To Tell the Truth - Roger Maris's wife; PANEL: Dina Merrill, Johnny Carson (Oct 2, 1961)

PANEL: Tom Poston, Dina Merrill, Johnny Carson, Kitty Carlisle
CONTESTANT #1: Pat Maris (Roger Maris's wife)
CONTESTANT #2: Willie Krause (Mail carrier & male stunt double for Gina Lollobrigida)
CONTESTANT #3: Jeffrey Ford (Horse racing school owner & author)
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/ @totellthetruthcbs4220

[@markkrauklis8294]

I am 70 years old. I saw Roger Maris play with the Yankees when they would come to Chicago to play the White Sox. In 1968 I saw Roger play in the World Series in St. Louis; Cardinals.v. Tigers. Roger was a hell of a defensive player as well as a home run hitter. HE DESERVES TO BE IN THE HALL OF FAME!!!

[@josephalvarez4131]

Roger Maris has been ripped off not being in the Hall of Fame. He hit 61 held the record for 38 years and then was beaten by a steroid Mark Mcguire. Baseball do the right thing put Roger Maris in the hall of fame. God rest his soul!!

[@joeambrose3260]

With all due respect, Maris is not a hall of famer. Excellent player with 2 great seasons but that's not enuf for the H of F. Look up the stats of Albert Belle, that's what I'm talking about

[@noaharbo9753]

The reason he's not a hall of famer is because the rest of his career wasn't as dominant. While he had a couple of the best seasons ever seen from a hitter and was always a good fielder, it's not something he sustained through his whole career. He has a WAR of 38.2 and 1325 hits and 275 home runs. Very greatcareer but not strong enough for a HoF induction.

[@kentduryea1741]

@@noaharbo9753 It's called the Hall of FAME. Fame means what? Known for an outstanding accomplishment. That's what it means. Roger Maris is famous for doing what many thought impossible... beating the Babe at his own game-- the greatest home run season of all time in 1961. I rest my case. Roger Maris belongs.

[@kentduryea1741]

@@joeambrose3260 @Noah Arbo It's called the Hall of FAME. Fame means what? Known for an outstanding accomplishment. That's what it means. Roger Maris is famous for doing what many thought impossible... beating the Babe at his own game-- the greatest home run season of all time in 1961. I rest my case. Roger Maris belongs.

[@writereducator]

Notice the gentleman posing as RM's father helped the ladies take their seats by holding their chairs and then pushing them in.

[@waynej2608]

@Troll Mctrollerson That's a very broad generalization. I lean to the left, and I think it's appropriate to do this for the ladies. I think it's probably more of a generational thing, than anything else.

[@waynej2608]

@Troll Mctrollerson Horseshit. ...that is, I think I disagree.

[@kenyongray2615]

Johnny Carson was very disruptive this episode for some reason. Did you notice the manners of the gentlemen in game 1? Roger Maris won his 2nd MVP award for his performance in 1961 where he of course broke Babe Ruth's record. He was a fine all-around player who did not get much credit for his play in rightfield. He had a great arm. He had 3 great seasons in a row and then his performance went down. He was no doubt helped by having Mickey Mangle batting behind him but like I wrote earlier he was a fine all-around player. Thanks for the video.

[@johnmcconnell9979]

I just saw this for the first time. My grandfather played Roger Maris' father. I wonder if my other grandfather knew, as he was a huge Yankees fan!

[@karendarnall1243]

I have to LOL...the contestants receive a carton of Salem’s for appearing! How times they have changed!

[@donreed]

See what happens when Bud offers a carton to my father! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJW4nmOJpp1kf7s

[@Lava1964]

Those damn things killed Johnny Carson.

[@luvrmusic1]

@@Lava1964 Wrong. Johnny quit smoking in the 80's, he died approximately 20 years After quitting. People, smoking isn't healthy, but neither is drinking or smoking weed, knock off your self righteous comments.

[@rentslave]

@@luvrmusic1 You are not required to partake in any of those three.

[@MrKTVM]

Roger Maris was born in Hibbing, Minnesota. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Indians.

[@joeambrose3260]

I thought that was Robert Zimmerman

[@dadpool0077]

He died in Houston Tx

[@kevinkurtz9889]

He grew up and went to high school in Fargo, ND.

[@rustyshepperd]

Johnny Carson's wit was very quick and underrated. He was sharp, and to this day I miss his show. The new guys aren't close to his show.

