''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American

hidden camera A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

reality television series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by

Allen Funt Allen Albert Funt (September 16, 1914 – September 5, 1999) was an American television producer, director, writer and television personality best known as the creator and host of '' Candid Camera'' from the 1940s to 1980s, as either a regula ...

, it often featured

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

s, and initially began on

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

as ''The Candid Microphone'' on June 28, 1947. After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled ''Candid Microphone'', Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948, and continued into the 1970s. Aside from occasional specials in the 1980s, the show was off air until 1991, when Funt reluctantly authorized a syndicated revival with

Dom DeLuise Dominick DeLuise (August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009) was an American actor, comedian, director, producer, chef, and author. Known primarily for his comedic performances, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows ...

as host and

Vin Di Bona Vincent John "Vin" Di Bona (born April 10, 1944) is an American television producer of the television shows ''MacGyver'', ''Entertainment Tonight'', and ''America's Funniest Home Videos''. He runs an eponymous production company called Vin Di Bona ...

producing; it ran for one year. The show made a comeback on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

in 1996 before moving to

PAX TV Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented entert ...

in 2001. This incarnation of the weekly series ended on May 5, 2004, concurrent with the selling of the PAX network itself. Beginning on August 11, 2014, the show returned in a new series with hour-long episodes on

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...

, but this incarnation only lasted a single season. The format has been revived numerous times, appearing on U.S. TV networks and in syndication (first-run) in each succeeding decade, as either a regular show or a series of specials. Funt, who died in 1999, hosted or co-hosted all versions of the show until he became too ill to continue. His son

Peter Funt Peter Funt (born in New York, c. 1947) is an American actor, host and producer for the hit TV show '' Candid Camera''. He worked for Denver radio station KHOW, the ABC Radio Network, ''The New York Times'' and various other media organizations. H ...

, who had co-hosted the specials with his father since 1987, became the producer and host. A

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

version of the format aired from 1960 to 1976.

Premise

The show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank. When the joke was revealed, victims were told the show's

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

, "Smile, you're on ''Candid Camera''." The catchphrase became a song with music and lyrics by Sid Ramin. The show often played its hidden-camera pranks on celebrities as well: one episode had actress

Ann Jillian Ann Jillian (born Ann Jura Nauseda; January 29, 1950) is a retired American actress and singer whose career began as a child actress in 1960. She is best known for her role as the sultry Cassie Cranston on the 1980s sitcom ''It's a Living''. Ea ...

scheduled to make a small donation to a Lithuanian charity. When police officers informed her a con artist was behind the charity, they persuaded her to donate a much larger amount with the assurance that he would be arrested when he accepted the check. After the arrest attempt, Jillian was told the man was running a legitimate charity, a set-up that forced her into acting as though she had intended to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars all along. In another episode, the show filmed the reactions of citizens after they saw the former President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

walking down the street. After being advised that the former president and his

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

entourage would be taking a walk in downtown Manhattan, the program tracked them with a hidden camera in a van. A young woman who was a champion runner was planted at a street corner they would pass, and she was asking directions from a passerby when she saw Truman and shouted hello. In a stunt suggestive of the classic radio play '' The Hitchhiker'', she then ran around the block so she could be ahead of Truman and was at the next corner where she again said hello to him as he approached. After this was done several times, she asked President Truman if something seemed familiar. The former president replied he expected she had something to do with the van that had been following him, and pointed straight into the camera with his walking stick without turning to look. Some of Funt's pieces did not involve pranks but consisted simply of interviews with ordinary people. There were bizarre sequences in which people, sometimes children, gave one-of-a-kind interpretations of works of art. A little girl once told Funt that ''The Discus Thrower'' by

Praxiteles Praxiteles (; el, Πραξιτέλης) of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attica sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue. While no indubita ...

showed a man throwing his little girl's allowance to her while she stood in the back yard.

