What's My Line? - Danny Kaye; Abraham Ribicoff; PANEL: Martin Gabel, Sue Oakland (Oct 2, 1966)

MYSTERY GUEST: Danny Kaye; Abraham Ribicoff
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Martin Gabel, Sue Oakland, Bennett Cerf
NOTE: This show is abnormally short, but no footage is thought to be missing. The unusual program length is noted in Gil Fates's production records (as referenced in the notes for this episode over at tv.com). Closing credits added from an older rerun pre-GSN-credit-crunching.
Many thanks to Steve M. Russo for providing this episode in much higher quality than the version I had previously. Folks interested in high quality, well packaged, well-edited DVDs of WML (and other game shows) can contact him directly for more information at [e-mail].
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[@dariawells7438]

It would've been funny to have Danny Kaye on twice on this episode and see if the panel could tell.

[@leannsherman6723]

Yes! 😂

[@allenjones3130]

Danny Kaye was the original wild and crazy guy! May he rest in peace.

[@Orrma]

I always love the little chats they have after the round with the mystery guest. I could watch/listen to them all night.

[@hizgrase]

Same.

[@leannsherman6723]

I do!

[@bbgeer]

❤️ Danny Kaye. Legend!

[@scottmiller6495]

Danny Kaye was a tremendous entertainer and gentlemen who was loved by millions of people Period!!!!!

[@Baskerville22]

Danny Kaye wasn't liked by people he worked with. Entertainment Weekly DECEMBER 16, 1994 "Harvey Korman, who was a cast member of Kaye’s variety show told me the nightmare of working with Kaye. Whenever Korman scored a big laugh during the dress rehearsals, Kaye ensured that he stepped on Korman’s lines during the taped performance. Korman told me how Kaye cut down Madeline Kahn’s role on Broadway with him in Richard Rodgers’ Two by Two when she outshone Kaye. Bob Easton, who also was a regular on the variety series called Kaye a monster. He said he was cold, aloof, vindictive and an egomaniac. I heard similar stories from Rosemary Clooney, producer Bob Finkel, comedy writers Hal Kanter and Rocky Kalish, television director Norman Abbott and others. The horror stories were always the same."

[@scottmiller6495]

@@Baskerville22 Many of these people were difficult but extremely talented just like Jerry Lewis who people recently have talked very I'll of him as well! Regardless of all this these Entertainers from the past were high and above most actors and actresses we have today!

[@Baskerville22]

@@scottmiller6495 Possibly true.....but let's not use the "aren't they all" excuse to pardon the likes of Kaye and Lewis who bullied those lesser talents, almost as though it was a prerogative of being the major stars.

[@scottmiller6495]

@@Baskerville22 I guess but they've been dead for years and their contributions to the industry was great and notible!!!!!

[@RonGerstein]

He died of blood poisoning when given HIV blood during a hospital transfusion.

[@JakeMabe1]

I just love Danny Kaye. So funny. Part of that great generation of multi-faceted entertainers. I truly do miss him and his peers very, very much. Thank God we've got "What's My Line?" and other YT clips to help us navigate the choppy waters of the 21st century.

[@tylsimys67]

+Jake Mabe What I've "heard" Kaye was in private a real asshole, mocking his peers etc.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Why is it necessary to leave such a totally negative response to such a nice, positive comment? Especially when you're basing it merely on what you've "heard"? Most people have positive and negative qualities, including beloved performers.

[@danielfronc4304]

tylsimys67 Everyone has a right to a private life and their own opinion, check the Bill of Rights. The important point is that he was extremely talented as a comedian and made so many happy. I loved watching him growing up

[@stuartjohnson5686]

“Most of the successful people in Hollywood are failures as human beings.” ― Marlon Brando

[@jmason3904]

tylsimys67 ...How about some concrete proof , Please🤔 🙏?....... Sources?🤔🙄😒😕😐..🤔....🤓. ...🕵🔎🔬💡📃🙅📃🗣💭📹👀🎥📞🎙📷🕶💼🍀🍀🍀🌸🌻🌷🌼🌹💐🕊🌫🌫🌫🌐☕🍲☕🍲🍀🌴👍👍✌✨✨✨🙂😃. (§). ⛅🌥🌦🌧🌦⛅🌤☀🌞🌝🌐😃

[@leannsherman6723]

Senator Ribicoff was a nice looking man and seemed to be a dignified, kind man as well. When I lived in Connecticut in the 90s and early 2000s, I remember hearing only good things about him.

[@graceleblanc4374]

Sue Oakland is adorable! There’s no replacing Dorothy, but Sue is such a sweetheart

[@drumbum3.142]

She's Also Beautiful if not Gorgeous. I've Rarely Seen a Face, "be able to" Light Up in/with such a Gorgeous Radiance and Smile as Hers. 🎨🎨🎨

[@oldwestguy]

Such a talent was Danny Kaye. "Are you a comedien?" "Yes." onlly begins to describe the performing capabilities of Mr. Kate. There was nothing in the entertainment industry he didn't excel at.

[@elizaheathen]

absolutely adore Danny Kaye

[@Beson-SE]

Danny Kaye did indeed have a Chinese kitchen at his home. He cooked Chinese food for the Swedish King when he visited the US in the 80s. 6:55

[@scotnick59]

Danny! such an original comic genius was he

[@danielfronc4304]

I watched WML as a precocious young child and I just loved (yes, like others here adored him) Danny Kaye. I was only 4 - 8 years old but found him so entertaining. Hearsay evidence being non-admissible in court for a good reason - so much for the negative comments. I just really enjoyed his demeanor and style of comedy ie.his entertainerment. I still miss him.

