What's My Line? - Beatrice Lillie; Jack O' Brien; John Cameron Swayze [panel] (Nov 4, 1956)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2024
- MYSTERY GUEST: Beatrice Lillie [British comedienne]; Jack O' Brien [TV critic]
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, John Cameron Swayze, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf
2023 and the show is still enjoyable even though I don't know all the famous contestants. Arlene smiles with her eyes and seems like such a wonderful lady. Timeless classic.
It's wonderful to be able to come here and see some of the great talent of the past still in their prime. Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Bettie Davis I really like this show!
Like a previous poster, I feel like I know these folks. This show has made me aware of so many real stars who were on the periphery of my knowledge, I look them up and marvel at the variety of experience these lives have led. Thanks WML!
One of those mystery guests that I’ve never heard of but I love researching them !! Just fascinating
“Throughly Modern Millie “
I love this show! Funny and oh so entertaining!
Beatrice Lillie was "positive proof" that big things come in little packages. She was beloved both in the UK and the USA due to her comical talent! What a pip!!
One of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century!
Look at Miss Dorothy in her gloves -that’s so charming. I wish this was still the fashion for dressy occasions. My Grandma wore gloves in the 60s and 70s. Such a lady
At 17:00 Beatrice Lillie's voice is immediately recognized thus she must have been as famous as any super-star could be. And, the others showed genuine respect & adoration
I don't get to have a good belly laugh such is the world nowadays, but when that lady was declared to model false teeth, I spent a few minutes falling over my laptop and letting out an uncontrolled neighing sound of hoarse laughter. Bless the dear woman - now long gone - for providing me with this sweet moment. Robert, 75, uk (p.s. I wear false teeth).
Thanks for uploading all of these WML shows. I have watched so many I feel like I know all the members of the panel. Bennett Cerf was such a class act.
I always appreciate his generosity in going out of his way to plug books published by companies other than his own Random House. Very classy.
If you ignore his constant ogling and commenting on the physical attributes of all the women.
I loved Bennett Cerf, would’ve liked to know him! And I disagree that he was “mean” to John Charles Daley- I loved their lively but good natured quips; they were very good friends!
@@WhatsMyLine he got more plugs for himself, his company, his books than all the other panelists combined
@@oksills It's a little gauche or "inelegant" in our time but back then that was how men showed respect for women, and generally women took it in the spirit intended. It was pretty much a cultural norm then, for better or worse, that men defined themselves by their careers and women defined themselves by their looks and their grace; and where any offense might've been taken by a woman by a wolf whistle or cat call, women knew how to handle themselves and shut a guy down in short order. Nowadays you sneeze wrong and women are ready to doxx you and take you to court. There's a middle ground between these two cultural extremes and I tend toward the mid-point.
Beatrice Lillie was also known as Lady Peel. 1920-34 she was married to Sir Robert Peel, 5th Baronet, whose great-grandfather twice had been Prime Minister of England in 1834-35 and 1841-46.
The great-grandfather was also the one who developed the modern British police for ce, hence "bobbies", or "peelers"
They seperated, never divorced. He died in 1934. They had one child. A son. She entertained the troops during the war. Before going on stage she learned that her son was killed in action. She refused to postpone the performance. She said, "I'll cry tomorrow".
@@greydogmusic: we should respect her for that, not all could do that after losing her only child. Hats off to her.
@@lopa2828 Yes. Having gone where she did and saw what she saw i imagine it prepared her for the valleys of life. And when hers came she knew she was not alone.
Even as a fictitious character my favorite Peel is Emma. Diana Rigg was gorgeous, and so was Arlene
Man oh man......Miss Lillie's MG segment is as great and grand as that of Rosalind Russell ! I am headed directly to Wikipedia now to learn more about her.
I love it when John Daly tells the panel, Noooooo, sarcastically 😁
Always a terrific 20th century history lesson this show: Had not known of Lady Beatrice Lillie Peel afore to and yet she was quite an international theater star in her day. How great to learn of her. (And of Mr. O'Brian, whose historical legacy belies his puppy dog eyes--no puppy, he.)
