What's My Line? - Edith Young & Phyllis Cerf; Joan Crawford; Peter Ustinov [panel] (Dec 8, 1957)

[@user-sn5jr1ji9h]

Joan Crawford was such a huge star in Hollywood. It's almost hard to comprehend the magnitude of her star power. They don't make film stars like her anymore. Fun fact, during the 1930s and 40s, Crawford was consistently in the top 10 billing actors in Hollywood.

[@jerrylee8261]

Have watched Mildred Pierce several times. A great job of casting and a great job by all in the cast. Love when a bit player who might be on for just a few minutes yet he gives his all.

[@rdsims8809]

Wow!!! The fashion that they are wearing is timeless and classy!!! When people used to dress, they acted with dignity and respect back then .... immaculate!!! CLASSY!! DRESSING WAS A MANDATORY ROUTINE FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL SOCIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS. SOCIETY NEEDS TO RETURN BACK. TOP QUALITY FABRICS...TIMELESS!!! LOVE IT!!!

[@richardr2555]

You can start dressing up any time you like.

[@rdsims8809]

@@richardr2555 I always have and still do. 👍

[@ninawilliams9279]

Yaaaaaas☆☆☆

[@drednm]

At this point, Joan Crawford was one of the biggest stars the movies had ever seen. 30 years and she was still going strong. The mention of "long golden curls" was a reference to Mary Pickford, who at one point was Crawford's mother-in-law! Joan Crawford, one of the greats!

[@savethetpc6406]

@drednm I think Dorothy asked about "long golden curls" (at 21:05) because she was thinking of Shirley Temple. Shirley Temple was no longer making movies in 1957, but she would have still been associated with motion pictures in the minds of most Americans at the time, so it would be sensible for Dorothy to think of her, based on the differing answers from Joan and John to Arlene's questions about her being associated with "pictures." Also, Shirley Temple had brought to life characters "from the pages of a book" in such films as _The Little Princess_ and _Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm_ .

[@josh6402]

@@savethetpc6406 Pickford made those films too :-)

[@harveymanfredsenjenson5417]

Bette Davis didn't think so...

[@SymphonyBrahms]

@@harveymanfredsenjenson5417 Bette Davis was the greatest of the greats.

[@harveymanfredsenjenson5417]

@@SymphonyBrahms Joan Crawford didn't think so...

[@wchumphries]

What a fun episode! Thank you Gary. Ustinov, erudite and charming as he was, was an excellent panellist.

[@davidkendrick4453]

And Daly kept butchering his name. The Russian spelling of “Ustinov” began with the vowel for YOO, not OO.

[@rmelin13231]

Mr. Ustinov never fails to amuse me. I could watch and listen to him for hours.

[@peteowen3539]

Peter Ustinov. What a speaking voice he had!

[@joeambrose3260]

Yeah, It really grates on you

[@kugelweg]

Peter Ustinov had an AMAZING speaking voice! It was so resonant and deep. I've always loved listening to him.

[@dmison2013]

I love these old shows.

[@nancypine9952]

At 13:18 John Daly refers to Arlene Francis as "Miss Hathaway." Hathaway Shirt Company had a series of ads that featured a very distinguished man with an eyepatch. It's considered to be among the best ad campaigns in American advertising history.

[@cookingprof]

Only Arlene would epitomize the phrase; "The show must go on". IMHO when she appeared in a jeweled eye patch showed her as the trooper that she was.

[@Feroal2]

thank you

[@juanettebutts9782]

He called her Ms. Hathaway last week. I wondered at the reference. Thank you for clearing it up for me!

[@sagarsaxena6318]

"You didn't even know your own wife,don't be silly." hahaha.

[@keetrandling4530]

Oh John, how you always make me smile. I wish I could have met you.

[@bigoldinosaur]

Bennett was sure happy happy happy when he saw Phyllis.

[@andrewgilmore7669]

Theodore Kratzke (one of the department store Santas) was my mother's high school shop teacher!

[@angelajoseph6709]

Andrew Gilmore Wow! Is he the big guy Dorothy referred to as strong-smelling?

[@philippapay4352]

Andrew Gilmore - Cheltenham? Abington? They were good school districts back then with some bucks, so I am pleased to know the girls were allowed to take shop, not just boys.

