What's My Line? - Edward R Murrow (Dec 7, 1952)

MYSTERY GUEST: Edward R Murrow
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, Hal Block
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[@carlfalt174]

To have two of the greatest newsmen in the business in the 1950's at the same desk is quite an accomplishment.

[@forrestfootball]

Very amazing to see John Daly sitting next to Edward Murrow on the 11th anniversary of the day that will live in infamy. John was the reporter who first broke the news to US radio audiences of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Edward Murrow was perhaps the most distinguished of a great many American WW2 correspondents. John also was the first to report on the death of FDR, and Murrow was among the first journalists to see the concentration camps. Their contributions to society are felt 80 years later, and I imagine will be felt for another 80 years at least. Two great Americans.

[@tigergreg8]

Thanks for the information, very interesting. I must say though, your writing is above par, esp in this day and age. I can't help but wonder if your occupation has or had something to do with that.

[@enriquesanchez2001]

Edward R. Murrow - the likes of which we will probably NEVER hear or see again in this Topsy-Turvy world we live in today. Many try - but all fail.

[@kenyongray2615]

Edward R Murrow was a giant in his industry. Thanks for the video.

[@johngiovine8792]

I absolutely love the fun and depth of intellect of this show, it is so refreshing in this day and age! And Edward R. Murrow is a personal hero to me, his integrity, and depth of humanity and intellect is so refreshing in our current day. I have deep respect for this man.

[@janetmarletto6667]

It is also fun to watch some of ERM's Person to Person on YT

[@kellythompson3865]

Yes sir John! Couldn't have said it better! My biggest fear and observation is that integrity is lacking in this country. Mr. Murrow would be on the side of democracy and would know the fringe and fascism, he was there.

[@jennymode]

I could listen to that voice all day! What a moving description of the memorial, I have rarely heard anyone so articulate. I'm going to hunt down recordings of his journalism. Thank you again ! for posting these wonderful episodes, WML is my new daily ritual.

[@Widda68]

Yes what a strong authoritative voice Mr Murrow lhad.. he was on TV during its infancy. Yet I still think he set the industry standard for TV journalism.

[@keithnaylor1981]

Edward R Murrow - the proud owner of the most brilliant captivating talking voice ever. His speech was so moving. Even if he just asked you the time of day you would be in awe at his overwhelming presence. KAN UK

[@23bnichols]

The man could read the phone book & be miles classier than a lot of the talking heads currently populating the "small" screen.

[@howardgoldberg7983]

A voice that guided a country through The Blitz and WWII. One of the most recognizable voice of confidence.

[@roberttelarket4934]

Absolutely no one tomorrow will know who he was!!!

[@cogidubnus1953]

I'm a 61 year old Brit born 8 years after the end of WWll...It's only my opinion of course, but I regard Ed Murrow as probably the greatest wartime commentator ever...certainly the best in terms of radio...his broadcasts from London are warm, interesting, accurate (as far as wartime censorship would allow), and more importantly, perceptive... Looking separately at the McCarthy affair, the sheer courage he displayed in taking on the senator head to head was something else again... In short I hugely respect his memory

[@slaytonp]

I'm 88 years old, and remember him well, during WWII, when we all listened to him on the radio, and later when he confronted the McCarthy outrage. I wish he were here today, when we need his particular kind of commentator sanity more than ever.

[@johngiovine8792]

Edward R. Murrow is one of my few personal hero's, a truly fine man!

[@cogidubnus1953]

@ZoneFighter1 You don't have a mainstream left-wing political party in the USA - to any European observer you appear have a right wing party and a lunatic extreme right party of fascists. You have a government of right wing elitist bosses running ordinary working people round like a bunch of wage-slaves, and the slaves can't even see that's what they are... So I doubt you've got the political nous to see the very obvious failings in what you so confidently state as fact...therefore you're probably a troll...

[@rtususian]

This is one of the only times I have ever seen Edward R. Murrow smiling and laughing! Every other photo or film clip I've seen he is deadly serious.

[@soulierinvestments]

Murrow’ discussion of the Journalist Memorial is just amazing. That voice. It is easy to see how he mesmerized news audiences for years. This is Murrow at his peak. His career slid into the morass of CBS corporate politics within 2 years. This has my vote as the most prestigious mystery guest sequence of The Early WML Period.

[@Dr.Schnabel]

What ever happened with Journalist Memorial project? Ever built? Where?

[@donnawoodford6641]

It is presumptuous to think one could collect a check from panelists while exiting the stage. It would be more appropriate to ask for personal donations after the show and when "off the air". The request seemed a bit tacky to me. 🤨

[@christinelorin1827]

His March 9, 1954 broadcast examining McCarthy’s anti-communist actions is considered by some to be the example of broadcast journalism at its finest. That broadcast is 1 year and 3 months from this tv show in Dec 1952.

[@christinelorin1827]

Of interest, Louis Untermeyer was fired from ‘What’s my Line’ because he was deemed to be communist, and protesters convinced the sponsor, Stopette, to have him fired. Louis became severely depressed after his firing and was blacklisted. His career and stature recovered and among other things, from 1961-1963, he was the Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress.

[@arlLaFong]

@@donnawoodford6641 He was making a joke. Look in the dictionary under "sense of humor."

