I met him on more than one occasion in the late 1970s at a swanky Boston hotel where I worked. He actually took the time to pull a gag on me with a clothes hanger. Very nice and down to earth guy. I met many stars who were the opposite.
He's very funny but it is a well known fact that they fed him questions to make the audience laugh more. They never told him what the "Line" was but did in fact feed him questions beforehand. I wish I didn't know this. It kinda ruins things in a way.
Nah, the funniest episode has got to be the one with the lady who operated a nudist colony, and Steve hilariously asked if he could improve his eyesight by going to her! I've seen the segment at least 5 times, and it never fails to elicit a good laugh.
The zipper lady - funniest double entendre in the history of the show: Steve Allen asks, "Would any efficient secretary know how to operate one?" That is so 'loaded' on so many levels it is still rather naughty.
This is 1953. I don't think the panel is told any occupations, but Steve Allen asks the most simple questions that have these funny connotations so often when he was a regular that I think the producers give the panel questions to ask. In 1953 this was very likely.
@@kennethbutler1343 Steve Allen (in my opinion) knew the occupation of one guest on each episode. And the questioning always started with Steve when he knew the guest's occupation. The whole nature of his questioning is completely different when he knows the occupation. They clearly did this for comedic reasons. To his credit, he usually delivered.
@@givemepizzaorgivemedeath3983 So true. TV is fiction and scripted. Some of the actors can improvise and some cannot. Game show and talk show hosts are directors.
I wonder how many of Steve Allen's (and previously, Hal Block's) questions were scripted in advance, or at least suggested by someone like the director or producer. It seems like his questions lead to too many funny and absurd images to be just coincidence.
The way several of his questions are tailored to the occupation like that whenever he's on suggests HEAVILY that someone either told him what to ask or clued him in on the line straight-up before the line. There's no way he can consistently ask *just* the right questions like that every. single. show.
@@DocFunkenstein Steve Allen's were just normal questions because in his mind, I'm sure he was thinking of typewriters or such. I think it's funnier that you think that this was staged somehow. Just saying
@@gregengel1616 No. If it happened occasionally, you'd probably be right. But it happens nearly *every* episode he's in, and usually only with the first two contestants (since there being one after the mystery guest was a gamble). Several of the questions he ask are TOTALLY unrelated to any he normally asks, and are STRIKINGLY apt for the current guest in an exceedingly hilarious way. That's not coincidence. It's not a occasional one-off, it happened ALL the time, nearly EVERY one of his episodes, and usually MULTIPLE TIMES with the same guests. And no, they're definitely not normal questions; normal questions for him are 'is it bigger than a breadbox' and 'do you work for a non-profit?' I'm not saying he was told exactly what the guest's lines were, but he was CLEARLY given hints about what questions to ask in order to solicit the most laughs. (Keep in mind that during this time, it was completely fine to cheat at gameshows. In fact, there was quite the scandal about that sort of thing.)
@@umot6277 Could make for good discussion. Gil Fates' book claims there was no scripting on WML, as that would have ruined the game (he explains why). However, 1) this is a very early episode; and 2) Mr. Fates may have merely been covering his bases in his book. Your point is well taken, and part of me agrees with you. The other part of me insists that I'm wrong. Maybe this episode was a "test" by the producers to see if scripting might be in order?? I don't know.
My theory is that it wasn't so much scripted as that they would give him a direction to take. For example, in the previous episode with the maternity hospital director, I wonder if they didn't say "ask questions that would make sense for a restaurant."
+suzycreamcheesez He may have loved him like a brother but I can't think of many brothers who would take the ashes from a brothers wife, keep the ashes in their bedroom for thirty years until their own death. Arrange to have their own ashes mingled with his, then have their combined ashes scattered together. Theirs was an intense and life long friendship (they met when they were children.) They also lived together for several years as young adults.
19:15 Arlene asks if he's a low comic, then qualifies her term, "...sort of slap-dash, helter-skelter, rough and tumble...". I couldn't help but imagine her continuing, "higgledy-piggledy, willy-nilly, hurley-burley, mumbo jumbo...". Oh, never mind, it was funny at the time...
Really was a stand-up comic who was discovered and then became a huge star in Mr. Peepers, which made Tony Randall a star. Marlon was his closest friend until his death and until Marlon's. And he was nothing like Jefferson Peepers. Someone should do a biopic, Wally and Brando.
Your sentiments are well-intentioned. But, seriously, none can hold a candle to either WC or MB, not even by the remotest comparison. Each one made and busted the mold, in their own unique ways. Any attempt at a (conventionally produced) screen biopic would be D.O.A., if not a gross insult and embarrassment. Best thing is for people to go to (or back to) the ORIGINAL MATERIAL, and watch/listen to/read anything done by either of these extraordinarily talented, one-of-a-kind men. That, in my opinion, is the best way to appreciate, respect and admire their truly phenomenal gifts.
Of course, Wally Cox became much better known to later generations for being the voice of Underdog and along with Cliff Arquette (as Charley Weaver) on the original run of "Hollywood Squares" up to his death early in 1973.
