What's My Line? - Mickey Rooney; Martin Gabel [panel] (May 5, 1957)

MYSTERY GUEST: Mickey Rooney [film and TV actor]
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Martin Gabel, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@jasonsmith8300]

I like how he signed in with his real name

[@tugginalong]

One of Mickey’s fellow actors said he could play any instrument in the band and was probably the most naturally talented person they’d ever known.

[@pammilner7161]

He definitely was the greatest actor!

[@jerrylee8261]

Mickey was so talented-could sing, dance, act, play a lot of instruments, etc. Really enjoyed him and Hackett in Mad, etc. etc. World.

[@shuroom57]

That shot of the two of them in that out of control airplane cockpit, shot from behind looking out the front window --- the backs of their little heads while they're screaming for dear life ------ damn funny!

[@gerald-yy8cz]

@@shuroom57 Is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen altho did think Spencer Tracy was too old for his part and Berle's movie wife looked more like his grand daughter. I guess Ethel Merman insisted her daughter look like a 17 year old so as not to date her. Would have been better if Merman & Berle had been married.

[@manuelfarinelli3839]

RIP Mr Rooney, a great star in heaven, great musicals with Judy Garland.

[@Mygirlyvintagelife]

Rip Mickey Rooney you were a funny man and a legend there will never be another Mickey Rooney rip Mickey

[@preppysocks209]

Mickey Rooney's first wife was Ava Gardner and he was her first husband. They were married for a year. Mickey later publicly praised her for the great sex they had. Ava said, I'm glad one of us enjoyed it."

[@raylenenielsen5943]

No one is perfect!

[@m.e.d.7997]

Ava could be tough I think. Beautiful as all get out though. She looks exquisite on her WML appearance. Truly a dynamite episode with her. And she is beyond stunning.

[@1013pka]

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t watch one or more of these shows. I enjoy when Martin Gabel is on. What a voice he had. Thank u so much!

[@erichanson426]

Finally, someone else besides me who likes Martin Gable

[@jerrylee8261]

@@erichanson426 I like him. He had to have had a lot going for him to land Arlene. Echo 1013 on his voice.

[@m.e.d.7997]

@@erichanson426 I like him too

[@joeblaumer2085]

Some of them I’ve watched many many times. I feel so lucky to see these.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

I watch several every day too. And I also like Martin Gabel. He and Arlene went well together.

[@ToddSF]

Worth seeing is Mickey Rooney's performance in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" from 1963, called "The Last Night of a Jockey" -- it's a 30-minute, one-man performance, nicely done. Rod Serling wrote the episode himself specifically for Mickey Rooney.

[@tuberobotto]

Though I'm not particularly fond of monologues, I think I'd love to see it.

[@jazzmanchgo]

Yes -- superb performance. Rooney was one of those comic actors who could also shine in serious dramatic roles.

[@davidrosler5413]

Tour de force one man performance. Interesting that it's a lot about height and dignity, as serling who wrote it for Rooney was himself very short. Not AS shirt, but quite short. I think around 5'4, so there are a lot of personal views by serling in that very effective script.

[@maryblushes7189]

I remember that one! It was really good. I recommend looking it up.

[@dkeat301]

The, now closed, Joliet Prison, is where the opening scene from the Blues Brothers was filmed. The scenes where Elwood picks up Jake is the outside of the prison. Every year, they show the movie on an exterior wall of the building.

[@loissimmons6558]

And Jake disapproves of the car that Elwood came in.

[@caitlinjane92]

Mickey Rooney's disguised voice is definitely my #1 favorite from this show and the funniest I've heard.

[@Baskerville22]

Andy Williams' assumed voice is the funniest

[@poetcomic1]

Nobody was as funny as Debbie Reynolds doing her Gabor voice and it is tied with Jack Benny with his tongue sticking out. Rooney's voice is a bit annoying as no one understands his answers.

[@echoecho3108]

Mickey used that voice on another WML appearance. I was surprised Arlene, since she was there then, didn't recognize the voice. Everyone complained they couldn't understand him then, too.

[@WWChampion16]

He sounds like Droopy.

[@tellcolombo8549]

@@WWChampion16 I think so!

[@ericpurkey7502]

Rip Mickey Rooney 1920-2014

[@RetroSpectrumEntertainment]

Rest In Peace, Mickey.

[@edwardoneil3962]

I just love this nostalgic show. It's 2024, - 67years later and I'm fascinated watching it. 😊

[@nathanielpreston5377]

Mickey Rooney turned down the Penguin in the 1960s Batman series, so Burgess Meredith was cast instead.

