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OBITUARY: Art Linkletter, 97

The WB cartoon was "People Are Bunny" with Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck. It's on YouTube, but you better catch it whilst thou can.

cd
 
RicoGregg said:
He also gave us RC Cola and Diet Rite Cola.

Is the latter still around? I know RC is.

There was an attempt at a revival of People Are Funny that starred Flip Wilson, but that bombed.

Diet-Rite was a big seller ( and tasted good) until the 1972? decision to ban cyclamate sweeteners, which compared to saccharine
or modern calorie sweeteners, was MUCH more like the sweetness of cane suger.
I remember people stocking up lots and lots of the old tall 16 oz returnable bottles of it; when I got a job in grocery store, one of my jobs was
sorting bottles returned for deposit, and some people had put the caps back on. In 1977 I was still seeing returns from the cyclamate stuff.
 
Tom Wells said:
RicoGregg said:
He also gave us RC Cola and Diet Rite Cola.

Is the latter still around? I know RC is.

There was an attempt at a revival of People Are Funny that starred Flip Wilson, but that bombed.

Diet-Rite was a big seller ( and tasted good) until the 1972? decision to ban cyclamate sweeteners, which compared to saccharine
or modern calorie sweeteners, was MUCH more like the sweetness of cane suger.
I remember people stocking up lots and lots of the old tall 16 oz returnable bottles of it; when I got a job in grocery store, one of my jobs was
sorting bottles returned for deposit, and some people had put the caps back on. In 1977 I was still seeing returns from the cyclamate stuff.

They also had the first caffeine-free cola, then called "RC100." I discovered it once on a road trip, when stopping at a supermarket in North Carolina. (It hadn't been released in Florida yet, nor had I ever heard of it -- I guess parts of NC-VA were a test market.) I wasn't supposed to have caffeine back then for medical reasons (currently, I still am supposed to avoid it whenever possible), so every chance I had on that trip, I stocked up and drove back to Florida with tons of the stuff. Worked out well, too, since it was a good 6 months or so before they started selling it down here.
 
Cincinnati Kid said:
I was sorry to learn of his passing today. I always thought it was interesting that Linkletter had two well-known shows on different networks during some of the same years. "House Party" was on both CBS TV & Radio from the 1940's into the 1970's and "People Are Funny" was on NBC TV & Radio from the late 1940's to the early 1960's.

Growing up watching Linkletter as a kid I always wondered how he got around the network commitments,contracts and stuff. I found out in later years that it was his boss John Guidel who produced both "People are Funny" and "House Party." Goodson/Todman did the same thing when I hear Johnny Olson announce "Match Game" on NBC and "To Tell The Truth" on CBS. Also the late great(and always hysterically funny) Bill Cullen hosting the original Price is Right on NBC then was a panelist on I've Got A Secret on CBS as well as TTTT.
Producers have clout don't they? Also loved the animated intro for People Are Funny....did I mention that John Guidel also produced Groucho Marx's classic "You Bet Your Life" for NBC? I was still watching it in reruns (The Best of Groucho)in the 70s and 80s and Groucho's quick wit is still unmatched today!

Rest in Peace Art...you set the standard for family-safe broadcasting and entertainment...we will miss you!
 
Producers aren't necessarily locked into one network, but rather
try to sell their shows to the highest bidder (or, as in the case of
"The Price Is Right" in 1972, a network--CBS, in this case--that
shows an interest in it). Consider that in the late '70s Mark Goodson
had "Price" on CBS, "Family Feud" on ABC, and "Card Sharks" on NBC.
Hosts and announcers may or may not be under contract to a producer;
remember that Bill Cullen was a panelist on "To Tell The Truth" (Goodson)
and host of the syndicated "$25,000 Pyramid" for Bob Stewart at the
same time. And Johnny Olson was Jackie Gleason's announcer in the '60s,
along with the many shows he did for Goodson.

So that's how Guedel could have "People Are Funny" and "You Bet Your
Life" on NBC (he sold them to NBC eventually), and "House Party" on CBS.
He co-owned "People Are Funny" and "House Party" with Linkletter, and
"You Bet Your Life" with Groucho; when he sold two of those shows to NBC,
he and his two hosts--who had been co-owners of the shows-- were still paid
to produce the shows on a fee system (as Goodson and Bill Todman were when they
sold "What's My Line?" and "I've Got A Secret" to CBS), and received six-figure
salaries as well.
 
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