Radio history

''The Candid Microphone'' was first heard on Saturday, June 28, 1947, at 7:30 p.m. on ABC radio. That series came to an end on September 23, 1948. The announcer for the radio program was Dorian St. George (1911–2004). Beginning June 6, 1950, ''The Candid Microphone'' was broadcast by CBS on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m., sponsored by Philip Morris, which continued for three months until August 29.

TV history

Funt brought his program to

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television in 1948, using the ''Candid Microphone'' title of the radio series, and then switched to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

in the fall of 1949 (for Philip Morris, with Ken Roberts as his announcer), at which point its name was changed to ''Candid Camera''. The format moved to syndication in 1951 and continued for three years before returning to NBC in 1958 as a segment of

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar repo ...

's ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

''. The segment reappeared in 1959 on

as a feature on ''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talent ...

'', before once again becoming a standalone show in 1960. Its longest uninterrupted run came in the CBS Sunday evening version. Debuting in October 1960, dominating its 10pm time slot for seven years, the program reached its peak in 1963 placing second for the year in the national Nielsen ratings. In these shows producer/host Funt was joined on stage by several co-hosts. Veteran CBS broadcaster

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...

joined Funt for the first season, until he quit due to an inability to get along with the volatile Funt. Replacing him was

Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS network ...

's long time announcer and sidekick

Durward Kirby Homer Durward Kirby (August 24, 1911 – March 15, 2000), sometimes misspelled Durwood Kirby, was an American television host and announcer. He is best remembered for ''The Garry Moore Show'' in the 1950s and '' Candid Camera'', which he ...

from 1961 to 1966. For the final prime time season, TV hostess and former

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

Bess Myerson Bess Myerson (July 16, 1924 – December 14, 2014) was an American politician, model and television actress who in 1945 became the first Miss America who was also Jewish. Her achievement, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, was seen as an af ...

co-hosted. The 1966-67 season, with Myerson, saw the series' first use of color film. Appearances on the show by silent film comedy legend

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

were included in the 1987

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

tribute documentary ''Buster Keaton: A Hard Act To Follow''. Among the standout favorite segments was 1965's traffic cop

Vic Cianca Victor S. Cianca Sr. (January 5, 1918 – January 24, 2010) was a traffic police officer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Police Bureau before he retired on January 4, 1983. His flamboyant style of di ...

with the

Pittsburgh Police The Pittsburgh Police (PBP), officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania. The modern force of salaried and professional officers was founded in ...

, who gained national exposure through the show and later appeared in

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...

commercials, as well as

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

TV and the movie ''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend an ...

''. A then-unknown

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

was one of the writers for the show in the early 1960s and performed in some scenarios. Though a rarity, a few celebrities appeared in the last CBS season; among them were baseball legend

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

, impressionists

George Kirby George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor. Career Born in Chicago, Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-show ...

and

Rich Little Richard Caruthers Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist and voice actor. Sometimes known as the "Man of a Thousand Voices", Little has recorded nine comedy albums and made numerous tel ...

, singer

Mike Douglas Michael Delaney Dowd Jr. (August 11, 1920 – August 11, 2006),Cook County Birth Certificates, file number 6053268, borAugust 11, 1920Social Security Death Index, Michael D. Dowd Jr., Birth: 11 Aug 1920, death: 11 Aug 2006 residing in North ...

and rock vocal group The Four Seasons. Following an ABC special in the summer of 1974 celebrating the program's 25th anniversary, ''Candid Camera'' returned that fall for a five-year run in weekly

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

, with Funt as emcee again and

John Bartholomew Tucker John Bartholomew Tucker (April 9, 1930 – December 7, 2014) was an American radio and television personality, as well as an author. Career Along with Big Wilson, Tucker was one of the last two "communicators" (hosts) of the long-running NB ...

and

Dorothy Collins Dorothy Collins (born Marjorie Chandler;
''

Fannie Flagg Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal; September 21, 1944) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is best known as a semi-regular panelist on the 1973–1982 versions of the game show ''Match Game'' and for the 1987 novel ''Fried Green Toma ...

