What I love about all of these shows is the good manners that all the panelists and guests have. They are all well dressed and display a knowledge of the english language and are able to communicate. No talking down to the audience. I remember as a child growing up in this era, how it was stressed to be cultivated and the ability to hold a conversation and be pleasing in person.
@@scottmessenger8639 My other response was brief because my power went out as I was responding to you! I miss the more civil world from my childhood, when people could have an exchange of ideas and still be well mannered.
@@scottmessenger8639 Aspiring to good manners, civility and culture was still the English way at the time, and America still thought of itself as an offspring of Mother England.. at least to a degree.
It is such a joy to watch these shows, many of which aired long before I was born. And I agree with those who have commented here on how cultured, classy, erudite and knowledgeable the population in general was back then. Sadly, in my lifetime, things have deteriorated exponentially with each decade that I've lived since my birth in 1960. And more's the pity.
Madison Ave discovered that American kids in the 1950s/60s had an abundance of something no previous generation had ever had in abundance: disposable income to blow on pop culture. For the first time popular culture could be monetized in a big way thanks to the largest generation America had ever produced - the post WWII baby boom generation. America hasn't been the same since..
I love What's My Line when Robert Preston appeared. He's so knowledgeable, funny, such a gentleman not to mention handsome. Love how he was cracking up and muttering under his breath to Arlene and Dorothy, cracking them up. The on one of the rounds, he says, "...I pass, I'll get us cut off the air...". I surely wish I could have seen him perform LIVE on stage or played in the orchestra for one of his musicals. What talent and charisma..
Sara Vazzana I saw Robert Preston perform in “Music Man” in the 1970’s at the Dallas Summer Musicals at Fair Park. He was magnificent for sure. One of my most favorite performances ever. A very handsome man with a fantastic voice. I wish he were still here to entertain us. Music Man is one of my most favorite musicals. Little “Opie Taylor”... Ronny Howard at five years old played the young “lisping” brother of Marion the Librarion in the movie...I don’t know if he was in the Broadway production.
Noël Coward was a brilliant entertainer. My favorite is his role as a Royal Navy destroyer captain in the 1942 World War II drama "In Which We Serve." He wrote, produced, co-directed (with David Lean), composed the score, and starred in the film.
Noel Coward was a brilliant playwright as well as a wonderful composer of song - and a very funny man besides! It's too bad the program was running short of time as it would have been fun to hear him talk - about anything. His diaries, which were published after his death in 1973, are a fascinating insight into the mind of Mr. Coward who created much and lived a very full and happy life.
@@OnTheOnlyShipButHalfWannaSink I agree. I would've loved Sir Noel to be the only guest and for the entire show to have been just letting him talk while the panel and audience listened.
I checked out a Noel Coward songbook from the public library when in my teens and promptly memorized “Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans.” Wonderfully catchy tune and powerfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Coward sang it for Winston Churchill early on (during the war) and brought Churchill to fits of laughter, which surely did him some good.
People who comment on these episodes often describe these people as being under the influence of drink. I've spent a lot of time with drunk people and indeed been well and truly sloshed myself and I can tell you, apart from the very very rare occasion, these people do not show a shred of being under the influence. It's possible they MAY have alcohol in their bloodstream (who wouldn't on a weekend evening?) but the attributes of a drunk person are having a slowed and laboured gait (even tottering), a slowness of wit, a slowness of delivery, a slowness to keep up as well as an aptitude to lose track of what's going on, an abandonment of etiquette, a difficulty to pronounce words.....etc.etc. In short NO ONE is the slightest bit drunk here!! Jollity doesn't count.
I am so glad that Bennett called Dorothy down on her "isn't everything east of Grand Rapids" remark. Actually she would like to say that anything west of Manhattan was dangerous. Bennett got around a lot more a saw that the poor folks who watched the show in Washtub West Virginia were good people too. Bravo, Bennett!
I know he often says he is lecturing or holidaying in some far-off place but it doesn't show in his manner and arrogance and lack of common knowledge. No, he wouldn't have appreciated WV at all. Dorothy might if she could write about it exclusively and acidly kudos to her. Arlene was by far the most cultured and travelled and witty of them all yet she never comes across at snobbish and she has a sense of humour that can be naughty and self.deprecating. I can express my opinion that she and the 'contestants' and some of the 'mystery guests' are the reasons why I keep watching WML over and over again and again and suspect I will continue to do so. I liked Hal, and Fred and Martin could be very Arlenesque that seemed a match made in heaven indeed but all the other regulars are either off-limits for comments pro or against (Dorothy, and I find her at times infuriating at times quite amusing and perspicacious - not particularly here) or off-comments because most people seem to think they are well-mannered or polite. Well it was the 1960s (and 50s) what would you expect from the Manhattan self-appointed elite on what passed at the time for a popular yet not entirely low-brow show? It's not low-brow from this distance in time but it's mostly Arlene that makes it viewable. The contestants are interesting as social history, most of their jobs being no longer existent. The Mystery Guests are sometimes extraordinarily talented people - why did they need to be on TV at all? Other are just wannabe celebs long forgotten except we have this internet immortality now. Bestowed upon the deserving and the not quite so deserving. Even the deserving must be rolling in their graves...
Dorothy's viewpoint was common in NYC, as per this New Yorker Magazine cover of March 29, 1976: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_World_from_9th_Avenue Tongue in cheek, I have often said that I still root for the Dodgers because I can't fault them for moving to the suburbs.
There have been a number of times when John answered something that he knows nothing about. One time he had a pig farmer on the show and after the game the panel asked the guest about some different breeds of hogs and instead of letting the guest answer, John tried to amswer them himself. I have been around hogs all my life and John had no idea what he was talking about and he should have left well enough alone and let the guest answer. He did that from time to time.