[@sean2015]

I've always been amazed that someone who was as shy and private as Carson possessed such a sharp mind and quick wit

[@waynej2608]

Yep, Carson's wit is legendary.

[@waldolydecker8118]

unfortunately, as far as the subject matter at hand is concerned, Carson was too busy acting a clown instead of asking questions of the mystery guests like he was supposed to do. His remarks here are stupid, not "witty." Claiming he "knew no more about baseball than he did about the mafia" is not witty; its idiotic, and scantly humorous - even if it was actually true, given his work in the entertainment industry. Tom Poston summed it up perfectly in his comments as he voted.

[@cameroncarollo4071]

Underrated? He still called the best by pretty much every late night host

[@rustyshepperd]

@@cameroncarollo4071 I said his wit. Obviously he wasn't underrated. Most people talk about his ability to interview and how he was able to make his guests comfortable, but his ability to come up with a quick line was what I was talking about. Some people are only funny with the lines written for them.

[@walkingtrails7776]

Tom Piston comment about why he chose the Pat Maris was absolutely hilarious! thanks for posting.. I needed a good laugh!

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jettrink7510]

We lived down the street from the Maria's during that time in Independence, Mo.

[@SDG.12]

Art Devlin!!!!! such a jovial personality and humble too. he was an Olympic skier and a WW2 bomber!!!!!!!!!!!

[@epaddon]

Also owned a motel in Lake Placid that is still around.

[@kentduryea1741]

It's called the Hall of FAME. Fame means what? Known for an outstanding accomplishment. That's what it means. Roger Maris is famous for doing what many thought impossible... beating the Babe at his own game-- the greatest home run season of all time in 1961. I rest my case. Roger Maris belongs.

[@grdn02100]

The great Roger Maris is a Minnesota boy!

[@waynethayer5127]

Its nice to know they treated her better then they treated him.

[@GGE47]

I never heard of Roger Maris until 1960 when he played in an exhibition game I attended at age 12 against their AAA farm club the Richmond Virginians in April of 1960.Roger Maris did hit a homerun in that game and so did Mickey Mantle. Homeruns were hit all over the place as the Yankees defeated the Virginians 15-10.He did hit 39 homeruns in 1960 and Mickey Mantel hit 40 winning the homerun title in the American League. This was the day after Maris hit no. 61 in 1961. To me this is still the record and Hank Aaron hit a lifetime number of homeruns with 755. .I don't recognize the steroid era. I did see Hank Aaron hit two homeruns against the St. Louis Cardinals in Atlanta in 1973.

[@GGE47]

I might add that the Yankees got Maris in a trade with the then Kansas City Athletics. He didn't play in the Yankees' farm system or I would have seen him.

[@joeambrose3260]

Ok. Now what ?

[@GGE47]

@@joeambrose3260 I don't even watch baseball anymore. Multiple divisions and wild cards is just not baseball. The games drag on at a snails pace and gets so boring.

[@joeambrose3260]

@@GGE47 Ditto

[@jamesanthony5681]

The press gave Maris such a hard time in New York, so much so that his hair began to fall out due to the stress of playing for the Yankees. Mickey Mantle tried telling him to relax and not let it bother him, but Roger did not handle it all that well.

[@woodykelleher9253]

61* was hit 60 years ago today! That was a while ago. RIP Roger Maris!

[@JayTemple]

I first saw this episode as part of GSN's tribute to Johnny Carson after his passing. I remember the intro, and I wish you hadn't spoiled the first game in the title.

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

+JayTemple Sorry, but it's more important to me that people who have an interest in the subject area-- in this case Roger Maris-- would be able to find the video than it ts to avoid spoiling one round of a 60 year game show episode. I try to avoid spoiling anything. I defy you to find a prior video where this has ever been an issue. I couldn't come up with anything better than this that would be short enough to fit within the text limit KZbin imposes.

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

+JayTemple And you're welcome.

[@JayTemple]

Don't get me wrong. I love that you post these. But "Roger Maris' relative" would have done the job.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

@@donreed Actually, Jay is right. If "relative" was written instead of "wife," in the description, that would have served the purpose that the TTTT administrator stated in his response.

[@donreed]

@@Walterwhiterocks Upon your advice, I withdraw my comment [Deleted] and regret having written it.