"There is a whiskey-flavored mouthwash, too." Yes, indeed. They call it "whiskey."
The irony is that toothpaste and mouthwash were known to be used to get the smell of alcohol off of someone's breath. That would have been a big fail with this product.
"But officer, all I did was brush my teeth and use mouthwash!"
once a great star now almost totally forgotten
As the guest panelist Hugh O'Brian said, these are the phases of an actor's career (substituting a different name for Hugh O'Brian):
1) Who is Beatrice Lillie?
2) Get me Beatrice Lillie!
3) Get me a Beatrice Lillie type!
4) Get me a younger Beatrice Lillie?
5) Who is Beatrice Lillie?
Poor lady ended up with dementia.
The contestant who made Whiskey Flavored Toothpaste said he wanted to give a year's supply of it to the panel but John joked and asked if he could send it in weekly lots because they had a programme do to every Sunday. :) 15:02
Beatrice Lillie was also on the May 10, 1964 episode, which I watched after this one.
My 12th birthday. I'm old!!!
Beatrice Lillie was in Chicago in a play and was having her hair done in an exclusive salon. When they took her first because she was short of time, the wife of Mr. Armour of Armour Meats was in a huff about 'show business riff raff going ahead of her. When Beatrice was done she told the receptionist. Tell the butcher's wife she can go in now, Lady Peel is done. (Her husband was Lord Peel).
This program was broadcast four days after my birth.
I really like that guy (inventor) selling the toothpaste!
As of the mid 1990s he was 85-6 yo and still a hoot!
He led a very interesting life.
Where can I find out about this inventor? I'm curious if he worked at one time at Proctor &Gamble, famous for Crest Toothpaste and countless other consumer products.
@@JDAbelRN No mention of his having worked at P&G. He was an inventor and marketer, and held multiple patents. He passed in 2021, age 96.
How charming and good mannered they all are
When John asks if all the blindfolds are in place, does one of the women on the panel say "Yes, Daddy" at 15:30?
It sounded like Dorothy said it.
Whoever said it, said it before in a 1955 episode.
Beatrice Lillie, in 1956 she was a relic from past eras. An entertainer emblematic of the days of the British Empire glory days which by 1956 was on the decline.
You make it sound as if her career was nearly over, but she remained active into the next decade, starring onstage in High Spirits (1964) and featured onscreen in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) among others.
@@neilmidkiffJulie Andrews said that by the time of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Beatrice Lillie's mind had deteriorated so much that she could not remember any of her lines. Very sad and made worse that she lived so many years after that film, certainly declining very far. It is not what anyone would want.
Up to this episode, I haven’t heard one person say “No, my product isn’t useful!” Lol
John Cameron Swayze was also well known for doing TV commercials for Timex watches -- here's one on TH-cam. "Timex -- takes a licking and keeps on ticking" was the motto.
Few under 40 would remember (or get) a Playboy party joke of that era, regarding the prostitute who contracted rocky mountain spotted fever, but refused to quit working. Yes, she took a ticking, but kept on licking. Sorry. Couldn't stop myself.
+ToddSF 94109
I remember Swayze doing those Timex commercials. And I also remember Swayze being spoofed in a few novelty records. This was the first in the series that introduced us to reporter "John Cameron Cameron".
th-cam.com/video/XCrn6QXvHLg/w-d-xo.html
@@loissimmons6558 o
A few years after this episode aired, Jack O'Brien and Dorothy Kilgallen got cross ways when he censoriously reported some of Ms. Kilgallen's public, alcohol- inspired hyjinks with the pop singer Johnnie Ray. Ms. Kilgallen's fellow Hearst journalist father appealed to Mr. O'Brien to stop. He didn't.
