What's My Line? - Tribute to Fred Allen; Cyd Charisse; Steve Allen [panel] (Mar 18, 1956)
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Steve Allen returns to the panel this week to fill in for Fred Allen, who died suddenly of a heart attack the day before. John Daly makes a touching announcement at the beginning of the program to explain, then the program proceeds as usual until the closing, when each of the panelists offers a brief but heartfelt tribute to Fred (Steve Allen's tribute in particular has been quoted many times). Class all around. Still makes me sad every time I watch it.
The last segment features Japanese jazz pianist composer/arranger and bandleader, Toshiko Akiyoshi (though not as a mystery guest-- Akiyoshi wasn't well known enough at this time for the panel to be blindfolded).
MYSTERY GUEST: Cyd Charisse [actress in musicals, dancer]
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Steve Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf
![What's My Line? - Ford Frick; Linda Darnell; Garry Moore [panel] (Mar 25, 1956)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2KVk5fthbTU/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Ford Frick; Linda Darnell; Garry Moore [panel] (Mar 25, 1956)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Portland Hoffa [Fred Allen's wife!]; Reginald Gardiner [panel] (Feb 27, 1955)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pjEdQuWu5ak/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Marisa Pavan; Walter Pidgeon [panel] (Sep 2, 1956)](/img/n.gif)
John Charles Daly was a very classy man. He was a true gentleman, and a man of intellect.
Loston Wallace yep
Sun in law of Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.
@z He was raised with manners which we can all learn.
@Aritosthenes Nice
And, he was salaried and dealt in a suhhhhhvuuus..
I'm so glad someone saved these What's My Line shows. There's so many of them. I haven't got through all of them yet. It's a big chunk of history seeing clothes people wore, hairstyles, how polite people were and all those celebrities back then.
@@Kendell062 To the best of my knowledge, the kinescope films were the same type of black-and-white silver-based motion picture film for the whole b/w era of the show, and even the archive copies of the first color season in 1966-67 are b/w kines. In the early years, before it was possible to broadcast live to the whole nation, multiple prints were made to be shipped out to distant stations for delayed broadcast. I'm sure many of the prints were destroyed after use to recover the silver. Even as late as January 1, 1956, John mentions that some viewers will get his New Year greetings a week or two late on kinescope. I know of no technological or operational change after the first two years that would support your suggestion. In fact we do have some shows from the first two years. I believe the reason why so few shows are missing after the first two years is just that the producers made a point of saving a kinescope copy each week for their archive rather than sending all the kine copies out for broadcast. By the way, Goodson and Todman were the producers from the beginning; they created the show; there was no question of "taking it over." If you have details about a change in their contract with CBS two years in, it would be helpful to describe that in more accurate terms.
@@neilmidkiff I'm sorry, I read about the silver when I was reading about the show on Wikipedia, my fault for not citing more sources before writing my comment. Will find it and delete it if I can.
So true, it's addictive and fascinating.
Dear Abby
I was thinking something similar especially the men standing up to shake hands. Do men stand up for women anymore? I haven't seen it in a long, long time but then I'm on the West Coast & things are a little more informal here.
Generally, people of that period had a lot of class & manners. Graceful & polite! Refreshing by today's standards!
John's tribute to Fred Allen was deeply moving, just as his tribute to Dorothy Kilgallen would be nine years later.
most of my experiencing Fred Allen is from the Jack Benny Radio Program. Whats my line has made me want to go back a listen to Fred Allen's radio programs as I enjoyed his humour on this program.
@@trevorashman2258For 40 years Fred entertained millions of people who enjoyed his dry wit on the radio and tv😊
A couple months ago, I never heard of “What’s My Line” or Fred Allen! Watching this and the tributes at the end, I am sad as if Mr Allen just passed away! Rest In Peace!
Same here. UA-cam started recommending these, I suppose, because I looked up something a few months ago about Steve Allen on The Tonight Show. I have been binge watching What's My Line every few days since, but all out of order.
@@FreihEitner me too! I got hooked
Mr Fred Allen's radio show, Allen's Alley is on YT for free. Funny stuff.
Actually all of them are dead now. RIP
John Daly is the most impressive gentlemen I have ever witnessed. He is so kind and gentle and welcoming to this woman from Tokyo who is so shy. I imagine John came across many people in his job as a correspondent. He never comes across as stuffy and arrogant with his exacting and extensive vocabulary. He is so relaxed and authentic.