[@Kuklapolitan]

God blessed us when he gave us Edward. R. Murrow. I never missed any of his programs and was grateful when the film, "Good Night and Good Luck" finally came out. Those, like me, who were too young to understand what McCarthyism did to this country were, at long last, aware of the breadth of that scandalous time in America. Senator Joseph McCarthy ruined many lives by obsessively accusing innocent people of Communism. He was, and remains, anathema to any fair minded American.

[@H.L.-fj6zd]

World renowned Edward R. Murrow was a pioneer in radio and television journalism in the mid-twentieth century

[@dbarker7794]

Great to see Edward R Murrow on the show. Sad to think about what network "news" has become. Today's highly paid celebrity "journalists" are out of touch with the majority of the people. They couldn't hold a candle to this guy.

[@sdkelmaruecan2907]

Having just watched "Good Night, and Good Luck", I immediately checked if if Ed. Murrow has ever been a guest in WML, I can't believe he was. What a voice and what an articulate man

[@dbg399]

Great Movie. I admire George Clooney for getting it made.

[@allenjones3130]

Ed Murrow's smoking eventually killed him. He died of cancer in the 60s. Rest in peace, Ed.

[@OceanSwimmer]

"Good Night And Good Luck" --- an underappreciated film. Timeless.

[@MarcBrewer]

Mr. Murrow had something that we don't see in evidence among the "talking heads" on TV & other media: Courage and a sense of duty. In many ways the modern world has improved greatly, but in some ways we are falling short of the mark.

[@ralpholson3328]

MarcBrewer l

[@brucegelman5582]

We have quite simply devolved

[@elleryeggen9678]

Here here

[@davidsanderson5918]

Bruce Gelman Wow!! That's exactly the word I was going to reply with right here.

[@jewell92]

very short of the mark.

[@ToddSF]

This show was aired originally on December 7, 1952, 11 years to the day that John Charles Daly's voice was the first one heard on the radio informing Americans that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.

[@loissimmons6558]

That was one of a handful of famous firsts and broadcasts by Daly. He was the first to broadcast the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was one of two reporters (with John Scali) to report from Moscow about the famous kitchen debate between Khrushchev and Nixon on July 24, 1959. Daly only missed four WML broadcasts during the 17 year run of the original version of the show. He was able to get back in time for the July 26 broadcast, but ironically missed one of the four on the last Sunday of June 1959 when he was in Japan. Bennett Cerf mentions an interesting fact about Daly's trip to Japan on the first show when Daly returned. On the lighter side, Daly did a mock news report on the first episode of a new CBS situation comedy, a spin-off of "Petticoat Junction", called "Green Acres". Daly explains the premise of the show in his report. Also, Daly was something of a predecessor to George Foreman, the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Daly had four sons (and two daughters). All four sons were named John. (Foreman one-upped him and had five sons.)

[@daniellack3559]

Thanks for informing everyone about what a wonderful newsman John Daly truly was...I imagine most folks always will associate him with the hugely popular WML program, but he was an outstanding newsman...

[@sdacj]

It was tradition in the Daly family for several generations, and may still be, to name all male babies John - his brother was named John, as was their father, and his sons and grandson were all John.

[@VickyRBenson]

Wow! This thread is so informative. I had never heard of John Charles Daly (no wonder Bennett Cerf included the “Charles” in his introductions, with so many John Daly’s around!) and now I hear Ed Murrow’s voice for the first time. Didn’t know who he was, either. This gives me a new perspective of history. It’s also a different time when someone of his caliber lights up a cigarette during this brief on-camera “interview.” I wonder why he felt the need.

[@stadleroux]

@@VickyRBenson check out, if you'd like to know more about Ed Murrow, the movie "Good Night, and Good Luck". I didn't know anything about him myself when I first watched it and almost thought it was just a fictional story, until I realised that just too many real people were being mentioned. Made in black and white and starring, inter alia, George Clooney and Jeff Daniels, and given what I've heard from them in recent years it's clear that it was a matter of principle for them, they had no choice but to make the movie.

[@theolamp5312]

Once upon a time, the news was not an entertainment industry.

[@zapkvr]

Indeed. I had this conversation with a radio producer the other day when two journalists were interviewing one another. I asked was either of them an expert. Well of course they weren't. They were there purely for their opinion. That ain't news in my definition.

[@zapkvr]

Paddy Chayevsky wrote a movie script that won an Oscar, the movie was called Network. William Holden was in it. So was Faye Dunaway. And some Australian dude.

[@theolamp5312]

@@zapkvr - Then, they weren't journalists. They were op-ed people. I find Chris Wallace to still be a serious journalist. It's hard for me to find anyone else.It's embarrassing for the "News" media.

[@theolamp5312]

@@zapkvr - That Australian dude was Peter Finch. And, he did the role of a lifetime. He was mad as hell, and he wasn't going to take it anymore. I'm not sure, but it might have been his last role.

[@walterweddle7644]

Douglas Edwards reported the news in a mannerly fashion.

[@jasonbeard4713]

"....more fortunate or less courageous..." Eloquently spoken.

[@markgiardina1303]

Ed Murrow had a wonderful broadcasting voice to go along with being an excellent journalist and interviewer. It's a shame that there aren't more Ed Murrow's on television these days.