[@terrib9381]

I was born & raised in Ardsley, PA right next door to Roslyn where Mr. Kratzke was from

[@jamesr1703]

John's lengthy and verbose "clarifications" are hilarious.

[@joeblaumer2085]

And he won awards as a newscaster. I would loved to have met him.

[@KitC916]

Masterful deployment of "precision" in excess, for comic effect. Very often comedy is skilled, performative, exaggeration.

[@sdgakatbk]

I call them obfuscations and they were funny. However, by 1957, I think they had gotten a bit played out. I think on earlier shows, particularly how Fred Allen responded some of them were really funny. Btw, I took an engineering class in college where there was one teacher who did that when we were taking exams. After 15 minutes, he would "explain" something about one of the questions or how it was written that confused me.

[@rivaridge7211]

Joan really didn't disguise her voice much in this episode - I was surprised the questioning went on for as long as it did. She made several appearances as "Mystery Guest" during the WML show's long run. Her comment to Bennett at the show's end is very funny! Thanks for all the fun posts!!

[@44032]

I think they knew who it was and stretched it out so the show wouldn't come up short.

[@sleb99]

Steven Chappell I think Bennett knew instantly. Watch his body language. He kindly let them have some fun and experience before revealing who they were. He’s a highly intelligent man. He knew his wife’s voice. I think his protest at the end, when he stated he recognized the other lady’s voice rather than wife Phyllis’s, was just a generous compliment to her.

[@bigwilson8794]

The comments about eyebrows, ageing, adoption, family etc regarding Joan Crawford have a place. But there is no doubt that Joan Crawford did more to dignify the role of women in the movies than any actress ever. She was an incredible person with an amazing life story.

[@kenowens9021]

Phyllis Cerf was a former actress named Phyllis Fraser. She starred with John Wayne in "Winds of the Wasteland"

[@donaldwarren463]

Cerf was married for a very brief period to Sylvia Sidney ..

[@lllowkee6533]

and Phyllis married former NYC mayor R. Wagner after Bennetts death…

[@chrisn7259]

Joan thought she was through with movies, but that changed when her husband Al Steele (Pepsi Cola bigwig) died leaving her in debt. She continued to make movies until 1970.

[@kjgammon1658]

Baby Jane $$ got her WAY out of debt!

[@jaymc5011]

Loved her on the 1st episode of Night Gallery.

[@kjgammon1658]

@@cdrugly a lot of untruths in that.. poetic lisence..no wonder olivia sued..unfortunately the laws don't protect much...

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Dreadful movies like "Berserk" and "Trog". But I guess that they paid the bills.

[@dbarker7794]

@@SymphonyBrahms "Berserk" is terrific. "Trog," yes, kind of sad.

[@robbycan]

Bennett always smiles so nicely when it's revealed what they are. Quite the gentleman, and a great sport.

[@mikejschin]

Bennett seemed to enjoy himself immensely on this show. At times, it strikes me that there is still a lot of little boy in him. There's alway something that lights him up like a kid who just got his first hit in Little League.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@mikejschin I think that applies to all men as far as having a little boy inside. Men and boys are put under a lot of pressure to talk, act, walk, etc. in a certain manner. Otherwise a lot of finger wagging and mean comments ensue. We would be better off to just relax and be ourselves.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Ted Bundy had a nice smile too.

[@Echo_1174]

​@@mikejschinWord my bro!

[@Echo_1174]

​@@jerrylee8261 Yeah. And how's that worked out so far? 😢

[@preppysocks209]

According to wikipedia, Joan Crawford was very close to Dorothy and morose when she died. "In an interview with the Fort Lauderdale News, actress Joan Crawford said she was distraught over the death of her close friend Kilgallen. Crawford, who was traveling in Florida, said, “Perhaps it’s just as well I won’t be at the funeral. I hate them. I want to remember her as she was . . . her fineness, her beauty.”

[@su8483]

Interesting. It wouldn't have occurred to me that they were close ...

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Her vicious pen.

[@preppysocks209]

@Sheila collins Readers should note that no evidence is offered to support any of the contentions of this comment.

[@cosmojonesmusic]

Oh no!! As soon as he said Jenkintown I thought of the Goldbergs. Mr. & Mrs. Cerf seem so genuinely happy. I love that.