, one of Funt's writers during the 1960s run, also shared emcee duties with Funt during the 1970s era, as did

Phyllis George Phyllis Ann George (June 25, 1949 – May 14, 2020) was an American businesswoman, actress, and sportscaster. In 1975, George was hired as a reporter and co-host of the CBS Sports pre-show ''The NFL Today'', becoming one of the first women ...

Betsy Palmer Betsy Palmer (born Patricia Betsy Hrunek; November 1, 1926 – May 29, 2015) was an American actress, who was known as a regular supporting film and Broadway actress and television guest star, as a panelist on the game show ''I've Got a Secret'' ...

and

Jo Ann Pflug Jo Ann Pflug is an American film and television actress. Early life Jo Ann Pflug was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to J. Lynn and Kelly Pflug. She was raised in Winter Park, Florida, where her father was elected mayor in 1958, and she graduated fr ...

. This version was taped at the

Ed Sullivan Theater The Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein's Theatre; later the Manhattan Theatre, Billy Rose's Music Hall, CBS Radio Playhouse No. 3, and CBS Studio 50) is a theater at 1697–1699 Broadway, between 53rd and 54th Streets, in the Theater ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for its first season, then moved to

WTVF WTVF (channel 5) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Ion Television owned-and-operated station WNPX-TV (channel 28). WTVF's studios are located ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

for the remainder of its run. The network TV version celebrated its 35th anniversary with an NBC special in 1983. Four years later, a series of occasional ''Candid Camera'' specials aired on CBS with

joining his father as co-host. The show also aired a season in daily syndication (1991–92) with

as host and

Eva LaRue Eva Maria LaRue (; born December 27, 1966) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Maria Santos on '' All My Children'' and Det. Natalia Boa Vista on ''CSI: Miami''. Early life LaRue was born in Long Beach, California ...

as co-host. Produced by

, Funt authorized this version, but did not approve of the format or host. He stated in his biography ''Candidly'' (1994) that he deeply regretted his decision (which he made strictly for financial reasons) mainly because he did not think DeLuise understood the spirit of the show or was an appropriate host, and also because he felt the bits were weak, uninteresting, and too preoccupied with incorporating the show's sponsor,

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...

, into them in an overtly commercial way. A 1996 CBS program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the format (dating back to the ''Candid Microphone'' days) led to another series of occasional ''Candid Camera'' specials, and then to its return as a weekly CBS show with Peter Funt and

Suzanne Somers Suzanne Marie Somers (née Mahoney; born October 16, 1946) is an American actress, author, singer, businesswoman, and health spokesperson. She appeared in the television role of Chrissy Snow on ''Three's Company'' and as Carol Foster Lambert on ...

as co-hosts. The show moved to the

network in 2001 with

Dina Eastwood Dina Marie Fisher, known professionally as Dina Eastwood, is an American reporter, news anchor, and actress. She is the former wife of actor and film director Clint Eastwood. She co-hosted the hidden camera television series '' Candid Camera'' ...

taking over as co-host, remaining on the air for three more years before suspending production. In April 2014, it was announced that the

cable channel was reviving the show, ordering ten episodes. Peter Funt returned as a host, joined by actress

Mayim Bialik Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...

as co-host, with the series premiering on August 11. However, it was not renewed for a second season.

Ratings

The 1960–67 run was arguably the most successful version of the show, according to the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

: * 1960–61: #7 (27.3 rating) * 1961–62: #10 (25.5 rating) * 1962–63: #2 (31.1 rating) * 1963–64: #7 (27.7 rating)

Films

In 1970, Funt wrote, narrated, directed and produced an

X-rated An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

''Candid Camera''-style theatrical

reality film Reality film or reality movie describes a genre of films that have resulted from reality television, such as ''The Real Cancun'', MTV's film version of ''The Real World'', which was originally titled ''Spring Break: The Reality Movie''. In an artic ...