[@nancypine9952]

He had courage and integrity, and those are virtues we don't often see these days.

[@daniellack3559]

He was a legend and was probably more responsible for bringing down the drunken bully Joe McCarthy than anyone else....a shame the cigarette addiction led to cancer and his untimely death....

[@fenwaypark1725]

daniel lack We need Joe back as the marxes demorats are now more commie than ever.

[@georgevincent1834]

Wish we had Edward R. Murrow in the media TODAY.

[@freddyfurrah3789]

Not A Chance 😂

[@sgt.blkdog3840]

Ain’t that the truth

[@johncollins7062]

I wish just one had his sense of integrity.

[@OceanSwimmer]

A great, great man. His speech about the possibilities of television were prescient. Greatly missed.

[@leesher1845]

What a fabulous voice Edward R Murrow had and such refinement.. I was too young to remember him, but my goodness. How noble and honorable that he wanted to build a memorial to the fallen war correspondents. He was so persuasive, merely by the tone of his voice. I would’ve picked up the phone and donated at that moment. Sadly, there is none of that anywhere today.

[@timprescott4634]

Murrow was so utterly and completely above all who came after…today’s “newsmen” couldn’t clean the bottom of his shoes.

[@belindaalbright8798]

You are correct. The problem being you can't buy morals, a conscience, dedication, and professionalism. Something few possess anymore, to become all but extinct once the boomers are gone.

[@deewilson3239]

Amen!

[@kd6836]

Today’s are what you scrape off the shoes. We will ever have Murrow or Kilgallin again. They are propagandists now.

[@johncollins7062]

Mr. Murrow was never even near enough to the accepted trash of today to dirty his shoes.

[@theseventhsojourner1413]

Murrow was a master of elocution. So many were, so many years ago.

[@davidgladstone5261]

I wa only 5 months old but my parents were certainly watching this! I have listened to both of these gentlemen since my early days.

[@timothyhughes1904]

I like Arlene. Smart, lots of personality and a real cutie.

[@debbigray1752]

Proud that Washington State University has the Edward R Murrow College of Communications...it is a stellar school...such a great way for his name to live on.

[@TheBee87bee]

This was a man of integrity and sense of duty to the American public.

[@mikegeorge5354]

I love how funny Edward R. Murrow was in this episode. I remember him on TV as a child

[@johncollins7062]

David Seville used the "Person to Person" format in his first chipmunk album.

[@lauracollins4195]

Sorry to see so many commenters harping on Edward R. Murrow’s smoking (even calling him a degenerate!), and also a comment on his high forehead, if you can believe that. But very glad to see so many others admiring his skill, intelligence, influence... and oh, that voice!

[@ttrivett2000]

he admitted to be a hopeless smoker, even saying he couldn't go 30 minutes without one and it did end up killing him very young.

[@pambayyari8573]

A high chin represents intelligence

[@nedranichols2906]

@Sander de Boer It's a sign of the times. Back then, smoking was socially acceptable. On the first show, John Daly was smoking (and he continued to do so from time to time). The first time Arlene was on the panel, she was smoking. Many guest panelists smoked. (In the '80s, I remember sitting in a doctor's waiting room smoking.) Applying today's standards to the past is idiotic and serves no purpose. You are correct about the stress of appearing on the show. Dorothy was a mystery guest and she commented afterward how terrifying it was and that John had to hold her hand throughout.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

@@pambayyari8573🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Also big feet and hands represent....big boots and gloves!

[@zapkvr]

Nicotine is more addictive than heroin. We know this from studies with rats. It's a bad habit but it's not a source of shame any more than chewing your nails.

[@grapetomatogirl2141]

This episode aired on my mother’s 15th birthday. 🥰 🍰 Be well, stay kind and blessings to all ~ 🙏🏼

[@keymaninmusic]

I was wondering when her birthday was.

[@emmarose4234]

Edward R. Murrow was so stinking ADORABLE!!!

[@kurtbilinski1723]

"... more fortunate-or less courageous." Wow, that says a lot about Murrow's character right there.

[@stokepogue]

Thanks for loading these!

[@beadyeyedbrat]

I want a dollar for every time Daly says, "We don't want to mislead you."

[@franksantore2327]

Wow, it is really evident from his facial expressions that John gets pissed by Hal's non sequiturs.

[@Vitte4]

Interesting to note that Mr. Murrow addressed the panel directly rather than the TV camera regarding the overseas press club memorial fund he was championing.

[@BlueDahlia006]

My Uncle Joseph Kukis was deputy warden at Rikers Island during the 50s and 60s. Wish I could have talked to him more. He led a very interesting life.

[@dansanger5340]

Edward R Murrow grew up in a tiny farming community a short distance from the shores of Puget Sound in Washington state, about 75 miles north of Seattle. I know because I drove through it just a few weeks ago, and it's still a tiny farming community (pop. 133), surrounded by great swaths of amazingly fertile and beautiful farmland.

[@caleb_güero]

The "Difference of Opinion" moment is hilarious.

[@debrareisdorf309]

2 months before I was born. Fascinating.

[@rosemma34]

"...make an appearance before him," says the host with the first guest. Nice giveaway Mr. Daly!

