Another wonderful episode ! What a joy to see two icons: Bob Ryan & Nanette Fabray. A shame "Mr President" didn't run very long on Broadway. As always, THANKS for uploading for us to enjoy !
At 14:33 Robert is acknowledging Harry B because they had done a movie together. Loved the smile on Ryan's face. Also, Ryan's and Harry's dialogue and later "embracing one another" was awesome!!! Also, Nannette touched Harry's cheek. Groundbreaking "moves" for the time.
"Odds Against Tomorrow" - one of the best. So cool to see their friendship and affection in real life, as opposed to the roles they played in the movie. Love this segment.
@@heardofjohn6854 We saw a side of Ryan we rarely see in the movies. He was always cast as a hard guy but obviously he could be quite charming and friendly. Another victim of Hollywood type-casting.
Thank you, Rachel. I have only ever heard good things about Mr. Ryan, who often played villainous roles, but he was the complete opposite in real life. It's gratifying to learn that one's heroes are just that. Regards to you.
Yes, he played a great villain. I saw him in a movie (Born To Be Bad) with Joan Leslie, Zachary Scott and Joan Fontaine, in this movie he played a very nice guy. Regards to you as well. Rachel
I know the film, albeit viewed many, many years ago. Fontaine was a baddie, I seem to recall. Zachary Scott was another much underrated actor. Always liked him. Ah those happy, carefree days when only the cinema was available.
Robert Ryan (12:48) was a U. S. Marine who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a drill instructor at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. His military service was from January 1944 to November 1945.
So civilized...When I was a kid, I wanted to speak English like Bennett Cerf. And, Arlene Francis was such a class act... Those were truly the "Golden Days of TV"...
No fancy set (probably cost maybe $300 total) but the quality of the program is 1000% better than the garbage that’s on today’s television. This was back when people had manners, and were for the most part more intelligent. 😎
I love those shows and I am not even in my 40. The class and elegance of yesteryear's shows were far better than today's shows and yes I love them. So stop saying bad things about the fans of classic shows.
It's fun to see the frustration in Bennett's face every time he narrows the choices of the product or service down to two and he invariably picks the wrong one! It seems like I see that on a pretty regular basis.
Was it just an allusion or were people in those days, in general, really nicer, more respectful, more gracious, more calm, and displaying a generosity of spirit lacking in common society today? I believe they were. There has been a steady coarsening of the culture over the past sixty or so years that has resulted in the what we have today. IMO, sad to say, the devolution of the culture can't be reversed or even modified. Perilous times are upon us. May God have mercy on us.
Yes, they were. The values my mother taught me (I am 71 years old) I passed on to my children. Unfortunately they did not feel it necessary to pass it on to their children or grandchildren. You may teach your children proper etiquette but that does not mean they consider it of any value. Very disturbing to me that somehow I failed.
Rachel We are in the same generation. I grew up with alcohol and physical violence in my home. I have no memories of being physiclly or sexually abused for which I am very thankful. Public school was a safe sanctuary for me amid the chaos and fear. Growing up I had a lot of rage which somehow I could channel into my studies and sports. I discovered that true freedom is only found in Jesus Christ. The unconditional love of God allowed me to let go of all the stuff that had me in bondage until I was thirty, married with two sons. I'm sure I made a lot of mistakes in raising my children but I have been set free from sin, guilt, fear and condemnation of any kind. If you haven't already I pray you find God's love. Shalom.
Thank you. Rachel. for your gracious speech.May we increase in obedience, love, peace, joy, wisdom and knowledge of Him being assured that He will keep safe all that we have committed to Him. Blessings.
Robert Ryan was one of my favourite actors. He was an amazingly versatile film star who often played chilling and emotionally charged roles. One of Hollywood great actors.
The Kennedy entourage famously attended a performance of Irving Berlin's then new but last Broadway musical play "Mr. President" -- arrived late, left early. 1962 saw Berlin's last Broadway musical . . . well, last musical. Producer Arthur Freed was enthusiastic about filming at MGM Studio Berlin's "Say it With Music." It went through several incarnations and eventually two different proposed directors -- Vincente Minnelli and Blake Edwards, but it did not get its big self off the ground.
[ 0:57 ] [ 1:30 ] Two of the best looking dresses that Arlene and Dorothy ever wore on WML. They both look stunning -- but Arlene especially. Are long black gloves in style anywhere in 2014?
