Pearl Bailey on "What's My Line?"

Arlene ends up monopolizing the game.

[@constantreader7944]

She went back to college at age 60, and after seven hard years working workin working, graduated Georgetown with a Bachelors year degree in Theology. Amazing. Brought sunshine and happiness wherever she went. Adored her.

[@donnalively5978]

I was blessed to meet Pearl Bailey. She was kind, compassionate and a joy to spend time with.

[@EMomp]

How lucky you were!!

[@mashtali1]

Pearl Bailey was Sydney Poitier of black Singers. She had so much pride and integrity and she was so smart.

[@Blkmphl]

Her handwriting was gorgeous

[@theskeptic8489]

she's from a very elegant black line...you can tell by her eyes and cheekbones. she was so beautiful.

[@lickitbebe]

She's so beautiful.

[@edithsymmans3273]

Love Pearl Bailey she just wonderful……. to see the guys stand for this wonderful lady just shows respect…….

[@DINOLOVER6717]

The fact that she was so widely accepted in this era is a testament to who she was!! Now THIS is Black Excellence 👏🏽❤️👏🏽

[@satori03]

I have loved her since the first time I saw her on tv. Her soul just shines through

[@shanshan8687]

She’s just lovely and her handwriting is BEAUTIFUL

[@WakandaBabe]

Her husband was GORGEOUS! Her husband was Louie Bellson, who was white. They defied convention. He was engaged to someone else, met her and they married. Stayed married from 1952 to 1990, when she died. She was a great entertainer and he was a great drummer.

[@lf1496]

He was Sicilian. Whyt doesn't exist, it's a made up category used in America to maintain a social pecking order.🙄

[@bigeman25]

Pearlie Mae is what she was called. The high cheek bones Queen Latifah also shares.
Pearl was a true gem and a really beautiful person.
God bless you Ms.Bailey.

[@jimr4319]

A very beautiful and talented lady. There's so much strength yet tenderness in that face. One of the great personalities and celebrities of that era. RIP Ms.Bailey.

[@u.s.n.retired1995]

Ms Bailey, was a bad chick. Beautiful and oh so talented!

[@dmann1115]

Yes she was!

[@gtlfb]

Pearl Bailey and David Merrick were scheduled as mystery guests for the same episode. He had never seen her before and was absolutely enchanted - so enchanted that it gave him the idea to revamp his long running 'Hello, Dolly' with an all black cast. We have a WML scheduling snafu to thank for Pearlie Mae playing Dolly Levi. 'House of Flowers' wasTruman Capote's only stab at lyricist.

[@littlebrookreader949]

Pearl looks SO sophisticated! She looks so pretty!

[@1madDogz]

Pearl Bailey was such a TALENT.

[@sammydean9085]

I got to see her in Hello Dolly with Cab Calloway. Now I realize how lucky I was.
She is missed.

[@skybluepirate]

Gentlemen rise for the ladies, even African-American women. This is no surprise. Some people in show business, were more open minded, than people in other professions. That is one thing I like about watching these old segments of What's My Line. All women, no matter what color, age, or religion, were treated with equal respect by the male panelists.

[@kevinswanlake4189]

Queen Latifa could definitely play Pearl in a tv-movie about her.

[@design17]

I totally agree. I've said this for years. I hope she is writing the screenplay with her partners.

[@jess4metoo]

Kevin Swan Lake If she loses 50 lbs maybe. Pearl Bailey wasn't fat.

[@su-rv2uq]

@@jess4metoo apparently you never saw her when she was older. She gained quite a bit of weight, but never lost her power.

[@artisttemple8268]

My sentiments exactly.

[@20alphabet]

Hardly. Pearl had class.

[@CK1223]

a great actress/comedienne r.i.p

[@tonydalcon]

"I watch em every Sunday--they're dangerous." :D

[@leonardwilsonsr8198]

The GREAT Pearl Bailey

[@mylesburris3885]

Pearl Bail was ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!

[@su-rv2uq]

Not only does she look like Latifah, she sounds like her too!

[@ttboiful]

Oh My God, Her HandWriting ! amazing !

[@craigsmith157]

Pearl Bailey and Queen Latifah resembled each other. The eyes.

[@davidmiller3573]

The women looked, dressed, and acted like ladies.....what pride.

[@odotson]

Absolutely, but more appropriately, we can see Pearl in Queen Latifah.

[@MGG75]

If they ever did a biopic on her, Queen Latifah would be a good match!