[@johncollins7062]

From the ensuing questions, he seemed to have covered it very nicely.

[@jgarrison1309]

Edward R. Murrow, probably the greatest American Journalist of the 20th Century.

[@RobertShyanNorwalt]

jgarrison1309 Just another run of the mill Lefty Scumbag

[@preppysocks209]

@z He said US, clearly and explicitly. If you had bothered to read what he wrote, you wouldn't have given erroneous and personal criticism.

[@randallerickson175]

@@RobertShyanNorwalt What an uneducated, hate filled remark. What in particular is it that you dislike about him so much?

[@alisonhunter188]

@@RobertShyanNorwalt What a good little johnny reb you are...

[@martinobrien7110]

Without equal.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

In this year two of the greatest opera singers, Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano, were singing La Traviata at the Met. Few could equal their artistry. Many marvelously talented people were around during that decade.

[@brohan914]

Flagpole sitting= the planking of the Roaring 20's

[@MearickLee]

9:44 'What's My Crime'. Now we know where Disney got the idea to sneak the show into 101 Dalmatians.

[@savethetpc6406]

MearickLee Hal sets up the joke at about 9:41. John laughs, but then at 9:47 he says, "You can't do that -- not here." Why? What was wrong with the "What's My Crime" joke?

[@nancypine9952]

That actually appeared in the book the movie was based on, but I wouldn't be surprised if the author picked it up from the show.

[@lynnetedder-ward3164]

Speaking as a proud Brit .Ed Murrow was always someone who deserved and earned praise and respect from this side of the pond and received it.🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️📻📻📻📻📻🙏🙏🙏

[@perfumeaddict1204]

What a man, what a voice.

[@soulierinvestments]

The last phase of Murrow's career was not in CBS but in the Kennedy Administration. He died in 1965. The cigarettes got him.

[@vanillabean0164]

Funny that they say “What’s My Crime?” because in Walt Disney’s 1961 film 101 DALMATIANS, Horace and Jasper watch a spoof of this series with that exact title. (Side note: Walt Disney himself appeared on What’s My Line? on November 11th, 1956 as the Mystery Guest; which can be seen here on KZbin)

[@laurahoward5426]

WHAT A VOICE!!💟

[@robbob1234]

No no no no no! Bennett is in the wrong chair and I cannot get past this! 😂

[@smadaf]

This is the first time it every occurred to me that 1952 was just eleven years after 1941. The gap between the attack on Pearl Harbor and this broadcast was not even 55 percent as great as that between the attacks of September 11 and today.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Heads up that today's WML rerun will be postponed till tomorrow, due to the sad news of the passing of Betsy Palmer. In lieu of today's WML rerun, I've posted early the three episodes of "To Tell the Truth" where Betsy was on the panel to the new TTTT channel, and I'm featuring a playlist of these appearances and her two appearances on the WML panel. Not the happiest note to start the brand new TTTT channel off with, but as I've said in these situations in the past, I always think it's better rather watch these shows and remember the joy these performers brought to us, rather than our just feeling sad about their passing. I sincerely believe that this is what they would have wanted. The playlist can be found here: kzbin.info/aero/PLqsaqh5sqUxruonnoVTmcaTZfLDoqFG1V The regular weekday WML rerun posts will resume tomorrow.

[@earlenepeterson8065]

Loved his voice.

[@MarthaReynolds]

Oh, the voice of Edward R. Murrow!!

[@drhino9425]

My FAVE SHOW!!

[@bt10ant]

Sad to see Murrow smoking. He admitted to smoking three packs a day and died of lung cancer in 1965.

[@love-light369]

It was probably stress-relief... We all have habits: some more noticeable than others.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Christopher Reeves wife, Dana Reeves, died of lung cancer. She never touched tobacco.

[@leesher1845]

Thank goodness they got rid of that routine of having the contestants leave by walking behind John Charles Daly. The celebrities on the other hand, when they left would shake the hands of all the panelists. There was a real division there in terms of status, thank goodness, somebody had the good sense to recognize how inappropriate and elitist that was. It was a pleasure to see the parole board Director nod to the panelists as he was leaving. He was a real gentleman. Edward R. Murrow spoke so eloquently. They didn’t show him collecting checks from the celebrities. I wonder if they all contributed.

[@519djw6]

Regarding Edward R. Murrow: I've never been to New York, so I wonder whether this memorial to journalists killed in WWII and the Korean War was ever built.

[@keymaninmusic]

It wasn't. They built the wax museum instead.

[@soulierinvestments]

Edward R Murrow was CBS Radio News’s star reporter in the 1940s. However, his relationship with CBS-TV in the 1950s was unhappy. Murrow’s documentary news hour “See it Now” started in September 1951 with a lot of high hopes - most went unfulfilled. Murrow’s CBS-TV celebrity interview program “Person to Person” quickly became his most popular show. Murrow’s sponsor ALCOA had the courage to back Murrow when in March 1954 “See It Now” broadcast "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy" and took him apart brick by brick. From CBS’s commercial TV point of view, that entire broadcast was a PR disaster. From March 1954, CBS placed increasing regulations and restrictions on Murrow and his documentary unit and eventually found a way to cancel “See it Now” all together and to continue “Person to Person” with Charles Collingwood, as I recall. In the meantime, Walter Cronkite, Douglas Edwards, and Eric Severeid found ways to advance their careers through the dark underbrush of CBS corporate culture, so CBS News in the late 1950s and 1960s belonged to them - not Murrow.

