What's My Line? - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; Judy Holliday; Robert Preston [panel] (Mar 17, 1957)

This show features Robert Preston on the panel, fresh off his new found success in "The Hidden River" on Broadway. And the mystery guest is one of my all time favorite actress/comediennes, the great Judy Holliday, who left us far, far too soon.
MYSTERY GUEST: Dr. Norman Vincent Peale [inspirational author]; Judy Holliday [film and theater actress/comedienne]
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Robert Preston, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@MrWmJosephSmithIII]

I wish i knew Arlene. She was such a lovely person.

[@ToddSF]

Me, too. She had a great personality, ideal for television where she appeared as herself. She had a great sense of humor and a great sense of style -- and she knew how to flirt to make people laugh. Definitely nothing mean about her at all. She didn't seem to take herself too seriously and that counts for a lot, too. All of that is in addition to her career as an actress, mostly on stage.

[@bettycogswell9851]

Me too. Just love her..

[@donnawoodford6641]

Arlene maintains a great public persona. Not sure I could be a bff.

[@spdharan]

Was wishing same

[@janfromnycsavesmoney8723]

A class act. Very cool and classy too.

[@chiedu90069]

13:20 - "You're just trying to throw me because SHE can." Arlene is brilliant!

[@loissimmons6558]

+Chiedu Egbuniwe Yes she is. And it is also true that all of the men on stage had already flipped for Miss Toni West.

[@lemorab1]

Arlene does something here that, for one as sharp as she is, baffles me. She had it! All she had to ask was, "Are you a judo instructor?" And yet she let the opportunity go by and allowed Bennett to do that. I mention this because Arlene seems to do this semi-often.

[@chiedu90069]

@@lemorab1 Yep. Sometimes I wonder if they like throwing ball to each other - well to everyone except Dorothy lol

[@lemorab1]

@@MajorImpact As much as I love John Daly, sometimes he makes a major error in timing and judgment. Like the one you just gave. Also, when a panelist gets a "yes" answer and he mistakenly calls it a "no" and flips the card, and doesn't let the panelist continue questioning the guest. He has done this with Dorothy, but that may have been during the Mike Wallace dust-up, when John wasn't speaking to her. But, he kept up hosting for 17 years with very few missed nights, and nobody's perfect. I don't watch the WML shows after John Charles Daly left.

[@ToddSF]

One of the many things I like about Bennett Cerf is that he showed great respect for authors and writers and made that plain -- even when they weren't published by Random House. For that matter, he also had no qualms about crediting other publishing houses as he did here, where Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's books were concerned. It's as if he felt some kind of fraternity with all book publishers and I think he knew Random House couldn't possibly publish every book out there. If you read his published memoir, he felt extraordinarily lucky that he'd achieved such success with Random House -- all he and his founding partner every expected to do was "to publish a few random books" which is how they came up with the name Random House. When certain business opportunities came his way, he felt lucky that they did, but he was also smart enough to take those opportunities. In sum, I have to commend Bennett's willingness to commend authors who appeared on WML and even their publishers. I think he believed in good will in business and I think it paid off for him.

[@senior_ranger]

He also believed in being a crook -- with his "Famous Writer School" fiasco.

[@WhatsMyLine]

"Crook" is VASTLY, VASTLY, VASTLY overstating things. Bennett's involvement with the Famous Writers School is a black mark on his otherwise exemplary career as publisher, but his involvement didn't go beyond lending his name to this shoddy enterprise. Calling him a crook makes it sound like he personally created a scheme to defraud the public, which wasn't at all the case. Read the Atlantic magazine piece on this to get a better sense of what Bennett's relationship to the Famous Writers School was. He doesn't come off well in it, but he certainly doesn't come off as a "crook" either, by any stretch. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1970/07/let-us-now-appraise-famous-writers/305319/

[@ToddSF]

What's My Line? -- I'm certain that lending his name to the Famous Writers School was something Bennett Cerf came to consider a foolish move on his part. I suspect everything looked good at the outset and he had no idea that it was a scam or the damage it would do to his reputation. But that involvement was, as you said, nothing even close to anything criminal on Bennett Cerf's part, and it certainly doesn't negate the rest of his career and all he accomplished, not to mention the good that he did. I note that both George Burns and Jack Benny were involved in something criminal when they bought jewelry for their wives that had been smuggled into the United States, smuggling being a definite crime -- and Burns and Benny knew something was bogus about that jewelry when they bought it, but the price was right and they did it anyway. I would never categorize either George Burns or Jack Benny as "crooks", however, because of the error they both made, and I've never heard anyone call them crooks. So, I think, Bennett Cerf doesn't deserve to be called a "crook" because he was taken in.

