I was born well after this episode, and I love how polite, collected, and courteous everyone was to each other. Long before technology like the internet, cell phones, social media, etc. where people were better behaved and knew how to act.
Robert Q Lewis is my favorite guest panelist of all time. He didnt stall, he was smart and got laughs at the same time. I wish he could of been a regular member.
RQL has kinda worn on me and I don't resent him as much as I used to. His over the top flirting with female guests is a bit much considering................
You should see her in the movie ‘The Catered Affair’. She is just beautiful. Rod Taylor and she make a nice couple but Debbies beauty is so breathtaking and her acting in the movie is flawless and impressive. Check it out if you have not.
@@denisenoe3702 Very beautiful and kind, but treated horribly. She didn't have a sexy image and yet she had a great figure and was that without trying to be that way.
Many considered Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe the most beautiful women in the world at that time but honestly Debbie Reynolds was just the definition of beautiful and gorgeous 😍
All the nonsense between +Isaac Newton and +pokergalpoker is deleted. People don't want to read childish bickering, now of all times, when folks are watching these videos in reaction to the sad news of Debbie's (and Carrie's) death. Please don't continue this further. Thank you.
Just because one doesn't agree with another and voices differences does not always mean it's bickering, it's called opinion and makes those differences exciting and chsllenging. If it turns childish, sometimes that's to be expected because of people's strong beliefs. What happened to Debbie and Carrie is of course the worse tragedy and very upsetting and the debate against me and issac as i call it vs childish bickering as you call it was again one opinion vs another
Yeah, that occurred to me too. I shared this video with all of my Star Wars friends for that reason. Maybe Carrie's first TV appearance! (but maybe not since her mom was such a big star).
In 1883, still photography was still quite crude. Anything transmitted electronically had to travel through wires. Some of the best and brightest minds might have been working on the idea of capturing a moving image and others might have been working on the idea of sending signals through the air in waves. But to the average person, either one, during what was still a horse and buggy age for personal travel, would have been astounding. Combining the two would have been unheard of.
There was a fellow on "I've got a Secret" that was 5 years old and was present at the theater when Lincoln was assassinated. The clip is here on UA-cam somewhere. Truly amazing how far back one can reach through these vids.
There is a channel called "Guy Jones" who has videos on his channel of people being interviewed that were born in the 1830's. These were filmed in the late 1920's, there is also a lot of civil war veterans being interviewed in those videos.
Located ~30 miles north of NYC on the east bank of the Hudson River, Sing Sing was the place where the worst criminals were sent. It was the origin of the phrase "sent up the river" to mean that someone was going away to prison. Ironically, the Hudson River at Ossining is still quite salty. In this section of its course, it is technically not a river. It is a tidal estuary, akin to the fjords (most clearly evident in the area of the Palisades, but also at Bear Mountain/Anthony's Nose).
Elsa Maxwell asks if the second challenger works for the tax department. This was the second year that federal income tax returns were due on April 15 (or the first business day thereafter as was the case in 1956), extending the due date from March 15. 8 days earlier, on 4/7/56, "The Honeymooners" ran the episode where Ralph is called in by the IRS.
Tim Flock (May 11, 1924 - March 31, 1998) was a 2-time NASCAR/Grand National Champion (1952 and 1955). He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 1999. Some interesting facts about Mr. Flock: * Tim had a rhesus monkey co-driver named "Jocko Flocko" with him in his May 16, 1953 Grand National win at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jocko Flocko became the only winning monkey ever. The monkey was retired two weeks later at Raleigh, where the monkey pulled the device to allow the driver to observe the right front tire and was hit by a pebble. At the time, drivers used a device to lift the wheel well to observe tire wear in case of a tire failing. Tim had to do a pit stop to remove the monkey, and he finished third (he would have won without the problem). * Mr. Flock won the 1952 Grand National Champion cup as driver of one of the three Fabulous Hudson Hornets. (aka, "Doc" in the movie "Cars"). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Flock (Note: I've never commented on any of the WML videos, but I'm a huge fan and appreciative of all the work involved in preserving and presenting the treasury to everyone.)
Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (who signed in as "and friend" 15:40) almost stumped the panel with their funny voices. Elsa Maxwell thought it was Julius LaRosa 18:19 and Robert Q thought it as Jean Pierre Aumont and Marisa Pavan. 19:04
Ha! Read Eddie's autobiographical book! It's a tell-all and he writes much about the fact that he couldn't stand Debbie and couldn't wait to get divorced. He said that he put up a good front pretending to be happily married, but he admitted that he was miserable. Don't take MY word for it; get ''Been There, Done That''. I just finished the book and it was shocking in places.
@@yougottabekidding7476 I have read it. He was often quite delusional; his wife Betty Lin loved Reynolds and would often disregard what he would say about her, since his manic depression often distorted reality. A rather perceptive woman.
I note that Micol Fontana died just over a year ago on June 12, 2015 -- which was well into her 101st year of life. She was born on November 8, 1913, so on this episode of WML she was 42 years old. She worked with her sisters Zoe and Giovanna -- their design house was known as "Sorelle Fontana" (Italian for "Fontana Sisters"). Micol outlived her sisters and sold the firm in 1992 when she was 79.
John announces that Celeste Holm and Elsa Maxwell will be back on the next show but someone behind camera corrects him and he withdraws the statement and says that Arlene and Dorothy will be back. 24:51
Wonderful, wonderful! Elegant, roguish, warm, intelligent, charmingly flirtatious........I could go on and on. I'm 74, and watched this show as a kid. I appreciate it so much more now; and thank you for letting me have all this pleasure all these years later!!!!
Elsa Maxwell was cool because she was a female guest panelist with comedic talent. Usually female guest panelists tended to be more on the glamorous side (like Celeste Holm).
