Lee was Miss America 1955 at the time. These may have been on the same episode and somehow I recorded them out of sequence. Robert Q. Lewis joins the panel.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Meriwether a couple years ago at Comic-Con and she was an absolute delight, even at over 80 years old. She was my first Catwoman, and we chatted for a long while about her scenes with Adam West (she even did some lines from the film with her fake Russian accent!) One of the most gorgeous and classy ladies I've ever met Nice to see her here!
I met Ms. Meriwether at the Memphis Film Festival in Tunica, MS, c. 2015. She was gorgeous and very personable. We talked about a mutual friend, and as of today, she still hasn't cashed the check I wrote for an autographed photo I received. Beautiful woman, inside and out!
This is why I never liked the free guesses on this show. On the off-chance that a panelist guesses the right occupation, the guest loses their chance to be a real part of the game. I'm so glad they eliminated that segment of the game later on.
+Brittany Welty - that's what made john daly so good, he would flip all the cards and spend a little time with a short changed guest. but yeah, it was a smart choice to drop both the free guess and having to be examined by the panelists.
For someone working in Hollywood I don’t think it matters that she lost her time on the show, but it would be sad for anyone from a more ordinary lifestyle.
Note that Natasha Lytess ("Tala Forman") plugs "The Egyptian," which was a Twentieth Century-Fox production. Marilyn arranged for Natasha to be salaried by Fox, but Natasha forgot who was really buttering her bread when she sided with Fox over Marilyn during one of their regularly occuring spats. She played "mom" to Marilyn -- "You stop misbehaving right this second," that sort of thing -- and Marilyn soon replaced her with the Strasbergs, Lee and Paula, the latter stepping into Natasha's former role as on-set coach. Marilyn had been very close to Natasha but, after she was dropped, they saw each other once, fleetingly without speaking, and never again. This drama played out roughly a year after Natasha's appearance on WML. Natasha died of cancer two years after Marilyn and at one point, in need of money toward the end, she teased that she was going to write a tell-all about Marilyn -- and she would have known quite a bit.
Lee Meriwether was married to Frank Aletter and also she plays Ruth Martin on All My Children from time to time. A little trivia. Thank you again for the memories. Myles
regarding the acting coach, marilyn was notorious for taking direction from her coach rather than the director and would create battle scenes on the set with other impatient actors.
As much space as Dorothy used to give Marilyn Monroe in her daily newspaper column I find it surprising that she didn't recognize her equally well known dramatic coach and personal mentor at that time. The Seven Year Itch! 1954
@MPL029 Nope, but she was certainly frequently referenced on it. I've got another clip featuring the justice of the peace who married her and Arthur Miller...if it's not already up I'll see about putting it up soon.
everything BUT marilyn. she would have easily been one, if not the most watched wml of all time. just gotta say, after watching a bunch of these old clips, arlene is easily my favorite panelist.
@MPL029 after watching this I read somewhere that Tala Forman was her real name and when she first came to Hollywood she was hoping to be in movies and changed her name to Natasha Lytess.
@weightfeather1 Her name is Mary Fickett and she is retired from show business. She is still alive and well. Hope this helps. I have watched All My Children since its inception. Hope you are well and as always Take Care! Myles
Even if that were true, it was also to try to disguise her age and background. They might well have known what state she was from and even a comical Southern accent might stop them thinking of her as quickly. But it’s also just an established trope on this show, and she was obviously having fun with it.
@ 3:00 - he seems to have been bragging as he knew what she was, as if it were a setup, and after that, seemed as if he was a bit racist and wanted her off the show quickly. The odds of guessing a career without knowing, are so slim its not worth considering.
![What's My Line? - Mamie Van Doren; Melvyn Douglas [panel] (Mar 24, 1957)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TkLVdIGInd8/mqdefault.jpg)
![หมานแต่ผัวเขา - แสตมป์ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m0g1TSBJPgo/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Final CBS Show; PANEL: Martin Gabel, Steve Allen (Sep 3, 1967) [W/ COMMERCIALS]](/img/n.gif)
I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Meriwether a couple years ago at Comic-Con and she was an absolute delight, even at over 80 years old. She was my first Catwoman, and we chatted for a long while about her scenes with Adam West (she even did some lines from the film with her fake Russian accent!) One of the most gorgeous and classy ladies I've ever met Nice to see her here!
I met Ms. Meriwether at the Memphis Film Festival in Tunica, MS, c. 2015. She was gorgeous and very personable. We talked about a mutual friend, and as of today, she still hasn't cashed the check I wrote for an autographed photo I received. Beautiful woman, inside and out!
Lee Meriwether is STUNNING!
Lee was the first Miss America to be crowned on network TV(1955 on ABC). She went on to costar in the TV series "The Time Tunnel" and "Barnaby Jones".
This is why I never liked the free guesses on this show. On the off-chance that a panelist guesses the right occupation, the guest loses their chance to be a real part of the game. I'm so glad they eliminated that segment of the game later on.
+Brittany Welty - that's what made john daly so good, he would flip all the cards and spend a little time with a short changed guest. but yeah, it was a smart choice to drop both the free guess and having to be examined by the panelists.
Meriwether was prettier OLDER
For someone working in Hollywood I don’t think it matters that she lost her time on the show, but it would be sad for anyone from a more ordinary lifestyle.
Lee Merriwether...even more beautiful after all these years...