Five years to the day after this episode aired, on Sunday January 12, 1969, Joe Namath would make good on his guarantee and lead the Jets to a huge upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in what would be called Super Bowl III. But by this time the CBS version of WML was off the air. "Broadway Joe" Namath would have made a great Mystery Guest. At this time, Namath was still a junior at the University of Alabama. He had been suspended for the last two games of the 1963 and would enter his senior year with a cloud over him. He responded to it by leading his team to an undefeated regular season and under some polls a national championship, although his team was defeated in the Orange Bowl by Texas, 21-17, when he came up short on a quarterback sneak late in the game. (Meanwhile Arkansas finished undefeated with a Cotton Bowl win over Nebraska.)
Preston was one of the best of a now vanished breed of star actors of Broadway who also attained some recognizable fame in movies as well. The play he was starring in at the time of this appearance ran until June and then that Fall he was back on Broadway again in the musical "Ben Franklin In Paris."
"Nobody Love An Albatross" opened at the Lyceum Theatre on Thursday, 19 December 1963 and closed on Saturday, 20 June 1964, after a run of 212 performances. Barry Nelson replaced Robert Preston at Nat Bentley in the cast for the final three weeks of the show's run (basically, all of the June performances).
Shortly before this episode, Noel Coward was offered the title role of the villain in the first James Bond movie, "Dr. No." His response: "No! No! No!"
@@georgimihailov4906 we can quibble about the meaning of "shortly," but Coward was offered the role and declined it. And Cary Grant was offered the role of James Bond -- in fact, Fleming created the character with Grant in mind. Can you imagine if Grant and Coward had played the parts?
Harry Kurnitz wrote the book. The musical was based on Terence Rattigan's play "The Sleeping Prince." The show opened at the Broadway Theatre on Sunday, 8 December 1963, and closed on Saturday, 14 March 1964. The cast principals were Jose Ferrer, Florence Henderson, Irene Browne, and Tessie O'Shea. The show was staged by Joe Layton, with sets designed by Oliver Smith, costumes designed by Irene Sharaff, and lighting designed by Peggy Clark.
He also wrote the words, lyrics, and book for a Broadway musical called "Sail Away", which ran for 167 performances in 1961. It starred Elaine Stritch. He also wrote a successful operetta in 1929 called "Bitter Sweet". It starred Peggy Wood, who later played the reverend mother in the film "The Sound of Music".
Actually, all of the bananas we eat are sterile, and the seeds have gradually been reduced to little specs. Bananas don't have seeds because they don't need them. As all bananas have been propagated vegetatively, all bananas are sterile clones. All of the bananas sold in grocery stores today and all of the bananas we eat, are a single breed. And that breed is Cavendish. If you wanted to grow a fruit producing Cavendish Banana tree, you could not do it from the little reduced specks representing seeds you see inside a banana, since the banana is a commercially cultivated product. The only way to propagate a banana tree would be by procuring seeds from a reputable supplier.
Enjoyed performing it and also the four musicals in the cycle. His plays get so much attention that he's always overlooked as a superb writer of short stories.
Notice how Noel briefly shook the hand of the publisher then affectionately kissed the remaining panelists? He never trusted or respected that side of the business and most of them were chasing him not the other way around. Brilliant elegant man
The fact the woman won all those championships yet never had a perfect game speaks to how much bowling balls have changed. These days many, many amateur bowlers get perfect games who aren't even that good because the reactive resin balls scatter the pins on impact so much better than the old time rubber.
@@jubalcalif9100 If you watch his elegant, large hands during the "Right here in River City" number, they almost do a hand ballet, so you make sure to notice them next time it's on some channel you get. He's very musical.
Mo-beel is an accepted form of pronunciation according to Merriam-Webster. The other day here in Israel I was talking with my 18 year old niece, and I kept referring to the cee-ment needed in most buildings here. She let me go on for a few minutes, and then finally asked me what cee-ment was. It is cement as pronounced in Norfolk, Virginia.
Joe Postove Like the "cee-ment pond" in "The Beverly Hillbillies." I did not even understand when I was little why they referred to the swimming pool that way.
SaveThe TPC Growing up in southeastern Virginia, I never really considered myself southern. Richmond and D.C. have more of a southern feel to them than does Norfolk. Maybe as the world's largest Naval Base and the headquarters for NATO, Norfolk is more cosmopolitan. Truth be told, if you go 20 miles south of Norfolk into Carolina Country it is like a different planet. But we do say cee-ment and other southernism, so Norfolk (which was occupied by the North for most of the civil war) is still south, but it ain't that much. Huh?
My father was a Professional bowler. I played for a league and travelled to different places to play other leagues. One place was Hamburg, but I couldn’t say where Hamburg is ‘cause I don’t know. I do remember he had at least two trophies. One was for scoring 278 and another was for 280 something, but I can’t remember the exact number. I was a kid at the time.
What a delight of an episode this is! Also, if my beloved Marilyn Monroe kinda idolized Albert Einstein, Bennett Cerf is my dream of a man, even when I was a little girl watching, before color tv. What a smile he has. What a beautiful dreamer. And Random House, books, stories galore. I never saw a single mean bone in his body or mind or out of his ❤. Still a fool in love over Mr. Cerf. The whole group is heaven. Thanks from one who watches zero current tv world crappola. Even right now, this What's My Line show is classically watchable media. I still love seeing Dorothy and Arlene with their fashion passion in full 🦚 plumage. Delicious. And it beats seeing heavy-duty ladies in jogging suits and sneakers. Whoops, better s.u. now. Not looking for trouble, not King Creole. 👧
It was almost a braggadocious quality that many celebrities drank before/during these shows. It was considered glamorous much like smoking was. In fact, most drank in the Green Room (both celebrity and guest) before they went on. My mom took part in some of these TV productions so I know first hand.
Nope. Bananas have never been classified as a vegetable nor herb although a fruit they are botanically classified as a berry. The Banana heart and flowers are used in Southeast Asian cuisine like a savory vegetable this may be the source of the confusion
Bennett asks if the bowler did anything that could improve upon the beauty or the health of the recipient of her service. Gosh, I would just get fat watching the bowling channel (I'll bet there is one too)!
This was certainly a fun show this time! Dorothy was ckever and hilarious in the Banana guessing...she reminds me of a cute geisha girl...but oh! Dottie! That "fascinator" hat!!! You could just rise up and fly away!
