What’s My Line has it’s own UA-cam channel where you can see ALL the episodes that have been preserved! I have been binge watching and I’m so grateful to be able to!
Fred Allen is a great example of how impermanent fame can be. Allen was a gifted writer and comedian, with a smart, acerbic wit. In his time, he was as big a star as there was, a household name, as famous as Jack Benny or Bob Hope. There wasn't anyone in America who owned a radio who didn't know who Fred Allen was. Today, he's completely forgotten.
He died over 68 years ago which means that a person who was 15 at the time of his death would today be 83. For people to be in the know about him today would be the same as someone in 1956 remembering someone of 1888. His career stretched a period when radio was having its golden age. Today, the number of people listening to radio has greatly diminished. He was born in 1894, which actually demonstrates how remarkable the internet is. We are having a discussion about a person and we can watch clips of this person who has been dead longer than he was ever alive. How many people in 1956 would have had access to film or images of someone who had been dead for so long? Only a well-known author like Dickens might have been remembered.
I first heard of Fred Allen from seeing the movie "Paper Moon," and Addie is listening to Jack Benny on the radio, and he mentions going over to Fred Allen's. Decades later, I finally got to see him on reruns of WML.
@@gehlen52 I was born in April 1952, which made me almost 3 years old when he died I didn’t know Fred Allen except for the occasional appearances on what’s my line I didn’t know about the feud between him and Jack Manny but that’s historical. I never saw the two of them together on the radio or should I replace on television, so Alan didn’t make much of an impression on me because I was too young.
@@georgesenda1952 Yeah, I wasn't old enough either, I only learned about him by other people mentioning him on TV. Don't believe I've ever heard of Jack Manny.
A heartfelt goodbye to Fred Allen, guest appearance from a little-known Ann Landers, and Toshigo Akiyoshi at the beginning of her career all in one program! Wow! I didn't realize all three were together. I just realized that Fred Allen died on March 17, St. Patrick's Day! How fitting.
A wonderful show and a great tribute to a great man. Think of all of these things are on UA-cam now what a pity if all of this was lost not just the show but seeing all of the great now deceased actors actresses musicians authors artists etc. this is helping to keep their names alive. The best tribute you could have.
Agreed. When I watch these clips, I always look up the various people on these shows to find out more about their lives and careers. Even some times I manage to find out information about the non-celebrity challengers and what they had accomplished. It is sad that they are no longer with us, as they were very entertaining and interesting people.
Very well done. Also, it's so nice to listen to these shows where people could talk correctly without "like" or "uhhh: or "you-know-what-I'm-saying" sprinkled through their prose. A more refined period of culture.
Actually if you watch more of what's my line a lot of them actually say things like that especially the guest panelists, they weren't robots who knew everything they were human too just like you and me they had to think and sometimes an "uhh" or a few "like" or "you know what I mean" got in there
This woman is Ann Landers! As soon as I saw her face, I recognized her. I can't imagine a time when Ann Landers wasn't famous, but apparently, this is that time!!!!
I was only 2years old when what's my line was on but I watch it every night on buzzer,I really liked Frank Allen he was full of humor and what I noticed about him he always stood up when he should the countestent hands especially the ladies he was a real gentleman .
I was 3 years old, it was a different era in that common courtesy was second to nature. I was raised by my Grandma so it was instilled very early on. It was a much better time.
@@jess.0J I learned to touch type on an Underwood in 1962. Remember how hard you had to pound each key!? When the electric typewriter came in about 3 years later, it was an adjustment to learn to use a lighter touch.
@@robertsprouse9282 His wife is a part of the Warren family of the Warren commission. Those are the people that had her killed. So either he was a patsy or was in on it.
@@saraschneider6781, and you know this, how, exactly? Were you on the WARREN commission? I know who his wife was= Earl Warren's daughter... Or, is it speculation offered up as a response to my question, with your own biases and ego getting in the way of reasoning? If the government had her killed, I would not be surprised. But..unlike you..I DO NOT STATE THAT AS A FACT..when I do not know. Did you know JOHN or his Wife, personally? Nope..probably not.. Got it?
@@recivditvrsuvsne4554, that does happen..that's why we are not really as big of a deal as we make ourselves out to be. Ideas, and actions and of course love, are far more important than us, the supposed bigshots.
Nine years later, they did they same tribute to Dorothy Kilgallen when she passed away. It's hard to believe that she was on the show Sunday night, and then she was found dead the next morning. And that's sad. May Fred Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, John Daly, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden, Soupy Sales, and all of the other deceased celebrities who were both the panelists and the Mystery Guests on What's My Line rest in peace. Amen.
@@DanSolo871 I am actually related to his wife Portland Hoffa. Portland was my great grandmother's sister on my mother's side. That's so cool to find another relative of Fred's. It's so nice to meet you.
Pauline "Eppie" Lederer was responsible for the "Ask Ann Landers" syndicated newspaper column from 1955 until her death in 2002. She divorced her husband, Jules Lederer in 1975. Her identical twin sister, Pauline Esther Philips, who was known by her pen name Abigail Van Buren, was responsible for the "Dear Abby" newspaper column and she and her sister were rivals and acrimonious with each other.
