While watching this episode, it makes me think about the moderator, the four panelists and the special guest, Fred Allen, as being among the most wonderful people that have ever graced our television screens.
Always nice to see Robert Q. Lewis on these shows. A very interesting person for sure. Thanks for uploading all of these classic What's My Line? episodes
Fred Allen died of a heart attack on St. Patrick's Day, Saturday, March 17, 1956, about 8 months after his appendectomy. He was born John Sullivan, from Cambridge, Mass. His mother died when he was 3 and his father abused alcohol, so he was raised by an aunt. Extremely self-conscious he often seemed uncomfortable on television but his wit and intelligence shone on radio and in his books and letters. He was an extremely devout Roman Catholic. John Daly in What's My Line aired on Sunday at 10:30pm, less than a day after Fred's unexpected death. Steve Allen, whom Fred had replaced, took his place for that show.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Because of your familial connection here, it would have been really great if you had posted more information about your family lineage and to include the kinds of connections that you had with Fred Allen. Did you get to talk to him often? Did he come over to your house on occasion? That kind of thing.
Always admired the deep generosity of John Daly in bestowing the FULL $50 prize to the contestants. Especially those who might not be as fortunate otherwise.
When they wanted to raise the prize amount to be up with other game shows prizes, he said NO! and said if they raised the prize amount he would QUIT! so don't give him too much credit for tossing a few extra cards. He is why when others were up in thousands his show was still $50 max.
SO you guys think it's ok to be rude to people like Fred is? On an earlier episode, he called a lady FAT; now that's just plain WRONG!!!! I don't care WHAT decade you're in
Krista Brewer I'm with you Krista. I'm rather hoping he'll get replaced soon, like say 1956, but he seems to be popular!! I can't stick him. I really miss the class and modesty of Steve Allen.
@@kristabrewer9363 ... You seem to have some type of personality disorder, the way you are obsessed with Fred Allen and weight, constantly chiming in on your hatred for him on TH-cam. Just give it a rest, would you please? And get some help. Please.
@@jasonhindle4399 Fred Allen married my great grandmother's younger sister Portland. When my grandmother and grandfather went on their honeymoon, they went to a broadcasting of the show so that my grandfather could meet Fred and Portland. My aunt's middle name was named after Fred. They changed the lettering around and made her middle name Allyn. I posted some family pictures and memorabilia that belonged to my grandmother in the Facebook What's My Line group. I have pictures of Portland's sisters and father. I remember my grandmother telling me that I'm related to a famous radio show host. I don't remember hearing too much more as I was probably 6 or 7 when she told me about Fred.
This was the famous episode where they tried with 2 guests after the mystery guest. The only reason I'm glad I found it was the fun appearance of Fred Allen, he had me laughing with his attempt to fool the panel.
Robert Q Lewis was really good at this game. Dorothy ignored his suggestion of a flagpole sitter last week with the flagpole sitter. She learned her lesson and took his advice on the sports part of the pool table lady here. Fred was caught much quicker than his first time as a mystery guest but it was Bob Q who hadn't appeared with him before on the panel who caught it first.
Although it would be many more years before I would come to be I love this show and Fred Allen was a real character. Too bad he would leave us so soon afterwards.
He was, truly, one of the few authentic geniuses of radio comedy. He had a gift for understanding what worked on the medium better than anyone than, perhaps, Jack Benny. A good place to start for newcomers to find free episodes of his radio series is archive.org: archive.org/search.php?query=fred%20allen
I think Fred Allen was/is a bit of a "study"; that is, it takes a while to understand his sense of humor and quick wit and from where it all is derived within his comedic mind.
@@princeharming8963 that's great! I'm related to him because he married my grandmother's aunt Portland. My great grandmother and Portland were sisters.
Johan Bengtsson -- They probably learned their lesson from this episode and didn't try a fifth contestant again. The fifth contestant was on for all of 90 seconds and it wasn't worth doing, IMHO. They should have asked a couple of questions of the fourth contestant after Arlene determined so quickly that he was a sailor on the French battleship, the Jean Bart. Then, if that didn't quite fill up the remaining time, they could have stretched the good nights a bit.
i think it was because this was the early days of televsuon and they were still learning what worked. they were probably afraid to ask questions because no other show had done it yet. they went with the only thing that they knew worked, another contestant.
I just wonder if they always had a 4th contestant as a backup in case one of the others couldn’t get there (traffic, illness, family emergency, etc.). I’m thinking now they probably did; and if so, I think it’s better to let him/her get on air, even if there isn’t much time. At least the backup person got to be on the show and get $50. 😁
Fred was brilliant & so, so funny! The other night while watching An Affair to Remember, I noticed that a news reporter in the film looked and sounded familiar, it was Robert Q. I have never seen him on anything but WML? before. I've seen the movie at least 100 times before and never gave it a thought, but to be true I have only been watching WML? for only 3 years now. 🌼
I'm a gigantic fan of his radio work, which is why I sought out What's My Line in the first place (it's just about the only TV work by f.a. available). Most of the time, I feel the format of WML hemmed him in so much he didn't shine as brightly as he deserved to. But i thought he was very funny in this mystery guest segment.
His ad libs are priceless. This is not to slight the wonderful comedians who work with writers and have a knack for delivering written lines with flair; but seeing someone like Allen come with these things on the fly as he does on this show, well that's a special kind of genius.
Fred was such a great panelist who had so many more years left in him on What's My Line, but it was sadly cut WAY too short. Such a shame he couldn't make it into the 60s.
22:33 Before I even saw Arlene guess that he was a sailor, I considered joking that Arlene would probably figure it out because she's probably very familiar with sailors. Lol. {Innuendo}
My recommendation got through to you, huh? Thanks, now I don't have to pause the video when the celebrity guests come on to Google the ones I don't know! :D
Yes, I took your suggestion. It's very easy for me to add these brief descriptions since I know the celebrities of the era, and rarely have to look them up. I'm only 41, but I've been obsessed with vintage entertainment since I was a kid. But as I've said before, I'm probably not going to be going back and modifying the descriptions of shows I've already posted. It takes forever with youtube's user interface! Glad you appreciate the addition, and thanks for your suggestion. It never would have occurred to me otherwise.
