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House Party Radio show collection (ARA)
PA Mss 250
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Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Title: House Party Radio show collection (ARA)
Identifier/Call Number: PA Mss 250
Physical Description:
64 Linear Feet
(64 cartons)
Physical Description:
705 Reels
Date (inclusive): 1952 February 1 - 1960 December 29
Abstract: This collection includes audiotapes from the House Party Radio Show hosted by Art Linkletter. The tapes date from 1953 to
1960. This collection has been digitized and is available upon request.
Physical Location: The collection is located at the Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF).
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection is open for research. The collection is stored offsite. This collection has been digitized and is available
upon request.
Donated to the UCSB Library by the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, 2022
Art Linkletter's House Party was an American daytime variety/talk show which aired daily on CBS Radio from 1945 to 1967. It
had an equally long run on CBS television from 1952 to 1969. The soundtrack from the TV show was run the following weekday
as the radio version from 1952 to 1967.
House Party was known for its spontaneous and comedic audience interviews often governed by a particular criteria, question
or theme. This genre of entertainment was often labeled as a "stunt" show. It was hosted by Art Linkletter (1912 - 2010),
a well-known radio talk-show host, television personality, and author. Linkletter is best known as the author of
Kids Say the Darndest Things, which was based on a segment of House Party featuring short interviews of kids and their unexpected answers to everyday
questions. It became a TV show in the 1990s that was produced by Linkletter and hosted by actor and comedian Bill Cosby.
Sources
American National Biography https://www.anb.org/display/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-19958 (accessed
on 8/15/2023)
Conversations with Legendary Television Stars: Interviews from the First Fifty Years by James Bowden and Ron Miller
https://muse.jhu.edu/book/66103 (accessed on 8/15/2023)
The American Radio Archives (ARA), of which this material forms a part, is one of the largest collections of archival material
documenting the history of radio in the United States. The ARA was formerly housed at the Thousand Oaks Public Library and
previously owned by the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation. It was donated to the UCSB Library in 2021.
Audiotapes originally from the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters collection
[Identification of Item],House Party Radio show collection (ARA), PA Mss 250. Department of Special Research Collections,
UC Santa Barbara Library.
Related Collections at UCSB Library Special Research Collections
- Forms part of the American Radio Archives (ARA)
- Robert Q. Lewis Papers (ARA), PA Mss 171. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library.
- Monty Masters Papers (ARA), PA Mss 176. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library.
- Baker (Art) collection, PA Mss 155. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library.
This collection is comprised of 705 master tapes from the 1950s CBS "House Party" radio program hosted by Art Linkletter.
The tapes are labeled according to broadcast date.
Art Linkletter's House Party was broadcast from Television City in Hollywood, California. Each show is an hour in length.
The hour includes a variety of different segments, featured most prominently are interviews of actors and entertainers such
as Ronald Reagan, Liberace, James Arness and Dorothy Lamour. It also includes musical performances, human interest stories,
news highlights, and games played with audience members for prizes such as mink coats, perfume, jewelry, household items,
and vacations. The show was largely marketed toward housewives, who dominate the host and audience interactions. All the segments
begin and end with advertisements for products common to the era such as Carnation evaporated milk, Rinso Blue, Jolly Green
Giant, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Special K breakfast cereal and Pillsbury products.
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of
California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Variety shows (Radio programs)
Audience participation radio programs
Interviews
Linkletter, Art (1920-2010) -- Archives
House party (Radio program)