The thing about that zipper spot is that it's the incident that proves that Steve Allen was fed questions in advance to elicit all those "wrong track" responses. The reason why I know this is because several months later on another Goodson-Todman panel show "The Name's The Same" where the object was to guess a contestant's name and in this case they had a contestant named "A. Zipper." Gene Rayburn proceeded to ask questions that were WORD FOR WORD identical to the one's Steve Allen asked on this show right down to the final punchline question "When you get to the end of the line does a bell ring?" This was technically not rigging the game in the sense of giving the panelist the answer, but it was rigging in the sense of "ask these questions and you'll get yes answers but you'll be so far off-track the audience will go wild" and the resident funnymen of the panel were glad to do it.
epaddon Fascinating-- this would mean Gil Fates was less than totally honest in his description of how the "gambits" worked. He made it sound like all they would do is give the panelist a general line of questioning, like "Make sure to ask if you could use the product".
epaddon I have a thought, though-- and maybe this is unlikely, but it seems possible. What if the gambits on WML were just as Fates described, but Steve Allen got such huge laughs with the zipper guy, the producers decided, "Let's have him on 'The Name's the Same'", and purposely fed Rayburn the questions that Steve Allen got such big laughs on? In other words, Steve Allen was ad libbing, but it was so funny they decide to rig a later segment using his funniest questions?
What's My Line? It's certainly possible because Steve was a great ad-libber who knew how to mine comedy on the spur of the moment, but one thing that makes me think a bit otherwise is the predictability of how the "wrong track" spot was always the second contestant and always came when Daly would say Steve would start the questioning. I have seen one instance where I know Steve created a genuine "wrong track" line of questioning on his own (the time Margaret Truman I think was guest panelist and George and Gracie were mystery guests) because the questioning didn't start with him, but in these cases where John would arbitrarily pick him first, I have to think involved the spot pre-chosen for "Steve gets his big laughs tonight" moment.
Despite appearances to the contrary, Wally Cox was reputed to be very athletic and very strong for his size. Also, contrary to the many rumors and easy jokes, he was also known to have been a very active ladies man. I have no idea what the extent of his relationship with Brando was, but they'd been friends since they were teens in school together and it was Wally who was the more outgoing, take-charge type of the two. While surely aware of the magnitude of Brando's talent, he also supposedly was completely unimpressed by the hype and trappings of showbiz. I don't have any trouble believing that their real relationship might have just been two friends who were as close as brothers.
Wally Cox had a short-lived show called "The Adventures of Hiram Holliday" where he a guy who traveled around the world and solved crimes. In one episode he was swimming with no shirt and he was in good shape.
Hilarious episode ! Wally seems to be channeling the voice & mannerisms of his real life best Marlon Brando. Thanks so much for uploading for us to enjoy !! 🙂
I remember Dorothy saying couple Sundays ago when getting a “Yes” from John that it was the first “Yes” she had received in four weeks. In that period, she did not get anyone’s occupation (maybe that is the occasion when Bennett found her crying because she did not guess anyone’s line for three weeks). BUT, what a dominant comeback she prepared with guessing correctly 3 out of 4 challengers’ lines! What a marvelous woman! ❤️
What makes Mr. Cox's performance particularly funny is that he was doing a satirical impression of "method actors," the top example of which was Cox's best friend - Marlon Brando.
Daly's act of later announcing that the first contestant would get the full prize implies that this show might have been before all guests got $50 no matter what the outcome--an excellent idea for obvious reasons of which this may have been one.
I really only remember Wally as the odd, quiet fellow on the upper panel of "Hollywood Squares." Apparently, he was a lot deeper of a person and very talented.
Check out 2:15. As always, John reads the contestant’s name as he’s writing it, and as he reads the first name, ‘Thane’, he appends the phrase “of Cawdor”. I️ noticed this because I too reflexively thought “of Cawdor” when I️ heard the name.
From 1965 until his early death in 1973 at age 48, Wally Cox was a regular panelist on the tic-tac-toe styled game show The Hollywood Squares with host Peter Marshall. Occupying the upper left square, the other regulars during much of his time were Charley Weaver (lower left), Rose Marie (upper middle), Abby Dalton (lower middle) and Paul Lynde (center square). The other squares were occupied by a roster of guest stars including Vincent Price, Nanette Fabray, Morey Amsterdam and Kaye Ballard.
It just took time away from playing the game. Glad they ditched the preliminary guesses, too. I can remember at least one episode where one of the panelists made a correct guess. Something to do with a swimming pool. Torpedoed that whole round.
@@M3321-t6k I'm not sure why I remembered 'something to do with a swimming pool' but didn't make the final leap to 'lifeguard'. It's not like there are tons of swimming pool related occupations.
I would swear the writers on the show are handing Steve lines/questions to ask as they are perfectly suited to the product or position of the contestant. If they are lending a helping hand, great, but if not, Steve is one of the funniest men alive, and the later is true even if the questions were fed to him! 😁👍✌
I don't think so because many times, the panelists disqualified themselves because they knew who it was. Also it seems pretty clear to me that Steve Allen was going for a typewriter and was a little surprised when it wasn't a typewriter. On the other hand, whenever the audience started growing crazy, the panelists knew that the object had some kind of sexual quality or association to it.
I always thought Mr. Daly must have the contestant's full name and line written down on a piece of paper somewhere because I can't always figure out what the contestant writes. In this episode, though, he can't make out the first name of the second challenger. Anyone know if he really did rely on the signature to know their names?
Contestant #1 should have been awarded the full prize. He successfully stumped the panel. (oops...I didn't wait long enough to find out that he did) Agree with everyone. I absolutely love Steve Alen. He is by far my favourite guest host.
The dress worn by the second challenger looks very much like the type of dress worn by my mom and the other women in my parents circle of friends if they were going to a casual outing in the 1940's and 1950's. My mom may have repaired zippers just for clothing worn by our family members. But she told me that during WWII when certain fabrics were being diverted to the war effort, she repaired stockings that had gotten runs in them. She made some extra money that way. Unfortunately, one thing I did not inherit from her was her manual dexterity.