[@lauraminer9542]

ToddSF 94109 And maybe he was also trying to make it habitual for authors to mention their publishers.

[@TheCometHunter]

Yeah....when you're King of the World, sitting on a kiloton of gold coin, you can afford to toss an alm to the less-fortunate.

[@dannydoc1969]

I'm in love with Arlene Francis, she's so witty, charming, respectful, intelligent and always has a nice thing to say.

[@randysills4418]

Arlene and the late opera singer Beverly Sills formed a club because they said they wanted to be loved. They would meet for lunch once or twice a year and would talk about people who had not been nice to them...sometimes critics...

[@donnawoodford6641]

MOST times Arlene was nice.

[@bluecamus5162]

I've heard a few things come out of Arlene's mouth that altered my opinion of her and I decided that she's just human, after all. I have to take into account the differences in social decorum between her time and ours. But all in all, I still like and respect her immensely for her charm and intelligence.

[@williamludlow3788]

Unfortunately, she's is gone.

[@donnacook8994]

She's wonderfully witty and so chic! ❤️👏👏

[@lvazzana]

Not only did Bob Preston fit in, he is so intelligent, great listener and an eloquent speaker. He really respected Dorothy Kilgallin and her skillful approach to questioning both in the show and in her writing/investigation.

[@leeslater8891]

Sara Vazzana He was also a great character actor. Very underrated.

[@frankcastle7036]

I still cannot believe Kilgallin died of an "accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs". She was tied to JFK and so was Marilyn Monroe and both died the exact same way. Hmmmmmm..

[@accomplice55]

@@frankcastle7036: She didn't. She knew too much.

[@kennethretherford9091]

Want to chat?

[@saugusguy]

Tony West was absolutely stunning and looked more like a movie star than anybody else on the show

[@MrWindermere123]

John Daly has a touch of the Stan Laurel in this episode when he touches his bow-tie and raises his eyebrows. Sometimes he comes across as austere and schoolteacher-like but here he is a big part of the fun. He is also very good at the poker face when panellists get near the right answer but don't quite say it. For example, the bellhop was asked if his place of work was as big as a hotel when he does indeed work in a hotel, but that was not the full answer. I think Mr Daly was respected and maybe even loved by the panellists, and that warm good feeling comes through on KZbin. A joy to watch.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Arlene's off-the-cuff pun was great. She's smart.

[@Rhonda9199]

Miss West is absolutely beautiful!

[@theamishumpire1301]

I have read a his books, now I get to see what the man looks like, and here the man speak.

[@jennybrown75]

Just when things were winding down at the end, BAM! Bennett lands a humdinger of a pun about the bellboy. 25:34 John's reaction is the best : )

[@michaelnivens6267]

I enjoyed Judy In " It Should Happen To You " and I could watch " Born Yesterday " over and over - such a fantastic movie and she Is marvelous In It.

[@davidsanderson5918]

My late mother used to read Norman Vincent Peale books very early in the morning when I was a child some forty-five years ago or so. Until now I'd never seen whatbhe looked like. My mother would've loved it.

[@caroler01]

Judy Holiday was so wonderful.

[@poetcomic1]

No one worked harder to get another star established in Hollywood than Katherine Hepburn did for Judy Holliday. Kate got her a key comic role in her own film 'Adam's Rib' which is certainly better than just asking for a screen test.

[@winonafrog]

kudos

[@thediamonddog95]

Mrs West is stunningly gorgeous. Really great looking woman. She also seemed relaxed and comfortable. Judy Holland had very pleasent energy, too.

[@OnTheOnlyShipButHalfWannaSink]

Love that Toni West just walked over and shook hands with the panel. ;)

[@robg9601]

This toy knowledge is the first non-celebrity to exit meeting the panel, before they finally made it standard procedure, long after they dumped the "perp walk" at the intro earlier in the year (some of the semi-q

[@robg9601]

Semi celebrities had recently also broken through)

[@robg9601]

*to my* (knowledge)

[@robg9601]

Actually it was about a year after they dumped the perp walk in early 56

[@waldolydecker8118]

Yeah, then when she did the same thing exiting, the cameraman kept the camera on Daly,,,?

[@usermikes]

In 1957 I was 12 years old when this episode of What's My Line was on..Thanks to KZbin I can still watch them..

