Seeing John Daly in an ordinary suit instead of his signature tux was like seeing him in a bathrobe! Plus, he’s on the wrong side of the studio! All the same, fascinating viewing. Thanks for posting!
Not only the first episode of the show, but also very early stages of television. Interesting to see John Daly casually light up a cigarette in live broadcast. How times have changed. Thanks for posting 5his!
Wow ! 65 years ago ! fascinating to see this first and LIVE broadcast. This would, of course, go on to be one of the most watched and loved "game-shows" of all time.
Thanks very much for posting these classic shows. I search the internet far and wide to watch classic shows and movies. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find your youtube site. Thanks again and be well...
However, I continued watching and am now enjoying it so much including all the changes and especially the 'usual" 2 women and 2 men. They are immaculately dressed and dignified. John Daley is such a lovely person too Thank you kindly
I think it's better to view these old shows as something out of a time capsule, and therefore are not eligible to be judged by contemporary criteria. What is startling is this first episode was aired live, no film, no tape in those days. For example, The Honeymooners ran 39 weeks, once per week, for its season. Then summer vacation. The Milton Berle show was an hour each week, live. At his height, Milton Berle had 80% of the television audience. So many people stayed home on Tuesday nights, that Broadway went dark. The city of Detroit noticed that their reservoir had a sudden drain between 9 pm and 9:05 pm. It was because viewers waited until the show was over to use their bathrooms. His popularity was such that it earned him the sobriquet, 'Mr. Television.'
Wow superb show for 17yrs. Should be 71 yrs bring it back. Grandson of john daly needed. How different the world was our grandfather's were young teens then
Interesting to see the refinements of 'What's My Line" over the years.In this first episode contestants were treated like a piece of meat..initially judged by their smell ,looks and clothing with just a walk by! Also John Daly looks different without a bowtie,black hair and a Pall Mall in his hand. Dortothy Kilgallen's beauty is timeless!
I could not agree more with your analysis of how they treated the contestants, especially the women. I was cringing a great deal. I am GLAD things are different now.
I was born in 1945, so I was 5 when this program first aired. I did watch this program in my teens and I loved it. I like how the panel participants evolved and I love the professionalism and sense of humor of the panel. It is shocking in this date, 2024, to see panel and guests smoking, but fortunately that practice has changed. Wish we had programs of this caliber today. I love being able to review these programs! I am 79 and find these programs very entertaining.
funny how the iconic "sign in" that lasted the entirety of the show was originally there for "hand writing analysis". john daley really earned his money on this one, you see much of his signature moderating from the very beginning, he had a great innate ability to run a show.
I agree -- and although John Daly does seem a little nervous, his personality and natural charm see to shine through, all the same. How different this seems, especially after watching hours of this show with Arlene and Bennett!!!
America was by no means perfect and we all know of shady racist tendencies. But that aside, there was a time of class, dignity, politeness, love for one's neighbor, and basic goodness among millions of Americans. You can see and feel this watching these shows. It's all gone.
+Nicknacks Nicknacks - You would have loved to have been a woman too. Rather than just claiming to treat women better society actually did treat them well, often just being nice by telling them they're beautiful which when prettied up is exactly what they wanted to hear. Women then were upheld for the magnificent creatures they were, before far too many of them became convinced they should be treated like men (and watch how they'll react if one dared actually doing that!). Now we live in a time and place with a society that likes to talk big (lie really) of their supposed better treatment of women while in fact offensive language against women has become normalized in the music played over the radio and is heard by young children who will grow up with the idea that songs about "hos" being "banged" is part of our culture rather than what actually is (ie. shows like "What's My Line?"). Hell, pornography is legal today where many women are taken advantage of while in the 1950s pornography was very much illegal for the very reason of protecting the sort of vulnerable women that are today exploited in that industry. Yup.. just so wonderful to be a woman or anyone for that matter in the hellhole that is 2017 where we say one thing and do another. These people on TV had a certain trustworthiness and intellect to them; even Hal Block understood the "Comme ci, comme ca" thrown at him by Daly in one episode. Imagine uttering one word of French on the average American TV show today and expecting anyone on a panel or in the audience to understand it! You also can't really trust anyone on TV now. I just can't believe people have been convinced we're on a better track today than we were in 1950. We've fallen so far to the point where many people now wouldn't even understand what this program is about or what the people are saying. Wake up!
On the very last CBS Sunday night episode, the contestants here were brought back to talk about their intervening 17 years since their first appearance.
I never thought I would see Louis Untermyer 'in the flesh'. IMO the best Anthologist of the 20th Century. I have his 1942 edition of 'Modern American & British Poetry'(Combined Edition) This 1942 edition is the full edition, with great introductions of each poet + poems found in no other anthology. It is availabe only 2nd hand. The second anthology, 'A Treasury of Great Poems' (from Chaucer to W.H. Auden) contains the usual poems, but the introductions again are remarkable. 'Must' Anthologies!
