3 weeks ago
John Barbour, whose domiciled successful creating, producing and co-hosting nan 1979-1984 NBC series Real People is recognized arsenic a pioneering effort successful nan fame of reality TV, died from earthy causes connected Sunday, May 10, astatine his location successful Las Vegas. He was 93.
His decease was announced by family.
Executive produced by Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In creator George Schlatter, Real People featured a sheet of co-hosts, including Barbour, who introduced pre-taped segments astir group pinch overseas aliases different hobbies – aliases conscionable overseas and different group – and past riffed connected nan short films. The fame of nan show and its pliable format would animate immoderate number of consequent series, from That’s Incredible! and America’s Funniest Home Videos to MTV’s long-running Ridiculousness.
In summation to Barbour, nan sheet of hosts included, astatine 1 clip aliases another, Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Bill Rafferty, Mark Russell, Peter Billingsley, David Ruprecht and Fred Willard.
Born April 24, 1933, successful Toronto, Canada, Barbour dropped retired of precocious schoolhouse astatine property 15 and moved to nan U.S. successful nan 1950s. He began his show business profession arsenic a standup comic, which yet led to appearances connected The Dean Martin Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He released 2 drama albums, It’s Tough To Be White (1965) and I Met A Man I Didn’t Like (1978).
Barbour was nan first big of AM Los Angeles, wherever he won nan first of his 5 Emmy awards. He courted contention pinch interviews pinch anti-Vietnam War guests including Mohammed Ali and Jane Fonda.
His further Emmys came from his years arsenic nan critic-at-large connected Los Angeles’ KNBC.
He was nan aviator big for The Gong Show, and, complete nan years, made appearances connected respective tv shows, specified arsenic Get Smart, Sanford and Son, The Liars Club, CSI, and Breaking Bad.
Barbour wrote, produced, and narrated nan documentary movie Ernie Kovacs: Television’s Original Genius, and, successful 1992, he won nan prize for champion documentary astatine nan San Sebastian Film Festival for The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes, which profiled New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison and his investigation of nan Kennedy murder. In 2017, Barbour wrote and directed nan sequel, The American Media and nan Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Barbour wrote a 2019 autobiography entitled Your Mother’s Not A Virgin: The Bumpy Life and Times of nan Canadian Dropout who Changed nan Face of American TV!
He is survived by his woman Sarita and their boy Christopher.
