It Pays to Be Funny
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Headquarters | Sydney and Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Comedy game show |
It Pays to Be Funny was a comedy game show aired on Australian television, specifically on ATN-7 in Sydney and GTV-9 in Melbourne, prior to the formation of the Seven Network and Nine Network. The half-hour program was presented by Bob Dyer, who had earlier hosted a radio version broadcast through the Macquarie Radio Network.
According to a 1957 issue of The Age, the series challenged contestants with amusing tasks, offering valuable prizes as motivation. One such task required participants to milk a cow. A memorable highlight included guest host Jack Davey, a well-known figure in Australian radio and television, who once famously smashed a meringue pie into Dyer’s face during an episode.
In another installment, a contestant named Mr. Martin was placed under a water balloon hanging above him while his wife attempted to interpret a pantomime performed by Steve Petrovich; failure to succeed resulted in the balloon dropping onto him.
Although kinescope recordings probably existed to facilitate broadcast across both stations, no surviving copies of the television episodes are currently known, indicating that the series may be lost. Nevertheless, transcription recordings of the radio adaptation remain archived at the National Film and Sound Archive.