"Geisha gitl" you obviously know nothing about Geisha. The word means Art (Gei) girl (sha - in Kyoto they are Geiko Art Woman) so calling them Geisha girls is like saying art girl girl.
@@cathykinn4516 So sorry to annoy you! Yes, I've watched documentaries and I know the art and discipline involved. The use of "Geisha Girl" now often just refers to a sweet, delicate face.
@@brucealvarez9263 But in practice, the varieties of banana currently in commerce are not grown from seed, and if the fruit were planted it would not germinate ... The seeds are vestigial, if that is the proper term. The trees are propagated by cutting and grafting, as John stated. This accounts for the uniformity of the product, but also has dangers in that the whole crop could be susceptible to the same diseases.
Yes and no about bananas having seeds. Modern, commercial strains of banana don't have seeds. (Well, they do, but they're tiny and sterile, unlike wild and often inedible varieties of bananas, which have large and viable seeds.)
@@brucealvarez9263 Many people have yet to learn that things can belong to different families: such as, tomatoes, cukes are botanically fruits, but in the culinary world they are considered and handled as vegetables nonetheless.
As an American myself, from what I know about the subject at hand, "Brief Encounter" and "Lawrence of Arabia" are generally regarded as two of the greatest British films ever made. If you look at any official list of greatest British films, including the BFI's (British Film Institute) top 100, odds are pretty good that you will find "Brief Encounter" and "Lawrence of Arabia" in the top 10. And yes, both films were directed by David Lean.
Bennett tells some behind the scenes secrets of WML including the panel’s attitude towards Dorothy. It’s a 2 part audio interview. Listen to both parts. ua-cam.com/video/kxA4UQ3gcbw/v-deo.html
Rowby Goren Thanks for the link. I've listened to both. None of what I heard caused me to raise an eyebrow though and, while he was frank about certain things that weren't that complimentary, he still described her as 'very nice' and that he got on with her very well. So....no big deal. Just as a side point. It's interesting that he clearly disapproves of a 'gossip columnist style' and yet he freely talks gossip himself in that interview!! I like Bennett a lot...but I'd have to say to him 'hey man, you can't have it both ways!'
@@davidsanderson5918 Before Dorothy was a gossip columnist she was a serious reporter. She was considered one of the best newspaper reporters during that time.
What happened to Johnny Olson at the closing credits? Didn't they used to credit the show as a Mark Goodson/Bill Toddman Production in association with the CBS Television network? When did they flip it (if they did)?
Joe Postove Dont know. I did check and Mr Olson passed away in 1985 from a stroke in Santa Monica Ca, but WML was already off the air by then, and he was doing The Price Is Right with Bob Barker.
I gather the first lady's name as a championship bowler was different than the name she uses here on the show. I'm surprised this panel knew anything about it at all. Somehow, I can't imagine this panel of urbane New Yorkers, denizens of Broadway and cafe society, having ever been near a bowling alley.
WML can indeed be educational. How often does the mechanics of the sex life of bananas come up in a regular conversation? Certain fruits are just funny no matter what. Bananas. Cumquats. Dorothy seems -- how shall we say -- fuzzy, but she figured out that the thing was a banana. Everyone else was floating delightfully off subject.
It’s amazing the audience knew who he was. We’re so stupid these days I doubt an audience of normal people would recognize by sight (his signature was illegible) any playwright.
There was a blizzard that night. I wonder if after the show the weather would be so bad that CBS would force the audience out of the theater, or allow them to cuddle with warm doughnuts and coffee with the cast and crew?
Given the common courtesy that was prevalent during that era, they probably were well cared for during the storm. Today, they would probably be handed shovels and told to get to work.
I wasn't alive in the 60s. John intimates that 4-5 inches of snow is somewhat troublesome. Nowadays, NYC can handle that with a shrug. Was snow clearing so insufficient at that time that a light blizzard would cause great perturbation in the city?
When the plows drive through and pile mountains of snow onto every curb in the city, being a pedestrian in NYC can be very treacherous. Add to that, icy sidewalks and areas of deep slush, splashed by passing traffic. Winter in the City can be very miserable, especially since most New Yorkers have to walk everywhere.
He passed away in 1973. He wrote plays, novels, short stories, scripts, music and lyrics, and he was a great actor as well. Sir Noel Peirce Coward, 1899-1973.
I think there is no doubt that Dorothy Kilgallen was under the influence of something. She was slurring her words and Bennett Cerf could hardly look at her. It is very sad. John rushed the ending credits, explaining they ran out of time. It was probably done so Dorothy doesn't do anything else embarrassing.
A time when everything was closed on a Sunday. Simply for peoples mental health shutting down everything for 24 hours was most beneficial. Tday everything is 24/7.
Kilgallen at 14:18: "So it's therefore in the vegetable family?" Banana Inspector: "Yes." Banana a vegetable: hmm, learn something new every day :-Q ...
The "broad sense" they used as a qualifier on this show was whether an object was animal, vegetable or mineral. Under that criteria, a banana is in the vegetable category.
The biggest novae ever seen in the 20th Century --- Novae Aquila -- happened the day Robert Preston was born. 8 June 1918. Apparently he was the baby for whom the sign was given. RE: Nobody Love an Albatros. Oh, I don't know. The play lasted from mid-December 1963 into June 1964. Apparently enough people loved it for a while.
After 10-11 months of apparent sobriety and health, Dorothy's behavior these last two episodes has to have sparked some discussion among the producers...heck, the entire cast and crew (and the viewing public?). It would have been inappropriate for anyone to have said anything about it, but I'd think Dorothy's condition in these two episodes would be all the more disturbing after 10 months of optimism, cheerfulness, and the assumption that she was okay. At least, that's what the viewing public would think...but what do we know? Anything could have been going on, I guess. Does Lee Israel say anything about this time period?
This time Bennett interrupted Dorothy's turn. Bennett responds that John declared one minute remaining but that has never meant that the matter was open for general discussion, but rather that the panel was alerted time was running out.