In 1960 John will divorce his wife and marry a woman 15years younger😢
Bennett Cerf later said this particular episode of WML was the hardest they ever had to do. ‘Luckily we didn’t have to be handed scripts. We knew how to express our sorrow in our own way’.
61 years later Toshiko Akiyoshi is in her 88th year and still alive and kicking. In a long and varied career she's recorded scores of albums of both small group and big band music.
On YOU TUBE. YOU CAN SEE HER INTERVIEWED ON MONK ROWE'S SHOW. In her later years.
Back in the 1990's, I saw her perform with her jazz ensemble in Annapolis, MD. Even bought a couple of her CD's. Very talented pianist and composer.
I don't know what planet I live on in 2021. I am 44 and wasn't a glimmer in my parent's eyes when these shows were on, but I have watched 50% of them from this channel and watch one every night as a sort of "mental pallet cleanser" and makes me wish for a time when I was never alive.
A very classy way to open the show with John Daly explaining why they decided to go ahead with the regular program based on Portland Hoffa's wishes, conveying what she thought that her husband would have wanted. I can imagine it also diffused potential viewing audience complaints that they should have done some sort of special tribute to Fred Allen instead. And it set the tone for the show better than starting with the upbeat theme music.
They also did the right thing by having the panel already seated and dispensing with the individual introductions which usually also served as a platform for jokes and promos. (Ironically the previous week, the opening intros were very perfunctory.) And the precedent-making decision to dispense with the tuxedos and ball gowns at a time of loss was also a good one.
Similarly, the panelists remarks at the close of the show were touching.
While the show did go on as usual and the players did manage to get into it with laughter at times, there seemed to be less sniping at John in response to his long orations to explain a ruling or when they disagreed with a ruling.
The other thing that was different, subtle as it may be, was that they didn't put up the names of the panelists or John Daly. It seems to me a sympathetic way of acknowledging that one of their WML family was missing: gone forever.
Brava.
What a beautiful comment! Observant and perfectly appropriate. Thank you.
It was out of respect
One of the reasons I love this show. John Daly along with Arlene, Steve, Dorothy & Bennett give a brief but heartfelt farewell to Fred which is all the more touching for their eloquence.
Class even though under trying circumstances they did their best but to no avail
I can't stand Arlene
Dorothy did not say anything about Fred or address her remarks to Portland .....
@@susanslack1900 was it necessary to post that comment on this tribute to Fred Allen?
@@mimitaylor5938 She's not worth the energy
Man, the reality of shows like this where the people were generally friends is so surreal compared to today.
It is so fitting that Arlene ended her closing remarks with, "Good night, Fred". I always regretted that no one said that after Dorothy Kilgallen died, so I am glad to hear someone say it as a farewell to the great Fred Allen.
I don't know if anyone will read this because this was posted 9 years ago. Fred Allan died before I was born, and yet I still want to cry.
Same for me!❤
Dignified, respectful and moving. Please bring back those times again.
Good job by the panel in a tough situation. Fred Allen died the day before very suddenly, so they were all in a state of shock.
Not sure, were I in their position, that I could have held it together, especially in the closing remarks.
What has happened to the human race? Why can't it be like the good old days where people conducted themselves in a loving compassionate manner? Can't we all just get along and treat others how we want to be treated....with love and respect? Just imagine how wonderful life would be. Spread the love and be the change you wish to see in the world. Blessings for posting and watching this video :-)
What a tasteful way to deal with such a loss. Fred was my favorite panelist. So quick and witty.
The Fred Allen Jack Benny feud was one of the most friendly, good natured feuds in show business. They were actually very good friends and had lots of respect for each other. R.I.P. all of them.
Lovely tribute by John for Fred. I almost cried. So sad.
I'm grateful these exist on UA-cam. This program demonstrates how people may comminicate with one another, with grace, intelligence, wit and decorum.
We all miss not only Fred, we miss Arline, Dorothy, Steve, Bennett, and Daly.. Love and light to all of you, Hope you are all watching us watching WML with love and awe! And I really thought Fred was Steve's father, and here Steve cleared my doubts!
3:00 During a career lasting from 1947 to 1975, Jacques Plante was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1953 to 1963; during his tenure, the team won the Stanley Cup six times, including five consecutive wins. In 2017 Plante was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" of all time. He also is the reason why goalies now wear masks. He was the 1st one.
But you can see they don't follow hockey. Mis pronounced his name and the Vezina trophy.
@@ronreinhold8997Hockey was a very niche sport for Americans back then. It was bigger in Boston than New York. I would think it was bigger in Detroit than Chicago, but those were the only 4 cities that had NHL teams back then.