I agree. For all of Jim Kilgallen's professed admiration for his daughter, he apparently didn't read what she wrote. Either that, or like most people, he suffered from self-awareness deficit. Robert Burns' admonition seems apt, "Ah, but to see ourselves as others see us."
@Chris Drake You are mistaken. Jack O’Brian never “censoriously reported some of Ms. Kilgallen's public, alcohol- inspired hyjinks with the pop singer Johnnie Ray.” He never mentioned her private life in his newspaper column. You are hinting at a 1965 local New York-area radio broadcast hosted by Ed and Pegeen Fitzgerald.
The Fitzgeralds’ guest, Jack O’Brian, hinted that Dorothy and Johnnie Ray had been affectionate in public, but he never mentioned their drinking habits. He refrained from going into detail about “hijinks.” The last time anyone listened to this radio broadcast, Dorothy was alive.
@@kelloggs5473 Isn't this a case of a distinction without a difference? O'Brien's attitude was so well known, regardless where he voiced it, that Mr. Kilgallen appealed to O'Brien personally to stop attacking his daughter. (I'm taking my information from Israel's biography of D.K.)
Instead of trying to stop the reporting, Dorothy’s father might have tried harder to stop the drinking
A lady Bennett said. And that is sort of future ironic because she eventually wrote a book entitled "Every Other Inch a Lady."
Thanks for the video.
Jack O'Brian (correct spelling) took over Dorothy Killgallen's Voice of Broadway column after her death. Wikipedia mentions several other interesting things: his support for McCarthy and attacks on CBS' Don Hollenbeck as well as his feud with Dorothy, both referenced in other comments here. Additionally, he was "pivotal in the exposure of the quiz show scandal", and his daughter is currently president of Al Jazeera America. He died in 2000 at the age of 86.
Robert Melson Yes, excellent point about O'Brien taking over Dorothy's column, which I didn't know when I had first posted this episode! Thanks for making the note about it.
What's My Line? Sorry to be bothersome, but you might also note that the name is "O'Brian" with an 'a'. It's not something that is important to me, but we've probably all known a number of people with the name and variants thereof (e.g., my wife's surname and my brother's given name), and they seem to be a lot more sensitive than the average about their names' being misspelled. One reason is possibly because at the least there is a distinct English spelling (through the Normans) and a different Irish spelling.
same spelling as the great writer Patrick O'Brian ... :-)
He was an asshole.
Never heard of Beatrice Lillie/Peel! And I was around when this was first broadcast.
That's because the major part of her acting career was in the 1st half of the 20th century, almost always on the stage and often in Great Britain. She appeared in American film roles later in life.
Since there was a continuing reference to an "upcoming election", my guess is that this was in October or early November 1956, not long after Swayze was replaced on NBC by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Ironically, Swayze was one of the several people who spent a time anchoring ABC's evening news after Daly resigned in protest in November 1960.
Um. . . why are you guessing at the date? It's noted in the video title, 11/4/56.
What's My Line?
The date is not visible unless one hovers over the partially-visible title with the mouse.
What's My Line? Now to be known as "non-observer guy".
I thought Bennett's reference to Daly as the "Demosthenes" of newscasters with Swayze standing two chairs next to him was mildly insensitive, considering that Swayze had recently lost his job. .
@@rah62: It's clearly visible on my screen without doing anything but looking.
John Cameron Swayze was the sixth cousin removed of the late Hollywood heartthrob, Patrick Swayze, and his brother, Don Swayze.
Thanks for that info, Vahan Nisanian. I always like to read the background info on guests often provided by folks in the comments.
I thought John cameron swayze must be connected to patrick and Don...l can see the swayze look.
Also the name is very unusual.
A SIXTH cousin REMOVED? lool. Who in heaven's name goes back THAT far lol
@@kristabrewer9363: Many of us genealogists do.