[@lemorab1]

I was eight years old when this was on and I feel the same way you do. Plus, now I get much of the humor, asides, and cultural references that I didn't when I was a kid. This show is such a time capsule. And, it's mid boggling how erudite and smart the panelists and Mr. Daly are. This was a mainstream show for the entire public, not aimed at intellectuals or well educated viewers, in particular. The producers assumed, correctly, that a broad spectrum of the TV audience would understand the level of discourse.

[@lemorab1]

That would be mind boggling

[@theronedawson3236]

That is the year I was born. I watched it in the 60s.

[@kentetalman9008]

I was also 12 then. This was the only show I remember the entire family watching together. I'm sure there were others, but my memory of all of us enjoying WML together still endures.

[@alskndlaskndal]

I bet this appearance brought a lot of new business to Miss West. She certainly was a striking young lady.

[@cookielady9995]

She's trying way too hard to be like Marilyn Monroe.

[@slaytonp]

@@cookielady9995 I suspect a little bit of direction goes on before the broadcast, but it's not always this obvious, with Judy Holiday following with the similar imitation of Marilyn.

[@michaelnivens6267]

@@slaytonp Edie Adams did It best

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I don't remember ever seeing anything like that promotion of Look Magazine (for Dr. Peale) before.

[@terencedove5047]

Come to think it, more so was standard practice for the original WML? to verbally advertise a contestant's doings as opposed to visually advertising them. Both visual and verbal advertising would be equally exercised during WML's second life (in color syndication) from 1968 to 1975...

[@MrWmJosephSmithIII]

Yay Judy! 💝

[@adamodeo9320]

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a great man!

[@elizabethmorgan2621]

Dr. Peale wrote some very good books. They were a combination of theology and some practical psychology. Dr. Smiley Blanton, a psychiatrist, assisted with many of Dr. Peale's books. He was a great motivational speaker, writer and minister at Marble Collegiate Church in NY City. Two of his best books, in my opinion, are "The Power of Positive Thinking" and "Enthusiasm Makes a Difference". He sold millions of books.

[@sleb99]

Elizabeth Morgan and they still sell quite well. He also founded the magazine “Guidepost” which is still published and loved my millions.

[@caroler01]

He was a charlatan and an evil person.

[@winonafrog]

@@caroler01 yea

[@anonymoushard1025]

Ms. West was a 3rd Dan Black Belt in both Judo and Jujitsu.

[@catherineroe8905]

My grandfather was a milliner in San Francisco who made some of the hats that Robert Preston wore in The Music Man!😊

[@wilfred508]

Cool!

[@michaelnivens6267]

So enjoyable to watch John -two very pretty blondes - He Is In heaven

[@loissimmons6558]

Judy Holliday is one of my all-time favorites. I have something I need to complete after I finish commenting on this episode. Otherwise, I would find an online copy of "Born Yesterday", sit back, watch and enjoy it all over again.

[@terencedove5047]

If I remember correctly, Judy, who was still new to Hollywood except for her role in 'Adam's Rib', won the Best Actress Oscar for 'Born Yesterday', defeating Gloria Swanson, Eleanor Parker, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter that year. She also won a Golden Globe for the film...

[@jerrylee8261]

@@terencedove5047 That's quite a distinguished list. Bette is one of my favorite actors and have her on auto-record.

[@terencedove5047]

@@jerrylee8261 ...I found out that information by reading Garson Kanin's book, HOLLYWOOD. Kanin was a screenwriter at MGM under Sam Goldwyn's watch, and documented a lot of the goings-on and so forth back then...

[@MrJoeybabe25]

The "overlayed" picture and voice over about Dr. Peale's column in "Look" is the only time I can remember any of that sort of thing, promoting a person's work other than by the panel or John.

[@reinacoffee8557]

Ms. West could have played Marilyn Monroe's double in movies, and done ok.

[@caroler01]

I think she was cuter.

[@kennethlatham3133]

Sister, maybe a twin. That would have made for a good plot.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@kennethlatham3133 Wow, wish they had done that. They could have played twins in a comedy caper. They should have set up another musical for Marilyn and Jane Russell.

[@joncheskin]

Toni West was like Marilyn Monroe's identical twin. She even did some of Marilyn Monroe's flirty gestures and they seemed pretty natural for her. Marilyn continued to dominate the episode when Judy Holliday's fake Marilyn voice completely fooled Dorothy.