Harry Belafonte is a many-faceted talent, including music, certainly, but I think also of his outstanding performances in movies over the course of 53 years, including "Bright Road," "Carmen Jones," "Island In The Sun" (which I like a lot!), "The World, the Flesh and the Devil" (which was directed by Ranald McDougall - Nanette Fabray's husband), "Odds Against Tomorrow" (which I like a LOT - and in which his co-stars include Ed Begley and Robert Ryan), "The Angel Levine," "Buck and the Preacher," "Uptown Saturday Night," "White Man's Burden," "Kansas City," and "Bobby." All of those films are well worth the watch - and he is very good in them. He does very well here in his second - and last - appearance as a panelist on WML? (He had also appeared as a panelist on 11 June 1961.) He will appear one more time as Mystery Guest, on 13 February 1966. (He had previously appeared 3 times as MG: in 1955, 1958, and 1959.) Contrary to Bennett Cerf's gushing, "Mr. President" was not a "great big hit." It ran on Broadway for 265 performances, opening on Saturday, 20 October 1962 and closing on Saturday, 8 June 1963. It did have a tough gestation period before opening (exacerbated by battles with the co-authors of the book, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, over necessary changes in the show), as Mr. Ryan and Miss Fabray allude to, but it is certainly not as bad a show as Miss Fabray and Anita Gillette (who played first daughter Lesley Henderson) claim in the book SING OUT, LOUISE! Irving Berlin wrote a good score and songs (his fourth and last "book show," the previous three having been "Annie Get Your Gun," "Miss Liberty," and "Call Me Madam"), the most enduring of which is "This Is A Great Country." And Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray played President Stephen Decatur Henderson and First Lady Nell Henderson for the whole run of the show. Give the show a listen, if you find the original Broadway cast album (recorded by Columbia Records) somewhere. (This was, by the way, Robert Ryan's only Broadway musical. He appeared on Broadway in 1941/2 as Joe Doyle in the premiere production of "Clash By Night" before entering the service, and he appeared on Broadway again in 1969/70 as Walter Burns in a revival of "The Front Page.")
I was trying to figure out the connection between Robert Ryan and Nanette Farbray. 265 performances is a fair run on Broadway (not a smash hit as Bennett claimed, but the panel was always charitable to the current vehicles of a Mystery Guest; not a bomb, either, like some shows that close within a week). But over the test of time, "Mr. President" would have to be considered a rather obscure play, other than it being known as the last book play for Irving Berlin.
Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray were appearing on Broadway in "Mr President", Irving Berlin's final musical( and, unfortunately,a flop). Miss Fabray did get the best songs.
The second contestant was the groom for Mr. Softee. He and his rider David Broome won the bronze medal in individual show jumping at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.
+SaveThe TPC I did some searching and in Ireland, Mr. John Massarella bought a young horse at the Dublin Horse Show and named it after their ice cream franchise: ‘ Mister Softee”. So yes, that is where he got his name!
Oh great. Now I will have the Mister Softee song as an ear worm for a couple of days. It didn't take many childhood summers (and warm weather weekends during the school year) for that song to be planted indelibly in my brain.
Harry Belafonte - class act - he's a great entertainer. Interesting how Nanette Fabray who came out first, signed her name lower so Robert can have "Top Billing'...
I looked on it as Robert Ryan being quite the gentleman in allowing the lady, Nanette Fabray, to sign in first, and Nanette, in turn, allowing Robert to sign in at the top of the board because he was much taller than she.....
Nanette Fabray is still alive at the age of 93! Wikipedia says "She received a Tony nomination for her role as Nell Henderson in 1963 for Mr. President 1963 after an eleven-year absence from the New York stage"
I know her primarily as the female lead who replaced Imogene Coca when Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" became "Caesar's Hour". Filling Imogene's shoes was quite a tall order, but somehow she pulled it off (with a very different style).
Joe Postove If you're interested, you can check out this playlist, of videos on another one of my channels, the Vintage Comedy Vault. This contains sketches from both "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour", but it's noted in the video titles which series the sketches are from. ua-cam.com/play/PLvfCPBLpeglXm9Ol2QGTjtzEcWB39rYqo.html
Joe Postove This one is a particularly great showcase for Fabray: In Tribute To SID CAESAR - Argument to Beethoven's Fifth (CAESAR'S HOUR, Dec 27, 1954)
Dorothy Kilgallen. Wow!! What an entrance. Having watched about twelve years worth of WML to this point, I must say I don't think she has ever looked better than in this and the last couple of episodes. She started out so demure, restrained and somewhat self-conscious and remained so in varying degrees for the next decade or so....but NOW she's letting it all hang out!! She's lost her big mumsy hips, her hair is loose and soft, her face is bright and expressive. I'd go as far as saying she's become SEXY!! Clearly feeling great, looking great and oozing confidence. Some might cynically say it's drugs. Maybe it's something in her private life, I don't know. But I'm intrigued to see how this evolves into what some people seem to think was an erratic period for her. For now....she's havin a good time!!!
I read an interview of her. She mentioned that the WML introductions made her uncomfortable. And that her children made fun of her because of it. She did seem to loosen up - bacame more comfortable - as years went by.
The very height of it. The next night Kennedy would address the nation. I think it is why the ladies are wearing black and there is a somber atmosphere on the show. People were scared!
@@davidharris6581 were they scared before they heard JFK's speech? did they know anything about the missiles before then or had Kennedy kept this very quiet? They certainly were scared on Monday but I don't know about Sunday.
Michael Mantle I know, but for some reason, in previous WML episodes, most Queens residents either identified themselves or were identified by John as being from Long Island (e.g., "Flushing, Long Island;" "Rego Park, Long Island," etc.) As a New Yorker (proud Bronxite), born in the early 60s, I had never heard this before. I have noticed, btw, that Brooklyn was always identified by name, often with great pride and enthusiasm. (I still don't quite understand why Queens is the only borough for which mailing addresses go by neighborhood and state, rather than simply borough and state, either.)