NIGHT COURT even dedicated a particular gag to that old rivalry in one episode. Two sisters wrote competing advice columns and came into court around the time Christine was having relationship issues with an Italian Detective in a short story arc...😂❤
Sad to see Fred Allen gone here. I always enjoy listening to Mr. ALLEN on my old radio tape cassettes. RIP.. Jacques Plante was not just any goalie though, he was one of the greatest ever, and he was the first to ever wear a mask, and did it of his own accord against the desires of his head coach. But, when you are JACQUE PLANTE, you get your way, especially after his face was torn up on a shot by fellow Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate who was mad at Plante for no doubt, stickwork, and deliberately fired the puck at the last second toward PLANTE's maskless "melon". After being stitched up with the game delayed for several minutes because spare goalies were not used unless they as amateurs were called out of the stands for emergencies, or called up from the minors to replace a starting goalie who was slumping or injured and out for awhile, or a few games, back then in a six-team NHL, the game was delayed during those instances, frequently. Further, J.PLANTE told his Coach in 1959, TOE BLAKE, that if he couldn't wear the mask, and it was very crude, he was not going back in. He got his wish, and made history. Later, Plante actually made masks with his own company producing them after he retired. The great PLANTE, and that is an understated compliment, was a game changer..yet Andy Brown was the last maskless NHL holdout in..1974.. After that season, the bare face was never seen again on major league goalies while the puck was moving unless it was on ANDY BROWN who jumped to the WHA and NHL rival, albeit a short-lived one, league, that produced four franchises still operating today in the NHL, three of them in different cities..with those clubs winning 8 STANLEY CUPS total, FIVE BY ONE TEAM, four of them with the greatest offensive player of all time, a guy named WAYNE GRETZKY.. Plante himself died too soon. And, much like Fred Allen, Plante went young too, at 56, coaching and team owning in Switzerland just before his death in 1986, I believe. Yep..
@@frankhenry9130, not the case anymore..the hometeam provides a designated one. Back then, though it was the case, but as I CLEARLY STATED: They pulled "them out of the stands" (where the emergency goalies were sitting). If no emergency goalie was available.. True.. the other team provided one AFTER THEY SAT IN THE STANDS. In the 'original six' days, teams did not carry backups on their benches. They were in the minors.
That was my point , that the home team had to provide a goalie ,regardless where he came from , the stands or wherever he was. The point being it was their resposibility to afford a goalie to the other team. @@robertsprouse9282
Aside from playing on the GOAT of NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens of the late 50s, Plante was a great innovator. An eccentric with asthma and frequent "allergies" real and imagined, aside from his mask innovations, IIRC he was the first to go behind the net to stop pucks that were shot into the zone for defencemen. I believe he was among the first to skate out of his crease and then skate backwards to cut down the angle on breakaways. He was the first to raise his arm on an icing call to let his defenseman know what was happening, and he perfected a stand-up, positional style, cutting down the angles. He also knitted his own toques to boot.
@@frankhenry9130 , you never said " from the stands" and if you meant " from the stands" then you would've been agreeing with me and having no reason to make a "point". Got it? Again, the NHL's teams then did not have backup goalies, as they were starters in the minors, so they had to come out of the stands provided by the hometeam. Got it?
Thanks a lot for the upload, and also for having left the ads, which are actually also very interesting. Seeing those interchangable letters, and the different lettertypes available for the Remington typewriters in their 6 colours, I loved it. I think it took some special kind of humour to make the WML-shows really work. That is why Jerry Lewis wasn't at all an added value, but why the nice sarcasm of Fred Allen did. I'm not surprised to read he was one of the influences of Groucho Marx. A few years later, the panel again lost a precious member, when Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead at her home, far too young to go. I'm a bit flabbergasted to see how stylish the people that came to this show were, how feminine the women still were, paying attention to the smallest details such as gloves. Women have obtained more rights by now, but that came with a certain price, that cannot all be blamed on "progress" alone. All good things often have less good things as consequences, a bit like with nuclear energy....
I’m sure retroscoop would love for women today to dress in gowns, gloves, stay pregnant and keep their moths shut unless they are spoken to by a man. So easy for MEN to comment on how women have changed and not the atrocious way that they treated women back in those days as if they were nothing more than chattel and slaves. We are never going back and with everything that is going on today with Neanderthals like retroscoop and the Proud Boys and all of the other incels and their quest to return women back to chattel status, the more determined and angrier we get. You and your ilk have unleashed our anger now. So good luck Mr. Cleaver in your futile quest.
He's credited with innovating the goalie mask (although he wasnt the first to wear one in a game) . Back then goalies typically didn't wear a mask. He had wore one during practices before because he had a sinusitis operation, but his coach wouldn't let him wear it during games because he thought it would obscure his vision and it would make him look "wimpy". Then early in one game in 1959, he took a slap shot in the face which broke his nose. They stitched him up in the locker room and the Canadiens had no other goalie available so he had to go back out, but refused to unless he wore the mask. The coach allowed it until his nose healed. Jacques refused to remove it for some time and the Canadiens won 18 games in a row. The coach finally convinced him to get rid of the mask one day and they lost. The next game it came back and he wore it from then on.
When I think of Fred Allen, other than his WML appearances, l think of how he was often cited as one of the radio personalities who was unable to (or didn't have the time to, because of his death) make the transition to television that other radio stars like Bob Hope and Jack Benny were able to.
He had a TV show, it didn’t work out. Was on briefly in 1953. He was on WML as a mystery guest in early 53 to plug his show. Agree that transition was more difficult, perhaps due to a poorly formatted show for him.
@Tom Smith 36 certainly is "a bit" too young to already think about such things. But of course we all hope we don't have to face the kind of big "C", which is eating away our forces slowly but surely our forces, without giving us a fair chance to fight back.
@Tom Smith "Best way to go" might not be having a heart attack while walking. There's another physical activity that would trump that in a desirable means of bringing on the big one ;-)
@The Cool Tube 2020 My brother died (Dec 15th 2017) of a massive heart attack 3 years ago today at the age of 36. Apparently he had heart disease and did not know. Guess that is why it is called the "silent killer".
How odd that they didn't even give Mrs Lederer's pen name - Ann Landers - as I am sure she ("Ask Ann Landers'} was syndicated nationally by then. I knew her the minute she came in! (And remember her sister, "Dear Abby?"
Oh my goodness! Mrs Jules Leaderer is Ann Landers, advice columnist. Our city had 2 newspapers. She was Dear Ann in one of them, and her twin sister was Dear Abby (bbigail Van Buren) in the 2nd one.. How fun to see her on the show.
