What's My Line? - Julius LaRosa; Stubby Kaye [panel] (Jul 21, 1957)

NOTE; This is the first show I have a copy of which uses the new theme song and animated titles. According to my log, though, the first show to use it was the previous week's, which I unfortunately do not have a copy of.
MYSTERY GUEST: Julius LaRosa [singer and TV personality]
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Stubby Kaye, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@MrWindermere123]

One of John Daly's talents was putting people at ease when they were not regular TV performers. The pistol man looked very stern and humourless when he came on but was soon grinning and enjoying the game. I think John Daly was made it look so effortless that people trusted him and lost their stage fright. That's a great gift.

[@jerrylee8261]

He sometimes holds their hands, even men, to try to put them at ease. Somehow John comes across as a perfect human being on this show. He and Dorothy were vital to its popularity and flow. I didn't realize how important Dorothy was to the show until..................

[@shuroom57]

​@@jerrylee8261I have a hard time even trying to watch a show taped after November 8, 1965.

[@gerald-yy8cz]

@@shuroom57 You are missing out. Try watching The Three Stooges sometime.

[@ironduke2000]

@@gerald-yy8cz I think @shuroom57 meant episodes of WML after Dorothy's death. It's hard for me also to watch episodes taped after her death.

[@loissimmons6558]

Bennett was sure worked up about the Desert Inn in Las Vegas employing someone to wash the playing cards used in the card games at the gaming tables. At casinos, the cards usually take people to the cleaners rather than people taking cards to the cleaners.

[@kennethbutler1343]

These days they sell used cards (and dice) to the tourists...how much was the wholesale price of decks of cards in 1957 that they could afford to pay someone to wash them???

[@mikejschin]

I’ve never seen Bennett so incensed. He didn’t get that upset even when he felt that John had misled the panel.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Lois Simmons - Ouch. One of Bennet's puns.

[@slaytonp]

@@kennethbutler1343 and how little did they pay her to wash them?

[@AdrianLopez-sb7eo]

John Daly's reprimand seemed a bit unfair even if disguised as gentle ribbing. Bennett: "You mean to say these hotels that make millions of dollars in gambling ..." John: "Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh... you run an efficient publishing house Mr. Cerf?"

[@wchumphries]

I love how Mrs. Pettigrew from No'th Car'lina makes "yes" a 2 syllable word.

[@barrykendrick3146]

"You all" is a very useful plural form.

[@MrYfrank14]

accents fascinate me. the southern US adds words and syllables and stretches everything out. the northeast US cuts everything short. worked with Polish college students that spent their summers working in different parts of the US. both to earn money and as part of their education. they learned the proper British dialect of English in school, then they explained how they had to learn English again when they came to Amerca and learn it again every time they went to a new area. the accents were like a new language. it was fun listening to them explain how they thought "car" was different from a "cah" in Boston.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

wchumphries She did, didn't she? Ye-ye..es.

[@jerrylee8261]

Being a Southerner, I love our accent. Y'all is much more inclusive than you guys as a guy is male. Southerners do NOT use ya'll for one person we say you.

[@erenunal]

I find it a neat and egalitarian gesture that non-celebrity contestants are allowed to shake hands with the panel as they walk off. Much more dignifying than the walk of shame that preceded the free and wild guesses. It's also a sort of display of sportsmanship, not unlike the handshake between players at the end of a tennis match. No hard feelings. Ties in nicely with the fact that this is a game played for a few minutes of wholesome entertainment and the size of prize money won is of secondary concern.

[@jmccracken1963]

This episode was a lot of FUN!!!! The show really clicked on all cylinders on this particular evening.

[@randallerickson175]

The prize amount always stayed the same. $50. People didn't go on because of the money, they wanted to be on because it was such a great program to be part of. Love that!

[@eyekanspalwerds7824]

The average income was only about $3,000. $50 was about a weeks pay.

[@petermack2825]

Stubby Kaye was a very good panelist!

[@williamlynnroden]

@Peter Mack. I agree! I'm starting to like Stubby more and more. I have noticed that most of the "entertainment" crowd likes him as well, a very affiable guy!