[@kristabrewer9363]

UM, you call this a surprise? I didn't even bother WATCHING the first one (there was no point). You SAID that it Roger Maris's wife (that gave it away and was a real disappointment ☹️)

[@Dubyular]

In this day and age they would know every detail about Roger

[@IPlayOneOnT.V.]

I love this show.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

6:39 I think Kitty was half blind.

[@mckman6700]

Dina Merrill was so beautiful and down to earth. See children there really was such a thing as good breeding back in the days when our betters really were better and were admired for it.

[@sandy3482]

" Fastball, there it is, this could be it, way back there, Holy Cow" 61 for Maris" Phil Rizzuto, Oct 1, 1961

[@edwardvogel9094]

I can't believe Art Devlin, Willie Krause #3, wasn't an actor in his own right.

[@rosemarymagrino772]

Now Roger Maris has some company! #99

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

This show sure didnt land Johnny the Tonight Show gig🙄

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Join our Facebook group for TTTT-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/718020231652577/ To stay up to date with postings, please consider supporting the TTTT channel by subscribing. The TTTT channel will feature all available episodes of the nighttime CBS series that ran from 1956 to 1967, with a new show posted every weekday in original broadcast order. You'll also find a collection of the Bud Collyer-hosted era of "Beat the Clock"! Click here to subscribe: kzbin.info/door/ZkBUfTQ_tmKAlUV_sQqrTQ

[@gbrumburgh]

Second group of contestants: Arthur "Art" Donovan Devlin (September 7, 1922 - April 22, 2004) was an American ski jumper who competed during the 1950s. A native of Lake Placid, New York, he finished fifth in the individual large hill at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships which were held in Lake Placid. Devlin also made five Olympics teams, competing in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics, where he finished 15th and 21st in the individual large hills, respectively.

[@rogererickson2309]

Art Devlin was also the ski jumping analyst at the 1960 and 1964 1968 1976 1980 Winter Olympics and the announcer on the famous agony of defeat clip

[@cynic2all]

I knew the guy in the middle was not the relative, because Roger Maris did not play in the Yankee farm system.

[@jonvater8424]

Johnny was super weird this episode. He's usually very charming, funny and sly, but he went a bit off the track this time. Still, his remark about 1 and 2 doubling for Gina was hysterical...!

[@northwestprof60]

Frankly, he hit his stride when he figured out he was not an interesting person, but he could interview others who WERE interesting. Personally, he is as dumb as a rock. Bragging he knows nothing about baseball?? Who revels in their own stupidity??

[@kenbrown438]

I think Bud knows , but , he also knows how his toast is buttered !!!!

[@Lava1964]

Johnny Carson led a sheltered life. He didn't know baseball nor had he seen My Fair Lady.

[@IPlayOneOnT.V.]

And, what also is true is that Roger Maris was not born in AK, but in MN.

[@kimkelly5512]

Carson was magnificent!

[@tomitstube]

both roger maris and mickey mantle got scholarships to play football at oklahoma u. (both had brief stays in norman, they weren't there together) maris had a sick brother in north dakota and left, mickey mantle got hurt playing football and started playing semi-pro baseball in kansas.

[@huskyjerk]

I would have voted for the man who was posing as Maris' dad because he knew that Maris had hit 39 HR's the year before. Not many would know that stat. But he did.

[@waldolydecker8118]

The problem was, nobody on the panel knew Maris hit 39 HR's the year before, so contestant #2's correct answer garnered him no value.

[@Gravydog316]

You should change the title, you spoiled the surprise of who Pat Maris is...

[@georgimihailov4906]

Agreed. They should have used the mail carrier who doubled for Gina Lollobrigida as the title.

[@loissimmons6558]

It could simply be changed to Roger Maris's relative. I also think the title is a spoiler, but fortunately the impostors gave wrong answers that were obvious to me as a baseball fan. I knew that Maris did not start baseball in the Yankees organization (started with the Indians, also his first major league team) and that he wasn't born anywhere near Arkansas (born in Minnesota, raised in Fargo, ND). The wife may have been off on the number of home runs, but that was a less egregious error as she was only off by one. (The one who got it right was still wrong because he said it occurred in the minor leagues. The most he hit in a minor league season was 32.) It is true that he was a great HS football player. He still holds the national record for returning kickoffs for touchdowns: 4 in one game. However, Mickey Mantle, while offered a football scholarship by the University of Oklahoma, signed with the Yankees organization as soon as he graduated from high school. Baseball was his and his father's first love and the Yankees wanted him ever since their scout, Tom Greenwade, saw him at age 16 and had to wait for him to graduate. Under the rules at the time, as soon as he signed a pro baseball contract, he became ineligible to play college football.