Great upload! The show would never have made it if they'd kept those panelists (other than of course the radiant Miss Killgallen). You could see John Daly was nervous, he completely forgot to announce that the line of the vet would now be revealed to the audience, they had to quickly flash the card when the first question was being asked. Still, from little acorns mighty oak trees grow.
At the time, the series initially aired on alternate Thursdays at 8pm(et). As to the "layout" of the set, there was constant "refinement" during the first season [by the fall of '50, John was sitting at stage "center", with a chalkboard and archway {for the contestants to sign in and enter} between the panel's table and Daly's "desk"].
Ahaa, so Dorothy Kilgallen was there from episode 1 onwards.... Smoking on the set, standards were quite different in those days. That governor looks like the father of Jimmy Hoffa :)
So sad,what happened to Miss Kilgallen. I know this is kind of weird, but after watching the show often during my recovery from surgery,I've gotten a crush on her.
Yeah, I guess that didn't last too long. Cuz they probably figure out that if they guessed correctly right off the bat that would kind of ruin the show.
To whoever is putting this game show "What's My Line?" on here to watch,Thank You.I have NOT watched what is suppose to be "entertainment" on television or on/through any other form to view such TRASH, so these old shows are not only fun, they are DECENT.I have read the comments some have left about the way females were treated on this episode and I, being a "lady" agree with the people who shared on how we ladies DO NOT MIND and/or foam at the mouth when a man WITH HONEST DECENCY AND GOOD MANNERS opens doors for us,stand when we come into a room and also stand when we do when we need to leave the room,hold our chairs out for us,watches their language around us,raise/train any and all their children to respect and obey both parents,etc.Some males might FAKE these behaviors while dating, so you other ladies PLEASE be careful while dating that you choose a MAN to marry and NOT just a male.Believe me, there is a definite difference.
What's my line did not become a big hit until they moved what's my line to Sunday nights in 1951 and stayed on Sunday nights until it's last episode in 1967.
It took a long time to get rid of the smoking silliness on television. Just think of Charles Nelson Reilly on Match Game. People like Jackie Gleason did comedy skits with a cigarette in his hand. What were people thinking?
But I can't say that this current world full of prescription medication abusers, potheads, alcoholics, and all around messed up degenerates is somehow a better place to be than the midpoint of the previous century. At least these people dressed nicely, expressed themselves eloquently without resorting to profanity, and in general were far more genteel.
Could they have picked more boring panelists? What were they thinking. Kilgallen however was a hit. Wow that hat check babe sure was mighty attractive.
She eventually had something of a career on Broadway. And a son. She also appeared on the final CBS episode of the series, along with other guests from the early days.
When this episode aired, it aired on WGN Ch. 9 Chicago (CBS will buy WBBM Ch. 2 three years later), Los Angeles aired this on KTTV Ch. 11 (CBS will buy Ch. 2 the next year and become KNXT).
I'm glad they got rid of the 'guest' walking to greet the panel. What a waste of time that was. The show evolved into a terrific format though...especially when Bennett and Arlene joined. Still...it WAS 1950...
Ironically, all of the first episode's contestants all appeared on the final show in '67. The panelists for that episode were Bennett Cerf, Martin Gabel, Arlene Francis and Steve Allen. And the mystery guest was John Daly himself.
Boy, this is painful to watch. The tech aspects, the struggling panel, the general awkwardness...all show by comparison how amazing WML was in its heyday.😊
I don't know when they changed the routine, but the best thing they did was eliminate the free guesses and walking over to meet the panel. That did nothing but waste air time anyway.
On the last show in 1967, when these 3 appeared, John gave hints about their 1950 occupations and nearly all were guessed on a free guess (except that the closest they came for Pat Finch was cigarette girl).
I’m glad the show eventually eliminated the demeaning practice of having each contestant take an introductory walk past the judges, subject to their visual inspection and in some cases rude remarks. I’m very glad Dorothy stayed on the show and these particular male judges did not!
This panel is hilarious! Ex-governor Hoffman thanks Dorothy for not introducing him as a racketeer. In 1954 he was accused of embezzlement and in a note written previous to his death he admitted to embezzling $300,000 from the State of New Jersey.
I know it was the debut, but what an odd (If not down-right weird) start. The first guest was pretty. Heck Mr. Daley, why not crack open a long-neck while you're at it. Truman was POTUS, and Elvis was in the 10th grade.
It took a while but thankfully they did away with the guest walking in front of the panelist as well as their free guess. John allowed several non “yes” or “no” questions
I do not like those "wild free questions." And it took the producers way too long to get rid of them. That is a strange configuration: They are all lined up on the same side of the table like the "Last Supper." I am glad this show was given a chance to develop; it needed to evolve.