HaHa! I live in the same state as Tuscaloosa is located, which John Daly mentioned jokingly when Dorothy said mobile. My college football team is there 🐘.
Noel Coward did not, I think, get a welcome from the audience commensurate with his long time fame and success. Do you think by 1964 he was semi-forgotten? Well, I guess only "Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in a midnight blizzard.
![What's My Line? - Van Heflin; Steve Allen [panel] (Jan 19, 1964)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iyTsMTPExWA/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Van Heflin; Steve Allen [panel] (Jan 19, 1964)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Robert Preston; Allen Ludden [panel] (Mar 3, 1963)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9irmVfWiP3g/mqdefault.jpg)
What I love about all of these shows is the good manners that all the panelists and guests have. They are all well dressed and display a knowledge of the english language and are able to communicate. No talking down to the audience. I remember as a child growing up in this era, how it was stressed to be cultivated and the ability to hold a conversation and be pleasing in person.
Agreed
Definitely, celebrities back then as well as us regular people, had much better manners and just behaved more respectable than people do today.
@@scottmessenger8639 Totally agree.
@@scottmessenger8639 My other response was brief because my power went out as I was responding to you! I miss the more civil world from my childhood, when people could have an exchange of ideas and still be well mannered.
@@scottmessenger8639 Aspiring to good manners, civility and culture was still the English way at the time, and America still thought of itself as an offspring of Mother England.. at least to a degree.
It is such a joy to watch these shows, many of which aired long before I was born. And I agree with those who have commented here on how cultured, classy, erudite and knowledgeable the population in general was back then. Sadly, in my lifetime, things have deteriorated exponentially with each decade that I've lived since my birth in 1960. And more's the pity.
Madison Ave discovered that American kids in the 1950s/60s had an abundance of something no previous generation had ever had in abundance: disposable income to blow on pop culture. For the first time popular culture could be monetized in a big way thanks to the largest generation America had ever produced - the post WWII baby boom generation. America hasn't been the same since..
299 in bowling is quite an achievement. but that one last pin... That's gotta be hard to take!
I love What's My Line when Robert Preston appeared. He's so knowledgeable, funny, such a gentleman not to mention handsome. Love how he was cracking up and muttering under his breath to Arlene and Dorothy, cracking them up. The on one of the rounds, he says, "...I pass, I'll get us cut off the air...". I surely wish I could have seen him perform LIVE on stage or played in the orchestra for one of his musicals. What talent and charisma..
Sara Vazzana I saw Robert Preston perform in “Music Man” in the 1970’s at the Dallas Summer Musicals at Fair Park. He was magnificent for sure. One of my most favorite performances ever. A very handsome man with a fantastic voice. I wish he were still here to entertain us. Music Man is one of my most favorite musicals. Little “Opie Taylor”... Ronny Howard at five years old played the young “lisping” brother of Marion the Librarion in the movie...I don’t know if he was in the Broadway production.
@@nancycurtis488 He wasn't in the Broadway production. The part was played by Eddie Hodges.
Dorothy Killgallin just cracks me up...I wish she had not “known too much”...she was so brilliant!
@Jeff Whitman Look up how, where and why she was murdered.
Arlene, Dorothy and Bennet. all great and they are all missed.
Yes and she was about to expose it all in a book she was writing . A very smart and intelligent lady !!!
'The World's population has doubled in our lifetime and 'mediocrity acknowledges nothing higher than itself'.
Almost 60 years ago, and Dorothy and Arlene's elegant gowns, coiffure and make-up look fresh, stylish, and lady-like today.
Noël Coward was a brilliant entertainer. My favorite is his role as a Royal Navy destroyer captain in the 1942 World War II drama "In Which We Serve." He wrote, produced, co-directed (with David Lean), composed the score, and starred in the film.
Robert Preston was not only a great actor but a true gentleman.
Noel Coward was a brilliant playwright as well as a wonderful composer of song - and a very funny man besides! It's too bad the program was running short of time as it would have been fun to hear him talk - about anything. His diaries, which were published after his death in 1973, are a fascinating insight into the mind of Mr. Coward who created much and lived a very full and happy life.
bad time management on the part of our beloved host =)
@@OnTheOnlyShipButHalfWannaSink I agree. I would've loved Sir Noel to be the only guest and for the entire show to have been just letting him talk while the panel and audience listened.
I checked out a Noel Coward songbook from the public library when in my teens and promptly memorized “Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans.” Wonderfully catchy tune and powerfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Coward sang it for Winston Churchill early on (during the war) and brought Churchill to fits of laughter, which surely did him some good.
@@markiangooley A great comment Mark, thank you!
With young male actors, Noel was the Harve Weinstein of his day.
I needed this soothing diversion in the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2020. Thank you.
Me too on November 29, 2020, though a lot less stressed than on November 4th.
People who comment on these episodes often describe these people as being under the influence of drink. I've spent a lot of time with drunk people and indeed been well and truly sloshed myself and I can tell you, apart from the very very rare occasion, these people do not show a shred of being under the influence. It's possible they MAY have alcohol in their bloodstream (who wouldn't on a weekend evening?) but the attributes of a drunk person are having a slowed and laboured gait (even tottering), a slowness of wit, a slowness of delivery, a slowness to keep up as well as an aptitude to lose track of what's going on, an abandonment of etiquette, a difficulty to pronounce words.....etc.etc.
In short NO ONE is the slightest bit drunk here!! Jollity doesn't count.
Dave Sanderson, Right On!!!
What are you talking abt??
Kilgallen is talking very slooowly & weirdly actually.
I am so glad that Bennett called Dorothy down on her "isn't everything east of Grand Rapids" remark. Actually she would like to say that anything west of Manhattan was dangerous. Bennett got around a lot more a saw that the poor folks who watched the show in Washtub West Virginia were good people too. Bravo, Bennett!