He was. I'll just copy & paste David Martin's comment from earlier for you, because he covered this so well: "What makes Mr. Cox's performance particularly funny is that he was doing a satirical impression of 'method actors,' the top example of which was Cox's best friend - Marlon Brando."
Wally Cox once shared an apartment with Marlon Brando. If you can picture Cox and Brando in the same sentence, go right ahead. "Mr Peepers" was a huge success of the time -- a male sitcom version of "Our Miss Brooks." Apparently G-T thought he was funny enough here to put him on as a guest panelist twice, hoping he would be hugely hysterical. Wrong.
I thought he was hilarious the first time he appeared on the panel (instead of Cerf); less so the second (with Cerf) when I think he was possibly a bit "stoned". The show format doesn't really suit his kind of comedy; because I don't think the expression "I'll pass" is in this man's vocabulary, but on his first appearance he was great. Seems he was nothing like "Mr Peepers" in real life: he and Brando were like brothers; he was a master craftsman in metalwork; served in the infantry and was deceptively strong. As a comedian he's a master of: "dead air"; comic timing and anyone who can make the room laugh without saying a word is a real talent. Do you wear glasses? (removes glasses) ... Lol! "Yeah ... but just to see twith, Dorothy".
Too bad Steve Allen wasn't on every ep, on the panel. He was so funny, such a goofball. This show had alot of funny moments, but it is irritating when the people with the mystery jobs act like they are ignorant of their job duties, they look at Daly for answers. I always knew what I did at my jobs! LOL.
Today's TH-cam Rerun for 11/9/15: Watch along and join the discussion! I know what you're probably thinking I'm thinking, but actually, I consider Wally perfectly fine as a mystery guest. Just keep him off the *panel*. This show also contains one of Steve Allen's funniest lines of questioning ever, in the "Repairs Zippers" segment. ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ Please click here to subscribe to the WML channel if you haven't already-- you'll find the complete CBS series already posted, and you'll be able to follow along the discussions on the weekday "rerun" videos: th-cam.com/channels/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w.html
+What's My Line? Well, I'm not thinking what you're thinking. Wally Cox is cerebral and funny. John Daly clearly "got" him. Too bad Cerf wasn't smart enough to do so.
mistergoodear Well, you're clearly new to the comments. It's well known amongst the "regulars" that I can't stand Wally Cox on the panel of WML. I have nothing against him otherwise. But he was a terrible panelist on this program. That said, why you feel the need to gratuitously insult Bennett Cerf in your comment, I don't understand.
Not gratuitous at all. Mr. Cerf was cited as classifying Wally Cox as the "worst panelist". He could not be farther off base. Cox has a style that is very different from shallow, tortured puns. I submit that if one views Cox's panel appearances as comedy performances rather than game show hijinks, they hold up very well.
+What's My Line? Wally Cox is one of the best panelist, if you don´t get that his slow comedic timing is a genius thing thats fine. But I find it rather strange this bashing you do of him.
***** It's a running joke how much I dislike Wally Cox on the panel-- that's all. You're taking it WAY WAY WAY too seriously. If you enjoy him on the panel, that's wonderful.
The male panel members didn"t stand to meet the second contestant when she was asked to "let them get a closer look at you." I think that's the first time I've seen thst.
17:00 -- Robinson did not look too happy in his sequence, so I wonder if Daly's announcement before Cox's appearance was necessitated by some sort of discussion between himself and the producers. Since his TV character "Mr. Peepers" was a school teacher, Cox's humor WAS intellectual.
wally cox saying he hadn't done any movies? had to look it up but that didn't really start until 1962, and famously in marilyn monroe's last unfinished film, "something's got to give."
Wally cox was either doing Brando three minutes after getting out of bed, that or the indian carver after three or four drinks. Thanks so much for getting these posted!
Wally Cox was great and appeared on many different television shows over the years. Two which immediately come to my mind; an appearance on "Lost in Space" (he played a kind of goofy, bird-like, alien) and a starring role in a "Twilight Zone" episode. As for films, in 1962 he was cast in a comedic character-role to play opposite Marilyn Monroe in her last (never completed) film called, "Something's Got to Give." There are a few surviving clips of Wally and Marilyn (along with Dean Martin) doing a few scenes together, and they are quite funny. Those clips have been out here on TH-cam for many years. Cheers to Wally's memory and talents!
Interestingly, or not so, the panel is usually terrible when it comes to television actors. So I was expecting them to NOT get Wally because he was at the height of his Mr Peepers career at this point. But Dorothy did guess him not because of Mr. P. but because of something else.... a bistro of some sort. Could someone please fill us in on what on earth she was talking about and what Wally Cox was doing in a bistro?
I forgot to add that at the top of the page, there is also a 17½ minute video giving a history of the Village Vanguard. The website calls it a "short" video. As John Daly might say, "What is your definition of 'short'?"
Oops! Two more things to add. First, the panel might have been able to guess Wally Cox easily because as sophisticated denizens of the NYC social scene, they would have been familiar with him as a comedian at hip clubs in town before he became famous as Mr. Peepers. And I get the sense that his "Dufo" wild and crazy routine and the fact that he was a motorcycle riding friend of Marlon Brando, athletic and an Army vet meant that in real life as well as his act were nothing like his television persona which played more off of his appearance. Second, the video mentioned in my previous post includes portions of this WML episode, Steve Allen with a voiceover introduction of Miriam Makeba, and performances by Eartha Kitt, Leadbelly, Harry Belafonte, Lenny Bruce and a troupe that included Judy Holliday, Adolph Green and Betty Comden. Many of these people made appearances on WML. Not shown performing but also a featured performer associated with Goodson-Todman was Orson Bean. The video makes the photos and ads come alive, especially for those of you how come to this site for a slice of history.