Pat Finch died on April 5, 2020, at age 93. Link to her obituary: www.legacy.com/obituaries/tampabaytimes/obituary.aspx?n=patricia-porterfield&pid=195921940
Isn"t Ms. Kilgallen the spitting image of Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoon series, here? But thankfully, she certainly did look better in later episodes of the show.
What were they thinking? This is so bad it's creepy. With a panel composed of (except for Dorothy) a neuropsychietrist, a poet, and a former Governor of New Jersey. Could walking along the panel and being asked to do stupid things possibly be more awkward and bizarre? Why weren’t they cancelled after the first episode?
Considering people used to watch the test pattern until programming came on, this was a bit of an improvement. You're right that they're being kinda creepy toward the first guest. Fortunately they got some better panelists and got the format down pat.
jerryg1964 I agree. But it does make you reconsider all the stuff you hear about the "Golden Age" of television. Even the live dramas from studios in New York City were not as uniformly good as some people remember. Another thing on TH-cam is the old Kinescopes of Groucho Marx and "You Bet Your Life." Groucho's insults were funny when delivered to Margaret Dumont in a movie script, but when they're just random comments about height, weight, age, marital status, and general appearance of quiz show contestants, they seem forced and rude, and more than half of the time got no more than polite "laughter" from the audience in the studio. The ones we remember have been seriously cherry picked.
jerryg1964 There are things I loved about the show in the later years. They stayed with the evening dress standard that you saw on television in the early days....tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women. And they addressed each other formally as Mr and Miss. It was before courtesy and even civility vanished from public life. They were also serious about playing the game......before "game" shows became vulgar exhibits of poorly attired celebrities spouting packaged comedy lines. Sadly, it was also a time when people could not take a cigarette out of their mouth long enough to do a TV show.
Most first shows are weak. Remember too, there were only about 15 TVs in the nation. Not really of course but there would have been a fairly low percentage of homes that had one. It was funny at the end. John Daley looked like he was going to throw up after barely ending on time. I am SO glad it got better!
Dannys99887 I believe it was Ed Wynn who once said in the early 50's (paraphrasing here): Today you can pay hundreds of dollars for a TV and watch a few bad shows - But someday you will pay a few dollars for a TV and see hundreds of bad shows. Actually, there was some really great stuff during the "Golden Age" The willingness to experiment made way for some awesome entertainment. Of course experimenting could lead to failure too. Commercial TV was less then a decade old at this point so there was very little precedence. What would or wouldn't work was still a matter of guesswork. That's why for every "Studio One" or "Texaco Star Theater" there was a "The Continental" or a "You're in the Picture" This experimentation meant when you set in front of the set, you didn't really know what to expect. To many, that was part of the fun. Those Highs and lows have given way to periods that tended to be more "Average" and predictable. A little more assembly-line produced entertainment. There's been great shows in just about every period, including now. It's just a good deal rarer now. Mostly simple ideas with minor variation and a lot of FLASH & GLAMOR grace our screens. Most of the reality based series require very little in-depth thought, just a few hooks here and there that go down smoothly and while many will watch it, it won't truly stir them. Every so often I see proof the great TV is possible today if perhaps a little effort was put into the quality entertainment instead of concentrating only on checks and balances and sticking to the same old formula. Figuring in inflation - Ed Wynn just about hit the nail right on the head!!
Very embarrassing getting that first contestant to perform like that at the beginning. That in spite of the initial concept of the show being an intellectual game with a rather professorial panel.
Oh my goodness. How dreadful compared to shows just a few years later. Some producer initially saw the possible value of this show, improved it drastically, and ran with it.
LOL! Smokin' I wonder if they ever brought out a tobacco executive as a guest in their sixteen years on the air. Everybody puffed in the 50's including my parents.
Wow!! This first episode looks like they spent about $50 on it. Very rough, cheap, basic setup. Why is the panel right there off to the side instead of across on the other side, forward?
Sounds like at end the panelists were upset - one called it "below the belt." I think they felt the contestant was in the garment business to some extent being in the diaper service. The host said that he was clearly not in the garment business when the guessing began.
The first baby step of the show, interesting to see how the format evolved over the years. Their first idea of how to introduce the contestants was not only absurd, but downright insulting.