SaveThe TPC thats because prior to the consolidation of the Five Boroughs of NYC in 1898, Queens was not a single place, but a county in the classic sense as a collection of smaller cities and towns. it did not have a unified identity like Brooklyn.
To be more precise, prior to 1898, Queens County was larger than it is today. When the Borough of Queens was created, it was only out of the western part of the county: primarily the towns of Flushing, Jamaica, Astoria and Long Island City, and the Rockaway Peninsula. The eastern part of the county was eventually split off and became Nassau County. At that point, the boundaries of the borough and the county of Queens became identical. The Bronx had a situation in reverse. It was the southern part of Westchester County when it became part of New York City in 1898. It was split off of Westchester but because the largest part of Westchester, the non-New York City part retained its name and Bronx became both a borough and a county in its own right. The spelling was changed slightly from the days centuries earlier when people would travel to enjoy the hospitality of a family known as "The Broncks". I have mentioned this a number of times on past episodes, but not on one for awhile, so I will repeat it: when I was growing up in Queens, I learned that the last line of my address was Richmond Hill, 19, LI, NY. (5 digit zip codes had not come into use yet when we moved in 1960.) That postal area is now known as either Jamaica, NY 11419 or South Richmond Hill, NY 11419. We didn't distinguish between Richmond Hill and South Richmond Hills back in those days. That is most likely a post office invention. Many of us in Queens identified as being part of Long Island back then. The border between Brooklyn and Queens south of Forest Park to Jamaica Bay was known as "City Line". The afternoon paper we subscribed to was the "Long Island Press". Queens is heavily served by the Long Island Railroad, with most of the lines converging at Jamaica, most of which proceeded into Penn Station in Manhattan with two exceptions: a line that ended in downtown Brooklyn, and a line that terminated on the Queens side of the East River. One other line of the LIRR (Port Washington Branch on the North Shore of LI) skipped Jamaica, serving the World's Fair/Shea Stadium/Citi Field area before arriving at Penn Station. And Long Island City was where one line of the LIRR terminated before reaching Manhattan; i.e. it is on the westernmost border of Queens, furthest away from the Long Island suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk. Of the LIRR's 24 stations in NYC, 20 are in Queens. Queens is the only borough that had multiple post office Sectional Center Facilities when zip codes came into existence. The SCF is what provides the first three digits of the zip code. Manhattan has needed to add some in recent years, but originally all of the local zip codes were SCF 100. Staten Island was entirely 103, Bronx 104 and Brooklyn 112. Queens has zip codes in the following SCF's: 110 (Floral Park, split between Queens and Nassau Counties), 111 (Long Island City), 113 (Flushing), 114 (Jamaica), 116 (Rockaway Peninsula).
Well, well, well.....someone on WML not only from the UK but from Newcastle Upon Tyne, my home town. Although he doesn't have much of a Geordie accent! My theory is he went up there and became a local MP for Newcastle but he's most probably from the other end of the country.
Do you have the May 25th 1952 WML that the last contestant appeared on? I ran a a search but could not find it. I wonder if there is a list of "regular" contestants who were on the show more than once?
It doesn't exist anymore. Only less than 10 episodes from the February 2, 1950-July 13, 1952 part of the run have aired on GSN. There are also 6 episodes that are said to exist in private collections. EPISODE #013 of August 02, 1950 (Private N.Y. Museum) EPISODE #048 of April 29, 1951 (University of Wisconsin Center For Film and Theater Research) EPISODE #084 of January 06, 1952 (Paley Center for Media N.Y.) EPISODE #097 of April 06, 1952 (Has been seen to exist on web sites. There might have been a stray Army kinescope or one that had been lifted from the G-T stack.) EPISODE #191 of January 25, 1954 (Might exist in full in Jerry Lewis' film & television archives) EPISODE #277 of September 25, 1955 (Might exist in full in Jackie Gleason's film & television archives)
Gee, that's really a shame. Almost the entire run was preserved except this time frame. Have you ever heard any of the separate radio only WML's. I think there was a short run of them in the early 50's.
Joe Postove I think I've seen maybe one or two copies of the radio shows floating around, but they're surprisingly scarce. I've not yet listened to any. I should see if I can dig some up via OTR connections. . .
You are very welcome. These shows are a goldmine. Thank goodness for Goodson-Todman for keeping a record of most of the run. However this seems like something Mark Goodson would think of. I believe he is thought of as the real wizard behind the game show curtain. In fact I have read that Mark Goodson did not have much respect for Bill Todman. How justified he was in that I can't say.
+Steven Ginsberg Could be. Although the first episode that Mr. Ress was on has been lost (5/25/52), according to TV.Com, Hal Block was on the panel that evening along with Arlene, Dorothy and Bennett.
Another "promotional" Mystery Guest segment that falls flat....as so many do. At leat, in this instance, the panel didn't 'carry' them to a respectable length of time
Bennett has admitted to "cheating" a bit. Sometimes he could see shoes from under the blindfold, and he listened for the swish of a dress as they walked in. I suspect that since he either saw her shoes or heard her dress, and only Mr. Ryan had spoken, there must have been more than one.