Gable assiduously avoided acting roles on television and all appearances in general. Not counting a couple of TV appearances in connection with the telecast of the Academy Awards, his appearance in the crowd during a TV short about a movie premiere, and home movie footage of him during a TV documentary about Gary Cooper, the only time he deliberately appeared on television was an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show of April 19, 1953 (still officially known as "The Toast of the Town" at the time). The show preceded WML by 90 minutes on the same CBS network. I was unable to find exactly what Gable did on his show that night. It was Gable's fifth and final marriage, one that ended with his death. It was the only time he married someone not in show business and the only marriage which produced a child and that child was born after his death. His child many years earlier with Loretta Young was not the product of marriage. By all accounts, had Carole Lombard not met with tragic death due to pilot error while returning from a war bond selling tour just 40 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Gable would never have entered into marriages #4 and #5. Miss Lombard was the true love of his life and while he managed to go on with his career, he was devastated by her untimely death.
@@loissimmons6558 Gable was ill at ease in any circumstances that might call for spontaneous or quick-witted behavior. He was conscious of his lack of education. He did not want to rekindle the early impression of himself as a dumb ox or 'beloved brute' which he had tried to eradicate in the 1930s. He wanted everything pre-cooked and disliked any improvisatory method of filming; this helped turn him against Cukor when that director, in Clark's opinion, spent too much time grooming and coaching Vivien Leigh, a nervous Hollywood newbie, at the beginning of the GWTW shoot. Gable would have been more en rapport with Selznick's second choice, Paulette Goddard.
Arlene wondering if Fred was from outer space just made me wonder why none of the Mystery Guests ever used a prop diving mask or head covering to disguise their voice?
poor fred, his health was beginning to fail him, he would die from heart attack 8 months later, he had been a regular for about 2 years when he unexpectedly died.
Bob Crestwood i'm not sure, he may have smoked a cigar. he was around 60 when he started doing wml. but i agree, he never looked well, those massive bags under his eyes... he may have just had a bad ticker.
I'm pretty sure they were offered the chance to return if they didn't get on the show at all-- this is why so many of the last-round contestants after the mystery guest are from the NYC area, I think: so that they could come back the next week if they didn't get on. The sad thing, though, is when they squeeze in a final contestant when there's only a few minutes left in the show. Those contestants really got shafted.
Considering that now and then they didn't have time for any challengers after the MG, I find it hard to believe that they would have two people prepared to finish out the show every week. It would seem more likely to me that they would have asked members of the audience as they entered what their occupation was and they would snag some that had an unusual one.
I don't feel they "got the shaft", Daly always turned over ALL the cards and gave them the full cash prize, plus they got samples of all the sponsors' products.
She was very happily married to Martin Gabel from 1946-1986, his death. These snide remarks are out of place. The battleship Jean Bart was a significant event when it berthed in New York and unless someone was brain dead they would have to have heard of it. It had almost 1,300 sailors and was readying for the Suez Affair which almost resulted in a major war. Martin Gabel, the Jean Bart, and France's role in the Suez Affair may not be familiar to those under the age of 70 but if they had any awareness of theater, film, literature and world history these things would all be commonly known.
On July 17, the Dodgers won a doubleheader from Cincinnati in action at Ebbets Field. A bumper crop of sour arms led them to call up two pitchers from the minor leagues and not only would both make their major league debuts this day, they would be the winning pitchers. In the opener, the Redlegs nicked Roger Craig for runs in the first and second. A triple by left fielder Bob Thurman and a dribbler by first baseman Ted Kluszewski broke the ice and Cincy added an unearned run in the second. Meanwhile, back to back home runs by Duke Snider and Gil Hodges in the first had the game knotted at 2 all. Craig held the Redlegs hitless the rest of the way and the Dodgers got to Cincinnati starter Gerry Staley in the middle innings, with solo homers by Carl Furillo and Pee Wee Reese contributing to the 6-2 victory. Don Bessent was a relief pitcher for most of his major league career, four seasons with the Dodgers. But he started two games during his rookie year, including his major league debut. He ran out of gas in the ninth, but with the help of a 6-run fourth inning in his support, he had his win at the end of the day. Like Craig, a triple helped break the ice against Bessent, as center fielder Gus Bell smacked the three bagger in the second to bring home right fielder Wally Post who had singled. Starter Rudy Minarcin took a shutout into the fourth inning. But four singles, a walk, a hit batter and three errors later and the Dodgers led 6-1 while Minarcin followed the rest of the game from the clubhouse. Bessent took an 8-2 lead into the ninth. But he didn’t retire a batter in that inning. Kluszewski singled, Post homered and Bell doubled to prompt Bessent to hand over the ball to Ed Roebuck. Bell came around to score on two outs, but Roebuck got the final out for the 8-5 win. At the beginning of the week, the attention of baseball fans was focused on the first All-Star Game played in Milwaukee. It was one of the most dramatic games in the history of the midseason classic with the National League coming back from a 5-0 deficit to tie the game in the eighth and win the game on Stan Musial’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the 12th. Ironically, the pitchers at the end of the game were Frank Sullivan for the American League and Gene Conley from the hometown Braves who struck out the side in his only inning of work to get the win. They were the two tallest players in baseball at the time and they would be traded for each other later in their careers. As far as Dodgers in the game, Don Newcombe pitched a scoreless seventh inning, the first of six shutout innings after the AL scored their fifth run. Gil Hodges had a pinch single. Duke Snider, who started in center field for the NL, was 0 for 2 and