Elona Grizzuto Thanks for sharing the info, Elona! Since Fred and Portland never had kids of their own, I've never run across any of their relatives before now. Delighted you added a comment. It's my love for Fred Allen that made me seek out WML in the first place!
I should also have added, Ms. Grizzuto, that if you're on Facebook and have any interest in WML, we would be delighted to have you join our group. It's very active, very interesting, and very friendly, and I'm sure you'll get a big welcome! If not interested/able to join for any reason, no need to even explain, but I wanted to make sure you were at least aware of the group. Thanks again for your comments! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/
Again, thanks to Gary for making getting through this pandemic so much easier than it could have been. Being hunkered down with What's My Line makes our lives in this time a lot better than it could have been. Thanks again, Gary!
What's My Line makes me nostalgic for a time that was a decade before I was born. There were arguably benefits that came out of the upheavals of the 1960s, but a lot was lost. I understand my grandfather's views much better now than I did when I was a kid.
Wow! I've been a fan of Fred Allen since I was a little boy and was sent to bed before I could hear much of the show. I had never seen Portland, so this was a real treat.
@@tommoran9819 Actually, according to the title, this episode aired on February 27, 1955...and that's a little over a year before Fred Allen passed away on March 17, 1956.
Yes, I saw that. He obviously had no idea she was going to be on the show. I liked the way the director focused on him just before and after she was identified.
Good eye, Johan ! From what I've read over the years, Fred and Portland's marriage was a very happy one. They seemed truly devoted to each other, though sadly they were unable to have children.
Portland Hoffa said that normally she and Fred Allen walk home after the show. Fred Allen added that this time they'll go in a cab. I saw somewhere that mystery guests were paid $1000 to appear on the show, hence the number of very well-known people who turned up for five minutes on screen. Apparently Judy Garland demanded cash before going on because her life was in a mess at the time and John Daly was ready to stand in as guest in case she refused to appear. This show becomes addictive and fascinating if you follow it on TH-cam - that's how I know the minor details. Lastly, on the final show Mr Daly did put himself into the 2nd role of mystery guest and Bennett Cerf guessed his identity.
$500 according to this website, but that was not bad for a few minutes of an appearance. littlethings.com/lifestyle/whats-my-line-secrets/2491331-4 Judy Garland appeared in 1967, and at the rate of inflation, would have been worth the equivalent of nearly $3900 in today's money. By today's standards though, that would be incredibly low. Booking a celebrity for an appearance now can easily run 25k on the low end lesser known actor to well over 250k on the upper end.
Portland Hoffa died 1990. She married her second husband in 1959, three years after Fred's death. She is one of few people I expect to have celebrated her Silver Wedding anniversary twice in her lifetime.
Kissing happened occasionally. Whether it was Joan Crawford kissing Dorothy on the cheek or Ginger Rogers kissing her cousin's husband, Bennett, or others. I remember one male MG kissing Arlene but not Dorothy.
i used to work with Reginald G's son, Peter, at Warner Bros in the 1980s/90s. Peter was a great guy who also had that affected vocal tone - but a great guy. He married someone much younger and unfortunately died in his 50's. I knew his dad was a celebrity named Reginald - but this is the 1st time I've seen him - Fun!
Reginald Gardiner played a bit part as a TV repair man on the “Hazel” show, nice to see him on this show, although I had never heard of him, he played a funny part on Hazel.
Heavens to Betsy, if looks could kill -- the 3:18 mark when Fred calls Reginald Gardiner out for not standing to greet the contestant! Equaled only by the looks Bennett and JCD gave Henry Morgan on that infamous 1967 episode.
I can understand why Fred got pissed but at the same time, I don't think Reginald had the intention to be rude, so publicly shaming him may have been a bit much. As a guest panelist, I'd have maybe talked to him afterwards before the next round.
I do love how John treats them as a father would kids doing these things. Of course, none of us know what went on back stage before they all came out. Reginald may have been rude or something? But, regardless, it did make for a very awkward moment for everyone and Fred should not have been so snarky.
Norman Ebinger Census: www.archives.com/1940-census/norman-ebinger-pa-76306896 He dies via an accident at only 53 years old the very next year after this episode is filmed. The clip from newpapers.com states: "Norman W. Ebinger, 53, Dingmans Ferry resort employe (sic) was killed in an accident near egypt mills, pike county. Known throughout our area as "the Major", Ebinger was one of the most popular resort spokesmen the region had seen."
3:20... Awkward! I think Fred jumped the gun a bit by publicly shaming him (tho I can definitely understand why he would). I don't think Reginald intended to be rude. Once he saw Fred stood up, he figured out that he needed to stand as well. Simple mistake. At least Fred apologized and ended up being a good episode.