I can say without any fear of contradiction that Mr. Fred Allen was by far the best panel guest ( though appearing often not often enough as far as I am concerned ) he was funny without giving the impression that he was trying to be , his timing would rival Jack Benny and his laid-back approach was flawless . I well miss him though I am British living in England with my American wife Germaine I will keep his memory alive by watching him as often as I can . I am sure he will cheer up everyone where he is now. Keep smiling MAGIC FINGERS MAXWELL
Since this episode aired live in 1956, it was 68 years ago, so if you were at least 25, you would be at least 93 in 2024. Not many people are at least 93 in 2024.
When Steve Allen invited her to appear on his show, he was very likely referring to the original incarnation of The Tonight Show. He did have a couple other shows so I can't say for sure, but being invited to perform on the Steve Allen show in the 1950's was a very big deal.
Also on here is a video of the network news announcing the deaths of Bennett Cerf, John Daly, and Arlene Francis. Isn't it ironic that they all died in years ending with the number 1? Bennett Cerf died in August of 1971. John Daly died in February of 1991. And Arlene Francis died in May of 2001; just 3 1/2 half months before 9/11.
@@4seeableTV True true. But in our age, given our modern idea and modern PRODUCTS who's to say what's right or what's wrong? It may be a coincidence. It may not be. Destiny is often difficult to grasp so we simplify it. And one way of simplifying it is by denying it. Let us hold a candle to these three great artists. Whether they all died by accident I the same last digit year or chose to go in memory of each other's death year, their memories will last forever.
@@4seeableTV Let us all make a toast these three immortal artists, Mr. Cerf, Mr. Daly, and most of all Mrs. Gabel who outlived them all, with her vitality and spirit. Let us join together and say HALLELUJAH in memory of these three strong spirits.
@@4seeableTV I am in tears reminiscing about how Arlene Gabel must have felt being the last to go. Undoubtedly, her last words inspired this quote from the movie English Patient, " We die, we die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers, fears we have hidden in, like this wretched cave. We are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men. I know you will come and carry me out into the palace of winds. That's all I've wanted - to walk in such a place with you, with friends, on earth without maps". Are their souls now together, in a better place? Heaven knows, Mr. Allison.
@@4seeableTV My darling sweetheart. I love you so and shan't be parted from you. But have you loved and lost? Like Mr. Carson Daly, Mr. Benett Cerf and Mrs. Arlene Francis who all married and divorced? But they all found love again. We all question ourselves when love fails, " Are my days of steamy rumpy pumpy over?" But they are not. We all find our dark chocolate cherry in our lives soon.
At the time of this broadcast (1956) Jacques Plante was in his 2nd season as the Montreal Canadiens first string goalie. The Detroit Red Wings had won a couple Stanley Cups in a row, but Montreal was on the rise. The Canadiens won the Cup 5 seasons in a row in 1956, 57, 58, 59, and 60. I’m a little bit surprised that they didn’t blindfold the panel. Bennett Cerf got it very quickly. Certainly Peggy Cass or Bill Cullen who were regulars on To Tell the Truth would have known Plante on sight. Peggy was from Boston and a big sports fan. Cullen was from Pittsburgh and got his start in local sportscasts.
The modern one, yes, he created it and wore it. But, in the 1930's for only a few games and mostly in practice, there was actually a mask worn in both the minors and NHL but, not in many games and only until his nose healed in 1936= HALL OF FAMER CLINT BENEDICT using a football player's noseguard. In 1927 a women's team's goalie at Queen's U. in Canada donned a fencing mask. On Nov. 1st, 1959, Plante began using it and never stopped. He put on the mask, after a long game delay, and went back in, after his bareface was bloodied in the middle of the game.. and the rest is history.
@@davedruid7427, it was only in Eastern and midwest big cities and two Canadian Eastern cities..there were only six teams from 1942 to 1967.. Yes, not many in the U.S. outside of those niche markets, had EVER SEEN NHL players. Minor league towns knew their guys, but no one else did. Most players, 99 percent of them in pro hockey, were from Canada.
John said "Fred(based on widow)would want us to continue on as if he were here,"but I don't believe it--you can do that next week.A memorial would have cleared the air--and Fred would have loved it.This way,there's an elephant in the room--named Fred Allen.
It only took me about a minute to recognize Ann Landers. When she turned to talk to John, I knew I recognized that face, and Ann used to have her picture in the top corner of her articles. I was struggling to remember who she was, then her last name 'Lederer' kicked in, and I thought of Eppie Lederer as Ann Landers. So If I was on the panel, I would have had to disqualify myself. I guess she wasn't such a big name yet at the filming of this show, or Dorothy would certainly had known who she was. By the 70s, she was big all over the country along with her sister Dear Abby, Abigal Van Buren.
Jacques Plante?? They didn't automatically know who Jacques Plante was?? When I started following sports in 1959, when I was 9 years old, pretty immediately I knew all about him. Maybe those extra 3 years made a big difference, but I don't know -- they assumed the panel wouldn't just KNOW....
I didn't focus on the NHL either! As I said, awareness of the NHL could have been very different in 1956 than when I came into things 3 years later, but by then, to know about Jacques Plante you only needed to see a minute of a hockey game on TV once in a while, or glance at the sports pages a few times a year.....
Normally, when a professional sports figure would appear on the show other than as a panelist, he would be a recognizable mystery guest and the panelists would be blindfolded. Here, even though Jacque Plante was well known in the sport of hockey and the New York Rangers were one of only six teams in the NHL, the producers of the show did not seem to have a problem with having him appear as an ordinary person. Bennett, a very intelligent individual, figured that since Jacque appeared to be a French Canadian, and the Montreal Canadians were in town to play the Rangers, he must be a hockey player. Bennett did not seem to know that Plante was the renown goalie of the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadians.
Was it customary at this time for women not to rise & greet the departing contestant? I notice the male panelists rise & greet the departing contestants, but the women never do?
That’s correct, however there were a few exceptions. When Eleanor Roosevelt was the mystery guest, both Arlene & Dorothy stood up. There were a few other women contestants/mystery guests where the female panelists stood up. But in general back then, women did not stand up as men did. One other social norm back then was that men weren’t supposed to offer their hand for a handshake until the lady did. Yes, the world has changed in my 69 years!