My pick for the 4th chair would be, without question, Joey Bishop. Absolutely loved him. One of his better lines...there was 9 down and one to go, and Joey Bishop was up...he said "you son of a gun, you're about to win $50"
As to the second contestant, while they might have recognized his name, it's far more likely that his place of residence would have given the game away. If he'd said he was from Ossining, New York, the first question asked would have been, "Do you have anything to do with Sing Sing Prison which is at Ossining?" Even Bennett referred to the prison as "Ossining", I note.
Yes, 1956 was too early for them to say, "Hey, do people in Ossining watch 'Mad Men' a lot, since Don & Betty live there?" No confusion, it would have been ALL about Sing Sing.
@@erikbluefrog I actually took the American College Dictionary to college with me in 1969, but at the time I did not connect it with Bennett Cerf. In fact, that connection wasn't made until a WML episode in which Arlene mentioned it while introducing Bennett.
I can't say Celeste was a phony but, having met her, she was rather cold and aloof and not very warm. That surprised me because I have been with show business people since the age of 9 and almost everyone I've met has been ground level, friendly, had wonderful manners and been kind. In fact I'd say the bigger they are the nicer they are and that would include Barbra Streisand, who struck me very much as a thoughtful college professor, a scholar and a lady very attuned to people and giving them dignity in the presence of someone they were in awe of.
Look me up, Wayne Brasler, on google and wikipedia. Also I have stuff all over the internet on streetcars, tornadoes and hauntings AND there is a Barbra Streisand Wayne Brasler that includes a lot I have written about her. I would suggest everyone be sure to get the new Barbra album, "Partners," a collection of new duets with an amazingly eclectic choice of duet partners and it is all fabulous. Go to Target for your copy because you get I think it is five extra tracks.
She seems to have a lack of general knowledge and appears to be quite hesitant. Perhaps her apparent coldness was a protective mannerism to dissuade folk from getting to close.
I wonder if the free-flow, think-on-your-feet, ad-lib aspect of the show threw her off. If she was accustomed to working with a script, then a game show might have confused her. I've seen her at other times when she was extremely warm and pleasant, and she seemed thrown off balance here. She may be one of those stars who comes alive with a script, and, unless she is with good friends, can't really cope with the public.
Celeste Holm was very intelligent and well educated and no airhead. But the comment about her being cold is probably right. It is hard to know who should shoulder the blame and in what proportion, but an article in the NY Times, linked in her wikipedia entry, about the last years of her life, may indicate that as ye sow, so shall ye reap. Nonetheless, it is a cautionary tale about family, money, old age, sickness, and proof that lawyers are the only people who benefit from litigation. It is also remarkable that the coop she bought in 1953 on CPW for $10,000 was worth at least 1000X that amount by 2010 -- the condo fees alone at that time ran $72,000 per year!
Baskerville22 I havent seen the segment on this app yet but I agree with you with other pictures Ive seen of Debbie Reynolds, she does look like Olyvia Newton John.
Robert Q Lewis mentions the Jack Paar Show. What show was that, since this is more than a year before he took over "Tonight". Jack did the early morning show on CBS and then had a late morning show.
Night Owl EF astoundingly was a co-writer of Love Runs Out. A beautiful video/song with a heavy beat which I like. If interested: ua-cam.com/video/0OWj0CiM8WU/v-deo.html
John Charles Daly did not know how to pronounce "Monaco" (5:40). This name, in connection with the wedding, must have been repeated many times on TV and radio in the previous few weeks. Bennett Cerf was obviously tired of hearing about it.
Something happened to Debbie on October 21st of that year that caused her to be hospitalized. This caused many people to be permanently affected 21 years later in 1977... And yes, those living here in 2015 are still feeling the effects of this, it is said come December 18th of this year we will see a repeat of 1977 because of this...
For those who may not know Eddie had his own show sponsored by Coke and was known as the Coca-Cola Kid for a time, which is why Bennett made the comment he did. Also notice how Bennett always pronounces known as know-en.
@davidbowden796 Both Arlene Francis and Dorothy Killgallen were at Grace Kelly's wedding to the Prince of Monaco, making her Princess Grace, in Monaco 💝
Really different panel set up on this one. Cerf is the only regular. Celeste Holm as the Arlene fill in for the glamor. Elsa Maxwell as the columnist to fill in for Dorothy (and make the back stage party more fun), and Lewis who used to alternate with Fred Allen after Steve Allen left. I think John threw over the cards for the second guest because he suspected like I do that Bennett cheated, he also shut him down on time when he seemed to know what the last guest did
Clement Ng he was a singer. he famously dumped Debbie to run off with Liz Taylor after her husband, his best friend, mike Todd died. he left Debbie with 2 kids.
A shame that marriage didn't last. Interesting to see Celeste Holm. I was too young to understand why at the time it was a big deal when she joined the cast of Archie Bunker's Place.
That was the attitude in America when the build-up to Prince Charles & Lady Diane's wedding started to wear out its welcome. Like, get ON with it already; it's not the Super Bowl.
I just finished reading Eddie Fisher's book called ''Been There, Done That''. It's a shocker. He tells how he was faking happiness with Debbie and that he kept begging her for a divorce. That he never was in love with her. Then, as we know, he was madly in love with Elizabeth Taylor. Boy, these revelations and others are shocking, but very interesting!
What a poor excuse of a man he was. Id he didn't love Debbie - why did he make her pregnant twice? And then leaving her and two small kids for another woman? It has surprised med that the children decided to take his last name.
Most men would have been unable to resist Liz Taylor. Give him a break. There were problems in the marriage of Eddie and Debbie before Mike Todd died and I read mutual flirtations between Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher before Mike Todd died.
Debbie was ill and passed probably because Carrie passed. I met them both when I was 12 at the LA Sports Arena for the circus. My mama went to school with Frances, Debbie’s given name, and she recognized Mama immediately. She was very dear.