I get a chuckle how in the final segment Reggie didn't hear John saying they were dispensing with the wild guess so his first question was his wild guess!
It's not often you hear Portland address Fred Allen by his first name. On radio it was almost always Mr. Allen. In his memoir, "Treadmill to Oblivion," he says it was customary for a vaudevillian, upon getting married to put his wife in the act.
I wonder if his book is a good read (in the nicest of ways) or just relevant to the time. Maybe I need to use "google" but I would like to know first-hand. 😉😁
@@love-light369 I'm reading it now, for the second time. It's both fun to read and relevant to the time. It's available in a new "facsimile edition," whatever that means, or you can find it with a search on Amazon Books in various used conditions.
Re KXIX, Channel 19 in Milwaukee. John ought to have wished them luck. Most TV sets in 1955 didn't have a UHF tuner and could only get the VHF channels 2 through 13. You could buy a set-top, add-on UHF tuner that you could hook up to the VHF antenna connection on your TV. But in markets where the VHF channels 2 through 13 were all in use (a maximum of 7 channels because they had to skip adjacent channels), most people didn't spend the money. So I think it was difficult for UHF channels to survive back in those days. Later on, of course, by the late 1960's, most people had acquired a color television and, by then, all TV's had UHF tuners, so things had started to change by then.
ToddSF 94109 I had relatives living in Fresno, CA in those days, and all the channels were UHF, so everybody had to have an 82-channel TV. I would assume Milwaukee was the same way.
Well, since Mabel Doerfler was a jail matron in Joliet, Illinois, she must have been a matron at the original Stateville prison. Great episode, by the way!!!!!
Poor Mr Allen had been suffering from chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) for a long time. There wasn't much back then they could do for it. And it eventually caused (the next year - 1956) a massive cerebral hemorrage (a stroke) that he never recovered from. What a great talent ! And from what I've read he was an extremely kind & gentle soul who donated generously to many worthy causes. And a devout Catholic who tried to attend Mass daily. May he & his wife Portland rest in eternal bliss.
It was so rude when they rushed those last contestants. That wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair and they needed to not have a final contestant, and needed to do something else during those last few minutes.
What a cool show, smart and funny as it opens a window to years gone by, it seems life was simpler back then, you could whistle ay a pretty girl and nobody cared.
From what I have heard Portland really didn't want to be in showbiz. She and Fred were never a husband and wife team. Although she was in the show named after her husband Fred Allen.
The Milwaukee WXIX change letter after ownership changed 1963 to WUHF and again 1966 to WVTV. The WXIX call letters were assigned to a independent station in Cincinnati in Aug 1 1968. The channel is now a FOX affiliate.
Fred Allen's question as to whether Ms. Schoech had her office in a municipal building was spot off. "Municipal" means "of or relating to a town or city or its local government" and it had already been established by Dorothy K. that Ms. Schoech worked for the state government. I note that the contestant seemed surprised Fred A. would ask such an illogical question. "Do you work in a state office building?" might have been the more logical question to ask. I note that Reginald Gardiner seemed to have been somewhere else -- which might explain his failure to stand when shaking hands with the contestant. Men are always required to stand when shaking hands with anyone, regardless of gender -- only women have the privilege of remaining seated when shaking hands and "It's my birthday" is no excuse. But his questions showed a lack of presence. Arlene established that the contestant worked for a non-profit organization, that she worked for a branch of the government, and that she did not work for a city government. Then Reginald G. mused, "Non-profit organization, oh dear, but not government." Hmmm.
Some of the guest panelists who appeared on What's My Line were able to quickly get into the swing of things as far as the procedures and game play. Then there were those who were lost and their turn was basically a waste of time. Reginald Gardiner may have been a fine entertainer, but he definitely was in the latter category as a guest panelist. Besides, he wasn't especially famous in the U.S., more of a character actor than a leading man it seems. I can see the powers that be checking him off their list of people to invite back as a guest panelist. But ironically, he appeared twice on IGAS (11/2/55 and 9/25/57) as a guest, not a guest panelist. I'm going to see if those episodes are available because I want to see what his secret was.
It's implicitly rude when one of the guest panelists demonstrates that he hasn't been paying attention to the previous questions, especially when he adopts a high-horse tone or stance when he speaks. The regulars and Daly never indicate any displeasure at such dopey behavior, probably because they've been instructed not to. Even so, their forebearance is amazing.
The female half of the several famous husband and wife teams of radio. Burns and Allen were married and played married. Jack Benny and Mary Livingston married but not on The Jack Benny Show. Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa married but not on The Fred Allen Show.
It wasn't a traditional chalkboard, but a holder for sheets of black poster board. That way nobody had to erase it between rounds. Some of the sign in sheets from celebrities were saved and occasionally show up on auction sites as collectors' items.