I always found that an odd practice, but now it is rare for anybody to rise for anyone else. I think it is more practical and even footing since women are no better than men and men are no better than women. We are all just one big happy family!😘
Yes, that was the custom. In fact there was a joke: Q. What do ladies do sitting down, men do standing, and dogs do with one leg raised? A. Shake hands.
This was before word processors and personal computers. If you wanted to type a document that required special symbols (such as a scientific paper), this would have allowed you to do it without having to go to a printer's shop.
![What's My Line? - Portland Hoffa [Fred Allen's wife!]; Reginald Gardiner [panel] (Feb 27, 1955)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pjEdQuWu5ak/mqdefault.jpg)
BuzzR TV is still showing these great and funny shows. Fred Allen was a gem.
What’s My Line has it’s own UA-cam channel where you can see ALL the episodes that have been preserved! I have been binge watching and I’m so grateful to be able to!
Fred Allen is a great example of how impermanent fame can be. Allen was a gifted writer and comedian, with a smart, acerbic wit. In his time, he was as big a star as there was, a household name, as famous as Jack Benny or Bob Hope. There wasn't anyone in America who owned a radio who didn't know who Fred Allen was. Today, he's completely forgotten.
I was only 3 years old but the name has always sounded familiar no doubt from hearing it mentioned throughout the years following.
He died over 68 years ago which means that a person who was 15 at the time of his death would today be 83.
For people to be in the know about him today would be the same as someone in 1956 remembering someone of 1888.
His career stretched a period when radio was having its golden age. Today, the number of people listening to radio has greatly diminished.
He was born in 1894, which actually demonstrates how remarkable the internet is. We are having a discussion about a person and we can watch clips of this person who has been dead longer than he was ever alive. How many people in 1956 would have had access to film or images of someone who had been dead for so long? Only a well-known author like Dickens might have been remembered.
I first heard of Fred Allen from seeing the movie "Paper Moon," and Addie is listening to Jack Benny on the radio, and he mentions going over to Fred Allen's. Decades later, I finally got to see him on reruns of WML.
@@gehlen52 I was born in April 1952, which made me almost 3 years old when he died I didn’t know Fred Allen except for the occasional appearances on what’s my line I didn’t know about the feud between him and Jack Manny but that’s historical. I never saw the two of them together on the radio or should I replace on television, so Alan didn’t make much of an impression on me because I was too young.
@@georgesenda1952 Yeah, I wasn't old enough either, I only learned about him by other people mentioning him on TV. Don't believe I've ever heard of Jack Manny.
I distinctly remember watching this episode.
It was a minute ago.
What a lovely comment.
75
Wow, as of this date (June 30th, 2021) Ms Akiyoshi is still with us and still performing. She's 91.
Wow! That is awesome and amazing!
A heartfelt goodbye to Fred Allen, guest appearance from a little-known Ann Landers, and Toshigo Akiyoshi at the beginning of her career all in one program! Wow! I didn't realize all three were together.
I just realized that Fred Allen died on March 17, St. Patrick's Day! How fitting.
Still true as of 1 May 2024!
Wonderful 😊
@@lemorab1I had no idea that was Ann Landers. I had to look it up to verify. Thank you for the heads up;)
A wonderful show and a great tribute to a great man. Think of all of these things are on UA-cam now what a pity if all of this was lost not just the show but seeing all of the great now deceased actors actresses musicians authors artists etc. this is helping to keep their names alive. The best tribute you could have.
Agreed. When I watch these clips, I always look up the various people on these shows to find out more about their lives and careers. Even some times I manage to find out information about the non-celebrity challengers and what they had accomplished. It is sad that they are no longer with us, as they were very entertaining and interesting people.
What a beautiful tribute to Fred Allen by John Charles Daly.
My dad was a big Fred Allen fan and we listened to his program regularly.
Poor John Daley having to speak sadly twice about passing of Fred Allen and yrs later Dorothy Kilgallen Mr Daley did it as the gentleman he was
Fred died from a heart attack.Dorothy was assassinated by the CIA.....
@@largemember probably the mob, like Marilyn died
Fred & Dorothy were both gems !! 💟
Dorothy died from alcoholism, not contrived BS agency story !! 🤮
They don’t make “hosts” the way they used to (sigh)…
How exactly did the CIA do that????
I love this show ...
WATCH DALI.... AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT.... HILARIOUS EGO TRIPS.
So many years ago😘😢...Now they have all passed😢🙏...Grew up watching the show🙏❤️😢
The pianist is alive and well at 91 years of age
ahhh, such a display of *class*
Very well done. Also, it's so nice to listen to these shows where people could talk correctly without "like" or "uhhh: or "you-know-what-I'm-saying" sprinkled through their prose. A more refined period of culture.
Actually if you watch more of what's my line a lot of them actually say things like that especially the guest panelists, they weren't robots who knew everything they were human too just like you and me they had to think and sometimes an "uhh" or a few "like" or "you know what I mean" got in there
@@rsmith8434, which can also mean similar to, but not exactly the same..
Its annoying as hell..
Yes!
What's with this fantastical embellishment of the past in every comment section on these episodes?
This woman is Ann Landers! As soon as I saw her face, I recognized her. I can't imagine a time when Ann Landers wasn't famous, but apparently, this is that time!!!!
Yes, the original Ann Landers died about a year before this WML episode aired, and Mrs.Lederer had just recently taken over.
@@heh701very nice gesture of her to donate her winnings in Fred Allen's memory. 👏
I was only 2years old when what's my line was on but I watch it every night on buzzer,I really liked Frank Allen he was full of humor and what I noticed about him he always stood up when he should the countestent hands especially the ladies he was a real gentleman .
I was 3 years old, it was a different era in that common courtesy was second to nature. I was raised by my Grandma so it was instilled very early on. It was a much better time.
Who misses Remington typewriters?
Not immediately but after the ad I felt an emptiness in my life typewriter- wise.
ME!! And my fav was the Olyimpia Typewriter.