I've often wondered that about the final episode when John Daly was the mystery guest - the panel may have been able to hear him walking up to the curtain, only to emerge from the other side, and it probably took him a few seconds longer too than if a mystery guest had simply come out.
was mr. belafonte the only black panelist? such a classy show, this showed aired in the middle of the "cuban missile crisis", probably the closest we've come to nuclear war, the country was gripped by the stand off with the soviet union. and midterm elections for the kennedy presidency were just over 2 weeks away, the youngest elected president in history was being tested, soviet premier nikita khrushchev announced the following sunday he would remove the nuclear missiles from cuba, before wml aired that night, and just 10 days before the midterm elections. democrats would maintain huge majorities, majorities largely due to the country getting tired of republicans and their red scare trials and fear mongering.
The producers probably encouraged it, the reason being most of the viewers enjoyed it. Clearly, you don’t enjoy it, but perhaps you are the exception. Even 60 years ago, $50 was not a life changing amount, and the $5 increments were for score keeping, not a negotiated contract. Look at it this way. The producers want the viewers to like the panel. If a panelist quickly determines the occupation of a sympathetic contestant, viewers might resent that panelist. QED the solution is to praise the perspicacity of the panelist, while enriching the contestant.
![What's My Line? - Tony Martin; Peter Ustinov [panel] (Oct 28, 1962)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QjwOdtjohYI/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Tony Martin; Peter Ustinov [panel] (Oct 28, 1962)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Jimmy Durante; Dick Boone & Phyllis Newman [panel] (Apr 14, 1963)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8VheTF63frA/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Bobby Darin; Alan King [panel] (Dec 9, 1962) [W/ COMMERCIALS!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/104_sjcDtoo/mqdefault.jpg)
Another wonderful episode ! What a joy to see two icons: Bob Ryan & Nanette Fabray. A shame "Mr President" didn't run very long on Broadway. As always, THANKS for uploading for us to enjoy !
At 14:33 Robert is acknowledging Harry B because they had done a movie together.
Loved the smile on Ryan's face.
Also, Ryan's and Harry's dialogue and later "embracing one another" was awesome!!!
Also, Nannette touched Harry's cheek.
Groundbreaking "moves" for the time.
Ryan was also a prominent civil rights activist. Huge fan here. RIP
Was Harry the first man of color to sit there as the panelist?
"Odds Against Tomorrow" - one of the best. So cool to see their friendship and affection in real life, as opposed to the roles they played in the movie. Love this segment.
@@heardofjohn6854 We saw a side of Ryan we rarely see in the movies. He was always cast as a hard guy but obviously he could be quite charming and friendly. Another victim of Hollywood type-casting.
Yes. That we could get past the division being sown now to embrace one another again!
Loved Robert Ryan. I feel another underrated actor.
I couldn't agree more with you. He was great actor, and most definitely "underrated", but not by you and I.
morgan
I like your name.
He came across as having a gentle soul. Hope it's true.
Thank you, Rachel. I have only ever heard good things about Mr. Ryan, who often played villainous roles, but he was the complete opposite in real life.
It's gratifying to learn that one's heroes are just that.
Regards to you.
Yes, he played a great villain. I saw him in a movie (Born To Be Bad) with Joan Leslie, Zachary Scott and Joan Fontaine, in this movie he played a very nice guy.
Regards to you as well.
Rachel
I know the film, albeit viewed many, many years ago. Fontaine was a baddie, I seem to recall. Zachary Scott was another much underrated actor. Always liked him. Ah those happy, carefree days when only the cinema was available.
Robert Ryan (12:48) was a U. S. Marine who served with the O. S. S. in Yugoslavia. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a drill instructor at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. His military service was from January 1944 to November 1945.
Who ? Kevin..
@@dcasper8514 Robert Ryan 12:48
So civilized...When I was a kid, I wanted to speak English like Bennett Cerf. And, Arlene Francis was such a class act... Those were truly the "Golden Days of TV"...
Mr. Cerf spoke with that polite Long Island social class speech. Very distinctive, exclusive and noteworthy.
Bennett Cerf like to see himself on the teevee skween, but didn't think he sounded like Elmer Fudd.
Great to see Robert Ryan on the show. A good man and a great actor.
Thanks for sharing this episode.
Loved darling Nanette! Also loved Robert. So handsome & great actor. Very underrated!
No fancy set (probably cost maybe $300 total) but the quality of the program is 1000% better than the garbage that’s on today’s television. This was back when people had manners, and were for the most part more intelligent. 😎
Ok grandpa. Have you had your 8th gastric bypass yet?
@@Keaton.Robert 8th? Heck, I’ve had my 10th 😈
I love those shows and I am not even in my 40. The class and elegance of yesteryear's shows were far better than today's shows and yes I love them. So stop saying bad things about the fans of classic shows.
We were in the middle of the Missiles Of October when this was televised.
I was in the middle of a ham on rye and a bottle of beer then this first aired.....
Nanette Fabray sang Louisiana Hayride in one of my top five Hollywood musicals 'The Band Wagon'.
It's fun to see the frustration in Bennett's face every time he narrows the choices of the product or service down to two and he invariably picks the wrong one! It seems like I see that on a pretty regular basis.
It's equally pleasing to me when he chooses the right one and grins ear to ear like a 5 year old who just found a penny.
@@robbob1234 Like a cheshire cat who ate the cream!