WOOOW! I would never, ever EVER have recognize Celeste Holms (of course the only time I''ve ever seen her was as an old lady. I didn't even know she DID anything else other than Promised Land.
In 1943, she originated the role of Ado Annie in "Oklahoma," she won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for "Gentleman's Agreement" and she was wonderful in "All About Eve," and one other movie in which she was also nominated for an Oscar.
Celeste Holm was a wonderful performer that could play comedy and drama equally well in addition to a wonderful singing voice. After OKLAHOMA! she created the lead role in the musical BLOOMER GIRL and then went to Hollywood to do GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT. After ALL ABOUT EVE, for which she received another Academy Award nomination, she returned to Broadway where she replaced Gertrude Lawrence in THE KING AND I receiving top billing when Yul Brynner was still billed below the title. She also played MAME on Broadway before doing the national tour. She was always a very kind professional woman who would naturally expect the same kindness in return, something that neither Bette Davis or Marilyn Monroe provided her.
That's so funny, hopicard. . . He's actually the only guest panelist I never list in the titles of the videos, out of simple childish spite cause I just don't like him. :) I've been lying in wait for someone to make *any* comment whatsoever about Robert Q Lewis so I could say something and it hasn't happened once yet until now. For all I know, he was great in his primary broadcasting career, but on most of the WML shows he makes my skin crawl. He's very funny at times-- I'm not denying his wit-- but he's the most transparently FAKE member of the panel so much of the time, just nothing genuine about him. Sometimes he lays the compliments on the guests so thick I think, "Oh, so that's where they got the inspiration for the Eddie Haskell character on Leave It To Beaver." ("You're looking especially lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver!") To each his own! I find this kind of discussion interesting-- much more so than when we all agree "Arlene Francis is wonderful!" No one asked, but here's my personal ranking for 4th chair (counting only regulars or practically-regulars): 1. Steve Allen 2. Ernie Kovacs 3. Fred Allen 4. Martin Gabel 5. Hal Block 6. Robert Q. Lewis The order of 3 and 4 is a real tough call for me, the rest, not at all. Am I leaving anyone out? I'm talking about people who were on the panel 20+ times.
What's My Line? It's interesting how some people take the panel and their personalities so seriously. None of the panelists truly annoy me, except maybe Hal Block- I just watch the show and am entertained by it no matter who's on, I don't go out of my way to badmouth the panelists. And people seem pretty divided- you put Kovacs at #2, I've read comments by people who think he was terrible. Heck, somebody on Facebook recently called BENNETT a "turd", even though he was such an integral part of the show!
Andrew Gilmore I hope you're not including me in this umbrella-- I find it genuinely interesting to hear other people's takes, especially when they're different. And the furthest I went with Robert Q. Lewis, after all, was to say I don't like him. Though I do confess (without shame) to having called Hal Block a boob.
What's My Line? How many episodes were Joey Bishop and Tony Randall on? I always enjoy both of their appearances and would likely rank them w/ Steve Allen & Martin Gabel in my Top 5, with Fred Allen rounding it out.
+What's My Line? Well, now... I would have classed Steve, Fred, & Hal as regulars. That would leave me with: 1. Martin Gabel - for me, far and away the best guest panellist. 2. Ernie Kovacs (although, as I am going through the episodes in order, I have not come across any of his appearances yet, although I do vaguely remember him from the original run - yes, I am that old.) 3. Robert Q. Lewis - I don't share your dislike of him, but I see where you are coming from with it. [p.s. If you want to talk dislike, I couldn't stand Hal Block - smarmy IMHO] p.p.s. Thank you so much for posting these. It is a happy memory of my childhood, and a lovely reminder of history.
Miss Holm's pretty tense. (And/or nervous.) Elsa Maxwell is less good at this than I would have expected, given her mystery guest appearance. Ah, well.
juliansinger - Celeste Holm seems like a charming person who would be fun to know, but she does seem awkward as a panelist. I wonder if she was ever invited back...
margaret People's opinions are their opinions. It's not a matter of "making sense". Q was in dozens of episodes of WML. Whether there was an example of his florid attempts at conveying heterosexuality in this specific episode or not, it's something he did ALL THE TIME. Coverage of him in the press never failed to make a point of his bachelor status and that he was just waiting for the right girl. You can hardly find a single article on him that doesn't mention it. Sorry, but it's pretty incontrovertible-- even if possibly not from this single episode-- that Q had a vested interest in making sure he was perceived as 100% heterosexual.
Beg to differ. Review May 20, 1956 with Lewis, Hedda Hopper and Ronald Reagan as guest panelists. Lewis never mentions any strong interest in a woman. He does use up airtime during the opening introductions and closing goodnights by directing viewers' attention to Hopper not wearing a hat as she loves to do in Los Angeles. Lewis' comment about that doesn't reveal much about him. He also wants viewers to know he considers mystery guest Art Linkletter "pretty darn great." That refers to talent, most likely. Review June 7, 1964. The closest Robert Q. Lewis gets to complimenting a female on her looks is during his closing goodnight to Arlene Francis: "Goodnight, you pretty doctor, you." He is referring to her "doctor of humanities" honorary degree from American International College. He points out that mystery guest Helen Hayes, whose career on the stage is the center of attention on June 7, had an outstanding career in films a long time ago. Nobody hints at Hayes' possible beauty, current or a long time ago.
![What's My Line? - Hedda Hopper; Peter Lind Hayes [panel] (Apr 22, 1956)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GxvfG9FpH3U/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Hedda Hopper; Peter Lind Hayes [panel] (Apr 22, 1956)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Steve Allen & Jayne Meadows; Martin Gabel [panel] (Dec 23, 1956)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yBmNV4Rx4sc/mqdefault.jpg)
I love this show. Such genuine smiles.
I was born well after this episode, and I love how polite, collected, and courteous everyone was to each other. Long before technology like the internet, cell phones, social media, etc. where people were better behaved and knew how to act.