Learned to type on one. The sound still is comforting to me. Keyboards nowadays don’t come close to as satisfying when typing your keystrokes.
I had a IBM Selectric for years. Really miss it, such a great machine.
@@jess.0J I learned to touch type on an Underwood in 1962. Remember how hard you had to pound each key!? When the electric typewriter came in about 3 years later, it was an adjustment to learn to use a lighter touch.
I love this show. Miss Kilgallen was so throughly when her questions.
But immoral as a spouse
I liked Steve Allen's goodbye to Fred at the end of the program.
He delivered an outstanding one just nine years, or so later on the first show without DOROTHY KILGALLEN following her unexpected death..
@@robertsprouse9282 it wasn't unexpected to John.
@@saraschneider6781, and you know that he knew Dorothy would die before she did, how.. exactly?
@@robertsprouse9282 His wife is a part of the Warren family of the Warren commission. Those are the people that had her killed. So either he was a patsy or was in on it.
@@saraschneider6781, and you know this, how, exactly?
Were you on the WARREN commission? I know who his wife was= Earl Warren's daughter...
Or, is it speculation offered up as a response to my question, with your own biases and ego getting in the way of reasoning?
If the government had her killed, I would not be surprised.
But..unlike you..I DO NOT STATE THAT AS A FACT..when I do not know.
Did you know JOHN or his Wife, personally?
Nope..probably not..
Got it?
it's hard to believe that a heartfelt goodbye from one year before I was born can still bring tears to my eyes at the loss of Fred Allen
I was born the next year too (1957).
And what makes it more poignant to me is how they are all dead.
He's my great great uncle.
@@Lisa-di1wi, sounds familiar..
@@recivditvrsuvsne4554, that does happen..that's why we are not really as big of a deal as we make ourselves out to be. Ideas, and actions and of course love, are far more important than us, the supposed bigshots.
Nine years later, they did they same tribute to Dorothy Kilgallen when she passed away. It's hard to believe that she was on the show Sunday night, and then she was found dead the next morning. And that's sad.
May Fred Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, John Daly, Wally Bruner, Larry Blyden, Soupy Sales, and all of the other deceased celebrities who were both the panelists and the Mystery Guests on What's My Line rest in peace. Amen.
Fred seemed like such a kind man.
Fred Allen was my great great uncle.
He was a card.
And a great talent.
I am a big fan of Mr. A.
You must be on the Sullivan side because I'm 1st Cousins 2x removed from Fred Allen on his Herlihy side.
@@DanSolo871 I am actually related to his wife Portland Hoffa. Portland was my great grandmother's sister on my mother's side. That's so cool to find another relative of Fred's. It's so nice to meet you.
Pauline "Eppie" Lederer was responsible for the "Ask Ann Landers" syndicated newspaper column from 1955 until her death in 2002. She divorced her husband, Jules Lederer in 1975. Her identical twin sister, Pauline Esther Philips, who was known by her pen name Abigail Van Buren, was responsible for the "Dear Abby" newspaper column and she and her sister were rivals and acrimonious with each other.
Thought that was who she was.
They eventually made up. Dear Abby is currently written by Pauline's daughter, Jean
NIGHT COURT even dedicated a particular gag to that old rivalry in one episode. Two sisters wrote competing advice columns and came into court around the time Christine was having relationship issues with an Italian Detective in a short story arc...😂❤
THAT'S A MOVIE... RIGHT?
Sad to see Fred Allen gone here. I always enjoy listening to Mr. ALLEN on my old radio tape cassettes. RIP..
Jacques Plante was not just any goalie though, he was one of the greatest ever, and he was the first to ever wear a mask, and did it of his own accord against the desires of his head coach. But, when you are JACQUE PLANTE, you get your way, especially after his face was torn up on a shot by fellow Hall of Famer Andy Bathgate who was mad at Plante for no doubt, stickwork, and deliberately fired the puck at the last second toward PLANTE's maskless "melon". After being stitched up with the game delayed for several minutes because spare goalies were not used unless they as amateurs were called out of the stands for emergencies, or called up from the minors to replace a starting goalie who was slumping or injured and out for awhile, or a few games, back then in a six-team NHL, the game was delayed during those instances, frequently. Further, J.PLANTE told his Coach in 1959, TOE BLAKE, that if he couldn't wear the mask, and it was very crude, he was not going back in.
He got his wish, and made history. Later, Plante actually made masks with his own company producing them after he retired.
The great PLANTE, and that is an understated compliment, was a game changer..yet Andy Brown was the last maskless NHL holdout in..1974..
After that season, the bare face was never seen again on major league goalies while the puck was moving unless it was on ANDY BROWN who jumped to the WHA and NHL rival, albeit a short-lived one, league, that produced four franchises still operating today in the NHL, three of them in different cities..with those clubs winning 8 STANLEY CUPS total, FIVE BY ONE TEAM, four of them with the greatest offensive player of all time, a guy named WAYNE GRETZKY..
Plante himself died too soon. And, much like Fred Allen, Plante went young too, at 56, coaching and team owning in Switzerland just before his death in 1986, I believe.
Yep..
If a goalie was knocked out of game , and no one else was available, the other team had to provide one!
@@frankhenry9130, not the case anymore..the hometeam provides a designated one.
Back then, though it was the case, but as I CLEARLY STATED:
They pulled "them out of the stands" (where the emergency goalies were sitting).
If no emergency goalie was available.. True.. the other team provided one AFTER THEY SAT IN THE STANDS.
In the 'original six' days, teams did not carry backups on their benches.
They were in the minors.
That was my point , that the home team had to provide a goalie ,regardless where he came from , the stands or wherever he was. The point being it was their resposibility to afford a goalie to the other team. @@robertsprouse9282
Aside from playing on the GOAT of NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens of the late 50s, Plante was a great innovator. An eccentric with asthma and frequent "allergies" real and imagined, aside from his mask innovations, IIRC he was the first to go behind the net to stop pucks that were shot into the zone for defencemen. I believe he was among the first to skate out of his crease and then skate backwards to cut down the angle on breakaways. He was the first to raise his arm on an icing call to let his defenseman know what was happening, and he perfected a stand-up, positional style, cutting down the angles. He also knitted his own toques to boot.