Cerf and Daly are like Howard Walowitz and Raj ? In Big Bang Theory. 😆
After seeing David Niven on WML recently as panelist and mystery guest where he was plugging his new movie, "Around the World in 80 Days", I also see that Beatrice Lillie was in it too. Now that I've looked up the movie's cast, I find 21 people in it that were mystery guests on WML: David Niven, Cantiinflas, Noel Coward, Trevor Howard, Charles Boyer, Evelyn Keyes, Jose Greco, Cesar Romero, Cedric Hardwicke, Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, George Raft, Red Skelton, Frank Sinatra, Buster Keaton, Joe E. Brown, Andy Devine, Beatrice Lillie, Glynis Johns, Hermione Gingold, and Edwin R. Murrow!! Must be some kind of record. Do note, though, that at least a couple of them that I looked for were only on the syndicated version--Trevor Howard and Evelyn Keyes, both in 1968; there may have been others.
Robert Melson Great observation!
What's My Line? And you were spot on correct that "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" beats it. There are 25 WML mystery guests on that one.
Robert Melson Wow-- you actually checked! I was hoping someone would! :)
What's My Line? It was actually markedly easier: the cameos were listed in alphabetic order for M,M,M,MW, unlike AtWi80D.
Gosh Beatrice Lillie reminds me of Nancy Walker!!
vice versa but ya.
"Is it a useful product?"
Does anyone EVER say that their product is perfectly useless?
fishhead06 Only in one case I think of, though they used this line on WML many times: Garbage collector!
Dorothy sometimes contrasted "useful" with "luxury". And I would think that a product like a hula hoop would not be considered a useful product because it was a toy.
The yo-yo string-tyer did, but I disagreed with the assessment.
In theory the answer is binary, yes or no. However, by asking “is it useful” clues arise from demeanor. Since “yes” answers are never penalized, asking about usefulness conveys some information with minimal risk of loss.
Incidentally Jack O'Brian (it's spelled with an 'a') would be the man who took over Dorothy's position writing the Voice of Broadway column for the Journal American after her untimely death.
Because of the name I looked up whether John Cameron was related to Patrick: sixth cousins once removed.
Beatrice Lillie was in the 1967 musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie" with Julie Andrews.
Ty
A funny coincidence : Same question for same product : Question: "Is it found in the average home?" Product: False Teeth.
This episode's fourth contestant who models False Teeth. A couple of episodes before this one, there was someone who repairs False Teeth. Same question was asked.
Did Swayze wear a Timex watch :-)
berwyn58 Doubtful!
Ah the days when a tv show told you TO vote but not for whom to vote!
I bet she was the only "Trema" in the entire history of her schools.
Gosh I love Bea Lillie.
(Stand-Up Watch: The women weren't, really, they just wanted to get the kiss of amity.)
What color is Dorothy's hair?
Black like her eyebrows😅
Is John Cameron Swayze Patrick Swayze’s father???
People laughing, but not like modern tv- laughing at others esp their hardship or downfall
John's recall of the questions and answers is impressive. He also has good timing when he reveals the answers.
WOW
Beatrice did her wonderful portrayal of a White slaver with her twirling pearl necklace several years later in Thoroughly Modern Millie with Julie Andrews.
Wonderful! Two tooth people and Bea Lillie too!
Did Dorothy dye her hair and did she say "yes daddy" when John told them to put on their blindfolds for the mystery challenger?
It's sounds like. But it might be Yes, Daly.
Yes for Dorothy and no for daddy. It was daly😅
John always acts like he's the contestant. 😆
Ah keshas great grandfather
John Daly later cautioned the panel to not make to much of a fact that was elicited. But I am wondering how there was ever a seasonal aspect to the profession of modeling false teeth? (4th challenger)
Presumably The Golden Years...
My country was invaded by the Russian armed forces, crushing our revolution against the communist dictatorship the same day this episode aired. :(
neonknights I was only 9 years old, but already interested in Adlai Stevenson's candidacy for president of the U.S. and so on. I do recall the tragedy that befell your country that day. It's one of the major early political events I remember. It took a long time for your nation to regain its sovereignty. Am glad you are free.