I will add to my previous comment,that just because I am a lady ( female) that I WOULD NOT and STILL WILL NOT put up with and/or allow ANY male to " take liberties" with me even while I worked for a family style restaurant that DID NOT serve booze of any kind. This particular restaurant customer with 3 of his work "buddies" would come in at lunch time and he would make comments AND try touching me even AFTER I myself and the manager told him to stop trying to touch me.One day when I was passing the table with a tray that had a full pitcher of sweet tea on it , this customer slapped my rear end and I turned around and poured the whole, full pitcher on his head.ENOUGH was ENOUGH. He had been told by me AND the manager SEVERAL TIMES to keep his hands to himself.With my FULL pitcher of sweet tea dripping off of him, he jumps up yelling at me and calling for the manager.The manager comes up to the customer's table and the customer claimed that for no reason that I soaked him with the tea.The manager did not believe him,and surprisingly enough his "buddies" told him that he got what he deserved because he had been told several times to leave me AND the other waitresses alone.I DO NOT CARE who you think you are, but you better KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME.RESPECTING GOES BOTH WAYS.
![What's My Line? - The panelists' spouses; Tony Randall [panel] (Dec 25, 1960)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tOrm6IkkImA/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - The panelists' spouses; Tony Randall [panel] (Dec 25, 1960)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Spike Jones; Steve Allen [panel] (Jul 4, 1954)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/l5xIjcXJia4/mqdefault.jpg)
Seeing John Daly in an ordinary suit instead of his signature tux was like seeing him in a bathrobe! Plus, he’s on the wrong side of the studio! All the same, fascinating viewing. Thanks for posting!
Not only the first episode of the show, but also very early stages of television. Interesting to see John Daly casually light up a cigarette in live broadcast. How times have changed. Thanks for posting 5his!
Pat Finch, the very first contestant on What's My Line has died (April 5th, 2020) at the age of 93.
She is my youngest grandmothers age (who is still alive). It is amazing that Mrs. Finch could have grandchildren in their 40s.
Incredible. I wonder if she or grandchildren watched this down the years.
spindalis79 Miss Finch, yes?
Thanks for sharing. I just watched the last WML episode where she also appeared....
TY. She was also on in Feb 1955 which what brought me here. Fifth Anniversary of the show.
What a gem! Dorothy was apart of for 15 years, quite literally right up to her death. She was such a jewel!
That perp walk was awful. It's amazing that the contestants suffered it so graciously. Good idea to get rid of it and the wild free guesses.
Apart from what?
@@dLimboStick what's my line
She was an excellent player, the rest of the "regulars" were as well, all quite astute!
@@dLimboStick "a part" she meant, I believe.
Wow ! 65 years ago ! fascinating to see this first and LIVE broadcast.
This would, of course, go on to be one of the most watched and loved "game-shows" of all time.
What a wonderful memory!
72 years
73 yrs, soon 74 yrs.
This was 73 years ago. My parents were 14 and 15 years old. This was very entertaining fascinating as far as history goes.
Thanks very much for posting these classic shows. I search the internet far and wide to watch classic shows and movies. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find your youtube site. Thanks again and be well...
Oh my! I cringed watching and listening to this episode especially when the panellists asked her to act and do those awful things
However, I continued watching and am now enjoying it so much including all the changes and especially the 'usual" 2 women and 2 men. They are immaculately dressed and dignified. John Daley is such a lovely person too
Thank you kindly
Thank you for posting this. What a classic piece of Americana!
The premier episode ... very interesting!! .. Thanks for the upload.
What a treat to see this first, slightly awkward show.
It did evolve over the years and had some more money spent on the introduction. 😀
I think it's better to view these old shows as something out of a time capsule, and therefore are not eligible to be judged by contemporary criteria. What is startling is this first episode was aired live, no film, no tape in those days. For example, The Honeymooners ran 39 weeks, once per week, for its season. Then summer vacation. The Milton Berle show was an hour each week, live. At his height, Milton Berle had 80% of the television audience. So many people stayed home on Tuesday nights, that Broadway went dark. The city of Detroit noticed that their reservoir had a sudden drain between 9 pm and 9:05 pm. It was because viewers waited until the show was over to use their bathrooms. His popularity was such that it earned him the sobriquet, 'Mr. Television.'
+Walter Moriarty Yes, history. Part of the evolution of television and a glimpse into society of yesterday.
I view them as a pleasanrt way to recapture part of a Lost Eden, Professor Mriarty..
Oddly, with 90% of pre 1970 TV footage " lost", many WML episodes survive.
The show was almost always broadcast live on Sunday nights at 10PM EST.
Wow superb show for 17yrs. Should be 71 yrs bring it back. Grandson of john daly needed. How different the world was our grandfather's were young teens then
Interesting to see the refinements of 'What's My Line" over the years.In this first episode contestants were treated like a piece of meat..initially judged by their smell ,looks and clothing with just a walk by! Also John Daly looks different without a bowtie,black hair and a Pall Mall in his hand. Dortothy Kilgallen's beauty is timeless!
I could not agree more with your analysis of how they treated the contestants, especially the women. I was cringing a great deal. I am GLAD things are different now.
