The game followed a line of formality and adherence to rules. The uncredited announcer introduced the first panelist, sometimes the left-most, sometimes the right-most. (Presumably, Mrs. Roosevelt was one of those to donate her honorarium.). The producers, Fates said, were unable to challenge Daly for fear of losing him as the show's moderator. The syndicated series ran for 1,320 episodes over seven seasons. TV Series 1950-1967 30 m IMDb RATING 8.5 /10 1.7K YOUR RATING Rate POPULARITY 5,000 710 Family Game-Show Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions. What's My Line? Are you related to anybody that has anything to do with Whats My Line? Cerf asks, causing Armstrong, host Daly, and the studio audience to dissolve with laughter. This is an unofficial release of public domain episodes, and it is unclear if an official release will occur.[65]. game show, shortly before both finally returned to television in triumph with The Joker's Wild. A Community Chest Special, completely separate from the regular production of episodes, was broadcast live on all the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, and DuMont) on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27, 1953. - 1955 - Episode 02. - Hedy Lamarr (Mar 31, 1957) What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. Menu Movies Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight TV Shows Menu. The most frequent guest panelist was Arlene Francis's husband Martin Gabel, who appeared 112 times over the years. An audio-only portion of episode #079 from December 2, 1951 (only has part of Game 1 with Mrs. Virginia Hendershot as the Steam Shovel Operator from Bound Brook, NJ) exists. Live On Stage. [3] This version originally was hosted by Wally Bruner and later by Larry Blyden. [21] It ended in divorce in April 1959. [27] On more than one occasion, Daly "led the panel down the garden path" a favorite phrase used when an answer had proven misleading to the panelists. We accept PayPal, Venmo (@openculture), Patreon and Crypto! [47] The primary reason for the cancellation, along with that of the other panel shows CBS aired in prime time, was that the programs' low overall viewershipthe key metric of success during Michael Dann's time with the networkcould no longer justify their presence even as the shows continued to turn a profit with their low production costs. While covering the Roosevelt White House, Daly became known to the national CBS audience as the network announcer for many of the President's speeches. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Daly became completely convulsed in laughter during the live telecast on the NBC network. Cerf also played a myriad of games with Daly's full name, John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly, reciting it correctly only a handful of times over the course of the series.[26]. The regular panelists were under contract and were paid "much more," according to Fates. There, company employees Gil Fates, Bob Bach, Pamela Usdan and Bill Egan[59] worked round-the-clock for three days to compile the 90-minute special under deadline pressure from ABC network official Bob Shanks. Dick Cavett, in an early television appearance in Fred Allen's vacated chair in 1966, noted that the mystery guest was probably wondering who Cavett was. by Ayun Halliday | Permalink | Comments (1) |. The closing credits of each prerecorded episode included an acknowledgment of the prerecorded status by the offscreen announcer. Once the original What's My Line? The cover of the book features the photos of panelists Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen and host John Daly. The ultimate or penultimate round of an episode involved blindfolding the panel for a celebrity guest appearance (originally called "mystery challengers" by Daly) whom the panel had to identify by name, rather than occupation. By what name was What's My Line? 1957: Won, ABC Television, "Prologue '58. [11], Daly continued on What's My Line? Directed by Paul Munroe (1950) Franklin Heller (1950-1967) Frank Satenstein Paul Alter(1957-1961) Ira Skutch Lloyd Gross (1968-1975 syndicated version) Presented by John Charles Daly Wally Bruner Larry Blyden Starring Arlene Francis Dorothy Kilgallen Louis Untermeyer Hal Block Bennett Cerf Steve Allen Fred Allen Soupy Sales While Daly moderated the first live episode after his return from Moscow, he praised his employers use of videotape. See production, box office & company info. Gene Wood also sub-announced an episode in 1970.[56]. Follow her@AyunHalliday. ended production. On Fred Allen's death in 1956, Random House book publisher co-founder and humorist Bennett Cerf became the anchor panelist who would usually introduce Daly. . Alpha Video released a DVD containing four episodes on February 26, 2008. EXTRAS! He resigned from ABC on November 16, 1960, after the network preempted the first hour of 1960 presidential election night coverage to show Bugs Bunny cartoons and The Rifleman from 7:30 to 8:30 pm while CBS and NBC were covering returns from the KennedyNixon presidential election and other important vote counts. [40], Beginning with the first Wednesday episode (#005; April 12, 1950, and continuing until around 1951), the show was broadcast from the now demolished CBS Studio 51 (Maxine Elliott's Theatre, aka Maxine Elliott Theatre, 109W. 39th St., NY). The unscripted urbane banter kept viewers tuning in. In the 17-year run of the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman program, "What's My Line?" was nominated for an Emmy in the category of panel, quiz or audience participation series five times, winning Emmys in . What's My Line? What's My Line (TV Series 1951-1964) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. TV Series 1973-1974 IMDb RATING 7.4 /10 12 YOUR RATING Rate Game-Show Add a plot in your language Creators Mark Goodson Bill Todman Stars David Jacobs Isobel Barnett Kenneth Williams See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Episodes 23 [citation needed] After his father died of a tropical fever, Daly's mother moved the family to Boston, Massachusetts. Daly was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1966 to 1982. until 1967. The show began as a live broadcast but during the last eight years many episodes were videotaped weeks or months in advance of their telecasts. The series also inspired a multitude of concurrent international versions and a syndicated U.S. revival in 1968 in which Daly did not participate. Beginning in 1955 Daly simply greeted and seated the contestant, who later met the panel at the end of the game. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Old Dominion Foundation (later the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), and the Louis Calder Foundation (paper industry leader), Critique was originally scheduled for 26 weekly programs. The panelists had to guess contestants' odd or not-so-odd jobs, then (while blindfolded) guess a celebrity guest's identity (New York Yankee Phil Rizzuto was the first). The special eventually was broadcast by ABC on May 28, 1975, on the late-night series ABC's Wide World of Entertainment, and is currently available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media. 1956: Won, ABC Television, Television News for Coverage of the National Political Conventions. What's My Line? Four awards for consideration are Alumnus of the Year, George L. Plimpton Award, John Charles Daly Award, and Artist Hall of Fame. Daly's closing line on the ABC newscasts was "Good night, and a good tomorrow." Although the Harpo Marx segment was preserved via kinescope, and so were most live telecasts of What's My Line?, all of Daly's 15-minute live newscasts for the ABC network were lost due to wiping. For the final season, from episode #830 to episode #876 (September 11, 1966 September 3, 1967), in conjunction with the program's permanent move to color, the show used CBS Studio 50 (later renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater, 1697 Broadway at 53rd St., NY). Originally moderated by John Charles Daly and most frequently with regular panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf, What's My Line? This was in addition to the maximum $50 (equal to $563 in 2021[36]) game winnings, which guests sometimes donated to charity. "What's My Line?" I recently saw this series again on "Game Show Network" and madly taped many of these classic episodes that instantly brought back fond memories of a time when something as minor as a silly little game show aimed for class. [32] An April 1967 episode featuring Candice Bergen as the mystery guest was lost in its entirety, as was a June 1967 episode featuring both Betty Grable and F. Lee Bailey. In addition to the television version, What's My Line? What's My Line? The contestant entered by writing his or her name on a small sign-in board. their "line of work". Line's sister show, I've Got a Secret, and later, the syndicated version of WML engaged in the practice of contestants demonstrating their talents. HostJohn Charles Dalywas willing to keep the ball up in the air by answering the panels initial questions for aMystery Guestwith a widely recognizable voice, but its hard to imagine anyone stuffing former First LadyEleanor Roosevelt intothe full body steampunk bee suitthe (SPOILER)Empress of Soulwore on The Masked Singers first season. A bright, contemporary music package was composed by Charles Fox. What's My Line? He was the first national correspondent to deliver the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941,[4] and he was also the first to relay the wire service report of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, interrupting the program Wilderness Road to deliver the news. Cerf's introductions of Daly were generally straightforward in his earliest years on the show, but as time went by Cerf expanded these introductions, often telling long jokes which he tied to Daly in some way.[32]. What's My Line? For the 197475 season, the show's set was changed. With this in mind, Goodson-Todman offered host Blyden the hosting position on Showoffs, a charades-based game show that the company was developing for ABC's daytime lineup. What's My Line? Non-celebrity guests stood to earn up to $50 (over $500 today) by prolonging the revelation of their professions, as compared to the Mystery Guests who received an appearance fee of ten times that, win or lose. What's My Line TV Series 1951-1964 30 m IMDb RATING 7.0 /10 67 YOUR RATING Rate Game-Show A panel of celebrities trying to guess what a person does for a living, or figure out who a mystery guest is. Mrs. Roosevelt was preceded by a bathtub salesman and a fellow involved in the manufacture of Bloodhound Chewing Tobacco, after which there was just enough time for a woman who wrote television commercials. During World War II, he covered the news from London as well as the North African and Italian fronts. To increase the probability of affirmative answers, panelists would often phrase questions in the negative starting with "Is it something other than" or "Can I rule out", The show popularized the phrase, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" The amount of the prize was tallied by Daly who flipped up to ten cards on his desk. [3] Many early episodes were lost because of economic decisions made by CBS executives between 1950 and 1952. Occasionally Daly would amiably one-up Cerf if he felt the pun was of lesser quality. [40][42] Meanwhile, the concurrent 19521953 Radio edition, at least during the CBS run, was heard live from CBS Studio Building 22 (49 E. 52nd St., NY). As with Secret, contestants frequently demonstrated their skill or product after the game. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. [9] Daly stated that "the last straw"[10] that led to his resignation was the decision of the then-president of ABC, Leonard Goldenson, to bring in Time Inc. to co-produce documentaries that had previously been under Daly's direction for the network. had yet to air in certain markets; by the fall of 1975, the last of these episodes had aired across the United States. Stars Wally Bruner Arlene Francis Johnny Olson See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 5 User reviews Viacom and Goodson-Todman found themselves unable to secure contracts with enough stations to justify continuing to produce the program beyond the episodes that had been videotaped on or prior to December 12, 1974. While in Johannesburg, Daly attended Marist Brothers College. This pilot started with three panelists playing the Mystery Guest round; the guest would then be the fourth panelist for the remainder of the episode. Sponsors were accorded the same exposure on the set as Stopette. Youd just sit there and be yourself and do the best you could.. Soon, other panelists were asking this question as well. But hell, I still enjoy watching the original Dick Tracy serials, so my critical judgment is highly suspect. "Eyes on the Prize,", Steve Allen's birth name was Stephen Valentine Patrick Allen, while Fred Allen's birth name was John Florence Sullivan, Last edited on 12 February 2023, at 15:36, What's My Line (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), list of longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-shows, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, "Oh, the Civility! [52] In 1971, production of What's My Line? Clifton Fadiman,[10][11] Eamonn Andrews, and Random House co-founding publisher and panelist Bennett Cerf[12] substituted on the four occasions when Daly was unavailable. TV Shows. While ostensibly a game show, if there was time, it also was an opportunity to conduct interviews. What's My Line? One expects such shenanigans might have struck them as a bit uncouth. The show lasted 17 years, with Daly hosting all but four episodes of the weekly series. announcer Johnny Olson was the announcer, and Bob Barker was the host for the show which ran for two seasons on CBS. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In 1949 he starred in the short-lived CBS Television newspaper drama The Front Page, where it was thought that his presence and journalistic experience would give the series more authenticity. - Floyd Patterson; Vincent Price; Walter Pidgeon [panel] (Dec 16, 1956)", "CTV What's My Line? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. - Season 9, Episode 20: EPISODE #397", "Only One Prime-Time TV Show Will Be Produced Here In Fall", "Image: Week_008_August_27_1968_0036_0040, (640 284 px)", "Image: Week_167_September_28_1972_0831_0835, (640 283 px)", "What's My Line? The color composition of the What's My Line? In the case of the famous mystery guest each week, the panel sought to determine the identity of the celebrity. This was the time of year when production companies and syndicators would try to sell new and continuing series to local stations. Other frequent guest panelists include Jack Lemmon, Tony Randall, Robert Q. Lewis and Phyllis Newman. In 2014, another pilot for a revival was shot to offer to stations in 2015, but it also failed to sell. The series has been seen on Game Show Network[63] at various times. Regular announcers included Lee Vines, who served from 1950 to 1955; Hal Simms, from 1955 to 1961; Ralph Paul, whose tenure was confined to 1961; and Johnny Olson, perhaps the best known of Goodson-Todman's television announcers, whose tenure began in 1961 and ran until the show's cancellation in 1967. [16] The most notable and last guest on a "Critique" program hosted by Daly was Bronx-born singer/songwriter/pianist Laura Nyro, probably recorded on December 4, 1968,[citation needed] and originally broadcast on January 1, 1969, in which she performed demos of "And When I Die," "The Man Who Sends Me Home," "Captain Saint Lucifer," "Mercy on Broadway," "You Don't Love Me When I Cry," and "Save the Country," and also featured an interview with her manager David Geffen. By what name was What's My Line? Dollar signs for "no" answers were replaced by sequential numbers. is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. A clip from the kinescope was played. All rights reserved. [8] In such instances, cast and crew worked on two episodes consecutively during the same Sunday night: the "taped" one, followed immediately by the "live" one. Also, the show played more like "I've Got a Secret" as the contestants would often demonstrate their skill or would have a sample of the product they either sold or made. At the time, syndication involved videotape-sharing among stations that aired a series, a practice referred to as "bicycling." Usually when such a veteran appears, there is a pristine-quality DVD screening of the original kinescope on a plasma screen. Unknown to the public, mystery guests were paid $500 (equal to $5,631 in 2021[36]) as an appearance fee, whether they won or lost the game. Frequent sponsors in the 1960s were Kellogg's cereals, Allstate Insurance, and Geritol. It was preserved and digitally converted for release. was Pat Finch, a hat check girl at the Stork Club. Every year during Alumni Weekend Tilton School recognizes outstanding alumni during School Meeting on Saturday. Its not Van Clyburn, is it? Francis ventures a couple of minutes later. Trivia: Much of the first two seasons of "What's My Line" were destroyed by CBS, but by the 3rd season Goodson-Todman productions requested a kinescope of each episode. This album, which was released by RCA Records in 1971, featured interviews with TV personalities about the medium's first 25 years. Each time one panelist failed, the audience team won $25 and another panelist took a turn. Mystery guests would usually attempt to conceal their identities with disguised voices, much to the amusement of the studio audience. Daly's first foray into television was as a panelist on the game show Celebrity Time. So many celebrity guests graced the. Appearing as panelists were Robert Q. Lewis, who had been a panelist on the original What's My Line?, and Pamela Mason, who had been a mystery guest. Dissolve with laughter, who appeared 112 times over the years the cookies the host for show! One panelist failed, the panel at the Stork Club until 1967 attended Marist Brothers.. 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Attended Marist Brothers College lasted 17 years, with Daly hosting all but four episodes of the mystery.