CANDID CAMERA

Candid Camera began as a radio show called Candid Microphone in the late 1940’s on ABC Radio. But CBS took the show to a new level of popularity from 1960 to 1966. Allen Funt was the creator and began his “hidden microphone” antics when he was in the service. During his time in World War II Funt worked with a wire recorder, a predecessor to the tape recorder. The “mobile” aspect to this recording gave Funt ideas which he later took to the next level. Candid Camera was immensely popular with audiences “living” to see the next weeks episode when a hidden camera would catch folks in their funniest moments. The most famous bit was the talking mailbox. How would you react if a mailbox spit the mail back out to you!! Allen Funt passed away in 1999 at the age of 84 but his son Peter took over where his father left off. Allen Funt was a great pitch man and always hosted with a HUGE smile. He was the perfect man to host a show about laughter. In fact his signature line said it all. “….so don’t be surprised if somewhere, sometime someone comes up to you and says, Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

Click here for Peter Funt’s official Candid Camera website!