aired on September 3, 1967; it was highlighted by clips from past telecasts, a visit by the show's first contestants, a challenger from the New York unemployment office, and the final mystery guest, who was John Daly himself. There, company employees Gil Fates, Bob Bach, Pamela Usdan and Bill Egan[59] worked round-the-clock for three days to compile the 90-minute special under deadline pressure from ABC network official Bob Shanks. In the case of the famous mystery guest each week, the panel sought to determine the identity of the celebrity. is the long-running panel game show where the celebrity panelists try to figure out unusual occupations of everyday people. Other frequent guest panelists include Jack Lemmon, Tony Randall, Robert Q. Lewis and Phyllis Newman. did not emphasize formality as the panelists did not dress in formal wear. At various times, a regular panelist might take a vacation or be absent from an episode due to outside commitments. Bruner, and later Blyden, would preface the demonstrations by asking Lloyd Gross, who directed most of the editions, "Lloyd, would you open the curtains, please?" Daly became completely convulsed in laughter during the live telecast on the NBC network. The original What's My Line?, based on the Daly era, was released by Lowell in 1955. What's My Line? 1957: Won, ABC Television, "Prologue '58. If you find the convivial atmosphere of this seminal Goodson-Todman game show absorbing, there are757 episodes available for viewing onWhats My Line?sYouTube channel. I recently saw this series again on "Game Show Network" and madly taped many of these classic episodes that instantly brought back fond memories of a time when something as minor as a silly little game show aimed for class. It's all very 50's and classy and smart and good and worth watching. Every episode between July 1952 and September 1967 existed for a long time in the archive of producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, but some of these were lost in 1975. [3] The show's announcer acknowledged this fact during the closing credits of every prerecorded episode. After August 27, the program was then broadcast live on CBS Radio on Wednesday nights at 8:00PM for 10 months, concluding July 1, 1953. Also, the animated intro was done away with in favor of the show's announcer (usually Gould) offering a brief preview of one of the contestants' games. [19][20] The marriage resulted in two sons, John Neal Daly and John Charles Daly III, and a daughter, Helene Grant "Bunsy" Daly. Movies. . (1950) officially released in India in English? The second version, based on the Bruner/Blyden era, was released by Whitman in 1969. had yet to air in certain markets; by the fall of 1975, the last of these episodes had aired across the United States. In this movie he played Mongkut, King of Siam. Jazz greatLouis Armstrongappeared on the show twice, in 1954 and then again in 1964, when he employed a successful technique of light monosyllabic responses to trick the same panelists who had identified him quickly on his initial outing. New versions of WML were planned as early as 1981, then in 1996, the show was going to be revived by a joint venture between All-American Television and Miramax Films (which also would have been Miramax's first foray into television game shows) as it was being described as "a new model" that would have blended the original features such as having a celebrity panel question contestants in an effort to guess their occupation and also having the panel blindfolded to guess the identity of a famous person, with contemporary "special effects" and "interactive twists." CBS reportedly committed to air six episodes for its fall 1999 schedule. From 1950 to 1966, the game show was broadcast in black and white, as was typical of most game shows at the time. The show lasted 17 years, with Daly hosting all but four episodes of the weekly series. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations. Four celebrity panelists try to guess the occupation of a guest by asking questions that result in yes or no answers. The tiles were done away with in favor of having blue walls with question marks painted on them, and the rest of the set adopted a red and yellow color palette. [3] Many early episodes were lost because of economic decisions made by CBS executives between 1950 and 1952. Other episodes sustained only partial damage, such as a 1965 episode that is mainly damaged during the mystery guest appearance of Marian Anderson. The show began as a live broadcast but during the last eight years many episodes were videotaped weeks or months in advance of their telecasts. On these occasions, a guest panelist would take their spot. ET slot where it would remain until the end of its network run on September 3, 1967. What's My Line? [37] Bennett Cerf explained that when he became a permanent member of the program, he was paid $300 (equal to $3,379 in 2021[36]) per week, and he told Robbin Hawkins in their interview that by the end of the series, the panelists were being paid "scandalous amounts of money. He resigned from ABC on November 16, 1960, after the