[@hizgrase]

Still have an album we had as kids with thumbelina and wonderful Copenhagen …

[@deborahstancil4041]

Great man loved watching him.

[@soulierinvestments]

Yeah, whoever mentioned it yesterday is right. Now that CBS has gone color, now that Bonwit-Teller gets a plug for providing Arlene's gowns, she tends to come in full scale with a flourish. She looks fab even in BandW.

[@pukulu]

This show was done just a few days before the 1966 World Series. The Baltimore Orioles, with triple crown winner Frank Robinson and a great pitching staff, swept the Dodgers 4 games to zero. Koufax retired after the series as well.

[@RonGerstein]

WHO CARES NO BASEBALL PLAYERS ON THIS EPISODE.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

This episode had only one contestant who was not a mystery guest. *_CHIMPANZEE TRAINER_*

[@soulierinvestments]

Abraham Ribbicoff, Democratic Senator of Connecticut. For about a year and a half, he was one of President Kennedy's cabinet secretaries; then in 1962 Connecticut elected him to the Senate. In 1966, he was only so-so popular in Connecticut where the Democratic Party was in at least a couple of factions. It was not a party or state easy to please. At the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, on the night of the police rioted against the protestors -- and that is exactly that way that situation should be worded -- he nominated George McGovern for the presidency. In that nomination speech he found a way to stare right down at Mayor Daley and accuse him of gestapo tactics. Daley went purple with rage (it was broadcast in color) and called him a name that he later claimed he never used. Abraham's act had its element of calculation, but it worked. Connecticut reelected him big in 1968.

[@Beson-SE]

Daley called him "a f****r" but later said he called him "a faker".

[@soulierinvestments]

That pushed credibility even by the standards of Chicago City Hall. As W G W noted on WML-Facebook, he meant that Ribicoff was a Hindu aesthete.

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments I deny everything!

[@soulierinvestments]

Another line from Chicago City Hall.

[@tomservo56954]

Supposedly Daley gave him the finger in front of the cameras....

[@bettycogswell9851]

It's a shame there's no Dorothy...

[@peternagy-im4be]

She was unable to appear on this show.

[@bettycogswell9851]

@@peternagy-im4be yes, she was dead..

[@dinahbrown902]

Thank your government. It’s 2022 and the same party is in Washington and still doing their evil deeds

[@RonGerstein-tf5tp]

Dorothy was found dead in her townhouse in November 1965.

[@stevenginsberg8471]

Danny Kaye was celebrating the Dodgers winning the '66 pennant in this episode. I wonder what he was saying a week later after they got swept by the Orioles 4 games to 0.

[@danielfronc4304]

Steven Ginsberg Yeh, we do love dem O's!

[@tomitstube]

bet all of brooklyn was rooting for the baltimore orioles.

[@adamodeo9320]

I miss Danny Kaye I miss Elizabeth Taylor and Sammy Davis jr - what we have now is just sad

[@no_handle_required]

More talent on this panel on this one show than most of hollywood today.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Arlene asks Senator Ribicoff if he has been elected from "the eastern seaboard or the western seaboard"? Almost like Dorothy's come back to us.😀😀

[@Merrida100]

Even in B&W, you can see these intense tans of theirs coming through!

[@soulierinvestments]

In 1967, my grandmother who lived a mile from me in Orem, UT owned a color TV set. If I had known at age 11 that WML was keeping a visual record, that it would show up again someday but that none of the record would be in color, I would have visited my grandma on Sunday nights at 8:30 p.m. and paid close attention to WML in color. I doubt few people who were still watching WML even considered that a record was being kept, but those who did probably thought it was being saved on color videotape.

[@loissimmons6558]

And sadly in 1966-67, even for those with color TV sets, it was pert near impossible for home viewers to record and preserve these episodes on home equipment based on the technology at that time that would be available to John Q Public.

[@dannydoc1969]

I doubt if any of the flighty celebrities today would even know who their Senator was. Ms. Oakland was quite sharp, surprised, and happy.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Abraham Alexander Ribicoff (April 9, 1910 - February 22, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician. He served in the United States Congress, as the 80th Governor of Connecticut and as President John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. He was Connecticut's first and to date only Jewish governor.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Only Jewish governor for CT? Wow-- that's surprising. Well, somewhat surprising, I guess. . .

[@MrJoeybabe25]

What's My Line? There were a number of Jews in CT. But the state was also known for being a "quota" state. So many Jews for country clubs, colleges, and restricted entirely the entrance of Jews in some areas. Bigotry was hardly the south's monopoly. It was more genteel up north, if that makes it any better.

[@preppysocks209]

@@WhatsMyLine Connecticut has had three Jewish senators -- Ribicoff, Joseph Lieberman, and Richard Blumenthal.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

@gcjerryusc I said "Bigotry was hardly the south's monopoly."

[@martind349]

A very fine swan indeed

[@hizgrase]

Enter…. Sling back shoes on the chimp trainer. Love watching fashions come and go on non syndicated WML.

[@noninoish]

Thank you for the marvelous afternoon with what's my line. I'm not copying i'me only seeing many films for they are funny

[@PaulEcosse]

I love Gilbert Gottfried's story about Danny Kaye and the glass coffee table.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Maybe the show ended early for a five minute election spot. It was in the heat of the 1966 congressional competition. Does anyone know what the show was pre-empted for next week?

[@TheJMascis666]

Being English all that baseball stuff went right over my head.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

And criket goes way over the heads of us Americans! But I'm willing to learn just as long as I can get to England to do it!!!!