What happens when one of the panelists gets the guest’s occupation on a free guess before the main questioning?! So sad he died just after a few years after What’s My Line began.
I think the last contestant should go down and shake hands at the end since she didn't before. And later they all did after. I'm used to the later ones.
According to Wikipedia, Portland Hoffa and Fred Allen were married to each other in 1927, and remained married to each other until his death in 1956. From 1959 to 1986, she was married to Joe Rines, who died in 1986. She died on Christmas Day in 1990. Wikipedia also indicates that she was born in Portland, Oregon. Thus, when Arlene asked if her first name was from Maine, and her last name was from the panel, she truthfully could have answered “no,” but Daly probably would have overruled that answer. The sexism of the 1950's is amazing. Although she used the name “Portland Hoffa” professionally, which was her maiden name, the sign in front of her had to have “Mrs. Fred Allen” in parenthesis to satisfy the conventions of the time (and, I suppose, to be sure people knew who she was). Also, whenever a woman contestant came on the show, Daly always made a big point of asking whether it was “Mrs.” or “Miss.” He never asked men their marital status. And if it was so important that he know for the women, why were they not instructed to write Mrs. or Miss on the blackboard when signing in? It would have save a few minutes on each show.
Regarding your comment on sexism....In my opinion, it’s a great reason that programs like this have been preserved and that someone made them available (thanks to the person that created this channel ❤️), because it’s actually not sexism. This was customary. When you met someone, you would ask if they a Miss or Mrs. so you would know how to address them. At the time, manners would have you address people as Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, or Miss Smith unless you knew them well enough to use their first name. Miss and Mrs. were the only two options for women until after the feminist movement introduced Ms. into the equation. Also, you will see on this program (and some people from older generations) still sign their name using Mrs. followed by their husband’s first and last name (as if the Mrs. was the only important part of their identification). It’s fascinating really to be exposed to live history through broadcasts, films, and books from the past to really experience how much society has changed.
It could be that viewers might not know who Portland Hoffa was and that's why they put her married name on the screen. Though she did appear with her husband on his radio show, viewers would not know what she looked like.
Dingman's Ferry is located on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap, on the edge of the Pocono Mountains. The Poconos have long been known as a honeymoon destination, with kitsch like heart-shaped beds and sunken tubs that make it easy to enjoy a bubble bath together while you sip bubbly with the champagne bottle and ice bucket close at hand. I didn't know that there was a resort that catered strictly to honeymooners but it isn't surprising since it means the entire resort can be designed for a romantic start to a marriage. In 1972, the Honeymoon Haven was converted into the Pocono Environmental Education Center. As one online newspaper article from back then pointed out, people could still go there to learn about the birds and the bees, just not quite in the same way. And on the PEEC website, they posted the reminiscences of a couple who drove from Pittsburgh in early November 1954 to honeymoon at Honeymoon Haven. And it turns out they did have to awaken someone at 3 AM because car trouble and bad weather made their trip longer than expected. Their story even references a "silver-haired gentleman", most likely Mr. Ebinger. And they enjoyed their honeymoon immensely, bringing home a lifetime of fond memories, all for the cost of $125 for one week's lodging and being served three meals a day. www.peec.org/about/news-and-press/press-releases/2011-press-releases/honeymoon-haven
I've notoved a pattern with Mr/ Allen. He is so concerned with his next witticism that he does not listen to answers. Frankly, it is annoying and in general distracting (not to speak ill of the dead).
So many laughs in this one! Feminists should watch "What's My Line" and see how many powerful, intelligent, and influential women existed before the whining started.
@N English There have always been intelligent and capable women but as you'll see from other comments there were many barriers to professional roles in those days. WML picked women like Dorothy Schoech *exactly* because they were unusual in overcoming those barriers. It's 'whining' feminists as you call them who are largely responsible for this situation improving.
Fact: there were far fewer opportunities for women to take career paths that required high education, and those that did often experienced criticism from coworkers, friends, and even family. They were expected to go to college to meet a husband, rather than obtain an education. In those days, most families (particularly middle class and above) had one income. If a married woman had a job such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. it was often seen as taking a job from a man who needed it to support his family. The “whining” is simply reminding people that women should have the same choices and opportunities as men, rather than be forced to follow one path. I believe that person should and would expect to have the freedom and opportunity to live the life he or she chooses.
@@monsieurbertillon9570 No, it's not. It's simple evolution of social paradigms. Feminists are nothing more than wannabe terrorists, like the rest of the groups out there holding signs.
![What's My Line? - Tribute to Fred Allen; Cyd Charisse; Steve Allen [panel] (Mar 18, 1956)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7BRGccMFL4E/mqdefault.jpg)
I love how eloquent and well educated everyone is. This show was a class act all the way.
Portland and Fred are my great great aunt and uncle.
