Art Linkletter
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| Art Linkletter | |
|---|---|
| Name | Art Linkletter |
| Birth name | Arthur Gordon Kelly |
| Birth date | June 17, 1912 |
| Birth place | Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Death date | May 26, 2010 |
| Death place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Radio and television personality, author, social commentator |
| Years active | 1939–2009 |
Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality, author, commentator, and entertainer best known for hosting popular family-oriented broadcast programs in mid-20th-century North America. He became widely recognized for his affable interview style, knack for eliciting humorous spontaneous remarks from children and everyday people, and for producing high-rated variety and quiz programs that influenced broadcasting practices and popular culture.
Early life and education
Born Arthur Gordon Kelly in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, he was raised in a pioneering prairie community before moving to San Diego and later Spokane, Washington. He attended local schools and received informal training in public speaking and performance while associating with community institutions such as YMCA programs and local radio stations. His early mentors included regional personalities and station managers at KFBC and KMTR (radio), which helped launch his transition from small-market broadcasting to national media in Los Angeles.
Radio and television career
Linkletter moved into professional broadcasting as radio expanded during the 1930s and 1940s, joining programs associated with networks such as NBC and CBS. He hosted and appeared on variety and talk formats that dovetailed with contemporary programs produced by figures like Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Bob Hope, Arthur Godfrey, and Johnny Carson. During the postwar expansion of network television, he became a staple on daytime and prime-time schedules, working with producers and executives linked to Desilu Productions, CBS Television Network, and local KTLA. His interviewing technique and quick repartee placed him among peers including Phil Donahue, Merv Griffin, Tom Snyder, Steve Allen, and Graham Kerr, while his programs competed in ratings with shows from stars like Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy, Milton Berle, and Perry Como.
Notable works and segments (House Party, People Are Funny)
He is best known for hosting long-running programs such as the radio and television series House Party and People Are Funny, programs produced in collaboration with network teams and sponsors often associated with NBC Radio Network, CBS Radio Network, and advertising agencies linked to brands like General Electric and Procter & Gamble. House Party showcased regular segments featuring children and families, and People Are Funny was a quiz-and-practical-joke format that echoed earlier variety programs and influenced later game shows like The Price Is Right and Truth or Consequences. Regular program contributors and contestants included personalities and professionals from communities connected to Hollywood production crews, SAG-AFTRA performers, and writers who had worked with figures such as Bert Parks, Allen Ludden, and Jonathan Winters. Signature segments frequently invited children onstage, inspiring comparisons with earlier vaudeville and radio traditions associated with venues in New York City and Chicago.
Personal life and family
His private life included marriages and a family network tied to entertainment and business communities in Los Angeles County and San Diego County. He was a father and stepfather; family members worked in diverse fields linked to media, publishing, and retail enterprises in Southern California and Canada. Relatives and close associates maintained connections with civic institutions such as United Way chapters, regional chambers of commerce, and faith communities linked to historic congregations in Hollywood and San Diego.
Advocacy, public speaking, and philanthropy
Beyond broadcasting, he engaged in public speaking and advocacy on topics frequently addressed at forums hosted by universities and civic organizations including University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, and service clubs affiliated with Rotary International and Kiwanis International. He supported child-related causes and family-service charities connected with institutions such as Child Welfare League of America and collaborated with nonprofit fundraising efforts alongside entertainers like Ed McMahon and corporate sponsors that often worked with foundations linked to Walt Disney and television production philanthropies. His lecture circuit appearances placed him at conferences and events attended by business leaders from Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution.
Later years and legacy
In later decades he authored books and commentaries that broadened his public profile beyond broadcast hosting, contributing to publishing circles that included mainstream presses and trade imprints associated with figures like HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. His influence on television formats, child-interview segments, and daytime programming is noted in histories of broadcasting alongside programs and producers from Golden Age of Television eras and is discussed in retrospectives about personalities such as Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Red Skelton, and Jack Benny. He received recognition from broadcasting and civic institutions, with honors from organizations linked to Broadcasting & Cable and regional arts councils. His death in Los Angeles prompted obituaries and tributes in national and international press that referenced his roles in shaping mid-century American entertainment and media culture.