Thank heaven for the second contestant. You think the first game would have been fascinating, but what a low key sculptor he turned out to be. Apparently he registered a complaint and got the full 50 bucks. So he could work up some gumption.
+soulierinvestments I was watching all the wrong guesses the panel were making and thinking, "He should be flipping cards." Complaint or no complaint, he should have been given points for all the "no" answers.
Steve Allen is the BEST panelist EVER!
I met him on more than one occasion in the late 1970s at a swanky Boston hotel where I worked. He actually took the time to pull a gag on me with a clothes hanger. Very nice and down to earth guy. I met many stars who were the opposite.
@@jimkilleen9130Did he give you an abortion?😂
He's very funny but it is a well known fact that they fed him questions to make the audience laugh more. They never told him what the "Line" was but did in fact feed him questions beforehand. I wish I didn't know this. It kinda ruins things in a way.
I believe you but how do you know?
@@susanpaz7378 Because I'm OLD and I know!
Wally Cox was probably my favorite mystery guest. So funny sounding like a "tough guy". I always thought he was cute too!
I didn't think he was a tough guy at all. I actually thought he was handicapped
He’s doing a marvelous send up of his good buddy Marlon Brando
Actually a tough guy- he was a bodybuilder. I was knocked for a loop to see those considerable muscles displayed on an episode of Mission impossible.
I have to agree! He is cute here!
@@bartgreenberg9001 "Good buddy..." 😉
Love John Daly’s reaction to Wally Cox. He knows how funny he is.
This has got to be the funniest episode ever! 😂
Watch the one that has Victor Borge as the mystery guest.
@@richstrobel which time?
Nah, the funniest episode has got to be the one with the lady who operated a nudist colony, and Steve hilariously asked if he could improve his eyesight by going to her! I've seen the segment at least 5 times, and it never fails to elicit a good laugh.
Just LOVE Wally Cox, when I was growing up and now!
I love Wally Cox. He's classic
The Milkybar Kid
Wally Cox was awesome!!!
The zipper lady - funniest double entendre in the history of the show: Steve Allen asks, "Would any efficient secretary know how to operate one?" That is so 'loaded' on so many levels it is still rather naughty.
poetcomic1
They tried so hard to tamp down any "bad thoughts" but double meanings among adults are inevitable.
This is 1953. I don't think the panel is told any occupations, but Steve Allen asks the most simple questions that have these funny connotations so often when he was a regular that I think the producers give the panel questions to ask. In 1953 this was very likely.
Agreed, it almost brought the house down. Steve Allen was a master of asking questions that could be taken in a funny way.
@@kennethbutler1343 Steve Allen (in my opinion) knew the occupation of one guest on each episode. And the questioning always started with Steve when he knew the guest's occupation. The whole nature of his questioning is completely different when he knows the occupation. They clearly did this for comedic reasons. To his credit, he usually delivered.
@@givemepizzaorgivemedeath3983
So true. TV is fiction and scripted. Some of the actors can improvise and some cannot. Game show and talk show hosts are directors.
There's no need to fear... Wally Cox is here!
The zipper--one of Steve Allen's best rabbit holes!
Jonathan C working hours? Is the best
I wonder how many of Steve Allen's (and previously, Hal Block's) questions were scripted in advance, or at least suggested by someone like the director or producer. It seems like his questions lead to too many funny and absurd images to be just coincidence.
@@Paul71HThere was a good deal of tipping off…
@@Paul71HAgree!
@@cadaverdog1424Have to agree!
Steve Allen was such a genius at coming up with these raucous lines of questioning
Would any efficient secretary know how to operate one? Priceless
Hysterical!
Yes, Steve Allen was not even telling jokes. He was asking serious questions about office machines!
The way several of his questions are tailored to the occupation like that whenever he's on suggests HEAVILY that someone either told him what to ask or clued him in on the line straight-up before the line. There's no way he can consistently ask *just* the right questions like that every. single. show.
@@DocFunkenstein Steve Allen's were just normal questions because in his mind, I'm sure he was thinking of typewriters or such. I think it's funnier that you think that this was staged somehow. Just saying
@@gregengel1616 No. If it happened occasionally, you'd probably be right. But it happens nearly *every* episode he's in, and usually only with the first two contestants (since there being one after the mystery guest was a gamble). Several of the questions he ask are TOTALLY unrelated to any he normally asks, and are STRIKINGLY apt for the current guest in an exceedingly hilarious way.
That's not coincidence. It's not a occasional one-off, it happened ALL the time, nearly EVERY one of his episodes, and usually MULTIPLE TIMES with the same guests. And no, they're definitely not normal questions; normal questions for him are 'is it bigger than a breadbox' and 'do you work for a non-profit?'
I'm not saying he was told exactly what the guest's lines were, but he was CLEARLY given hints about what questions to ask in order to solicit the most laughs.
(Keep in mind that during this time, it was completely fine to cheat at gameshows. In fact, there was quite the scandal about that sort of thing.)
I love this show! Thanks for posting this episode.
Second game. One of the greatest gambits Steve ever did. He looks positively startled and perplexed by the intensity of the laughter.
Steve's deadpan look during the zipper laughter is priceless.
@@lisasimmons5362 After the "efficient secretary" question, I think there is no way his questions aren't scripted
Startled? He gets that laughter several times. He's just wondering about the object.