[@juanettebutts9782]

A female Santa Claus?! Never crossed my mind. How adorable: when Bennett and Phyllis exchanged a kiss she gave her leg a little kick back.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Juanette Butts. That showed that Phyllis and Bennett Cerf were happily married. 💖

[@CellGames2006]

Also sweet how she blew a kiss to John for making that one explanation.

[@daler.steffy1047]

I would love to have had the opportunity to sit down with Arlene Francis over cup of coffee and tell stories, partly to enjoy the kindness of her company, but to also be in her company to enjoy her incredible intellect, creative perspectives and, of course, her sense of humor. She's one of the funniest people I have come across through the various mediums over many decades...

[@neilmidkiff]

Going back for a second round of viewing these in order... First, kudos to Arlene for balancing the diagonal strap of her eye patch with an off-one-shoulder neckline. Classy as always, even when injured. Second, it's amazing to see Joan Crawford in the process of getting used to appearing on live TV. She seems absolutely terrified in the beginning, but as she gets into the spirit of the show, her warmth and humor become evident, and by the end, she's seemingly comfortable with it all. Of course, the genial WML team spirit must have helped a lot; I'll bet she was glad to have used this program for her broadcast debut.

[@jerrylee8261]

Neil, am on a second round myself. It never gets old and will third round it. Priceless entertainment. I thought Joan looked very unhappy at first. Maybe it was nerves as you posted.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Once she started smiling more she was lovely.

[@gregmoorhead7203]

I’ve read/heard so many crazy things/stories about Joan Crawford as I was growing up. But, in this episode, she appears to be a very kind and personable lady.

[@tedmaire1599]

There weren't any wire hangers on the stage.

[@harveymanfredsenjenson5417]

@@tedmaire1599 lol nice one

[@harveymanfredsenjenson5417]

She had her public face on. They all do. "There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low"

[@SymphonyBrahms]

She covered her tracks well.

[@d.dorough]

Her public persona was well rehearsed I think.

[@HollyCranfan]

Phyllis Cerf is also Ginger Rogers' cousin

[@markxxx21]

Actually he's her cousin-in-law. Cerf's WIFE is Ginger Roger's cousin.

[@Sylvander1911]

@@markxxx21 That is what Holly said

[@CoxJoxSox]

These were Arlene's pirate days

[@joeambrose3260]

She forgot the puffy shirt

[@kennethlatham3133]

Aaaaarrrr-lene Francis, matey!

[@alexandermarquis6197]

She's full of it, no one knew her on the west coast or cared enough

[@siggylloyd3566]

@@alexandermarquis6197 they're all full of it; that's what makes viewing it so entertaining--the pretenses of a bygone era.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Joan plays her best role five years in the future (1962) as the crippled sister in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

[@poetcomic1]

You probably never saw Humoresque or Mildred Pierce.

[@jp0308]

@Keith Hyttinen: Undoubtedly one of her stellar performances! Commenter "poetcomic1" also mentions "Humoresque" & "Mildred Pierce" but lets not forget another of her impactful performances in "Flamingo Road".

[@poetcomic1]

@@jp0308 There was a costume party in Hollywood that year and Joan wore her Carnival Girl dress from Flamingo Road and looked great.

[@fliplinefungus]

I thought she was amazing in Grand Hotel, The Women and A Woman's Face, as well as the other mentioned above.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@jp0308 I think Joan in Flamingo Road slapped the hell out of Sydney Greenstreet. Another of my favorite actors.

[@soulierinvestments]

1957. unlucky year for Arlene Francis. First her broken ankle and then an eye problem that required a patch. From 1953 to 1960, Arlene appeared on WML with an eye patch on 4 different occasions, and on another occasion, her eye problems necessitated wearing dark glasses on live TV.

[@WhatsMyLine]

There's a strange comment about Arlene's eye problems in the Gil Fates book-- he claims she had a habit of "sticking her fingernail in her eye". I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing before in my life. I guess this was a nervous habit?

[@jmccracken1963]

In fact, I think that she was wearing dark glasses at the end of the previous week's show - during the "Good night"s.

[@gaelengesser9484]

At first I thought cataracts, but that doesn't make much sense. Conjunctivitis, maybe? Considering the costume and makeup changes she went through in a day it wouldn't be too strange. Also, if sticking her finger in her eye was a nervous habit why didn't we see it on any of the episodes? You don't just stop a habit like that for the cameras.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Dixie Alexander Yes, you can, Dixie, when you're a thorough-going professional like Arlene Francis was. Think about a celebrity who tended to bite his nails: would he be totally unable to stop doing so for 30 minutes while being broadcast to 40 million people live? If he was so unable, he wouldn't become a regular panelist on a top rated show! Nervous habit doesn't mean uncontrollable, constant compulsive behavior. It means something a person does when nervous.