The Japanese pianist was SO shy and nervous, but so endearing. I'm prejudiced; my late wife was Asian and although she had an effervescent personality she was VERY reserved around people she didn't know until she got to know them. That quality has always attracted me and earned my respect.
Toshiko Akiyoshi went on to have a very successful career in jazz and married tenor saxophonist Lew Tobakin. Check her out on this platform.
Cyd was always quiet, self-effacing, and focused. A very hard worker. Everyone liked work with her because was so supremely talented, very cooperative, not a prima donna and would do whatever needed to be done to give her best.
I have 4 of her movies.
She came to Australia for the stage show No no, Nanette in the sixties. Iirc she replaced Juliet Prowse who was unwell at the time
Cyd ... class, talent, beauty .... a real gem from the Hollywood Golden Age.
A PROFESSIONAL DANCER'S PROFESSIONAL DANCER.
Fred Allen ALWAYS made me laugh on this show. His deadpan delivery and witty quips never failed to amuse.
I didn't wanna see the man die by no means, but I AM glad he's off the panel. He was NOT funny!
@@kristabrewer9363 ......to Krista Brewer.
"Nice evening for a walk" ;)
@@kristabrewer9363 Fred was funnier than Bennet or Steve Allen!!
@@kristabrewer9363 .... Wit and cleverness are not everyone's forte, obviously.
Unlike some of the mindless game shows we have today, this is a talk show wrapped in a comedy show wrapped in a game show. It’s the most entertaining show in every aspect of television I’ve ever seen. I absolutely LOVE this show!
Unfortunately, I think it was a little too intellectual for the day and age it was broadcast. I believe it aired on Sunday nights and was the last show to air before the station went off the air for the night.
Someone correct me if you know better.
Somewhere in the 1980s game shows started to get very loud and obnoxious.
You are correct. It was on at 10:30 pm on Sunday nights. I loved this show as a kid and usually stayed up late to watch it on a school night.
RIP Fred Allen. I don't really know you or what you've done but on this show you made me laugh so I thank you.
Fred Allen had a radio show for many years. He also had a on going dispute with his good friend, Jack Benny. It was a running gag on both shows.
I clicked on this episode because it was a tribute to Fred Allen. The first guest, Jacques Plante went on to be a great goalie and the first to design and wear the mask that all ice hockey goalies now wear as standard gear. When I saw the second guest, I recognized her face from all the advice columns my mother would clip out of the newspaper for me. In my youth, a day would not go by without reading Ann Landers' column. Thank you for these memories.
I recognized her right away but wasn't sure if it was Ann or her twin Dear Abby/Abigail Van Buren. What's interesting is that she was not identified as "Ann Landers" to the audience, nor did she seem familiar to the panelists. Esther Lederer had taken over writing the column in 1955, but the column itself had been around since 1943. Perhaps it wasn't yet syndicated outside Chicago. Ann did a lot more than just give "advice to the lovelorn"; the show's writers needed to wake up and smell the coffee! 😁
As of today (Aug 19, 2023), Ms. Akyoshi is alive and well. This particular show was epic: not only for the fact that every guest was or became very prominent in their fields, but because the classy and heartfelt tributes to Fred Allen were so moving and real.
All of the contestants on this episode were well-known or to become well-known in their niche.
Jacques Plante had a hockey career lasting nearly 40 years and was an innovator who redefined the position of goalie. He was also an advocate of safety and was the first goalie to regularly wear a hockey mask.
Ann Landers is, of course, well-known.
Toshiko Akiyoshi has released many albums of both jazz and big band music and has won or been nominated for many awards.
Toshiko Akiyoshi is arguably the greatest female composer of all time.
Thank you! I was not sure which one it was but I thought I recognized her face toward the end. You confirmed 1/2 of my guess.
And, the sad fact is that the guy who won the VEZINA in 2022(VEZ UH NUH not
VUH ZEENA as DALY said) could walk out on that stage and never be recognized even today.
His name is IGOR SHESTERKIN.
NO..The NHL is more interested in politics, globalism, and virtue signaling than marketing its players and making its game reach beyond a niche fans sport.
That is the sad fact.
Would anyone outside of Canada on an updated version of WML, if there was one, be able to pick out CONNOR McDAVID, OR ARIZONA NATIVE= AUSTON MATTHEWS, OR ALEX OVECHKIN OR MARC ANDRE FLEURY?
Could MARK MESSIER already a budding star then, have been easily recognized in 1983 if there had been a WML that year?
