Art Linkletter

Arthur Gordon Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly[1][2][3] or Arthur Gordon Kelly[4][2][5][6] (sources differ), July 17, 1912 – May 26, 2010) was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, which aired on NBC radio and television for 19 years. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942.

Art Linkletter
Linkletter in a promotional photo for People Are Funny in 1957
Born
Arthur Kelly

(1912-07-17)July 17, 1912
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedMay 26, 2010(2010-05-26) (aged 97)
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
OccupationRadio and television personality
Years active1933–2010
Spouse(s)
Lois Foerster
​
​
(m. 1935; his death 2010)​
Children5, including Jack Linkletter and Diane Linkletter
Signature

Old clips from Linkletter's House Party program were later featured as segments on the first incarnation of Kids Say the Darndest Things. A series of books followed which contained the humorous comments made on-air by children. He appeared in four films.

Early life and career

Linkletter was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. In his autobiography, Confessions of a Happy Man (1960), he revealed that he had no contact with his natural parents or his sister or two brothers since he was abandoned when only a few weeks old. He was adopted by Mary (née Metzler) and Fulton John Linkletter, an evangelical preacher.[7][8]

When he was five, his family moved to San Diego, California, where he graduated from San Diego High School at age 16. During the early years of the Great Depression, he rode trains around the country doing odd jobs and meeting a wide variety of people.[9] In 1934, he earned a bachelor's degree in teaching from San Diego State Teachers College (now San Diego State University), where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. While attending San Diego State, he played for the basketball team and was a member of the swimming team. He had previously planned to attend Springfield College, but did not, for financial reasons.

In 1935 he met Lois Foerster. They were married at Grace Lutheran Church in San Diego, November 28, 1935. Their marriage lasted until Linkletter's death, 74 years later.

From radio into television

After receiving his teaching degree, Linkletter decided to go to work as a radio announcer at KGB in San Diego, because radio paid better than teaching. He directed radio programs for fairs and expositions in the mid-1930s. Afterwards, he moved to San Francisco and continued his radio career. In 1943, Linkletter pleaded guilty to falsely claiming US citizenship;[10] he was fined $500 and permitted to apply for citizenship.[11] In the 1940s, Linkletter worked in Hollywood with John Guedel on their pioneering radio show, People Are Funny, which employed audience participation, contests and gags. The series served as a prototype for future radio and television game shows.[9] People Are Funny became a television show in 1954 and ran until 1961.[12]

Sam Berman's caricature of Linkletter for NBC's 1947 promotional book

Early television and film appearances

Other early television shows Linkletter worked on included Life With Linkletter with his son Jack (1969–1970) and Hollywood Talent Scouts (1965–1966). He also acted in two movies, People Are Funny (1946) and Champagne for Caesar (1950). Following an appearance in No Greater Love (1960), Linkletter would cease to appear in feature films.

Linkletter declined the opportunity offered by his friend Walt Disney to invest in the Disneyland theme park project along with building and operating the Disneyland Hotel due to Linkletter's doubts about the park's prospects. But, out of friendship for Disney, Linkletter volunteered his experience as a live program broadcaster to help organize ABC's coverage of the Disneyland opening in 1955 on what was his 43rd birthday. Besides being an on-air host, he recruited his two co-hosts: Ronald Reagan and Bob Cummings. The park opening experience convinced Linkletter that Disneyland was going to be a huge success. When Disney asked what he could do to show his gratitude for the broadcast's role in the successful launching of the park, Linkletter asked for Disneyland's camera and film concession for its first ten years, a request that was quickly granted. This turned out to be extremely lucrative.[13]

In the 1950s, Linkletter hosted a 15-minute series for syndication titled Art Linkletter And The Kids, seen locally on Saturday mornings in some areas.[14][15]

On February 23, 1961, Linkletter and his son, Jack Linkletter, appeared together in "The Bible Man," one of the last episodes of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, which aired for five seasons on CBS. In the story line, Linkletter is cast as the Reverend Albert Pierce, a traveling evangelist who is estranged from his grown son, Jimmy (Jack Linkletter), because he had tried to avoid telling Jimmy of the real circumstances of the death of Jimmy's mother. The son accused his father of causing the mother's death by burning down her house. However, she was already dead before the fire because a paramour had beaten her to death. The episode ends with the reconciliation of father and son. "The Bible Man" was Jack Linkletter's only dramatic acting appearance. It was the first of two dramatic television appearances by Art Linkletter. His second appearance came in episode 15, season 6 of the series Wagon Train in 1962 alongside Nancy Reagan. When on television, he otherwise played himself.[16]

Linkletter appeared for two stints of two weeks each, as a guest host of The Tonight Show in 1962 between Jack Paar's sudden departure and Johnny Carson's arrival as its new host.[17]

Toy and game promotions

In the 1950s, Linkletter became a major investor in and promoter of the hula hoop.[18][19] In 1963, Linkletter became the endorser and spokesman for Milton Bradley's The Game of Life. His picture appeared on the game's $100,000 bills[20] and also on the box, framed by the statement "I heartily endorse this game."[21]

Art Linkletter's Kids

Art Linkletter's Kids was a 1963–64 gag cartoon panel drawn by the prolific cartoonist Stan Fine and distributed by King Features Syndicate.