, ''

What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? ''What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?'' is a 1970 American hidden-camera style reality film directed by '' Candid Camera'' creator Allen Funt. In the film, Funt secretly records people's reactions to unexpected encounters with nudity or sexualit ...

'' A second film, '' Money Talks'', followed in 1972. ''

'' eventually led to a series of

videotapes Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

of an adult-oriented (containing nudity) version of ''Candid Camera'', produced in the 1980s, called ''Candid Candid Camera''. These videos were shown on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

and the

Playboy Channel Playboy TV (originally The Playboy Channel) is a pay television channel based in the United States. History The channel first launched on December 9, 1980, as Escapade by Rainbow Programing Services (a joint-venture of four cable companies, ...

Reruns

The 1960s version was seen in reruns on CBS daytime at 10am EST from September 26, 1966 to September 6, 1968, with local stations continuing to air the series for the next several years. It also aired on the Ha! comedy network in 1990-91. The 1970s version continued to play on local stations for several years after its cancellation, followed by a run on cable's

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

later in the 1980s, and another go-round on both

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

and E! in the early 1990s. Reruns of the late 1990s version and the Pax version were carried by

GMC TV GMC may refer to: Government India * Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat * Gobichettipalayam Municipal Corporation, in Tamil Nadu * Guntur Municipal Corporation, in Andhra Pradesh * Guwahati Municipal Corporation, in Assam * Gwalior ...

for a time in 2011. The final season of the 60s version and first season of the 70s version aired on

JLTV The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is a United States military (specifically U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps) and United States Special Operations Command program to partially replace the Humvee fleet with a family of more survivable vehicles ...

from 2012 to 2013, and returned to the weekday schedule in December 2016. No episodes from the 1991-92 season were rerun.

Legacy

Television

A British version of ''Candid Camera'' began in 1960 and ran for seven years. It was initially presented by David Nixon or

Bob Monkhouse Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including ''The Golden Shot'', ''Celebrity Squares'', ''Family Fortunes'' and '' ''Wipeout'. Early ...

and featured Jonathan Routh and Arthur Atkins as pranksters. The show briefly returned in 1974, hosted by Peter Dulay, with Arthur Atkins and Sheila Bernette. Another series was aired in 1976 with Jonathan Routh in charge, with Dulay as producer. These two 1970s series reappeared in 1986, with an opening sequence from Peter Dulay.

Jeremy Beadle Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE (12 April 1948 – 30 January 2008) was an English television presenter, radio presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s he was a regular face on British television, and in two years appeared i ...

made his name hosting prank shows, notably ''

Beadle's About ''Beadle's About'' is a British television programme hosted by Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras. It was produced by London Weekend Television, LWT for ITV (TV network), ITV, and ra ...

'' in the 1980s and 1990s. Channel 4 and

Dom Joly Dominic John Romulus Joly (; born 15 November 1967) is an English comedian and writer. He is best known as the star of ''Trigger Happy TV'' (2000–2003), a hidden camera prank show that was broadcast in over 70 countries worldwide. Early life ...

developed ''

Trigger Happy TV ''Trigger Happy TV'' is a hidden camera/ practical joke comedy television series. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for three series on the British television channel Channel 4 ...

'' in the early part of the 21st century. A similar style show with no real presenter went out as '' Just for Laughs'' on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

around the same time. An Australian version of ''Candid Camera'', titled ''Candid Camera On Australia'', aired on the

Ten Network Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

in 1989-90.

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

saw its own adaptation titled ''Les insolences d'une caméra''. A German variant of ''Candid Camera'', known as '' Verstehen Sie Spaß?'', was begun in 1980 and continues to air as of 2019. A wave of other American hidden-camera prank shows began in the 1980s: ''

Totally Hidden Video ''Totally Hidden Video'' is an American hidden-camera television show and game show that aired from 1989 to 1992. It was one of the early shows in the history of the Fox television network and held the highest viewing share for any Fox program at ...