recorded 3 putouts. The Dodgers resumed play on Thursday after the All-Star break by welcoming the Cardinals to return to Ebbets Field. They were very generous hosts as they lost their third straight game. Larry Jackson went the distance, holding the Dodgers to four hits and only one run in the bottom of the ninth after the Cardinals had built up a six run lead. First baseman Stan Musial followed his dramatic All-Star Game walk off home run with a solo shot off Johnny Podres in the fourth to open the scoring. They continued to build their lead with a two run double by shortstop Alex Grammas in the sixth, a two run home run by center fielder Wally Moon off Jim Hughes in the seventh and in the eighth when Karl Spooner surrendered a leadoff triple by right fielder Bill Virdon and a one out single by catcher Nelson Burbrink. The Dodgers came back with a vengeance on Friday. Newcombe once again supplied both pitching and offense as he raised his record to 15-1. At the plate he went 4 for 5 with a double and a home run and 3 RBI’s as he cruised to a 12-3 complete game victory. The Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning against Tom Poholsky. After the Cards cut their lead to 4-3 in the sixth, they scored two unearned runs in the seventh against Paul LaPalme and then salted the game away in the eighth against Mel Wright as the Dodgers sent 11 men to the plate in a 6 run inning. Newcombe led off with a home run and knocked in the final run of the inning with a single. With the midweek All-Star Game influencing the schedules, the St. Louis left and Cincinnati came in for a 4-game wraparound series on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And the Saturday afternoon game on July 16 was a nail biter. The Redlegs jumped out to a 3-run lead in the third on a three run home run by Post off Billy Loes. With rain falling in the fourth, Gilliam tripled in the first Dodger run. But after a 65 minute rain delay, Art Fowler resumed his efforts and struck out Don Zimmer to strand Gilliam at third. Then the Dodgers tied it in the sixth on Snider’s homer and Zimmer’s RBI single in a rally helped by Kluszewski’s error. The Dodgers bunted their way to the lead in the seventh. Don Hoak led off with a single and when Reese bunted, all hands were safe when Hoak beat the throw to second. Snider then bunted the runners to second and third. After Hodges was walked intentionally, Furillo’s single moved up everyone 90 feet to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Herschel Freeman relieved Fowler and stranded the bases loaded when Gilliam flied out to shallow left and Zimmer hit into a force play. It was Clem Labine’s game to win in the ninth, but Cincinnati didn’t give up. With one out, Smoky Burgess doubled. Rocky Bridges ran for the slow-footed catcher and he moved to third on Labine’s wild pitch. Joe Brovia was sent up to bat for third baseman Bobby Adams. A star slugger in the Pacific Coast League for many years, this was Brovia’s only stint in the major, slightly over a month. His fly to left was deep enough to tie the game at 4 apiece. With the sacks clear, Labine retired shortstop Roy McMillan to end the inning. Perhaps inspired by Musial on Tuesday, Snider ended the game in dramatic fashion. He led off the bottom of the ninth with his second homer of the game and 30th of the season to send the Dodgers home with the win. After the doubleheader sweep of the Redlegs on Sunday gave the Dodgers a 4-1 record for the week, they led the Braves by 12½. The Giants were now in third, 16½ back and the Cubs had fallen to fourth, only one game over .500 and 17 games off the pace. They were in the middle of a losing streak that saw them lose 9 straight and 15 of 16 (their only win coming against the Dodgers). By the time they recovered a bit, they were 7 games under .500 and in fifth place and their flirtation with a winning season was nearly over.
Thank goodness somebody had the good sense to get rid of the format where the contestants paraded themselves in front of the panelists. Somebody also had the good sense to realize that it’s appropriate for the contestants and the panelists to shake hands, and that it shouldn’t just be for the celebrities.
That justice of the peace struck me as being particularly "out to lunch". I wonder if he even knew who Clark Gable was when he officiated at the wedding.
ToddSF 94109 It seems to me that the justice of the peace was hard of hearing to some extent; I believe that could explain any awkwardness or hesitancy in answering. Once John had repeated the questions in his crisp diction to the guest, he was usually able to give a quick answer. It's apparent that the acoustics of the studio weren't very good, and probably the microphones on the desks were only for the audio portion of the broadcast (or perhaps also to amplify the voices to the studio audience) rather than being used to amplify the voices from one side to the other of the set itself.
So many people had trouble hearing which could make them appear to be "out to lunch." I think the studio's acoustics left a lot to be desired. Being hard of hearing, myself, I think people often think I'm downright stupid.
Bennett Cerf had such unusual (and frequently weird) pronunciations that, when I haven't heard it for a while, I end up googling him to see if he was partially deaf.
Could anyone reading these comments answer this following question of mine? Why is the applause volume so very much louder than the volume of the conversations in these What's My Line kinescope videotapes? It seems very jarring to my ear in mostly all of them. Thanks!
@@robertjean5782 Pardon my abruptness, but DUH! Of course I turned it down, Sherlock! My question was WHY was it happening. Thanks but no thanks for your wiseguy "counsel"😯🥴😵💫😵... Oh, and by the way, since when did you develop clairvoyant powers to detect beforehand when the volume was going to sharply spike louder???🤨🙄🤣🤣🤣!!!
I haven't see the show yet; I'm reading the comments first. Can I ask why everyone is praising Fred Allen when he's rude to the guests? On a previous episode, he called the lady FAT; and that's just plain WRONG! I don't care WHAT decade you're in. And then on a later episode, he was rude to a lady again. I can't remember what he said, I'd have to go back and read the comments again, but no, he was definitely NOT funny!
There are over eight hundred episodes and I believe I've seen most of them except the ones with guests I don't care for. I liked Fred Allen and thought he was funny. I cringe at comments about the physical appearance of contestants. It must have been the times but that was common enough on that show. I recall rude remarks made by Bennett Cerf, Jerry Lewis and others; even Arlene Francis although she was much more genteel about it.