[@rmelin13231]

I find Stubby to be one of the most enjoyable guest panelists. I always look forward to his appearances.

[@laurahoward5426]

Julius LaRosa aged beautifully, and this must have chapped Arthur Godfrey, who infamously fired him an air, leading to his own swift downfall

[@kulturekritik9665]

Watching Arlene Francis just puts me in a good mood.

[@kevinvanmeter2264]

I miss Julius LaRosa...great singer and such a nice man.

[@galileocan]

Julius La Rosa seemed like a very nice man

[@rr7firefly]

Yes, and he had to deal with Arthur Godfrey's pettiness and jealousy. Before Julius was fired from the Arthur Godfrey show he was receiving more fan mail than Godfrey.

[@leesher1845]

Arlene & Dorothy were so smart.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

JuliusLaRosa was so cute. I hope he had a successful career.

[@tjbnyc76]

Whoops...the "delightful star of stage and television...Dorothy Kilgallen"?!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Oh, that is a *RIOT*. I never noticed that before! Probably because Dorothy was classy enough to not make a correction-- she certainly couldn't have failed to notice that blunder! Thanks so much for pointing that out. The announcer must have been thrown by the new theme song. . .

[@savethetpc6406]

Todd Brandt & What's My Line? I noticed that too. In most of the earlier years' episodes of the show that I have watched, the panel order was always Dorothy first, then either Steve Allen, Fred Allen, or whomever, then Arlene third, and then Bennett. I remarked the first time that Dorothy and Arlene switched places, but after a while they seemed to alternate their order each week. Perhaps the announcer started his introduction thinking that Arlene would be coming out first, and then just substituted Dorothy's name quickly (and smoothly) when he realized his error? It was probably less noticeable and embarrassing than if he had corrected his original intro (given that this was live television), but it is pretty funny to those who noticed, nonetheless. :)

[@jvcomedy]

SaveThe TPC I think you are exactly right. The very next episode Arlene sat in the first seat and she was introduced as "star of stage and television" just as Dorothy had been in this episode.

[@ToddSF]

Or, possibly, someone didn't edit the announcer's script correctly for this episode's particular seating arrangement, and he started reading what was there on the page and couldn't very well change in mid-stream.

[@loissimmons6558]

+ToddSF 94109 There's a joke about that type of situation about a church secretary who discovers the search and replace function in her word processor. It came in handy when there was a certain script (like for a baptism) where all she had to do was search for the name of the previous person and replace it with the new name. That worked fine until the previous name was Mary. The next time that script was used, the congregation was introduced to the Virgin Susan.

[@JustFunandGames]

How embarrassing it would be, to pull out your gun to shoot someone and they notice the gun clashes with your outfit.

[@laurahoward5426]

The fact that John Daly could be so interested in a lowly worker instead of an Atomic bomb, says a lot about his personality

[@TOM-C.]

Julius LaRosa got his fame on the Arthur Godfrey show, and then when he became too famous, outshining the head host Arthur, he was fired on the air, and subsequently became more famous, while Godfrey took a dive because of his pompous firing of LaRosa.

[@ibnalhaytham]

Arlene kills me. "We see you washing the pages of your owns manuscripts." Good good.

[@ta2686]

RIP Julius LaRosa. He passed away 5/12/2016 at age 86.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

I remember Mr Larosa! He sang!! A tenor I believe! But he had a marvelous restaurant in Hollywood, Florida. Went there often and enjoyed the marvelous Italian food! Too bad it's no longer there. Thank heavens for the memories!!!

[@mikehudson8884]

@@janeiwasduncan8463 A baritone I think.

[@sorceress1986]

Oh, they used Arlene's intro on Dorothy....

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Mariah Pacheco - I wondered about that too.

[@lopa2828]

I wondered about that too

[@jerrylee8261]

Was surprised that neither Dorothy nor Arlene called attentention to that. Maybe just being kind to the announcer.

[@spyderbaby5180]

Arthur Godfrey fired Julius on live radio. Beginning of the end for Arthur.

[@rgmrtn]

I liked seeing Ms. Francis come out with a ribbon in her hair and a purse.

[@mehboobkm3728]

Penpals, wow, I forgot that term.. First form of social media friends!!