[@briane173]

Jeez no kidding! I honestly think she played up the Marilyn thing knowing she had the looks and the sex appeal; and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was her marketing technique.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Whoa - the "yeahh"-girl went nuts at the beginning

[@bebetigre1252]

Thank you for your book.

[@loissimmons6558]

This episode had a Peale from the very beginning ... and great appeal all the way through.

[@jmccracken1963]

Actually, as Arlene Francis acknowledges in her introduction of Robert Preston, he was then appearing in the play THE HIDDEN RIVER on Broadway. THE MUSIC MAN didn't open at the Majestic Theatre in New York City until 19 December 1957 - 9 months later.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Ah, cripes! I misheard. Thanks for the correction-- I changed the video description.

[@loissimmons6558]

PRESTON! It starts with P and that rhymes with T and that stands for trouble ... right here in The Hidden River City!

[@jerrylee8261]

He was brilliant in The Music Man.

[@michaelnivens6267]

The Music Man on the panel !!!

[@christianlacheze3323]

Judy forever❤️❤️❤️

[@cuttersboi08]

It seems to me Ms West worked very hard at her Monroe imitation.

[@darrylwadley2457]

Back in the days when you could say the word 'Dic', that may not be how you shorten detective in the USA, but I'm English so forgive me if I'm wrong, but you'd get a smile/laugh or a shocked look if you said 'Dic' these days for sure. Such innocent times, unlike it is nowadays.

[@ToddSF]

"Dick" used to be a slang term for "detective" in the U.S.A. and you'll run into it if you read American detective fiction, especially the "hard-boiled" type of detective fiction, especially books written in the 1930s, 40s and even the 50s. Then it fell out of fashion as a term meaning "detective" because of its other connotations.

[@loissimmons6558]

Many years ago, I had a co-worker who was born in Germany whose first name was Heinrich and his middle name was Peter. When he lived in Germany, he went by his first name, but in the U.S. he went by his middle name. He loved to tell the story of how his father was upset that he stopped using the first name that his father had given him. He patiently explained to his father what "Heinie" meant in American slang. Then he would pause for a moment in his story and then say, "But I didn't have the heart to tell him what "Peter" meant in American slang.

[@mikejschin]

@@ToddSF Indeed, there was even a 1940 W.C. Fields movie called "The Bank Dick".

[@jackkomisar458]

@@loissimmons6558 There was a baseball player named Heinie Groh (given name, Henry Knight Groh) who played third base for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1912-1927. He was the manager of the Pirates for one year.

[@loissimmons6558]

@@jackkomisar458 Yes, I have heard of him. He is probably most known these days for being Cincinnati's third baseman in the 1919 World Series, forever remembered as being the World Series associated with the Black Sox scandal. But he was also the starting third baseman for the Giants in the 1922 and 1923 World Series and led all Giants hitters with a .474 average as they bested the Yankees in five games (four wins and a tie). He would have been the Giants starter in the 1924 World Series except he had a serious knee injury late in the season that limited him to one pinch hitting appearance (he singled) and opened the door for future member of the Hall of Fame, Freddie Lindstrom, to become the Giants third baseman. The knee injury pretty much ended his career as he hung on with the Giants for a year and a half before they released him. The Pirates signed him in the middle of the following year to add a veteran to their bench for their pennant drive and to give their great third baseman, Pie Traynor, an occasional day off. He had one more World Series pinch hitting appearance that fall when the Yankees swept the Pirates. And then he retired as a player. But he never managed the Pirates. His only experience as a major league manager came at the end of the shortened 1918 season when he served as interim manager of Cincinnati for the last ten games of the season. And he managed in the minors. He was a little guy who started his big league career playing sparingly for the Giants in 1912 when they were NL Champs, but he rode the bench for that World Series. His manager, John McGraw, suggested he would be a better hitter if he used a bat with a bigger barrel. But his hands were too small for the bats with big barrels. So working with the bat manufacturer, they invented they bottle bat. Some authorities consider him the best all around third baseman of the dead ball era. He had the best fielding average of any third baseman who was a regular before 1920. He hit over .300 four times and had a lifetime average of .292. He also walked a lot because of his stature and led the NL twice in on base percentage. But so far he hasn't been considered quite up to Hall of Fame standards.

[@donnacook8994]

Judy Holliday is so beautiful and very very funny! 🥰🤣💕

[@michaeldanello3966]

Dr Peale to Bennett Cerf "That's a real Christian spirit" -- Cerf was Jewish.