[@joeambrose3260]

@@loissimmons6558 Thanks for the bedtime story. It worked great !

[@joeambrose3260]

@@georgimihailov4906 Who gives a rat's fanny

[@waynek6590]

@@joeambrose3260 Thanks for two idiotic posts. It's not a legitimate thread until the moronic troll shows up.

[@bufb]

He was my Hero

[@lastexposfan86]

Mine too. I have 61* tattooed on my arm

[@stevenfarnesi9126]

I love the idea of a carton of cigarettes being a game show prize

[@pnull]

They get a carton of cigarettes on their way out. Unbelievable.

[@epaddon]

Had I been a panelist back then, I would have had to disqualify not from recognizing Pat Maris but because I would have already known that Maris had no sister and his father's name was Rudy! These gimmicks of trying to obscure the relationship didn't always work IMO. Johnny Carson's frank admission to knowing nothing about baseball explains a lot to me about why whenever watching a baseball figure on the Tonight Show being interviewed, he never seemed like he was in his element (tennis was Johnny's obsession).

[@bufb]

I knew who she was right away

[@jamesanthony5681]

Not really. I've seen Johnny interview Johnny Bench, Henry Aaron and of course Bob Uecker many times, and he got along with all of them great.

[@epaddon]

@@jamesanthony5681 Yes, but whenever Johnny had a baseball guest (Joe Garagiola) the conversation was always about generic things and seldom to never about the kind of subjects a knowing fan of the game would ask. As host of the Tonight Show he had to be up to speed on who was winning because it could provide fodder for monologue jokes but he was no baseball expert by a longshot. This hilarious clip reveals it when Tommy Newsom and Fred de Cordova showed off *their* expertise as fans to him. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGOWnJetgp2oqJo

[@jamesanthony5681]

@@epaddon Sure. I agree Johnny was not a baseball expert and probably didn't follow the game on a regular basis. His job was to entertain, not delve into some of the arcane aspects of the game. And he did that very well. That's why he had Uecker (especially) and Garagiola on the show, guys that could tell funny stories, with Carson very often acting as the straight man. Johnny Bench could tell a funny story and had a sense of humor. When Uecker made his first appearance on the Tonight Show (1971?), Carson wasn't sure he actually played in the big leagues because Bob was very relaxed and pretty funny in front of the camera.

[@randylovering24]

61 home runs

[@joeambrose3260]

Yeah, now what ?

[@tomitstube]

granted there was no internet in 1961 but any fool could have picked a new york newspaper on oct 2, 1961 and seen a front page story of roger maris hitting number 61 the day before.

[@joeambrose3260]

His wife didn't know he hit 39 in '60, freaky weird

[@Hank13665]

Number 2 was a real gentleman.

[@scootdaws25]

Plus a carton of Salem cigarettes!!

[@antonsmith9788]

scootdaws25: Yikes! 😔

[@huskyjerk]

Roger did hit 39 HR's the year before. The dad was correct. The wife was incorrect. Tom Poston asked that question, got the right answer from the "dad", then chose the "wrong" contestant based on her answer, which turned out to be the right one.

[@alancohen1262]

correct that was funny

[@waldolydecker8118]

Did you watch a different video clip?? Poston didn't ask the question about home runs, Dina Merrill did. Poston also didn't say he voted for contestant #1 "based on her answer to that question." He jokingly said he voted for #1 based on her answer to Johnny Carson's question - it was a clear joke because Carson used his time to tell jokes and never asked a single question.

[@osahju914]

Why the spoiler for the first one?

[@joeambrose3260]

Johnny Carson was a doofus , with respect

[@zippyzipster46]

Pat was a classy lady. They all did great. And they got a carton of free cigarettes. Big spenders back then. Lol.

[@briankooker2627]

The comment about being loaded is somewhat disturbing now that we know about Johnny Carson's unfortunate drinking problem.

[@willdrucker4291]

Hahaha....Carson's comment regarding "knowing less about baseball than THE MAFIA"....this was clearly in reference to his ties with his close friend Frank Sinatra...

[@taofanarchy96-renzomaracas14]

My Psycologist: “All dreams have his meaning.” My Dreams: 16:06

[@bornyesterday21]

Tom Poston didn't know the identity of the real Don Drysdale .. I think Kitty Carlisle had to clue him in on Roger Maris.

