People Are Funny

(1954-1961)

30 minutes

Family / Game Show / Variety

Hosted by Art Linkletter

The quintessential variety show host, Art Linkletter was adept at touching the average American's funny bone and pulling the heartstrings, often simultaneously.  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", which started on radio in 1942.  "People Are Funny" reached its peak on television in the mid 1950s.  Guests chosen beforehand from the studio audience would 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 passersby on the street, turning out to be a very difficult task indeed. 

People Are Funny starring Art Linkletter

People Are Funny - 1

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