Yep..The NHL IS A JOKE..
PUCKIN' A!
People had manners and knew their place.
Without meaning to be at that time, this turned out to be an all-star contestant show. Jacques Plante had a career spanning four decades and blazed several new paths for hockey goalies. Of course, Ann Landers is well-known, as is Cyd Charisse. Toshiko Akiyoshi has been composing, performing, and conducting jazz for over 60 years and has won many awards for her work.
Interesting observation!
Oh, you saying this made me think just now that it's sort of a demonstration of "when one door closes, another opens". They said goodbye, but they were unknowingly saying hello as well.
Daly should have mentioned the name her column : ANN LANDERS. The original woman that wrote the column died rather young and I believe was a teacher ?
@@dancelli714 o
@@dancelli71470 years ago they weren't together😊
sad and heart-felt comments for fred allen at the end. you can tell the man was deeply admired, he seemed on air anyway to be a very gracious human being of very high intellect. hard to believe he's been dead almost 60 years. and that's what makes these wml shows so great, they preserve so much of this era, granted it was a lot of pomp and had little to do with what was (for instance) going on in 1967, but it does provide a great snapshot into the past. and thanks for all your work in posting these, you've done an excellent job.
Well said.
tomitstube ... This episode aired in 1956. 1967 was a long way into the future.
But still well said...and, in fact, somewhat foreshadowing; for WML would end its reign in the accidentally aforementioned year of 1967...
@@Tre404 I understand the original comment to mean that the series ran until 1967 in its classic format, and that by then it no longer reflected the current zeitgeist, whereas in the 1950s it had.
I agree wholeheartedly 😊
It’s sad that most of these people are long gone with very few that were very young adults that are well into their years..
Cyd Charisse was an extremely attractive woman! What a smile! Such beautiful Eyes! :)
She was married to famous singer Tony Martin. They had one of the longest and happiest marriages in Hollywood. Same for Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Phil Harris & Alice Faye, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Jimmy Cagney, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, George Burns, Edward G. Robinson, Charlton Heston et al. I don't mention Bob Hope due to extreme series of affairs, nor any of the many others who stayed married for reasons only they knew.
Couldn't agree more.
Her legs were more beautiful, in my opinion.
A knock out.
@@michaeldanello3966 Sadly, Gary Cooper had constant affairs. He and his wife remained married after talking privately with the pope on a visit to Rome, where Cooper had lived for a year or two, and he eventually converted to Roman Catholicism. But nothing stopped his marital infidelities and when he had an affair with the young Patricia Neal and impregnated her, he insisted she have an abortion. And she was among those during his marriage and post conversion. He simply could not be faithful.
Mrs. Lederer is the famous "Ann Landers," the twin sister of "Dear Abby."
+Tom Saltsman Today, it seems amazing to me that the panel wouldn't immediately recognize Eppie Lederer, but her Ann Landers column was still quite new at that point!
+Tom Saltsman ah, ok, that's what i thought
Rather strangely, the "Ann Landers" advice column began in 1943 and was written by one Ruth Crowley for the Chicago Sun-Times and national syndication. When Ruth Crowley died, Esther Pauline ("Eppie") Friedman Lederer took over the column and adopted the Ann Landers nom de plume and used it for public appearances, even though she wasn't the original Ann Landers. Her twin sister, Pauline Esther ("Popo") Friedman Phillips wrote "Dear Abby". She made up her pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and first wrote the column for the San Francisco Chronicle, but later moved to greater Los Angeles. Abby didn't consult Ann before starting her rival column and Ann resented it, which caused problems between them for years. I note that Ann Landers' husband was Jules Lederer (whose name she used to sign in with "Mrs."). Mr. Lederer was known as one of the two men who founded Budget Rent-A-Car in 1958-59.
Thank you for this informative post. I knew all this once but had forgotten it. I met Abby in 1965 at my high school, but I don't remember why she was there. I do remember she wore a pink Chanel suit. In this 1956 WML appearance, Ann has not yet had her nose bobbed. That dress is beautiful. I grew up on Ann and Abby. I used to have a paperback, Dear Abby Talks to Teens (I'm paraphrasing, don't remember the actual title.) It came out in the early 1960's, just before the Counter Culture began to temporarily alter middle class attitudes about sex. Several years later, reading it aloud among friends induced howls of laughter at how "straight" and out-of-date the advice was. Before tossing the paperback a few years ago, I re-read parts of it and found her advice to be mostly sane and down-to-earth. It is still dated, however, in two crucial ways: homosexuality is not mentioned and neither is date rape.