I know he often says he is lecturing or holidaying in some far-off place but it doesn't show in his manner and arrogance and lack of common knowledge. No, he wouldn't have appreciated WV at all. Dorothy might if she could write about it exclusively and acidly kudos to her. Arlene was by far the most cultured and travelled and witty of them all yet she never comes across at snobbish and she has a sense of humour that can be naughty and self.deprecating. I can express my opinion that she and the 'contestants' and some of the 'mystery guests' are the reasons why I keep watching WML over and over again and again and suspect I will continue to do so. I liked Hal, and Fred and Martin could be very Arlenesque that seemed a match made in heaven indeed but all the other regulars are either off-limits for comments pro or against (Dorothy, and I find her at times infuriating at times quite amusing and perspicacious - not particularly here) or off-comments because most people seem to think they are well-mannered or polite. Well it was the 1960s (and 50s) what would you expect from the Manhattan self-appointed elite on what passed at the time for a popular yet not entirely low-brow show? It's not low-brow from this distance in time but it's mostly Arlene that makes it viewable. The contestants are interesting as social history, most of their jobs being no longer existent. The Mystery Guests are sometimes extraordinarily talented people - why did they need to be on TV at all? Other are just wannabe celebs long forgotten except we have this internet immortality now. Bestowed upon the deserving and the not quite so deserving. Even the deserving must be rolling in their graves...
I thought it was funny, but then I grew up in New York.
Dorothy's viewpoint was common in NYC, as per this New Yorker Magazine cover of March 29, 1976:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_of_the_World_from_9th_Avenue
Tongue in cheek, I have often said that I still root for the Dodgers because I can't fault them for moving to the suburbs.
Seems like Dorothy was on a bender for over a week. She was drunk, or something, in the last episode too.
Just another of her snide remarks. Encouraged by being tipsy as she obviously is.
This is another example of John giving a "no" by mistake. Bananas do have seeds!! And Arlene calls him out on it.
There have been a number of times when John answered something that he knows nothing about. One time he had a pig farmer on the show and after the game
the panel asked the guest about some different breeds of hogs and instead of letting the guest answer, John tried to amswer them himself. I have been around
hogs all my life and John had no idea what he was talking about and he should have left well enough alone and let the guest answer. He did that from time to time.
Five years to the day after this episode aired, on Sunday January 12, 1969, Joe Namath would make good on his guarantee and lead the Jets to a huge upset victory over the Baltimore Colts in what would be called Super Bowl III. But by this time the CBS version of WML was off the air. "Broadway Joe" Namath would have made a great Mystery Guest.
At this time, Namath was still a junior at the University of Alabama. He had been suspended for the last two games of the 1963 and would enter his senior year with a cloud over him. He responded to it by leading his team to an undefeated regular season and under some polls a national championship, although his team was defeated in the Orange Bowl by Texas, 21-17, when he came up short on a quarterback sneak late in the game. (Meanwhile Arkansas finished undefeated with a Cotton Bowl win over Nebraska.)
Preston was one of the best of a now vanished breed of star actors of Broadway who also attained some recognizable fame in movies as well. The play he was starring in at the time of this appearance ran until June and then that Fall he was back on Broadway again in the musical "Ben Franklin In Paris."
He was outstanding in Victor Victoria- stole the show!!
epaddon
"Nobody Love An Albatross" opened at the Lyceum Theatre on Thursday, 19 December 1963 and closed on Saturday, 20 June 1964, after a run of 212 performances.
Barry Nelson replaced Robert Preston at Nat Bentley in the cast for the final three weeks of the show's run (basically, all of the June performances).
Loved him in " Victor/ Victoria " with Julie Andrews.
Everyone was so genteel and cultured on WML. I lived in NYC in those days, as a kid, I can assure you not everyone was as classy or polite.
That could be said of any era.
They're feeling no pain tonight..and I love it
I think they kept a pitcher of vodka and milk of magnesia backstage. That adult beverage is known as a Phillips Screwdriver.
Shortly before this episode, Noel Coward was offered the title role of the villain in the first James Bond movie, "Dr. No." His response: "No! No! No!"
I doubt it, "Dr. No" premiered in 1962, not 1964.
@@georgimihailov4906 we can quibble about the meaning of "shortly," but Coward was offered the role and declined it. And Cary Grant was offered the role of James Bond -- in fact, Fleming created the character with Grant in mind. Can you imagine if Grant and Coward had played the parts?
Noel Coward was a friend of Ian Fleming, who created the character of James Bond. They were neighbors on their estates in Jamaica.
I am glad he refused the role. I think Joseph Wiseman gave an excellent performance as "Dr No".
Noel Coward wrote the words and lyrics for a musical "The Girl Who Came to Supper" which ran for 112 performances in 1963-4.
Harry Kurnitz wrote the book. The musical was based on Terence Rattigan's play "The Sleeping Prince." The show opened at the Broadway Theatre on Sunday, 8 December 1963, and closed on Saturday, 14 March 1964. The cast principals were Jose Ferrer, Florence Henderson, Irene Browne, and Tessie O'Shea. The show was staged by Joe Layton, with sets designed by Oliver Smith, costumes designed by Irene Sharaff, and lighting designed by Peggy Clark.
He also wrote the words, lyrics, and book for a Broadway musical called "Sail Away", which ran for 167 performances in 1961. It starred Elaine Stritch. He also wrote a successful operetta in 1929 called "Bitter Sweet". It starred Peggy Wood, who later played the reverend mother in the film "The Sound of Music".
@@SymphonyBrahms Both Noel shows were flops.
I wonder if the girl stayed for dessert....
I really love Dorothy's hair style in this episode she really looks pretty.
Not only that, both Arlene and Dorothy wore beautiful, slim dresses.
Katie Hoffman Dorothy’s hair is arranged in the most beautiful style I have ever seen her wear,,,so very lovely.
Yes, she looks really pretty. I like her hair.
You're mad.
The feather hair ornament is such a feminine, playful touch!
Arlene is right. Bananas have seeds going right down the middle. They’re just soft seeds.
Actually, all of the bananas we eat are sterile, and the seeds have gradually been reduced to little specs.