[@YY4Me133]

I met Mickey Rooney, very briefly, in a movie theater on Second Avenue, in Manhattan. I'm not generally star-struck, but he really was a legend. As many of his movies as I'd seen, I was still unprepared for how short he really was.

[@alicemcknight6335]

Wasn't he something like 5'2"?

[@YY4Me133]

@@alicemcknight6335 Yes, he was. Looking back, I think I expected him to be more like 5'4".

[@NYVoice]

This was three months after Mickey's live performance in The Comedian (Playhouse 90). It's quite a remarkable and appallingly stark portrayal that you should see. It's on here if you look.

[@leesher1845]

Arlene & Dorothy were so smart.

[@petersanders5321]

Loved him in "It's a mad, mad, mad, world". Hard not to like the guy.

[@ginnylorenz5265]

Both Martin Gabel and Mickey Rooney demonstrate that a man doesn't have to be tall to be VERY attractive!!!!

[@sleb99]

Ginny Lorenz thank you for that astute observation!

[@karenmallonee3867]

I just love Arlene's dress! ❤️

[@jimbeasley1931]

I can't believe how many comments are about the show being rigged or not. WHO CARES !.....It's just good entertainment, much better than the trash we have on TV today. Thanks again for posting these shows.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Jim Beasley And. . . not only doesn't it matter, but the show simply wasn't rigged anyway. The people who believe this are just dead wrong and usually can't be reasoned with, so I don't bother anymore. :)

[@virginiahanna869]

I think Arlene knew who he was already.

[@virginiahanna869]

I mean the warden.

[@virginiahanna869]

Well, heck. He was promoting a book!

[@JL0ndon]

Well and if you do any research about Dorothy kilgallen you’d know she was smart as a whip and was so smart that she could deduce anything.

[@loissimmons6558]

The first movie I recall ever seeing outside of my home was "The Atomic Kid" with Mickey Rooney, As I recall, it was shown in the auditorium of our grammar school and any student with what was known in the 1950's as a G.O. (General Organization) Card could see it. The G.O. card appears to have gone the way of the Do Do bird. I can't even find it mentioned with a Google search.

[@chuckendweiss4849]

Lois Simmons You have missed much. Andy Hardy musicals with Judy Garland

[@tuberobotto]

In a month and 8 days time of this episode, I get born 😊🤗 So good to see funny and wonderful people of this Era #vivaBoomers 😁😀

[@lindawilliams429]

To just be able to have a conversation with this amazing man. RIP Mr. Rooney and thanks for the memories.

[@bennieash]

Thank you for posting all these wonderful shows from the past. I've enjoyed watching them again and again.

[@Kat-fw9se]

bennieash yes tyvm

[@poetcomic1]

Playwright Tennessee Williams said Mickey Rooney was one of the greatest American actors.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Was he entirely sober ?

[@poetcomic1]

@@peternagy-im4be Have you seen him in AReqauiem for a Heavyweight?

[@CarlDuke]

Rooney was doing his Doctor Schnipes character voice.

[@JB-ox7ib]

Oh, Micky Rooney that was so funny And cuuute! 😊😂🌟💕

[@teddytodorova]

9.00 Martin: My only disability... Arlene: True!

[@tessar.9779]

I still can‘t figure out if that is a nice thing of her to say or not 😄 I have no doubt that she meant it in a nice way, saying that Martin is flawless otherwise, but it‘s still not the most elegant compliment 😂

[@rapunzelz5520]

All these government types have that certain serious countenance that the panel spots right away.

[@stephaniepayne3497]

RIP SWEET DADDY!

[@ShaggyDawg]

Guess who was born on the date this aired? Me! :-)

[@neilphelan145]

Early HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂

[@audreydaleski1067]

Mickey is just plain enjoyable.

[@blainj5687]

RIP Mickey Rooney, the number of contestants that ever appeared on this show is dwindling fast.

[@judyd.5026]

Every night I watch at least one of these while I wash dishes. Very enjoyable.

[@chrisn7259]

Judy Garland called Mickey Rooney the genius that taught her everything she knew. He was incredibly versatile and he often probably treated people shabbily. Such is genius.

[@raylenenielsen5943]

A wise man once said “If you’re going to assume something of someone, assume the best”.

[@whoami1939]

@@raylenenielsen5943 NICE

[@Beson-SE]

Joliet Prison was used in the movie "The Blues Brothers" in which John Belushi plays a man named "Joliet" Jake Blues...

