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Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter (born Gordon Arthur Kelly, 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'', on NBC radio and TV for 19 years. Linkletter was famous for interviewing children on ''House Party'' and ''Kids Say the Darndest Things'', which led to a series of books quoting children. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1942. ==Early life and career== Linkletter was born Gordon Arthur Kelly 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. 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.〔 〕 In 1934, he earned a bachelor's degree 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, years later. He earned a degree in teaching, but worked as a radio announcer at KGB in San Diego. Radio paid better than teaching, and Linkletter 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; he was fined $500 and permitted to apply for citizenship. 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.〔 ''People Are Funny'' became a television show in 1954 and ran until 1961. Other early television shows Linkletter worked on included ''Life With Linkletter'' with his son Jack (1969–1970) and ''Hollywood Talent Scouts'' (1965–1966). He acted in two movies, ''People Are Funny'' (1946) and ''Champagne for Caesar'' (1950). 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.〔''The "E" Ticket'' #40 (2003)〕 He appeared for two stints of two weeks each, as a guest host of ''The Tonight Show'' in 1962 between Jack Paar's departure and Johnny Carson's arrival as its new host.〔(Here’s…(not yet)…Johnny! )〕 In the 1950s, Linkletter became a major investor in and promoter of the hula hoop. Also in the 1950s he did a 15-minute series for syndication entitled Art Linkletter And The Kids, seen locally on Saturday Mornings in some areas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Art Linkletter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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