'' was shown on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

from 1989 until 1992.

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a S ...

vehicle, ''

Punk'd ''Punk'd'' is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both the ...

'', devised elaborate pranks on celebrities. Some shows have been criticized because of the potential cruelty inherent in the pranks, such as ''

Scare Tactics ''Scare Tactics'' is an American comedy horror hidden camera television show, produced by Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginn ...

''. '' Oblivious'' was a series which gave cash prizes to unsuspecting subjects in the street who answered trivia questions but did not realize they were on a

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

. More recent prank shows have been ''

Girls Behaving Badly ''Girls Behaving Badly'' is an American reality comedy television show that was on the Oxygen cable channel, and was also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television. The show, described by t ...

'', '' Just for Laughs: Gags'', ''

The Jamie Kennedy Experiment ''The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' is a half-hour-long American hidden camera/ practical joke reality television series that debuted in 2002 and was broadcast on The WB. The host and star of the show is Jamie Kennedy, a comedian who presented a r ...

'', ''

Boiling Points The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor. The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envir ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Howie Do It ''Howie Do It'' was a Canadian/American comedy television series, co-commissioned by Global and NBC, that stars Howie Mandel and DJ Ravidrums. The series features practical jokes in the vein of earlier shows like '' Just for Laughs: Gags'', ''Punk' ...

''. Perhaps the most ambitious of all was ''

The Joe Schmo Show ''The Joe Schmo Show'' is a reality television hoax show created by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. The series was broadcast in the U.S. on the cable network Spike. The show's premise is that a target person or people are led to believe that t ...

'' in which

Matt Kennedy Gould Matt Kennedy Gould (born October 4, 1975) is an American former television personality. He rose to prominence in 2003, when he was the protagonist of ''The Joe Schmo Show'', a fake reality show in which, unbeknownst to him, all the participant ...

was surrounded by actors and hoaxed for the entire series. One episode of ''

Supermarket Sweep ''Supermarket Sweep'' is an American television game show. The format combines an ordinary team-based quiz show with the novel concept of a live, timed race through a supermarket. In the timed race, cameras follow the teams with shopping carts t ...

'' from 1991 featured

Johnny Gilbert John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various e ...

mentioning during the Big Sweep to a team member named Barry (who also appeared on ''

Monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

''): "He thinks he's on ''Candid Camera'', but he knows he's on ''Supermarket Sweep''!" In a 2010 interview, Peter Funt commented on some of these shows, saying,

We’ve always come at it from the idea that we believe people are wonderful and we’re out to confirm it. Our imitators and other shows, whether it’s Jamie Kennedy or ''Punk’d'', often seem to come at it from the opposite perspective, which is that people are stupid, and we’re going to find ways to underscore that.

Academia

In 1964,

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

's Department of Psychology asked for and received permission to maintain an archive of ''Candid Camera'' and ''Candid Microphone'' episodes for educational research and study purposes.

Home media

VHS

* ''Candid Camera Christmas'' * ''Candid Camera Golf Gags'' * ''Candid Camera's All-Time Funniest Moments Parts I & II'' * ''Candid Camera's Biggest Surprises'' * ''Candid Camera's Pets & Animals'' * ''Candid Candid Camera'' (adult content) * ''Candid Kids''

DVD

* ''Best of the 1960s Volume One'' * ''Best of the 1960s Volume Two'' * ''Best of the 1970s Volume One'' * ''Best of the 1970s Volume Two'' * ''Best of the 1980s Volume One'' * ''Best of the 1990s Volume One'' * ''Best of Today Volume One'' * ''Best of Today Volume Two'' * ''Candid Camera: Greatest Moments'' * ''Candid Camera: Fooling The Senses'' * ''Green Kid'' * ''Inspirational Smiles'' * ''Most Requested Characters'' * ''The Funt Family Collection''

Classic audio CD

* ''Candid Microphone'' (1960)

References

External links