Really??? How neat to see a comment from a relative. I'd think you're too young to have ever met Fred, but how about Portland?
I haven't met either of them unfortunately. Portland was my maternal grandmother's aunt.
I do know how her siblings got their names though. They were named after cities.
Elona Grizzuto Thanks for sharing the info, Elona! Since Fred and Portland never had kids of their own, I've never run across any of their relatives before now. Delighted you added a comment. It's my love for Fred Allen that made me seek out WML in the first place!
I should also have added, Ms. Grizzuto, that if you're on Facebook and have any interest in WML, we would be delighted to have you join our group. It's very active, very interesting, and very friendly, and I'm sure you'll get a big welcome! If not interested/able to join for any reason, no need to even explain, but I wanted to make sure you were at least aware of the group. Thanks again for your comments!
facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/
Again, thanks to Gary for making getting through this pandemic so much easier than it could have been.
Being hunkered down with What's My Line makes our lives in this time a lot better than it could have been.
Thanks again, Gary!
Fred looked like a young lad when peeked out & saw his sweetheart. They were adorable, she was truly lovely! ❤️❤️❤️
I agree. Fred was very cute!
What's My Line makes me nostalgic for a time that was a decade before I was born. There were arguably benefits that came out of the upheavals of the 1960s, but a lot was lost. I understand my grandfather's views much better now than I did when I was a kid.
This show is good medicine.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Indeed!
Indeed! I often think that.
Totally agreed! 💯 ❤
It has pulled me out of severe depression 😊
Wow! I've been a fan of Fred Allen since I was a little boy and was sent to bed before I could hear much of the show. I had never seen Portland, so this was a real treat.
My great great aunt and uncle.
I agree, I had never seen her before either.
This one makes me a little sad knowing that Fred Allen passed away about a year later. Portland Hoffa outlived him by over 30 years
Fred Allen had roughly two weeks to live when this show was broadcast.
@@tommoran9819 Actually, according to the title, this episode aired on February 27, 1955...and that's a little over a year before Fred Allen passed away on March 17, 1956.
@@mike_majora Agree, someone got the year mixed up?
17:45 John Daly's description of the blindfold colors makes me long to see what these early episodes would have looked like in color.
Portland Allen had a most beautiful smile!
My great great aunt.
Just look at Fred Allen's smile when he understands that it's his wife who is the MG. :) 20:52
Sdk ElMaruecan You're right. A warm smile.
Sdk ElMaruecan He was a witty comedian and a fine gentleman.
Yes, I saw that. He obviously had no idea she was going to be on the show. I liked the way the director focused on him just before and after she was identified.
Good eye, Johan ! From what I've read over the years, Fred and Portland's marriage was a very happy one. They seemed truly devoted to each other, though sadly they were unable to have children.
My great great aunt and uncle.
Im glad Fred gave his wife a kiss. I loved his reaction!
Portland Hoffa said that normally she and Fred Allen walk home after the show. Fred Allen added that this time they'll go in a cab. I saw somewhere that mystery guests were paid $1000 to appear on the show, hence the number of very well-known people who turned up for five minutes on screen. Apparently Judy Garland demanded cash before going on because her life was in a mess at the time and John Daly was ready to stand in as guest in case she refused to appear. This show becomes addictive and fascinating if you follow it on TH-cam - that's how I know the minor details. Lastly, on the final show Mr Daly did put himself into the 2nd role of mystery guest and Bennett Cerf guessed his identity.
My great great aunt and uncle.
$500 according to this website, but that was not bad for a few minutes of an appearance.
littlethings.com/lifestyle/whats-my-line-secrets/2491331-4
Judy Garland appeared in 1967, and at the rate of inflation, would have been worth the equivalent of nearly $3900 in today's money. By today's standards though, that would be incredibly low. Booking a celebrity for an appearance now can easily run 25k on the low end lesser known actor to well over 250k on the upper end.
This was wonderful to see. I can finally put a face with the famous name for Portland Hoffa.
James Mason and his wife adored Portland Allen so much (the Allens were their best friends) that they named their daughter after her.
Good spot. I remember that from his autobiography.
Portland Hoffa died 1990. She married her second husband in 1959, three years after Fred's death. She is one of few people I expect to have celebrated her Silver Wedding anniversary twice in her lifetime.
She's my great great aunt.
You said that!
My Mother had 2 silvers, she passed away at 94 last December
She is buried with Fred Allen. ❤️
@@elonagrizzuto9683 if you want to know more I can find out if Jack Haley mentions their friend ship in his memoirs and let you know
I recently discovered this channel and I love it! I especially enjoy these black and white episodes and the ones with Fred Allen are very special.
It was sweet to see Fred kiss Portland. It's something you never see between mystery guests and panel.
Hal Block begs to differ!