Bananas don't have seeds because they don't need them. As all bananas have been propagated vegetatively, all bananas are sterile clones. All of the bananas sold in grocery stores today and all of the bananas we eat, are a single breed. And that breed is Cavendish.
If you wanted to grow a fruit producing Cavendish Banana tree, you could not do it from the little reduced specks representing seeds you see inside a banana, since the banana is a commercially cultivated product. The only way to propagate a banana tree would be by procuring seeds from a reputable supplier.
@@lynnbrunn7865 … I didn’t know that. Thanks 😊
I like bananas. To me they have great a-peel.
The banana inspector is one of the funniest segments I've seen so far!
Too little time for Noel Coward, a great entertainer.
eoselan7 He certainly could have gone on for the whole show!
Among other films, Noel Coward is famous for writing the 1945 critically and commercially acclaimed film "Brief Encounter".
Enjoyed performing it and also the four musicals in the cycle. His plays get so much attention that he's always overlooked as a superb writer of short stories.
Yeah, though I much rather watch "Blithe Spirit", it is much funnier.
He also wrote the films "Cavalcade" (based on his play) and "In Which We Serve".
Yes.
Notice how Noel briefly shook the hand of the publisher then affectionately kissed the remaining panelists? He never trusted or respected that side of the business and most of them were chasing him not the other way around. Brilliant elegant man
Robert Preston was the only panelist that recognized the womens bowling champion’s name
Bob really got around. A man of wide interests.
Love Dorothy's "explosive" hairdo.
She looks great even though she seems to be . . . fuzzy.
Long live the ornamental wiglet!
soulierinvestments You mean, personality wise? Hm, I thought she was her usual sassy self.
+Elsie M.
I'll be blunt: she was clearly drunk on this episode, even more so than the previous week's episode.
Chris Barat - I like it too. She looked pretty this night.
The fact the woman won all those championships yet never had a perfect game speaks to how much bowling balls have changed. These days many, many amateur bowlers get perfect games who aren't even that good because the reactive resin balls scatter the pins on impact so much better than the old time rubber.
Kenneth Butler - I'll have to ask my sister, a talented amateur bowler herself.
Robert Preston was fantastic in "The Music Man"
@Fred Millsaps - A tour de force performance by a fine actor and lovely human.
Indeed. Great role and great performance. Truly iconic!
@@philippapay4352 I totally agree !!
@@jubalcalif9100 If you watch his elegant, large hands during the "Right here in River City" number, they almost do a hand ballet, so you make sure to notice them next time it's on some channel you get. He's very musical.
Robert Preston had a remarkable sense of humor - 'trains the tarantulas'.
Indubitably !
Robert Preston was so young when he died of lung cancer, only 68.
Very sad. But that's how the Mercedes Benz.....
Mo-beel is an accepted form of pronunciation according to Merriam-Webster. The other day here in Israel I was talking with my 18 year old niece, and I kept referring to the cee-ment needed in most buildings here. She let me go on for a few minutes, and then finally asked me what cee-ment was. It is cement as pronounced in Norfolk, Virginia.
Joe Postove Like the "cee-ment pond" in "The Beverly Hillbillies." I did not even understand when I was little why they referred to the swimming pool that way.
SaveThe TPC Growing up in southeastern Virginia, I never really considered myself southern. Richmond and D.C. have more of a southern feel to them than does Norfolk. Maybe as the world's largest Naval Base and the headquarters for NATO, Norfolk is more cosmopolitan. Truth be told, if you go 20 miles south of Norfolk into Carolina Country it is like a different planet. But we do say cee-ment and other southernism, so Norfolk (which was occupied by the North for most of the civil war) is still south, but it ain't that much. Huh?
Joe Postove jjhhhnnjnnhhhhhh
My father was a Professional bowler. I played for a league and travelled to different places to play other leagues. One place was Hamburg, but I couldn’t say where Hamburg is ‘cause I don’t know. I do remember he had at least two trophies. One was for scoring 278 and another was for 280 something, but I can’t remember the exact number. I was a kid at the time.
I LOVED ROBERT PRESTON IN VICTOR/VICTORIA....VERY FUNNY WITH JULIE ANDREWS
Rika Stander - I loved Victor/Victoria. So funny yet with a universal message.
What a delight of an episode this is! Also, if my beloved Marilyn Monroe kinda idolized Albert Einstein, Bennett Cerf is my dream of a man, even when I was a little girl watching, before color tv. What a smile he has. What a beautiful dreamer. And Random House, books, stories galore.
I never saw a single mean bone in his body or mind or out of his ❤. Still a fool in love over Mr. Cerf. The whole group is heaven. Thanks from one who watches zero current tv world crappola.
Even right now, this What's My Line show is classically watchable media. I still love seeing Dorothy and Arlene with their fashion passion in full 🦚 plumage. Delicious. And it beats seeing heavy-duty ladies in jogging suits and sneakers. Whoops, better s.u. now. Not looking for trouble, not King Creole. 👧
At last, a fellow Bennett Cerf fan.
I thought I was the only one who has a crush on Mr. Cerf.
Bananas grow on pseudostems ( compacted leaves)
Who spiked the punch, they are all a little giddy- John included.
Indeed, or maybe it was the blizzard.
+lastbreathsigh
Not in Dorothy's case, it wasn't.
It was almost a braggadocious quality that many celebrities drank before/during these shows. It was considered glamorous much like smoking was. In fact, most drank in the Green Room (both celebrity and guest) before they went on. My mom took part in some of these TV productions so I know first hand.
"Giddy" or not - they're many times more entertaining and intelligent than the dull celebs of today are when stone-cold sober.
Nonsense. Have you ever been drunk? This lot is not drunk.
The second guest's part of the show was very funny.
Biology is not Daly's forte. His fruits have no seeds, his plants and trees have never been alive, and his apes have four legs.
Nobody's perfect, still, because of him the show runned for 17 years, with lots of revival attempts after him
😄
Marian Van Oosten the queen of bowling, died on April 16, 2010 RIP
Did she ever bowl a 300?
It was a joy to see them have so much fun with bananas 😂
I have a sudden urge to rewatch "The Last Starfighter".