Later years

In the 1960s, Linkletter started a dance school, the Art Linkletter School of Jazz, Tap, and Ballet, in Pomona and Claremont, California.

After three public meetings in 1967, an eight-member Los Angeles City Council committee cleared Linkletter and City Council Member Tom Shepard of charges that they were linked in a scheme to influence city purchase of the "financially troubled" Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills.[22]

In 1988, he appeared as himself on the syndicated sitcom Small Wonder in the episode "Come Fly With Me." At one point he was a spokesman for National Home Life, an insurance company.

Activism

A registered Republican who campaigned for his old friend Ronald Reagan for President of the United States, Linkletter became a political organizer and a spokesman for the United Seniors Association, now known as USA Next, an alternative to the AARP. As part of this role, Linkletter was active in campaigning for more stringent restrictions on elderly motorists. He was also a member of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation (which ended in November 2008).

In 1978, he wrote the foreword to the bestselling self-help book Release Your Brakes! by James W. Newman, in which he wrote, "I believe none of us should ever stop growing, learning, changing, and being curious about what's going to happen next. None of us is perfect, so we should be eager to learn more and try to be more effective persons in every part of our lives."

In 2005, at the age of 93, he opened the Happiest Homecoming on Earth celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Half a century earlier, he had been the commentator on the opening day celebrations in 1955. For this, he was named a Disney Legend.

Philanthropy

Linkletter invested wisely,[9] enabling his considerable philanthropy. A member of Pepperdine University's Board of Regents, Linkletter was also a long-term trustee at Springfield College, where he donated funds to build the swimming center named in his honor, the Art Linkletter Natatorium.[23]

Awards and honors

Linkletter received a lifetime achievement Daytime Emmy award in 2003. He was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame. He also received honorary degrees from several universities, including his alma mater, San Diego State University; Pepperdine University; and the University of Prince Edward Island. For his contribution to television, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on 1560 Vine Street. Linkletter received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Lowell Thomas in 1975.[24]

Personal life
Linkletter on The Jack Benny Show

Linkletter had one of the longest marriages of any well-known person in America, at nearly 75 years. He married Lois Foerster on November 25, 1935, and they had five children: Arthur Jack, Dawn, Robert, Sharon and Diane. Lois Foerster Linkletter died at the age of 95 on October 11, 2011. Art and Lois Linkletter outlived three of their five children.

On October 4, 1969, 20-year-old Diane died after jumping out of her sixth-floor kitchen window.[7] Linkletter claimed that her death was drug related because she was on, or having a flashback from, an LSD trip (toxicology tests later determined there were no drugs in Diane's system at the time of her death).[25] After Diane's death, Linkletter spoke out against drugs to prevent children from straying into a drug habit. On October 24, 1969, he said "Anybody who has said anything which would encourage my daughter to take LSD was unwittingly a part of being her murderer."[26] His record, "We Love You, Call Collect", recorded before her death, featured a discussion about permissiveness in modern society, along with a rebuttal by Diane, titled "Dear Mom and Dad". The record won a 1970 Grammy Award for the "Best Spoken Word Recording".[25]

Art and Lois' son Robert Linkletter died in an automobile accident on September 12, 1980.[27] Another son, Arthur, died from lymphoma in 2007.[28]

Illness and death

In early 2008, Linkletter suffered a mild stroke. He died on May 26, 2010 at age 97 at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California.[9][12][29][30]

After his death, Phyllis Diller stated, "In a couple of months Art Linkletter would have been 98 years old, a full life of fun and goodness, an orphan who made it to the top. What a guy."[25] He was survived by his wife, Lois and daughters Dawn Griffin and Sharon Linkletter, as well as seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Alexis Linkletter, his oldest great grandchild has pursued a career in broadcasting and hosts a number of popular crime podcasts and produces documentary television.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1946 People Are Funny Master of Ceremonies Film debut
1950 Champagne for Caesar Happy Hogan
1957 The Snow Queen Himself - English Prologue
1960 No Greater Love Final film

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1950 Life with Linkletter Himself
1955 The Jack Benny Program Himself Episode: "Peggy King & Art Linkletter"
The Christophers
1957 Mr. Broadway TV Movie
1957-1962 General Electric Theater Various Roles
1961 The Red Skelton Hour Reverend Albert Pierce Episode: "The Bible Man"
1962 The Danny Thomas Show Himself Episode: "A Promise Is a Promise"
Wagon Train Sam Darland Episode: "The Sam Darland Story"
1967 Batman Himself Episode: "Catwoman Goes to College"
1968 The Red Skelton Hour Hobo Episode: "Love Is an Itch You Can't Scratch"
1970 Here's Lucy Himself Episode: "Lucy Loses Her Cool"