[@soulierinvestments]

Not nervous habit. Clutziness. Fates I think overstated his observation in his book to that point. So far as I can tell, Arlene appeared with eye problems maybe 5-6 times on Sunday night WML. What's My Line?

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

CO-AUTHORS OF BOOK OF GAMES PROFESSIONAL SANTA CLAUSES If some of you wonder why I don't mention the mystery guest, it's because they are already noted in the video title. No need to mention it again. 😁

[@Beson-SE]

Bennett: Is one of you creatures married to me? :) 8:35

[@henrygrove100]

A lot of jewelry

[@oksills]

Johan Bengtsson WHAT?

[@accomplice55]

@@oksills : He was quoting Bennett. What's your confusion?

[@InspektorDreyfus]

For a second I wondered why there are no comments from 70 years ago. 😂

[@jennymode]

That cracked me up, i can relate, thank you!

[@joeambrose3260]

For a second I wondered if your IQ was above 70

[@dinahbrown902]

🤣

[@robertjean5782]

I've been watching on tv since the live show started, 1950 I'm 87 now and have attended numerous shows😊

[@robertjean5782]

​@@joeambrose3260😮

[@drusilladelp5162]

Phyllis is so cute!

[@marianrohrbach1986]

I love Joan Crawford. She started as a dancer and became an amazing actress. It's disgusting to me that her image and accomplishments have been tarnished by a book that was published after her death and to which she could not respond.

[@manhhilston3063]

A deeply disturbed woman a shame .. she was a true artist and gifted actress

[@lilybean835]

There were plenty of Joan's peers who backed up Christina's stories of what she and Christopher suffered at the hands of Joan. Joan's an incredible actress but used her adopted children to boost her image and as pawns, and she abused them horribly. She may be dead but that doesn't mean her acts weren't vile.

[@jackanthony976]

What makes you think she would have responded to that book?

[@brkitdwn]

@@lilybean835 Joan had her moments of fanaticism.

[@fliplinefungus]

What's worse is the people who feel the need to comment "WhErE's ThE wIrE hAnGeRs" or "bEt ThE kiDS wErE tiED tO tHe BeD WIth KniTTiNg nEeDlEs" and crap like that, like they knew her and didn't just see a fictional movie.

[@markblass4490]

Joan Crawford answered "Never!" when asked if she ever appeared on Broadway, however she did appear in 2 musical revues on Bdwy in the 1920s.

[@gretchenking5952]

John didn't have to say it was a duo bill. A lot of times he gives too much away.

[@robertjean5782]

I agree, even the 2 women looked at each other😊

[@11redlions]

NOBODY SHOULD JUDGE A DECEASED PERSON BY A BOOK THAT WRITTEN AFTER THEIR DEATH.

[@nadiazahroon6573]

Mickey Rooney wrote horrible things about Eva Gardner, cad

[@chriskellerson9740]

She beat her kids and mentally abused them. A mean Drunk was Joan 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸

[@ronnelson6007]

@Marilyn Willett ron n maybe her kids said what they said because Joan was always busy with her career and maybe they did not get much of her money when she died,. The lord tells us not to judge others.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Does that include Jesus?

[@kfl611]

by a child who wanted to make money

[@jamesfox2579]

This is such a TREAT!!😁

[@erichanson426]

I've had 2 of those tonight John, only 1 more.😀😀😀

[@t4texastomjohnnycat978]

In the 1920s & 1930s, fellow Texan J.Crawford was HOT.

[@carol-q9q5g]

She was incredibly beautiful then!

[@riveranormanf.8770]

Joan Crawford had an excellent film that year released in theaters in November 1957 called The Story Of Esther Costello, her leading male actor was Rossano Brazzi. Extremely recommended.

[@paulbalares2307]

"Is one of you creatures married to me!" 😂

[@jamesr1703]

"Wunderbar!"

[@wiguy3]

Were the acoustics & microphones quite antiquated in this studio? How many hundreds of times have we seen people asking for repeat Q&As because they just can't hear?