@@sophiemorrison9820 Absolutely agree with you. And Dorothy and Arlene were also rude, they just weren’t as obvious with their rudeness, they were sly and catty. To the OP: Fred didn’t say she was “FAT”. Fred was about to speak and Dorothy said something along the lines of, “I only meant did she dance with a gentleman or gentlemen.” Fred replied, “I don’t think there’d be room for one.” While it may not work today we also need “safe zones” in universities! I don’t think we’ve improved any.
So, I'm a fat woman and a feminist. And I don't, overall, like the fat jokes. But it's not just Fred doing them; it's everyone, except *maybe* John. Basically, if I want to watch a show from 1955, I have to recognize that it will be of a different era. There's times when I won't want to deal with that, and won't watch it. For me, Steve is just as unkind, in different ways. (But I like watching them both.) Steve doesn't connect to people because he's so busy following the laughs; Fred, meanwhile, is so busy trying to ad lib.
![What's My Line? - Robert Q. Lewis (Jul 24, 1955) [W/ COMMERCIALS!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZOfOk5EuiF0/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Robert Q. Lewis (Jul 24, 1955) [W/ COMMERCIALS!]](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Jack Paar [panel]; Sheree North (Jul 10, 1955)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4LCRmmXK0Pg/mqdefault.jpg)
I just love Fred Allen. Always makes me laugh when I listen to him. He was a treasure.
My great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683
Compliments!
While watching this episode, it makes me think about the moderator, the four panelists and the special guest, Fred Allen, as being among the most wonderful people that have ever graced our television screens.
Fred had SUCH a distinctive voice, NO WAY to disguise it!!
He's my great great uncle.
That was great with Fred Allen! He is so quick and comes up with some really funny lines.
Always nice to see Robert Q. Lewis on these shows. A very interesting person for sure. Thanks for uploading all of these classic What's My Line? episodes
"Thank you for letting me work tonight!" :)))
favorite moment from this episode :))
Favorite moment of "Top Ten Favorite Moments of WML" :)) 17:20
While it's easy to just say your guess, I love that RQL came up with a joke!
An honest "joke" compliment if I ever heard one :)
Fred Allen died of a heart attack on St. Patrick's Day, Saturday, March 17, 1956, about 8 months after his appendectomy.
He was born John Sullivan, from Cambridge, Mass. His mother died when he was 3 and his father abused alcohol, so he was raised by an aunt. Extremely self-conscious he often seemed uncomfortable on television but his wit and intelligence shone on radio and in his books and letters. He was an extremely devout Roman Catholic. John Daly in What's My Line aired on Sunday at 10:30pm, less than a day after Fred's unexpected death. Steve Allen, whom Fred had replaced, took his place for that show.
Such a beloved man.
Fred Allen is my great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Because of your familial connection here, it would have been really great if you had posted more information about your family lineage and to include the kinds of connections that you had with Fred Allen. Did you get to talk to him often? Did he come over to your house on occasion? That kind of thing.
Thank you for this brief biography. I appreciated it reading it.
Always admired the deep generosity of John Daly in bestowing the FULL $50 prize to the contestants. Especially those who might not be as fortunate otherwise.
wonderful to hear, Michael!
Also,the fact that the show was anyway making so much money that it didn't matter to the network.
When they wanted to raise the prize amount to be up with other game shows prizes, he said NO! and said if they raised the prize amount he would QUIT! so don't give him too much credit for tossing a few extra cards. He is why when others were up in thousands his show was still $50 max.
I love Mr. Fred Allen. He is so humble. One of my favorite when on the panel.
SO you guys think it's ok to be rude to people like Fred is? On an earlier episode, he called a lady FAT; now that's just plain WRONG!!!! I don't care WHAT decade you're in
Krista Brewer I'm with you Krista. I'm rather hoping he'll get replaced soon, like say 1956, but he seems to be popular!! I can't stick him.
I really miss the class and modesty of Steve Allen.
He's my great great uncle.
@@kristabrewer9363 ... You seem to have some type of personality disorder, the way you are obsessed with Fred Allen and weight, constantly chiming in on your hatred for him on TH-cam. Just give it a rest, would you please? And get some help. Please.
@@davidsanderson5918 ... You got your wish. He died of a heart attack mere months after this episode. Happy?
I have never been so glad that a mystery guest got solved quickly. The conversation with Fred Allen afterwords was Hilarious......
Fred is my great great uncle.
He is one of my favorite. Your aunt and uncle are both top notch! That’s how I see it anyway.
@@adco I'm glad you like them. It's neat seeing them at work.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 that’s great to hear! Do you have any family stories? I love Fred Allen. Gone too soon!
@@jasonhindle4399 Fred Allen married my great grandmother's younger sister Portland. When my grandmother and grandfather went on their honeymoon, they went to a broadcasting of the show so that my grandfather could meet Fred and Portland. My aunt's middle name was named after Fred. They changed the lettering around and made her middle name Allyn. I posted some family pictures and memorabilia that belonged to my grandmother in the Facebook What's My Line group. I have pictures of Portland's sisters and father. I remember my grandmother telling me that I'm related to a famous radio show host. I don't remember hearing too much more as I was probably 6 or 7 when she told me about Fred.
The episodes where Fred Allen is a panelist were the BEST for me. Every one is a precious gem.
My great great uncle.
This was the famous episode where they tried with 2 guests after the mystery guest. The only reason I'm glad I found it was the fun appearance of Fred Allen, he had me laughing with his attempt to fool the panel.
"It was an emergency, the doctor needed money quickly" 😁
Thanks for this great show, I watched it as a kid!
I also, I hid behind the sofa to watch the show. Bed time was 8pm😊
@@robertjean5782 I remember bed time at 8pm too.😊
RQL's guess of Fred was priceless!
One of his best moments on WML, I agree!
@@WhatsMyLine Even if you aren't a fan of RQL
@@WhatsMyLine That and his guess of Sally Rand
I always enjoy seeing Canadian contestants. Surely that pool hall isn't still in business... but she was so darling!