Robert Q Lewis is my favorite guest panelist of all time. He didnt stall, he was smart and got laughs at the same time. I wish he could of been a regular member.
agreed
RQL has kinda worn on me and I don't resent him as much as I used to. His over the top flirting with female guests is a bit much considering................
@@jerrylee8261 Well that was the idea. Everybody must of had a big laugh off stage.
Robert was also a talented game show host in his own right.
He had a really great look, too. Both distinguished and distinguishable.
My gosh, Debbie is drop dead gorgeous here!! What a looker!
You should see her in the movie ‘The Catered Affair’. She is just beautiful. Rod Taylor and she make a nice couple but Debbies beauty is so breathtaking and her acting in the movie is flawless and impressive. Check it out if you have not.
She was ALWAYS a looker. Also talented as an actress, comic, singer, and dancer.
@@denisenoe3702 Very beautiful and kind, but treated horribly. She didn't have a sexy image and yet she had a great figure and was that without trying to be that way.
Many considered Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe the most beautiful women in the world at that time but honestly Debbie Reynolds was just the definition of beautiful and gorgeous 😍
She did age very well too.
Let's just say if all three of those ladies took the IQ test, we all know who would have scored the highest.
Debbies own mother had said Debbie got all her talent down there not up there. Rather presumptuous of you.
Marilyn was no dope.
Your comment is rather offensive.
Bennett Cerf was icing on the cake of this series. Every episode is a gem. And now, an antidote.
Debbie was 3 months pregnant with Carrie here, God Bless her and RIP Carrie!
3 months pregnant and with a waspy 50's waist. I look fatter after eating a sub.
Never dreamed I'd have to say RIP Debbie after posting this yesterday ~ God Bless them both and their family!
All the nonsense between +Isaac Newton and +pokergalpoker is deleted. People don't want to read childish bickering, now of all times, when folks are watching these videos in reaction to the sad news of Debbie's (and Carrie's) death. Please don't continue this further. Thank you.
And now she is ashes in an urn. Life is fleeting..
Just because one doesn't agree with another and voices differences does not always mean it's bickering, it's called opinion and makes those differences exciting and chsllenging. If it turns childish, sometimes that's to be expected because of people's strong beliefs. What happened to Debbie and Carrie is of course the worse tragedy and very upsetting and the debate against me and issac as i call it vs childish bickering as you call it was again one opinion vs another
She was 3 months pregnant of our beloved and late Carrie Fisher.
Stfu
@@buttuflibana4962 what
@@buttuflibana4962 Why are you being a PRICK?
Carrie Fisher is in this episode inside Debbie's belly.
Yeah, that occurred to me too. I shared this video with all of my Star Wars friends for that reason. Maybe Carrie's first TV appearance! (but maybe not since her mom was such a big star).
womb
@@prnfl Uterus.
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
It's tough to make up for all the talent being out!
Thanks for getting me hooked on this great old show! I had no idea!
rip to both carrie and debbie. 😞
andie--- I loved Debbie, she was delightful💃❤
And the audience and the producers😢
Guys, I acknowledge the beauty of Debbie, but for me it was her personality! (check her out when she appeared alone, on an earlier episode!)...
Her solo appearance was one of the funniest ever! And she was hot
Yes, she was lovely to look at, but her personality was so bubbly and charming.
Elsa Maxwell. Born 1883. Unbelievable how far back in time these videos reach :)
In 1883, still photography was still quite crude. Anything transmitted electronically had to travel through wires. Some of the best and brightest minds might have been working on the idea of capturing a moving image and others might have been working on the idea of sending signals through the air in waves. But to the average person, either one, during what was still a horse and buggy age for personal travel, would have been astounding. Combining the two would have been unheard of.
There was a fellow on "I've got a Secret" that was 5 years old and was present at the theater when Lincoln was assassinated. The clip is here on UA-cam somewhere. Truly amazing how far back one can reach through these vids.
There is a channel called "Guy Jones" who has videos on his channel of people being interviewed that were born in the 1830's. These were filmed in the late 1920's, there is also a lot of civil war veterans being interviewed in those videos.
There was a contestant on YBYL born in the 1850s
@@DaRozeman And he died three months later of a wound he got in order to appear on that program.
RIP Debbie and Carrie.
OK . . . Elsa and her series of wild guesses were hysterical. I wish they had her on more.
Among my earliest recollections are pictures of Debby and Eddie on all kinds of fan magazines.
Carrie definitely looked more like her dad
Most definitely
Carrie had the best of both parents.
I would love to see Micol Fontana's dress in color!
Debbie Reynolds had a great deal of what they used to call "sex appeal"
In one episode she pretended to be a Gabor as the MG. A must watch. Also saw her as guest host on the tonite show where she was equally charming.
Located ~30 miles north of NYC on the east bank of the Hudson River, Sing Sing was the place where the worst criminals were sent. It was the origin of the phrase "sent up the river" to mean that someone was going away to prison.
Ironically, the Hudson River at Ossining is still quite salty. In this section of its course, it is technically not a river. It is a tidal estuary, akin to the fjords (most clearly evident in the area of the Palisades, but also at Bear Mountain/Anthony's Nose).
Quite understandable that he couldn't claim to enjoy his position. Seems like a really grim job.
Debbie Reynolds. So gorgeous :-) . RIP alongside Carrie Fisher. Condolences to the families :-(
Nuno Soares, have read that just before she passed Debbie said-Now I can be with Carrie. Hope it's true.
@@jerrylee8261Weird she knew she was going to die.
Elsa Maxwell asks if the second challenger works for the tax department. This was the second year that federal income tax returns were due on April 15 (or the first business day thereafter as was the case in 1956), extending the due date from March 15.
8 days earlier, on 4/7/56, "The Honeymooners" ran the episode where Ralph is called in by the IRS.