I was born in 1945, so I was 5 when this program first aired. I did watch this program in my teens and I loved it. I like how the panel participants evolved and I love the professionalism and sense of humor of the panel. It is shocking in this date, 2024, to see panel and guests smoking, but fortunately that practice has changed. Wish we had programs of this caliber today. I love being able to review these programs! I am 79 and find these programs very entertaining.
At first, "What's My Line?" was on every other week, going weekly before long.
A modest start for a show that would run 25 years!
thanks for posting. this was amazing to watch.
I can’t believe he asked if the guy thought his life was worthwhile even though he’s a celebrity. I’m so glad they change the lineup of the panelists
Yes!...and the shrink was smoking. I wonder if he thought HIS life was worthwhile.
funny how the iconic "sign in" that lasted the entirety of the show was originally there for "hand writing analysis". john daley really earned his money on this one, you see much of his signature moderating from the very beginning, he had a great innate ability to run a show.
I agree -- and although John Daly does seem a little nervous, his personality and natural charm see to shine through, all the same. How different this seems, especially after watching hours of this show with Arlene and Bennett!!!
America was by no means perfect and we all know of shady racist tendencies. But that aside, there was a time of class, dignity, politeness, love for one's neighbor, and basic goodness among millions of Americans. You can see and feel this watching these shows. It's all gone.
Indeed. I lived at the end of this era and witnessed it crumbling. 😥😥
Dorothy was a breath of fresh air on this panel, if you know what I mean.
Glad they eventually dropped the preliminary silliness.
+Nicknacks Nicknacks - You would have loved to have been a woman too. Rather than just claiming to treat women better society actually did treat them well, often just being nice by telling them they're beautiful which when prettied up is exactly what they wanted to hear. Women then were upheld for the magnificent creatures they were, before far too many of them became convinced they should be treated like men (and watch how they'll react if one dared actually doing that!). Now we live in a time and place with a society that likes to talk big (lie really) of their supposed better treatment of women while in fact offensive language against women has become normalized in the music played over the radio and is heard by young children who will grow up with the idea that songs about "hos" being "banged" is part of our culture rather than what actually is (ie. shows like "What's My Line?"). Hell, pornography is legal today where many women are taken advantage of while in the 1950s pornography was very much illegal for the very reason of protecting the sort of vulnerable women that are today exploited in that industry. Yup.. just so wonderful to be a woman or anyone for that matter in the hellhole that is 2017 where we say one thing and do another. These people on TV had a certain trustworthiness and intellect to them; even Hal Block understood the "Comme ci, comme ca" thrown at him by Daly in one episode. Imagine uttering one word of French on the average American TV show today and expecting anyone on a panel or in the audience to understand it! You also can't really trust anyone on TV now. I just can't believe people have been convinced we're on a better track today than we were in 1950. We've fallen so far to the point where many people now wouldn't even understand what this program is about or what the people are saying. Wake up!
Women today are a disgrace, not all but many. My mom and all my aunts deserved respect and got it.
On the very last CBS Sunday night episode, the contestants here were brought back to talk about their intervening 17 years since their first appearance.
Each panelist was paid $500.00 per episode in 1950. $500.00 in 1950 had the same buying power as $5,222.97 in 2018.
Jesus
As per our warped, unstable money system
I never thought I would see Louis Untermyer 'in the flesh'. IMO the best Anthologist of the 20th Century. I have his 1942 edition of 'Modern American & British Poetry'(Combined Edition) This 1942 edition is the full edition, with great introductions of each poet + poems found in no other anthology. It is availabe only 2nd hand. The second anthology, 'A Treasury of Great Poems' (from Chaucer to W.H. Auden) contains the usual poems, but the introductions again are remarkable. 'Must' Anthologies!
You have to remember that Television was still Fairly new and so they were learning as the did the shows.
Coming up on 70 years ago that this classic show premiered
Great upload! The show would never have made it if they'd kept those panelists (other than of course the radiant Miss Killgallen). You could see John Daly was nervous, he completely forgot to announce that the line of the vet would now be revealed to the audience, they had to quickly flash the card when the first question was being asked. Still, from little acorns mighty oak trees grow.
Perceptive.
Yes those guys were duds
At the time, the series initially aired on alternate Thursdays at 8pm(et). As to the "layout" of the set, there was constant "refinement" during the first season [by the fall of '50, John was sitting at stage "center", with a chalkboard and archway {for the contestants to sign in and enter} between the panel's table and Daly's "desk"].
Strange...I think we all believed life was lived in B&W back then. Hard to think they were actually in colour in the studio...but they were.
It was much better, you will never know how pure and lovely it was to just play outside for hours, without a single care in the world, in the 50's.