@@frankhenry9130 , you never said " from the stands" and if you meant " from the stands" then you would've been agreeing with me and having no reason to make a "point".
Got it?
Again, the NHL's teams then did not have backup goalies, as they were starters in the minors, so they had to come out of the stands provided by the hometeam.
Got it?
Great show! And I've got to get myself one of those Univac 120s!
What a huge lost to this show, I quite like Fred, he was a true Gentleman a funny human being 😪💖💯
Thanks a lot for the upload, and also for having left the ads, which are actually also very interesting. Seeing those interchangable letters, and the different lettertypes available for the Remington typewriters in their 6 colours, I loved it. I think it took some special kind of humour to make the WML-shows really work. That is why Jerry Lewis wasn't at all an added value, but why the nice sarcasm of Fred Allen did. I'm not surprised to read he was one of the influences of Groucho Marx. A few years later, the panel again lost a precious member, when Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead at her home, far too young to go. I'm a bit flabbergasted to see how stylish the people that came to this show were, how feminine the women still were, paying attention to the smallest details such as gloves. Women have obtained more rights by now, but that came with a certain price, that cannot all be blamed on "progress" alone. All good things often have less good things as consequences, a bit like with nuclear energy....
I was with you until the sexist part
I’m sure retroscoop would love for women today to dress in gowns, gloves, stay pregnant and keep their moths shut unless they are spoken to by a man. So easy for MEN to comment on how women have changed and not the atrocious way that they treated women back in those days as if they were nothing more than chattel and slaves. We are never going back and with everything that is going on today with Neanderthals like retroscoop and the Proud Boys and all of the other incels and their quest to return women back to chattel status, the more determined and angrier we get. You and your ilk have unleashed our anger now. So good luck Mr. Cleaver in your futile quest.
What a very sad and very heartbreaking show this must of been to all involved 🥺😪
What a trip, that's Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1956! She's still alive (94) and played a lot in NYC in the 80s.
“She took the words right out my mouth and that’s just unsanitary.”
Jacques Plante is one of the top five NHL goalies of all time.
He's credited with innovating the goalie mask (although he wasnt the first to wear one in a game) . Back then goalies typically didn't wear a mask. He had wore one during practices before because he had a sinusitis operation, but his coach wouldn't let him wear it during games because he thought it would obscure his vision and it would make him look "wimpy". Then early in one game in 1959, he took a slap shot in the face which broke his nose. They stitched him up in the locker room and the Canadiens had no other goalie available so he had to go back out, but refused to unless he wore the mask. The coach allowed it until his nose healed. Jacques refused to remove it for some time and the Canadiens won 18 games in a row. The coach finally convinced him to get rid of the mask one day and they lost. The next game it came back and he wore it from then on.
This was a RARITY where I knew every contestant on the program....( I'm sure I would have been stumped when it aired).
When I think of Fred Allen, other than his WML appearances, l think of how he was often cited as one of the radio personalities who was unable to (or didn't have the time to, because of his death) make the transition to television that other radio stars like Bob Hope and Jack Benny were able to.
Yes, several failed shows, but his memoirs were a huge best seller, Much Ado About Me
He had a TV show, it didn’t work out. Was on briefly in 1953. He was on WML as a mystery guest in early 53 to plug his show. Agree that transition was more difficult, perhaps due to a poorly formatted show for him.
Originally telecast on March 18, 1956.
Barry I. Grauman that was the year the house I live in was built! My father and grandparents moved in in December of 59
He passed away on St. Patrick's Day that year. I heard that he had a heart attack
He died the day before this was filmed while walking through bathe park
Thanks Buzzr.
Mr.Allen was a wonderful entertainer,a beautiful writer.,and sounded like a frog 🐸 through it all!💖🌹💖
Cyd: definition of class!
He was taking a late night walk along 57th Street in New York City when he suffered a heart attack and he died. He was only 61 when he died.
@Tom Smith 36 certainly is "a bit" too young to already think about such things. But of course we all hope we don't have to face the kind of big "C", which is eating away our forces slowly but surely our forces, without giving us a fair chance to fight back.
@Tom Smith "Best way to go" might not be having a heart attack while walking. There's another physical activity that would trump that in a desirable means of bringing on the big one ;-)
@@gerrym.9354 Parcheesi?
He's my great great uncle.
@The Cool Tube 2020 My brother died (Dec 15th 2017) of a massive heart attack 3 years ago today at the age of 36. Apparently he had heart disease and did not know. Guess that is why it is called the "silent killer".
Jacques Plante is the goaler who introduced the face mask to the NHL.
Cyd Charisse was the prettiest thing that ever came out of Amarillo, Texas
How odd that they didn't even give Mrs Lederer's pen name - Ann Landers - as I am sure she ("Ask Ann Landers'} was syndicated nationally by then. I knew her the minute she came in! (And remember her sister, "Dear Abby?"
This was really fun. TY for sharing it. God Bless You & stay safe. Even though it's been a long time, RIP Fred Allen.
I like the mystery guest. Mostly to see who is still famous today or well known
Nothing like black and white TV to advertise all the new Remington typewriter colors.
3700 people in the U.S. that year saw the colors..
Oh my goodness! Mrs Jules Leaderer is Ann Landers, advice columnist. Our city had 2 newspapers. She was Dear Ann in one of them, and her twin sister was Dear Abby (bbigail Van Buren) in the 2nd one.. How fun to see her on the show.
Great show!
I can say without any fear of contradiction that Mr. Fred Allen was by far the best panel guest ( though appearing often not often enough as far as I am concerned ) he was funny without giving the impression that he was trying to be , his timing would rival Jack Benny and his laid-back approach was flawless . I well miss him though I am British living in England with my American wife Germaine I will keep his memory alive by watching him as often as I can . I am sure he will cheer up everyone where he is now.