[@loissimmons6558]

+TheJMascis666 It's understandable that you wouldn't be familiar with the names of the teams or players. As far as the game itself, baseball is much closer to rounders than it is to cricket. Baseball itself is not totally unknown in the UK. The sport has been played there since 1862, there are national teams for both men and women, it is estimated that about 3000 people currently play the sport in organized leagues there and there is one facility built specifically for baseball. It is located in Farnham Common in Buckinghamshire. For the first time in history, America's Major League Baseball, the top level of the game in North America (and therefore in the world), will be playing regular season games in Europe. This will take place one week from when I am posting this, on June 29 and 30, 2019 at London Stadium (the main venue for the 2012 Olympic Games). The games will be played between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Boston won the championship in 2018 but the Yankees have a better record thus far this year. So the spectators can look forward to seeing some of the best players anywhere and the game being played top notch. It was surprising that these two teams agreed to participate since they have one of the most heated rivalries in the Major Leagues and the Red Sox (designated as the home team for these two games) are undoubtedly giving up sellout crowds in their home stadium to participate in this historic event. Hopefully there will be large crowds (just as there was a few years ago in Sydney, Australia a few years ago). Another pair of Major League games will be played in London in 2020. It was recently announced that it will feature another two teams that are historic rivals, the Chicago Cubs (champions in 2016) and the St. Louis Cardinals. www.mlb.com/news/how-are-red-sox-and-yankees-faring-before-london-series?t=london-series-coverage

[@preppysocks209]

One thing you would not know as an English subject is the reference Danny Kaye made about not being able to reference the Yankees due to CBS. The reason he said that is that 1966 was the worst season for the Yankees in more than 45 years. And not long before, CBS had bought the Yankees. For about 50 years in all American sports, the professional teams are owned by wealthy individuals. But in this period, there was corporate ownership of the Yankees, and by the same network on which WML was broadcast. CBS ownership of the Yankees did not work out and Danny's point is that CBS would not want to be reminded of the poor performance of the Yankees because it would tend to depress the value of their investment. Baseball fell in popularity in the late 1960s, as did many traditional American institutions during the Vietnam War. CBS sold the Yankees in 1973 to George Steinbrenner for $8.7 million. As of 2015, Forbes valued the Yankees at $3.2 billion. After acquiring Gerritt Cole, if the Yankees do as well as they hope in 2020, that figure could be considerably higher.

[@davidsanderson5918]

TheJMascis666 Ditto. I wouldn't mind but they go on at length about it....repeatedly too.

[@leannsherman6723]

Good accents by Danny Kaye!

[@soulierinvestments]

What with the new color camera's capabilities in close up, it is as if the director has discovered the nameplates for the first time.

[@maynardsmoreland]

Sue Oakland must be one of the most obscure guest panelists ever on WML. All her Internet Movie Database credits show her as a guest panelist on a few other shows. She did editorials for WCBS but that wasn't until the 1970s.

[@WhatsMyLine]

I certainly never heard of her outside of WML. I think the producers were looking for a Dorothy "type", someone who would be intelligent and sharp at playing the game, while not connected directly to show business.

[@jvcomedy]

+What's My Line? She's not only not connected to show business, but it would appear other than having a good education she's not connected to anything. I don't even think the other panelists knew what her qualifications were as her introductions provide no explanation as to why she should be there other than she was smart and pretty. You'd think she'd have an occupation and be introduced as stock analyst, broadcaster, teacher, polo player, etc., or whatever the hell she might have done. It's as if she just went to school, never had a career and then got to start playing panel games on national TV. It's bizarre.

[@richatlarge462]

The only other footage I can find for Sue Oakland, besides 9 WML episodes in 1966 and 1967 (unfortunately her 5 WML episodes in 1968 are nowhere to be found, nor are her TV editorials), are these two: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbXe5qwra9roNE and kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6WrgKynZ6l7pZY

[@kingforaday8725]

OMG!!! The chimp trainer was absolutely beautiful!

[@RonGerstein]

So???????????

[@soulierinvestments]

Stay tuned. Ribicoff is not the last U S Senator to appear on Sunday night WML.

[@ronskokandich1002]

Its obvious Arlene was not thrilled with Sue Oakland

[@tomitstube]

or the way martin gabel introduced oakland after she gave him a great introduction.

[@gwenniegirl50]

Perhaps the displeasure was less toward Sue Oakland and more toward Martin and his reaction to Sue.

[@norelcopc2431]

Strange that Danny Kaye wasn't the second mystery guest.

[@loissimmons6558]

I thought so, too. He explained that he had been up since 6 AM when he flew into Philadelphia, presumably to watch the Dodgers play the Phillies in a doubleheader that afternoon and evening at Connie Mack Stadium, the last day of the regular season, with the Dodgers needing to win one of those two games to return to the World Series.

[@loissimmons6558]

