Art Linkletter

As a teen, I spent considerable time at the library for school and loved finding new things especially if they were humorous. One such find was a series of books and also albums featuring Art Linkletter’s infamous show “Kids Say the Darndest Things”

After spending several weeks combing through the catalog of hilarious entries captured on his show, I decided that I would try my hand at it. Little did I know that my first attempt would be my last.

I went to a school where kids from elementary rode the same bus as we high school kids did. I remember one little boy in particular because he was of the Orthodox Jewish Faith and wore the Yarmulke with a curly long sideburn on either side of his face. I guessed his age to be around 9 or 10 and sat behind him one morning with a pad and paper thinking that I’d get his goat and write about the experience as I went.

As far as his name, I can only remember the last name, Ben-Judah, and I began the experiment with my first question:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

He didn’t hesitate with his answer – A policeman!

I was all proud of myself for extracting this and thinking I was well on my way to a career in show business picking up where my buddy Art had left off. I continued.

Why do you want to be a policeman?

Again, no hesitation whatsoever – So I can have a gun!

This shocked me a bit but I quickly followed up with the obligatory question one would ask in this situation:

Why would you want a gun?

His answer again was lightning fast and he had been setting me up the whole time:

So I can shoot you!