@@umot6277 Could make for good discussion. Gil Fates' book claims there was no scripting on WML, as that would have ruined the game (he explains why). However, 1) this is a very early episode; and 2) Mr. Fates may have merely been covering his bases in his book. Your point is well taken, and part of me agrees with you. The other part of me insists that I'm wrong. Maybe this episode was a "test" by the producers to see if scripting might be in order?? I don't know.
My theory is that it wasn't so much scripted as that they would give him a direction to take. For example, in the previous episode with the maternity hospital director, I wonder if they didn't say "ask questions that would make sense for a restaurant."
Bennett Cerf was obsessed with that question about whether something was or ever has been alive! 😂
The answer should have been "yes" this time, though.
Oh my gosh...I have tears streaming down my face as Steve Allen questions the "zipper" lady!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here.
But where is Polly Purebred?
Dorothy was on fire this episode.
She is always on fire. What a brilliant woman she was.
It looks like that trait got her killed. A pity there weren't, aren't many more reporters like her.
John's best-ever explanation: "If it is present and other devises are not present, it can be considered a necessity."
John was surprisingly subdued considering how funny Steve Allen was during the zipper segment.
marlon brandon loved wally cox like a brother
+suzycreamcheesez He may have loved him like a brother but I can't think of many brothers who would take the ashes from a brothers wife, keep the ashes in their bedroom for thirty years until their own death. Arrange to have their own ashes mingled with his, then have their combined ashes scattered together. Theirs was an intense and life long friendship (they met when they were children.) They also lived together for several years as young adults.
Wally was one of the great comics (subtle humor) of all time in my opinion. I liked him on the panel too!
19:15 Arlene asks if he's a low comic, then qualifies her term, "...sort of slap-dash, helter-skelter, rough and tumble...". I couldn't help but imagine her continuing, "higgledy-piggledy, willy-nilly, hurley-burley, mumbo jumbo...". Oh, never mind, it was funny at the time...
The zipper lady was as good as the wooden Indian man was bad. And Wally Cox rocked the mystery guest segment.
almost a guarantee Steve Allen gets a roar of laughter to at least a few questions just about every appearance i've seen him
Mr Daly always knows when to give the first line of questioning to Steve for the greatest comedy effect - the Zipper round being a perfect example!
These shows were a great way to spend 2020
Hey! I’ve gone through them three times, and plan to go through them again. This show is better than anything on today!
R.I.P.Wally Cox,12/8/1924-2/15/1973.
Haha! The old ear tug when Allen was going down a risque line of questioning.
Really was a stand-up comic who was discovered and then became a huge star in Mr. Peepers, which made Tony Randall a star. Marlon was his closest friend until his death and until Marlon's. And he was nothing like Jefferson Peepers. Someone should do a biopic, Wally and Brando.
Your sentiments are well-intentioned. But, seriously, none can hold a candle to either WC or MB, not even by the remotest comparison. Each one made and busted the mold, in their own unique ways. Any attempt at a (conventionally produced) screen biopic would be D.O.A., if not a gross insult and embarrassment. Best thing is for people to go to (or back to) the ORIGINAL MATERIAL, and watch/listen to/read anything done by either of these extraordinarily talented, one-of-a-kind men. That, in my opinion, is the best way to appreciate, respect and admire their truly phenomenal gifts.
Of course, Wally Cox became much better known to later generations for being the voice of Underdog and along with Cliff Arquette (as Charley Weaver) on the original run of "Hollywood Squares" up to his death early in 1973.
Right U are!
The zipper part is a riot!
The thing about that zipper spot is that it's the incident that proves that Steve Allen was fed questions in advance to elicit all those "wrong track" responses. The reason why I know this is because several months later on another Goodson-Todman panel show "The Name's The Same" where the object was to guess a contestant's name and in this case they had a contestant named "A. Zipper." Gene Rayburn proceeded to ask questions that were WORD FOR WORD identical to the one's Steve Allen asked on this show right down to the final punchline question "When you get to the end of the line does a bell ring?" This was technically not rigging the game in the sense of giving the panelist the answer, but it was rigging in the sense of "ask these questions and you'll get yes answers but you'll be so far off-track the audience will go wild" and the resident funnymen of the panel were glad to do it.
epaddon Fascinating-- this would mean Gil Fates was less than totally honest in his description of how the "gambits" worked. He made it sound like all they would do is give the panelist a general line of questioning, like "Make sure to ask if you could use the product".
epaddon I have a thought, though-- and maybe this is unlikely, but it seems possible. What if the gambits on WML were just as Fates described, but Steve Allen got such huge laughs with the zipper guy, the producers decided, "Let's have him on 'The Name's the Same'", and purposely fed Rayburn the questions that Steve Allen got such big laughs on? In other words, Steve Allen was ad libbing, but it was so funny they decide to rig a later segment using his funniest questions?
What's My Line? It's certainly possible because Steve was a great ad-libber who knew how to mine comedy on the spur of the moment, but one thing that makes me think a bit otherwise is the predictability of how the "wrong track" spot was always the second contestant and always came when Daly would say Steve would start the questioning. I have seen one instance where I know Steve created a genuine "wrong track" line of questioning on his own (the time Margaret Truman I think was guest panelist and George and Gracie were mystery guests) because the questioning didn't start with him, but in these cases where John would arbitrarily pick him first, I have to think involved the spot pre-chosen for "Steve gets his big laughs tonight" moment.
What's My Line? I’m still looking for the bit on the Steve Allen show where the gorilla arm would hand him the mail through a small door.
