People Are Funny
Encyclopedia
People are Funny is an American
radio and television game show
, created by John Guedel
that remained popular throughout the 1940s. The program ran from 1942 to 1960. The program's stunts and audience participation were calculated to reveal the humorous side of human nature. After contestants were sent from the studio to perform a task in public, the audience was told how the contestant was being double-crossed.
In 1942, learning of a show that was canceled, he pitched People are Funny to NBC
, and it went on the air April 10, 1942 with Art Baker as host. In a popular first-season stunt, a man was assigned to register a trained seal at the Knickerbocker Hotel while explaining that the seal was his girlfriend.
On October 1, 1943, Baker was replaced by Art Linkletter
, who continued for the rest of the series. For a memorable stunt of 1945, Linkletter announced that $1000 would go to the first person to find one of 12 plastic balls floating off California. Two years later, an Ennylageban Island native claimed the prize.
As the popularity of the program escalated, a movie musical titled People are Funny was released in 1946, offering a fictional version of the show's origin in a tale of rival radio producers. Phillip Read appeared as Guedel, with Linkletter and Frances Langford
portraying themselves. Also in the cast were Jack Haley
, Helen Walker
, Ozzie Nelson
and Rudy Vallée
. One outstanding moment in the film is a Spanish dance number performed by Lupe Mayorga (aka Lillian Molieri) to the song "I Love My Marimba." The radio series moved to CBS
from 1951 to 1954, returning to NBC from 1954 to 1960.
in 1955 and 1956.
Although the series ended on April 1, 1960, the network aired encores until April 13, 1961, making People are Funny the first game show to air repeats.
On March 24, 1984, a "reconstituted" version of People are Funny with Flip Wilson
as host returned to NBC where it was telecast until July 21.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio and television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, created by John Guedel
John Guedel
John Guedel, was a radio and television producer who co-created and produced Art Linkletter's and Groucho Marx's most important and successful broadcast properties, including You Bet Your Life and People Are Funny...
that remained popular throughout the 1940s. The program ran from 1942 to 1960. The program's stunts and audience participation were calculated to reveal the humorous side of human nature. After contestants were sent from the studio to perform a task in public, the audience was told how the contestant was being double-crossed.
Radio
The series began in 1938 when Guedel made an audition recording, and the following year, his concept of a comedy stunt show aired in Los Angeles as Pull Over, Neighbor, later reworked into All Aboard. Watching a bored, unreceptive audience listening to an after-dinner speaker, Guedel scribbled, "People are funny, aren't they?" on a napkin, and he had his title.In 1942, learning of a show that was canceled, he pitched People are Funny to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and it went on the air April 10, 1942 with Art Baker as host. In a popular first-season stunt, a man was assigned to register a trained seal at the Knickerbocker Hotel while explaining that the seal was his girlfriend.
On October 1, 1943, Baker was replaced by Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...
, who continued for the rest of the series. For a memorable stunt of 1945, Linkletter announced that $1000 would go to the first person to find one of 12 plastic balls floating off California. Two years later, an Ennylageban Island native claimed the prize.
As the popularity of the program escalated, a movie musical titled People are Funny was released in 1946, offering a fictional version of the show's origin in a tale of rival radio producers. Phillip Read appeared as Guedel, with Linkletter and Frances Langford
Frances Langford
Julia Frances Langford was an American singer and entertainer who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and also made film appearances over two decades.-Birth:...
portraying themselves. Also in the cast were Jack Haley
Jack Haley
John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:...
, Helen Walker
Helen Walker
Not to be confused with the singer-actress Helen Roberts WalkerHelen Walker was an American movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s....
, Ozzie Nelson
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson was an American entertainer and band leader who originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio and television series with his wife and two sons.-Early life:...
and Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
. One outstanding moment in the film is a Spanish dance number performed by Lupe Mayorga (aka Lillian Molieri) to the song "I Love My Marimba." The radio series moved to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1951 to 1954, returning to NBC from 1954 to 1960.
Television
Linkletter continued as host of the show during its run on television from September 19, 1954 to April 1, 1960. In one stunt, a contestant would win a prize if he could sustain a phone conversation with a puzzled stranger (picked at random from the phone directory) for several minutes without the other party hanging up. The series received Emmy nominationsEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
in 1955 and 1956.
Although the series ended on April 1, 1960, the network aired encores until April 13, 1961, making People are Funny the first game show to air repeats.
On March 24, 1984, a "reconstituted" version of People are Funny with Flip Wilson
Flip Wilson
Clerow Wilson, Jr. , known professionally as Flip Wilson, was an American comedian and actor. In the early 1970s, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series, The Flip Wilson Show...
as host returned to NBC where it was telecast until July 21.
Cultural legacy
- Derek RoyDerek RoyDerek Roy is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, an alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League .-Junior career:...
was the host of a 1955 British version. - The series was satirized in the 1959 Warner Bros. cartoon, People Are BunnyPeople Are BunnyPeople Are Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson, starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, along with an appearance by a caricature of Art Linkletter named "Art Lamplighter". "People Are Bunny" is a takeoff of the Art Linkletter show People Are Funny where...
. The Art Linkletter character was named Art Lamplighter, and the show was entitled People are Phoney, in which contestant Daffy DuckDaffy DuckDaffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
became one of his unfortunate victims. - People Are Funny is mentioned in the second episode of the first season of Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, and later a clip from the show is seen on a TV set in the background.
Episode status
The series exists on dozens of recordings at the UCLA Film and Television ArchiveUCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
.