Tim Flock (May 11, 1924 - March 31, 1998) was a 2-time NASCAR/Grand National Champion (1952 and 1955). He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 1999.
Some interesting facts about Mr. Flock:
* Tim had a rhesus monkey co-driver named "Jocko Flocko" with him in his May 16, 1953 Grand National win at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jocko Flocko became the only winning monkey ever. The monkey was retired two weeks later at Raleigh, where the monkey pulled the device to allow the driver to observe the right front tire and was hit by a pebble. At the time, drivers used a device to lift the wheel well to observe tire wear in case of a tire failing. Tim had to do a pit stop to remove the monkey, and he finished third (he would have won without the problem).
* Mr. Flock won the 1952 Grand National Champion cup as driver of one of the three Fabulous Hudson Hornets. (aka, "Doc" in the movie "Cars").
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Flock
(Note: I've never commented on any of the WML videos, but I'm a huge fan and appreciative of all the work involved in preserving and presenting the treasury to everyone.)
That's not Tim Flock. It's his brother Fonty Flock: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonty_Flock
I totally agree with you 😊
Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (who signed in as "and friend" 15:40) almost stumped the panel with their funny voices. Elsa Maxwell thought it was Julius LaRosa 18:19 and Robert Q thought it as Jean Pierre Aumont and Marisa Pavan. 19:04
Debbie is so beautiful!!!!
A gorgeous woman 😊
What a time..America's sweethearts...
Ha! Read Eddie's autobiographical book! It's a tell-all and he writes much about the fact that he couldn't stand Debbie and couldn't wait to get divorced. He said that he put up a good front pretending to be happily married, but he admitted that he was miserable. Don't take MY word for it; get ''Been There, Done That''. I just finished the book and it was shocking in places.
@@yougottabekidding7476 Oh! poor Eddie needed badly to be saved by Liz, but she discarded him and fool Eddie played again victim. So sad!!!
@@yougottabekidding7476 I have read it. He was often quite delusional; his wife Betty Lin loved Reynolds and would often disregard what he would say about her, since his manic depression often distorted reality. A rather perceptive woman.
@@yougottabekidding7476Eddie also had a hard time dealing with Debbies mother who was a difficult woman including with her own daughter.
Cool to see Tim Flock on here. He was one of the best NASCAR drivers of the 1950's.
Paul McCool I thought he was Jack Black at first, haha
Just to clarify, this is Tim's brother Fonty Flock.
Debbie Reynolds was 3 months pregnant when thus show aired. I wonder if she knew ? Carrie Fisher was born in October of 1956.
Wow! I have never seen Celeste Holm as a young lady. Beautiful!!
Only time I ever saw her was back in 1996. I didn't even know she DID anything in her younger days
@@kristabrewer9363 Seriously? You never saw "Oklahoma"? "Gentleman's Agreement"? She did a LOT of things.
I note that Micol Fontana died just over a year ago on June 12, 2015 -- which was well into her 101st year of life. She was born on November 8, 1913, so on this episode of WML she was 42 years old. She worked with her sisters Zoe and Giovanna -- their design house was known as "Sorelle Fontana" (Italian for "Fontana Sisters"). Micol outlived her sisters and sold the firm in 1992 when she was 79.
i tbhink you meant to say 1913, when she was born.
Photographer bit a police man??? 0:35 I'm kinda surprised not to find other comments about this. I'd love to know more about that.
John announces that Celeste Holm and Elsa Maxwell will be back on the next show but someone behind camera corrects him and he withdraws the statement and says that Arlene and Dorothy will be back. 24:51
And by the way: Arlene Francis is wonderful! :)))
Ain't she, though? Anyone else agree? Anyone? Guess not.
Wonderful, wonderful! Elegant, roguish, warm, intelligent, charmingly flirtatious........I could go on and on. I'm 74, and watched this show as a kid. I appreciate it so much more now; and thank you for letting me have all this pleasure all these years later!!!!
yes she always looked good to me.
+joed596
She was very aware of her best features. Many of her gowns exposed her shoulders.
And a 😊gorgeous woman
It's a shame Eddie divorced her to marry Elizabeth Taylor! 😠
John Tomasello Yeah that's true! 👍🏼
Eddie was a waste of space. Still, being Liz's husband would not have been a picnic.
Waste of space? Read up on Eddie Fisher. Ignorant comment.
First in a long list of bad mistakes he made because of drugs
@@m.e.d.7997 Eddie was the ignorant one to leave your wife and Mother of your child for what amounted to lust for another woman was shameful.
Last episode where the panel is already seated at the beginning, except for an episode where the guest panelist had broken leg.
15:30 for Debbie and Eddie.
Elsa Maxwell was cool because she was a female guest panelist with comedic talent. Usually female guest panelists tended to be more on the glamorous side (like Celeste Holm).
My pick for the 4th chair would be, without question, Joey Bishop. Absolutely loved him. One of his better lines...there was 9 down and one to go, and Joey Bishop was up...he said "you son of a gun, you're about to win $50"
Hysterical!
Tony Randall
Oh I loved Debbie & Eddie.
As to the second contestant, while they might have recognized his name, it's far more likely that his place of residence would have given the game away. If he'd said he was from Ossining, New York, the first question asked would have been, "Do you have anything to do with Sing Sing Prison which is at Ossining?" Even Bennett referred to the prison as "Ossining", I note.
Yes, 1956 was too early for them to say, "Hey, do people in Ossining watch 'Mad Men' a lot, since Don & Betty live there?" No confusion, it would have been ALL about Sing Sing.
Having seen most of these shows, Bennett Cerf was the MVP among the panelists.
MrFloundermania - Agreed. Perceptive, a little eccentric, with surprising encyclopedic knowledge in many areas. Love Bennett. :)
Dorothy was also astonishingly perspicacious.
@@erikbluefrog I bet you got "perspicacious" from the American College Dictionary. ;-)
People tell me they think I swallowed a dictionary. It could well have been Mr. Cerf's fine product.