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

I understand Murrow's respected CBS news show was pushed-out for "The Beverly Hillbillies." And......the rest is history: Goodnight, and good luck.

[@burrator8291]

My word when Edward Murrow spoke, ahhhhh~

[@Appleholic1]

1952 A Black man not only on a parole board but on TV too.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Big deal.

[@Appleholic1]

@@peternagy-im4be Just saying. That was very rare in that age.

[@ToddSF]

I strongly suspect that John Daly had a great deal of respect for Edward R. Murrow -- they were both involved heavily in broadcast journalism (radio and TV). In fact, Daly was on CBS radio along with Murrow. (Later Daly would be on television with the ABC News.)

[@loissimmons6558]

It shows something of the respect and demand for Daly's services that at one point in the 1950's, he was on all three major networks at the same time. This was something unheard of even at that time and pretty much impossible now. Daly was, in fact, a Vice President of ABC in charge of news, special events, and public affairs, religious programs and sports. He anchored ABC's evening news broadcasts from 1953 to 1960. He left ABC shortly after the 1960 Presidential election because ABC chose to show Bugs Bunny cartoons and an episode of The Rifleman from 7:30 to 8:30 when CBS and NBC had already begun election coverage. He also did occasional fill-in work on The Today Show in the 1950's. Technically during this time he was an employee of Goodson-Todman, not CBS. Even so, ABC allowed their VP to work for the competition.

[@loissimmons6558]

Both Daly and Murrow served as war correspondents during WWII. Daly was in Italy in 1943. Murrow's experience was far more extensive and no doubt Daly was mindful of that. Murrow was in London during the Nazi air attacks on that city. He also flew on 25 Allied missions over Europe. Neither of these men could be counted as war correspondent survivors due to cowardice.

[@ToddSF]

Lois Simmons -- Cowardice? Are you really in a position to make that accusation?

[@loissimmons6558]

ToddSF 94109 I was referring to a remark made by Mr. Murrow himself as he was talking about the memorial he was raising money for. The exact quote was that those war correspondents who survived were either "more fortunate or less courageous". I took "less courageous" to be a diplomatic way that Murrow was saying that some of the war correspondents "phoned in" their stories from a distance rather than going on the front lines. (If I recall correctly, that was often the MO of Roland Hedley in Doonesbury.) Maybe changing "less courageous" to "cowardice" was a bit strong, but I think that was the sense of what Murrow was saying.: some who survived genuinely put their life on the line and others survived because of the way they chose to cover the war: from a distance. And please understand that I was interpreting Murrow's remarks, not placing my own value judgment on what anyone would do in that situation. Having grown up when I did, I knew some who went to Vietnam and made it back, some who enlisted and were fortunate to be sent to someplace like Germany where they didn't see action, some who didn't come back and some who left for Canada and evaded the draft. My brother failed to physical - twice. I consider myself fortunate that I didn't have to face that decision. I have no idea what I would have done if I had been faced with being drafted into the military. And to do it as a journalist rather than a soldier would be an even greater challenge to decide. How far does one go for their profession?

[@stadleroux]

@@loissimmons6558 it's quite inappropriate and uncalled for to substitute "cowardice" for "less courageous". Mr Murrow was being modest and could just as well have referred to surviving correspondents as luckier than those who had not survived, because that's what they were. Have you any idea what the Allied attrition rate was in combat missions over Europe? Murrow flew on 25 of them. Was he "less courageous" because he didn't go on the 26th? No, he was lucky because he survived the 25. Cowardice my ass...!

[@philjohnson2277]

Hal Block was a questionable panel member from the start,but in his defense he stayed within boundaries of tact early on.As the show grew,he ignored those boundaries,particularly when it came to his awkwardness and behavior to female contestants. Then it become very uncomfortable and it was evident he had to go. Pull up the Bennett Cerf interview on KZbin.

[@johnjaybonstingl9007]

It was a classy panel, but Block was not that type of personality.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

CBS's greatest newsman of the time and he gets tepid applause? I think, perhaps, that Ed Murrow was not that easily recognized by the vox populi in 1952, for two reasons, he did news programs on television, which most people did not watch, and he was, at this time, still mostly on radio. The name meant more than the face in 1952, I think. This would change dramatically as the 50's wore on.

[@vegetony]

I wonder what happened to the Memorial proposed by Edward Murrow. I can find no mention of it online. There is a memorial dedicated in 1896 for Civil War Journalists, but no mention to any that would fit this context. There's a tree at Arlington National Cemetary dedicated to fallen journalists, but that's not quite a memorial. There is presently (as of 2023) a National Park Service Planning Committee to establish such a memorial, which implies there is none existing presently. One of the sites considered is Edward R. Murrow Park in Washington DC.

[@leesher1845]

Walking in front of the panel was so idiotic. Thank goodness they got rid of that and had the contestants shake the panelists’ hands at the end the way the celebrities did. Good that they also got rid of the contestants leaving behind John Charles Daly. That older gentleman who was the chairman of that parole board should have been able to go over and shake hands with those panelists, but he was classy enough to turn to them and nod.