What do you mean? Of course the world was B&W back then! There's so much photo and video evidence!
@@11redlions no it wasn't
"What's My Line" is a certifiable clqssic.
Scott Burton I enjoy watching these old WML shows.
Well, some of the people, both panellists and guests were certifiable …
Ahaa, so Dorothy Kilgallen was there from episode 1 onwards.... Smoking on the set, standards were quite different in those days. That governor looks like the father of Jimmy Hoffa :)
JOhn Daly looks so young as does Miss Kilgallen
The requests were creepy from the panelists😲
I always thought that whole walk in front of the panelists was creepy, and I'm glad they did away with that.
I love how in the middle of a game show the hosts just takes out a lights a cigarette, yet its an era when on television you dress to the nines.
So sad,what happened to Miss Kilgallen. I know this is kind of weird, but after watching the show often during my recovery from surgery,I've gotten a crush on her.
This is awesome!!! Originally, the panelists got a free guess before asking their question to figure out the occupation of the contestants.
Yeah, I guess that didn't last too long. Cuz they probably figure out that if they guessed correctly right off the bat that would kind of ruin the show.
To whoever is putting this game show "What's My Line?" on here to watch,Thank You.I have NOT watched what is suppose to be "entertainment" on television or on/through any other form to view such TRASH, so these old shows are not only fun, they are DECENT.I have read the comments some have left about the way females were treated on this episode and I, being a "lady" agree with the people who shared on how we ladies DO NOT MIND and/or foam at the mouth when a man WITH HONEST DECENCY AND GOOD MANNERS opens doors for us,stand when we come into a room and also stand when we do when we need to leave the room,hold our chairs out for us,watches their language around us,raise/train any and all their children to respect and obey both parents,etc.Some males might FAKE these behaviors while dating, so you other ladies PLEASE be careful while dating that you choose a MAN to marry and NOT just a male.Believe me, there is a definite difference.
You're right. Nothing wrong with good manners.
Must be the first time John Daily did not stand in the presence of a lady.
John Daily lighting that cigarette...lol
I still spark one up occasionally. Usually a Sobranie Cocktail.
Things got much better. It's just an awkward show because it was in it's preliminary stages.
And it certainly blossomed after the adjustments were made.
7:25 John lighting up like a boss.
Much like myself. Stuff all of that vaping nonsense.
i love the way john daly just lights up a cigarette in the middle of the game. nowadays they'd be force to edit that out.
I was thinking the same exact thing!
Maybe a cigarette company was a sponsor
What's my line did not become a big hit until they moved what's my line to Sunday nights in 1951 and stayed on Sunday nights until it's last episode in 1967.
Wow! It got a lot better over time. And seeing the host snd a panelist *smoking*.... fascinating!
It took a long time to get rid of the smoking silliness on television. Just think of Charles Nelson Reilly on Match Game. People like Jackie Gleason did comedy skits with a cigarette in his hand. What were people thinking?
But I can't say that this current world full of prescription medication abusers, potheads, alcoholics, and all around messed up degenerates is somehow a better place to be than the midpoint of the previous century. At least these people dressed nicely, expressed themselves eloquently without resorting to profanity, and in general were far more genteel.
In 1950, the target audience would’ve been people born prior to 1925.
The panel getting the closer look would go out later as well.
Could they have picked more boring panelists? What were they thinking. Kilgallen however was a hit. Wow that hat check babe sure was mighty attractive.
She eventually had something of a career on Broadway. And a son. She also appeared on the final CBS episode of the series, along with other guests from the early days.
70 years ago. It's sobering to think some of the panellists would've been brought up in 1920s America or even earlier.
Before diversity completely destroyed American culture
I thought that was kind of creepy the way those dirty old men looked the first contestant up and down. A different age of innocents.
To think there were veterans of the US Civil War still alive when this was broadcast.
When this episode aired, it aired on WGN Ch. 9 Chicago (CBS will buy WBBM Ch. 2 three years later), Los Angeles aired this on KTTV Ch. 11 (CBS will buy Ch. 2 the next year and become KNXT).
I'm glad they got rid of the 'guest' walking to greet the panel. What a waste of time that was. The show evolved into a terrific format though...especially when Bennett and Arlene joined. Still...it WAS 1950...
I'm glad too. Plus, I'm glad the panel kept Dorothy but got rid of the original men. Love the show
Ironically, all of the first episode's contestants all appeared on the final show in '67. The panelists for that episode were Bennett Cerf, Martin Gabel, Arlene Francis and Steve Allen. And the mystery guest was John Daly himself.
You know all of the original contestants in this show were in the last show? That’s crazy.
And I still mourn the fact that Dorothy Killgallen wasn't present for the final episode. Killed for trying to do her job.
Who is here in the year 2024?