@@erikbluefrog I actually took the American College Dictionary to college with me in 1969, but at the time I did not connect it with Bennett Cerf. In fact, that connection wasn't made until a WML episode in which Arlene mentioned it while introducing Bennett.
You can see why they were called America's sweethearts. Sad they were miserable at home. - didn't the guy after them look like Jack Black?
Elsa maxwell was a panelist?! Tell me it’s not so because I thought I knew everything about the show. I love her.🥰
I'm amazed Maxwell wasn't on site in Monaco for the wedding. She spent an awful lot of time partying and hostessing abroad
Temporary 😊
Dorothy and Arlene were in Monaco for Grace Kelly's wedding to Prince Ranier that week. It's all just so glamorous in that golden age of tv.
I can't say Celeste was a phony but, having met her, she was rather cold and aloof and not very warm. That surprised me because I have been with show business people since the age of 9 and almost everyone I've met has been ground level, friendly, had wonderful manners and been kind. In fact I'd say the bigger they are the nicer they are and that would include Barbra Streisand, who struck me very much as a thoughtful college professor, a scholar and a lady very attuned to people and giving them dignity in the presence of someone they were in awe of.
Look me up, Wayne Brasler, on google and wikipedia. Also I have stuff all over the internet on streetcars, tornadoes and hauntings AND there is a Barbra Streisand Wayne Brasler that includes a lot I have written about her. I would suggest everyone be sure to get the new Barbra album, "Partners," a collection of new duets with an amazingly eclectic choice of duet partners and it is all fabulous. Go to Target for your copy because you get I think it is five extra tracks.
She seems to have a lack of general knowledge and appears to be quite hesitant. Perhaps her apparent coldness was a protective mannerism to dissuade folk from getting to close.
Na Ardri She seems to be a bit of an airhead
I wonder if the free-flow, think-on-your-feet, ad-lib aspect of the show threw her off. If she was accustomed to working with a script, then a game show might have confused her. I've seen her at other times when she was extremely warm and pleasant, and she seemed thrown off balance here. She may be one of those stars who comes alive with a script, and, unless she is with good friends, can't really cope with the public.
Celeste Holm was very intelligent and well educated and no airhead. But the comment about her being cold is probably right. It is hard to know who should shoulder the blame and in what proportion, but an article in the NY Times, linked in her wikipedia entry, about the last years of her life, may indicate that as ye sow, so shall ye reap. Nonetheless, it is a cautionary tale about family, money, old age, sickness, and proof that lawyers are the only people who benefit from litigation. It is also remarkable that the coop she bought in 1953 on CPW for $10,000 was worth at least 1000X that amount by 2010 -- the condo fees alone at that time ran $72,000 per year!
The young Debbie Reynolds looked a lot like Olivia Newton-John
Baskerville22 I havent seen the segment on this app yet but I agree with you with other pictures Ive seen of Debbie Reynolds, she does look like Olyvia Newton John.
Funny you guys are saying that for Debbie's look in "Tammy" is who Olivia's was based on in "Grease"
No.
Odd that I'd see this episode of WML on the day that Carrie Fisher passed away.
Debbie looks astonishing
Bennett carried that entire episode. The other three were completely clueless.
Bennett was certainly no slouch when it came to being a WML panelist.
No kidding.
Yes it was a cringe episode!
Robert Q Lewis mentions the Jack Paar Show. What show was that, since this is more than a year before he took over "Tonight".
Jack did the early morning show on CBS and then had a late morning show.
Eddie Fisher had three beautiful wives and he couldn't hold on to either one. A PLAYBOY ALL THE WAY !
Night Owl I look at it the other way.....maybe the fact he lost three beautiful women says something else about him!
@@davidsanderson5918lol. Gee wonder why?!
Show a beautiful woman and then show the guy who’s tired of banging her...Fast Eddie just kept moving on..
A sleaze all the way.
Night Owl EF astoundingly was a co-writer of Love Runs Out. A beautiful video/song with a heavy beat which I like.
If interested:
ua-cam.com/video/0OWj0CiM8WU/v-deo.html
John Charles Daly did not know how to pronounce "Monaco" (5:40). This name, in connection with the wedding, must have been repeated many times on TV and radio in the previous few weeks. Bennett Cerf was obviously tired of hearing about it.
Bennet seemed really irritated at the beginning of the show.
Something happened to Debbie on October 21st of that year that caused her to be hospitalized. This caused many people to be permanently affected 21 years later in 1977... And yes, those living here in 2015 are still feeling the effects of this, it is said come December 18th of this year we will see a repeat of 1977 because of this...
+tbo452 I really have no idea what you're trying to hint at here.
+What's My Line? Carrie Fisher = Princess Lea
Heinkle Oh, okay. Thanks for explaining that.
***** It was meant as a joking reference to her daughter, Carrie Fisher. I didn't get it either! :)
K.
16:58 "Twins" Premonition of Luke and Leia? lol :)
There he goes again! Bennett makes known a 2 syllable word!
For those who may not know Eddie had his own show sponsored by Coke and was known as the Coca-Cola Kid for a time, which is why Bennett made the comment he did. Also notice how Bennett always pronounces known as know-en.
thanks, I did not know that
CarlDuke I would love to see that show. He had a good personality for stage performance
@@trinacrawford8150And one of the best male singing voices at that time. I loved his voice!
I don't know the specific reason, but this is the only show I've seen where both Arlene Francis and Dorothy Killgallen were absent from the panel!!
They both attended queen Elizabeth funeral😢
Maybe you meant to say Queen Elizabeth's Coronation, this was 1956.@@robertjean5782
@davidbowden796 Both Arlene Francis and Dorothy Killgallen were at Grace Kelly's wedding to the Prince of Monaco, making her Princess Grace, in Monaco 💝
@@wendyjames3977Correct. No funeral
Elsa Maxwell was adorable on this show.