And I have an urge to watch 1952's "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla".
Wild Bananas DO have seeds that's why they are classified as a vegetable. The Cavendish has been genetically modified to be seedless.
Nope. Bananas have never been classified as a vegetable nor herb although a fruit they are botanically classified as a berry. The Banana heart and flowers are used in Southeast Asian cuisine like a savory vegetable this may be the source of the confusion
Fruits have seeds. Vegetables do not.
Cultivated bananas do have seeds, but they're very, very tiny because they're sterile.
Great show.
*_PROFESSIONAL BOWLER (U.S. CHAMPION)_*
*_BANANA INSPECTOR_*
Bennett asks if the bowler did anything that could improve upon the beauty or the health of the recipient of her service. Gosh, I would just get fat watching the bowling channel (I'll bet there is one too)!
But the bowling champion ha
But the bowling champion had a beautiful, slim figure.
This was certainly a fun show this time! Dorothy was ckever and hilarious in the Banana guessing...she reminds me of a cute geisha girl...but oh! Dottie! That "fascinator" hat!!! You could just rise up and fly away!
"Geisha gitl" you obviously know nothing about Geisha. The word means Art (Gei) girl (sha - in Kyoto they are Geiko Art Woman) so calling them Geisha girls is like saying art girl girl.
@@cathykinn4516 So sorry to annoy you! Yes, I've watched documentaries and I know the art and discipline involved.
The use of "Geisha Girl" now often just refers to a sweet, delicate face.
Sounds like Arlene was humming the WML theme tune as Dorothy walked on. :) 1:40
Good old fashioned entertainment
Technically Arlene was right about the Bananas...
Of course she was, fruit has seeds by definition. Even things like cucumbers and tomatoes that we call vegetables are fruit.
@@brucealvarez9263 But in practice, the varieties of banana currently in commerce are not grown from seed, and if the fruit were planted it would not germinate ... The seeds are vestigial, if that is the proper term. The trees are propagated by cutting and grafting, as John stated. This accounts for the uniformity of the product, but also has dangers in that the whole crop could be susceptible to the same diseases.
Yes and no about bananas having seeds. Modern, commercial strains of banana don't have seeds. (Well, they do, but they're tiny and sterile, unlike wild and often inedible varieties of bananas, which have large and viable seeds.)
@@neilmidkiff And that is a terrible danger for which the potential is known. We are already suffering from citrus greening in orange crops.
@@brucealvarez9263 Many people have yet to learn that things can belong to different families: such as, tomatoes, cukes are botanically fruits, but in the culinary world they are considered and handled as vegetables nonetheless.
As an American myself, from what I know about the subject at hand, "Brief Encounter" and "Lawrence of Arabia" are generally regarded as two of the greatest British films ever made. If you look at any official list of greatest British films, including the BFI's (British Film Institute) top 100, odds are pretty good that you will find "Brief Encounter" and "Lawrence of Arabia" in the top 10.
And yes, both films were directed by David Lean.
Vahan Nisanian I'm British and you are quite right, sir.
A little contentiousness tonight between Bennett and Dorothy.
Bennett tells some behind the scenes secrets of WML including the panel’s attitude towards Dorothy. It’s a 2 part audio interview. Listen to both parts. ua-cam.com/video/kxA4UQ3gcbw/v-deo.html
Rowby Goren Thanks for the link. I've listened to both. None of what I heard caused me to raise an eyebrow though and, while he was frank about certain things that weren't that complimentary, he still described her as 'very nice' and that he got on with her very well. So....no big deal.
Just as a side point. It's interesting that he clearly disapproves of a 'gossip columnist style' and yet he freely talks gossip himself in that interview!! I like Bennett a lot...but I'd have to say to him 'hey man, you can't have it both ways!'
@@davidsanderson5918 Before Dorothy was a gossip columnist she was a serious reporter. She was considered one of the best newspaper reporters during that time.
Bennett asked to take a stab at it but asked a question which lead others to have questions. So he really didn't get it by taking a stab at it.
Bananas absolutely have seeds
What happened to Johnny Olson at the closing credits? Didn't they used to credit the show as a Mark Goodson/Bill Toddman Production in association with the CBS Television network? When did they flip it (if they did)?
Dorothy had feud with jack paar because of Jack's pro Fidel Castro views. Dorothy was an unabashed conservative.
Joe Postove Dont know. I did check and Mr Olson passed away in 1985 from a stroke in Santa Monica Ca, but WML was already off the air by then, and he was doing The Price Is Right with Bob Barker.
Robert Svorinich Dorothy was not a conservative.She was helping JFK’s Committee before her death.
it's interesting that wild bananas have seeds but commercial ones do not
The banana inspector didn't "deal in a product"; he 'provided a service". If he sold bananas you could say he "dealt in a product".
I gather the first lady's name as a championship bowler was different than the name she uses here on the show. I'm surprised this panel knew anything about it at all. Somehow, I can't imagine this panel of urbane New Yorkers, denizens of Broadway and cafe society, having ever been near a bowling alley.
WML can indeed be educational. How often does the mechanics of the sex life of bananas come up in a regular conversation?
Certain fruits are just funny no matter what. Bananas. Cumquats.
Dorothy seems -- how shall we say -- fuzzy, but she figured out that the thing was a banana. Everyone else was floating delightfully off subject.
They were all a little bananas during the banana segment- would love to know what Robert said that cracked the gals up.
It’s amazing the audience knew who he was. We’re so stupid these days I doubt an audience of normal people would recognize by sight (his signature was illegible) any playwright.
Right you are!
He appeared on TV in the U.S. and England through the 50s and 60s. He was pretty much a big celebrity!
Wouldn't recognize Shakespeare if he were wearing a name tag.
Noel Coward was famous from the age of 25, when he starred in a play in London. He became world famous during his life.
Bananas have seeds but the modern banana's seeds are not functional, and the modern banana is raised without using seeds from the actual berry.
There was a blizzard that night. I wonder if after the show the weather would be so bad that CBS would force the audience out of the theater, or allow them to cuddle with warm doughnuts and coffee with the cast and crew?
