Long before the rise of reality TV (see entry under 1990s—TV and Radio in volume 5) shows such as Survivor and The Real World (see entry under 1990s—TV and Radio in volume 5) in the 1990s, Candid Camera featured real people reacting to real situations beginning in the late 1940s and continuing off and on for the next forty-five years. Candid Camera was the brainchild of Allen Funt (1914–1999), a radio writer and producer. The show's idea was rather simple. Part psychology experiment and part practical joke, Funt would set up an odd situation and then film people's reactions to it. The show was called "candid" camera because it caught people candidly, or off guard.

Funt wanted to show how people would react to new and unusual situations. His guess that their reactions would prove highly entertaining was right on target. The show was always good-humored. Funt...