would, but as entertainment we have certainly come a long way.