[@soulierinvestments]

Bennett's mention of a record of history featuring narrator Murrow is the record set "Hear it Now," produced by Fred Friendly. It had a lot of authentic radio broadcast recordings. It also contained some recreations. It featured the last recreation of the KDKA November 1920 news broadcast of Harding vs Cox election results. {the actual broadcast was not recorded but was recreated as early as 1936] Bob Trout reported on NPR a few years ago that "Hear it Now" 's famous clip of Trout announcing the end of the Second World War II was a recreation; he presented the original and the recreation for comparison-contrast. [In the original, Trout's report kept getting interrupted by cheering staff] Most famously, as Trout put it, "Only Fred Friendly could think that the first news report on the Pearl Harbor attack lacked dramatic effect." John Daly reported it first as the lead story of CBS Radio Sunday Afternoon News. Fred Friendly took Daly's lead from the bulletin announcing Franklin Roosevelt's death, spiced it in, and turned the Pearl Harbor report into a news bulletin.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun for 6/2/15: Watch along and join the discussion-- while you still can. For those who may not yet be aware, the WML channel is currently under direct attack by Fremantle Enterprises due to totally unjustifiable, outrageous copyright claims which they've only started filing because they just launched their new TV station, Buzzr. I intend to fight this in any way I can (The CBS WML series is not copyrighted and never was), even if I have to go as far as to hire a copyright attorney. But the WML channel's days may be numbered no matter what I do, folks. ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ To stay up to date with postings, please consider supporting the WML channel by subscribing. The WML channel already contains the complete CBS series, with new videos still being added on the weekends. kzbin.info/door/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w

[@SuperWinterborn]

What's My Line? This is like being invited to a party, which then turns out to be a funeral instead. My joy in watching these reruns did suddenly disappear after reading your comment here. Together we have created a decent and wonderful community on these pages. This would not have been possible without *Our Host of Honour*, namely you, Gary. Are we now going to lose all this, due to an unfair claim from a greedy company?

[@rangerdj1]

What's My Line? Can you prove that WML is not under copyright by Freemantle or CBS? All other Goodman Todman properties were, and they managed to renew all copyrights I can think of.

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? Oh no, Gary! This is the first I'm hearing of it. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help. I would certainly hate to see this channel disappear -- not only because I personally enjoy both the episodes and the camaraderie we have developed in these comments pages, but also because of all the hard work that you have put into it to make it so appealing and inviting. It would be so unfair to you to have to lose the channel after all that!

[@savethetpc6406]

***** The long list of FremantleMedia Productions posted in the article you linked does not include "What's My Line," though. Of course, Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on anything, but I'm hoping that the absence of WML from the list at least indicates that it is not one of Fremantle's specific acquisitions, despite them having rights and control over other Goodson-Todman shows. I also noticed, for example, that they are listed as having the rights to "Password Jutawan" but that would indicate to me that they do *_not_* own the rights to the American "Password "programs.

[@savethetpc6406]

***** Obviously Fremantle thinks _they_ have a case, or they wouldn't be pursuing this in the first place, but I'm just hoping that they can be proved wrong!

[@kenowens9021]

When Steve Allen came one time and got more laughs than Al Block, Block looked angry.

[@leesher1845]

The business of contestants walking in front of the panelists was so demeaning.Thank goodness they stopped that.

[@johncollins7062]

It was even more pointless than the free guess.

[@OceanSwimmer]

@leesher1845, Considering the many and varied occupations of the guests, I don't think the close-up meeting between the panel members and guests is demeaning at all, but I'm from an older generation. It seems polite to be properly introduced and shake hands, which many did.

[@arrghhouse]

At 21:35, Hal Block humorously suggests that the mystery guest might be John Daly. He had no idea that this would come to pass many years after he himself was off the show.

[@pinedelgado4743]

Great to see the likes of Edward R. Murrow with a sense of humor!! :) :) :) :)

[@ShaBafana]

Wow! Love this

[@keymaninmusic]

What a name!

[@lkramberg]

I just checked and could not find a completed war memorial like the one that Ed Murrow was trying to raise money for in NYC. There is a war correspondents memorial in Maryland.

[@OceanSwimmer]

Thank you for checking on that - I was wondering about it, too.

[@laurahoward5426]

Never seen Edward R.Murrow laugh....

[@knowmusicman157]

man what a set of pipes

[@MCO18]

Good night and good luck.

[@iamintheburg]

I want a blindfold like Arlene's : too fab, too chic, so stylish.

[@patriciahammett4197]

July 2018, my how the news personalities have changed.

[@nicholastanner6463]

Fantastic program but first episodes before my time in 1958 .🙂

[@lemorab1]

Did the War Correspondents Memorial that Ed Murrow is collecting for ever actually get built in New York City?

[@lemorab1]

+lemorab1 There are memorials to war dead in Maryland, D. C., Battery Park in New York City, but nowhere do I find a memorial specifically honoring fallen WWII correspondents in New York City, built in the 1950's. I can find a website dedicated to them, with mini-bios, and some photos on a wall, taken in 1948, but no memorial that looks like it cost the $300,000 figure that Murrow mentions. Does anyone know?