Really different panel set up on this one. Cerf is the only regular. Celeste Holm as the Arlene fill in for the glamor. Elsa Maxwell as the columnist to fill in for Dorothy (and make the back stage party more fun), and Lewis who used to alternate with Fred Allen after Steve Allen left. I think John threw over the cards for the second guest because he suspected like I do that Bennett cheated, he also shut him down on time when he seemed to know what the last guest did
Bennett Cerf gets it in two guesses...again! How come?
John not always paying attention 😅
Why is Robert Q. Lewis' name never listed in the top line for these episodes?
You'll have to dig in the comments, but the channel runner doesn't like Robert Q Lewis, so he didn't list his name out of spite.
"There is also, to be completely fair to you, an area of identification respecting the identity of our guest". Identifying the identity!
Is Eddie Fisher giving an exaggerated imitation of Jimmy Stewart's speech pattern?
Yep.
I liked it.
On spot .Pretty accurate.
Debbie was so damn pretty
Eddie and Debbie = Hollywood royalty and it can be proven because they gave birth to a princess.
What was eddie fischer known for? Not related to chessmaster bobby?
He was a very popular singer.
Eddie Fisher was not related, as far as I know, to chess champion Bobby Fischer. For one thing their last names are spelled differently.
7Lukibi99Tore7 As John Daly would put it, Yes, Eddie Fisher and Bobby Fischer are not related, no.
He was a famous singer.
Clement Ng he was a singer. he famously dumped Debbie to run off with Liz Taylor after her husband, his best friend, mike Todd died. he left Debbie with 2 kids.
A shame that marriage didn't last. Interesting to see Celeste Holm. I was too young to understand why at the time it was a big deal when she joined the cast of Archie Bunker's Place.
There was no way Bennett's knowing about prison. They were informed in advance.
He's pretty smart.
Cerf is a walking encyclopedia 😊
Eddie must have had hidden charms to have landed Debbie, Elizabeth and Connie Stevens.
"Do you have anything to do with this confounded wedding?" Somebody sounds bitter. What's the matter Bennett, didn't get an invite?!
That, or like much of the rest of America, tired of hearing about it.
That was the attitude in America when the build-up to Prince Charles & Lady Diane's wedding started to wear out its welcome. Like, get ON with it already; it's not the Super Bowl.
Lol Debbie so funny
I just finished reading Eddie Fisher's book called ''Been There, Done That''. It's a shocker. He tells how he was faking happiness with Debbie and that he kept begging her for a divorce. That he never was in love with her. Then, as we know, he was madly in love with Elizabeth Taylor. Boy, these revelations and others are shocking, but very interesting!
He wasted Debbie - she deserved so much better
Yougottabe... Stupid man Fisher, he got what he deserved, to be thrown in junk! Debbie the most, adorable, beautiful, just a 🧚dream!!!!❤👍👍
What a poor excuse of a man he was. Id he didn't love Debbie - why did he make her pregnant twice? And then leaving her and two small kids for another woman? It has surprised med that the children decided to take his last name.
@@Vinterfrid Because of inheritance reasons?
@@BeachComber-sh9es as well they should have, he fathered them
How could Fisher do that to Debby? His career died after he did. He deserved it.
Most men would have been unable to resist Liz Taylor. Give him a break. There were problems in the marriage of Eddie and Debbie before Mike Todd died and I read mutual flirtations between Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher before Mike Todd died.
@@m.e.d.7997 Certainly that's how Eddie liked to rationalise his betrayal. Make her the bad guy and watch all the men defend him.
@@johnsavage6628 You are in denial and naive if you think the marriage between Eddie and Debbie was not in trouble before Mike Todd died.
A ghost appeared behind John Daly at 25:45
3 beautiful women fell in love with him cuz hes boyishly handsome
Liz Taylor admitted that their relationship was "sick" and that they were together because of how much they both loved Mike Todd.
Debbie is so beautiful
Gorgeous 😊
That was NOT three and a half minutes, when John gave the panel a time frame!
It was😊
What time does this show go on?
Do you mean what time did it air in 1956? I believe it was 7:30 PST, 10:30 EST.
10:30 pm😊
Why are there so many guest panelists at one time?
They left to attend Grace Kelly wedding😊
Eddie Fisher Debbie Reynolds are they Married
They were married September 26, 1955 and divorced May 12, 1959.
ITALIAN DRESS DESIGNER
WARDEN OF SING SING PRISON
CHAMPION STOCK CAR RACE DRIVER
For those who are unaware these are the parents of Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia.
Debbie Reynolds and Celeste Holm starred together in The Tender Trap. Pretty mediocre movie but their performances (especially Celeste's) were great
Starts at 15:30
Who stole Eddie Fisher from Debbie Reynolds? Elizabeth Taylor.
It's interesting how those 2 = show business royalty ended up having a princess!!
R.I.P. to her daughter
Whose?
Ozzie Solo debbie's daughter and now her as well
+Ben Wass just googled it...died a day apart?...how spooky is that?
Debbie was ill and passed probably because Carrie passed. I met them both when I was 12 at the LA Sports Arena for the circus. My mama went to school with Frances, Debbie’s given name, and she recognized Mama immediately. She was very dear.
Elsa Maxwell looks like she could have beennthe sister of Marie Dressler.
Or Shrek!
In 'The Catered Affair' Debbie is really beautiful.
WOOOW! I would never, ever EVER have recognize Celeste Holms (of course the only time I''ve ever seen her was as an old lady. I didn't even know she DID anything else other than Promised Land.
In 1943, she originated the role of Ado Annie in "Oklahoma," she won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for "Gentleman's Agreement" and she was wonderful in "All About Eve," and one other movie in which she was also nominated for an Oscar.
@@preppysocks209 She bad mouthed Marilyn for some of her habits in All About Eve.