Kissing happened occasionally. Whether it was Joan Crawford kissing Dorothy on the cheek or Ginger Rogers kissing her cousin's husband, Bennett, or others. I remember one male MG kissing Arlene but not Dorothy.
My great great aunt and uncle.
Obnoxious!
Arlene Francis got a kiss from her son Peter Gabel when he was on as a mystery guest. Loved that episode
When true class still existed in TV.
I didn't like him at first, but watching these reruns I'm beginning to like Fred Allen.
His dead pan comments kill me.
You can never convince me to care much for Hal Block.
John should not have flipped a card at 16:06 question, as it was asked in the negative, so should have been a "yes"
i used to work with Reginald G's son, Peter, at Warner Bros in the 1980s/90s. Peter was a great guy who also had that affected vocal tone - but a great guy. He married someone much younger and unfortunately died in his 50's. I knew his dad was a celebrity named Reginald - but this is the 1st time I've seen him - Fun!
Reginald Gardiner played a bit part as a TV repair man on the “Hazel” show, nice to see him on this show, although I had never heard of him, he played a funny part on Hazel.
Heavens to Betsy, if looks could kill -- the 3:18 mark when Fred calls Reginald Gardiner out for not standing to greet the contestant! Equaled only by the looks Bennett and JCD gave Henry Morgan on that infamous 1967 episode.
I can understand why Fred got pissed but at the same time, I don't think Reginald had the intention to be rude, so publicly shaming him may have been a bit much. As a guest panelist, I'd have maybe talked to him afterwards before the next round.
I do love how John treats them as a father would kids doing these things.
Of course, none of us know what went on back stage before they all came out. Reginald may have been rude or something? But, regardless, it did make for a very awkward moment for everyone and Fred should not have been so snarky.
I think Steve was trying to make a joke that wasn't a good one, though.
Steve who?
Fred was complaining at John a lot too. He just seemed to be in a bad mood.
Norman Ebinger
Census: www.archives.com/1940-census/norman-ebinger-pa-76306896
He dies via an accident at only 53 years old the very next year after this episode is filmed.
The clip from newpapers.com states: "Norman W. Ebinger, 53, Dingmans Ferry resort employe (sic) was killed in an accident near egypt mills, pike county. Known throughout our area as "the Major", Ebinger was one of the most popular resort spokesmen the region had seen."
Arlene always gives us that smerky smile when she knows the identity of the Mystery Guest.
3:20... Awkward! I think Fred jumped the gun a bit by publicly shaming him (tho I can definitely understand why he would). I don't think Reginald intended to be rude. Once he saw Fred stood up, he figured out that he needed to stand as well. Simple mistake. At least Fred apologized and ended up being a good episode.
Hm. It seemed liked good nature ribbing but you are probably right. Bit harsh (I loved Fred, sharp as hell).
i think he was getting up, but he took so long the woman assumed he wasnt going to shake her hand and she moved on.
Fred is my great great uncle.
What an elegant, graceful woman she was!
You mean Portland?
I get a chuckle how in the final segment Reggie didn't hear John saying they were dispensing with the wild guess so his first question was his wild guess!
Yes, I almost felt a bit sorry for him.
What a great panel game show! One of the three greatest with Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy with Alex Trebek!!!
Love Fred's little comments after Portland left.
Ironic and sad that Portland Hoffa mentioned walking home with Fred Allen - Allen died of a heart attack during a walk a year later.
and to be clear, fred was walking alone when he died.
bigred997 He was supposed to have been walking his dog.
What's My Line? yes, i knew that. i was just pointing out that it was not a walk back from the studio. in fact, i believe the doorman found him.
My great great aunt and uncle.
It was reported that he was walking a dog but later came up that he never owned a dog.
@20:52 Fred figures it out! You can tell!
Can anyone tell what Dorothy is whispering @ 2:13?
You can't travel until the bridge is designed and built. LOL
Portland was
great on those old Fred Allen shows .
It's not often you hear Portland address Fred Allen by his first name. On radio it was almost always Mr. Allen.
In his memoir, "Treadmill to Oblivion," he says it was customary for a vaudevillian, upon getting married to put his wife in the act.
I wonder if his book is a good read (in the nicest of ways) or just relevant to the time. Maybe I need to use "google" but I would like to know first-hand. 😉😁
@@love-light369 I'm reading it now, for the second time. It's both fun to read and relevant to the time. It's available in a new "facsimile edition," whatever that means, or you can find it with a search on Amazon Books in various used conditions.
My great great aunt and uncle.
???????????????????
@@slaytonp Why not AbeBooks instead? Amazon is not a company to deal with. They are as destructive as Walmart has been to the American economy.
Fred Allen is consistently the funniest person on this panel. I wish he could have been on it longer.
I find him terribly rude and obnoxious.