[@lemorab1]

@D Thomas Thank you, I just watched Bennett and Daly talk in 1954 about the Dateline TV program dedication ceremony. But, that's all they talk about. No mention of any details, like where it is and what it is. I guess the photos on a wall that I saw on the website is it. But, who pocketed most of the cash not spent on it, I wonder?

[@juliansinger]

Mr. Lowery was a saxophonist with, eventually, a couple of groups of his own, in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. (Percy Lowery's Orchestra, and the Snappy Four.) I'm not sure exactly when he got appointed to the Parole Board (then known as the Pardon and Parole Commission), but it was likely in the mid-to-late 40s. I was wondering why he had to quit playing, but I eventually found it was, at the time, a three member board, and it was full-time. So, alas. (It's now up to 12 members.) He had a wife and some kids and died in 1967.

[@jvcomedy]

Thanks for the interesting info. I found that he was also an attorney.

[@juliansinger]

Yah. I didn’t mention it because I thought they said on the show, but I must’ve been wrong. Thanks for adding!

[@lottalady73]

juliansinger Lowery was appointed to the board of parole in 1945. He was the first African American to achieve that distinction. You can see a picture of him (below) with the Snappy Four. He led the band and played the sax. Also included is a 1938 photo of him with his Percy Lowery Orchestra. No slouch he! www.artsfoundationofoldetowne.org/PercyLowery

[@roberttelarket4934]

Very clever from Hal: What's My Crime?

[@jeffreyslott3883]

I wonder if that memorial that Mr. Murrow talks about was ever developed. By the way, $300,000 in today's money would be over $2,650,000.

[@Sylvander1911]

The Overseas Press Club Memorial Press Center was dedicated in 1954

[@VynceMontgomery]

Is Percy Lowery the first black non-famous contestant on the show?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Certainly the first in a show that's been preserved. But it's pretty much impossible to know, because most of the first two years wasn't preserved.

[@davidhenschel1990]

Vynce Montgomery Yes.

[@johncollins7062]

No! the Hollywood agenda was prevalent even then.

[@kingforaday8725]

WW2 had ended only about 7 years prior to this programs broadcast. To put that in some perspective about 7 years ago from today would have been about in the middle of Obamas second term.

[@johncollins7062]

Jim Henson's first television engagement was an inquisitive snake in a segment titled "Poison to Poison.

[@H.L.-fj6zd]

Sixty-four correspondents died in WW2 and Korea, and later, in the Vietnam War another sixty-three correspondents were killed and so many more wounded, no purple hearts, no post traumatic stress benefits, and VA hospital services.

[@TunguskaTerma]

Wilmington, Ohio has an arboretum named after Dr Frank Hazard the biology professor. He died in 1963 aged 57

[@robertfiller8634]

The Cerf of a few years later would probably have asked him if his "line" was Hazardous.

[@richardblayneamerican8149]

I was waiting, and there it was...Murrow's ever-present cigarette. What a terrific newsman, covering bombing raids during WWII, interviewing celebs in the '50's. Great to see him smiling and having the time of his life here.

[@H.L.-fj6zd]

During Germany’s air raids (known as “the Blitz”) Murrow transmitted his reports live to the United States from the rooftops of London.😊

[@H.L.-fj6zd]

😢

[@H.L.-fj6zd]

Murrow broadcast the first eyewitness account of the liberation of Buchenwald in Weimar, Germany.by the U. S. Army.

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

Smoking on "What's My Line?" That's what ultimately led to Edward R. Murrow's demise.

[@patrickryan1515]

Good Night and Good News.

[@drumbum3.142]

"Wuz That theSame Fella ,?" 😂☺️😊

[@thunderball6908]

Ed Murrow's voice is unequaled.

[@doowopmitzmitz]

These are great...I'm enjoying them so very much---THANK YOU!! I was wondering if you had the full Elsa Maxwell episode?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Depends which one you're referring to-- she was on three programs. The first was 4/12/50, and I don't have that one (most of the shows from the first couple years are lost). But I do have her other two appearances and will be posting them eventually: She was a member of the panel on 4/15/56, and a mystery guest again (though not the primary one) on 10/13/57.

[@doowopmitzmitz]

Thank you so very much----I truly appreciate your efforts!!!

[@neilmidkiff]

+What's My Line? Just an update for later readers: The 4/12/50 episode was later found and has been posted here. Thanks, Gary, for all you've done despite massive obstacles.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Neil Midkiff My pleasure-- We'd never have this set of episodes complete if it weren't for the very generous contributions of about a half dozen other folks!

[@taasetaofi2005]

Go Cougs! Proud WSU Alumni

[@ToddSF]

Once again, the panel exhibits a certain degree of ignorance about the animal kingdom. In this case, Hal Block came up with "mosquitoes or things like that" and it surprises me that no one could come up with the more general category "insects" and ask a definite question about that -- they could have narrowed it down from there if they'd had a clue. Then when it was rather apparent that insects were the thing, because Hal Block said "It's like pests or insects" and got a yes to that, he then asked, a few questions later, if the contestant raised "amoebas or files or things like that". I have the impression that Mr. Block didn't understand what the category "insects" contained, and I'm even surer that he had no clue what an amoeba was (a protozoan or single-celled member of the animal kingdom). When I was learning such things as a kid, my mother seemed to have a clue since she'd had a biology class in high school, following general science classes prior to that. Here, at least, Arlene asked about rodents and was told rodents were not the correct category, so I would have thought that "insects" would be asked shortly thereafter. (On other occasions, in more than episode, Arlene thought that worms and snakes were in the same family, which I find pretty shocking, actually.)