Boy, this is painful to watch. The tech aspects, the struggling panel, the general awkwardness...all show by comparison how amazing WML was in its heyday.😊
I just found and watched a bit of a black & white video of a British version of "What's My Line".
I don't know when they changed the routine, but the best thing they did was eliminate the free guesses and walking over to meet
the panel. That did nothing but waste air time anyway.
On the last show in 1967, when these 3 appeared, John gave hints about their 1950 occupations and nearly all were guessed on a free guess (except that the closest they came for Pat Finch was cigarette girl).
I remember when it seemed like at least half of all adults smoked, including the firemen, police and even doctors.
I remember this first hand
65 years and 2 days ago
+עידו שמחי --- wow, so glad this show has been preserved
I’m glad the show eventually eliminated the demeaning practice of having each contestant take an introductory walk past the judges, subject to their visual inspection and in some cases rude remarks. I’m very glad Dorothy stayed on the show and these particular male judges did not!
I worked full time and had two children in 1983 and i used diaper service, it was such a time saver, disposable diapers were just coming on the market
This panel is hilarious! Ex-governor Hoffman thanks Dorothy for not introducing him as a racketeer. In 1954 he was accused of embezzlement and in a note written previous to his death he admitted to embezzling $300,000 from the State of New Jersey.
Raconteur, racketeer - mere semantics LOL
I know it was the debut, but what an odd (If not down-right weird) start. The first guest was pretty. Heck Mr. Daley, why not crack open a long-neck while you're at it.
Truman was POTUS, and Elvis was in the 10th grade.
They never raised the winnings for the contestant for at least 15 years. I don’t know what year I was canceled. Did they ever raise the winnings?
1967 was the last network show. It went to syndication for 8 years but I don't remember it may have doubled but I am not sure.
It took a while but thankfully they did away with the guest walking in front of the panelist as well as their free guess.
John allowed several non “yes” or “no” questions
I do not like those "wild free questions." And it took the producers way too long to get rid of them. That is a strange configuration: They are all lined up on the same side of the table like the "Last Supper." I am glad this show was given a chance to develop; it needed to evolve.
can you imagine watching pat sajak or alex trebek light up a smoke in the middle of the show? lol.....how times have changed
Pat Finch died on April 5, 2020, at age 93.
Link to her obituary: www.legacy.com/obituaries/tampabaytimes/obituary.aspx?n=patricia-porterfield&pid=195921940
Isn"t Ms. Kilgallen the spitting image of Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoon series, here? But thankfully, she certainly did look better in later episodes of the show.
Don't you mess with my Dorothy. I always thought she was cute,charming and intelligent. Besides Olive Oyl had an annoying voice.
My mom was 3yrs old.
This first episode is so bad, so awkward, that it's fascinating.
Freddie Swanson
They were very creepy.
But somehow it transformed
Sans Dorothy, this is a most unpalatable panel. Who chose these individuals, and why ?
Nope, I did NOT see this original broadcast for one main reason----I wasn't born yet. LOLOLOLOLOL.
Merry Christmas.
I always thought Dorothy was as cute as a button!
😊I agree!
After watching the debut episode of WML, I'm surprised there was a second. Sheesh, this 1st episode was a real stinker.
This first episode is comparatively more boring than the later episodes. It shows how much the show has developed over the years.
The audience was rather unfair to Miss Finch when they applauded prematurely at the term "Hatcheck Girl."
this show is primitive compared to the later shows which had a better panel....
Who was the mystery guest?
Phil Rizzuto, shortstop for the Yankees.
Stopette anyone?
Poof! And the stink of your smelly groin is gone!
What were they thinking? This is so bad it's creepy. With a panel composed of (except for Dorothy) a neuropsychietrist, a poet, and a former Governor of New Jersey. Could walking along the panel and being asked to do stupid things possibly be more awkward and bizarre? Why weren’t they cancelled after the first episode?
Considering people used to watch the test pattern until programming came on, this was a bit of an improvement. You're right that they're being kinda creepy toward the first guest. Fortunately they got some better panelists and got the format down pat.
jerryg1964 I agree. But it does make you reconsider all the stuff you hear about the "Golden Age" of television. Even the live dramas from studios in New York City were not as uniformly good as some people remember. Another thing on TH-cam is the old Kinescopes of Groucho Marx and "You Bet Your Life." Groucho's insults were funny when delivered to Margaret Dumont in a movie script, but when they're just random comments about height, weight, age, marital status, and general appearance of quiz show contestants, they seem forced and rude, and more than half of the time got no more than polite "laughter" from the audience in the studio. The ones we remember have been seriously cherry picked.
jerryg1964 There are things I loved about the show in the later years. They stayed with the evening dress standard that you saw on television in the early days....tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women. And they addressed each other formally as Mr and Miss. It was before courtesy and even civility vanished from public life. They were also serious about playing the game......before "game" shows became vulgar exhibits of poorly attired celebrities spouting packaged comedy lines. Sadly, it was also a time when people could not take a cigarette out of their mouth long enough to do a TV show.