[@terrywestbrook-lienert2296]

Mickey making an appearance on What's My Line

[@gaelengesser9484]

I was so busy reading Mark and WML's conversation that I missed the first segment!

[@richatlarge462]

Happens to me all the time.

[@michellepost1016]

I will forever love the Andy Hardy movies! The people on the panel should understand how hard it is to disguise one's voice.

[@preppysocks209]

I once saw a movie from the 1940s in color in which Rooney impersonated a number of Hollywood stars of the era. I had no idea he was so good as impressions. His impersonation of his sometime costar Lionel Barrymore was hilarious.

[@fakingtrels]

RIP Mickey Rooney, a great underrated actor who made us laugh in breakfast at tiffany's and made us cry in the fox and the hound

[@steveburrus5526]

saND let's please not forget about Mickey Rooney doing thpose Andy Hardy movies and all of t hose movies with the legendary singer Judy Garland .

[@fakingtrels]

Hey I just realized this, he was also the voice of Kris Kringle from the classic santa clause is coming to town movie

[@accomplice55]

Sorry, but his casting in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was horrible.

[@laurahoward5426]

UNDERRATED??????

[@kentetalman9008]

Mickey Rooney was a really creepy guy, long before "Breakfast at Tiffany's". But he had been a very talented kid.

[@psygn0sis]

The guy who punched Judy Garland's V card.

[@alicemcknight6335]

Me, too! My favotite is onfe where Dorothy and guest panelist Victor Borge get the giggles so hard they are crying while Arlene and Bennet on the other end are also giggling. I have watched and watched it, trying to figure out what set them off. Something about a bathtub, i think. It is the one whete the guest makes rocking chairs, including one for President Kennedy.

[@debbigray1752]

First guest was "J.E." J for Joseph, second guest was Joseph, Mystery Guest signed his birth name ...Joseph

[@jackseward7779]

Mickey Rooney = hambone. Like many stars, he can't restrict himself to very brief and disguised answers.

[@norelcopc2431]

I like to close my eyes and guess the mystery guest along with the panel. I guessed Micky Rooney.

[@msiee5591]

You know, that is not such a bad idea. I need to try that.

[@418-Error]

I often look away when they show the line, to play along. Makes for a different experience.

[@loissimmons6558]

It amazes me how people can point at a segment where the panel did an excellent job as evidence that the show is rigged, but totally ignore the segments where the panel was skunked and the challenger (even a mystery guest on occasion) legitimately got ten "no" answers.

[@juanettebutts9782]

When I first began watching these shows, I thought the program had to be rigged. How could some of the guests be deduced so quickly, otherwise? Upon completing the first dozens of shows, I realized the panel members were incredibly smart, knew who was in town, followed celebrities' careers using a magnifying glass. The audiences' reactions push the panel members in the correct directions. Occasionally, I wish John Daly would spin around on his chair and tell the audience to be quiet and not give everything away. Thank you for posting all these! I'm addicted and don't care!

[@jerrylee8261]

@@juanettebutts9782 Hear! Hear! The audience detracts from what is otherwise an enjoyable experience. Each audience member is wired for sound. How else to hear every tiny giggle?

[@MrUhwoody]

I really don't see that they would NEED to rig the show. What good doeth it?

[@MrUhwoody]

Rooney was an actor with class.

[@scotnick59]

You are so righteth

[@SlieveLeague1]

I was hoping Mr Daly would say "Purple trunks! They're maroon!"

[@alanwhite9389]

Rooney once said, "I've been in movies all of my life. But it seems longer.". I've used that line about my own career as an entertainer for decades.

[@elwoodziggurat]

I know 3 people who have met Rooney and they all said he was the rudest and most narcissistic celebrity they've ever met. My ex was one of those who met him at a convention and said there was hardly anyone in line, but when he got his autograph and said some compliment, Rooney ignored him and rudely said "yeah sure, next!" and did a "shove off" motion with his hand without even making eye contact as if there were like 50 other people waiting but there were only about 4...his fame from his youth definitely infected his thinking and I think he was very bitter about how hardly anyone knew about him after the 80s/90s and especially in the 2000s when he met him.

[@TheProfessorpat]

He and Jerry Lewis were equal contenders for the rudest, most narcissistic crown.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Loveable.

[@audreydaleski1067]

Adorable!

[@carollee444]

Always enjoyed Mickey Rooney! Nice guy 😉

[@Beson-SE]

Mickey Rooney signs in as "Joe Yule, Jr", his birth name. 16:42

[@avlisk]

+Johan Bengtsson I recently saw a documentary on Mickey, and he said he always liked his birth name, and thought it was perfectly good to use in Hollywood. But he was forced to change it by the studios. I think he was never happy with the name change. Especially good this time of year (mid December 2015 as I write this).