Keep smiling
MAGIC FINGERS MAXWELL
Toshiko Akiyoshi is still alive she is 94 years old in 2024 Amazing she outlived everyone on the whats my line panel
Since this episode aired live in 1956, it was 68 years ago, so if you were at least 25, you would be at least 93 in 2024. Not many people are at least 93 in 2024.
Note the absence of John Daly, Bennett Cerf, and Steve Allen wearing the show's requisite tuxedoes this one time.
Very good point!
🎉very good Bennett...ive never seen u get it that fast
Mrs. Lederer wrote under the name Ann Landers and was "Dear Abby" Abilgail Van Buren's twin sister. They hated one another.
When Steve Allen invited her to appear on his show, he was very likely referring to the original incarnation of The Tonight Show. He did have a couple other shows so I can't say for sure, but being invited to perform on the Steve Allen show in the 1950's was a very big deal.
I wonder if she did, does anyone know if miss Toshiko Akiyoshi did ever appear on Steve Allen's show
He invited her to be on the Steve Allen Show, shown live on Sunday night on NBC, opposite The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.
@@RonGerstein Thank you for your answer!!
26:23 - Computers were down to 'office-sized' in 1956! :)
Mrs. Jules Ledere was Ann Landers
She was so cute.
Of course, and sister to Dear Abby.
And, her sis was the "Abby" in Dear Abby..
And was first. Abby came later, and it caused bad feelings.
I was wondering if it was Dear Abby or Dear Ann Landers. I read Ann Landers as a kid, but Dear Abby was more well known.
May they all Rest In Peace
That Japanese girl was probably the only non-English speaking contestant that they ever had on there. But she was just a sweet girl.
She really was. John clearly reads Japanese very well!! I gotta look her music up.
@@AT-gi1ge www.nippon.com/en/features/c03708/a-mosaic-of-music-jazz-pianist-composer-and-arranger-akiyoshi-toshiko.html
Actually, they also had Jacques Cousteau, the famous French underwater explorer.
@@Retroscoop, Cousteau..who spoke very little English. She spoke none?
@@Gramma-of-3 They also had that Italian police commisioner who needed an interpreter
I also noticed that both the panelists and John Daly didn't have their names out in front.
Wow, I never realized that.
Portland Hoffa Allen was also the Mystery Guest on there as well.
She's my great great aunt.
Who is Hoffa Allen? Is she a comedic labor leader?
Who is she?
@@robertsprouse9282She was the wife of Fred Allen!!!
i've always enjoyed the John Daly era of "What's My Line".
Fred Allen died naturally while walking with his wife through the streets of Manhattan, as he did every Saturday night.
Also on here is a video of the network news announcing the deaths of Bennett Cerf, John Daly, and Arlene Francis. Isn't it ironic that they all died in years ending with the number 1? Bennett Cerf died in August of 1971. John Daly died in February of 1991. And Arlene Francis died in May of 2001; just 3 1/2 half months before 9/11.
It's not ironic, it's just a coincidence.
@@4seeableTV True true. But in our age, given our modern idea and modern PRODUCTS who's to say what's right or what's wrong? It may be a coincidence. It may not be. Destiny is often difficult to grasp so we simplify it. And one way of simplifying it is by denying it. Let us hold a candle to these three great artists. Whether they all died by accident I the same last digit year or chose to go in memory of each other's death year, their memories will last forever.
@@4seeableTV Let us all make a toast these three immortal artists, Mr. Cerf, Mr. Daly, and most of all Mrs. Gabel who outlived them all, with her vitality and spirit. Let us join together and say HALLELUJAH in memory of these three strong spirits.
@@4seeableTV I am in tears reminiscing about how Arlene Gabel must have felt being the last to go. Undoubtedly, her last words inspired this quote from the movie English Patient, " We die, we die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers, fears we have hidden in, like this wretched cave. We are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men. I know you will come and carry me out into the palace of winds. That's all I've wanted - to walk in such a place with you, with friends, on earth without maps". Are their souls now together, in a better place? Heaven knows, Mr. Allison.
@@4seeableTV My darling sweetheart. I love you so and shan't be parted from you. But have you loved and lost? Like Mr. Carson Daly, Mr. Benett Cerf and Mrs. Arlene Francis who all married and divorced? But they all found love again. We all question ourselves when love fails, " Are my days of steamy rumpy pumpy over?" But they are not. We all find our dark chocolate cherry in our lives soon.
Sad ending 😢😞😔😭😭😭
I recognized Ann Landers right away!
At the time of this broadcast (1956) Jacques Plante was in his 2nd season as the Montreal Canadiens first string goalie. The Detroit Red Wings had won a couple Stanley Cups in a row, but Montreal was on the rise. The Canadiens won the Cup 5 seasons in a row in 1956, 57, 58, 59, and 60. I’m a little bit surprised that they didn’t blindfold the panel. Bennett Cerf got it very quickly. Certainly Peggy Cass or Bill Cullen who were regulars on To Tell the Truth would have known Plante on sight. Peggy was from Boston and a big sports fan. Cullen was from Pittsburgh and got his start in local sportscasts.
Toshiko Akiyoshi (秋吉 敏子 or 穐吉 敏子 will be 91 on December 12th 2020 (still with us as of 8/20/20)
She was so cute here!
She really was.
ua-cam.com/video/sutvim58cIQ/v-deo.html
GOD BLESS
Nearly 92!
She is still alive today which is 17 February 2022
Jacques Plante also invented the goalie mask.
I Can Not Believe The Panel Was Not Asked To Put On Their Blindfolds!
Was NHL Hockey So Little Known Of In The USA At That Time?!
The same didn't occur when pilot Chuck Yeager came, and they didn't know who he was....
The modern one, yes, he created it and wore it. But, in the 1930's for only a few games and mostly in practice, there was actually a mask worn in both the minors and NHL but, not in many games and only until his nose healed in 1936= HALL OF FAMER CLINT BENEDICT using a football player's noseguard. In 1927 a women's team's goalie at Queen's U. in Canada donned a fencing mask.
