John Barbour obit

John Barbour Dies: ‘Real People’ Creator & Host Was 93

 He was not on the list.

John Barbour, whose role in creating, producing and co-hosting the 1979-1984 NBC series Real People is recognized as a pioneering effort in the popularity of reality TV, died from natural causes on Sunday, May 10, at his home in Las Vegas. He was 93.

His death was announced by family.

Executive produced by Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In creator George Schlatter, Real People featured a panel of co-hosts, including Barbour, who introduced pre-taped segments about people with odd or unusual hobbies – or just odd and unusual people – and then riffed on the short films. The popularity of the show and its pliable format would inspire any number of subsequent series, from That’s Incredible! and America’s Funniest Home Videos to MTV’s long-running Ridiculousness.

In addition to Barbour, the panel of hosts included, at one time or another, Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Bill Rafferty, Mark Russell, Peter Billingsley, David Ruprecht and Fred Willard.

Born April 24, 1933, in Toronto, Canada, Barbour dropped out of high school at age 15 and moved to the U.S. in the 1950s. He began his show business career as a standup comic, which eventually led to appearances on The Dean Martin Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He released two comedy albums, It’s Tough To Be White (1965) and I Met A Man I Didn’t Like (1978).

Barbour was the first host of AM Los Angeles, where he won the first of his five Emmy awards. He courted controversy with interviews with anti-Vietnam War guests including Muhammed Ali and Jane Fonda.

His additional Emmys came from his years as the critic-at-large on Los Angeles’ KNBC.

He was the pilot host for The Gong Show, and, over the years, made appearances on several television shows, such as Get Smart, Sanford and Son, The Liars Club, CSI, and Breaking Bad.

Barbour wrote, produced, and narrated the documentary film Ernie Kovacs: Television’s Original Genius, and, in 1992, he won the prize for best documentary at the San Sebastian Film Festival for The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes, which profiled New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison and his investigation of the Kennedy murder. In 2017, Barbour wrote and directed the sequel, The American Media and the Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Barbour wrote a 2019 autobiography entitled Your Mother’s Not A Virgin: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout who Changed the Face of American TV!

He is survived by his wife Sarita and their son Christopher.

Writer

John Barbour's and Wm Shakespeare's Last Word on the Murder of JFK

Writer

2023

 

American Media & The Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy (2017)

American Media & The Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy

8.5

written by

2017

 

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes (1992)

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes

8.0

Writer

1992

 

Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius

8.2

TV Movie

Writer

1982

 

Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, John Barbour, Bill Rafferty, and Skip Stephenson in Real People (1979)

Real People

7.1

TV Series

withWriter

1979–1980

2 episodes

 

Speak Up, America

TV Series

Writer

1980

2 episodes

 

Laugh-In (1977)

Laugh-In

7.6

TV Series

written by

1977–1978

5 episodes

 

Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)

Gomer Pyle: USMC

7.0

TV Series

teleplay bystory by

1967

2 episodes

 

Jerry Van Dyke in My Mother the Car (1965)

My Mother the Car

4.7

TV Series

written by

1966

1 episode

 

Actor

Jhon Jatenjor in Jhon Jatenjor's Interviews (2021)

Jhon Jatenjor's Interviews

7.0

TV Series

Celebrity Guest

2023

1 episode

 

Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (2008)

Breaking Bad

9.5

TV Series

Neighbor

2011

1 episode

 

Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, and William Petersen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

7.7

TV Series

Bernie Nash

2010

1 episode

 

Joe Alaskey, Maureen Flannigan, Doug McClure, and Donna Pescow in Out of This World (1987)

Out of This World

7.3

TV Series

John Barbour

1987

1 episode

 

Laugh-In (1977)

Laugh-In

7.6

TV Series

Guest PerformerRegular Performer

1977–1978

5 episodes

 

Liar's Club

7.6

TV Series

1976–1978

 

Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in Sanford and Son (1972)

Sanford and Son

7.9

TV Series

Harry Monte - Game Show Host

1975

1 episode

 

Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in The Odd Couple (1970)

The Odd Couple

7.9

TV Series

Moderator

1974

1 episode

 

William Shatner, Robert Reed, John Brascia, Robert Burton, Marjoe Gortner, Andy Griffith, and Marilyn Hearn in Pray for the Wildcats (1974)

Pray for the Wildcats

6.2

TV Movie

Howard Norlan

1974

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

Moderator

1972

1 episode

 

The Governor & J.J. (1969)

The Governor & J.J.

