by
Mark Ollig
While
watching classic TV game show videos on the Internet, I discovered a “What’s My
Line?” channel on YouTube.
CBS
broadcast the original “What’s My Line?” (WML) Sunday nights from Feb. 2, 1950
until Sept. 3, 1967.
I
recall as a youngster watching a few of those 1960s WML shows; being the
opening theme to WML was cartoonish, it immediately caught my attention.
The
four regular WML panel members varied over the years; however, Dorothy
Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf were my favorites.
I
enjoyed radio and early television comedian Fred Allen as a panelist, too.
The
premise of the show was to have the panelists ask questions of a contestant in
order to reveal their occupation, or “line.”
The
contestant could only give a yes or no answer.
Only
the folks in the audience, the panel moderator, and those watching on TV knew
what the contestant’s occupation was.
The
contestant sat next to the panel moderator.
The
original WML panel moderator was John Charles Daly.
Famed
comedian Groucho Marx has appeared on WML as a panelist, and a celebrity
mystery guest.
In
one of my favorite WML episodes, he brought the house down in complete and
utter laughter as a panel member Sept. 20, 1959.
This
episode had two contestants; a Nikita Khrushchev look-alike whose occupation
was a jail warden, and a professional wrestler named Judy Grable.
The
mystery guest was actress Claudette Colbert.
This
episode can be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/bytes-G1.
Groucho
Marx also appeared as the celebrity mystery guest Oct. 13, 1953.
The
panel members were always blindfolded whenever a mystery celebrity guest was
on.
Questioning
of this mystery guest began with Cerf.
“Do
you ever make after dinner speeches in the course of your operations?” asked
Cerf.
“Yeah,
only before dinner!” Groucho wisecracked back to a smiling Cerf, as Daly, the
audience, and the other panelists roared with laughter.
You
were not going to limit Groucho Marx to just a yes or no answer.
It
was vintage Groucho Marx; he had everyone on stage and in the audience laughing
in stitches with his witty answers to the panelist’s questions.
Arlene
Francis finally revealed Groucho Marx as the mystery guest.
Actually,
I had a feeling the whole panel knew, the minute he spoke his first sentence in
a half-heartedly disguised German accent, that it was Groucho, but they kept
the game going in order to keep Groucho on.
Groucho
was also puffing away on his traditional cigar, and so one would think the
panelists would have smelled that, too.
“It’s
exhilarating to have Groucho show up on a program that you’re supposed to be
running, because you stop running it the minute he gets in. I don’t know what’s
happened,” moderator Daly quipped, while the audience laughed.
Groucho
held a cigar in his right hand; he was smiling, with his head slightly tilted
while looking toward Daly.
WML
had become so popular in the 1950s that celebrities would jump at the chance to
be on the show, especially when they wanted to plug a Broadway play, movie, or
television show they were in.
It
was truly the golden age of television, and the number of Hollywood stars,
authors, industrialists, political and sport figures, military persons, and
folks with unusual occupations who appeared on WML made for an impressive list.
A
few weeks ago, yours truly joined a “What’s My Line (CBS)” Facebook group.
This
group focuses on topics about the people who were involved in the original
airing of the classic “What’s My Line?” TV show from 1950 to 1967.
As
of this writing, our WML Facebook group has 254 members.
A
syndicated daily version of “What’s My Line?” was started in 1968, and ran
until 1975.
Daly
did not moderate this syndicated game show; however, Arlene Francis returned in
her regular role as panelist.
During
one syndicated broadcast, Cerf made a surprise appearance as the mystery guest,
and spoke of how he missed the show and Daly.
After
this appearance, Cerf would re-appear occasionally as a panelist, until his
death in 1971.
In
addition to learning more about the particular episodes from the Facebook WML
group, I find many sub-topic branches or threads will begin when someone posts
a newspaper article, photograph, TV Guide story, advertisement, or some other
interesting tidbit about Daly, one of the WML panelists, celebrities or
guest’s.
What
makes the original WML so interesting for me is the comical, playful bantering
between the panelists and their interactions with the guests, audience, and
Daly.
I
also enjoy watching Daly, with his prodigious vocabulary, humorously expounding
explanations to questions, and his father-like conduct with the panelists.
The
original version of WML, from 1950 to 1967, produced 876 shows.
Over
500 episodes of “What’s My Line?” can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/bytes-WML.