Despite appearances to the contrary, Wally Cox was reputed to be very athletic and very strong for his size. Also, contrary to the many rumors and easy jokes, he was also known to have been a very active ladies man. I have no idea what the extent of his relationship with Brando was, but they'd been friends since they were teens in school together and it was Wally who was the more outgoing, take-charge type of the two. While surely aware of the magnitude of Brando's talent, he also supposedly was completely unimpressed by the hype and trappings of showbiz. I don't have any trouble believing that their real relationship might have just been two friends who were as close as brothers.
Wally Cox had a short-lived show called "The Adventures of Hiram Holliday" where he a guy who traveled around the world and solved crimes. In one episode he was swimming with no shirt and he was in good shape.
Joe Keaton there are some episodes of ‘The Adventures of Hiram Holliday’ on TH-cam.
@@Rose-zn5ql You're right -- wow! A "new" show to watch! :D th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=%22The+Adventures+of+Hiram+Holliday%22
a bit closer than brothers..
My mother once met Wally Cox in a grocery store.
Cox is definitely doing a Brando imitation. He was very close friends to Brando
Rumors are he was doing a Brando on the side
Only true Wally fans know this! Bravo!
Were their ashes mixed?
Was he handicapped? or did he talk like that normally? because he didn't sound like he was faking
They were kids together and roommates. That was back when they were starting out.
Cracked me up when John said "What..? You've got to help me. What is this?" When trying to read Mrs. Fritz name lol!😂
Hilarious episode ! Wally seems to be channeling the voice & mannerisms of his real life best Marlon Brando. Thanks so much for uploading for us to enjoy !! 🙂
I love how Cox is clearly doing Brando to throw them off!
Love of his life
Hey, Dorothy Kilgallen deserves a movie!
Abbe B
I agree !!
Abbe B
She had a beautiful smile.
Always assuming that the writer(s), cast and crew feel there is no further risk from anybody involved at the time.
@@libertyann439Yes!
She was killed for knowing UFO secrets disclosed to Marilyn Monroe from JFK.
She was pushing hard to get it to print and the powers that be disagreed.
When Steve Allen asked the zipper repairwoman if any sufficient secretary could operate one....love the raucous audience reaction.
Hello Cynthia, How are you doing?
@@aidennewell4034 Okay, thanks. Happy Memorial Day.
@@cynthialyman2636 Same from here, Nice to meet you. Where are you from?
I love these old shows! I was 7 months old then!
That's rather young to be enjoying sophisticated TV shows. 🤪
Just Wally's name makes me smile!
I remember Dorothy saying couple Sundays ago when getting a “Yes” from John that it was the first “Yes” she had received in four weeks. In that period, she did not get anyone’s occupation (maybe that is the occasion when Bennett found her crying because she did not guess anyone’s line for three weeks). BUT, what a dominant comeback she prepared with guessing correctly 3 out of 4 challengers’ lines!
What a marvelous woman! ❤️
Have to add that she was already slaying in the last episode, but in this one she was particularly successful.
@@markoperak5989she was brilliant. So sad her life was so short.
@@debbiemartin2026Brilliant!
Mr. Robertson gives a great impression of wishing he weren't there and of despising the panel.
Agree
What a fun segment with Wally Cox!
Wally Cox the Voice behind Underdog
Christopher K "Look! Up in the sky! (It's a bird!)(A plane!)(A frog...)(A frog?)
"Nope, it's just little old me...Underdog."
:)
@@magnificentfailure2390 There's no need to fear...
Thanks, shoeshine boy! You're humble and lovable.
Steve Allen was a genius at milking the audience's laughter... he had great instincts for knowing how to take the absurd and make it even more so.
I heartily concur !!
Kilgallen:“Are you more or less an intellectual comedian?” Cox:“Yeah!”
Kilgallen: "Do you wear glasses?" Cox: "Yeah! ... Just to see't with, Dorothy" ("how does she know all this stuff...?")
What makes Mr. Cox's performance particularly funny is that he was doing a satirical impression of "method actors," the top example of which was Cox's best friend - Marlon Brando.
That's what he was doing ? Doesn't come across like that, but oh we'll. he is deadpan.
He was imitating marlon brando
The episodes with Steve Allen were the best! He was funny, even when he didn’t mean to be. ❤
Wally Cox was great as the mystery guest.
Wally Cox!!!!! ♥️♥️
Daly's act of later announcing that the first contestant would get the full prize implies that this show might have been before all guests got $50 no matter what the outcome--an excellent idea for obvious reasons of which this may have been one.
I wondered about that. Seemed unfair some didn't get it all.
Wally Cox was Marlon Brando's best friend ... True fact
He was also very athletic, and a master electrician.
I thought he was hilarious....maybe imitating or channeling Brando in his answers
I really only remember Wally as the odd, quiet fellow on the upper panel of "Hollywood Squares." Apparently, he was a lot deeper of a person and very talented.
Check out 2:15. As always, John reads the contestant’s name as he’s writing it, and as he reads the first name, ‘Thane’, he appends the phrase “of Cawdor”. I️ noticed this because I too reflexively thought “of Cawdor” when I️ heard the name.
Paul Bradford - Macbeth!
Daly had met all of the contestants before the show, backstage. Strange he tries to seem as if he has never seen them.
I could watch this over and over again because of Wally Cox and the zipper lady!
From 1965 until his early death in 1973 at age 48, Wally Cox was a regular panelist on the tic-tac-toe styled game show The Hollywood Squares with host Peter Marshall. Occupying the upper left square, the other regulars during much of his time were Charley Weaver (lower left), Rose Marie (upper middle), Abby Dalton (lower middle) and Paul Lynde (center square). The other squares were occupied by a roster of guest stars including Vincent Price, Nanette Fabray, Morey Amsterdam and Kaye Ballard.
