Mark To

Groucho filtering out, how about People Are Funny?

Along the lines of 50s type quiz/entertainment shows, what about People Are Funny with Art Linkletter? I recall it being a pretty funny show, there must be about 250 episodes and they thought enough of it to try to revive it in the 80s. A nice best of package might be nice. Hello, Shout Factory!

Paul Miller

That is an excellnt idea, I'd definitely love to see it and after watching how Shout! did You Bet Your Life, they would be the perfect company to release Art.


Paul

Eric Paddon

The genuine classic 50s game shows (IMO) are the Goodson-Todman panel show classics like "What's My Line?", "I've Got A Secret" and "To Tell The Truth" which enjoyed a long healthy revival on Game Show Network during its good days. Those would be great to see on DVD too in "Best of" packages since I couldn't imagine 17 years of "What's My Line" making it to DVD (and the first two years are all lost anyway other than the first episode and a few other random ones).

Bert Greene

I'd certainly be interested in checking out "People Are Funny." As I learned from those old panel show reruns on Game Show Network (like "I've Got a Secret," etc.), such oddities can often be highly amusing. But, I've never seen an example of "People Are Funny." Was it shot on film, like in "Groucho," or was it one of those live, shot off screen, kinescope affairs? The series certainly pre-dated me, although as a kid I recall the slightly similar syndicated "Truth or Consequences" series, with Bob Barker. I'd be quite curious to see a few of those again as well.

Regarding Art Linkletter, does anyone know if copies of his daytime "House Party" series survives? So many videotaped series of the 60s no longer exist, so it wouldn't surprise me if it is all lost. But it sounds like it would be an intriguing artifact of its era, with all the interviews and such. I've always liked Linkletter. I believe he's about 90 or 91 years old now, one of the few old-time tv pioneers still around.

Mark To

People are Funny was a filmed show. I didn't see it when it was originally on but it was heavily syndicated in the 1960s which is when I saw it. It really has not aired anywhere since the advent of home recording.
I believe that most if not all of the House Partys exist on 2-inch tape in CBS's vaults. When they had Bill Cosby do Kids Say the Darndest Things, based on the segment of House Party, every week they would pull out old clips from the 2-inch masters to run. So I think they are saved out in Television City in Hollywood.

Eric Paddon

Incidentally, regarding the Goodson-Todman game shows, nighttime "Password" (1962-1965) is the only one that still exists in the original videotape format, while all other primetime game shows only exist in kinescope format. There are some great individual shows like Jack and daughter Joan Benny appearing together and Jack's "Me" clue for "Miser" that would be great on a best of set too.