Celeste Holm was a wonderful performer that could play comedy and drama equally well in addition to a wonderful singing voice. After OKLAHOMA! she created the lead role in the musical BLOOMER GIRL and then went to Hollywood to do GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT. After ALL ABOUT EVE, for which she received another Academy Award nomination, she returned to Broadway where she replaced Gertrude Lawrence in THE KING AND I receiving top billing when Yul Brynner was still billed below the title. She also played MAME on Broadway before doing the national tour. She was always a very kind professional woman who would naturally expect the same kindness in return, something that neither Bette Davis or Marilyn Monroe provided her.
Celeste played the Fairy Godmother in the remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA.
A couple of complete deadweights on the panel. May just as well, used two stuffed pumpkins.
Robert Q. Lewis would have made a good regular panelist, such as Steve Allen and Tony Randall.
That's so funny, hopicard. . . He's actually the only guest panelist I never list in the titles of the videos, out of simple childish spite cause I just don't like him. :) I've been lying in wait for someone to make *any* comment whatsoever about Robert Q Lewis so I could say something and it hasn't happened once yet until now.
For all I know, he was great in his primary broadcasting career, but on most of the WML shows he makes my skin crawl. He's very funny at times-- I'm not denying his wit-- but he's the most transparently FAKE member of the panel so much of the time, just nothing genuine about him. Sometimes he lays the compliments on the guests so thick I think, "Oh, so that's where they got the inspiration for the Eddie Haskell character on Leave It To Beaver." ("You're looking especially lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver!")
To each his own! I find this kind of discussion interesting-- much more so than when we all agree "Arlene Francis is wonderful!"
No one asked, but here's my personal ranking for 4th chair (counting only regulars or practically-regulars):
1. Steve Allen
2. Ernie Kovacs
3. Fred Allen
4. Martin Gabel
5. Hal Block
6. Robert Q. Lewis
The order of 3 and 4 is a real tough call for me, the rest, not at all. Am I leaving anyone out? I'm talking about people who were on the panel 20+ times.
What's My Line? It's interesting how some people take the panel and their personalities so seriously. None of the panelists truly annoy me, except maybe Hal Block- I just watch the show and am entertained by it no matter who's on, I don't go out of my way to badmouth the panelists. And people seem pretty divided- you put Kovacs at #2, I've read comments by people who think he was terrible. Heck, somebody on Facebook recently called BENNETT a "turd", even though he was such an integral part of the show!
Andrew Gilmore I hope you're not including me in this umbrella-- I find it genuinely interesting to hear other people's takes, especially when they're different. And the furthest I went with Robert Q. Lewis, after all, was to say I don't like him.
Though I do confess (without shame) to having called Hal Block a boob.
What's My Line? How many episodes were Joey Bishop and Tony Randall on? I always enjoy both of their appearances and would likely rank them w/ Steve Allen & Martin Gabel in my Top 5, with Fred Allen rounding it out.
+What's My Line? Well, now... I would have classed Steve, Fred, & Hal as regulars. That would leave me with:
1. Martin Gabel - for me, far and away the best guest panellist.
2. Ernie Kovacs (although, as I am going through the episodes in order, I have not come across any of his appearances yet, although I do vaguely remember him from the original run - yes, I am that old.)
3. Robert Q. Lewis - I don't share your dislike of him, but I see where you are coming from with it.
[p.s. If you want to talk dislike, I couldn't stand Hal Block - smarmy IMHO]
p.p.s. Thank you so much for posting these. It is a happy memory of my childhood, and a lovely reminder of history.
Miss Holm's pretty tense. (And/or nervous.) Elsa Maxwell is less good at this than I would have expected, given her mystery guest appearance. Ah, well.
She was lovely IMO.
I thought she was great! So funny!
juliansinger - Celeste Holm seems like a charming person who would be fun to know, but she does seem awkward as a panelist. I wonder if she was ever invited back...
It wasn't her forte😮
@@lauracollins4195Temporary panelist 😊
Celeste Holm doesn't come off as the sharpest pencil in the box. Pleasant though.
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Debbie was an amazing woman/actress. Too bad she married a junkie.
Alcoholic😊
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
he left her. what was he thinking
Debbie is buried next to Bette Davis.
Is it just me or is Robert Q Lewis irritating.
Jimmy Flanagan Oh, it's not just you. Definitely not just you.
What's My Line? It's not just you
That does not even make sense. He gets a lot of laughs and he is not trying to look hetero.
margaret People's opinions are their opinions. It's not a matter of "making sense". Q was in dozens of episodes of WML. Whether there was an example of his florid attempts at conveying heterosexuality in this specific episode or not, it's something he did ALL THE TIME. Coverage of him in the press never failed to make a point of his bachelor status and that he was just waiting for the right girl. You can hardly find a single article on him that doesn't mention it. Sorry, but it's pretty incontrovertible-- even if possibly not from this single episode-- that Q had a vested interest in making sure he was perceived as 100% heterosexual.
Beg to differ. Review May 20, 1956 with Lewis, Hedda Hopper and Ronald Reagan as guest panelists. Lewis never mentions any strong interest in a woman. He does use up airtime during the opening introductions and closing goodnights by directing viewers' attention to Hopper not wearing a hat as she loves to do in Los Angeles. Lewis' comment about that doesn't reveal much about him. He also wants viewers to know he considers mystery guest Art Linkletter "pretty darn great." That refers to talent, most likely.
Review June 7, 1964. The closest Robert Q. Lewis gets to complimenting a female on her looks is during his closing goodnight to Arlene Francis: "Goodnight, you pretty doctor, you." He is referring to her "doctor of humanities" honorary degree from American International College. He points out that mystery guest Helen Hayes, whose career on the stage is the center of attention on June 7, had an outstanding career in films a long time ago. Nobody hints at Hayes' possible beauty, current or a long time ago.