Allen Funt Biography

Allen Funt

After an initial try at advertising, he tried his hand in radio in the 1930s where he worked on Eleanor Roosevelt's talk show. He served in World War II and worked with hidden microphones and concealed wire recorders, a skill which later came in handy when he developed the idea for “Candid Microphone” (1947) on the radio and its successor Candid Camera (1951–54; 1960–67) on television. Over time the show evolved away from its reliance on practical jokes to become a study of human behavior. The show made a brief reappearance in 1991 with Dom DeLuise as co-host, and then was revived by his son Peter Funt in 1998.