Step into the TV time machine with us as we uncover a few fun scripts and sketches from The Art Linkletter Show. You know, the one with the sneaky candid camera moments and the panel of judges making wild guesses.

The show ran weekly for a half-hour on the NBC network. It featured candid camera-esque portions, presenting a situation to an unsuspecting person, as well as healthy dose of audience participation.

Part of the show featured a panel of judges that would view a pre-filmed skit, in which the unsuspecting “victim” played a principal role. The scene would freeze at a critical moment, in a midst of a decision making scene; panelists would predict how the “victim” behaved. 

If it was revealed that the panel’s decision was the same as the one that had actually occurred, the “victim” received less prize money; if the panel’s guess was wrong, the “victim” got a larger amount. 

Other features of the show included celebrity panelists, such as Carl Reiner and Jayne Meadows, in a segment called “You Be the Judge” that presented live-acted scenes to the television audience (rather than the pre-filmed ones) for the audience to judge the outcome. 

We have excerpts of this segment for you to enjoy today.  These come from the Hy Freedman papers, which are among the holdings at the American Heritage Center.