[@WhatsMyLine]

That definitely seems to be the case, though I think it was even worse in the previous studio.

[@kenowens9021]

+wiguy3 Frank Lloyd Wright was a guest and he said he could do something about the acoustics.

[@wiguy3]

He performed wonders in some of his public spaces but I'm not sure even his genius could have helped- not without huge amounts of $$$$ any way.

[@juliansinger]

+wiguy3 The acoustics on this show are really about the worst I've ever seen on a regular program. Of other live and/or filmed before studio audience shows, the 70s Match Game had some people with bad hearing/acoustics problems, but that was mostly because they were all trying to crack jokes a mile a minute and weren't listening.

[@keithnaylor1981]

A club I used to go to had bad acoustics, but they put down poison and soon got rid of them!

[@stevensacks2771]

When she said she was not in the movies anymore she could not have known that five years later she would be in What Ever Happened To Baby Jane ?

[@jerrylee8261]

A great movie. Recorded it a few weeks ago but did not watch as was just not in mood. Bette had to have had a ball with her character being overdressed and manic and mean as hell.

[@geoffm9944]

Peter Ustinov was a wonderfully talented man, who excelled in acting on stage and screen, behind the camera as a director, and as playwright and author. However, he seemed overawed on this occasion, as his contributions were somewhat muted. I’m not sure whether this was because he was not truly comfortable being on this type of panel show. Although Ustinov was a highly intelligent man, he never seemed to get to grips with the appropriate line of questioning of guests.

[@robertjean5782]

He did mention that being a panel member wasn't his forte😊

[@TacomaPaul]

"Auntie Mame" Forrest Tucker fell off a cliff... and young boy "he lifts the ropes everywhere" (with Peggy Cass) ... and he married at 23 with his wife. ;-)

[@michaeldishler9673]

amazing Joan

[@gabe-po9yi]

Wow, did you hear Edith Young, the co-author with Bennett Cerf’s wife say that the show wouldn’t let her disguise her voice? Also, John Daly told the panel right up front that there were two of them, which he never does. Were the producers afraid Bennett would get upset if he didn’t guess them? I can’t think of any other reason. I can see Bennett pouting about something like that, though.

[@ModMokkaMatti]

Bennett was a bit of a pouty boy, more so when nobody appreciated his little silly puns.

[@gabe-po9yi]

ModMokkaMatti Yeah, he had a big streak of immaturity.

[@errorsofmodernism9715]

bennett appeared to be quite a pansy

[@gabe-po9yi]

alfred e neuman Agreed.

[@dinahbrown902]

Bennett’s wife looks bothered when they said dual

[@photo161]

When there were movie stars...Where did they go?

[@alskndlaskndal]

I wonder who would get it if you sent a picture to that address today?

[@Beson-SE]

Let's try! :)

[@loissimmons6558]

You'd probably get something similar to what Elvis sang about (with vocal backing by the Jordanaires) in one of his movies ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2ipiJyal9d4odk

[@joeambrose3260]

The person who lives there, Einstein

[@ModMokkaMatti]

Bill de Blasio will keep it on file and send out his thugs to throw you in jail for not wearing a mask.

[@robertjean5782]

​@@joeambrose3260Your no Einstein 😅

[@alexandermarquis6197]

Mr Peter Ustinov was a handsome chunky Papa

[@lorihansen8674]

And nice to marry, too!

[@RedNekLvr22]

I always forget just what a HUNK Peter Ustinov was!!! 😁

[@guyinsf]

Joan Crawford didn't even try to disguise her voice and they still couldn't guess right away.

[@robertjean5782]

She was an old timer and the panel forgot her😢

[@guyinsf]

@@robertjean5782 Still surprising they didn't guess sooner because 3 out of 4 panelist were probably close to Joan's age so they all grew up with her movies and 1957 wasn't that far from the end of her active years and her voice is so recognizable.

[@aarnotuhnu4011]

It gives me a strange feeling to see this, because she is 99 % same as my ex. My ex had almost as good looks too, but the demeanor is unmistakable. I feel I know exactly this type of personality, and I don't mean anything negative about it. Maybe some people who read this know what I mean.

[@lorihansen8674]

It's like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The person is quite capable of putting on a facade when necessary.