[@loissimmons6558]

This goes along with a staggering lack of science knowledge by the news media in general. Just one of many examples was the article I read that cautioned people to not use the same water more than once to make tea because repeated heating caused the oxygen to evaporate. Yikes! Leaving behind hydrogen? Oh yeah, that would be fun to heat up on your stove in your tea kettle. (What they meant was that repeated heating would evaporate more and more water, leaving behind higher and higher concentrations of whatever minerals were found in the water.

[@ToddSF]

Lois Simmons -- Well, atually, water can be aerated, which does improve its basic flavor if you're drinking a glass of water. If you boil the water long enough, the air molecules suspended among the H2O (water) molecules will be dissispated leaving behind flat-tasting water. So a lot of sources say that tea tastes better when made with water boiled just once, because the water tastes better since it still has air in it. (Not "oxygen", per se, but air with all the gases it contains.) In fact, my copy of the Boy Scout Handbook from the 1960's advised how to disinfect water before drinking if you were camping, and that including boiling it for a certain length of time and allowing it to cool. Then they suggested pouring the cooled, boiled water back and forth between two containers a number of time to aerate it, thus improving its flavor before drinking. Frankly, I don't think tea needs air in the water to taste good, because the flavor of the tea is sufficient to flavor it even with water that is devoid of air. In fact, perfect tea, flavor-wise, can be made with distilled water, which has nothing in it but H2O molecules -- and that's not to discuss whether drinking distilled water is good for you in the long term. I note that some tap water that is particularly "hard" with too many undesirable minerals dissolved in it can taste bad, and such water makes lousy coffee or tea for that reason. I note that all my faucets have aerators that add air to the water that comes out of them and they do improve the flavor of my tap water.

[@loissimmons6558]

ToddSF 94109 Okay, but my objection was specifically to the idea that the oxygen was leaving. Presumably aerated water would come from the air in the surrounding atmosphere which is predominantly nitrogen. And I agree that tea generally tastes good with either hard or soft water because of the taste of the tea itself. (I have mostly had tea in areas with hard water, actually, as that is what we generally have in the NYC metro area.) The only time I have had tea that tastes nasty because of the water used was when you could tell that they the authorities had added extra chlorine for some reason. My mom was especially sensitive too it and could tell right away.

[@ToddSF]

Lois Simmons -- I've been in places like Irvine or Costa Mesa, California, where the water had all sorts of nasty minerals that left a white film on the tile in the shower and even a crust of white minerals from the shower head or the tub spout. Another place like that is Albuquerque, New Mexico, where if you use a self-service car wash as I did and the rinse isn't with softened water, it leaves horrible big white spots all over the car. The water tastes bad on account of the minerals, and coffee and tea brewed from it isn't wonderful. Nothing to do with the chlorine content. That water even had an odor from the minerals, nothing like a chlorine odor. (That Orange County water came from the Colorado River.) As to "oxygen", when water is sufficient aerated, it's the oxygen dissolved in it that allows fish and other aquatic life forms to survive. Fish quickly die in water that no longer has sufficient oxygen dissolved in it and that's what someone talking about oxygen "leaving" the water means, certainly not the oxygen atom linked to two hydrogen atoms in each H2O molecule. I used to have aquariums when I was a kid with air pumps that pumped small air bubbles through a porous stone dissipator to make sure the water had enough oxygen in it, plus filters that had activated charcoal that had to be changed periodically, designed to absorb carbon dioxide. I also had aquatic plants in the aquariums to use CO2 via photosynthesis and discharge oxygen molecules into the water. Gills, of course, exchange CO2 molecules discharged by the fish and snails, etc., for oxygen molecules -- which is what the lungs of animals do with atmospheric air.

[@loissimmons6558]

+ToddSF 94109 Replying specifically to the bad taste left by certain minerals only. Yes, I am aware that there are a number of things that can cause water to taste bad. My parents used to go to a resort in Greenville, NY where the water from the pump on one side of the road was delicious, but the water on the other side of the road, apparently coming from a different underground source, tasted like sulfur. Drinking water in the NYC metro area is generally very tasty. NYC public water has won taste competitions. (As a side note, it appears to have the optimum mineral content for pizza dough and bagel dough. There is an Italian restaurant in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area of Florida that brings in many gallons of NYC water monthly so their pizza quality matches that of their sister restaurants in NYC.) But as I have traveled around the country, I have stayed in places where the taste of the drinking water is downright nasty. My mom had a very acute sense of taste. She also knew the time of year (I think the fall, but its been over 20 years since they lived in that house and over 35 years since I lived with them) when it was more likely to have a higher concentration of chlorine in our local water. It apparently was an annual problem that passed within a few days to a week. But if she said it was chlorine, my money is on her. I only know the tea wasn't as tasty during that time and sometimes we would have a rare evening meal were she wouldn't make her customary pot of tea, whether served hot or poured over ice in hot weather.