Most first shows are weak. Remember too, there were only about 15 TVs in the nation. Not really of course but there would have been a fairly low percentage of homes that had one.
It was funny at the end. John Daley looked like he was going to throw up after barely ending on time.
I am SO glad it got better!
Dannys99887
I believe it was Ed Wynn who once said in the early 50's
(paraphrasing here):
Today you can pay hundreds of dollars for a TV and watch a few bad shows - But someday you will pay a few dollars for a TV and see hundreds of bad shows.
Actually, there was some really great stuff during the "Golden Age" The willingness to experiment made way for some awesome entertainment. Of course experimenting could lead to failure too. Commercial TV was less then a decade old at this point so there was very little precedence. What would or wouldn't work was still a matter of guesswork. That's why for every "Studio One" or "Texaco Star Theater" there was a "The Continental" or a "You're in the Picture" This experimentation meant when you set in front of the set, you didn't really know what to expect. To many, that was part of the fun.
Those Highs and lows have given way to periods that tended to be more "Average" and predictable. A little more assembly-line produced entertainment.
There's been great shows in just about every period, including now. It's just a good deal rarer now. Mostly simple ideas with minor variation and a lot of FLASH & GLAMOR grace our screens. Most of the reality based series require very little in-depth thought, just a few hooks here and there that go down smoothly and while many will watch it, it won't truly stir them. Every so often I see proof the great TV is possible today if perhaps a little effort was put into the quality entertainment instead of concentrating only on checks and balances and sticking to the same old formula.
Figuring in inflation - Ed Wynn just about hit the nail right on the head!!
Very embarrassing getting that first contestant to perform like that at the beginning. That in spite of the initial concept of the show being an intellectual game with a rather professorial panel.
Oh my goodness. How dreadful compared to shows just a few years later. Some producer initially saw the possible value of this show, improved it drastically, and ran with it.
LOL! Smokin' I wonder if they ever brought out a tobacco executive as a guest in their sixteen years on the air. Everybody puffed in the 50's including my parents.
Daly lighting up, love it!!!!
Wow!! This first episode looks like they spent about $50 on it. Very rough, cheap, basic setup. Why is the panel right there off to the side instead of across on the other side, forward?
They had to fix all the kinks before the show was able to hit its stride later in the decade.
Each question was worth about $54.00 in today's money.
10:20 I am offended, Dorothy groping that man, she should have been replaced.
Sounds like at end the panelists were upset - one called it "below the belt." I think they felt the contestant was in the garment business to some extent being in the diaper service. The host said that he was clearly not in the garment business when the guessing began.
The first baby step of the show, interesting to see how the format evolved over the years. Their first idea of how to introduce the contestants was not only absurd, but downright insulting.
Why was John so despondent at the close of the show? After he says goodnight with a smile a mile wide, he loses it pretty quickly! See it at 28:04
because he apparently misled the panel on the "garment industry" point
Mr Daly should have stood when the female contestant entered
Glad the show has improved
I turned 3 that year.I don't know if we even had a television or not.
Turned three what? Handles … playing cards?
I will add to my previous comment,that just because I am a lady ( female) that I WOULD NOT and STILL WILL NOT put up with and/or allow ANY male to " take liberties" with me even while I worked for a family style restaurant that DID NOT serve booze of any kind. This particular restaurant customer with 3 of his work "buddies" would come in at lunch time and he would make comments AND try touching me even AFTER I myself and the manager told him to stop trying to touch me.One day when I was passing the table with a tray that had a full pitcher of sweet tea on it , this customer slapped my rear end and I turned around and poured the whole, full pitcher on his head.ENOUGH was ENOUGH. He had been told by me AND the manager SEVERAL TIMES to keep his hands to himself.With my FULL pitcher of sweet tea dripping off of him, he jumps up yelling at me and calling for the manager.The manager comes up to the customer's table and the customer claimed that for no reason that I soaked him with the tea.The manager did not believe him,and surprisingly enough his "buddies" told him that he got what he deserved because he had been told several times to leave me AND the other waitresses alone.I DO NOT CARE who you think you are, but you better KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME.RESPECTING GOES BOTH WAYS.
I completely understand, except for one thing: Your given name is Daniel?
So sad what they did to Untermeyer.
When did this show started using the blackboard?
After Daly stumped up some green for it.
When did John Daly move his desk to the other side of the panel ?
Episode 3 I believe
A major league ballplayer having to work a winter job.Obviously,times have changed.