@@robbob1234loved his smile,
I look forward to it because he thinks he's so smaht. If he got his head out of a book or a newspaper he maybe he'd know something.
That Dorothy Kilgallen was so smart.
Was it just an allusion or were people in those days, in general, really nicer, more respectful, more gracious, more calm, and displaying a generosity of spirit lacking in common society today? I believe they were. There has been a steady coarsening of the culture over the past sixty or so years that has resulted in the what we have today. IMO, sad to say, the devolution of the culture can't be reversed or even modified. Perilous times are upon us. May God have mercy on us.
Yes, they were. The values my mother taught me (I am 71 years old) I passed on to my children. Unfortunately they did not feel it necessary to pass it on to their children or grandchildren. You may teach your children proper etiquette but that does not mean they consider it of any value. Very disturbing to me that somehow I failed.
Rachel We are in the same generation. I grew up with alcohol and physical violence in my home. I have no memories of being physiclly or sexually abused for which I am very thankful. Public school was a safe sanctuary for me amid the chaos and fear. Growing up I had a lot of rage which somehow I could channel into my studies and sports. I discovered that true freedom is only found in Jesus Christ. The unconditional love of God allowed me to let go of all the stuff that had me in bondage until I was thirty, married with two sons. I'm sure I made a lot of mistakes in raising my children but I have been set free from sin, guilt, fear and condemnation of any kind. If you haven't already I pray you find God's love. Shalom.
Hi Kay, Thank you for your kind words, they are truly appreciated. May our Heavenly Father watch over you and your loved ones.
Shalom to you as well.
Thank you. Rachel. for your gracious speech.May we increase in obedience, love, peace, joy, wisdom and knowledge of Him being assured that He will keep safe all that we have committed to Him. Blessings.
Amen.
Robert Ryan was one of my favourite actors. He was an amazingly versatile film star who often played chilling and emotionally charged roles. One of Hollywood great actors.
They weren't married to each other. They were performing in a Broadway show together.
Well said and well put. Totally agree.
Arlene Francis is so vibrant and full of life.
She was no Hope Emerson (hubba hubba!) but Ms. Francis was indeed wonderfully talented & lovely !
Ryan and Belafonte were good friends before and after, ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW a classic film noir.
Immanuel Ress was a very entertaining contestant. He had a great/comedic personality.
Good man and an excellent actor.
The Kennedy entourage famously attended a performance of Irving Berlin's then new but last Broadway musical play "Mr. President" -- arrived late, left early.
1962 saw Berlin's last Broadway musical . . . well, last musical. Producer Arthur Freed was enthusiastic about filming at MGM Studio Berlin's "Say it With Music." It went through several incarnations and eventually two different proposed directors -- Vincente Minnelli and Blake Edwards, but it did not get its big self off the ground.
Gosh, was Harry Belafonte handsome!
He was no Rondo Hatton, but Harry was indeed one good lookin' chap!
Harry Belafonte - how handsome he was.
He is still with us!!
@@mehboobkm2018 Good grief you are right! 95 years old. One of the few 60s participants of the show still around. Hope he makes 100!
@@saran3214 fingers crossed!!🙏
@@mehboobkm2018He died April 2023
He was no Huntz Hall, but he was indeed a very good looking fellow!
Rewatching all episodes with Harry Belafonte. 55,58,59,66 as a mystery guest and 61,62 as a guest on the panel.
I love Harry Belafonte, his voice, charisma, and good looks.
[ 0:57 ] [ 1:30 ] Two of the best looking dresses that Arlene and Dorothy ever wore on WML. They both look stunning -- but Arlene especially. Are long black gloves in style anywhere in 2014?
absolutely agree! and yes, the long evening gloves are never out of style.
zardon4
style has nothing to do with need :)
Just got to see The Set Up again.
One of Robert Ryan's BEST films and BEST performances!
They always brought stars on that were currently appearing on Broadway. That's why they could guess so many right.
Harry Belafonte is a many-faceted talent, including music, certainly, but I think also of his outstanding performances in movies over the course of 53 years, including "Bright Road," "Carmen Jones," "Island In The Sun" (which I like a lot!), "The World, the Flesh and the Devil" (which was directed by Ranald McDougall - Nanette Fabray's husband), "Odds Against Tomorrow" (which I like a LOT - and in which his co-stars include Ed Begley and Robert Ryan), "The Angel Levine," "Buck and the Preacher," "Uptown Saturday Night," "White Man's Burden," "Kansas City," and "Bobby." All of those films are well worth the watch - and he is very good in them.
He does very well here in his second - and last - appearance as a panelist on WML? (He had also appeared as a panelist on 11 June 1961.) He will appear one more time as Mystery Guest, on 13 February 1966. (He had previously appeared 3 times as MG: in 1955, 1958, and 1959.)
Contrary to Bennett Cerf's gushing, "Mr. President" was not a "great big hit." It ran on Broadway for 265 performances, opening on Saturday, 20 October 1962 and closing on Saturday, 8 June 1963. It did have a tough gestation period before opening (exacerbated by battles with the co-authors of the book, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, over necessary changes in the show), as Mr. Ryan and Miss Fabray allude to, but it is certainly not as bad a show as Miss Fabray and Anita Gillette (who played first daughter Lesley Henderson) claim in the book SING OUT, LOUISE! Irving Berlin wrote a good score and songs (his fourth and last "book show," the previous three having been "Annie Get Your Gun," "Miss Liberty," and "Call Me Madam"), the most enduring of which is "This Is A Great Country." And Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray played President Stephen Decatur Henderson and First Lady Nell Henderson for the whole run of the show. Give the show a listen, if you find the original Broadway cast album (recorded by Columbia Records) somewhere.