@@ToddSF Interesting stuff. Thanks for the insights.
16:45 Toshiko Akiyoshi became one of the best pianists of all time- what a show. Fred Allen would've been proud of this show. And Cyd Charisse too whose husband lived all the way until 2012.
I honestly don't know how they made it through this show. How hard it must have been. But they kept it quite real and honest..for Fred.
A different time, and mindset😊
Cyd Charisse was such a beautiful and classy Lady
Came to Australia in the touring company for No no, Nannette in the sixties. A genuine trouper.
@@zapkvr I met her.
Loved her in The Wild North.
Advice columnist Ann Landers (aka Eppie Lederer) was a guest on this episode. Her columns were syndicated nationwide for decades. Her sister also had an advice column, "Dear Abby."
Yep
This lady already had a jazz album out in 1953. And went onto become a total Jazz legend with 14 Grammy nominations. And is still going at 89 !! " In January 1956, she became the first Japanese student at Berklee. Soon after, she appeared as a contestant on the 18 March 1956 broadcast of the CBS television panel show What's My Line?.[6] In 1998, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.[7]"
If she’s still alive (as I write this on 2/1/2022!), she’d be 91 or 92 now, which means she was…25 or so?…at time this was recorded?
@@2themoon863Exactly 😊
As would be the case when Dorothy Kilgallen passed away less than a decade after, Messrs. Daly, Allen and Cerf wore a suit-and-tie instead of a tux. In etiquette terms, a tux wouldn't have been appropriate for an episode like this.
Passed away? That's putting it lightly. Dorothy Kilgallen was murdered.
@@jackanthony976 Dorothy Kilgallen was not murdered. She died of an accidental overdose. The Manhattan DA recently reopened the case based on supposed new evidence that she was murdered and found no basis to bring a prosecution. Case closed.
@z It's the traditional plural of Mr. -- an abbreviation of Messieurs.
@@preppysocks209 maybe try furthering your research and find out the truth
preppy socks 😜🤪🖕🏻
The closing was just so sad. Through technology, John, Bennett, Arlene, and Dorothy have all be come such a part of my life (I've been watching an episode every night for over a year.) I feel lucky enough to have been born in 1964, knowing that my life intersected with the lives of all the long-term panelists--except for Fred.
Bennett held it together when he offered an eloquent short tribute to Fred Allen. It was a tear jerker for me.
The pianist conferences with John were delightful
I saw her at the Newport jazz Festival three years ago, and ran into her in a restaurant - she is still a delightful person!
"Speak softly...and play some wicked jazz chops!"
@@HamboneWilliams How marvelous that you crossed paths with her!
this was the first tribute show in what's my line history
So brilliantly handled by all involved. The unbroken, unedited nature of a live broadcast means that the sincerity and energy of everyone's words in tribute is raw and palpable. Simplicity is the key....as Ray Charles so eloquently once said.
I humbly but enthusiastically suggest that you include "Toshiko Akiyoshi" in the proper title and description section of this video clip, so that it will more easily come up in video searches of her name. I think her fans would enjoy coming across this glimpse of her from early in her career. She's an extraordinary talent who was named an NEA Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts in 2007.
Akiyoshi was "discovered" by no less than jazz piano master Oscar Peterson, who heard her playing in a club on the Ginza in Tokyo while he was on tour there in 1952, and who convinced record producer Norman Granz to produce her first album. Despite a 60+ year career, she's far from a household name, but I daresay she should be. That aside, thanks for posting these wonderful episodes!
I'll add her to the description as you suggested, but I can't add her to the video title due to the limited number of characters allowed. Thanks for the comment.
What's My Line? Much appreciated!
Someone added a pointer to this video in her entry on Wikipedia.
I'm seeing this particular episode for the first time and was amazed to see John Daly read the Japanese.
@@sharynrogers8939 - I am guessing that was a stunt. he was given her name before she appeared.
of course, it is possible John really can read Japanese.
I'm sure someone else has already said this but I'll repeat it. "Mrs. Lederer" from Chicago was Ann Landers early in her career. By the 1970s she was instantly recognized everywhere.
And her twin sister was Dear Abby.
i can see the pain on their faces
Ann Landers.
Fred Allen once said of Jack Benny: "I heard that his hometown of Waukegan, IL was planting a tree in his (Benny's) honor. But I don't see how they can do that when the "sap" is in Hollywood!". I always got a kick out of that line!
Just watch Cyd Charisse's dancer's grace as she shakes the panelist's hands and exits. Exquisite!