I tried to find it on the web, but nothing was listed for Chesley. Alas, it appears to be long gone.
She was adorable, fun, witty, classy...
Robert Q Lewis was really good at this game. Dorothy ignored his suggestion of a flagpole sitter last week with the flagpole sitter. She learned her lesson and took his advice on the sports part of the pool table lady here. Fred was caught much quicker than his first time as a mystery guest but it was Bob Q who hadn't appeared with him before on the panel who caught it first.
Although it would be many more years before I would come to be I love this show and Fred Allen was a real character. Too bad he would leave us so soon afterwards.
Arlene was a hoot and hot that night especially!
Fred Allen was an excellent comedian. Do a search for his radio bits!
He was, truly, one of the few authentic geniuses of radio comedy. He had a gift for understanding what worked on the medium better than anyone than, perhaps, Jack Benny. A good place to start for newcomers to find free episodes of his radio series is archive.org: archive.org/search.php?query=fred%20allen
What's My Line?
There are books of his to be had as well ... I have his Treadmill To Oblivion ...
Bob is my favorite guest panelist. He definitely adds value
I agree. RQ knew how these shows worked, and he was a bright and witty fellow. I crack up every time he puts his mask on.
He should’ve been added to the panel on a permanent basis when Fred Allen died they really missed the boat on that
Arlene looked grand in this episode, so appealing and pretty.
The lighter hair becomes her.
I didn't care for Fred at first, but over time, I now think he was a hilarious comic.
I think Fred Allen was/is a bit of a "study"; that is, it takes a while to understand his sense of humor and quick wit and from where it all is derived within his comedic mind.
I remember this was the day that disneyland opended to the public
Fred Allen was PURE genius.
My great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 - Wow... how cool is that!? He was always one of my favorites. Years ahead of his time.
@@princeharming8963 that's great! I'm related to him because he married my grandmother's aunt Portland. My great grandmother and Portland were sisters.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Shut up. We know already.
17:22 - the minute Robert Q. Lewis realizes he’s been had
Five games in one show! That must be some sort of record. I have never seen an episode of WML with four contestants and one MG.
Johan Bengtsson -- They probably learned their lesson from this episode and didn't try a fifth contestant again. The fifth contestant was on for all of 90 seconds and it wasn't worth doing, IMHO. They should have asked a couple of questions of the fourth contestant after Arlene determined so quickly that he was a sailor on the French battleship, the Jean Bart. Then, if that didn't quite fill up the remaining time, they could have stretched the good nights a bit.
ToddSF 94109 Yes why bring in a contestant with so little time left? Well, better with 90 seconds than no appearance at all maybe...
i think it was because this was the early days of televsuon and they were still learning what worked.
they were probably afraid to ask questions because no other show had done it yet.
they went with the only thing that they knew worked, another contestant.
I just wonder if they always had a 4th contestant as a backup in case one of the others couldn’t get there (traffic, illness, family emergency, etc.). I’m thinking now they probably did; and if so, I think it’s better to let him/her get on air, even if there isn’t much time. At least the backup person got to be on the show and get $50. 😁
$50 was a weeks pay or mortgage payment 😊
“Thank you for letting me work the night!”
Fred was brilliant & so, so funny!
The other night while watching An Affair to Remember, I noticed that a news reporter in the film looked and sounded familiar, it was Robert Q. I have never seen him on anything but WML? before. I've seen the movie at least 100 times before and never gave it a thought, but to be true I have only been watching WML? for only 3 years now. 🌼
And that wink John Daly gives at 15:48...!
haha yeah love it
Brendan Richards .
Fred's jokes are hysterical!
Fred Allen was a champion of Ab libs! A great comedian who dropped dead from a heart attack in 1956 while walking up 57th Street in NYC.
I'm a gigantic fan of his radio work, which is why I sought out What's My Line in the first place (it's just about the only TV work by f.a. available). Most of the time, I feel the format of WML hemmed him in so much he didn't shine as brightly as he deserved to. But i thought he was very funny in this mystery guest segment.
"No, I forgot to bring my own bottle" is certainly one of the slickest ad libs I've ever heard!
My great great uncle.
His ad libs are priceless. This is not to slight the wonderful comedians who work with writers and have a knack for delivering written lines with flair; but seeing someone like Allen come with these things on the fly as he does on this show, well that's a special kind of genius.
@@WhatsMyLine indeed! Thanks so much for making these episodes available. Comedic geniuses such as Fred Allen live on through these episodes.
John Daly was as erudite as any game show host in history, although Alex Trebec comes close
Puff! Fred Allen magic!
My great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Snooze!
The more I see Fred Allen, the more I regret he died when I was so young.
I share in your sadness. Thank you for this posting and paying honored to an incredibly wonderful person.
OMG! This has got to be the funniest MG appearance of Fred Allen! Freakin hilarious! :D
Robin Chanteuse Dylan I lost an appendix but gained a debtor 😀
My great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Broken record.
Fred was such a great panelist who had so many more years left in him on What's My Line, but it was sadly cut WAY too short. Such a shame he couldn't make it into the 60s.
I agree. The twenty years after he died provided perfect material for his wit.
My great great uncle.
Died on the street while out for his evening walk.
Clark Gable died in November 1960, slightly more than 5 years after this show. He was only 59.
Michael Danello in his last movie 3 stars passed away Monroe, Cliff, and Gable. Misfits
22:33 Before I even saw Arlene guess that he was a sailor, I considered joking that Arlene would probably figure it out because she's probably very familiar with sailors. Lol. {Innuendo}
Sad, Fred Allen is gone...
Arlene looked stunning with that timeless hair style!
