Jean Desmond, Girdle Tester on "What's My Line?"

Miss Desmond has a great Lawn Guyland accent. (Janet Leigh will appear in a separate post.)

[@tea4ular]

That's my Grandmother!! She wrote a great book "Look Back and Laugh; Confessions of a Teen in the Thirties" - she died July 24, 2008. Loved by many. This was filmed when she was just starting in her career. She was a well-known "underfashions" model and even modeled the first diamond studded corset that had a worth of $1 million (looong before Victoria's Secret).

[@bannedheretic2971]

How lucky you are to have this record of your grandmother.

[@salemsalem1440]

You're grandmother was a beautiful woman! I would have loved her as my grandmother!

[@moltderenou]

Very smart and articulate lady !

[@icturner23]

She seems to have had a great personality. So many guests just meekly say yes or no and Daly ends up taking over. But I don’t understand the book title. She can’t have been a teen in the 1930s, surely? Is it a different ‘Thirties’?

[@terrymichaels3744]

@@icturner23 thank you for your note, my grandmother was born in 1919...indeed a teenager in the 1930s - she was 34 at the time of this show recording.

[@calalilygirl]

The 50's seemed like such a heavenly decade.

[@englicanme]

I'm 23 and I've been watching clips of the show over the course of a week now (I'm still a bit behind) but I know one thing for sure: I wish I could go back in time and be on this show just to have a conference with Mr. Daly. I think he's absolutely adorable :)

[@roots66]

Wow! Thanks "a million" for sharing her background with us!!!

[@calalilygirl]

Too bad this show would never work today. An era never to return. These clips are gems.

[@khtx]

Thank you so much for posting all these funny clips. I thought I´ve watched all :O)

[@TheCheryl99]

Just saw her play on Card Sharks with Jim Perry as the host!

[@calalilygirl]

@gkiltz0 I think it was, even into the sixties. I appreciate your take on the 50's. I wasn't there, bit WAS there in the 70's and I appreciate that you've said they were like the 70's. Never would have thought there were any similarities. I actually did love the 70's, so maybe I experienced a feel for the 50's and didn't know it! Love watching these clips and this show in general.

[@miketheyunggod2534]

She is very attractive.

[@tea4ular]

@silence3694 One of the tens of thousands. She was an amazing woman, way ahead of her time in all ways.

[@tjbnyc76]

She was utterly delightful! A real Roz Russell type.

[@m.e.d.7997]

These shows relax me

[@tea4ular]

@SOLE2SOUL - It was April 4, 1954.

[@ole9421]

Ah, thanks. I rewatched it and realized she said where she was from at the beginning. Obviously I missed it the first time around.

[@FergusMcDopey]

I grew up right next to Hewlett! LI accents all the way!

[@a_days_journey]

@tea4ular That is really fantastic! This must be a great memoria of your grandmother, then.

[@gkiltz0]

@tea4ular In 1954, a girdlewas pretty much standard "Girl Gear"

[@TheBatugan77]

Dorothy asked if she inspected them. That should've ended the game. Inspecting = Testing.

[@Torihappyness]

Indeed. Semantics is difficult 😅

[@13loomisst]

It was curious . . . I was wondering why you mentioned the Lawn Guyland accent, as for a few minutes I could hear nothing. Then Miss Desmond lets loose with the "temperature" bomb. Thanks very much,

[@ole9421]

Ha! I got to admit I did not expect that voice with her innocent girlish look. Is that a NY bronx accent?

[@calalilygirl]

She really did to what she did to them before they go on sale.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Long Island.

[@jeffburnham6611]

I guess one could argue that she does inspect the girdles if she wears them and washes them to see what's wrong with them before the customers get to buy the finished product.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Her test was more for fit and comfort but yes you do have a good point

[@gkiltz0]

@calalilygirl Until you take a deeper look!! Sorta like the 1970s

[@fashionhistorylover]

@tea4ular Did she continue to wear a girdle for life?

[@Richcelt]

Girdle beta tester!! LOL!

[@marthafarquar]

So that's what Howard Wolowitz's mom used to look like!

[@calalilygirl]

@tjbnyc76 Yes, very confident woman.

[@tea4ular]

@fashionhistorylover She did not. She didn't need to, she always had a lovely figure.

[@mistiinseattle]

She said "models" -- not "bottles' :)

[@michaelnaisbitt1590]

just love johns conferences with the pretty girls today it is an affront to call a girl pretty heavens to betsy feminism cries

[@Celisar1]

How on earth could you make a living of THAT? I am a bit envious that even the tinniest jobs were enough to provide for at least one person whereas today many people struggle working hard in one or even two full time jobs.

[@calalilygirl]

Inspect was pretty close to test them really.

[@calalilygirl]

She didn't do it to the actual one but pretty darn close IMO. They really were at the end anyway.

[@gkiltz0]

@calalilygirl I don't remember the 1950s. I was born during Eisenhower's second therm. I grew up in the suburbs of a major city in the 1970s. Even those who lived them were sooooo glad when they were finally OVER!! the end of Vietnam, the oil embargo, the worst president of the 20th century!!! And nothing positive to focus on. When I was in high school, many girls still wore panty girdles under their jeans. Often the leg bands showed through.

[@m.e.d.7997]

I remember that. I think they found out they were injurious to the body being too restrictive

[@bullss21]

@calalilygirl It was the last decade before America lost her innocence. World opinion changed in the 60's. And yes, America did lose her innocence in the 60's. So did her people.

[@tea4ular]

roots: if you send me your e-mail, I'll forward a pdf of the last story she wrote before she died (she wrote constantly). It was written in Feb 2008. I promise not to spam you.

[@bneale]

Jeez, Daley was creepy getting in a little too close with the pretty contestants.

[@johnmh1000]

He did it all the time!

[@m.e.d.7997]

Relax. It was a different era. I never found him to be a creep at all. Men and women interacted differently

[@TheBatugan77]

Lighten up, bdweasel.

[@tea4ular]

No she didn't. She had a lovely figure right up until her last days though. She died July 25, 2008.

[@m.e.d.7997]

I bet she watched her diet with a body like that.

[@lindawild6568]

The panel is so funny and way off base!