[@gabe-po9yi]

I didn’t get Johnny’s joke about #1 and #2 being able to double for Gina Lollobrigida. Anybody help me out here?

[@a98cer]

The guys' bald heads sort of made Johnny think of Gina Lollobrigida's outstanding attributes.

[@gabe-po9yi]

a98cer Ah, okay. I would’ve never gotten that. Thanks!

[@jeremyhall7951]

The scene at 1:47 gives it away. The man ignored one lady to give another lady a professional and somewhat personal curtesy of drawing in her chair. Showing his knowledge that she was indeed the real "MVP" of the 3. Lol

[@uselessjoe]

and they "all get a carton of cigarettes on the way out."

[@toinimoore3463]

My Mother used tobacco for her roses 🌹 killed bugs nicely 😁

[@waynej2608]

Hey, nobody went home empty handed. Even ballplayers smoked back then. I think Roger Maris did. He smoked 61, in one day! Jk. 😎

[@rochelletidwell3628]

R.I.P. Dina Merrill

[@randylovering24]

to bad Roger Maris himself was not on the show

[@totellthetruthcbs4220]

Nor on WML! Yes, a real shame.

[@epaddon]

Roger had undergone an incredible amount of stress that season when pursuing the record. He was subject to more booing and hate from fans who didn't think he was a worthy player of breaking the record, and to add further insult to injury, the Commissioner of baseball, Ford Frick, who was overly protective of Ruth's record of 60 home runs in 1927 declared during the season that because 1961 was a year when the season had been expanded from 154 to 162 games, then the record had to be broken in 154 games or else it would have an asterisk placed next to it. Maris failed to do it in 154 games as he did it in 162, so there was a stigma in the minds of some about the alleged legitimacy of the record that was nonsense. At any rate, Maris, who had been facing the abuse from the fans and the press all season, I doubt was anxious to make any kind of public appearances after setting the record because he likely would have figured he'd get booed by the audiences. He was in general, a quiet, reserved man from the midwest not used to the spotlight of a big city like New York and he eventually left the Yankees on bitter terms after the 1966 season, not returning for more than a decade when George Steinbrenner reached out to him. By the time of his death in 1985, he had finally been embraced as a Yankee hero.

[@loissimmons6558]

@@totellthetruthcbs4220 Roger could have only appeared on WML as a mystery guest. His picture was in the newspapers so often by October 1961 that even most non-baseball fans probably knew him by sight, making it impossible to put him on TTTT as a contestant.

[@markkrauklis8294]

🥰😍🤩

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Lady #1 in Game #1 Man #1 in Game #2 Man #3 in Game #3

[@osahju914]

Also I didn’t get the joke around 12:30

[@joeambrose3260]

It took me a while but I believe he meant their hairless heads side by side could represent Ginas' rather ample attributes

[@huskyjerk]

@@joeambrose3260 correct

[@joeambrose3260]

Tom Poston. Mr know it all. My least favorite panelist, with respect

[@buckminsterfullerene2149]

Kitty was a cutie. 😍

[@ronflatter1235]

12:27 A very racy line for the time.

[@davidfritz1331]

Gina Lollobrigida just died last week at 95. R.I.P.

[@downtownbobbybrown6237]

Johnny really was a jerk on this show

[@jamesanthony5681]

Johnny? What did he do? Kitty: "As Roger Maris's wife, what is your role in his life?" Really, Kitty??

[@peternagy-im4be]

@@jamesanthony5681 he acted like a jerk as always

[@mzapa]

He's amazing!

[@garywatt4546]

Ninety percent of the people who appeared on this show later went on to develop lung cancer from smoking all their free Salem cigarettes.

[@luvrmusic1]

Where is proof?

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Carson was a great entertainer later on, but probably the worst panelist in TTTT history with the possible exception of Orson Bean. They always played for the laughs and not for getting information.

[@Lava1964]

It's also incredible that Carson knew nothing about baseball. He was a big tennis fan, though.

[@forrestrivers1792]

Hy Gardner, Tom Poston and Betty White were the very best panelists of all time. Johnny, the worst.

[@waynej2608]

@@Lava1964 He also had a penchant for women and booze. 😎

[@waynej2608]

Orson Bean was a trip. Funny guy.

[@kristabrewer9363]

@@forrestrivers1792 NOBODY is gonna call Betty White a bad panelist lol