Yes, she was superbly slim, lithe, and graceful in the way she moved.
Yes Ginny, exquisite she was. She excelled in elegance and was without peer when it came to poised beauty.
Ginny Lorenz If you've seen Singing in the Rain, Cyd Charisse was the female dancer opposite Gene Kelly in the Gotta Dance dream sequence. She was a magnificent dancer, one of the best female dancers in Hollywood, possibility, only topped by Ginger Rogers.
Yes she was exquisite , studying ballet and recognized as having the 'perfect body measurements ' and perfect legs
@@clffliese26 Yes, the lead actress in that film was Debbie Reynolds but Gene Kelly obviously thought that Debbie Reynolds was not up to playing that role and doing that dance.
😥😔 Touching tribute to John Florence Sullivan aka Mr. Fred Allen. RIP sir.
It's like being at a funeral of someone you didn't know.
It feels like you know him after all these years of episodes with him
A sad but beautiful show. I'm sure Fred could feel their love all the way to heaven.
Toshiko Akiyoshi is still active as a band leader, and has received 14 Grammy nominations.
How old was she at this time? She looks so young?
@@janeiwasduncan8463 Sorry. I just saw this now. She was born on Dec. 12, 1929, which means she was 25 when this was aired. She's 89 now, but is still performing.
That's good to know. Thank you.
Thank you. I was wondering about her career.
I love these old shows
fred allen was great!.... R.I.P. Fred.
Fred was fantastic and folks adored him and his humor 😊
I grew up with this show after approx. 3 years of running on on air, and Fred Allen was on W.M.L. JUST ONLY one week prior and appeared and acted perfectly fine ( at this particular time) and only 6 days later deceased. Just goes to show, that WE ARE NEVER PROMISED tomm. Folks! He was a really good panelist,!
He had a clogged artery = heart attack. 😢
I heard that Cyd Charisse was not pleased when Dorothy Killigan wrote in her column that Cyd Charisse does not do her own singing in the movies. Dorothy wrote, "Who is the mystery singer who sings for Cyd Charisse in the Bandwagon?" Of course the mystery singer was years later identified as India Adams.
I love Cyd Charisse's dancing and she seems to have been a lovely person. I remember when Lalaland came out, and the New Yorker film critic said that if he could save only 4 minutes from the history of film, it would be the "Dancing in the Dark" sequence from "The Band Wagon." But, her acting was very stiff, and her singing obviously was not professionally adequate. Ginger Rogers never seemed to get the credit for singing that she deserved, and of course, she won an Oscar.
I'm always revisiting favorite episodes, so it pains me to admit I can never appreciate or "get" Fred Allen's mode of humor. And I never heard his radio broadcasts - I was barely 2 years old when Fred Allen passed on. Hopefully I'll "see the light" before it's MY turn to permanently sign off.
The young lady from Tokyo is just the epitome of sweetness. It was enchanting meeting her.
Steve Allen's gesture in inviting her to play jazz piano on his show was just as wonderful. I wonder if she ever did it...
@@terencedove5047 I haven't yet been able to determine if she did appear on Steve Allen's show, but in any event Toshiko Akiyoshi became a highly esteemed jazz musician, composer, and bandleader in the years that followed. She was named a Jazz Master by the NEA in 2007. Still alive (age 90) as of my writing this. Here's a recent article about her: www.nippon.com/en/features/c03708/a-mosaic-of-music-jazz-pianist-composer-and-arranger-akiyoshi-toshiko.html
@@hetmanjz , many thanks. I will check it out for sure. I am a pianist myself (born in '64), and so jazz musicians and singers of the 50s and 60s are wonderful to me, thanks to my father, who was a jazz aficionado...
@@terencedove5047 Happy to pass along the info!
@@hetmanjz Thank you so much for sharing that information!
Wow, every single guest in this show was famous in their own way.
AS has been said millions of times already.............. People, were monumentally so much better and more beautiful back then. And specifically women........., Dear God!
Wow, It has been many years ago that I read her's and her twin sister's columns of advice. The twins gave advice to others but it was said they were jeolous of each other and didn't speak to each other. I knew her as soon as I saw her. Their advice was funny, serious, and sometimes harsh. I remember someone once asked what she should do because two neighbors kept showing up at dinner time asking if they could come in so she had to ask them to dinner. Her answer was to the point. She said "Say no, we are having dinner." If they are rude enough to ask then you have the right to be rude back.