Given the common courtesy that was prevalent during that era, they probably were well cared for during the storm. Today, they would probably be handed shovels and told to get to work.
Joe Postove - Hmm. That last part sounds good on such a night
I wasn't alive in the 60s. John intimates that 4-5 inches of snow is somewhat troublesome. Nowadays, NYC can handle that with a shrug. Was snow clearing so insufficient at that time that a light blizzard would cause great perturbation in the city?
When the plows drive through and pile mountains of snow onto every curb in the city, being a pedestrian in NYC can be very treacherous. Add to that, icy sidewalks and areas of deep slush, splashed by passing traffic. Winter in the City can be very miserable, especially since most New Yorkers have to walk everywhere.
Banana has seeds, also: did they not have fried bananas in the 60's?!
Robert Preston! (swoon)
He was no Huntz Hall, but Bob Preston was indeed quite handsome and quite talented.
i d never seen mr Coward on theater ...unfortunatly not :-)
He passed away in 1973. He wrote plays, novels, short stories, scripts, music and lyrics, and he was a great actor as well. Sir Noel Peirce Coward, 1899-1973.
Classic show...!
I think there is no doubt that Dorothy Kilgallen was under the influence of something. She was slurring her words and Bennett Cerf could hardly look at her. It is very sad. John rushed the ending credits, explaining they ran out of time. It was probably done so Dorothy doesn't do anything else embarrassing.
Four to five inches of snow does not a blizzard make, at least not here in the Midwest.
Try living in Canada where I am lol
As always, Bennett Cerf, the wet blanket
Courteous..
"East of Grand Rapids...isn't everything??"
Oh, sassy Dorothy, we love you!
Ugh, New York snobbery.
Marian Van Oosten had a very nice figure!!!
4" or 5" in NYC ! BLizzard Lol!
Eventually they got 9" - 10".
A time when everything was closed on a Sunday. Simply for peoples mental health shutting down everything for 24 hours was most beneficial. Tday everything is 24/7.
Kilgallen at 14:18: "So it's therefore in the vegetable family?" Banana Inspector: "Yes." Banana a vegetable: hmm, learn something new every day :-Q ...
The "broad sense" they used as a qualifier on this show was whether an object was animal, vegetable or mineral. Under that criteria, a banana is in the vegetable category.
Cerf is the master of the obvious.
Geez...why did they bring Noel on so late? Very odd for this show.
I couldn't catch why Maran Van Oosten's actual surname could not be revealed.
she was a champion bowler under her married name but was not known at all under her maiden name
The biggest novae ever seen in the 20th Century --- Novae Aquila -- happened the day Robert Preston was born. 8 June 1918. Apparently he was the baby for whom the sign was given.
RE: Nobody Love an Albatros. Oh, I don't know. The play lasted from mid-December 1963 into June 1964. Apparently enough people loved it for a while.
It is proper to address this contestant as "miss."
Does the lady bowler look a little like the Fabulous Moolah?
+Joe Postove Yes, she does. Good catch.
Lol, yes. I hadn't thought of that but you're right.
After 10-11 months of apparent sobriety and health, Dorothy's behavior these last two episodes has to have sparked some discussion among the producers...heck, the entire cast and crew (and the viewing public?). It would have been inappropriate for anyone to have said anything about it, but I'd think Dorothy's condition in these two episodes would be all the more disturbing after 10 months of optimism, cheerfulness, and the assumption that she was okay. At least, that's what the viewing public would think...but what do we know? Anything could have been going on, I guess. Does Lee Israel say anything about this time period?
I thought Dorothy looked stoned on this episode, also snarky!!
This time Bennett interrupted Dorothy's turn. Bennett responds that John declared one minute remaining but that has never meant that the matter was open for general discussion, but rather that the panel was alerted time was running out.
Good clean fun '
John Daly must have had an off day. I wouldn't in any sense say a bowling champion has anything at all to do with the look or health of anyone else.
She encouraged people to bowl, which could have improved their help. He phrased the yes answer very generally.
How nice that the panelists realise it is Miss when a woman uses the surname she was born with. Many people today don’t realise that.
Seems like banana inspector would be a service rather than a product.
The banana is the product, the inspector is the service.
Ugh, I hate Dorothy's all too typical "nothing exists outside of New York" attitude.
She needed to be reminded now and then that the show was viewed by a great many people who wouldn't care for comments like that.
Didn't James Brown have a couple of hits with "Hot Bananas" parts one and two.
+Joe Postove
Nope. But Guy Marks had a novelty song hit with "Loving You Has Made Me Bananas".
ua-cam.com/video/jmOBekEhI0Y/v-deo.html
Many of the non celebrities that try to stump the panel are in fact people of status
I wonder why Robert Preston got a hug from Noel Coward?
Was he the one then that Noel blew the kiss to as well?? ;-)
@@galileocan 😂
Joe Postove Dunno but Preston certainly made the move first.
Fruits have seeds vegetables do not.
Almost everything is a fruit. Peppers, peas, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc..
Would that haircut of Mr. Coward be considered a "Brazilian"? ;)
Shame Daly spent too much time on the bowling & Bananas and left none for the famous raconteur Noel Coward
Noel Coward looks like Curly from The Three Stooges!!!
Is Dorothy on the drink? She seems slightly ... ah, off ... oh, and Sir Noel bowed to the audience ... good manners ...
Her face also looks drained and drawn. Perhaps her discoveries about the JFK shooting are weighing on her?
John and the whole panel seemed noticeably tipsy.
HaHa! I live in the same state as Tuscaloosa is located, which John Daly mentioned jokingly when Dorothy said mobile. My college football team is there 🐘.
Roll Tide.
The first time I hear a person use Coward as a name
It's his family name.
Noel Coward did not, I think, get a welcome from the audience commensurate with his long time fame and success. Do you think by 1964 he was semi-forgotten? Well, I guess only "Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in a midnight blizzard.
I thought the welcome he received was very warm - and richly deserved!
He was still famous in 1964.