[@daltonbelflower7331]

I could see Queen Latifah in a film bio of Pearl.

[@poetcomic1]

It should have been a big hit. The cast album is a rare treasure.

[@Jumping-cholla]

Such a beautiful woman inside and out

[@TheBraveIntrovert]

Queen Latifah's twin.

[@boblablah3773]

You too see the man in her. But don't get me wrong. I LUV'UM BOTH!

[@MiaCarter7]

I thought so too lol

[@artisttemple8268]

Yep!

[@hcabnekogcram]

THAT'S who Queen Latifah reminds me of! Thank you!!

[@hairyscotman]

I loved PEARL BAILEY! I haven't seen her for years....thanks, for this...

[@NathTMcC]

Pearl was beautiful.

[@mattmammone2338]

Pearl was perfect for the stage adaptation of "House of Flowers" :) Truman Capote wrote a great story and we owe his fame, not only to his talent but to publisher and pannelist Bennett Cerf.

[@joeambrose3260]

That is one classy lady

[@aGwEENapple]

I was looking up something online, not knowing who she was and thought "wow, that's a very nice photo of Queen Latifah". She really does look like her! She's beautiful!

[@muzikluver2525]

Yes!!!! I would love to see Queen Latifah play Pearl in a bio flick.

[@MatthewPippin]

Oh no.... Queen Latifah looks like Pearl Bailey. ;)

[@savannah58]

Queen Latifah look like her

[@sharoncuff9920]

+I💟crafting Yes! It would be terrific if she were to play her in a documentary or movie...

[@dmann1115]

It just clicked for me seeing this now. Absolutely!

[@savannah58]

That would be awesome!

[@artisttemple8268]

So true.

[@deliciasmith744]

Right!!! I am surprised that Latifah has not done this.

[@dmann1115]

Watching this, I just realized Pearl Bailey is who Queen Latifa reminds me of, don't you think? Which is so great.

[@kevinswanlake4189]

Ohhhh yes she does look like Queen Latifah. Someone actually mentioned that on "Living Single".

[@amberanderson3416]

Kevin Swan Lake They both are beautiful. They look like they could be mother and daughter.

[@melirose89]

thats exactly what i was gonna say, she looks just like Queen Latifah. or rather Queen Latifah looks like her :)

[@2legit64]

Miz Bailey was looking too fly that evening.

[@daltonbelflower7331]

This is a prime example of why the rules of the game needed to be changed. Pearl Bailey didn't even get to talk to the other panelists. The panelists were much too smart, and in many cases, the celebrity guests were guessed by one panelist without ever moving to the next one. Another example is the Rhonda Fleming episode, where Bennett Cerf knew quickly who she was but decided to pass it along so the other panelists would have a shot at it.

[@xander7ful]

@Sarahlapoison i thought so too at first. But there's another woman who resembles Queen Latifah more & her name was Zora Neale Hurston. She was a black writer who died in obscurity. There is a woman alive now who resembles Pearl. Don't know her name off-hand, but she's a "food star"/cook on the Food Channel.

[@ediekoller2636]

LOL Minie Pearl and Pear Bailey ...two totally different people. Minnie Pearl was a Grand Old Opry singer...and Pearl More contempory

[@iamintheburg]

@Sarahlapoison OH YEAAHHHH.......I been waiting for years to hear that Queen has been cast in the bio of Pearlie Mae. It's a natural role for her. Pearl Bailey was a goddess!!

[@saintben2008]

she does remind you queen latifah or maybe the other way around.

[@Vogeltje1618]

@wmlfan9 True. But they play it two ways. One way is that a member gets to ask 1 question and then, no matter if the answer is yes or no, the turn goes to the next member of the panel. The other way is that one member of the panel begins the questioning. As long as the answer is yes, that particular member of the panel may continue the questioning untill the answer is no, or, in this case, the identity of the guest is revealed.

[@nikspain9383]

omg queen latifah

[@shomifochap3]

I always say Queen looks like Pearl Bailey

[@carlamartinezvega13]

'beautiful commercial' hahahaa

[@theblueangel28]

Arlene I swear, she was dangerous

[@strausd02]

I really don't see the resemblance...Pearl Bailey, I think is more beautiful, and really had a better figure than any of those ladies you all are comparing her to. Pearl was a comsumate entertainer. She was very versatile. Look at her statutes figure...Look at those cheek bones as well....The Cheerkee...