[@frankcastle7036]

so was Judy Holiday

[@peternagy-im4be]

Cerf wasn't a Jew

[@sdacj]

@@peternagy-im4be He was Jewish but wasn't practicing. He liked to tell the story of how he asked his parents if he could have a bar mitzvah, not because he wanted the ceremony but because another kid got a new bike for his and Bennett wanted one. :)

[@catsarereallycool]

Judy Holliday, she was a great actress.

[@dstuart2918]

Who doesn't love Judy--a darling.

[@lauraminer9542]

Molasses reference.....old fashioned Spring tonic.

[@adriennegormley9358]

John sticking his tonguecout at Bennet for his sassy intro had me chuckling.

[@jp0308]

I think Ms. West could have doubled for either Marylin Monroe or Jayne Mansfield.

[@ellamcfadden617]

She is flat out imitating M Monroe’s mannerisms, looks etc.

[@wtju3883]

Wòw, babe! Toni West not only looks like Marilyn Monroe. She even has the same mannerism and speech pattern. She also turns on the heat, too. I can't imagine being able to concentrate on judo.

[@jewell92]

Arlene and Dorothy were both very good.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Dear me! I'm feeling all hot and blushy watching Miss West and she's in b&w, with only her head and shoulders visible and this was over sixty years ago!!!

[@keithnaylor1981]

I’m wondering if Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were watching contestant 2 and thinking ‘wow I wish I looked that good!!!’

[@dinahbrown902]

All fake

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

If a movie had been cast with a bellhop character, the bellhop in this episode would have been perfect. He LOOKS like a bellhop.

[@davidharris6581]

No shot of Miss West wiggling out?

[@henrywyche]

Robert Preston asked , is it to late for me to avail myself of your services, he should have gotten a no.

[@juanettebutts9782]

Miss West said, "Never," and John Daly did say ,"No." The card was not flipped and the questioning didn't move on to Dorothy Kilgallen as it should have. If you hadn't commented, I might have missed it. I went back to rewatch the footage.

[@galileocan]

Arlene Francis to Dorothy Kilgallen - "Because in her house she has a…dick". ROTFL………ok ok…I know she meant "Dick Kollmar", but it did sound pretty funny in today's vernacular

[@lvazzana]

Pun was definitely intended.... ; )

[@bigwilson8794]

Galileocan g As a Dick, I resent that (lol). Sort of like Bennett calling John "infagitable" (I guess he meant indefatigable) at 1:36

[@reno1uest]

Actually he did say indefatigable.

[@timothywills7709]

Miss West!!!!!

[@barbaralw]

Arlene made a very subtle dig to Peale that I doubt many people noticed.

[@winonafrog]

Care to share?

[@gilbertotongco1054]

Miss West a brown belter is a judo instructor. Our judo instructor is a sixth Dan black belter from Kodokan.

[@gilbertotongco1054]

Our judo instructor was a sixth Dan black belter from Kodokan Judo institute of Japan

[@mikejschin]

I don't recall the degree of black belt my judo instructor in college had. One day after class, one of the students asked him what he would do if attacked by a member of the Cleveland Browns (we were in Cleveland). In reply, he laughed and said, "Oh. They big. They easy throw."

[@davidsoulier6375]

6:25 This was one of the few official advertising plugs for a contestant than I can remember in Sunday night WML. Must have been a requirement for his appearance. You have to admire the production staff's sense of balance -- Norman Vincent Peale first for prestige, then for fun that Marilyn Monroe look-alike instructor.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Great comment, David But wait-- what's this, no mention of Judy Holliday? :) I admit, I'm a sucker for her every time I see her.

[@ToddSF]

I love Judy Holliday -- a great talent with a great personality. It's a shame she died way too soon. I'm glad, at least, that when they made the film version of the Broadway musical "Bells Are Ringing," they got Judy Holliday to reprise her role. It's reported that she had a genius-level I.Q. (172) and that she was a whiz at higher mathematics. Despite that, what she really loved was acting, singing and dancing -- and entertaining people in the process.

[@thomtlc2]

Seeing Ms. West shake hands with the panel, I wonder if this is the first time a non-mystery guest greeted the panel at the end of her appearance.

[@WendyDarling1974]

Damn, never saw Robert Preston as a young man. You can recognize the voice though.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Was Judy Holliday considered an "A" list star in her day?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Yes, absolutely. She won the Best Actress Oscar in 1950. You can't get much more A list than that.

[@Vesnicie]

Interesting to see one of the great American charlatans in his flim-flam prime.