[@MrYfrank14]

funny how times have changed. firearms are still marketed to women in colors that will match their outfits, but can you imagine any show putting the seller of one on today?

[@SuperWinterborn]

Wonder how many Ladies who bougt a handy little pistol after this show. No doubt there was a lot of benefit for several firms, after appearing in this, and simular shows..

[@juliansinger]

I can't find a lot about Mr. Donovan, although he did go on to head the company in 1959. Mrs. Lyons seems to have died in 1972 (and was in her 60s here), and I may look more for Mrs Pettigrew later. The new theme (extremely established, of course, to the rest of the world) is growing on me.

[@loissimmons6558]

Mary D. Pettigrew of Concord (NC) passed away on May 26,2008 at the age of 85. A more extensive obituary does not seem to be available online unless it is paid for to bring it out of archived status.

[@tjbnyc76]

The panel commented several times during the summer episodes on how hot it was in the theater. Were television studios of the period air conditioned? And if they weren't, how on earth did John, the panelists and the contestants not drip with perspiration? They must have been completely caked with foundation!

[@bigwilson8794]

Todd Brandt I did notice a lot of perspiration, particularly on Stubby's head. Wearing the jacket I'm sure was very uncomfortable.

[@loissimmons6558]

It is usually Bennett who makes the makes the most comments and seems to suffer the most from the heat. This is a situation where ladies benefit from lighter weight and airier fashions for fancy clothing. Payback comes with icy temperatures.

[@nancypine9952]

They probably had some form of air conditioning, but it wasn't enough to overcome the heat, especially when the heat of the lights was added. And it's possible that the rest of the building was not fully air conditioned, so people were coming in from hot waiting rooms. I noticed that in this episode that both Bennett Cerf and Stubby Kaye were wiping their brows when they entered the studio, indicating that wherever they had been waiting, it was hot.

[@Sylvander1911]

The show was filmed in a theater just off Broadway (but still considered "Broadway") in the Times Square area. It was likely built before air conditioning was a thing.

[@soulierinvestments]

I wonder what confused John at the end. He usually did not look flustered or do that much befuddled dead air . . . ever

[@jenniferyorgan4215]

I've noticed, there's usually a final commercial break, but this time there wasn't one. When a routine changes, definitely causes confusion 😂

[@MrYfrank14]

it appeared he was getting direction from off-camera. director telling him to do something, or not do something. since they were joking with each other about the last contestant, the director might have said to stop and end the show.

[@Beson-SE]

Stubby Kaye was born on November 11, 1918 also known as Armistice Day which ended WW1.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

Who was he and what did he do??What was his claim to fame?????

[@neilmidkiff]

@@janeiwasduncan8463 He was an actor, both on stage and in films. Probably best remembered as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls" and Marrying Sam in "Li'l Abner."

[@Ingentiy]

Not to mention the host of one of the coolest Saturday morning game shows, "Shenanigans".

[@theblake5356]

“And go by Stubby Kaye very quickly”. 😂🤣

[@ClassiCole]

Stubby Kaye was former host of "Shenanigans" (produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions) (1964-65).

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Bennett: "Panel mawdawaydah."

[@mrkrzt]

Loved the channel.

[@vickielewallen3799]

Wow, they had always been so polite and courteous, before. I wonder how that last contestant felt when she watched the episode on tv, and heard them mocking her accent.

[@jerrylee8261]

It kinda bothered me being a Southerner. Southern accents are very pleasant to the ear.

[@vickielewallen3799]

@@jerrylee8261 Yes, they were very snobbish toward her.

[@JackJohnson-is6kj]

I was born this Sunday morning!

[@Danno682]

Wow! I’m guessing you don’t remember the show 😂😂😂

[@kulturekritik9665]

"Arlene, you came so close to not getting it!" LOL

[@neilmidkiff]

Gary, at the time you posted this, the "note" on the title page was correct...but now that you do have the previous week's episode, it's time to delete that note. I'm enjoying these shows for a second time, and noticing things that I didn't catch the first time through. Thanks for all you have done to make these available!