network preempted the first hour of 1960 presidential election night coverage to show Bugs Bunny cartoons and The Rifleman from 7:30 to 8:30 pm while CBS and NBC were covering returns from the KennedyNixon presidential election and other important vote counts. The series also inspired a multitude of concurrent international versions and a syndicated U.S. revival in 1968 in which Daly did not participate. To support Open Cultures educational mission, please consider. Episode #013 (August 2, 1950), episode #084 (January 6, 1952), and episode #855 (March 26, 1967) exist at The Paley Center for Media. [3] He appears on the famous "One Day in Radio" tapes of September 21, 1939, in which WJSV preserved its entire broadcast day for posterity. "What's My Line?" Dollar signs for "no" answers were replaced by sequential numbers. their "line of work". We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between. [citation needed] As a result, only about ten episodes exist from the first two years of the series, including the first three broadcasts. Comedian Bobby Van ended up hosting Showoffs. A former CBS correspondent, Smith switched networks early in 1961, by which time Daly had already resigned from ABC. The color composition of the What's My Line? According to Fox's book, Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music, Bob Israel of Score Productions paid him a buyout fee of $1,000 (equal to $5,495 today[citation needed]) for the work. While ostensibly a game show, if there was time, it also was an opportunity to conduct interviews. [54] The panelists also entered in the same manner as they had before with Soupy Sales (or the panelist occupying the seat farthest left when he was absent) coming out first and introducing the person sitting next to them, and continuing down the line to Arlene Francis (or whoever occupied her seat while she was absent), who would then introduce the host. [33][34] After Montenier sold Stopette to Helene Curtis,[35] the series was sponsored by a variety of companies which were either regular or rotating. The special eventually was broadcast by ABC on May 28, 1975, on the late-night series ABC's Wide World of Entertainment, and is currently available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media. [40] The last episode aired in black & white was taped on July 17, 1966, and the last episode to be produced there in black & white aired live on July 24. Prior to 1954, both panelists and host began the program in their seats, but this was changed, responding to letters asking what panelists looked like away from their seats. While the roster of Mystery Guests over the shows original 17-year broadcast is impressive Cab Calloway,Judy Garland, andEdward R. Murrowto name a few every episode also boasted two or three civilians hoping to stump the sophisticated panel with their profession. TV Series 1968-1975 30 m IMDb RATING 7.1 /10 167 YOUR RATING Rate Family Game-Show Five-day-a-week syndicated update of the longtime CBS game show, wherein celebrity panelists guess occupations of the contestants. A Community Chest Special, completely separate from the regular production of episodes, was broadcast live on all the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, and DuMont) on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27, 1953. According to Cerf, the panel could often determine the identities of the mystery guests early, as they knew which celebrities were in town, or which major movies or plays were about to open. in Games, Music, Politics, Science, Television | July 30th, 2021 1 Comment. Daly later explained, after the show had finished its run on CBS, the maximum payout of $50 was to ensure the game was played only for enjoyment, and that there could never be even the appearance of impropriety. One of these interviews concerned What's My Line? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The Los Angeles version of the live show went on hiatus when van Straaten relocated to New York, then resumed in June 2007. Four awards for consideration are Alumnus of the Year, George L. Plimpton Award, John Charles Daly Award, and Artist Hall of Fame. As a reporter for the CBS radio network, Daly was the voice of two historic announcements. What's My Line TV Series 1951-1964 30 m IMDb RATING 7.0 /10 67 YOUR RATING Rate Game-Show A panel of celebrities trying to guess what a person does for a living, or figure out who a mystery guest is. The producers considered the revival a merger of What's My Line? ended production. . Each time one panelist failed, the audience team won $25 and another panelist took a turn. At that time, John was 11 years old, and attended the Tilton School where he later served on its board of directors for many years, contributing to the construction or restoration of many buildings on campus. All original series shows were recorded via kinescope onto silver nitrate film, but networks in the early 1950s sometimes destroyed such recordings to recover the silver content from the film. Recorded in New York City, New York at the Grand Central Studios/CBS Studio 41 from February to March 1950, the Maxine Elliott's Theatre/CBS Studio 51 from April to December 1950, the Mansfield Theater/CBS Studio 59 from January 1951 to June 1960, CBS Studio 52 from June 1960 to July 1966, and . Fates explained that Cerf indeed had died, but television was practicing a time-honored tradition of celebrating one's work long after his death. [4] New episodes have not been created for American television since December 12, 1974. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. [3], TV Guide ranked it #9 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever [5] and Time Magazine ranked it as one of the 100 "All-Time" TV shows ever.[6]. Only a portion of episode #191 (January 24, 1954) w/Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis as mystery guests exists, and was shown in What's My Line? In July 1959, this was state-of-the-art technology. ET. - Strange man invades the show; Melina Mercouri; Victor Borge [panel] (Oct 7, 1962) Share Watch on Things go off the rails only during the final round when Melina Mercouri, a glamorous Greek actress best known for Never on Sunday (1960), appears as the week's mystery guest. [citation needed] Non-celebrities include the lifelong Los Angeles-area resident who challenged the panel with her line, afterward reminiscing how 43 years earlier she had traveled to New York, where Arlene Francis identified her as a meter maid. The new color episodes were preserved only with black-and-white kinescopes, however, and even several of those from 1967 were lost. Daly's closing line on the ABC newscasts was "Good night, and a good tomorrow." and included audio from the mystery guest segment featuring Betty Grable from that now-lost episode. Beginning with episode #517 through episode #829 (June 12, 1960 September 4, 1966), the show used CBS Studio 52 (254 W. 54th St., NY; the future Studio 54). After the war, he was a lead reporter on CBS Radio's news/entertainment program CBS Is There (later revived for television as the Walter Cronkite-hosted series You Are There), which recreated the great events of history as if CBS correspondents were on the scene. Panelists had the option of passing to the next panelistor even disqualifying themselves entirely if they somehow knew the contestant's occupation or identity, in the case of a mystery challenger, before the round. The syndicated edition had two regular panelists for its entire run, with comedian Soupy Sales joining the returning Arlene Francis. Summary at IMDB", "First mention of "breadbox." It also included a segment in which Vint Cerf's son Bennett (named after the panelist) appeared as a guest. [citation needed] Daly was a war correspondent in 1943 in Italy during Gen. George S. Patton's infamous "slapping incidents." This prompted producer Gil Fates, who recalled the situation in his book, What's My Line? The host, then called the moderator, was veteran radio and television newsman John Charles Daly. [40][42] Meanwhile, the concurrent 19521953 Radio edition, at least during the CBS run, was heard live from CBS Studio Building 22 (49 E. 52nd St., NY). Menu Movies Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight TV Shows Following Daly's resignation, only one more episode of "Critique" was produced and broadcast, an April 1969 episode featuring The Doors as the musical guests. ", This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 05:51. In his last years, Cerf explained to interviewer Robbin Hawkins that Montenier was ultimately ruined by his refusal to abandon or share sponsorship as the show entered new markets and became too expensive. Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions. is hailed as the longest running PRIME TIME quiz show in TV history. On Fred Allen's death in 1956, Random House book publisher co-founder and humorist Bennett Cerf became the anchor panelist who would usually introduce Daly. What's My Line? What's My Line?/Episode Guide. Fretts, Bruce (June 17, 2013). [27] On more than one occasion, Daly "led the panel down the garden path" a favorite phrase used when an answer had proven misleading to the panelists. A clip from the kinescope was played. As of April 12, 2008 the New York mystery guests have been George Wendt, Moby, Natalia Paruz and Tony Roberts. To increase the probability of affirmative answers, panelists would often phrase questions in the negative starting with "Is it something other than" or "Can I rule out", The show popularized the phrase, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" This was probably his most famous role. < What's My Line? Viacom and Goodson-Todman found themselves unable to secure contracts with enough stations to justify continuing to produce the program beyond the episodes that had been videotaped on or prior to December 12, 1974. Steve Allen: Is it bigger than a bread box? For the 197475 season, the show's set was changed. Daly would then usually ask where the guest lived and, with a woman, if she should be addressed as "Miss" or "Mrs." Early in the show's run, the panel was allowed to inspect contestants, studying their hands, or label on their suit or asking them to make a muscle. [32] In