[@robertjean5782]

Got it 😊

[@jmccracken1963]

I have noticed on the most recent episodes of WHAT'S MY LINE? that all of the contestants are now allowed to shake hands with the panel (on-screen) as they make their exit - not just the Mystery Guest. Any idea which episode that started with? (I think that it had to be some time in 1957, because the 1956 episodes that I've watched reserve that privilege to the Mystery Guest.)

[@hetmanjz]

+jmccracken1963 I've also been trying to figure out (or I guess I should just say "catch") when that started. Maybe our (KZbin channel) "host" will chime in! (Though he probably has elsewhere on another clip....)

[@WhatsMyLine]

I don't know which was the specific show when they started having the regular guests shake hands with the panel, sorry!

[@juliansinger]

+jmccracken1963 It was a slow phase in. First they stopped the walk of shame, and just had people wander off-stage. And then a few people shook hands (in 1956ish), mostly on their own initiative, and then the show just made it part of the exit strategy, somewhere between March and May of '57. Anyway, Spring.

[@joeambrose3260]

Who gives a rats' fanny

[@su8483]

@@joeambrose3260 I would point out that nobody cares about YOUR opinion, but that would be rude. Oh yeah, I don't care.

[@davidsanderson5918]

The love of the audience for Crawford is palpable and rightly so. Mind you, I'm interested that the applause for her is far far more robust than in recent weeks for people like Gene Kelly and Mickey Rooney. The latter for instance was the no.1 Hollywood attraction box office-wise for three years running. Interesting to see who stayed in favour with the public. Or at least the audience of WML! In all honesty I'm not keen on Crawford. The pedantic manner she exhibits with Serf (about her not being in movies any more!) before she leaves the stage is just the sort of passive-aggressive manner I don't like. I'm with 'team Bette Davis'!! :)

[@Patrick3183]

At this Point in her life she thought she was retiring from film. Two years Later she was suddenly widowed and left in debt and had to keep working.

[@robertjean5782]

Send a email complaint 😊

[@jmccracken1963]

Regarding this episode: Joan Crawford may have come across as a LITTLE (emphasis mine) bit difficult, but she also is still a very classy lady - and one just has to look at her eyes when she's on-screen, just as in all of her movie performances. And at least her answers were intelligible to the panel (unlike the previous week's Mystery Guest, Errol Flynn, whose (drunken, perhaps?) unintelligible responses thoroughly exasperated Martin Gabel)......

[@tjbnyc76]

Crawford had never done live television at this point, and I think any "difficulty" she gave the panel during the questioning stemmed both from nervousness (and her tendency to fall back on "grahhhnd lady" mannerisms in such instances) and also her sincere, perhaps competitive desire to stump the panel. (I've rewatched this since reading your comment, and she seems to be enjoying herself, for the most part.) JC also displays a surprising amount of humor in her initial quip to Arlene, and just as she exits, with her parting shot to Bennett. And, in her many subsequent Mystery Guest appearances, once she'd become comfortable with both the format and the panelists, she's quite funny -- a sense of humor usually not something ascribed to Miss Crawford, perhaps unfairly.

[@SG-ug9xj]

Ustinov was awesome as Nero in Quo Vadis!

[@roberttelarket4934]

Can’t Daly pronounce Ustinov Youstinoff instead Oostinoff like everybody else?

[@rayizard5687]

Peter Ustinov: What are you doing here? Oscar the Grouch: A very brief cameo Peter Ustinov: Me too

[@RonGerstein]

Phyliss Cerf married NYC Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. after Bennett Cerf died.

[@erichanson426]

Having a lady in the group of Santas is most likely what threw them off their sled.

[@robertjean5782]

They're were numerous female Santa's in New York 😊

[@jhellyer2010]

Did you wear long, golden curls? Lol

[@JCarlosCS1221]

A Mary Pickford reference (at one time Joan Crawford's mother-in-law).

[@savethetpc6406]

@mermaidmotelxx and @ José Carlos C. Salazar I think Dorothy was probably thinking of Shirley Temple. It makes sense, since she said that she wasn't "associated with pictures" anymore, but John said that many people would definitely still associate her with the movies she had made in the past.

[@cookielady9995]

I didn't care for Joan, but will not deny her talent.

[@stxrstrxckmxteo515]

she was lowkey funny asf here. “Not anymore” lmfaooo the pettiness I love her

[@pressureworks]

Peter and Bennett weren't invited to the benefit ?