I don't usually remember what I was doing on the day of a WML episode. But I know exactly what I was doing on October 2, 1966. The Dodgers spent much of the season in third place battling the Giants and Pirates. They had the best pitching in baseball, but one of the worst offenses. they especially struggled against lefties. An otherwise mediocre Cardinals southpaw, Larry Jaster, faced the Dodgers five times and hurled complete game shutouts every time. Against the rest of the league, he had a record of 6-5 with only one other complete game and was giving up over 4 runs per game. As the beginning of September, the Giants and Pirates were tied for first while the Dodgers were 3 games back. But for the rest of the season, the Dodgers won 21 and lost 10. After Koufax beat the Cardinals on Thursday, the Dodgers led the Pirates by 2 games with the Giants 3½ games back. For the final weekend, the fourth place Phillies had already been eliminated, but they would try to play spoiler while hosting the Dodgers. The Pirates hosted the Giants, who needed a miracle to win the pennant. The Dodgers would have to be swept while they would have to sweep the Pirates and then win a make-up game in Cincinnati. Meanwhile the Dodgers hoped that the Giants and Pirates would take turns winning and eliminate each other. But the Pirates were walking the gangplank. After a Friday rainout, they lost a doubleheader on Saturday. Meanwhile the Dodgers lost to lefty Chris Short on Friday and rain washed out their game on Saturday. The Pirates were surprisingly eliminated and the Giants still alive. Even so, all the Dodgers needed to do that Sunday was win one game of their doubleheader and they would be NL champs. A Pirates win over the Giants would do the same thing. The previous winter, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax committed the revolutionary act of teaming up to negotiate salaries with the Dodgers. They held out until the end of March. Koufax had another excellent season but Drysdale was inconsistent and had a losing record. Yet he could redeem himself with a victory in the first game. Manager Walt Alston hoped that he could hold off on pitching Koufax until the opening game of the World Series, but he would pitch the second game if necessary. It was necessary. Johnny Briggs led off the bottom of the first with a home run and the Phillies added another run. When the first two batters in the third inning reached base, Alston handed the ball to Ron Perranoski. He struck out the next three batters, halting the Phillies rally. Things were looking better for the Dodgers in the sixth inning when they took the lead on a three run home run by Ron Fairly. Meanwhile, my brother and I are following the action the best we can, getting updates on the broadcast of the Mets doubleheader against Houston. But our relief was short-lived. The Phillies retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning on a rally started by an infield single and two errors. Chris Short returned on one day’s rest to pitch two scoreless innings (helped by Jim Lefebvre being thrown out at home in the top of the eighth) to get back to back wins. It gave him the only 20-win season of his career. We were also being appraised of the Giants-Pirates game at Forbes Field. If the Pirates could salvage one win at home, the Dodgers would be champs. But just as the Dodgers blew a 3-2 lead in game one of their doubleheader, the Pirates blew a 3-2 lead in their final game of the year. It came from an unlikely hero with the Giants down to their final out of the season. Opening himself up for second-guessing, Manager Herman Franks sent up weak-hitting journeyman, Ozzie Virgil, to bat for Tom Haller. Haller had a career high of 27 homers that season. Virgil had only 14 homers in his entire 324-game career and he would only have one more game in the majors. His career batting average was a meager .231 and he was hitting .207 going into that game. He had batted only twice since September 3 and his last base hit came on August 12. He was 0 for 7 against Pittsburgh that year, including 0 for 3 against Veale on July 18 at Forbes Field. It was a desperation righty-lefty move on Franks’ part. The desperation paid off. Virgil singled to center, Hart raced home with the tying run and the Dodgers remained in suspense. The suspense ended in the 11th inning when the Giants jumped on Steve Blass for four runs. The Dodgers would have to win the pennant on the field in Philadelphia or depend upon Cincinnati to play for pride against the Giants the following day. Walt Alston was compelled to start Koufax on two day’s rest. It was expected to be a pitcher’s duel. Koufax faced Jim Bunning in a matchup of perfect game pitchers. But it wasn’t the day for righty sidearm pitchers. The Dodgers scored three runs in the third inning, capped by a Willie Davis home run, to take the early lead. Koufax shut down the Phillies inning after inning while the Dodgers added more runs. Meanwhile darkness is descending on the east coast. Now we can start to get out of town AM stations. My brother and I are experienced at DXing to pick up Dodger games as far away as New Orleans (on Houston’s radio network). Ironically Phillies games were a problem because their flagship station was next to an NYC station on the dial and the signal couldn’t get through. One would think we would be relaxed with the Dodgers holding a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning and the great Koufax on the mound for the Dodgers. But little had gone as expected this weekend in the NL pennant race. We retreated to our bedrooms to search for the game on our transistor radios, not content to get updates on another broadcast. We finally found a way, not on the flagship station but on another station on their network. Our parents consented to us listening to the game in our living room on my dad’s much better quality hi-fi. They were baseball fans, too, and had been Dodger fans until the team left town. And as was mentioned, things got mighty nervous for the Dodgers in that ninth inning. Jim Lefebvre booted a grounder by Dick Allen. Harvey Kuenn (in his last major league game, the same player who made the last out in two of Koufax’s no-hitters) and Tony Taylor followed with singles to spoil the shutout. My brother and I rooted with all our might but Bill White followed with a double to make the score 6-3. We were too stunned to speak now and our imploring was silent. Still, the Phillies had yet to send the tying run to the plate. Perhaps if they had, Alston would have gone to the bullpen. But he would stick with his ace as long as he could. Without revealing why, Sandy had told his manager to use him as often as needed without regard for his arthritic elbow. Alston didn’t know that Sandy had already planned to retire at the end of the season. Bob Uecker was up next. Self-effacing in retirement for being a bad hitter, it wasn’t much of an exaggeration. But he had homered off of Koufax in Sandy’s prime. This time, Sandy struck him out. The Phillies pitcher was due up next. Mauch looked down his bench and found it depleted. The best right-handed pinch hitter available was Bobby Wine, a weak hitting shortstop who was out most of the year with a bad back. (Ironically, Wine had also made the last out in one of Koufax’s no-hitters.) Sent up instead of some better left-handed hitters, Mauch’s lefty-righty move didn’t work out the way it did in Pittsburgh for Herman Franks. Wine grounded out with White holding second. Jackie Brandt came to bat, the last hope for the Phillies (and for the Giants). He was near the end of a solid career and still a decent hitter. He put the ball in play his previous four at bats, including an infield hit in the first inning. But Koufax knew he needed just one more out and there was no stopping him. Soon Brandt headed back to the bench, Sandy’s tenth strikeout victim of the game. The regular season was over. The Dodgers repeated as NL champs and Koufax never threw another pitch during the regular season. The World Series was anticlimactic. A tired Dodgers team ran into a group of good young pitchers, many of them lefties. Koufax’s last start in the World Series was marred by Willie Davis in centerfield losing battles with fly balls and the sun. The Orioles swept the Dodgers and the Dodgers went into rebuilding mode for two years. Even so, the Dodgers were still important enough for Danny Kaye (a Jew born in Brooklyn and a rabid Dodger fan) to sign in as Koufax, make a side trip to Philadelphia to attend the games, and mention it on the air. It was important enough for John Daly, Bennett Cerf and Martin Gabel to talk about it. It was important to many New York baseball fans who had rooted for the Dodgers. Of course it was important to Dodger fans, wherever they were found. It was important to Giants fans who saw their team nearly pull off a miracle comeback. It was important to Jews, baseball fans or not, for whom Sandy was a symbol that they could be successful athletes, a symbol that had become all the more important when he refused to pitch a World Series game on Yom Kippur in 1965. And yes, it was important to a family of four in the NYC suburbs who gathered around a radio like it was 1936, not 1966, to listen to the last few outs of the baseball season on an unlikely radio station.