Arlene is gorgeous 😊
Fred Alled sitting on panel is funkiller, being a mystery guest he is fun maker🥹
My recommendation got through to you, huh? Thanks, now I don't have to pause the video when the celebrity guests come on to Google the ones I don't know! :D
Yes, I took your suggestion. It's very easy for me to add these brief descriptions since I know the celebrities of the era, and rarely have to look them up. I'm only 41, but I've been obsessed with vintage entertainment since I was a kid.
But as I've said before, I'm probably not going to be going back and modifying the descriptions of shows I've already posted. It takes forever with youtube's user interface!
Glad you appreciate the addition, and thanks for your suggestion. It never would have occurred to me otherwise.
5 guests- must be a record
A rare five contestant episode.
I think this is the first time I've heard someone say no they didn't know the score keeping system.
Dozens of contestants didn't know. Majority of folks couldn't afford a tv!😊
Robert Q. Lewis seems to be the only male guest panelist that's actually useful
Loved Steve Allen too
Speaking of the judge who married Clark Gable, that's another *BIG* Hollywood star never to appear on WML.
Gable assiduously avoided acting roles on television and all appearances in general. Not counting a couple of TV appearances in connection with the telecast of the Academy Awards, his appearance in the crowd during a TV short about a movie premiere, and home movie footage of him during a TV documentary about Gary Cooper, the only time he deliberately appeared on television was an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show of April 19, 1953 (still officially known as "The Toast of the Town" at the time). The show preceded WML by 90 minutes on the same CBS network. I was unable to find exactly what Gable did on his show that night.
It was Gable's fifth and final marriage, one that ended with his death. It was the only time he married someone not in show business and the only marriage which produced a child and that child was born after his death. His child many years earlier with Loretta Young was not the product of marriage.
By all accounts, had Carole Lombard not met with tragic death due to pilot error while returning from a war bond selling tour just 40 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Gable would never have entered into marriages #4 and #5. Miss Lombard was the true love of his life and while he managed to go on with his career, he was devastated by her untimely death.
Clark Gable's grandson, Clark James Gable (born in 1988), was the presenter of the TV-series "Cheaters" between 2012-2017.
Along with Elvis Presley, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.
@@loissimmons6558 Gable was ill at ease in any circumstances that might call for spontaneous or quick-witted behavior. He was conscious of his lack of education. He did not want to rekindle the early impression of himself as a dumb ox or 'beloved brute' which he had tried to eradicate in the 1930s.
He wanted everything pre-cooked and disliked any improvisatory method of filming; this helped turn him against Cukor when that director, in Clark's opinion, spent too much time grooming and coaching Vivien Leigh, a nervous Hollywood newbie, at the beginning of the GWTW shoot. Gable would have been more en rapport with Selznick's second choice, Paulette Goddard.
@@loissimmons6558Always so detailed and informative 😊❤
holy jezz justice of the peace clean your ears out
Hearing aids were in there infancy and extremely expensive!😢
Mrs, Schuler was so much fun!
5 guests on the show... wow
They really cut this show tight for time. They signed off like they needed to catch a flight out of town.
Lois Simmons 🤣 you couldn’t have said it any better
Live tv😊
That’s because they played five games tonight
Arlene wondering if Fred was from outer space just made me wonder why none of the Mystery Guests ever used a prop diving mask or head covering to disguise their voice?
watch the Ed Sullvan MG semnet
This show aired on the day Disneyland opened.
great
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE (MARRIED CLARK GABLE)
OPERATES POOL ROOM
SAILOR (FROM FRENCH BATTLESHIP "JEAN BART"
The panelists always seemed to be informed of current events. they read their daily newspapers cover to cover.
Dorothy was a investigative reporter for years 😊
I hated when they rushed through the last contestant. That was so unfair - even though they got the full $50.
2 contestants after the mystery guest was too much.
There were TWO contestants after the mystery guest? WOW! that's a first!
@@kristabrewer9363 A rarity but not a first, especially in the earliest years.
@@preppysocks209: I've watched them from the first episode, and I don't recall that ever happening before, but I could be wrong.
Gambling in a pool room? Perish the thought...
I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [
I hated when they rushed through the last contestant. That wasn’t fair or very nice to the contestant.
He didn't mind. $50 was a weeks pay or mortgage payment 😊
He was the 5th guest
So sad...Fred died only 8 months after this
Benet got it from the mistake made made by Walt but did not want to spoil the game.
It seemed completely pointless to bring out Mr Ito for only a minute. The line of questioning might have been entertaining.
Wonder if George Ito were related to Judge Lance Ito who presided over the famous O.J. Simpson criminal trial?
I'm sure Mr.Ito wasn't upset, $50 was a weeks pay or mortgage payment 😊
poor fred, his health was beginning to fail him, he would die from heart attack 8 months later, he had been a regular for about 2 years when he unexpectedly died.
+tomitstube He never looked healthy to me. Was he a smoker?
Bob Crestwood i'm not sure, he may have smoked a cigar. he was around 60 when he started doing wml. but i agree, he never looked well, those massive bags under his eyes... he may have just had a bad ticker.
Fred Allen ruined his health working in radio.
My great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683 Shut up. We know.
The original “Q”!... sorry Brian
Did challengers that didn't get the chance to appear on one episode roll over to the next?
I'm pretty sure they were offered the chance to return if they didn't get on the show at all-- this is why so many of the last-round contestants after the mystery guest are from the NYC area, I think: so that they could come back the next week if they didn't get on. The sad thing, though, is when they squeeze in a final contestant when there's only a few minutes left in the show. Those contestants really got shafted.
Considering that now and then they didn't have time for any challengers after the MG, I find it hard to believe that they would have two people prepared to finish out the show every week. It would seem more likely to me that they would have asked members of the audience as they entered what their occupation was and they would snag some that had an unusual one.
I don't feel they "got the shaft", Daly always turned over ALL the cards and gave them the full cash prize, plus they got samples of all the sponsors' products.
@@WhatsMyLine$50 was a weeks pay or a mortgage payment 😊 no shaft😂
Arlene seems to know all the French ships docked in town. Hmmmm.