[@carol-q9q5g]

I just noticed that Dorothy doesn’t wear her brooch later in the show.

[@joeambrose3260]

No shit, Sherlock

[@SymphonyBrahms]

She sold it to buy booze.

[@robertjean5782]

​@joeambrose3260 Always sarcastic😮

[@robertjean5782]

​@@SymphonyBrahmsridiculous outrageous BS 😮

[@golden-63]

*No wire hangers! EVER!!!*

[@jamesr1703]

Mommy, she said ding dong!

[@kennethlatham3133]

Ahoy! Miss Aaaarrrrgrrrr-lene Francis, matey!

[@snarkyenigma9219]

It's nice that Arlene finally acknowledged the (thunderous) applause as a clue. Couldn't Joan have at least tried to disguise her voice?

[@robertjean5782]

She couldn't disguise her voice😢

[@tooldhollywoodandbeyond]

Arlene is adorable here.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

I like Arlene's mask in this episode!

[@carol-q9q5g]

I think she was adorable on all the episodes! 😆

[@monadavis2664]

¹

[@robertjean5782]

Gorgeous 😊

[@geniusmchaggis]

jeez arlene had some EYE incidents eh...she had a patch on her LEFT eye earlier in the fifties!

[@jessicaphillips4542]

She always was sticking her fingernails into her eyes after she takes off her mask after the mystery guest seems to me

[@geniusmchaggis]

@@jessicaphillips4542 LOL

[@MrJking065]

Wow Joan was pure class.

[@salaciousbum1161]

"HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY"

[@msgigirogers1559]

Phyllis is ginger rogers' cousin

[@ScottAbrams-ur3lk]

Wonder what happened to Arlenes eye....

[@louislamonte334]

Joan looks radiant here!

[@jimthompson606]

When Bennett heard Phyllis laugh at the outset, I could tell her recognized her laugh.

[@syd8802]

I'm about to make some people mad I love Joan but I have never watched mommie dearest

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Read the book. It's better than the movie.

[@faithmitchell8310]

same, i refuse to watch it

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Faye Dunaway overacted and chewed the scenery all the way through it. I'm not a Faye Dunaway fan and I'm not a Joan Crawford fan. But I will admit that when Joan was good she was very, very good (Mildred Pierce, Humoresque, Possessed) and when she was bad she was horrid (Berserk. What a laugh fest).

[@dinahbrown902]

Who knows a person really except for themselves. Gossip

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

There is no reason to. Joan wasn't in it.

[@terryniblett9329]

Why couldn't they afford another chair for more than one guest...HOW STUPID!!!

[@geoffm9944]

Peter Ustinov was an amazing actor, director and writer, but like so many British celebrities who appeared on this programme he had very little knowledge of current Hollywood stars.

[@mehboobkm2018]

And his style was timeless!

[@gbrumburgh]

Dorothy, Arlene and Joan all appeared on the Monday, November 8, 1965 episode of TO TELL THE TRUTH. It was a relatively new gimmick started on the quiz show in which all three were covered by hats and dark veils while their voices were electronically altered and disguised. It was then up to the four TTTT panelists, through questions posed, to determine who was the REAL Joan Crawford. The strange thing about it all was that Dorothy had been discovered dead from an overdose of alcohol and pills in the early hours of November 8th. So, after the show ended, the CBS News came on with Douglas Edwards and he reported Dorothy' death, explaining the bizarre situation that had home viewers quite upset and puzzled. They learned that the 11/8 TTTT show had actually been taped on 11/2.

[@syd8802]

Do you know if that episode is on KZbin I would like to watch it but I can't find it

[@gbrumburgh]

​@@syd8802No. We believe it is one of many destroyed.

[@dbarker7794]

Joan Crawford seems quite subdued in this episode. She was one of the greatest.

[@kkallebb]

Did Crawford say that she was not associated with pictures any more? By the time this show was made, she had made eleven movies in the past seven years. What was she talking about?

[@MrVidaeverdade]

William S. She explained here that she hadn't made a film since the previous year, apparently due to her new marriage.

[@kkallebb]

Yes I posed my question too soon. Still, I find it an odd comment.

[@brkitdwn]

@@kkallebb Perhaps because Joan was odd.

[@bt10ant]

Thanks. Such a classy show....just one example is that John Daly refers to the audience as being in "the theatre" rather than the "studio audience."