[@nancymilawski1048]

Thanks for this wonderful summary. I was surprised they didn't mention Arlene was a giants fan too. She picked out Willie Mays multiple times when he was a mystery guest. 😀😀

[@gailsirois7175]

You were attempting to write a novel here? I don't have the time

[@loissimmons109]

@@gailsirois7175 But amazingly, you had time to write a reply instead of simply scrolling past.

[@alexvaliansky7707]

Your comment is much too long-winded.

[@loissimmons109]

@@alexvaliansky7707 I wrote that more than 3 years ago. I use shorter wind now for people with short attention spans.

[@bbgeer]

Sue Oakland Wow.

[@VahanNisanian]

Danny Kaye was much more famous than Senator Ribikoff. Weird that he was Mystery Guest #1.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Yeah, I don't get it either. The only possibilities I can think of are: (1) Danny had somewhere else he had to be (but I'd expect John to have made some sort of a statement to that effect as explanation), or (2) Senator Ribikoff (or his staff) objected to his being the opening guest and he wouldn't have appeared if not made the main MG. Scenario 2 seems much more likely, especially since we know that Danny Kaye had no problem being the opening guest (This wasn't his first time as the opening guest).

[@soulierinvestments]

Well -- Danny Kaye was just famous. Ribicoff had real political power on Earth. Ribicoff went in the main mystery guest spot because we're talking protocol issues

[@MusicMan-dv7jg]

Or Danny Kaye had to go on because Senator Ribicoff had not showed up yet.

[@kingforaday8725]

Yeah. It seems like that if they had two mystery guests the first one would usually from the world of sports, politics, or business. The second would be an entertainer of some sort.

[@edeetb]

@@soulierinvestments artists that contribute their talents to our delight are not "Just famous" the world would be unbearable without them.

[@Eddie_Schantz]

During the segment with Danny Kaye, they were talking about the baseball playoffs. The Oiroles won the 1966 series by sweeping the Dodgers. The Dodgers set the World Series record for futility. They went 33 consecutive innings without scoring a run. That started in the 4th inning of game one. They scored a run in the second ininng and one in the 3rd and never scored again after that. No team has come close to that in a world series since.

[@RonGerstein-tf5tp]

There were NO baseball "playoffs", only the WORLD SERIES in 1966.

[@Eddie_Schantz]

Your right. I just worded it wrong.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I'm surprised Danny Kaye was the first MG and Abraham Ribikoff was in the star spot.

[@LOA1955]

I think Mr. Kaye requested he be first so that he knew he'd have enough time to plug his UNICEF tour.

[@soulierinvestments]

and Kaye was just famous. Ribicoff had power on Earth. Protocol.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

LOA1955 But he hardly did it, and had to be prompted by John for the little promo he did for UNICEF.

[@soulierinvestments]

Yeah. That's right.

[@kingforaday8725]

It seems like that if they had two mystery guests the first one would usually from the world of sports, politics, or business. The second would be an entertainer of some sort. So yeah, this one was different.

[@feverspell]

Abraham Ribicoff (spelled with a 'c' not a 'k') is of course the esteemed Senator from Connecticut who decried Mayor Daley's "Gestapo tactics" during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

[@loissimmons6558]

Rock and roll music was growing up in response. A band originally called Chicago Transit Authority performed this musical opus in response to the 1968 Democratic National Convention (Prologue/Someday August 29, 1968). kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYLFqaZve7-kiM0 "The whole world's watching." For someone who grew up in part during the relatively placid Eisenhower years of "Leave it to Beaver", "Father Knows Best" and "What's My Line?", these were heady times to be finishing high school and going off to college.

[@chriseggert6090]

The movie White Christmas is the only thing I know Danny Kaye for

[@currykingwurst6393]

I loved him in Wonder Man (1945). Very funny movie.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Hans Christian Andersen is his prime cut. He had a wonderful stage act too.

[@rickcharles5064]

Thought it odd they started with the bigger star but after getting a good look it became obvious. Danny looked like he was sooo tired. Let him get done so he could go sleep. Of course, being a professional, he got off some funny clips. Change of subject, anyone have knowledge of Sue Oakland? Can't find much about her beyond WML.

[@savethetpc6406]

rick charles In the comments section of the video featuring Sue Oakland's first appearance on WML (July 31, 1966), ***** posted the following link, www.tv.com/shows/whats-my-line/episode-824-98343/, which offers quite a lot of information about her. According to another commenter, she was apparently married twice and took her husband's last name both times, so if you look her up under each of her surnames, you might find more information.

