Allen Funt was an American television producer, best remembered as the creator and host of the television series ‘Candid Camera’
Allen Funt
@Television Host, Timeline and Family
Sep 16, 1914
Biography
Personal Details
- Birthday: September 16, 1914
- Died on: September 5, 1999
- Nationality: American
- Famous: Reality Tv Personalities, Television Host, Cornell University, T V & Movie Producers, Reality TV Personalities, Media Personalities, TV Presenters
- Spouses: Evelyn Kesler, Marilyn Ina Laron
- Siblings: Peter
- Known as: Allen Albert Funt
Allen Funt born at
New York City, New York, U.S.
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Birth Place
In 1946, he married Evelyn Kesler. The couple was blessed with three children; two sons, Peter and John, and a daughter, Patricia. The couple got divorced in 1964.
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Personal Life
In 1964, he married Marilyn Ina Laron. The couple had two children, William and Juliet. This marriage too ended in divorce.
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Personal Life
In 1993, he suffered a stroke and remained ill thereafter. He died on September 5, 1999, in Pebble Beach, California.
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Personal Life
He was born on September 16, 1914 in New York, U.S. to Isidore Funt, a diamond wholesaler, and his wife, Paula Saferstein. He had an elder sister, Dorothy.
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Childhood & Early Life
He received his early education from the New Utrecht High School, Brooklyn, New York. After high school, he got enrolled at the Cornell University from where he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1934.
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Childhood & Early Life
Then he went to Columbia University for a while and later attended the Pratt Art Institute, Brooklyn for a year before taking up a job.
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Childhood & Early Life
He started his career with a job in the art department of an advertising agency. Later he joined the world of broadcasting, working alongside Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, on her radio commentaries. He also provided gags for the hit quiz show ‘Truth or Consequences’, hosted by Ralph Edwards.
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Career
During the Second World War, he was drafted in the US Army Signal Corps and was stationed in Oklahoma where he served from 1943 to 1945. While serving in the army, he thought of an idea to record the complaints of fellow army men for broadcasting. But as the soldiers were hesitant to do so, he formulated the idea of a hidden microphone to record them which proved to be very amusing.
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Career
In 1946, he began the show titled ‘Candid Microphone’ on ABC Radio to record spontaneous reactions of people in weird situations. Initially he would lure victims into his office, with an offer or for some help, but later, with the introduction of portable recorders, he used to roam around to record material for his radio show.
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Career
On August 10, 1948, ABC aired the show on television under the same name which consisted of some footage in the form of theatrical short films showing the common people getting startled by the gags.
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Career
In 1949, the show was transferred to NBC as ‘Candid Camera’ and in 1960, CBS selected it for a seven-year broadcast.
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Career