[@Beson-SE]

+avlisk I think 'Joe Yule' is a perfect name for a star, better than 'Mickey Rooney'.

[@preppysocks209]

@@Beson-SE He was billed this way in a number of his early films, including I believe when he played the Clark Gable character as a boy in Manhattan Melodrama, the Dillinger-inspired movie that Dillinger went to see at the Biograph Theater in Chicago, where he was killed. Also, Rooney is hilarious in Thousands Cheer, where he plays the emcee and does terrific impressions of Gable and Rooney's former costar Lionel Barrymore.

[@sleb99]

preppy socks I believe he was a sprite in Midsummer Nights ‘s Dream, a 1935 film of Shakespeare’s play, as Puck when in his teens, 15 that year. He did a great soliloquy! It’s on KZbin.

[@BrookeBullmasterStewart]

@@preppysocks209 Thanks for the info! One of my favorite parts about our growing WML family is the comments that are left here are Amazing. It’s so cool to read so much more about the guests than they show here. Of course, they go on to lead a (usually) long life after appearing here so there is much to say about their lives after WML. Thanks again!

[@karenbyrne5423]

After all these years. So glad to watch wholesome entertaining shows.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

John Daly should have held Mickey back for a minute for a chat. He was clearly trying to stretch it out at the end after Mickey departed. Mickey Rooney was washed up when he was beyond middle age, then made a comeback with "Sugar Babies" with Ann Miller, earning them both a fortune. He made bad investments and lost a great deal of those earnings.

[@laurahoward5426]

Mickey Rooney once said, "I lost $2 at the racetrack, and spent $3,000,000 trying to get it back"

[@conniecharley7086]

Watching MICKEY ROONEY AND HIS WIFE JAN MADE ME CHUCKLE THEY WERE CUTE AND FUNNY THEIR WAYS TOGETHER.

[@pukulu]

Mickey Rooney was a small man but he was a giant in the world of entertainment.

[@kaymccarthy7637]

I used Shampoo w/egg by Helene Curtis.

[@dinahbrown902]

😊

[@audreydaleski1067]

He knows.

[@josephcook4980]

The questions suggest the panel is given a clue as to the guest for the show. Not the order of the appearance of the guest. 50$ was a month rent in 62.

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

I laughed a little too hard when she said hello to her husband 😂 I'd like to meet them personally 😕 Ay Dios mio poco mas y se convierte en donald duck mr. Rooney 😂❤

[@keithnaylor1981]

Mickey probably knew Judy Garland more than anyone else show business world.

[@richrome9897]

Legendary Stick Man

[@m.e.d.7997]

How did Dorothy zone in on the Warden so fast??

[@laurahoward5426]

She is good

[@SherryAnnOfTheWest]

Mickey Rooney died owing medical bills and back taxes, his millions in earnings mismanaged by a stepson. His estate was valued at $18K - contributions were solicited from the public.

[@allanshulstad1783]

Shampoo with egg! Wash your hair and have breakfast at the same time.

[@laurahoward5426]

My grandmother, born in 1896, used nothing but egg on her floor length hair

[@louistracy6964]

Mr Regan, are you a sociopath?

[@Hirsh96]

RIP

[@dalebaker9109]

Mickey was a great actor, but he looks old for 37.

[@jaengen]

Yes he looks 47 here.

[@johnjones5424]

Didn't Garson and Pidgeon make more movies together than six?

[@audreydaleski1067]

Who didn't live mickey roonie?

[@walkergillette3918]

why was Mickey in such a rush to leave? was he double parked?

[@Baskerville22]

Mickey was married 9 times.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Oh man, Dorothy asked a question, upon getting the answer promptly guessed Mickey Rooney... it was Martin Gabel's turn

[@418-Error]

That's how the game works. The identity isn't a question.

[@TheBlackhawkbrat]

Also, he directed his comment about knowing who he is to Dorothy.

[@boognish999]

An ignored "no" at 10:20

[@saran3214]

Bennett already got a no on that question at 9:45. Dorothy was asking rhetorically.

[@laurahoward5426]

Warden of Joliet.....😬 YIKES

[@kristabrewer9363]

Did you hear Bennet's introduction of John? I noticed other shows where he sincerely tries to be funny. I like Bennet, but I think he tries to hard

[@peternagy-im4be]

Many of these contestants are just plain dumb. Keep looking at Daly when even the most basic questions are asked about what they do.