[@michaelmiller1215]

I loved Judy Holiday. I also understand that her IQ was actually a few points higher than Albert Einstein

[@cherylfrederick7228]

172

[@stevekru6518]

Einstein never had an IQ test. Does anyone doubt he was a genius? IQ tests are not normed for standard deviations above 3, meaning scores above 148 to 151 (depending on the test) cannot be reliably ranked.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@cherylfrederick7228 Wow, she had a genius IQ.

[@jmccracken1963]

Judy Holliday is, indeed, "full of life" - and she certainly was on Broadway as Ella Peterson (and before that, as Billie Dawn), as well as on her WHAT'S MY LINE appearances. And the panel's having identified not just her but also Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in short order gave the show PLENTY of time for a fourth contestant this evening.....And it's great to hear another blast from the past in Mike Finningham working at the long-departed Edgewater Beach Hotel. I also think that Robert Preston did a good job and "fit in" quite well as a guest panelist on this episode. He certainly didn't "freeze" the way Tab Hunter did as a panelist.....

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

+jmccracken1963 no one was as bad as Wally Cox the human statue...........

[@joncheskin]

Robert Preston was excellent--a very charming, sunny personality.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301 He, Borge and Groucho were horrible panelists. I don't watch when they are on the panel.

[@lindabishop7656]

@@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301 oh come on man. Wally Cox was hilliarous on this show.

[@juliansinger]

At about 17:42, Dorothy explains (in the background while the crowd is applauding) who she thought the mystery guest was. If anyone comes by with better speakers than me, can they tell me what she was saying? (It sounds like Julie Andrews, but I really doubt that was what she meant.) To my relief (since I like his acting/singing a lot), Mr. Preston was pretty good at this, game-wise. (And personality-wise, too.) I can't find hide nor hair of Mrs. West. Mr. Finningham shows up in a few articles about his winning Bellhop of the Year, and then nada.'

[@neilmidkiff]

It sounds quite clearly like "Julie Andrews" on my speakers.

[@juliansinger]

+Neil Midkiff Wow. OK. She hadn't even been in Cinderella yet! Though actually... now that I look that up, it was going to be on on March 31 of that year, so it would have been good publicity. I rescind my doubt! Thank you.

[@neilmidkiff]

+juliansinger She had been the ingenue lead Polly in "The Boy Friend" in 1954-55 and had starred as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" for about a year by this time (opened March 15, 1956), so she was hardly unknown on Broadway, even if the national audience didn't know her until the television "Cinderella."

[@juliansinger]

Very good point. I was thinking they didn't usually get Broadway-specific people, but then I kept finding exceptions to that 'rule', so: Nevermind me, then!

[@neilmidkiff]

+juliansinger I just remembered that Julie's name and voice would have been known nationally from the Broadway cast album of My Fair Lady, which was a big hit LP.

[@oleskoolhunter5081]

Back then people really cared ,loved and was respectful to each other things have really changed in 65 years now people don't care,hate and are disrespectful

[@winonafrog]

During Jim Crow you mean? 😂😂😂

[@mybookfacetube]

Robert Preston reminds me of Ernie Kovacs, or vice versa.

[@TheCometHunter]

My gracious, Mr. Daly was rather frisky when Ms. West arrived!

[@JFinSD2]

Sounds like she is trying to trick them into thinking she is Marilyn Monroe.

[@hcombs0104]

+John Fuentes She was. She even got Marilyn lessons from Marilyn herself! This was one time she seemed to really disguise her voice...only guessed by Bennett by process of elimination.

[@jennybrown75]

Poor Bennett! He'd been looking for the real Miss Monroe for years. I think the two ladies did a pretty good job of it though : )

[@winonafrog]

@@hcombs0104 The spy who knows judo, a real femme fatale!

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

That might've been Mike Finn's only $50 tip.

[@dancelli714]

She sure played up the MM behavior, Miss West.

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

Seems as if she passed in 2019 from Parkinsons.

[@neildickson5394]

Judy Holliday. A great star gone too soon. That Judo instructor must have gotten a ton of mileage looking and acting so much like Hollywood's biggest star, Marilyn Monroe.

[@frankcastle7036]

I would have loved to see her throw the Cerf guy to the ground

[@lemorab1]

@@frankcastle7036 This was indeed a missed opportunity. It could've been payback for all the dumb, clueless comments Bennett made to various female guests on the show over the years. And I say this as someone who likes Bennett on the show.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

@25:10 - in Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen. Oh wait, wrong Hartford.