@@sheilamarie3788 that's my great great uncle. I never heard that about him before.
@Mark Richardson he married my great grandmother's sister Portland Hoffa.
@@sheilamarie3788 I think you're mixing up the legendary Fred Allen with the crude and very crass boor, Hal Block.
Re KXIX, Channel 19 in Milwaukee. John ought to have wished them luck. Most TV sets in 1955 didn't have a UHF tuner and could only get the VHF channels 2 through 13. You could buy a set-top, add-on UHF tuner that you could hook up to the VHF antenna connection on your TV. But in markets where the VHF channels 2 through 13 were all in use (a maximum of 7 channels because they had to skip adjacent channels), most people didn't spend the money. So I think it was difficult for UHF channels to survive back in those days. Later on, of course, by the late 1960's, most people had acquired a color television and, by then, all TV's had UHF tuners, so things had started to change by then.
ToddSF 94109 I had relatives living in Fresno, CA in those days, and all the channels were UHF, so everybody had to have an 82-channel TV. I would assume Milwaukee was the same way.
ToddSF 94109 He distinctly said WXIX, which fits the east of the Mississippi "W" call letters. And WXIX is in Cincinnati now.
Well, since Mabel Doerfler was a jail matron in Joliet, Illinois, she must have been a matron at the original Stateville prison. Great episode, by the way!!!!!
I am near Joilet. I wonder if any of her family knows this still on TH-cam.
Fred was sharp as ever, but he did NOT look very healthy!
Poor Mr Allen had been suffering from chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) for a long time. There wasn't much back then they could do for it. And it eventually caused (the next year - 1956) a massive cerebral hemorrage (a stroke) that he never recovered from. What a great talent ! And from what I've read he was an extremely kind & gentle soul who donated generously to many worthy causes. And a devout Catholic who tried to attend Mass daily. May he & his wife Portland rest in eternal bliss.
He's my great great uncle.
Someone needs to block this woman.
@@keymaninmusicWhy she was proud of her uncle😊
Fred Allen is hilarious on this show.
Mystery Guests were paid $500, guest panelists were paid $750, permanent panelists, " much more", back when the median weekly wage was $61
Portland was so cute, and apparently she really did talk like that!
Fred would pass away the next year, and his wife "Portland" remarried a few years later. She lived until 1990.
Arlene knew it was Portland Hoffa right from the beginning
Thumbs up if you’ve ever driven over a (possibly one of hers) bridge in Missouri!
Reginald Gardiner reminds me of Billy deWolfe a bit.
It was so rude when they rushed those last contestants. That wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair and they needed to not have a final contestant, and needed to do something else during those last few minutes.
I don't believe the guest was upset. Receiving the full prize, which was equal to a weeks pay, or house payment 😊
I love the signatures
Dorothy was her prettiest during the Fred Allen years. I'll bet it was a case of Irish wits getting together.
Irish Twits?
I read a couple of Fred Allen's books, he was a good writer.
What a cool show, smart and funny as it opens a window to years gone by, it seems life was simpler back then, you could whistle ay a pretty girl and nobody cared.
11:15 I used to drive by Dingman's Ferry on my annual trek to Pennsylvania to buy fireworks.
From what I have heard Portland really didn't want to be in showbiz. She and Fred were never a husband and wife team. Although she was in the show named after her husband Fred Allen.
Arlene had the right city but wrong state when associating the name.... Portland Hoffa was born in Portland, Oregon.
You're right. She's my great great aunt.
The Milwaukee WXIX change letter after ownership changed 1963 to WUHF and again 1966 to WVTV.
The WXIX call letters were assigned to a independent station in Cincinnati in Aug 1 1968. The channel is now a FOX affiliate.
Love Fred Allen beautiful Man . He and Portland are a sweet couple ❤❤❤
I wonder if Portland Hoffa was related to Jimmy. Seem very charming.
Gardiner is a good sport.
Well said & well put ! i always liked his many film & TV appearances. Talented actor and classy gentleman.
11:25 There's already a bridge in Dingman's Ferry, PA
This was over 70 years ago😅
The jail matron looks like Fred Allen.
You're right!
Perhaps twins that were separated at birth ?? As Judy Tenuta says, "It could happen !!" :-)
Good for you
Fred Allen's question as to whether Ms. Schoech had her office in a municipal building was spot off. "Municipal" means "of or relating to a town or city or its local government" and it had already been established by Dorothy K. that Ms. Schoech worked for the state government. I note that the contestant seemed surprised Fred A. would ask such an illogical question. "Do you work in a state office building?" might have been the more logical question to ask. I note that Reginald Gardiner seemed to have been somewhere else -- which might explain his failure to stand when shaking hands with the contestant. Men are always required to stand when shaking hands with anyone, regardless of gender -- only women have the privilege of remaining seated when shaking hands and "It's my birthday" is no excuse. But his questions showed a lack of presence. Arlene established that the contestant worked for a non-profit organization, that she worked for a branch of the government, and that she did not work for a city government. Then Reginald G. mused, "Non-profit organization, oh dear, but not government." Hmmm.