(This was, by the way, Robert Ryan's only Broadway musical. He appeared on Broadway in 1941/2 as Joe Doyle in the premiere production of "Clash By Night" before entering the service, and he appeared on Broadway again in 1969/70 as Walter Burns in a revival of "The Front Page.")
I was trying to figure out the connection between Robert Ryan and Nanette Farbray. 265 performances is a fair run on Broadway (not a smash hit as Bennett claimed, but the panel was always charitable to the current vehicles of a Mystery Guest; not a bomb, either, like some shows that close within a week). But over the test of time, "Mr. President" would have to be considered a rather obscure play, other than it being known as the last book play for Irving Berlin.
Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray were appearing on Broadway in "Mr President", Irving Berlin's final musical( and, unfortunately,a flop). Miss Fabray did get the best songs.
I MUST SAY THAT MR HARRY BELAFONTE IS THE MOST HANDSOME BEAUTIFULLY MANLY MAN I HAVE EVER SEEN
He was no Percy Helton, but Mr. Belafaonte was indeed quite a good looking fellow!
@@jubalcalif9100 YOUR RIGHT
It is not an illusion. People were nicer, respectful, gracious and calm. They also had self respect and dignity.
The second contestant was the groom for Mr. Softee. He and his rider David Broome won the bronze medal in individual show jumping at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.
Gully R.
Mr. Softee ice cream has been around since 1956. Is it possible that the British horse could have been named after the American ice cream?
+SaveThe TPC I did some searching and in Ireland, Mr. John Massarella bought a young horse at the Dublin
Horse Show and named it after their ice cream franchise: ‘ Mister
Softee”. So yes, that is where he got his name!
Thanks, Gully R. ! :)
Mark Richardson I haven't heard of that one.
Oh great. Now I will have the Mister Softee song as an ear worm for a couple of days. It didn't take many childhood summers (and warm weather weekends during the school year) for that song to be planted indelibly in my brain.
Harry Belafonte - class act - he's a great entertainer.
Interesting how Nanette Fabray who came out first, signed her name lower so Robert can have "Top Billing'...
I suspect it was because he was a lot taller than she was, and she thoughtfully spared him having to stoop to sign in.
I looked on it as Robert Ryan being quite the gentleman in allowing the lady, Nanette Fabray, to sign in first, and Nanette, in turn, allowing Robert to sign in at the top of the board because he was much taller than she.....
@@jmccracken1963 and the way back, he made Nannette go first!
Nanette Fabray is still alive at the age of 93! Wikipedia says "She received a Tony nomination for her role as Nell Henderson in 1963 for Mr. President 1963 after an eleven-year absence from the New York stage"
I know her primarily as the female lead who replaced Imogene Coca when Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" became "Caesar's Hour". Filling Imogene's shoes was quite a tall order, but somehow she pulled it off (with a very different style).
I didn't know that. I'll have to look for some Caesar's Hour's.
Joe Postove If you're interested, you can check out this playlist, of videos on another one of my channels, the Vintage Comedy Vault. This contains sketches from both "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour", but it's noted in the video titles which series the sketches are from.
ua-cam.com/play/PLvfCPBLpeglXm9Ol2QGTjtzEcWB39rYqo.html
Joe Postove This one is a particularly great showcase for Fabray: In Tribute To SID CAESAR - Argument to Beethoven's Fifth (CAESAR'S HOUR, Dec 27, 1954)
THANKS! That is nearly 60 years old and wonderful. Two great stars, and not bad work on the part of the director and switcher too.
Dorothy Kilgallen. Wow!! What an entrance. Having watched about twelve years worth of WML to this point, I must say I don't think she has ever looked better than in this and the last couple of episodes. She started out so demure, restrained and somewhat self-conscious and remained so in varying degrees for the next decade or so....but NOW she's letting it all hang out!! She's lost her big mumsy hips, her hair is loose and soft, her face is bright and expressive. I'd go as far as saying she's become SEXY!! Clearly feeling great, looking great and oozing confidence. Some might cynically say it's drugs. Maybe it's something in her private life, I don't know. But I'm intrigued to see how this evolves into what some people seem to think was an erratic period for her. For now....she's havin a good time!!!
I read an interview of her. She mentioned that the WML introductions made her uncomfortable. And that her children made fun of her because of it. She did seem to loosen up - bacame more comfortable - as years went by.
That she was 😊
19:04 hilarious line of questioning by bennett cerf.
Harry Belafonte is very good looking IMO.
"Be nice to me...I'm rich." Wonder where one would wear that today?
Taped during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The very height of it. The next night Kennedy would address the nation. I think it is why the ladies are wearing black and there is a somber atmosphere on the show. People were scared!
Scared, to say the least.