+poetcomic1 lol.
+poetcomic1 Coincidence? I think not!
She was very happily married to Martin Gabel from 1946-1986, his death. These snide remarks are out of place.
The battleship Jean Bart was a significant event when it berthed in New York and unless someone was brain dead they would have to have heard of it. It had almost 1,300 sailors and was readying for the Suez Affair which almost resulted in a major war.
Martin Gabel, the Jean Bart, and France's role in the Suez Affair may not be familiar to those under the age of 70 but if they had any awareness of theater, film, literature and world history these things would all be commonly known.
Michael Danello Amen! The Jean Bart wasn't just any ship, it was a friggin battleship!
Wikipedia has an article on it en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Jean_Bart_(1940)
Shocking appendicitis at Fred's age!
On July 17, the Dodgers won a doubleheader from Cincinnati in action at Ebbets Field. A bumper crop of sour arms led them to call up two pitchers from the minor leagues and not only would both make their major league debuts this day, they would be the winning pitchers.
In the opener, the Redlegs nicked Roger Craig for runs in the first and second. A triple by left fielder Bob Thurman and a dribbler by first baseman Ted Kluszewski broke the ice and Cincy added an unearned run in the second. Meanwhile, back to back home runs by Duke Snider and Gil Hodges in the first had the game knotted at 2 all.
Craig held the Redlegs hitless the rest of the way and the Dodgers got to Cincinnati starter Gerry Staley in the middle innings, with solo homers by Carl Furillo and Pee Wee Reese contributing to the 6-2 victory.
Don Bessent was a relief pitcher for most of his major league career, four seasons with the Dodgers. But he started two games during his rookie year, including his major league debut. He ran out of gas in the ninth, but with the help of a 6-run fourth inning in his support, he had his win at the end of the day.
Like Craig, a triple helped break the ice against Bessent, as center fielder Gus Bell smacked the three bagger in the second to bring home right fielder Wally Post who had singled. Starter Rudy Minarcin took a shutout into the fourth inning. But four singles, a walk, a hit batter and three errors later and the Dodgers led 6-1 while Minarcin followed the rest of the game from the clubhouse.
Bessent took an 8-2 lead into the ninth. But he didn’t retire a batter in that inning. Kluszewski singled, Post homered and Bell doubled to prompt Bessent to hand over the ball to Ed Roebuck. Bell came around to score on two outs, but Roebuck got the final out for the 8-5 win.
At the beginning of the week, the attention of baseball fans was focused on the first All-Star Game played in Milwaukee. It was one of the most dramatic games in the history of the midseason classic with the National League coming back from a 5-0 deficit to tie the game in the eighth and win the game on Stan Musial’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the 12th. Ironically, the pitchers at the end of the game were Frank Sullivan for the American League and Gene Conley from the hometown Braves who struck out the side in his only inning of work to get the win. They were the two tallest players in baseball at the time and they would be traded for each other later in their careers.
As far as Dodgers in the game, Don Newcombe pitched a scoreless seventh inning, the first of six shutout innings after the AL scored their fifth run. Gil Hodges had a pinch single. Duke Snider, who started in center field for the NL, was 0 for 2 and recorded 3 putouts.
The Dodgers resumed play on Thursday after the All-Star break by welcoming the Cardinals to return to Ebbets Field. They were very generous hosts as they lost their third straight game. Larry Jackson went the distance, holding the Dodgers to four hits and only one run in the bottom of the ninth after the Cardinals had built up a six run lead. First baseman Stan Musial followed his dramatic All-Star Game walk off home run with a solo shot off Johnny Podres in the fourth to open the scoring. They continued to build their lead with a two run double by shortstop Alex Grammas in the sixth, a two run home run by center fielder Wally Moon off Jim Hughes in the seventh and in the eighth when Karl Spooner surrendered a leadoff triple by right fielder Bill Virdon and a one out single by catcher Nelson Burbrink.
The Dodgers came back with a vengeance on Friday. Newcombe once again supplied both pitching and offense as he raised his record to 15-1. At the plate he went 4 for 5 with a double and a home run and 3 RBI’s as he cruised to a 12-3 complete game victory. The Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning against Tom Poholsky. After the Cards cut their lead to 4-3 in the sixth, they scored two unearned runs in the seventh against Paul LaPalme and then salted the game away in the eighth against Mel Wright as the Dodgers sent 11 men to the plate in a 6 run inning. Newcombe led off with a home run and knocked in the final run of the inning with a single.
With the midweek All-Star Game influencing the schedules, the St. Louis left and Cincinnati came in for a 4-game wraparound series on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And the Saturday afternoon game on July 16 was a nail biter. The Redlegs jumped out to a 3-run lead in the third on a three run home run by Post off Billy Loes.
With rain falling in the fourth, Gilliam tripled in the first Dodger run. But after a 65 minute rain delay, Art Fowler resumed his efforts and struck out Don Zimmer to strand Gilliam at third. Then the Dodgers tied it in the sixth on Snider’s homer and Zimmer’s RBI single in a rally helped by Kluszewski’s error.
The Dodgers bunted their way to the lead in the seventh. Don Hoak led off with a single and when Reese bunted, all hands were safe when Hoak beat the throw to second. Snider then bunted the runners to second and third. After Hodges was walked intentionally, Furillo’s single moved up everyone 90 feet to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Herschel Freeman relieved Fowler and stranded the bases loaded when Gilliam flied out to shallow left and Zimmer hit into a force play.
It was Clem Labine’s game to win in the ninth, but Cincinnati didn’t give up. With one out, Smoky Burgess doubled. Rocky Bridges ran for the slow-footed catcher and he moved to third on Labine’s wild pitch. Joe Brovia was sent up to bat for third baseman Bobby Adams. A star slugger in the Pacific Coast League for many years, this was Brovia’s only stint in the major, slightly over a month. His fly to left was deep enough to tie the game at 4 apiece. With the sacks clear, Labine retired shortstop Roy McMillan to end the inning.