Works
  • Linkletter, Art (1957). Kids Say the Darndest Things!. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. OCLC 336428.
  • Linkletter, Art (1960). The Secret World of Kids. New York: Pocket Books. ASIN B0007FZ0X0.
  • Linkletter, Art (1962) [1960]. Confessions of a Happy Man. with Dean Jennings. New York: Pocket Books. OCLC 21491400.
  • Linkletter, Art (1962). Kids Sure Rite Funny!. Bernard Geis Associate. ASIN B001KZ1FU8.
  • Linkletter, Art (1962). Kids STILL say the Darndest Things!. Pocket Books, Inc. ASIN B0007FZWBA.
  • Linkletter, Art (1965). A Child's Garden of Misinformation. Random House. ASIN B0007DSKPW.
  • Linkletter, Art (1968). I Wish I'd Said That! My Favorite Ad-Libs of All Time. Doubleday. ASIN B000MTRRQO.
  • Linkletter, Art (1968). Oops! Or, Life's Awful Moments. Pocket Books. ASIN B0007FBEFS.
  • Linkletter, Art (1968). Linkletter Down Under. Kaye Ward. ASIN B000KP2O3Q.
  • Linkletter, Art (February 1970). "We Must Fight the Epidemic of Drug Abuse!". Reader's Digest: 56–60.
  • Linkletter, Art (1973). Drugs at my Door Step. W Publishing Group. ISBN 0-87680-335-4.
  • Linkletter, Art (1974). Women are My Favorite People. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05226-X.
  • Linkletter, Art (1974). How to be a Super Salesman: Linkletter's Art of Persuasion. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-396606-2.[[]]
  • Linkletter, Art (1979). Yes, You Can!: How to Succeed in Business and Life. Spire. ASIN B000O8ZB8O.
  • Linkletter, Art (1980). I Didn't Do It Alone: The Autobiography of Art Linkletter as Told to George Bishop. Ottawa, Illinois: Caroline House Publishers. ISBN 0-89803-040-4. OCLC 6899386.
  • Linkletter, Art (1990). Old Age is Not for Sissies. Bookthrift Co. ISBN 0-7917-1479-9.
  • Linkletter, Art (2006). How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life. with Mark Victor Hansen. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 0-7852-1890-4.

References
  1. Art Linkletter; Dean Jennings (1960). Confessions of a Happy Man. Bernard Geis Associates. p. 11. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly of Canada. They are my real parents, and I am their son, Gordon Arthur Kelly, better known in show business as Art Linkletter.
  2. "Shifting styles after 22 years of bland fun" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 2, 1967. p. 83.
  3. "The Art of Art Linkletter". Cincinnati Enquirer. February 5, 1967. p. 170. My maiden name was Kelly. I was born Gordon Arthur Kelly. I was adopted by a Baptist lay minister named Fulton John Linkletter.
  4. "Art Linkletter Confesses 'I've Never Met My Real Parents'". Deseret News and Telegram. April 17, 1961. They are my real parents and I am their son Arthur Gordon Kelly, better known as Art Linkletter.
  5. Ray Poindexter (1978). Golden throats and silver tongues: the radio announcers. River Road Press. p. 108.
  6. Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 102.
  7. Mann, Arnold (November 11, 2002). "Preacher's Kid". Time. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  8. "Art Linkletter Biography (1912-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  9. Grimes, William (May 26, 2010). "Art Linkletter, TV Host, Dies at 97". The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  10. "Linkletter Pleads". Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. Vol. 24 no. 4. January 25, 1943. p. 26.
  11. "Linkletter Fined". Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. Vol. 24 no. 5. February 1, 1943. p. 26.
  12. Oliver, Myrna, Nelson, Valerie J. (May 27, 2010). "Art Linkletter dies at 97; broadcasting pioneer created 'Kids Say the Darndest Things'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  13. The "E" Ticket #40 (2003)
  14. Art Linkletter and the Kids 1 (1 of 2), YouTube
  15. Art Linkletter and the Kids 2 (2 of 2), YouTube
  16. "The Bible Man on Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre". Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  17. Here’s…(not yet)…Johnny!
  18. "1950s Hula Hoop vintage photo ART LINKLETTER and kids | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. September 25, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  19. "Art Linkletter Discusses His Career in Television". Larry King Live. CNN. June 30, 2000.
  20. "Art Linkletter RIP (1912-2010)". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  21. Zenobia, Jason (May 26, 2010). "The Flaming Chef: "I Heartily Endorse This Obituary"". Jasonzenobia.blogspot.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  22. Erwin Baker, "Probe Clears Councilman and Linkletter". Los Angeles Times, August 5, 1967, page 3.
  23. Aquatics: Swim Lessons, Springfield College website
  24. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  25. "TV Show Host Art Linkletter Dies at 97". foxnews.com. May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  26. Gilliland, John. (1969). "Pop Chronicles Interviews #129 - Art Linkletter - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  27. Obituary: "Robert Linkletter" The New York Times. September 13, 1980
  28. Obituary: "Jack Linkletter, Second-Generation TV Host, Dies at 70", The New York Times, December 21, 2007.
  29. Duke, Alan (May 27, 2010). "Legendary broadcaster Art Linkletter is dead at 97". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  30. "TV Show Host Art Linkletter Dies at 97". Fox News. Associated Press. May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
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