Some of the guest panelists who appeared on What's My Line were able to quickly get into the swing of things as far as the procedures and game play. Then there were those who were lost and their turn was basically a waste of time. Reginald Gardiner may have been a fine entertainer, but he definitely was in the latter category as a guest panelist. Besides, he wasn't especially famous in the U.S., more of a character actor than a leading man it seems. I can see the powers that be checking him off their list of people to invite back as a guest panelist. But ironically, he appeared twice on IGAS (11/2/55 and 9/25/57) as a guest, not a guest panelist. I'm going to see if those episodes are available because I want to see what his secret was.
ToddSF 94109 I
I kept thinking someone would say “engineer” with this lady. How can you design bridges and not be an engineer? Yikes!
It's implicitly rude when one of the guest panelists demonstrates that he hasn't been paying attention to the previous questions, especially when he adopts a high-horse tone or stance when he speaks. The regulars and Daly never indicate any displeasure at such dopey behavior, probably because they've been instructed not to. Even so, their forebearance is amazing.
@@gomphrena-beautifulflower-8043 If you listen carefully under the applause at 10:05, you can hear John Daly say "she's a graduate engineer."
Gosh, imagine Fred and Portland walking home after 11 o'clock on a Sunday. How far did they have to go?
My great great aunt and uncle.
@Mark Richardson What is silly?
29 miles.
Where's Bennett???
Vacationing in Hawaii
Dudes been gone for weeks now
@@jimbomb3893No such word dude 70 years ago😅
Interesting that the last guest squeezed in at the end was not from NY, as was almost always the case.
Did Dorothy figure out the mystery guest too? She was trying to stifle a giggle (or something?) when Arlene began her questions.
The female half of the several famous husband and wife teams of radio. Burns and Allen were married and played married. Jack Benny and Mary Livingston married but not on The Jack Benny Show. Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa married but not on The Fred Allen Show.
Fred Allen died the year after this was filmed
My great great uncle.
So was she an architect or an engineer?
Engineer 😊
I think Fred sounds a lot like Bennett Cerf.
When Fred and Portland kiss....all is right with the world.
The show needed to spring for a new chalkboard... it seemed t o be flexing a bit yoo much when the contestants were signing in.
It wasn't a traditional chalkboard, but a holder for sheets of black poster board. That way nobody had to erase it between rounds. Some of the sign in sheets from celebrities were saved and occasionally show up on auction sites as collectors' items.
It seems people were a lot less crude compared to 2024
Daly welcomed channel 19 WXIX from "Milwaukee", but channel 19 WXIX is in the Cincinnati area.
According to Wikipedia, there was a WXIX in Milwaukee but then changed its call letters a few years later. The one in Cincy started in 1968.
I note that the "XIX" in WXIX is 19 in Roman numerals.
MR ALLEN!
I wonder if Mrs Dorfin ever met "Joliet " Jake.
So cute
Reginald Gardner? Who that?
What happens when one of the panelists gets the guest’s occupation on a free guess before the main questioning?!
So sad he died just after a few years after What’s My Line began.
He died 1 year later. The contestant got nothing if guessed in free guess😢
Is Fred really Steve Allen Father?
His sister.
Extremely unusual for the times a female designing bridges!
I don’t like that they gave the last contestants so little time. That was not fair, cordial or appropriate.
They were given the full $50 which was a weeks pay or mortgage payment 😊
YES too much nonsense, last one was frustrated, often seem they have one too many. Mr Allen sure had a young looking one.
Night watchman? Really Arlene?
I think the last contestant should go down and shake hands at the end since she didn't before. And later they all did after. I'm used to the later ones.
Free Allen almost one year from the date of this broadcast at age 61. 😔
He's my great great uncle.
@@elonagrizzuto9683wonderful statement 😊
He's 39!?
Allen would be dead just 13 months later.
The Allens walked home. I didn't know newyorkers could do that 😃
New Yorkers in general, still walk a lot more than than most other folk. I would put Chicago second.
They all knew it was Portland Hoffa
According to Wikipedia, Portland Hoffa and Fred Allen were married to each other in 1927, and remained married to each other until his death in 1956. From 1959 to 1986, she was married to Joe Rines, who died in 1986. She died on Christmas Day in 1990.
Wikipedia also indicates that she was born in Portland, Oregon. Thus, when Arlene asked if her first name was from Maine, and her last name was from the panel, she truthfully could have answered “no,” but Daly probably would have overruled that answer.
