`Candid Camera's' Allen Funt Dies

Allen Funt, who made a career out of secretly filming ordinary people reacting to the bizarre and unexpected on his television show "Candid Camera," has died at his ranch near Pebble Beach, Calif. He was 84.

Mr. Funt suffered a stroke in 1993 from which he never fully recovered. He died of the complications Sunday afternoon, CBS spokesman Michael Naidus said yesterday.

"He was a tough guy," said Mr. Funt's son, Peter. "When he suffered (the) stroke . . . doctors gave him a few weeks to live, perhaps a few months. Instead, he battled for more than six years - through many hospitalizations and treatments - with a ferocious will to live that was inspirational to me and the rest of our family."

"Candid Camera" was at the height of its popularity in the 1960s, when it was rated as one TV's top-10 shows. But the program's appeal endured, and it continued to run in network specials and in syndication. Last year, Peter Funt brought it back as a weekly program on CBS.

The program premiered on ABC in August 1948. Mr. Funt's formula was simple, if sometimes elaborately executed. Using hidden cameras and microphones, he would record unsuspecting members of the public responding to carefully contrived practical jokes and pranks.

An egg would be broken over a man's head. Mail boxes would start talking. Someone would coast into a gas station and ask for service. But when the attendant lifted the hood, the engine would be missing.

As the bewildered subject stood with mouth agape, Mr. Funt would appear with his signature line, "Smile, you're on `Candid Camera.' "

Mr. Funt was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 16, 1914, to Isidore and Paula Funt. His father, a diamond importer, had immigrated to the United States the year before.

After graduating from high school at 15, Mr. Funt attended art school and earned a degree from Cornell University before landing a job in the art department of an advertising agency.

It was after moving to the agency's radio department, writing copy and dreaming up gimmicks for radio shows, that he got his first show business break, "Candid Microphone," a radio show he originated in 1947. During his Army Signal Corps service in World War II, Mr. Funt had experimented with new, more portable radio equipment.

After the war Mr. Funt returned to radio and experimented with planting hidden mikes in public places. He soon realized most of what he picked up wasn't very interesting, even though he created the radio show "Candid Microphone," that ran for two years on ABC.

It was a short leap from radio to television, and Mr. Funt soon initiated a 15-minute televised version labeled "Candid Mike." "Candid Camera" followed shortly after that.

While the viewing public was happy to eavesdrop, Mr. Funt's techniques also aroused criticism. Some accused him of making his subjects look ridiculous, of being sadistic and sneaky.

At the same time, his work found its way into academia. His films and tapes have been used in college courses in sociology, psychology and speech.

Peter Funt said he onced asked his father "what he considered his proudest achievement. His answer: `To be able to go almost anywhere in the world and have people say, `Thanks, Allen. You made us smile.' "

In addition to his work on "Candid Camera," Mr. Funt wrote three books, produced 40 shorts for Columbia Pictures, made seven record albums and two films, including "What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?"

In addition to Peter, Mr. Funt is survived by four other children: Patricia, John, Juliet and William. Information from The Chicago Tribune is included in this report.