Zipper on the fritz? Call Elfriede Fritz!
John was surprisingly subdued considering how funny Steve Allen was during the zipper segment..
He did his ear pull to let them know to cut it out lol
The walk in front of the panel is a bit cringe making. Glad they ditched it.
Too right, remember poor Pat Finch from the first show, she was the guinea pig of television history for the ol' "walk of Shame".
Ginny, I agree...!
It just took time away from playing the game. Glad they ditched the preliminary guesses, too. I can remember at least one episode where one of the panelists made a correct guess. Something to do with a swimming pool. Torpedoed that whole round.
@@PrenticeBoy1688 yep that was the lifeguard, guessed by Arlene Francis. I couldn’t believe she actually got it ha
@@M3321-t6k I'm not sure why I remembered 'something to do with a swimming pool' but didn't make the final leap to 'lifeguard'. It's not like there are tons of swimming pool related occupations.
Love to watch Dorothy in action. Arlene too, but Dorothy is really something. And I loved to listen to Dorothy talk. She spoke so eloquently.
I would swear the writers on the show are handing Steve lines/questions to ask as they are perfectly suited to the product or position of the contestant. If they are lending a helping hand, great, but if not, Steve is one of the funniest men alive, and the later is true even if the questions were fed to him! 😁👍✌
I think they did feed them questions and they were given clues before the show re the occupations
I don't think so because many times, the panelists disqualified themselves because they knew who it was.
Also it seems pretty clear to me that Steve Allen was going for a typewriter and was a little surprised when it wasn't a typewriter.
On the other hand, whenever the audience started growing crazy, the panelists knew that the object had some kind of sexual quality or association to it.
@@macmcleod1188 I do think some of it was staged, but that doesn't detract from the show, or the brilliant comedy of Steve Allen!
Who has more product in their hair? Dorothy Kilgallen or Steve Allen?
Wally Cox appeared in an episode of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." He was a very good actor.
Still crying from laughing at Steve A.
I always thought Mr. Daly must have the contestant's full name and line written down on a piece of paper somewhere because I can't always figure out what the contestant writes. In this episode, though, he can't make out the first name of the second challenger. Anyone know if he really did rely on the signature to know their names?
jpireri obviously
I havent laughed this hard in ages ( the zipper lady )
Wally Cox on a motorcycle? wow.
This is hysterical!
I love Steve Allen's line of questions.
Contestant #1 should have been awarded the full prize. He successfully stumped the panel. (oops...I didn't wait long enough to find out that he did)
Agree with everyone. I absolutely love Steve Alen. He is by far my favourite guest host.
I agree that he should have gotten the full $50. And, they gave it to him later.
Wally was ahead of his time.
The dress worn by the second challenger looks very much like the type of dress worn by my mom and the other women in my parents circle of friends if they were going to a casual outing in the 1940's and 1950's.
My mom may have repaired zippers just for clothing worn by our family members. But she told me that during WWII when certain fabrics were being diverted to the war effort, she repaired stockings that had gotten runs in them. She made some extra money that way. Unfortunately, one thing I did not inherit from her was her manual dexterity.
Lois Simmons, I thought she actually looked a lot like my mother looked at that time (at least from pictures I have of her).
Hello Lois, How are you doing?
@@aidennewell4034 Fine.
@@loissimmons6558 Where are you from?
@@aidennewell4034 New York
Sounds like he's doing "Brando"
He was. I'll just copy & paste David Martin's comment from earlier for you, because he covered this so well: "What makes Mr. Cox's performance particularly funny is that he was doing a satirical impression of 'method actors,' the top example of which was Cox's best friend - Marlon Brando."
Dorothy was born for this show.
Wally Cox once shared an apartment with Marlon Brando. If you can picture Cox and Brando in the same sentence, go right ahead. "Mr Peepers" was a huge success of the time -- a male sitcom version of "Our Miss Brooks." Apparently G-T thought he was funny enough here to put him on as a guest panelist twice, hoping he would be hugely hysterical. Wrong.
Well, in all fairness, he was hysterical, but for the wrong reasons.
They were boys together in Illinois! They went back a long way.
Funny here as a mystery guest. Very!
He was so different than Brando, but Marlon loved him.
I thought he was hilarious the first time he appeared on the panel (instead of Cerf); less so the second (with Cerf) when I think he was possibly a bit "stoned". The show format doesn't really suit his kind of comedy; because I don't think the expression "I'll pass" is in this man's vocabulary, but on his first appearance he was great.
Seems he was nothing like "Mr Peepers" in real life: he and Brando were like brothers; he was a master craftsman in metalwork; served in the infantry and was deceptively strong. As a comedian he's a master of: "dead air"; comic timing and anyone who can make the room laugh without saying a word is a real talent.
Do you wear glasses? (removes glasses) ... Lol!
"Yeah ... but just to see twith, Dorothy".
The office secretary knowing how to use a zipper is the longest laughter I have ever heard on this show.
Too bad Steve Allen wasn't on every ep, on the panel. He was so funny, such a goofball. This show had alot of funny moments, but it is irritating when the people with the mystery jobs act like they are ignorant of their job duties, they look at Daly for answers. I always knew what I did at my jobs! LOL.
Today's TH-cam Rerun for 11/9/15: Watch along and join the discussion!
I know what you're probably thinking I'm thinking, but actually, I consider Wally perfectly fine as a mystery guest. Just keep him off the *panel*. This show also contains one of Steve Allen's funniest lines of questioning ever, in the "Repairs Zippers" segment.
