Happy Anniversary to Candid Camera

It was 69 years ago when 'Candid Camera with Alan Funt, as the show's host, made its network debut. It first aired in 1948 on ABC television and was originally called Candid Microphone, which was also the name of Alan Funt's radio program.

It was an idea Funt came up with while he was in the Army. He would listen to servicemen's gripes, record them and air them on Armed Forces Radio. The show ran for several years and was one of my favorites. It would catch people off guard and make them laugh in the end.

One of my favorites was the talking mailbox. When people would drop a letter into the box a voice would say "thank you" or ask "did you put a stamp on it?". To see people's faces is what made the show so funny.

It got me to thinking of some of the other shows I grew up watching  like Bonanza, Gunsmoke or I love Lucy. I could go on and on. As  a kid in Brooklyn, I grew up with the Soupy Sales Show which was popular there. There were plenty of local TV shows on KHQA and WGEM as well that were popular here, as well.

In the whole scope of things, my favorite is still All In The Family. I have seen every episode of that show probably 10 times and I know what is going to be said and I still end up laughing out loud. It's a show you would never see these days.

In the almost 70 years of  television what is your favorite TV show?