[@pukulu]

Judy Holliday only lived to be 43 years old.

[@kippyboo7370]

Dr Peale married Lucille Ball and Gary Morton.

[@preppysocks209]

that would be bigamy

[@matthewcooper3535]

Liza Minnelli married David Guest at his church in Manhattan (many years after )

[@QuadMochaMatti]

@@preppysocks209 and also an indication of bisexuality - at least, based upon the construction of the sentence.

[@lemorab1]

Wow, it's hard to imagine Lucy wanting Peale to marry her! I wonder if she read and admired his books. You never know.

[@frankroper3274]

If that blond were in the octagon today I have a feeling she would be popular and sell a lot of tickets!

[@simeonbaumel7293]

Hmmm, Why did Peale answer in the negative about working for a Prophet-making organization?

[@winonafrog]

Tax loopholes 😅

[@jasonfrancis6174]

Does anyone know where Toni West is from?

[@Beson-SE]

For some reason John forgot to ask her that question. :)

[@loissimmons6558]

And usually Bennett will call that to John's attention, to see if that information was intentionally omitted. Methinks that Bennett and John were a wee bit distracted with Miss West.

[@juanettebutts9782]

I expected at least four "small conferences!"

[@terencedove5047]

A BIT distracted? It seemed as though Toni had emotionally (if not physically) thrown the men over a barrel [so to speak]...

[@randylovering24]

Call for a conference please

[@georgestreng]

That was a given.

[@lllowkee6533]

I don’t understand HOW they zeroed in on the ‘church’ so fast. ???

[@winonafrog]

23:00 the what?!?! 😮😂

[@niamhneevekinsella7951]

Miss West is the image of Marilyn

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

MINISTER JUDO INSTRUCTOR BELLHOP

[@ElCid48]

Good thing that the bellhop did not belong to a mafia-infested union.

[@johngreen3543]

Arlene was not completely sure (on Peale) this time because she did not come out with her characteristic broad smile.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

17:00 Who was Dorothy thinking it was?

[@parsnipmcgee329]

Robert Preston was a babe.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

They should bave had Marilyn Monroe as the celebrity guest that Sunday night!

[@katherinepowell916]

Hmm. NVP commented to Bennet Cerf that he had a "Christian" attitude.

[@lemorab1]

I have never read anything written by Norman Vincent Peale. I only know that Gore Vidal ridiculed him (okay, he ridiculed most people) and Adlai Stevenson was quoted, back in the day, as saying: "I find Paul appealing and Peale appalling." Stevenson was referring to the Gospel Of Saint Paul. I don't know what the objection to Peale was.

[@stevekru6518]

Here are some possible objections en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale#Criticism_and_controversy

[@lemorab1]

Thank you for this link. I just read it and re-watched the show, paying particular attention to NVP. He comes across as smug, self-important, judgmental, and cold as ice. He's got hard, beady eyes. I watched this before I read the critiques of his "teachings." But, I have to say that he anticipated New Age hucksters by more than a decade. Different wolf, same sheep.

[@winonafrog]

@@stevekru6518Yes, just read his bio from a commenter above and Good Lord he’s worse than I thought. A Father Coughlin supporter, an outspoken antiCatholic, a personal friend to Nixon, Fred Trump’s favorite. I disliked him for his quack psychology but now I see him as a more racist Dr. Phil.

[@watchman1178]

LOL! They followed Dr. Norman Vincent Peale with two curvaceous blonde bombshells. I guess the devil demanded equal time.

[@stevekru6518]

Yes, but the devil may have gone first en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale#Criticism_and_controversy

[@winonafrog]

Ironic guest for St Patty’s Day too-Peale was a prominent antiCatholic

[@loissimmons6558]

At ~7:17, Bennett says to John, "John's got the _______." Both John and Miss West laugh and then John just says Bennett's name in a sort of "you got us" tone. But what did Bennett say? It almost sounds like "Sony", but first of all, that brand name had barely reached the U.S. and was just starting to become popular. Also, their only notable U.S. product was a transistor radio. In those days, the reputation of Japanese products in the U.S. was that they were cheap, inferior quality knock offs. Was Bennett saying that Miss West was a knock off version of Marilyn Monroe? Or did I totally have an Emily Litella moment and misunderstand the word that was actually said?

[@donc-m4900]

Lois Simmons try "John's got the Toni" (Tony Award). i do hear an S at the start of the word. Miss Toni?