The sexism of the 1950's is amazing. Although she used the name “Portland Hoffa” professionally, which was her maiden name, the sign in front of her had to have “Mrs. Fred Allen” in parenthesis to satisfy the conventions of the time (and, I suppose, to be sure people knew who she was). Also, whenever a woman contestant came on the show, Daly always made a big point of asking whether it was “Mrs.” or “Miss.” He never asked men their marital status. And if it was so important that he know for the women, why were they not instructed to write Mrs. or Miss on the blackboard when signing in? It would have save a few minutes on each show.
Lots of comments on Portland's unusual first name. I googled to see if she was related to Jimmy Hoffa. Does not appear to have been the case.
They are my great great aunt and uncle.
Regarding your comment on sexism....In my opinion, it’s a great reason that programs like this have been preserved and that someone made them available (thanks to the person that created this channel ❤️), because it’s actually not sexism. This was customary. When you met someone, you would ask if they a Miss or Mrs. so you would know how to address them. At the time, manners would have you address people as Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, or Miss Smith unless you knew them well enough to use their first name. Miss and Mrs. were the only two options for women until after the feminist movement introduced Ms. into the equation. Also, you will see on this program (and some people from older generations) still sign their name using Mrs. followed by their husband’s first and last name (as if the Mrs. was the only important part of their identification). It’s fascinating really to be exposed to live history through broadcasts, films, and books from the past to really experience how much society has changed.
It could be that viewers might not know who Portland Hoffa was and that's why they put her married name on the screen. Though she did appear with her husband on his radio show, viewers would not know what she looked like.
"Resort for Honeymooners".. wtf????
Dingman's Ferry is located on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap, on the edge of the Pocono Mountains. The Poconos have long been known as a honeymoon destination, with kitsch like heart-shaped beds and sunken tubs that make it easy to enjoy a bubble bath together while you sip bubbly with the champagne bottle and ice bucket close at hand. I didn't know that there was a resort that catered strictly to honeymooners but it isn't surprising since it means the entire resort can be designed for a romantic start to a marriage.
In 1972, the Honeymoon Haven was converted into the Pocono Environmental Education Center. As one online newspaper article from back then pointed out, people could still go there to learn about the birds and the bees, just not quite in the same way.
And on the PEEC website, they posted the reminiscences of a couple who drove from Pittsburgh in early November 1954 to honeymoon at Honeymoon Haven. And it turns out they did have to awaken someone at 3 AM because car trouble and bad weather made their trip longer than expected. Their story even references a "silver-haired gentleman", most likely Mr. Ebinger. And they enjoyed their honeymoon immensely, bringing home a lifetime of fond memories, all for the cost of $125 for one week's lodging and being served three meals a day.
www.peec.org/about/news-and-press/press-releases/2011-press-releases/honeymoon-haven
Lois Simmons Interesting, thanks.. Just can't wrap my head around how such a setup can be considered 'romantic'. Oh well ;)
I can’t help but think of the resort in “Dirty Dancing” for some reason. But where honeymooners might return years down the road with their families.
70 years ago😅
a jail matron the first thought I had for the last person.
I've notoved a pattern with Mr/ Allen. He is so concerned with his next witticism that he does not listen to answers. Frankly, it is annoying and in general distracting (not to speak ill of the dead).
I can't stand him. I can't wait until March 1956. (not to speak ill of the dead lol). We are allowed to speak TRUTH of the alive or dead, btw.
Honeymooners need a social director???
Bow ties & ginormous ears
Wxix 19 in Cincinnati now
So many laughs in this one! Feminists should watch "What's My Line" and see how many powerful, intelligent, and influential women existed before the whining started.
@N English There have always been intelligent and capable women but as you'll see from other comments there were many barriers to professional
roles in those days. WML picked women like Dorothy Schoech *exactly* because they were unusual in overcoming those barriers. It's 'whining' feminists as you call them who are largely responsible for this situation improving.
Gilbert Pinfold that’s nonsense.
Fact: there were far fewer opportunities for women to take career paths that required high education, and those that did often experienced criticism from coworkers, friends, and even family. They were expected to go to college to meet a husband, rather than obtain an education. In those days, most families (particularly middle class and above) had one income. If a married woman had a job such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. it was often seen as taking a job from a man who needed it to support his family. The “whining” is simply reminding people that women should have the same choices and opportunities as men, rather than be forced to follow one path. I believe that person should and would expect to have the freedom and opportunity to live the life he or she chooses.
@@monsieurbertillon9570 No, it's not. It's simple evolution of social paradigms. Feminists are nothing more than wannabe terrorists, like the rest of the groups out there holding signs.
Looks like a gangsters' daughter!
Portland is my great great aunt and I don't think my great great grandfather was a gangster. He did have a great sense of humor though.
@@jubalcalif9100 I posted a picture of him on Facebook.