Allen Funt Biography

Allen Funt was an American television producer, best remembered as the creator and host of the television series ‘Candid Camera’. After completing his graduation, he pursued a career in broadcasting along with the hobby of thinking up gimmicks for radio shows before he served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. While stationed at war, he developed a keen interest in the wireless portable recorders. His idea was to use hidden cameras and microphones to record people’s responses as they dealt with uncanny and bizarre situations. Initially, it started off as a radio show for a couple of years and later premiered on television as ‘Candid Camera’. The show was an instant hit among the masses because it captured real-time reactions of people and did not contain any form of pre-scripted drama. The hidden cameras caught ordinary citizens unaware of the shocking situations and recorded their reactions. He appeared in many stunts himself and every one of his gag concluded with the catch-phrase, "Smile, you're on Candid Camera". Along with his television show, he also produced two feature films, wrote three books and recorded several albums, nearly all built on the concept of the hidden camera. He was a pioneer of world television who created an entire new programming genre for future generations, popularly known as reality-based television in the current times.