I recognized her too, isn’t this some 😊
That's sad to know Fred Allen died too during the show's run. Watching reruns of the show on Buzzr, he's my second favorite panelist after Dorothy Kilgallen. He has a great mug, reminds me of an adult version of the Mad magazine character (I mean that in a nice way), and he had the best wit.
Beth Di Bartolomeo wow, your 2 favorites both died during the show.
They had a Dorothy Kilgallen memorial episode on November 14, 1965 and they played it similarly to this case, she had died the previous Monday.
Exactly 😊
I was so sad to learn of Fred's passing while watching this old series. I had hoped for him to make me laugh many more times and I can understand the loss even though it happened years before I was born.
The tribute at shows end was a show of great class and respect.
Maybe the greatest dancer lady in the golden age of Hollywood!!!! RESPECT for EVER!!!!
Indubitably 😊
A strong indication that I must be the oldest viewer of this video is the fact that I recognized a young and still unknown Ann Landers, before she became a household name. I remember that my mother used to read and quote her popular snippets of wisdom all the time.
At 87 I too remember her😊
Wow...Cyd Charisse was so elegant!
The previous generations should make more of an effort to influence the present generation.
Seriously, they are FLOUNDERING.
Please do your part. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Agreed. Any advice for getting them to listen? They seem to believe that they know better than us.
Totally agree absolutely 😊
Cyd Is a knockout- and ,wow , what a dancer - I can still remember from watching her many years ago as a guest on " The Silencers " , one of Dino's Matt Helm pictures
Cyd Charisse was a class act.
Not to mention stunningly beautiful!
@@blockcl I'll say.
The gown she was wearing was about as stunning as gowns got in those days, and she's wearing it on a game show! Of course this game show had Dorothy and Arlene, whose gowns demanded the best from any competitors. Mrs. Lederer obviously knew this, too, because her gown was pretty inventive.
@@blockclA gorgeous woman 😊
This is such a heartbreaking episode. I have no memory of Fred Allen while he was still alive, as I was 3 days away from my 5th birthday when he passed away. My childhood memories of him are entirely from a couple of record albums of his radio shows that my father played from time to time. It has only been through watching these shows that I have been able to see Fred and get to know him a bit. His quick understated wit and playful smile revealed a warm, funny, and intelligent person. It feels like I have lost a friend. Rest in peace, Fred.
On a related note, it was the epitome of class when Ann Landers donated her winnings to the heart fund in memory of Fred.
This episode is notable, besides the tribute to Fred, in that all the regular contestants would go on to great renown in their fields. The first contestant, Jacques Plante, was, at the time this show aired, just three years into his major league hockey career, but would go on to a Hall of Fame career, regarded as one of the greatest goalies ever. He revolutionized the position and was also the first goalie to regularly wear a mask. The second contestant, Ms, Lederer, had just taken over the "Ask Ann Landers" advice column the previous year, and would continue it until 2002. And the final contestant, Ms. Akiyoshi, who celebrated her 90th birthday on 12/12/2019, had just arrived in the U.S. two months earlier to study jazz in Boston, and has gone on to win multiple honors and awards in jazz music over the decades.
Ah! Newspapers were so very informative and truthful without bias. Media was great in their honesty and integrity! It was very much a different world back then. Mrs. Lederer was very well known in our business.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Ann Landers (Mrs Jules Lederer) in this clip--she'd taken over the Ann Landers name just the year before this but obviously wasn't known outside of the Chicago area at the time. She was clearly a formidable woman...I grew up reading her no-nonsense advice and still miss her common sense greatly.
I'm sure the other three would have never thought roughly a decade later they would be paying tribute to Dorothy in much this same way.
Cyd was breathtaking!!!
Absolutely gorgeous 😊
Look at Eppie's figure! Wow! Also, the high fashion! She was quite a character, definitely a brilliant individual, and a trailblazer. At the University of Missouri School of Journalism I did a research paper on her columns compared to her twin Popo's column under the name Dear Abby. I found the same letters appeared in both columns more than once and the twins' writing approaches, style and responses could be quite diferent. Eppie revolutionized advice columns, Popo followed her lead, both were spectacularly successful. Both had daughters who became prominent journalists.
Boy this mkust have been the toughest thi ng in the world for an ordinary guest and a celebrity guest to be on this very next wml after Fred Allen's passing.
Beautiful tribute!
Along with being a tribute to Fred Allen (a nearly lifelong favorite of mine), that the guests/contestants include jazz composer and pianist/orchestra leader Toshiko Akiyoshi, "Ann Landers" and Jacques Plante, the goalie who introduced the protective mask to the NHL...in various circles, all three of them are as famous now as Cyd Charisse. It would've been wonderful if Fred Allen could've had the chance to question them, and we had more years of Allen's wit and grace.