[@lemorab1]

I can help. Back in the 1950's, there was a product called the "Toni Home Permanent." Ladies didn't have to go to the hairdresser. I was subjected, as a five year old, to several of these. The ads in magazines featured twins, attractive young women dressed and styled identically, with the caption, " Which twin's got the Toni?" I think that is what Bennett and John are referencing here. The ads, and that horrible Toni product, were ubiquitous in those days. The audience would've understood what they were talking about.

[@loissimmons6558]

@@lemorab1 I remember the product and the ads. I didn't hear the "T" sound in the word, however.

[@lemorab1]

I didn't clearly hear the"t" either, but punning on Toni West's name by quoting an ad is exactly the kind of thing Bennett reveled in doing, and did frequently.

[@winonafrog]

@@lemorab1👌🏼 especially after John Daly’s “Go West!” pun

[@PaulDA2000]

I love the show but I noticed something annoying lol that happens in quite a few shows, the person asks a question and the celebrity guest looks over to John like she didn’t understand it and the question was perfectly understandable. Seems to happen over and over again.

[@stevekru6518]

Often this is because the celebrity is loathe to acquiesce to an acclamation. For example, modesty and good taste might cause the celeb look at John rather than answer affirmatively “are you very beautiful (or talented, or the most popular, etc.)?

[@PaulDA2000]

@@stevekru6518 Oh yes I agree with you in those circumstances if they wanna be modest. But sometimes the question is not about anything like that but they act like they’re confused LOL!

[@rainerja1959]

I always got the impressions that the acoustics were bad in the theater.

[@winonafrog]

@@PaulDA2000Theyre hearing the speaker from across stage, not clearly as mic’d by us the home audience. Even if the mics run to live speakers, if youve ever spoken on stage or performed into a microphone you know its hard to process your own (amplified) voice or others while on stage in a big room.

[@pensiveowl7791]

It would have been a real hoot if Groucho had been on the panel for the Marilyn Monroe look-alike!

[@lemorab1]

I adore the younger Marx Brothers of the 1930's ("Duck Soup") and whenever I see Woody Allen in the courtroom scene from "Bananas" or a Monty Python sketch, I symbolically tip my hat to the Marx Brothers' genius that inspired so many who came after. But….. the older Groucho on WML, Cavett, et al is about as entertaining as a kid with ADHD in an elementary school classroom. My friends who are fans of SML absolutely LOVE the Groucho episodes and I absolutely avoid them. One viewing was more than enough. Thank God Miss West did not have to contend with Groucho on this one!

[@gilbertotongco1054]

How does a celebrity feel when they win five dollars?

[@accomplice55]

They probably don't care a bit WHAT they win. Most of them gave it to charity.

[@leannsherman6723]

Christian spirit, except that Bennett Cerf was Jewish, but Cerf didn’t say so.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Wow. Jewish. Just like Jesus. Amazing.

[@steelcantuna]

I remember when lots of guys, famous or not, had the name Dick. Don't you think these adults knew about sex back then? Of course they did. But they had integrity, manners, a polite society & the like. People were not so blatantly dirty minded, & openly vulgar as a rule in their day. And a good day it was.

[@jerrylee8261]

What gets me is the way the planet Uranus is used to get a fifth grade giggle. It never occurred to me to see that phrase in that planet.

[@winonafrog]

Yes the dogs being sicced on Black children and the rallies blocking Black children from entering school were so civilized, so germane to high society…

[@maremacd]

When Bennett encourages Peale to give his publisher a plug, Peale deems Bennett full of Christian spirit. Wasn't Bennett Cerf Jewish? You still hear Christians today equating decency with Christianity and a lack of morals with being un-Christian. This really irks me (and I'm Catholic). It strikes me as very similar to that disgusting saying "that's white of you." I'm always surprised when other people aren't offended when they are paid that type of "compliment."

[@watchman1178]

You're reading way too much into that. it was imply a good-natured comment. sheesh.

[@senoramariposa]

+maremacd I quite agree. When did goodness and decency become purely Christian qualities?

[@senoramariposa]

+WATCHMAN 117 Good natured and well intended, to be sure. It's also insulated thinking.

[@monkfan72]

Norman Vincent Peale wasn't much of a Christian as what he wrote about was more was more New Thought. Also, people back then weren't habitually offended by everything.

[@winonafrog]

Ironic guest for St. Patrick’s Day when Peale was an outspoken anti-Catholic

[@ellamcfadden617]

This chick bugs me😂

[@ellamcfadden617]

This show is so sexist🤪