Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Allen Funt
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{Short description|American television producer (1914β1999)}} {{Infobox person | name = Allen Funt | image = File:Allen Funt 1972.JPG | caption = Funt in 1972 | birth_name = Allen Albert Funt | birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|9|16}} | birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|9|5|1914|9|16}} | death_place = [[Pebble Beach, California]], U.S. | occupation = Producer, director, writer | years_active = 1948β1993 | spouse = Evelyn Michal (m. 1946β64)<br>Marilyn Laron (m. 1964β78) | children = 5, including [[Peter Funt|Peter]] }} '''Allen Albert Funt''' (September 16, 1914 β September 5, 1999) was an American [[television producer]], [[television director|director]], [[screenwriting|writer]] and [[television personality]], best known as the creator and host of ''[[Candid Camera]]'' from the 1940s to 1980s, as either a regular [[television show]] or a [[television series]] of specials. Its most notable run was from 1960 to 1967 on [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]]. ==Early life and education== Funt was born into a [[American Jews|Jewish]] family in [[New York City]], New York. His father, Isidore Funt, was a diamond wholesaler,<ref name= Independent>{{cite news |last=Vallance |first=Tom |title=Obituary: Allen Funt |work=The Independent |date=September 8, 1999 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-allen-funt-1117146.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005013628/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-allen-funt-1117146.html |archive-date=2010-10-05 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date= March 17, 2017}}</ref> and his mother was Paula Saferstein Funt. Allen graduated from high school at age 15.<ref name= Independent /> Too young to attend college on his own,<ref name= "CC bio">{{cite web |title=Allen Funt 1914β1999 |website=candidcamera.com |url=http://www.candidcamera.com/cc2/cc2e.html |access-date=July 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702102404/http://www.candidcamera.com/cc2/cc2e.html | archive-date=July 2, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> he studied at the [[Pratt Institute]].<ref name= CMike>{{cite web| url= http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/candid%20mike.html| website= modestoradiomuseum.org| title= Candid Microphone| access-date= March 17, 2017| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170210011827/http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/candid%20mike.html| archive-date= February 10, 2017| url-status= dead}}</ref> He later earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from [[Cornell University]], studied business administration at [[Columbia University]], and returned to Pratt for additional art instruction.<ref name= "CC bio" /><ref name= CMike /> ==Career== ===Radio and television=== Trained in [[commercial art]], Funt worked for an advertising agency in its art department, but he eventually moved to its radio department.<ref name= Independent /> Among his first jobs for radio, he wrote for ''[[Truth or Consequences]]'' and assisted [[US First Lady]] [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] with her radio commentaries.<ref name= Independent /> Drafted into the military during [[World War II]] and stationed in [[Oklahoma]],<ref name= Independent /> Funt served in the [[Army Signal Corps]], eventually making radio shows.<ref name= "CC bio" /><ref name= WNYC /> ===''Candid Microphone''=== He began his signature program on [[Citadel Media|ABC Radio]] as ''[[The Candid Microphone]]'' on June 28, 1947, and it ran until September 23, 1948. The program was revived on [[CBS]] from June 6 to August 29, 1950.<ref name=dunningota>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=%22The+Candid+Microphone,+human%22&pg=PA135 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |section=The Candid Microphone |date=1998 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |pages=135β136 |edition=Revised |accessdate=2019-11-11}}</ref> Funt soon experimented with a visual version by making a series of one-reel (10-minute) theatrical short films for [[Columbia Pictures]]. The series began in July 1948, as part of Columbia's "Film Novelties". Each film was called ''The Candid Microphone''<ref>''Boxoffice'', July 31, 1948, p. 14.</ref> with the individual entries numbered. Unlike the TV version of the 1960s, where members of the production staff interacted with the unsuspecting victims, the ''Candid Microphone'' reels had Funt himself perpetrate all the stunts. The trade press enjoyed these shorts, which used a then-fresh format. ''The Exhibitor'' encapsulated a November 1949 release: "His first session is with a woman in an airline office who wants to buy a ticket to Denver. After he gets through, she almost decides to take the train. Next, he plays a clerk in a plumber's supply house, and tries to talk a character out of wanting to build a shower in a closet. The final sequence has him as adviser in the office of a honeymoon service, where he tries to sell a prospective bride a bill of the wrong goods." The reviewer gave this short one of the publication's rare "excellent" ratings.