+neonknights
I was a few days from my fourth birthday when this show aired, so I don't remember the news story as it unfolded. But sometime during 1957, I remember going to Camp Kilmer in NJ to meet my Cousin Istvan (Steven) and also coming to our house in Queens were my Cousin Ilona (Helen) and her husband Tivodor: all three were my mother's relatives and had managed to escape Hungary and make it to this country and a new life here. Steven never married and eventually passed away, but Ilona and Tivodor Moricz had two daughters (Helen and Irene) who I lost track of. The last I knew, Irene was in the Phoenix Arizona area.
As a fellow Magyar (I am ½ Hungarian), I'm glad you made it here safely. My maternal grandparents came here through Ellis Island under more benign circumstances and I am grateful they did, although I am also proud of the strides of freedom Hungary has made over the last 25 years or so.
I remember a bumper sticker that came out after the US refused to get involved: "Russia Tanks You."
I am watching this 65 years later while Russian armed forces are invading Ukraine
Just learned what the word sartorial means.
Whiskey flavored toothpaste?!?!?
Just what I want first thing in the morning :)
^HAHA
One thing I noticed, the acted as if it contained whiskey, hence some of the comments with respect to kids. The only claim was whiskey flavored, not that it was alcoholic. The odds would that kids might find the taste distasteful.
According to a story, the link to which was posted later on in these comments, the product was 3% alcohol. For comparison, vanilla extract must be at least 35% alcohol.
I used both the bourbon and scotch flavored as an 8 year old when my 17-year-old brother bought them, probably at Woolworth's. Flavored but no booze, I think. My folks didn't imbibe.
Mr. Swayze's question in the last game had me imagining if WML were on today and the contestant's line had something to do with viagra and the panelist asked "do I use this product?"
was john cameron swayze patrick's dad?
No, but distantly related.
Bea!!
False teeth are seasonal? WTF?
They sure are Kenneth
I w onder just jhow long that guy's whiskey flavored toothpaste was sold. I think not for too long given the bizarre nature of that toothpaste product.
Apparently not long. www.messynessychic.com/2015/02/06/whiskey-flavoured-toothpaste-1955/
He had a big winner with the basketball backboard for the wastebasket, however.
3% 😅alcohol
The toothpaste guy is very handsome.
I wonder what that interchange was all about with George O’Brien and Arlene Francis
Not George😅
False teeth seasonal? How come? Did people give them as Christmas presents in the US?
They surely did bubba
They were very expensive, and so Christmas was appropriate 😊
Do you like how the announcer always says the show is "brought to you by *Helien* Curtis" instead of "Helene Curtis?"
@@julier.1902: I think you misread the previous comment. That poster said, "Helien."
I have said it before but some people had odd jobs back then. How on earth do you model false teeth?
By placing them in one's mouth and smiling
Dorothy asked "is this a product I might be familiar with". The audience thought it particularly funny. Maybe they knew something about her?
The question was asked about whiskey-flavoured toothpaste, 'Does it have any moving parts?' If it came in a tube, the cap would be a moving part. The panel got the answer 'no', which is slightly odd. Even if it came in a jar or a tin, it would have a lid that needed unscrewing. What a puzzle - I won't buy any.
Caps weren't considered a moving part😅
Hilarious when the last guest spotted John Cameron Swayze's false teeth.
I've never understood the constant whining about donning blindfolds. They know it is expected of them, and part of the game. They really had it rough, sitting there for 30 minutes and asking questions. Boo hoo.
They didn't want to mess up their hair, esp. the ladies.
No air conditioner when it was hot, made the mask a sweat rag😢
15:30 - yes daddy?
Yes Daly 😅
cerf is annoying from the fifties through the sixties.
@Farque Matthews John showed his annoyance several programs I watched. and stupid jokes how'd he run Random House?
Send him a email 😅
I would like to see a modern version of this with Steve Harvey as host
I cannot imagine that.
Not happening 😮
Who are these people?