[@Gaygarious]

@SueSnell No, you see she was based in New York, Arlene was friends with ALL B'way associates... back then it was New York and not H'wood that occupied many people's mind (ligitimate theatre, y'know) and she and ALL the regular panalists we quite astute in the goings on of the Bright Way... times and changed alas. Watch "Bullets Over Broadway", it's a GREAT spoof of old B'way!!!!

[@PatrickLHawkins]

I see the Queen Latifah too

[@ElijahLukeMusic]

She looks like QUEEN LATIFAH

[@lupisdemorte]

i agree that queen latifah does favor miss pearl

[@Sarahlapoison]

If you look at the facial expression of Pearl you could see Queen Latifah in her? who agree with me?

[@MrVidaeverdade]

Funny, when I started watching this I was wondering to myself why she was wearing a Minnie Pearl hat. :)

[@sassypants117]

@Sarahlapoison I hadn't scrolled down yet while watching the video and I was just about to post a comment when I happened to notice your commenting about a close resemblance to Queen Latifah- I was just about the comment that Q. could easily portray Peal in a movie!! Both very strikingly beautiful women. It's uncanny how similar some of the facial expressions are!!

[@hansvonrittern9168]

The hat :o !!

[@dramaticafantastica]

certainly sounds like her, if you watch The Fox and the Hound they could easily be the same person!

[@mnw1989]

I've been saying that for years !

[@Foxx_33]

@MaoSuratt911 I wish I had half her style and class, and I don't mean just the hand writing

[@bigdezol]

They watched the episode of Living Single when the old man told Khadejah she looked like Pearlie Mae. Such fools.

[@Hauraunah]

I'm not so sure. There were plenty of movies that were banned because the lead female was black and would have a white male interested in here. They had to make the actress of Pinky white because they didn't want to offended people by seeing a white man pursue her. Pinky was banned from some Southern Theathers as well as similar videos.

[@haranoe]

Not sure whether it is good or bad that women had to wear see-through necklines so often back then because both their black-and-white or the full colour screen appearances were too tricky, either too revealing or too unflattering to their complexions.

[@hjb103055]

Wow. That would be great.

[@wmlfan9]

Usually the panel would let all four members participate before going for the kill. Not this time - Arlene monopolized the game. (Not a criticism, just an observation.)

[@NathTMcC]

why aren't the crowd cheering for her at all?

[@robertlongwill8856]

I wish people would stop comparing this great singer Pearl Bailey to that hack Queen Latifah. Queen Latifah couldn't hold Pearl Bailey's hat. Pearl has more Talent in her baby finger then Latifah has in her whole body

[@dagwood727]

Pearl was married to drum legend Louie Bellson.

[@01applebees]

I totally agree =)

[@Gaygarious]

I think Queen should play Pearl in a biopsy!!!

[@anjelheaven]

YES!!!

[@coloradogal100]

i think queen latifah should my pearl bailey.

[@Yowza78]

What did she do.with her hands?

[@dmann1115]

What year is this from?

[@sweeney60]

@Sarahlapoison Holy Shit! You read my mind!

[@xander7ful]

@Sarahlapoison Look up Sunny Anderson on a show called Cooking for Real, the Food Network. She looks more like Pearl than Queen Latifah.

[@MikeIdy6000]

@Gaygarious BIOPSY?! Ouch!

[@hjb103055]

In the south in the 50's and the 60's if a black man even looked at a white woman it could cost him his life.

[@tigergreg8]

Seems odd that you can be the nicest person on Earth, but people will judge and dislike you because of skin color. But then again, their were people who didn't like Christ and how much better of a person can that be. )

[@danielstanwyck2812]

WHAT YEAR????

[@NMC21887]

Nice hat...

[@MikeIdy6000]

@Gaygarious "biography/picture" = bio-pic

[@smiley77777]

I’m happy that they let minorities on this show during the 1950s

[@Gaygarious]

@MikeIdy6000 bioptic...

[@marthafarquar]

She was better on the Muppets

[@Antoninus7]

Neither Sunny Anderson or Queen Latifa look like Pearl Bailey. You folks need glasses because there is no resemblance other than they are black females

[@roamer61]

Out of Sync.

[@divineangel1369]

Marsha Warfield's twin

[@sloams]

Love Pearl Bailey!!

[@satori03]

Beautiful lady and such a great singer and actress

[@strausd02]

I really don't see the resemblance...Pearl Bailey, I think is more beautiful, and really had a better figure than any of those ladies you all are comparing her to. Pearl was a comsumate entertainer. She was very versatile. Look at her statutes figure...