[@mangarda]

John Daly was handsome and had a great voice but he had a bad habit of throwing in too many of his own clues!

[@Julia-fo4tk]

He can't keep his mouth shut. He is so annoying.

[@jokester696]

Stubby Kaye is wonderful as a panelist!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Contestant: Yeyess. Precious!

[@hopicard]

25 Dollars! That is really luxury ;)

[@TheCometHunter]

Don't be snarky and compare apples to oranges. Money had nothing to do with the term LUXURY. They meant was the gun a necessary tool that you needed to use daily, or was it an item that you could easily do without? That;s all!

[@deboraholsen2504]

$25 then was more than $200 is now!

[@joncheskin]

I guess back in 1957 it was not illegal to carry concealed. According to the first guest, a woman would carry the gun but it would not show.

[@MrYfrank14]

there is no federal law banning concealed carry. each state and city set its own laws. some areas allow concealed with a permit, some allow without a permit. CT, allows concealed or open carry with a permit. the answer depends on the area .

[@lllowkee6533]

65 years later the panel might rethink their need for a handgun.

[@fromthesidelines]

UPA produced the new animated title sequence.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Barry I. Grauman Now where in the world did you ever learn that from?

[@sdkelmaruecan2907]

I don't know where one could get the info but it makes sense since UPA revolutionized the world of animation in the 50s so that even big studios like Disney, MGM and Warner Bros followed the trend, they had to cut through budgets due to the rising popularity of TV and the fact that cartoons made with UPA style could have as much success as the 'classics' and even win Oscars (like the seminal "Gerald McBoingBoing")

[@kennethbutler1343]

Ah, the good old days when you needed a license to carry a gun.

[@MrYfrank14]

still do, in many areas.

[@Ingentiy]

Not to mention getting arrested for not having a license.

[@laurahoward5426]

Arlene has a ron that matches her diamond heart, which, in later life, when elderly, she was mugged....it was given to her by her husband

[@camwilder8996]

Do you have the 1958 show when Henry Morgan was guest host?

[@laurahoward5426]

Re: the lady from Vegas, back in the absolute heyday of the Mobs

[@nancypine9952]

Usually, when Daly was saying, "good night," he said either, "Miss Dorothy," or "Miss Aileen Francis." This time he just said, "Good night, Dorothy." I wonder if something changed, or if he was so tired and so worn out by the heat that he didn't pay attention to what he was saying.

[@Sylvander1911]

He was likely still upset with Dorothy

[@519djw6]

@@Sylvander1911 What was he upset with Kilgallen about?

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Yeah, why was he upset with Dorothy about?

[@preppysocks209]

@@519djw6 You can find the details from comments from the episode a few weeks back when Sammy Davis Jr was the last minute substitute MG instead of Mike Wallace, whom John Daly had had a serious disagreement. Despite efforts to make a substitution quietly, Dorothy wrote all about in a column. Daly felt betrayed and supposedly did not speak to her other than publicly on the show for about a year, so it has been said.

[@sdacj]

Mike Wallace had conducted an interview with a known gangster that had led to legal trouble for ABC with the threat of lawsuits. As Vice President of ABC, John felt it would be a conflict of interest to appear on the show alongside Wallace and knew that on a live show there was no guarantee the legal issues wouldn't be brought up. When the producers approached him about it, he told them if they wanted Wallace on, they'd have to have another host that night. Dorothy knew all this and published the story in the newspaper. John felt that she'd betrayed his confidence and should have known that anything said among the WML "family" while sitting around the dressing room was off the record. Dorothy contended she had a right to print it, that people would find it newsworthy, and they'd never discussed it being off or on the record. They had a serious falling out over it but eventually blew over.

[@laurahoward5426]

Stubby Kaye was big in Lil Abner.....thus the Dogpatch reference

[@skyedog24]

That was odd whoever the announcer was on this one not Olsen. announced Dorothy as " star of stage& television? That's Arlene intro.?

[@astrologer2006]

Blooper: I just noticed that the announcer of the first panelist said “and now, the delightful star of stage and television, Miss Dorothy Kilgallen!” But that was the intro always used for Arlene Francis. Dorothy was definitely not a star of stage or television.