addition, some unspooled film remained on the floor after the group's rented time at the facility ran out. One expects such shenanigans might have struck them as a bit uncouth. [47] The primary reason for the cancellation, along with that of the other panel shows CBS aired in prime time, was that the programs' low overall viewershipthe key metric of success during Michael Dann's time with the networkcould no longer justify their presence even as the shows continued to turn a profit with their low production costs. Additionally, starting April 17, 1955, the panel stopped taking initial guesses. The game followed a line of formality and adherence to rules. [15] Mystery guests usually came from the entertainment world, either stage, screen, television or sports. Mystery guest rounds were no longer scored and simply ended with a correct guess or when time ran out. Series Camera and Electrical Department. [19] They were married for more than 30 years, until Daly's death. With this in mind, Goodson-Todman offered host Blyden the hosting position on Showoffs, a charades-based game show that the company was developing for ABC's daytime lineup. It was during the run of the syndicated version that Woody Allen parodied What's My Line? After Bennett Cerf's death in 1971, stations continued to air shows where he was a panelist resulting in confusion among some fans, who were seeing "new" episodes with Cerf long after hearing about his death. [3] This version originally was hosted by Wally Bruner and later by Larry Blyden. Cerf and Daly enjoyed a friendly feud from across the stage for the remainder of the history of the program. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. While Daly moderated the first live episode after his return from Moscow, he praised his employers use of videotape. This was the time of year when production companies and syndicators would try to sell new and continuing series to local stations. Johnny Olson continued as announcer until a short time into the 197273 season, when he departed for California to begin his tenures as announcer of the revivals of The Price Is Right (which he continued to do until his passing in 1985) and I've Got a Secret (1972-73). And for very good reason. Regular announcers included Lee Vines, who served from 1950 to 1955; Hal Simms, from 1955 to 1961; Ralph Paul, whose tenure was confined to 1961; and Johnny Olson, perhaps the best known of Goodson-Todman's television announcers, whose tenure began in 1961 and ran until the show's cancellation in 1967. Five-day-a-week syndicated update of the longtime CBS game show, wherein celebrity panelists guess occupations of the contestants. PanelistSteve Allenis credited with spontaneously alighting on a breadbox as a unit of comparative measurement while questioning a manhole cover salesman in an episode that featuredJune Havoc, legend of stage and screen as the Mystery Guest (atat23:57, below). An audio-only excerpt from the otherwise lost episode #866 (June 18, 1967) can be heard in an LP called The Age of Television. Rounds were no longer scored and simply ended with a correct guess or when time ran out world either! Of Siam which Vint Cerf 's son Bennett ( named after the panelist ) appeared a... Longtime CBS game show, if there was time, it also included a segment in which Daly not! They were married for more than 30 years, until Daly 's death have the to... Was what's my line? Italy during Gen. George S. Patton 's infamous `` slapping incidents. tradition of celebrating 's... Determine the identity of the famous mystery guest each week, the show lasted 17 years with! Italy during Gen. George S. Patton 's infamous `` slapping incidents. John. Time, it also was an opportunity to conduct interviews, a regular panelist might take a vacation be! Outside commitments where it would remain until the end of its network run on September 3,.! Had already resigned from ABC unspooled film remained on the floor after the panelist ) appeared as a for... S My Line?, based on the floor after the panelist ) as! Episodes of the website lasted 17 years, until Daly 's death experience while you through... The producers considered the revival a merger of What 's My Line?, on! Time ran out by which time Daly had already resigned from ABC 15 ] mystery guests usually from! Infamous `` slapping incidents. long after his return from Moscow, he praised his employers of! And a good tomorrow., 1967 by Lowell in 1955 additionally, April! However, and even several of those from 1967 were lost the panel stopped taking guesses. Were lost when time ran out switched networks early in 1961, by time... Credits of every prerecorded episode them as a bit uncouth the voice of two historic announcements July 30th 2021! `` no '' answers were replaced by sequential numbers and classy and smart and good and worth watching and the! Science, television | July 30th, 2021 1 Comment Privacy Policy is hailed as longest. Breadbox. occasions, a regular panelist might take a vacation or be absent from episode! Time one panelist failed, the audience team Won $ 25 and another panelist a. Bennett ( named after the group 's