7.0

TV Series

Sidney Tempkin

1970

1 episode

 

Don Adams in Get Smart (1965)

Get Smart

8.2

TV Series

Webster

1969

1 episode

 

Producer

2 days

Podcast Series

producer (english version)

2023

 

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes (1992)

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes

8.0

producer

1992

 

Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius

8.2

TV Movie

producer

1982

 

That ... Quiz Show

TV Series

executive producer

1982

 

Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, John Barbour, Bill Rafferty, and Skip Stephenson in Real People (1979)

Real People

7.1

TV Series

producer

1980

1 episode

 

Speak Up, America

TV Series

producer

1980

1 episode

 

Director

John Barbour's and Wm Shakespeare's Last Word on the Murder of JFK

Director

2023

 

American Media & The Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy (2017)

American Media & The Second Assassination of John F. Kennedy

8.5

Director

2017

 

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes (1992)

The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes

8.0

Director

1992

 

Self

John Barbour's and Wm Shakespeare's Last Word on the Murder of JFK

Self

2023

 

Brett Wall and Michael Wall in Too Opinionated (2019)

Too Opinionated

7.9

Podcast Series

Self

2023

1 episode

 

Live from Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show (2020)

Live from Detroit: The Jeff Dwoskin Show

7.8

TV Series

Self - Guest

2023

1 episode

 

Still Toking with (2019)

Still Toking with

7.8

TV Series

Self - Guest

2023

1 episode

 

Stu's Show (2006)

Stu's Show

6.4

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2019–2023

8 episodes

 

Lockstep (2022)

Lockstep

Self

2022

 

Movie Night Extravaganza (2021)

Movie Night Extravaganza

7.0

TV Series

Self

2022

1 episode

 

What About Our Life? (2019)

What About Our Life?

TV Series

Self - Guest

2020

1 episode

 

House of Mystery (2013)

House of Mystery

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2019

1 episode

 

The Cold War Era (2014)

The Cold War Era

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2018

1 episode

 

Liar's Club

8.3

TV Series

Self - Regular Panelist

1988–1989

 

On Stage America (1984)

On Stage America

5.8

TV Series

Self

1984

2 episodes

 

Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius

8.2

TV Movie

Self - Narrator

1982

 

Sarah Purcell, Byron Allen, John Barbour, Bill Rafferty, and Skip Stephenson in Real People (1979)

Real People

7.1

TV Series

Self - Host

1979–1980

3 episodes

 

The Comedy Shop (1978)

The Comedy Shop

6.5

TV Series

Self

1978

1 episode

 

Chuck Barris in The Gong Show (1976)

The Gong Show

7.0

TV Series

Self - Host

1976

1 episode

 

A.M. Los Angeles

8.1

TV Series

Self - Host

1975–1991

 

The John Barbour Show

TV Series

Self - Host

1975

37 episodes

 

Dean Martin in The Dean Martin Show (1965)

The Dean Martin Show

8.1

TV Series

Self

1967–1974

4 episodes

 

Tom Kennedy in The Real Tom Kennedy Show (1970)

The Real Tom Kennedy Show

5.7

TV Series

Self

1970

1 episode

 

Merv Griffin in The Merv Griffin Show (1962)

The Merv Griffin Show

6.6

TV Series

Self - Guest HostSelf - comedianSelf - comic

1967–1969

11 episodes

 

The Joey Bishop Show (1967)

The Joey Bishop Show

7.1

TV Series

Self

1968

1 episode

 

The Steve Allen Show (1968)

The Steve Allen Show

7.5

TV Series

Self

1968

1 episode

 

Groucho Marx in You Bet Your Life (1950)

You Bet Your Life

8.5

TV Series

Self - Paramount Studios Messenger

1957

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Madonna in The Eighties (2016)

The Eighties

8.2

TV Mini Series

Self - Host, 'Real People' (archive footage)

2016

1 episode