[@rickcharles5064]

SaveThe TPC Thanks!

[@jvcomedy]

+rick charles The link provided gives us some information, but it doesn't tell us what qualified her to be a panelist on this show. She's not a celebrity and doesn't seem to have any qualifications that would make her a celebrity. Her introductions don't tell us anything so it's as if the other panelists don't know why she's here. She did some editorials on local TV, but that was well after her appearances on these shows. It's baffling to me.

[@loissimmons6558]

The consensus seems to be, based in significant part by news stories of the time, that a permanent replacement for Dorothy Kilgallen on the panel was narrowing down to Phyllis Newman, Suzy Knickerbocker and Sue Oakland. I have to guess that Phyllis would have been the front runner, but that she took herself out of the competition because at this stage of her career in her early thirties, she wanted to keep her options open. She was getting guest appearances on television shows which meant needing to be available to go to Hollywood. Guest appearances on Goodson-Todman game shows were fine to keep her face before the general public (and keep her available for Broadway), but a permanent slot would be too confining. That leaves Suzy and Sue. Suzy's background was very similar to Dorothy's, even working for the same newspaper syndicate as a columnist, although more gossip oriented and little to do with hard news. No doubt many men would have found her attractive and even sexy. But that would have been true of Phyllis and Sue as well. IMO, the biggest drawbacks for Suzy were a flat, droning voice and a lack of any kind of personality. I feel that Sue would have been an excellent choice. She was attractive, bright, witty, energetic and amazingly comfortable on camera for someone with relatively little experience in front of it. But that also speaks to her biggest drawback: lack of name recognition. By definition, WML couldn't promote their Mystery Guests. So they had to promote the show itself (which was starting to lose currency) or John Daly and the panelists. The audience was very familiar with Arlene Francis by this time and the show had made Bennett Cerf a star (abetted by his frequent appearances around the country). But more and more stars were leaving NYC for Hollywood. It was getting more difficult to fill the second male panelist slot with a big name. As a celebrity, Sue Oakland added no promotional value and it would take time for her to become a celebrity as Bennett had. If a slot had opened up when the show was at its zenith, perhaps it would have worked out. But not when the show was already showing serious signs of decline. And by February 1967 it was irrelevant as CBS had made the decision to pull the plug. As for coolness between Sue and the rest of the on stage personnel, I don't see it at all between her and the men. And I don't really notice any between her and Arlene, although I might be oblivious to such things.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Based on an article I just found recently from early 1966, the frontrunner in the producers' eyes was Suzy, which makes a lot of sense because she was the closest in background and playing style to Dorothy. I've never picked up on any tension between Sue and the rest of the cast, either. I've seen people speculate that Arlene must have resented Phyllis Newman because Phyllis was once introduced on WML with Arlene's usual intro, "That delightful star of stage and television". I think that perspective is a serious misreading of everything we know about Arlene's personality. I think it was the biggest mistake they could have made after Dorothy's death to not settle on a permanent replacement. Any of the candidates would have been good, as demonstrated by how good they were as guests. By leaving the third chair open, the show lost a lot of the family feel it always had up till Dorothy's death. It's not just that they were down to two regular panelists-- both Bennett and Arlene missed plenty of shows in the final two seasons, which meant many shows with only ONE regular cast member on the panel. I've often wondered why they didn't even seem to have considered the possibility of finding a permanent male panelist, and leaving the 4th chair open for female guest panelists. It would have nicely balanced all the years from 1956-65 when the 4th chair was reserved for male guest panelists. They could have added Martin as a permanent panelist, e.g., and it would have gone a long way towards reestablishing the familial feeling of the show in its final stretch. Alas!

[@loissimmons6558]

+What's My Line? I agree that it would have been better to have permanent panelists, both male and female, but only if the right ones are chosen. I think back to what Rick Sklar wrote about his short playlists when he was in charge of the music for MusicRadio WABC: if the most popular records get the most "spins", having a short survey works because you get more listeners playing the most popular records more often. But if the survey is based on bad data from the record stores and you have the wrong records on the survey, you stand to lose listeners because you are playing less popular records more often. For reasons I already mentioned, IMO Suzy would have been a bad choice and I think it would have caused more people to stop watching. Her resemblances to Dorothy were mostly superficial. But while Dorothy might be seen as the villain of WML, at least she had wit and showed emotions often enough that she was interesting. Whether you watched her because you hated her or watched her because you liked her feisty nature, you watched her. Suzy may have looked great, but when she opened her mouth there was no there there. So I would have preferred Sue or Phyllis to a rotating panelist, but I prefer the rotating panelist to a steady diet of Suzy. As for the male guest panelist slot, I would have been very happy with Martin Gabel, but he does seem to evoke a lot of negative comments on this site (either that he isn't a very good player or that Arlene was a fool to have married him, both of which I disagree with). Tony Randall had the right touch but he was too busy making movies it would seem. Steve Allen also had the right touch, but left because he was also too busy. The role required a quick and cerebral wit, but nothing too bizarre. I am a huge fan of Ernie Kovacs but I don't think he would have been right for WML: very cerebral but a lot of his humor was either very visual or bizarre. If they had added someone sweet like Sue Oakland, I could have even lived with Robert Q Lewis taking over the villain role, although he would be far from my first choice as a regular. What would be interesting to me is if we could see ads for WML from TV Guide or Sunday supplements to see how much they promoted guest panelists after the deaths of Fred Allen and Dorothy Kilgallen, especially if there would be ones who were better known (e.g. when Groucho was on the panel). If they did that heavily, that could be a justification for not adding new permanent panelists.