@@davidharris6581 were they scared before they heard JFK's speech? did they know anything about the missiles before then or had Kennedy kept this very quiet? They certainly were scared on Monday but I don't know about Sunday.
Nanette Fabray and Robert Ryan make such a good looking couple.
Indeed! Quite charismatic!
I am so smitten with Nannette. Such a sweet peach, and a mensch, to boot.
I'd forgotten how tall Harry B was! Lovely man.
At last a contestant who identifies his Queens neighborhood as part of Queens instead of Long Island! (Mr. Ress, the campaign button-maker)
Michael Mantle I know, but for some reason, in previous WML episodes, most Queens residents either identified themselves or were identified by John as being from Long Island (e.g., "Flushing, Long Island;"
"Rego Park, Long Island," etc.) As a New Yorker (proud Bronxite), born in the early 60s, I had never heard this before. I have noticed, btw, that Brooklyn was always identified by name, often with great pride and enthusiasm. (I still don't quite understand why Queens is the only borough for which mailing addresses go by neighborhood and state, rather than simply borough and state, either.)
SaveThe TPC thats because prior to the consolidation of the Five Boroughs of NYC in 1898, Queens was not a single place, but a county in the classic sense as a collection of smaller cities and towns. it did not have a unified identity like Brooklyn.
@Steven Ginsberg
That's the best explanation I've heard so far -- thanks! :-)
To be more precise, prior to 1898, Queens County was larger than it is today. When the Borough of Queens was created, it was only out of the western part of the county: primarily the towns of Flushing, Jamaica, Astoria and Long Island City, and the Rockaway Peninsula. The eastern part of the county was eventually split off and became Nassau County. At that point, the boundaries of the borough and the county of Queens became identical.
The Bronx had a situation in reverse. It was the southern part of Westchester County when it became part of New York City in 1898. It was split off of Westchester but because the largest part of Westchester, the non-New York City part retained its name and Bronx became both a borough and a county in its own right. The spelling was changed slightly from the days centuries earlier when people would travel to enjoy the hospitality of a family known as "The Broncks".
I have mentioned this a number of times on past episodes, but not on one for awhile, so I will repeat it: when I was growing up in Queens, I learned that the last line of my address was Richmond Hill, 19, LI, NY. (5 digit zip codes had not come into use yet when we moved in 1960.) That postal area is now known as either Jamaica, NY 11419 or South Richmond Hill, NY 11419. We didn't distinguish between Richmond Hill and South Richmond Hills back in those days. That is most likely a post office invention.
Many of us in Queens identified as being part of Long Island back then. The border between Brooklyn and Queens south of Forest Park to Jamaica Bay was known as "City Line". The afternoon paper we subscribed to was the "Long Island Press". Queens is heavily served by the Long Island Railroad, with most of the lines converging at Jamaica, most of which proceeded into Penn Station in Manhattan with two exceptions: a line that ended in downtown Brooklyn, and a line that terminated on the Queens side of the East River. One other line of the LIRR (Port Washington Branch on the North Shore of LI) skipped Jamaica, serving the World's Fair/Shea Stadium/Citi Field area before arriving at Penn Station. And Long Island City was where one line of the LIRR terminated before reaching Manhattan; i.e. it is on the westernmost border of Queens, furthest away from the Long Island suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk. Of the LIRR's 24 stations in NYC, 20 are in Queens.
Queens is the only borough that had multiple post office Sectional Center Facilities when zip codes came into existence. The SCF is what provides the first three digits of the zip code. Manhattan has needed to add some in recent years, but originally all of the local zip codes were SCF 100. Staten Island was entirely 103, Bronx 104 and Brooklyn 112. Queens has zip codes in the following SCF's: 110 (Floral Park, split between Queens and Nassau Counties), 111 (Long Island City), 113 (Flushing), 114 (Jamaica), 116 (Rockaway Peninsula).
Well, well, well.....someone on WML not only from the UK but from Newcastle Upon Tyne, my home town. Although he doesn't have much of a Geordie accent! My theory is he went up there and became a local MP for Newcastle but he's most probably from the other end of the country.
In the US, this is called carpetbagging.
Home of Mr James Nail esq??
I love Arlene's hair in this program.
Do you have the May 25th 1952 WML that the last contestant appeared on? I ran a a search but could not find it. I wonder if there is a list of "regular" contestants who were on the show more than once?
It doesn't exist anymore. Only less than 10 episodes from the February 2, 1950-July 13, 1952 part of the run have aired on GSN. There are also 6 episodes that are said to exist in private collections.
EPISODE #013 of August 02, 1950 (Private N.Y. Museum)
EPISODE #048 of April 29, 1951 (University of Wisconsin Center For Film and Theater Research)
EPISODE #084 of January 06, 1952 (Paley Center for Media N.Y.)
EPISODE #097 of April 06, 1952 (Has been seen to exist on web sites. There might have been a stray Army kinescope or one that had been lifted from the G-T stack.)
EPISODE #191 of January 25, 1954 (Might exist in full in Jerry Lewis' film & television archives)
EPISODE #277 of September 25, 1955 (Might exist in full in Jackie Gleason's film & television archives)
Gee, that's really a shame. Almost the entire run was preserved except this time frame. Have you ever heard any of the separate radio only WML's. I think there was a short run of them in the early 50's.