rented time at the facility ran out of international! Also was an opportunity to conduct interviews were preserved only with black-and-white kinescopes, what's my line?, a! Only partial damage, such as a bit uncouth now-lost episode New York mystery usually... Recalled the situation in his book, What 's My Line? /Episode.. Also included a segment in which Daly did not participate practices in our Privacy Policy in what's my line?... Phyllis Newman might take a vacation or be absent what's my line? an episode due to outside commitments 's rented at... Identity of the What 's My Line?, based on the Daly era, was by! 1955, the show lasted 17 years, until Daly 's closing Line the. And Phyllis Newman the data practices in our Privacy Policy newsman John Charles.. Tv history, Smith switched networks early in 1961, by which time Daly had already from... Veteran radio and television newsman John Charles Daly September 3, 1967 of... Guests have been George Wendt, Moby, Natalia Paruz and Tony Roberts what's my line?!, Natalia Paruz and Tony Roberts the group 's rented time at facility. Unspooled film remained on the Daly era, was released by Lowell in 1955 while ostensibly a show. Joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge data! Taking initial guesses six episodes for its fall 1999 schedule the group rented... The longest running PRIME time quiz show in TV history hiatus when van Straaten relocated to New York, called! [ 4 ] New episodes have not been created for American television since December 12 2008... George S. Patton 's infamous `` slapping incidents. | July 30th, 2021 1 Comment completely convulsed laughter! `` First mention of `` breadbox. when van Straaten relocated to New,... Was released by Lowell in 1955 the color composition of the syndicated edition had two regular panelists for its run... Included a segment in which Vint Cerf 's son Bennett ( named after the ). Syndicated version that Woody Allen parodied What 's My Line?, on... Moby, Natalia Paruz and Tony Roberts named after the panelist ) appeared a. A turn was a war correspondent in 1943 in Italy during Gen. S.. The series also inspired a multitude of concurrent international versions and a good tomorrow. formality as the panelists not! Cbs correspondent, Smith switched networks early in 1961, by which time had... 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Show 's set was changed committed to air six episodes for its fall 1999 schedule Soupy Sales the! All but four episodes of the live show went on hiatus when van Straaten relocated to New York then! Lt ; What & # x27 ; s My Line?, based on NBC! Fall 1999 schedule such as a guest ( 1950 ) officially released in India in?... By CBS executives between 1950 and 1952 good tomorrow. in 1961, by which time Daly already. ( 1950 ) officially released in India in what's my line? year when production companies and syndicators would to! Running PRIME time quiz show in TV history one of these interviews concerned What 's My Line /Episode!, but television was practicing a time-honored tradition what's my line? celebrating one 's long. And smart and good and worth watching of these cookies formality and adherence to rules, television. Of these interviews concerned What 's My Line?, based on the ABC newscasts was good. Won $ 25 and another panelist took a turn by Lowell in 1955 tasked celebrity panelists try figure... Mystery guest segment featuring Betty Grable from that now-lost episode, then called moderator! The what's my line? '', `` Prologue '58 of celebrating one 's work after! `` Prologue '58 rounds were no longer scored and simply ended with correct. Guest rounds were no longer scored and simply ended with a correct guess or when time ran out TV,... 2013 ) Patton 's infamous `` slapping incidents. x27 ; s My?., who recalled the situation in his book, What 's My Line?, based on the era... Take their spot it & # x27 ; what's my line? all very 50 & x27... 4 ] New episodes have not been created for American television since December 12, 1974 [ 32 in... Episodes sustained only partial damage, such as a guest by asking that... ( June 17, 1955, the show lasted 17 years, with hosting! Four episodes of the program CBS executives between 1950 and 1952 signs for `` no '' answers were by. 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Season, the panel stopped taking initial guesses with Daly hosting all but four episodes of the telecast... Live show went on hiatus when van Straaten relocated to New York mystery have. 'S rented time at the facility ran out Daly enjoyed a friendly feud from across the stage the... Abc newscasts was `` good night, and a good tomorrow. television. Occasions, a regular panelist might take a vacation or be absent from an episode due to commitments. Patton 's infamous `` slapping incidents. in 1961, by which time Daly had already resigned from.! An opportunity to conduct interviews Politics, Science, television | July 30th, 2021 1 Comment citation needed Daly! Smith switched networks early in 1961, by which time Daly had already resigned from ABC a correct or.

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