Talk of the Town: Smile, you’re on reality TV!

Call me a bore if you want, but I am not a fan of reality television. In fact, I’ve never seen an episode of “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “Ghost Hunters,” “The Biggest Loser” or even an entire episode of American Idol.

Oh, I’ve caught snippets of the shows on the news headlines or overheard folks discussing the programs on various radio shows or in the grocery store checkout line, but to personally sit through and actually watch a reality show—never!

There’s no doubt about it, though. Reality shows are profitable and popular, otherwise the powers that run the networks wouldn’t air the things in the first place.

Anyone who knows the sensationalism of television should be tuned into the fact that a lot of these shows are invented, carefully orchestrated and staged to appeal to even the most naive of viewers. In my mind these programs should be called “Escape from Reality” shows. Deal or no deal—some of the participants are talented indeed, but others would sell their souls for 15 minutes of mediocre fame.

I didn’t always have an aversion to reality television. Reality tv is not new, anyway.

I loved “Candid Camera” when I was a kid, and you could say that was an early reality show with some class!

Here are a few tidbits about “Candid Camera,” thanks to Peter Funt, son if Allen Funt, the show’s creator:

Q: How did “Candid Camera” get started?

A: When Allen Funt was in the Army in the mid-1940s, it was his job to record the messages of servicemen to be sent to their folks back home. Things always went well in rehearsal, but when the red light came on for the actual taping, the men often became tongue-tied. The solution? Allen simply disconnected the red light and secretly recorded the GIs during rehearsal. After the Army, Allen put the hidden-recording concept to work as a radio show called “Candid Microphone.” The very next year, 1948, it had its debut as “Candid Camera” on TV!

Q: Where do the ideas come from?

A: Most ideas come from Peter Funt and the staff. But ideas are accepted from viewers.

Q: Do people have to give permission to be shown on TV?

A: Absolutely. Everyone photographed is asked to sign a release. If for any reason they don’t wish to sign, the footage is destroyed. However, 99 percent of the people caught eagerly give their permission. For most, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime treat to actually be told: “Smile! You’re on Candid Camera!”

Q: What’s the wildest stunt you’ve ever tried?

A: A few years ago we had a skydiver come through the roof of a building! Recently, Peter created an elevator that actually moves sideways rather than up and down! And over the years there have been cars that split in half and a disappearing building! “Candid Camera” is at its best when it offers a combination of wild ideas as well as the simpler studies of human nature.

The format has appeared on network, syndicated or cable television in each succeeding decade, as either a regular show or a series of specials.

Funt himself hosted or co-hosted almost all of the TV versions until a 1993 stroke from which he never recovered. Funt’s son Peter Funt, who had co-hosted the specials with his father since 1987, is now the producer/host of the format.

The premise of the show involved concealed cameras filming ordinary people being confronted with unusual situations, sometimes involving trick props, such as a desk with drawers that pop open when one is closed or a car with a hidden extra gas tank.

When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show’s famous catch phrase, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera.”

Green Valley has a wealth of interesting people and winter visitors Jack Larson and his wife Maya are two of them. Jack, affectionately known as Grandpa Grizzly, e-mailed me recently to tell me about a very worthwhile project he’s been working on and I thought I’d share it with all you loyal readers.

Jack, a local veteran and retired Air Force senior master sergeant, has been volunteering for an organization called Portrait Freedom, an Internet-based workgroup that is scrolling wooden portraits of soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I feel very strongly about this project and it’s a way for me to give back to those who have given their loves for this country,” Jack says.

Members of the “Portrait Freedom Underway” are made up of members of the MSN Scroll Saw Portraits group who are creating a custom wooden portrait of every fallen soldier of the Afghan/Iraqi war and donating it to the families.

Their goal is to create and cut a wooden portrait of every fallen soldier, currently numbering more than 3,500.

It is something they want to do to show their support of military personnel and to honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. There is no charge to the family for requesting a portrait.

The Scroll Saw Portrait Freedom Project group has approximately 480 scroll saw artists and hobbyists all across the United States. There are those who will design a pattern from a photograph of each soldier and then pass it to another member who will cut the pattern in wood using their scroll saw, frame it and send it to the family.

The cutter cuts two portraits, usually from Baltic birch plywood, a clear finish is applied, black felt backing is applied to both portraits. The portraits then must be approved by a moderator before the famiy’s address is provided to the cutter. The cutter then frames one portrait and ships both finished portraits to the family. There is no charge to the family. All labor, materials and shipping are donated.

Jack says each portrait varies in the length of time it takes to complete, depending on how complex the photograph is he is working from.

Their biggest challenge right now is contacting family members and getting photographs to work with, Jack says.

The group is appealing to individual family members or a contact person from each military base that can provide the scrollers with photographs of fallen soldiers.

The MSN Scroll saw Portrait group expects its Portrait Freedom project to take some time, depending on the participation of family members and contact points. Their main concentration is on U.S. military personnel.

A family must request a portrait through the Portrait Freedom Web site. A pattern is developed from the picture the family provides and is posted on the Web site for approval.

If you are a family member or know of a family member who has lost a son, daughter, husband or wife in the Afghan/Iraqi conflict, you can request information by contacting PortraitFreedom@hotmail.com.

Due to the magnitude of this project, portraits are only available to the immediate family of the fallen hero. Each family will receive two portraits.

Military bases are also encouraged to get in contact with them if they can help with gathering photos of personnel they have lost from their base. For more information on Project Freedom, visit http://groups.msn.com/SSPSoldierPortraits/home page.

Jack also scrolls many famous faces such as film idols and even friends, like Brian Hill with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

When he and Maya are not in Green Valley, they are in Eagar, at the base of the White Mountains.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740