Joe Postove I think I've seen maybe one or two copies of the radio shows floating around, but they're surprisingly scarce. I've not yet listened to any. I should see if I can dig some up via OTR connections. . .
***** Thanks, as always, for the help you provide keeping track of the series.
You are very welcome. These shows are a goldmine. Thank goodness for Goodson-Todman for keeping a record of most of the run. However this seems like something Mark Goodson would think of. I believe he is thought of as the real wizard behind the game show curtain. In fact I have read that Mark Goodson did not have much respect for Bill Todman. How justified he was in that I can't say.
There are times when Arlene looks like Helen Mirren in this episode.
Wow. Good eye.
Robert Ryan 12.21
12:25 Robert Ryan and Nanette Fabray
Dear What's My Line?...why is the Oct 14, 1962 show deleted here on UA-cam?
It was reposted, and the description offers an explanation of what happened. ua-cam.com/video/Sw9VT5TOcY8/v-deo.html
I just watched it before this one.
Robert Ryan passed away 50 years ago today. Where did the time go?
Sir William Fergus Montgomery was the only Conservative ever to represent Newcastle East
Re Robert Ryan, dose anybody know if Mr Ryan ever came to the UK late sixties (Liverpool Merseyside.) or anywhere near that area.
Thank you.
could have been a few days near the very end very easily
Awww, Harry didn't get a button :(
TheSapphireEmpress96 maybe there was one for Hal Block
+Steven Ginsberg
Could be. Although the first episode that Mr. Ress was on has been lost (5/25/52), according to TV.Com, Hal Block was on the panel that evening along with Arlene, Dorothy and Bennett.
how does Arlene Francis figure out who the mystery guest is so often?, is she wearing a see thru mask? but I must say, she was a living doll
They all know who the mystery Guest is beforehand !!! it is all Fixed !!!
@@ripghyll No, they're just smarter than you are.
Now there is an Alpha male: Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan singing?
This makes me want to try and find a copy of the original Broadway cast album!
Lovely Welsh accent
Another "promotional" Mystery Guest segment that falls flat....as so many do. At leat, in this instance, the panel didn't 'carry' them to a respectable length of time
13:30 Arlene... ".. as opposed to 2 women... which I'm always opposed to...".... Ok Arlene..
Remember that it was 1962.
Love it!😅
Daly was obviously drawing out the last contestant, as much as possible.
The next evening, President Kennedy announced to the nation the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis.
How did Bennett know that there were two mystery guests when only one of them had spoken at the time he asked the question?
Bennett has admitted to "cheating" a bit. Sometimes he could see shoes from under the blindfold, and he listened for the swish of a dress as they walked in. I suspect that since he either saw her shoes or heard her dress, and only Mr. Ryan had spoken, there must have been more than one.
j gruber He admitted he smelled perfume also. And funny, I can't remember him sitting elsewhere. Gotta Love Bennett !
In addition to what others said, there's a noticeable difference in signing in time
I've often wondered that about the final episode when John Daly was the mystery guest - the panel may have been able to hear him walking up to the curtain, only to emerge from the other side, and it probably took him a few seconds longer too than if a mystery guest had simply come out.
Foot steps, the sound of writing on the board, all give aways and in this case Ryan answered the questions in 2 different times.
The woman from Wales, "yeah..yeah.. yeah.. yeah... yeah"
It's 'YES'
was mr. belafonte the only black panelist? such a classy show, this showed aired in the middle of the "cuban missile crisis", probably the closest we've come to nuclear war, the country was gripped by the stand off with the soviet union. and midterm elections for the kennedy presidency were just over 2 weeks away, the youngest elected president in history was being tested, soviet premier nikita khrushchev announced the following sunday he would remove the nuclear missiles from cuba, before wml aired that night, and just 10 days before the midterm elections. democrats would maintain huge majorities, majorities largely due to the country getting tired of republicans and their red scare trials and fear mongering.
No there were a few other Black panelists. But Belafonte was the first.
Nanette's a lot more mellow this time around. Prefer her last appearance when she was alone.
Interesting Dorothy sitting where Arlene usually sits & her hairdo seems to be closer to Arlene's
They swapped often.
At 13:37 Arlene shows here lesbian distaste......lol.
this really is a lack luster episode. Harry Belafonte was an amazing singer but to laid back for a panel member
Everyone was having fun until Dorothy opened her big mouth at 22:38, you can even hear the audience complain.
They weren't complaining... they were amazed at how she was able to figure it out.
@@AllenMQuinn no it was definitely the grown of all why Jeff to do that.
☹️
(I truly DO hope the producers talked to John at some point about flipping over those cards for no reason)
But if they had done that years ago then we wouldn't see you commenting on every episode! And where's the fun in that?
The producers probably encouraged it, the reason being most of the viewers enjoyed it. Clearly, you don’t enjoy it, but perhaps you are the exception. Even 60 years ago, $50 was not a life changing amount, and the $5 increments were for score keeping, not a negotiated contract. Look at it this way. The producers want the viewers to like the panel. If a panelist quickly determines the occupation of a sympathetic contestant, viewers might resent that panelist. QED the solution is to praise the perspicacity of the panelist, while enriching the contestant.
Why on earth should that bother you, all these years later?