Fred Allen was an important and influential performer, much more than most people realize. He was every bit as quick and witty as Groucho. God Bless Fred Allen and his memory.
I agree 💯 percent 😊
Sorry about Fred Allan. Besides the beautiful CYD, there was ANN LANDERS & TOSHIKO (I have some of her recordings.) It's nice to see CYD CHARISSE, and nice to see Landers & Akiyoshi at the beginning of their careers. TOSHIKO is now is 92. (2022)
Cyd, in color or black and white...the most beautiful, talented, and athletic dancer! I'm here...primarily to see Cyd! Very humble person and remained lovely throughout her life.
Recently we had Remembrance Day for those who died in war and I secretly felt that it was too much, too public and with too many politicians who had never served in the military. True remembrance lives inside you every day - it doesn't demand a special ceremony. For those reasons I admire the decision to carry on with the show as Fred Allen, a professional entertainer, would have wanted. Tough but brave and respectful.
Beautiful tribute! But I had to do a double take when I saw the advice columnist. It's Ann Landers! She used her real name, and this was filmed before I was even born, but how beautiful she is!
God bless Fred and Portia.. I can only imagine how hard it was for the friends and family of Fred Allen.
Did you mean Portland?
@@beadyeyedbrat Named for the city of her birth, part of the Great Pacific Northwest.
I'll post this here too as I did in his final episode: A rarely mentioned fact about Fred Allen. The Looney Tunes character Foghorn Leghorn was based on a character, Senator Claghorn, from Fred Allen's radio show from the 30s and 40s. RIP to a legend
This is so sad!! But so dignified.
I miss John Charles Daly...wasnt alive when part of this wonderful show started...its my favorite show..next to I love Lucy and the andy Griffith show..
Steve invites Toshiko Akiyoshi to be on his show at 23:25. IMDB doesn't show that she ever appeared there, but that she played herself on an episode of the Arlene Francis Show on September 25, 1957. Strangely, although she is clearly Japanese, IMDB shows her birthplace as Dairen, Manchuria, China, and she was educated at the Music Academy of Dairen (and later at Berklee School of Music, as mentioned on the show).
Ms.Akiyoshi was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 2001.
I don't know whether the birthplace info is right or not, but it's always good to remember that IMDb info is often wrong or incomplete. Akiyoshi definitely did appear on Steve's show (confirmed by the author of a great book on the early Tonight Show). I'm surprised the IMDb lists her appearing on the Arlene Francis Show, since so little of that series is available. Generally speaking the info on the IMDb for lost material like the Arlene Francis Show is usually pretty barebones!
@@WhatsMyLine Yes, IMDB can be sketchy, especially with respect to older shows. Regarding Akiyoshi's birth place, wikipedia (also to be taken with a grain or two of salt) also says she was born in Manchuria, to Japanese emigrant parents. It goes on to state that the family lost its home in 1945 and returned to Japan.
Cheers, and many thanks for your prodigious efforts to bring this marvelous show back to life for us.
@@mikejschin Considering her birth year - and that period in general - I don't think the sources you've listed are necessarily wrong. At that time, Manchuria (China) had settlements - particularly within the confines of larger cities, such as Shanghai or Peking - of other nationalities, such as Japanese, British, Korean, and Americans. Manchuria was - for intents & purposes - essentially a trade outpost, particularly for some Western nations, prior to the Communists taking over in 1947/1948.
@@michaelsimpson8010 Thanks for that clarification. It does explain what appeared to be an anomaly.
@@mikejschin You're welcome. Quick add - It's understandable that her family lost their home in '45. After Japan's WWII surrender, persons of Japanese descent were kicked out of China due Japan's invasion, long time occupation, subsequent pre-war and wartime atrocities committed.
Sad affair - a tribute to a great panelist and witty man - rest In peace Fred
Cyd Charisse was so beautiful and classy and a bit shy , it seemed . Always had a massive crush on her although she was before my time
Mrs. Lederer had been writing as "Ann Landers" for only five months, taking over from the recently-deceased originator of the column. Using that name up front might have tipped off the newspaper-literate panel, though it did surprise me that no one mentioned "Ann Landers" at the end of her segment.
What did they put in the water back then? Those women were so beautiful and stylish! And smart!
Toshiko Akiyoshi still alive as of 28th may 2022.