[@MitchellHang]

IIRC, Johnny Olson later inversely introduced Arlene Francis as “the popular columnist.”

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I thought we were supposed to eschew obfuscation.

[@dotsywotsy18]

Why wasn't it addressed, do they totally miss it? The start of stage in television college Dorothy Kilgallen! Someone got that intro wrong

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

24:45 Weird moment.

[@skyedog24]

Hi standard firearms 1926 through 1918 the company dissolved they produced match-grade 22 caliber pistols ect..

[@amberola1b]

When Dorothy was introduced why did the announcer say star of stage and television when she's a news reporter.

[@ncooty]

@9:50: Hi-Standard? Wow. Nice. That wasn't some two-bit salesman.

[@Beson-SE]

What is John looking at? 24:55

[@WhatsMyLine]

That does look strange, doesn't it??? If I had to guess, he was receiving a signal from the production manager about how much time was left in the program. . . except that just before this, we see him glance up at the clock (as he so often did so noticeably). Odd!

[@Beson-SE]

What's My Line? He seems to be listening to something or someone.. well, we'll never know what it was. :)

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

They gave Dorothy the wrong introduction. 😆

[@Enri45100]

I wonder what's the relevance of asking every female participant if they are Miss or Mrs. Something very old fashion.

[@beadyeyedbrat]

So he knows how to address them since they didn't use first names.

[@perpieta]

"The p̶h̶o̶n̶e̶s̶ guns come in pink, turquoise and gold..."

[@briane173]

The announcer flubbed; he introduced Dorothy Kilgallen as a "delightful star of stage and television" -- an intro reserved for Arlene Francis. Dorothy was neither of those.

[@hopelewis5650]

Dorothy is on a stage and television during this game.

[@keithnaylor1981]

I agree with Brian. When I heard that I expected Arlene to come on. Dorothy has never previously been introduced that way.

[@ToddSF]

I've watched a LOT of WML epsisodes during the past couple of years -- probably 300 or so at least -- and I never get tired of Miss Francis and Messrs. Cerf and Daly. John Daly simply was the best and no one could moderate the way he did -- he was simply inimitable and completely enjoyable. I've borrow this phrase from Johnny Carson more than once and I'll use it again -- John Daly was simply a "class act". Okay, I'll also give some credit to Dorothy Kilgallen for her contribution to the program, though I frequently find her annoying. The regulars on WML made it more than a game show or panel show -- it was very entertaining and it still is! Guest panelists contributed to, depending on who the guest panelists were. Some were better than others and a number of them were actually pretty awful. When you've watched a whole bunch of episodes of WML, a good guest panelist becomes someone to be greatly appreciated, in fact -- at least it's so for me.

[@elizabethmorgan2621]

Dorothy Kilgallen was brilliant!! She was always thinking and intent on winning, rather than being silly or amusing. This show was mental gymnastics for her and she took it seriously as did Arlene. She was the most intelligent panelist ever and contributed so much to WML. John Daly may have been considered a "class act" by some, but he was also considered by others to be conceited, and pompous.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

ToddSF 94109 - I love Dorothy as well as the ones you noted. It seemed so unnatural after Dorothy was killed

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Elizabeth Morgan - I love John too and thought his pomposity was an act to keep the program entertaining.

[@alamudesky1959]

Just before. Godfrey ,

[@carollee444]

Dorothy Kilgallen is smart, but a drip in appearance 😃

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

"A wet blanket", as her type was called back in the day.

[@kentetalman9008]

Why was Arlene Francis the only female panelist who came in with a little purse? And what was in it? Reminds me of Queen Elizabeth II and her handbags.

[@leannsherman6723]

I didn’t like when they rushed the final contestant.

[@hopicard]

What are gay colors? Pink or rainbow? :))))

[@jmccracken1963]

Watch the video: the pistols come in pink, turquoise, and gold.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

hopicard pins. That term has a different connotation these days.

[@oakroyal]

Unfortunately, Julius was not humble enough.

[@sanseifromkofu728]

I get it.

[@El_Ophelia]

Why is it "Stubby" can't get up to shake hands with the guests.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Lilly Beans He did stand up.