<ref>''The Exhibitor'', March 9, 1955, p. 3934.</ref> These theatrical shorts served as a springboard for ''Candid Camera'', which premiered on television on August 10, 1948. The ''Candid Microphone'' shorts continued to play in theaters through 1956 and were reissued in the 1960s when Funt became a major television personality. ==''Candid Camera''== ''Candid Camera'' was broadcast on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]], and [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]] from 1948 to 1953, but only became a household word when CBS programmed a new version in 1960, on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. Eastern time, as a lead-in for the popular ''[[What's My Line?]]'' at 10:30. There the program found its all-time biggest audience. But CBS executives felt that Funt could not carry the program alone. They installed various [[master of ceremonies|masters of ceremonies]] to formally host the program and introduce the films. Funt was acknowledged as the program's creator and offered [[color commentary]] on the action. The first emcee was the familiar and folksy [[Arthur Godfrey]] during the 1960β1961 season. He was succeeded by TV host and announcer [[Durward Kirby]] (1961β1966), with former ''[[Your Hit Parade]]'' vocalist [[Dorothy Collins]] on hand when a woman was needed to pull off a stunt (as when she tried to convince service-station employees that her car wasn't working, when the entire engine under the hood was missing). Kirby was succeeded by game-show favorite [[Bess Myerson]] (1966β1967). The show occasionally enlisted guest stars to participate in the stunts. Comedian [[Wally Cox]], in character as a mild-mannered fussbudget, was shown earnestly trying to convince longshoremen to give up their hearty meat-and-potatoes dinners, and had them taste wheat germ and other health foods instead. Silent-era comedian [[Buster Keaton]], always fond of practical jokes, made multiple appearances in the ''Candid Camera'' films of the early 1960s. He even supplied the show's famous tagline at the end of the broadcast: he stared at the camera and said with a deadpan expression, "Smile. You're on ''Candid Camera''." Funt became so synonymous with ''Candid Camera'' that whenever he appeared on other TV shows, his own show was always referenced. In 1964, he appeared as himself in an episode of the [[situation comedy]] ''[[The New Phil Silvers Show]]''.<ref>[http://ctva.biz/US/Comedy/PhilSilversShow_New.htm Classic TV Archive The New Phil Silvers Show (1963-64)]</ref> CBS canceled both ''Candid Camera'' and ''What's My Line?'' in September 1967, although it did show ''Candid Camera'' reruns as a daytime show from 1966 to 1968.<ref>Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory of TV shows, 1946-Present'', Ballantine Books, New York, 1979, p. 128.</ref> ==Daring experiment== Free from the restrictions of broadcast television, with [[Standards and Practices]] executives telling him what he could not show on television, Funt decided to pursue an idea that could not possibly be shown on television. He produced a full-length motion picture, ''[[What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?]]'' (1970), that showed the reactions of ordinary people startled by a nude woman in unlikely places (when an elevator opened, hitchhiking nude, etc.). The film received the adults-only X rating. This proved to be a setback to Funt's career. He had always personified playfully mischievous stunts and good, clean fun, and now he was making X-rated movies. The public stayed away from the film, which landed "way down the list of grossers".<ref>''Hollywood Studio Magazine'', "Dirty Movies Didn't Make It Big", Feb. 1971.</ref> Critic Gary Topp wrote, "Funt, who turns out to be more of an exhibitionist than many of his nude characters, has a definite problem with his decisions as to what is funny, and what is pure sensationalism."<ref>''Canadian Film Weekly'', April 3, 1970, p. 8.</ref> Funt found network-television doors closed to him, and they remained so until 1974. Undaunted, he made a second movie, ''[[Money Talks (1972 film)|Money Talks]]'', which received only a limited release. Funt returned to network television in 1974, when ABC broadcast a ''Candid Camera'' retrospective but did not sponsor a series. Instead, Funt sold a new ''Candid Camera'' series for syndication to local stations. It was broadcast from 1974 to 1979. Funt was now the full-fledged host, and his co-hosts included [[John Bartholomew Tucker]], [[Phyllis George]], [[Jo Ann Pflug]], [[Betsy Palmer]], and [[Fannie Flagg]]. In 1982 Funt returned to the racier, nude-models version of the format, offering an adult-oriented series called ''Candid Candid Camera''. These programs were shown on cable TV and sold to home-video markets. ===Other pursuits=== Funt donated his recordings and films to his alma mater Cornell University and established a fellowship at [[Syracuse University]] for postgraduate studies in radio and television<ref name= Independent /> "aimed at providing the broadcast industry with qualified black personnel."