[@robertjean5782]

It's theater with a stage. Was originally a playhouse with acoustics 😊

[@gareththomas6714]

she made no attempt to disguise her voice

[@laurelremington2056]

I am of the generation that was terrified of Joan Crawford for all the horrible things she did to her children. I never would watch her in movies.

[@hopsiepike]

Watch whatever happened to baby Jane. Joan’s performance is hilariously bad, acting as if it were a serious drama, and not the camp fest that Bette Davis knew it to be. “You wouldn’t do these awful things to me if I weren’t in this chair.” “But ya ARE, Blanche! ya ARE in that chair!”

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

14:52 Creepy smile! YIKES!

[@kfl611]

people dressed so stylishly back then

[@dinahbrown902]

They were appearing on tv. I bet you would dress stylish too

[@robertjean5782]

​@@dinahbrown902Exactly 😊

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Somebody needs to make a narrative film about WML that shows the non Polly Anna truth. I would donate to that

[@robertjean5782]

Not happening 😊

[@Baskerville22]

Bennet must have known earlier that his wife was one of the first mystery guests. Probably knew it before he left home to do the show.

[@robertjean5782]

Prove it😅

[@alanaronald244]

I would say that Santas entertain.

[@joycefolsom130]

How nice that people dressed up in those days. Joan Crawford was a HUGH star in those days

[@robertjean5782]

Not so at this time😮

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Where are your children. Joan? Christina is busy reorganizing her closet, cleaning her bathroom, and trimming the rose garden. And Christopher is all tied up and can't be here tonight.

[@11rokerito]

If you get her to answer you, you get an Oscar too.

[@helenthorpe1494]

What is it with you? Got a mother complex, have we? Your hatred of a dead actress is pathetic in the extreme. I can see why you use a fake profile. But then you trolls always hide behind someone else, don't you?

[@dinahbrown902]

Believe everything your told? Sad

[@VTMCompany]

Joan looks awful in the screen capture for this video.

[@brucemarsico6]

Joan made those ultra women's pictures, with great melodrama, face slapping, and storming around in some sort of near hysteria. Great to watch on a rainy afternoon....like 'Harriet Craig' or 'The Damned Don't Cry' or 'Female On The Beach.' They're almost comedic in their intense over acting......

[@dinahbrown902]

Emoters

[@brucemarsico6]

@@dinahbrown902 Emoters? Who, who was, or who, who is, in hollywood is NOT an emoter? Is emoter ever a REAL word? i think you mean to write 'emotionalist'. That's it....

[@GeeBee909]

Later Joan would appear on t.v. shows Route 66 and Password

[@ladya1953]

Joan Crawford is okay, I just never understood the eyebrows.

[@juanettebutts9782]

In 2019, the fashion fad is for women to have wide, long, dark "boyfriend brows." I don't understand it.

[@joeambrose3260]

Most lowbrows don't

[@SymphonyBrahms]

She changed her appearance in the 1940's. Thick eyebrows and accentuating the cheekbones. I think that it made her face look hard and mannish.

[@11rokerito]

His eyebrows are amazing and legendary. I think just because of how iconic her eyebrows are, she should have had another Oscar hahahaha

[@robertjean5782]

Send a email complaint 😊

[@galileocan]

I apologize in advance, but...I think that Joan Crawford frankly looks like....hell. And for some reason she has a very negative aura about her in this appearance.

[@kjgammon1658]

TV lighting bad then, cheap budget shows... not like movies, or tv specials, duh!

[@cookingprof]

I agree.

[@jackanthony976]

She was slapping and beating her daughter Christina at about this time.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Christina was acting in a soap opera and Joan was jealous.

[@helenthorpe1494]

Isn't it funny how all of you fake profiles who take on the names of classical composers are nasty little 💩

[@brkitdwn]

Joan Crawford looks really unhealthy, and tired.

[@jackanthony976]

I'm not surprised. This was about the time she was beating her adoptive daughter Christina during her so called "night raids" of Christina's closets.

[@kjgammon1658]

@@jackanthony976 I think she looks great for her age.. considering primitive tv makeup , lighting of the time.. I am just sure you're a beauty...!

[@SymphonyBrahms]

Too much booze and cigarettes.

[@kevinivers]

She was far more beautiful years later

[@accomplice55]

@@kevinivers: I never thought she was beautiful at any time.