[@nancymilawski1048]

What they could have done also is have a rotation for the male panelist spot. Have 4 or 5 semi regular panelists. 😀

[@peternagy-im4be]

Who was and whatever became of Sue Oakland?

[@dodge96neon]

it would have been awesome if ribicoff had appeared on this show after the 1968 convention

[@soulierinvestments]

I will bet that there were plenty in the audience who were disappointd that the first guest was NOT Sandy Koufax. freeze at 3:46 -- the moment when the famous photo of him on this set this night was snapped. It has shown up on WML Facebook a few times.

[@stevenginsberg8471]

If he wanted to sign in as Sandy Koufax, he should have used his left hand.

[@hizgrase]

Why Danny showing Arlene his socks?

[@El_Ophelia]

That was unnecessary and embarassing and rude of Bennett to make that comment about Miss Lewis not being able to find her way around very easily. That was uncalled for. Bennett can be so unbelievably uncouth it astonishes me. Rude.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Lilly Beans Every episode Bennett expends great effort to be well-mannered and polite more than any of the others and indeed somewhat gushingly so. His attitude and brand of naivete is half a century old so inevitably it doesn't suit 21st century tastes sometimes.....but I'm convinced it's always well meant.

[@El_Ophelia]

@@davidsanderson5918 I find Arlene is generally the one who is impeccably well-mannered and knows just how far to push the line. Bennett on the other hand, crosses the line incessantly. He is so sexist he makes me cringe.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Calm your skin down.

[@VahanNisanian]

Done on the same night as the George Hamilton episode from October 16.

[@lindaroper2654]

I'd say Darlene didn't like the way he announced sue 🤦

[@dinahbrown902]

She sure didn’t. Heck the girls mouth is crooked

[@kentetalman9008]

You mean Arlene. Haven't you seen this show before?

[@DebbieFaubion]

Martin's introduction of Sue Oakland with Arlene standing there.....awkward! Maybe Arlene didn't really hear it (looks like she was talking to someone of camera when she comes back into view).

[@Beson-SE]

I am pretty sure Martin checked that phrase with Arlene before the show and got the green-light although he could have contented himself with saying something else with "beauty and IQ".

[@savethetpc6406]

DebbieFaubion Yes, I noticed that too at 1:22. In fact, I remember commenting out loud (as if talking to Martin,) "You should have added -- 'in addition to my wife, of course!' " At least he *did* say "one of the most..." but still, he really should have added a few words in deference to Arlene!

[@davidsanderson5918]

He introduced her as "ONE of the most", not THE most....so I don't see the problem! These people get introduced on stage (and introduce each other) with superlatives all the time. Arlene knows it's just another bit of showbiz.

[@igkoigko9950]

To be fair, Sue needed an introduction much more than wee-established, better known Arlene.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Nothing much to report

[@김길동-j9z]

3:31 Danny Kaye 😁😁👍

[@soulierinvestments]

I wonder why facial tissue went to such completely standard sizes.

[@jmason3904]

soulierinvestments ..Hi 👍🌸🌻🌷✌ Maybe because calling tissues 'Man Size' sounds kind of sexist - at least to me ( just my opinion ) - Doesn't everyone need tissues - regardless ?!?🤔🤗 If that's the case - then why can't all tissues be larger ?!?🤔🤗🙄👍✌🌸🌻🌹🕊🌫🏖🌅🌊

[@Fardawg]

@@jmason3904 You think you used enough emojis there...?

[@hopelewis5650]

Cuz da boxes where one standard size

[@yankeeland1]

✝️

[@soulierinvestments]

Kaye was not the second mystery guest since he was just the bigger celebrity. Senator Ribicoff had more real power on earth. Protocol. The last time Danny Kaye appeared on WML he made sure that he would be identified quickly so he could plug his huruclean work with the United Nations International Children's Educational Fund. Tonight he did the same thing to plug his variety show, which with WML gpt cancelled in 1967, his baseball team WHATEVER it is, and his huruclean work with the United Nations International Children's Educational Fund. Kaye in his lifetime won two honorary Oscars; his work for good causes was prominent in both awards.

[@stuartjohnson5686]

That's nonsense. Normally they would have put the better known person (Danny Kaye) in the second spot. He must have asked to be first because he had some place else to go.

[@originalmatchgame]

Please , somebody find out who Sue Oakland is ?

[@VahanNisanian]

Barry G All I know is that she did editorials for WCBS during the 1970's.

[@savethetpc6406]

***** You're the one who posted the following, very informative link on the July 31, 1966 episode: www.tv.com/shows/whats-my-line/episode-824-98343/.

[@jvcomedy]

+Barry G I agree! She did do editorials on local TV in the 70s, but that was after her appearances on these game shows. I'm baffled as to what her qualification were to be on these show in the 50's and 60's. The link provided here tells about her education. So she's well educated, but it gives us no clue as to how she's obtained this "celebrity" status to sit on this panel. Even her introductions give us no clue so it's as if the other panelists don't know either. It's amazing that there is no detailed information about her on the internet in spite of her appearing on network TV numerous times. If I knew how to contact her I would and try and find out how she was chosen to be on this show and the other game shows she appeared on.

[@toddmason5499]

As has been noted since, her first husband was a television producer, so that presumably was the path that led to her appearance on WML--Goodman, Todson or someone on staff gave her a shot through the interaction at that level. A certain lack of chemistry did seem to ensue, beyond Arlene Francis's lack of engagement with her at all.

[@libertyann439]

Barry G Maybe they should have had her as a mystery guest. We would have found out what she did then!

[@imcavdb5465]

Back in the days when men were gentelmen.