Note that Natasha Lytess ("Tala Forman") plugs "The Egyptian," which was a Twentieth Century-Fox production. Marilyn arranged for Natasha to be salaried by Fox, but Natasha forgot who was really buttering her bread when she sided with Fox over Marilyn during one of their regularly occuring spats. She played "mom" to Marilyn -- "You stop misbehaving right this second," that sort of thing -- and Marilyn soon replaced her with the Strasbergs, Lee and Paula, the latter stepping into Natasha's former role as on-set coach. Marilyn had been very close to Natasha but, after she was dropped, they saw each other once, fleetingly without speaking, and never again. This drama played out roughly a year after Natasha's appearance on WML. Natasha died of cancer two years after Marilyn and at one point, in need of money toward the end, she teased that she was going to write a tell-all about Marilyn -- and she would have known quite a bit.
Lee Meriwether was married to Frank Aletter and also she plays Ruth Martin on All My Children from time to time. A little trivia. Thank you again for the memories. Myles
Lee and Vanessa the two best Miss Americas. Why can't the others ever have this much class and talent.
Lee was gorgeous!
regarding the acting coach, marilyn was notorious for taking direction from her coach rather than the director and would create battle scenes on the set with other impatient actors.
Lee Meriwether was a beautiful lady.
As much space as Dorothy used to give Marilyn Monroe in her daily newspaper column I find it surprising that she didn't recognize her equally well known dramatic coach and personal mentor at that time.
The Seven Year Itch!
1954
Marilyn acting coach....shortest WML I've seen! Wow!
Darn smart panel! lol
Lee Meriwether graduated from George Washington High School in San Francisco and a classmate of Johnny Mathis!
Lee Meriwether, "I am for Sulu"....
@MPL029 Nope, but she was certainly frequently referenced on it. I've got another clip featuring the justice of the peace who married her and Arthur Miller...if it's not already up I'll see about putting it up soon.
everything BUT marilyn. she would have easily been one, if not the most watched wml of all time.
just gotta say, after watching a bunch of these old clips, arlene is easily my favorite panelist.
Alfred Hitchcock did appear on WML in 1954, if that is your question. Available in YOuTubia.
@MPL029 after watching this I read somewhere that Tala Forman was her real name and when she first came to Hollywood she was hoping to be in movies and changed her name to Natasha Lytess.
Sunday: September 12, 1954!
Actually, I was refering to the first two seconds of this clip.
2:32 amazing!
Lee’s old nose! But always beautiful! So beautiful ❤!
@weightfeather1 Her name is Mary Fickett and she is retired from show business. She is still alive and well. Hope this helps. I have watched All My Children since its inception. Hope you are well and as always Take Care!
Myles
I was 6 months old
@MrCallipygous The day after the very first Miss America telecast.
@63utuber he got them on a regular basis ;P but this is the first time I've seen a wild guess at the start be dead on lol
@henrygrove100 Miss America was crowned in September of the preceding year. So Miss America 1955 would have been crowned in late 1954.
Of course, you know who took the helm of the pageant when Lee Meriwther crowned Sharon Kay Ritchie.
Hey, did Hitch make one of his signature cameos in this one?
Read all about Marilyn's acting coach here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Lytess
Bennet Cerf was amazing. He got it right off the bad. then daly didn't know what do it
September 12, 1954
i thought her name was Paula :S?
Bennett finally got one!
i might be wrong and i hope others will add more names but could Lee Meriwether be the second most successful Miss America after Vanessa Williams?
stpaley if you mean show biz then yes, but many have gone on to do other things, phyllis George, Gretchen Carlson, ect
I wonder how the panelists managed not to instantly die when Losira touched them...
Thanks for reminding us about Lee's guest stint on "Star Trek"! Live long and prosper.
she had 3 in her life
Because she was very shy and being on shows like this would make her have bad anxiety :P
Sadly I don't think so.
Marilyn Monroe's Acting Coaches were not kind people - they took advantage of her.
nineteen hundred and fifty five......he says that
Yes, but because he was being theatrical, not because it was typical for either him or the time.
why is she called Tala Fornan in the show... it is Natasha Lytess.
You’re saying that as though it wasn’t mentioned in the show (by Bennett). Many people have different names, for various reasons.
Natasha Lytess wasn’t her birth name either. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Lytess
I wonder why MM was never on the show, jayne an mamie both were-
It was on a contract that she wouldnt be able to do many television appearances
Isn't that Natasha Lytess? If so, why did she write Tala Forman?
Bennett confirmed that it was during the segment, so you didn’t need to ask your first question. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Lytess
Natasha Lytess!
@weightfeather1
Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Roy Montgomery Marick Montgomery
Strange that Lee thought she needed to disguise her voice. It's not like anyone would have recognized it.
Even if that were true, it was also to try to disguise her age and background. They might well have known what state she was from and even a comical Southern accent might stop them thinking of her as quickly. But it’s also just an established trope on this show, and she was obviously having fun with it.
Marilyn Monroe didn't
wow I've only seen still shots of Natasha Lytess. She had some pretty f-up teeth
Wtf
What a nasty comment.
Bennett Cerf, ever the wet blanket.
No.
She looks a little bit like a white Diana Ross
Oh, did Marilyn Monroe have an acting coach? Hmm, interesting...
@ 3:00 - he seems to have been bragging as he knew what she was, as if it were a setup, and after that, seemed as if he was a bit racist and wanted her off the show quickly. The odds of guessing a career without knowing, are so slim its not worth considering.
Racist? Good Grief
Racist? In what way?
Catwoman!!!