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+What's My Line? Well, I'm not thinking what you're thinking. Wally Cox is cerebral and funny. John Daly clearly "got" him. Too bad Cerf wasn't smart enough to do so.
mistergoodear Well, you're clearly new to the comments. It's well known amongst the "regulars" that I can't stand Wally Cox on the panel of WML. I have nothing against him otherwise. But he was a terrible panelist on this program.
That said, why you feel the need to gratuitously insult Bennett Cerf in your comment, I don't understand.
Not gratuitous at all. Mr. Cerf was cited as classifying Wally Cox as the "worst panelist". He could not be farther off base. Cox has a style that is very different from shallow, tortured puns. I submit that if one views Cox's panel appearances as comedy performances rather than game show hijinks, they hold up very well.
+What's My Line? Wally Cox is one of the best panelist, if you don´t get that his slow comedic timing is a genius thing thats fine. But I find it rather strange this bashing you do of him.
***** It's a running joke how much I dislike Wally Cox on the panel-- that's all. You're taking it WAY WAY WAY too seriously. If you enjoy him on the panel, that's wonderful.
The first guest was a strange bird. He acted as though he didn't want to be there...
Cox was really the love of Marlon Brando's life. Brando kept his ashes, and had their ashes mixed together when he died.
The male panel members didn"t stand to meet the second contestant when she was asked to "let them get a closer look at you." I think that's the first time I've seen thst.
He was Marlo B. best friend
17:00 -- Robinson did not look too happy in his sequence, so I wonder if Daly's announcement before Cox's appearance was necessitated by some sort of discussion between himself and the producers.
Since his TV character "Mr. Peepers" was a school teacher, Cox's humor WAS intellectual.
wally cox saying he hadn't done any movies? had to look it up but that didn't really start until 1962, and famously in marilyn monroe's last unfinished film, "something's got to give."
Brando once said in private that Wally was the love of his life
Wally cox was either doing Brando three minutes after getting out of bed, that or the indian carver after three or four drinks. Thanks so much for getting these posted!
What a crazy-funny guy.
Except when he was on the panel! Worst. Panelist. Ever.
THat was not his best, I agree.
Look up his recording, "What a Crazy Guy"
What's My Line? So true. Biggest mistake when they asked him to be a guest panelist on the show.
Hubert Smith check out Wally's guest appearance on Lost in Space acts just like himself except with "alien makeup"
Repairing zippers requires the patience of Job.
Wally Cox was great and appeared on many different television shows over the years. Two which immediately come to my mind; an appearance on "Lost in Space" (he played a kind of goofy, bird-like, alien) and a starring role in a "Twilight Zone" episode. As for films, in 1962 he was cast in a comedic character-role to play opposite Marilyn Monroe in her last (never completed) film called, "Something's Got to Give." There are a few surviving clips of Wally and Marilyn (along with Dean Martin) doing a few scenes together, and they are quite funny. Those clips have been out here on TH-cam for many years. Cheers to Wally's memory and talents!
He was about as funny as a cancer diagnosis.
@@peternagy-im4be Kind of a pointless and nasty observation. I wonder what Mr. Cox ever did to you.
Interestingly, or not so, the panel is usually terrible when it comes to television actors. So I was expecting them to NOT get Wally because he was at the height of his Mr Peepers career at this point. But Dorothy did guess him not because of Mr. P. but because of something else.... a bistro of some sort. Could someone please fill us in on what on earth she was talking about and what Wally Cox was doing in a bistro?
I forgot to add that at the top of the page, there is also a 17½ minute video giving a history of the Village Vanguard. The website calls it a "short" video. As John Daly might say, "What is your definition of 'short'?"
Oops! Two more things to add. First, the panel might have been able to guess Wally Cox easily because as sophisticated denizens of the NYC social scene, they would have been familiar with him as a comedian at hip clubs in town before he became famous as Mr. Peepers. And I get the sense that his "Dufo" wild and crazy routine and the fact that he was a motorcycle riding friend of Marlon Brando, athletic and an Army vet meant that in real life as well as his act were nothing like his television persona which played more off of his appearance.
Second, the video mentioned in my previous post includes portions of this WML episode, Steve Allen with a voiceover introduction of Miriam Makeba, and performances by Eartha Kitt, Leadbelly, Harry Belafonte, Lenny Bruce and a troupe that included Judy Holliday, Adolph Green and Betty Comden. Many of these people made appearances on WML. Not shown performing but also a featured performer associated with Goodson-Todman was Orson Bean.
The video makes the photos and ads come alive, especially for those of you how come to this site for a slice of history.
Thank heaven for the second contestant. You think the first game would have been fascinating, but what a low key sculptor he turned out to be. Apparently he registered a complaint and got the full 50 bucks. So he could work up some gumption.
+soulierinvestments I was watching all the wrong guesses the panel were making and thinking, "He should be flipping cards." Complaint or no complaint, he should have been given points for all the "no" answers.
I’m thinking that one of the panelists may have asked John if the Indian carver got the full prize while they were away on break.
Wally Cox died 1973 and Marlon Brando died 2004 were close friends from childhood.
So close were they that their ashes were scattered together.
Wally Cox demonstrating the over use of Prozac. Fantastic
What does that mean?
Wooden Indian Carver....
"Has it ever been alive ?"
Well, it was a TREE !
Surprising, "No" answer.
Steve Allens questions to the Zipper Repair lady are maybe the best lines in the 17 years it was on.
I hope a better version of this show comes along!
One of the episodes where Steve Allen was given questions beforehand to use with the zipper lady
Loved the part with Wally Cox. Then it was followed up by Amy Farrah Fowler's grandmother!
A judge is the justice of the peace
Young Wally Cox :o