On Nov. 1st, 1959, Plante began using it and never stopped. He put on the mask, after a long game delay, and went back in, after his bareface was bloodied in the middle of the game.. and the rest is history.
@@davedruid7427, it was only in Eastern and midwest big cities and two Canadian Eastern cities..there were only six teams from 1942 to 1967..
Yes, not many in the U.S. outside of those niche markets, had EVER SEEN NHL players. Minor league towns knew their guys, but no one else did. Most players, 99 percent of them in pro hockey, were from Canada.
@@planetarytransporter5342 ?
I have been watching several episodes on BUZZR. It's a great channel. I am looking forward to seeing the episode with Diana Ross & The Supremes.
Mrs. Jules Lederer was Ann Landers, the advice columnist. Her twin sister was Dear Abby.
The typewriters they advertised looked really neat.
I always liked the friendly competition between Jack Benny & Fred Allen.
John said "Fred(based on widow)would want us to continue on as if he were here,"but I don't believe it--you can do that next week.A memorial would have cleared the air--and Fred would have loved it.This way,there's an elephant in the room--named Fred Allen.
It only took me about a minute to recognize Ann Landers. When she turned to talk to John, I knew I recognized that face, and Ann used to have her picture in the top corner of her articles. I was struggling to remember who she was, then her last name 'Lederer' kicked in, and I thought of Eppie Lederer as Ann Landers. So If I was on the panel, I would have had to disqualify myself. I guess she wasn't such a big name yet at the filming of this show, or Dorothy would certainly had known who she was. By the 70s, she was big all over the country along with her sister Dear Abby, Abigal Van Buren.
There was a real "Ann Landers", who died, and Eppie Lederer took over the column, keeping the Ann Landers name.
Was Fred'd Death in the Sunday Morning papers, or was it too late?
He's my great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683, I would have never guessed.
I’m sure it showed up in the Sunday papers.
John Daly was a gentleman as well it was hard on him to to announce Fred Allens death.
Original airdate: March 18, 1956
Cyd Share-iss or Cyd Share-ease?
I recognized her as soon as she came out at the introduction....did not know however she was so short.
The Rewington Rand Univac 120. It sounds like an early idea for the modern day computer.
What was the date of this broadcast? And I wonder why he had those bags under his eyes. That was possibly heart related ?
Fred Allen died on March 17, 1956… a Saturday. This was most likely March 18, 1956, Sunday as that was the regular day for the telecast.
Fred Allen died of a heart attack while strolling with his wife, Portland Hoffa, through the streets of Manhattan on Saturday night, March 17, 1956.
Jacques Plante?? They didn't automatically know who Jacques Plante was?? When I started following sports in 1959, when I was 9 years old, pretty immediately I knew all about him. Maybe those extra 3 years made a big difference, but I don't know -- they assumed the panel wouldn't just KNOW....
The panelists focused on entertainment, not the NHL.
I didn't focus on the NHL either! As I said, awareness of the NHL could have been very different in 1956 than when I came into things 3 years later, but by then, to know about Jacques Plante you only needed to see a minute of a hockey game on TV once in a while, or glance at the sports pages a few times a year.....
Mrs. Jules Lederer is columnist Ann Landers 😮
Dear Abby was her identical twin sister, too. She was an advice columnist, as well.
Abby's hubby's name or maiden name was VAN BUREN..right? Or, it was a nom de plume?
Wow never connected her. We read her all the time!
@@robertsprouse9282 I think that it was a nom de plume.
Omg the commercial for that typewriter …. Easy as just switching out letters lol
I'm running out and buying a Univac 120 right now.
The great Jacques Plante!
They are pronouncing Jacques last name wrong.
Jacque Plante... a great goalie!
Normally, when a professional sports figure would appear on the show other than as a panelist, he would be a recognizable mystery guest and the panelists would be
blindfolded. Here, even though Jacque Plante was well known in the sport of hockey and the New
York Rangers were one of only six
teams in the NHL, the producers
of the show did not seem to have a problem with having him appear as an ordinary person. Bennett, a
very intelligent individual, figured that since Jacque appeared to be
a French Canadian, and the Montreal Canadians were in town to play the Rangers, he must be a
hockey player. Bennett did not
seem to know that Plante was the renown goalie of the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadians.
Ann Landers.
Ann landers?
D U H
I meant Fred Allen
There is a feature, EDIT, that corrects typos of comments already submitted.
Ann Landers!
Was it customary at this time for women not to rise & greet the departing contestant? I notice the male panelists rise & greet the departing contestants, but the women never do?
Woman only rise for the elderly....men rose for everyone
That’s correct, however there were a few exceptions. When Eleanor Roosevelt was the mystery guest, both Arlene & Dorothy stood up. There were a few other women contestants/mystery guests where the female panelists stood up.
But in general back then, women did not stand up as men did.
One other social norm back then was that men weren’t supposed to offer their hand for a handshake until the lady did.
Yes, the world has changed in my 69 years!
I always found that an odd practice, but now it is rare for anybody to rise for anyone else. I think it is more practical and even footing since women are no better than men and men are no better than women. We are all just one big happy family!😘
Yes, that was the custom. In fact there was a joke: Q. What do ladies do sitting down, men do standing, and dogs do with one leg raised?
A. Shake hands.
“100”
Go Habs Go!
The advice to the lovelorn lady looks like Ann Landers....
And so she is Ann Landers.
Fred died from a heart attack.Dorothy was assassinated by the CIA....
Who would have wanted to go through all that trouble of changing keys on a typewriter for different fonts and symbols?
This was before word processors and personal computers. If you wanted to type a document that required special symbols (such as a scientific paper), this would have allowed you to do it without having to go to a printer's shop.
A great player who created the goaltenders mask and died too young from stomach cancer and lost a young son too early
I think Bennet Cerf was usually tipped off
What's is the sad and heartfelt tribute to Fred Allen?
Who didn't know Jacques Plante?
Everyone who did not follow the NHL.
@@RonGerstein I thought Ron Gerstein played baseball not hockey.