[@dinahbrown902]

Martin wasn’t tonight

[@nobonespurs]

sue oakland? phd, why no photos on internet??

[@randylovering24]

Bennett might be running for office in 1966

[@josephlacerra8433]

I remember Danny Kaye from when I was a child. I never found him funny or talented. It was always a mystery to me as to why he was popular.

[@toinimoore3463]

First off I feel so Sorry for You that your Funny Bone is Broken .It has to be not to understand a kind sensitive man who Gave The Entire World So Much Laughter and Helped So Very Many People Maybe You Heart ❤️ is one of Ice, I hope one day you find Love and Laughter and Jesus😇✨🙏💕

[@davidsanderson5918]

Joseph LaCerra I used to like him a lot but his appearances on this show.....(I think this is number four!)....have whittled that 'like' away somewhat. No one else is more important to Danny Kaye than Danny Kaye even if he does talk at length about his charity work. Once he's on he's hard to get off!

[@peternagy-im4be]

Kaye was a pistol. A riot. A very very funny guy.

[@gbrumburgh]

Danny was a true artist and humanitarian but also an acquired taste. I enjoyed such films as The Court Jester and White Christmas and was thoroughly entertained by his tongue-twisting patter songs, but his silly, rather effete mugging could range from clever to cloying and annoying.

[@lucyflorey9152]

Does Martin Gable look ill? Maybe he just lost weight.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Lucy Florey He lost weight a while ago for his Moriarty show. Fair play to him for keeping it off....even if he does look a bit odd.

[@dinahbrown902]

He needed to drop some weight

[@soulierinvestments]

Danny Kaye. Let it be noted that he was not quite as disruptive as Groucho Marx.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Danny Kaye was panelist on only one episode and I don't recall it well, so it was probably not all that out of the ordinary. But he was also was the only mystery guest ever to break all the rules of the show and outright *lie* from the beginning to the end of his first appearance with his answers, which I'd designate as far more disruptive than Groucho's mystery guest appearances ever were. I think you're comparing Kaye as mystery guest to Groucho on the panel, which is not a fair comparison in my opinion. More to the point, they were completely different kinds of comedians, really nothing like each other in performing style or personality.

[@soulierinvestments]

Kaye's one panel appearance c 1960 was fantastically funny stuff. He did a parody of John Daly's interpretive semantics that was so right on the nose, comedy-wise, that it was like the second or third clip that Fates used on WML-25. His manners were not very good, though. He stuck his tongue out at a contestant.

[@soulierinvestments]

Apparently Kaye's lying in his 1960 mystery guest appearance aggravated more than just Bennett. When Dorothy Kilgallen appeared as a mystery guest on 5 Feb 1961, she commented after she was identified about Daly's correction of one of her answers. "He will let Danny Kaye lie, but not me."

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments Yes, now I remember the episode with Danny on the panel a bit better. He was very funny, but of course, in a totally different way than Groucho was. Groucho was out to upset the balance of the entire program from the first minute on (and he succeeded!)

[@soulierinvestments]

And Groucho and Danny were both really ON when they were on. Danny was probably the bigger talent of the two. Danny could be funny, he could act, he could sing, he could dance. All well.

[@VahanNisanian]

This episode ended earlier than normal.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Already noted in the description, Vahan.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

What's My Line? I don't see it.

[@VahanNisanian]

Joe Postove From the description: "NOTE: This show is abnormally short, but no footage is thought to be missing. The unusual program length is noted in Gil Fates's production records (as referenced in the notes for this episode over at tv.com). Closing credits added from an older rerun pre-GSN-credit-crunching. "

[@MrJoeybabe25]

***** Thanks!

[@RonGerstein]

​@@MrJoeybabe25SO YOU A RE BLIND AS A BAT

[@wigglyziggly]

16:26

[@lindaroper2654]

I hope that demercrat senator was better than the demercrats we have in 2022🤦

[@dinahbrown902]

Couldn’t be worse😢

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Was there ever a politician who could be called "conservative" on "What's My Line"?

[@rah62]

Gerald Ford

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Robert Hansen Republican...not a conservative, I think most people might say.

[@rah62]

By the standards of today's wingnuts, he's not considered conservative - but he was plenty conservative in his day.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Squeeing Fanboy Please don't refer to people on either side of the political spectrum as wingnuts. It's only going to encourage people to argue about politics here, which I don't allow, ever.

[@rah62]

So you prefer to let untruths go unchallenged? Jeez.

[@librarybob1958]

Sue who?

[@RonGerstein]

Sue OAKLAND, fool

[@adamodeo9320]

when democrats were honest

[@willremmers]

The wolf whistles at the first regular panelist. Disgusting.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

She was attractive. And this is a long and much vaunted tradition on WML. They were showing their appreciation of her. I think she looked like a blond Joan Collins. Huh?

[@JohnSmith-ls2dt]

First regular panelist? Arlene? Why was is disgusting to wolf whistle at her? And don't say its age because older women should be appreciated too..

[@JohnSmith-ls2dt]

Unless you are talking about the regular *contestant*, then I could care less.

[@WhatsMyLine]

John Smith What's the difference? Why is it any more or less acceptable behavior when it's directed at a contestant? I wish people would just get OVER the wolf whistles. People comment on this all the time, and it's simply a sign of changing standards over time. This was not considered sexist or demeaning to women in the 1950s and 60s, it was considered *flattering*. That's no longer the case, for good reason. That's all there is to it.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

What's My Line? When they start whistling at Bennett, then perhaps, insofar as the continuance of the game in it's present formant is concerned, at that point, negating all of the other factors that may come into play, then the possibility of a problem may arise. But don't put too much stock in that, I don't want to confuse you.