Perhaps inspired by Musial on Tuesday, Snider ended the game in dramatic fashion. He led off the bottom of the ninth with his second homer of the game and 30th of the season to send the Dodgers home with the win.
After the doubleheader sweep of the Redlegs on Sunday gave the Dodgers a 4-1 record for the week, they led the Braves by 12½. The Giants were now in third, 16½ back and the Cubs had fallen to fourth, only one game over .500 and 17 games off the pace. They were in the middle of a losing streak that saw them lose 9 straight and 15 of 16 (their only win coming against the Dodgers). By the time they recovered a bit, they were 7 games under .500 and in fifth place and their flirtation with a winning season was nearly over.
Scandalous! Bennett said neither or instead of neither nor!
Thank goodness somebody had the good sense to get rid of the format where the contestants paraded themselves in front of the panelists. Somebody also had the good sense to realize that it’s appropriate for the contestants and the panelists to shake hands, and that it shouldn’t just be for the celebrities.
🥰🥰🥰
Ok I’m figuring out why John always held the arm of the guest when they were done. He’s stopping them from leaving too fast!
One line that a person had that was never on the show...A time traveler.🤣
How would we know😮
Those panelists were smart; we don’t seem to have that kind of brain power (or class) today among celebrities.
I know Justice is blind, but deaf?
Shocking the first guest the justice of the peace didn’t know how they score!
TV it was in it's infancy and majority of folks couldn't afford one. And they lived in areas with no reception 😢
Dorothy was actually pretty cute
She’d need to grow a chin to be considered as possibly.cute. But I like her personality
Frank Sinatra,in his usual tactful way, referred to Ms.Kilgallen as "The Chinless Wonder"
That justice of the peace struck me as being particularly "out to lunch". I wonder if he even knew who Clark Gable was when he officiated at the wedding.
ToddSF 94109 It seems to me that the justice of the peace was hard of hearing to some extent; I believe that could explain any awkwardness or hesitancy in answering. Once John had repeated the questions in his crisp diction to the guest, he was usually able to give a quick answer. It's apparent that the acoustics of the studio weren't very good, and probably the microphones on the desks were only for the audio portion of the broadcast (or perhaps also to amplify the voices to the studio audience) rather than being used to amplify the voices from one side to the other of the set itself.
So many people had trouble hearing which could make them appear to be "out to lunch." I think the studio's acoustics left a lot to be desired. Being hard of hearing, myself, I think people often think I'm downright stupid.
Seems to me he was deaf.
@@neilmidkiffHearing aids were very expensive. The theater was built above a train station and was very noisy 😊
Bennett Cerf had such unusual (and frequently weird) pronunciations that, when I haven't heard it for a while, I end up googling him to see if he was partially deaf.
It was cute the way he pronounced Johannesburg as Yohannesburg - it isn't, but John never corrected him.
Because Cerfs pronunciation was correct😊
Could anyone reading these comments answer this following question of mine? Why is the applause volume so very much louder than the volume of the conversations in these What's My Line kinescope videotapes? It seems very jarring to my ear in mostly all of them. Thanks!
Turn your volume down when that's about to happen😊
@@robertjean5782 Pardon my abruptness, but DUH! Of course I turned it down, Sherlock! My question was WHY was it happening. Thanks but no thanks for your wiseguy "counsel"😯🥴😵💫😵... Oh, and by the way, since when did you develop clairvoyant powers to detect beforehand when the volume was going to sharply spike louder???🤨🙄🤣🤣🤣!!!
Walt Fisher... "Do you have anything to do with divorce?"
Well, technically yes, because the main cause of divorce is marriage,
Why didn't Fred give Dorothy or Arlene a kiss?
Perhaps because it is not appropriate to kiss one's workmates.
I didn’t like how they rushed the final contestants. They should’ve come up with something else to fill those last few minutes.
It's live TV. The contestants didn't mind receiving $50 was a weeks pay or a mortgage payment 😊
Fisher looks exactly like Bennett Cerf!!
I think that closet case Bennett Cerf was in love with Fred Allen.
I haven't see the show yet; I'm reading the comments first. Can I ask why everyone is praising Fred Allen when he's rude to the guests? On a previous episode, he called the lady FAT; and that's just plain WRONG! I don't care WHAT decade you're in.
And then on a later episode, he was rude to a lady again. I can't remember what he said, I'd have to go back and read the comments again, but no, he was definitely NOT funny!
There are over eight hundred episodes and I believe I've seen most of them except the ones with guests I don't care for. I liked Fred Allen and thought he was funny. I cringe at comments about the physical appearance of contestants. It must have been the times but that was common enough on that show. I recall rude remarks made by Bennett Cerf, Jerry Lewis and others; even Arlene Francis although she was much more genteel about it.
@@sophiemorrison9820 Absolutely agree with you. And Dorothy and Arlene were also rude, they just weren’t as obvious with their rudeness, they were sly and catty. To the OP: Fred didn’t say she was “FAT”. Fred was about to speak and Dorothy said something along the lines of, “I only meant did she dance with a gentleman or gentlemen.” Fred replied, “I don’t think there’d be room for one.” While it may not work today we also need “safe zones” in universities! I don’t think we’ve improved any.
So, I'm a fat woman and a feminist. And I don't, overall, like the fat jokes. But it's not just Fred doing them; it's everyone, except *maybe* John.
Basically, if I want to watch a show from 1955, I have to recognize that it will be of a different era. There's times when I won't want to deal with that, and won't watch it.
For me, Steve is just as unkind, in different ways. (But I like watching them both.) Steve doesn't connect to people because he's so busy following the laughs; Fred, meanwhile, is so busy trying to ad lib.
@@OrangPasienWhat you call rude, was very acceptable 70 years ago!😊