<ref name= "CC bio" /> He established a foundation that used [[laughter therapy]] for seriously ill patients by providing videocassettes of ''Candid Camera'' episodes.<ref name= Independent /><ref name= "CC bio" /> He also taught psychology at [[Monterey Peninsula College]].<ref name= Independent /> ==Personal life== In 1946, Funt married Evelyn Michal, with whom he had three children, including [[Peter Funt]].<ref name= saves>{{cite news| url= http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Land-Trust-Saves-Big-Sur-Ranch-Developer-2938522.php| website= SFGate.com| title= Land Trust Saves Big Sur Ranch / Developer pockets $24 million after one-year ownership| first= Michael| last= McCabe| date= March 25, 2001 | publisher= [[San Francisco Chronicle]]| access-date= March 17, 2017}}</ref> In 1964, the couple divorced, and the same year Funt married Marilyn Laron, whom he was divorced in 1978. The couple had two children. Funt had seven grandchildren. On February 3, 1969, Funt, his wife, and his two youngest children boarded [[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 7 in [[Newark, New Jersey]], with a destination of [[Miami]], [[Florida]]. En route, two men [[aircraft hijacking|hijacked the plane]] and demanded passage to [[Cuba]]. Some of the passengers, having spotted Funt, believed the whole thing was a ''Candid Camera'' stunt.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|date=October 1, 2013|title=You're NOT on 'Candid Camera': Allen Funt was on hijacked flight, passengers took it for a prank|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/youre_not_on_candid_camera_allen_funt_was_on_hijacked_flight|url-status=live|work=DangerousMinds.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001192812/http://dangerousminds.net/comments/youre_not_on_candid_camera_allen_funt_was_on_hijacked_flight |archive-date=2013-10-01 }}</ref> Funt repeatedly attempted to persuade them the hijacking was real, to no avail. The plane landed in Cuba, finally convincing the passengers.<ref name= WNYC>{{cite web|title=Smile My Ass|url=http://www.radiolab.org/story/smile-my-ass/| website= RadioLab.org |publisher=[[WNYC]]| access-date= 8 October 2015|ref=RadioLab}}</ref> Funt and the other passengers were released after 11 hours of captivity.<ref name=":0" /> Funt resided in [[Croton-on-Hudson, New York]]. His estate, White Gates, was sold to opera singer [[Jessye Norman]] in the early 1990s. In the early 1970s, Funt purchased a {{Convert|1,226|acre|km2|adj=on}} ranch {{convert|12|mi|km}} south of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]],<ref name= saves /> "where he raised [[Hereford cattle]] and [[quarter horse]]s"<ref name= CMike /> He later purchased the nearby {{Convert|11|acre|m2|adj=on}} Bixby Ranch where he resided.<ref name= saves /> Both ranches were eventually bought by [[The Trust for Public Land]], which expected to turn the land over to the [[United States Forest Service]].<ref name= saves /> After a [[stroke]] in 1993,<ref name= saves /> Funt became incapacitated. He died in 1999 in [[Pebble Beach, California]],<ref name= Independent /> 11 days before his 85th birthday. ''Candid Camera'' continued with his son [[Peter Funt]] as host. ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== *''Alma-Tadema'' (Catalogue of the Funt Collection) compiled by [[Russell Ash]], Sotheby's Belgravia, 1973 ==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{IMDb name|0298793}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Funt, Allen}} [[Category:1914 births]] [[Category:1999 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American Jews]] [[Category:American television directors]] [[Category:Television personalities from California]] [[Category:Television writers from California]] [[Category:Columbia Business School alumni]] [[Category:Cornell University alumni]] [[Category:American male television writers]] [[Category:Television producers from New York City]] [[Category:Hijacking survivors]] [[Category:People from Croton-on-Hudson, New York]] [[Category:People from Monterey County, California]] [[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]] [[Category:Television producers from California]] [[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]] [[Category:20th-century American male writers]] [[Category:Practical jokes]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:Authority control
(
edit
)
Template:Cite book
(
edit
)
Template:Cite news
(
edit
)
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Convert
(
edit
)
Template:EditAtWikidata
(
edit
)
Template:First word
(
edit
)
Template:IMDb name
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox person
(
edit
)
Template:Main other
(
edit
)
Template:PAGENAMEBASE
(
edit
)
Template:Portal
(
edit
)
Template:Preview warning
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:Short description
(
edit
)
Template:Trim
(
edit
)