Smile

10 | MARCH 2020 www.LovinLife.com BY LAURA LATZKO Allen Funt started the tradition of capturing human behavior with the TV show “Candid Camera.” His son Peter Funt has continued the mission, joining his father on the original TV show and hosting specials and reboots.

Peter will visit Fox Tucson Theatre on Sunday, March 22, as part of a nationwide tour.

“The Candid Camera’s LOL Tour with Peter Funk” combines footage from the show, onstage comedy by Peter, and moments of audience participation and surprises.

Allen created “Candid Camera” after he worked on an Army base in Oklahoma, where he recorded soldiers’ messages home. Soldiers had stage fright when a red light came on, and he solved the problem by secretly recording them during practice sessions.

This idea of secretly recording others led him to do the “Candid Microphone” radio program in 1947 and start the “Candid Camera” TV show in 1948.

“Candid Camera” ran from 1948 through the 1970s and was revived through specials in the 1980s and 1990s. The show returned from 1996 through 2004 and was rebooted for a year in 2014. Peter says the show is special because fans of all ages enjoy it.

“Audience members of many generations come to our stage show,” Peter says. “We’ve got parents with their children who remember my dad’s work. We’ve got people in their 20s and 30s who remember the shows I’ve done on CBS and on TV Land. We have a whole new generation of fans who pretty much only know us through our YouTube channel.”

Along with Peter and Allen, the show has been co-hosted over the years by Dina Eastwood, Suzanne Somers and Mayim Bialik.

Peter is planning another reboot of the series this year as well a special version centered around the 2020 presidential campaign.

Before cohosting the show, Peter was a journalist. He frequently writes op-eds for major newspapers such as USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and has his own weekly column MORE INFO What: Candid Camera’s LOL Tour with Peter Funt When: 3 p.m. Sunday, March 22 Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street Cost: $28.50 to $59 Info: 547-3040, foxtucson.com he worked on an Army base in Oklahoma, where he recorded soldiers’ messages home. Soldiers had stage fright when a red light came on, and he solved the problem by secretly recording them This idea of secretly recording others led him to do the “Candid Microphone” radio program in 1947 and start the “Candid Camera” ran from 1948 through the 1970s and was revived through specials in the 1980s and 1990s. The show returned from 1996 through 2004 and was rebooted for a year in 2014. Peter says the show is special because “Audience members of many generations come to our stage show,” Peter says. “We’ve got parents with their children who remember my dad’s work. We’ve got people in their 20s and 30s who remember the shows I’ve done on CBS and on TV Land. We have a whole new generation of fans who pretty much only know us through our YouTube chanAlong with Peter and Allen, the show has been co-hosted over the years by Dina Eastwood, Suzanne Somers and Peter is planning another reboot of the series this year as well a special version centered around the 2020 presidenBefore cohosting the show, Peter was a journalist. He frequently writes op-eds for major newspapers such as USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and has his own weekly column through The Cagle Syndicate.

“Serious journalism and fun-loving ‘Candid Camera’ are two diff erent things, but they do have some commonality. I think a curiosity about people and human nature are a good starting point for both,” Peter says.

The TV show, which has inspired other hidden-camera shows, recorded people in extreme situations. Its famous tagline, “Smile! You’re on Candid Camera,” continues to be remembered.

Along with “Candid Camera,” Peter has continued the work of Laughter Therapy, a nonprofi t started by his father to bring smiles and laughter to those facing major illnesses.

Peter says his dad was his role model.

“He was my hero, and I so admire everything he did. I don’t claim for 1 minute to be any better remotely at ‘Candid Camera’ than he was,” Peter says.

Peter says his father was engaging and had an interest in human behavior.

“I tell jokes, not necessarily on the ‘Candid Camera’ show, but certainly onstage. I don’t think my dad ever told a joke in his life. I imagine he must have, but he was defi nitely not a comedian. In fact, he didn’t consider himself a comedian or a practical joker,” Peter says. “He was really a student of human nature and a darned good one.”

Over the years, Peter had a chance to tape in diff erent states, including Arizona. Here, he fi lmed scenes in which people were made to believe their cars were boxed in by other vehicles in a parking lot or that their vehicles were raffl ed off for charity.

Other scenarios showed groups trying to raise money to save the Grand Canyon or develop a compromise for Daylight Savings Time.

For one elaborate scene, passengers traveling from Phoenix to Salt Lake City were made to believe they had never left Phoenix.

Certain details, such as twins dressed in similar beauty pageant sashes in the Phoenix/Salt Lake City scene, help to make these practical jokes seem real.

Peter says many of the scenarios in “Candid Camera” heightened versions of what people experience daily. The show presents diff erent scenarios to appeal to people of diff erent backgrounds.

“We’ve always tried to make the ‘Candid Camera’ show a hidden-camera variety show. We do things about kids. We do things about adults. We do things that are broad slapstick, but we also do things that are more insightful and almost serious. We do things set to music. We do things that are big, that are small, broad laughs, narrow focus,” Peter says.

Peter says the goal was never to embarrass those captured on camera. It was to observe how they reacted in a light-hearted way.

“One (thing I learned) was don’t pull anything on a stranger that you wouldn’t feel comfortable having pulled on yourself. No. 2, don’t try to make people look foolish. That’s not what ‘Candid Camera’ is about,” Peter says. “We celebrate human nature. Yeah, sure, we stress people a little bit, but it’s only to prove a bigger point about how people tick and that they are good sports.”

Over the years, the show has evolved with changing technologies, such as cellphones and social media.

Peter has found that people are more susceptible to practical jokes because they are more distracted, especially by cellphones.

“Nowadays, almost everyone that you encounter is multitasking in some way. That distracts them just enough that with the little prank that we play, they are easier than ever to fool,” Peter says. Peter Funt has followed in his father’s footsteps as the host of the hidden camera TV show “Candid Camera.” (Photo courtesy Candid Camera Inc.)