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Kids Say the Darndest Things is an American comedy series that was based on a feature segment of the same name on Art Linkletter's radio and television program, House Party.[1][2] Linkletter hosted the segment on the program's CBS television adaptation from 1959 to 1967. The network later resurrected the segment in the form of hour-long specials, hosted by Bill Cosby, that aired on May 16 and November 14, 1997, and then as a weekly series from January 9, 1998, to June 23, 2000. A revival of the program, hosted by Tiffany Haddish, aired on ABC from October 6, 2019, to January 19, 2020; after its initial cancellation,[3] the series moved to CBS, its original network, airing for one additional season from May 5 to June 23, 2021.[4][5]
| Kids Say the Darndest Things | |
|---|---|
 Logo from the Bill Cosby era | |
| Genre | Comedy Reality |
| Directed by | Morris Abraham |
| Presented by | |
| Composer | Bruce Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 92 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Eric Schotz |
| Running time |
|
| Production companies | LMNO Productions (1997–2000) Linkletter/Atkins/Kritzer Productions Inc. (1998–2000) CBS Productions (1997–2000) Anvil 1893 Entertainment, Inc. (2019–21) She Ready Productions (2019–21) CBS Studios (2019–21) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1997–2000, 2021) ABC (2019–20) |
| Release | May 16, 1997 – June 23, 2000 |
| Release | October 6, 2019 – June 23, 2021 |
| Related | |
| Art Linkletter's House Party | |
Premise
editThe host would begin a conversation by posing a question about life topics to a child, who usually responds with their own innocent, often comedic perspectives on the various topics.[6][7]
In the show's first inception, it would sometimes flash back to the 1950s and 1960s show Art Linkletter's House Party, with Cosby joined onstage by Art Linkletter, that show's host, to introduce the vintage clips. It would show kids (of the time), their same comedic reactions to whatever Linkletter would ask or say to them. Cosby also provided some of the humor in the show.[6]
The revival continued the premise, with part of the show performed in front of a live audience, and the rest featuring taped segments.[8]
Production
editKids Say... was developed in 1945 as a regular segment on Art Linkletter's CBS Radio program House Party; it was later carried over into the TV version of the program on the CBS television network, which aired concurrently with the radio show mostly five days a week from 1952 to 1969.[1]
For the series' first iteration, Kids Say the Darndest Things was produced by CBS Productions with the co-production of LMNO Productions and Linkletter's company, Linkletter Productions.[6][9]
The revival continued its CBS association via CBS Studios, and was also co-produced by Haddish through her production company, She Ready Productions, and Eric Schotz of Anvil 1893 Entertainment.[10]
In other media
editThe subplot of the Family Guy episode "Brian Does Hollywood" features Stewie auditioning for the show in an attempt to hypnotize the entire world using a mind-control device, with Cosby later unwittingly foiling his plans.
In 2005, Robert Johnson and Albert Evans adapted the show into a full-length musical comedy.[citation needed]
International versions
edit| Country | Name | Host(s) | TV station | Premiere | Finale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia
|
Kidspeak | Andrew Daddo | Seven Network | 1999 | 2000 |
 Hungary
|
Gyerekszáj | Sándor Friderikusz | TV2 | 2000 | 2001 |
 India
|
Badmaash Company - Ek Sharat Hone Ko Hains Kutties Chutties (Tamil) |
Juhi Chawla | Colors TV Sun TV (Tamil) |
2000 | 2000 |
 Italy
|
Zitti tutti! Parlano loro | Carlo Conti | Rai 1 | January 17, 2000 | May 26, 2000 |
 Singapore
|
Kids Talk Back | Andrew Lim | Television Corporation of Singapore | 1999 | 1999 |
| Gurmit's Small Talk | Gurmit Singh | 2003 | 2003 | ||
 United Kingdom
|
Kids Say the Funniest Things | Michael Barrymore | ITV | December 27, 1998 | October 8, 2000 |
References
edit- ^ a b Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 333. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 736–737. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ White, Peter; Andreeva, Nellie (May 21, 2020). "'Schooled', 'Bless This Mess', 'Single Parents', 'Emergence' & 'Kids Say The Darndest Things' Canceled By ABC". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ White, Peter (December 17, 2020). "'Kids Say the Darndest Things' Moves Back To CBS After ABC Cancellation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Classic Variety Series "Kids Say the Darndest Things," Hosted by Emmy(R) and Grammy(R) Award-Winning Actress and Comedian Tiffany Haddish, to Premiere Wednesday, May 5 on CBS" (Press release). CBS. April 7, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ a b c Shales, Tom (January 9, 1998). "'Darndest Things': A Fresh Old Idea". The Washington Post.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (May 14, 2019). "Tiffany Haddish To Host 'Kids Say The Darndest Things' Reboot On ABC". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Harris, Beth (August 5, 2019). "Tiffany Haddish gets kids to say darndest things on new show". ABC 33/40 News.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (October 2, 2019). "Former LMNO Chief Rebounds With 'Kids Say the Darndest Things'". Variety.
- ^ Nakamura, Reid (May 14, 2019). "Tiffany Haddish to Host 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' Revival at ABC". TheWrap.