[@johnn2997]

Mickey was a washed-up actress after the forties. He had to sell his bankrupt house in Saratoga Springs located on Circular street for a loss. Then he started selling crap life insurance to old people--scam-but it made him money and his 7th wife stayed with him as long as he had income. Mick was 5' 4'' tall standing.

[@timothydouglas7949]

??

[@rogeroge50]

Martin didn't stand all the way as Mickey shook hands. Wanted to see who was taller.

[@accomplice55]

Mickey was never an actress, washed-up or otherwise.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Rooney was exactly 5'9"

[@lllowkee6533]

There were rumors and tabloid photos claiming Mickey Rooney last wife abused him and beat him up.. he apparently spent all his money unwisely???

[@accomplice55]

Wow, Mickey is really annoying. Just answer "yes" or "no."

[@markdenio4537]

The first game sure seemed rigged. Dorothy jumps right in to the general area and Arlene continues.

[@Cris43130]

The guest was promoting a book. That may have made it top of mind, but more likely, Dorothy was just playing along with the stereotype the guest projected. He did have the stern look of a disciplinarian about him.

[@WhatsMyLine]

I've resigned myself to the fact that there will be a constant trickle of comments from folks who are utterly convinced the show was rigged.

[@markdenio4537]

I think there's a bit of a leap from my "the first game sure seemed" to calling me utterly convinced but you have to admit jumping right to the point is a little odd. Usually when people have an air about them the panelists note that. I have seen the panelists fail enough to know that not every contestant was known in advance. I have read that Bennett would study the Sunday paper to see who was coming to town and so forth to try and give him an edge on the mystery guests. Most of the time the guests' voices give them away. There's only so much disguising that can be done.

[@WhatsMyLine]

What I said was that there's a constant trickle of comments from folks convinced the show was rigged. I wasn't referring specifically to *you*, Mark, but to the general trend of these same comments popping up pretty regularly now, and many of the people *are* utterly convinced. I certainly didn't mean for you to take my comment at all negatively, but it seems to me like you have (I hope I'm wrong on that). Back when they used to do the "free guess" before the questioning started, there were several occasions where one of the panelists guessed correctly right out the gate, short circuiting the entire segment. It may seem impossible without their having had help, but after so many segments over so many shows, unlikely things were bound to happen at one point or another. The bottom line point here is that it wouldn't have helped the entertainment value of the show in any way to give the panelists advance knowledge of the guests. I'd believe Gil Fates was possibly lying about this issue were it not for that fact, which convinces me completely. If the point of the show was to minimize the payouts to the contestants (absurd), or to make the panelists look as smart as possible (this was not "Information, Please"), then I could buy it. But the point of the show was to be entertaining.

[@juliansinger]

+Mark DeNio OK, but Dorothy in fact had it wrong, you notice. But she got far enough along -- non-profit, so not business, worked out of uniform (so probably higher up the food chain), something to do with some kind of law, etc -- so Arlene /could/ clean up. Non-profit is certainly a broad category, but it does narrow down a lot.

[@skippyzeig]

After seeing a number of these shows, I have to say that it's rigged. The panelists too often make sudden highly improbable deductions about who the guest celebrity panelist is by just asking general questions. Then, with hardly any specific or noteworthy evidence to specify who it might be, a panelist has a remarkable epiphany and correctly "guesses" the name of the star while blindfolded. They must know who it is beforehand, or at least one of them does.

[@skippyzeig]

And they do this so suddenly--it's probably rigged so the show doesn't go on too long.

[@spactick]

I totally agree. There's absolutely no way in the world they could have known who Walter Brennan was by simply hearing his voice. And there's been several other mystery guests that the panelists could 'no way in the world' have known who it was based on the responses or their voices.

[@tommykl]

As far as I know, it wasn't rigged. However, they did apparently study which celebrity was in New York at that time, which movies were playing, etc. in order to get the list down to a few names.

[@spactick]

tommykl as far as 'you' know? ha! oh really? it doesn't take much investigative talents to see that these shows were more about entertaining than being honest. In some of them (Mickey Mantle, Ricky Nelson, Joe E. Brown) the guests don't even bother to disguise their voice. Probably because they didn't want to be part of the farce.

[@boognish999]

spactick I don't think it was "entertaining" if they guessed the celebrity right away so I'm not sure why that would help the entertainment value of the show. And it WAS often known what celebrities were in town at the time and that they were promoting a film or other show.They all followed the entertainment world very closely especially Dorothy who wrote a daily show business column in a New York newspaper for crying out loud.