What's My Line? - Noel Coward; Keenan Wynn [panel] (Mar 1, 1959)

MYSTERY GUEST: Noel Coward
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Keenan Wynn, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@hopicard]

I still keep watching every episode. Thanks for uploading!

[@roberttelarket4934]

If Noël Coward appears on this program it must be great!

[@laura1000]

I was at Westminster Abbey just yesterday, where I saw the memorial for Noel Coward.

[@neilmidkiff]

I'm reading "The Noël Coward Diaries" (edited by Graham Payn and Sheridan Morley); the entry for this date concludes "Tonight I appear on What's My Line just to give the show a plug." (His play "Look After Lulu" had already had a few previews in New York, as Dorothy mentions, but the formal opening night was Tuesday March 3rd. Only one good review; the rest of the critics panned it and it closed after six weeks.) Certainly a good example of a mystery guest who could reasonably have been expected, given that his play was about to open on Broadway. The panel had a little more trouble with him as MG on January 12, 1964, even though he was composer-lyricist of "The Girl who Came to Supper" (then playing) and director (in rehearsal) of "High Spirits," a musical based on his play "Blithe Spirit"; he doesn't mention that WML appearance in the diary.

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Thank you.

[@tesscrelli783]

Here after Google doodles celebrated Masako Katsura! Beautiful and accomplished woman~

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Arlene Frances “She doesn’t swallow!” Comment! Hilarious for that time! 😁

[@TheMaryaBell]

Round Hill!!!!!!!!! And in 1959, too - just about a year before I was there myself. So glad Bennett Cerf enjoyed it :)

[@leannsherman6723]

Noel Coward seemed like quite the gentleman.

[@robertversluis5744]

God he is marvelous!

[@erichanson426]

Believe it or not, but there was a Sunbeam fix it shop by where I lived. Born in 78, the shop survived till the owner's death in the late 90's. Times, they do change.

[@randysills4418]

There was one in my neighborhood until the mid 1980s.

[@monicasiebarth5692]

Despite his other excellent credits, I most remember Keenan Wynn as Harvey Huntington Honeywagon in "Bikini Beach" with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello

[@stevefonda6238]

In some shows the panel member will disqualifying themselves if they know what the guest does. In this instance Arlene just went ahead in "guessing" what Ms. Katsura did...

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Yes, I was surprised at her!

[@rogerrobin2774]

I bet the producers had a chat with her after the show.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

I’m sure there’s lots of things in this show that were faked

[@dianemutchler9213]

I agree. And if Dorothy had done what Arlene did, there would be many negative comments here. I actually like Dorothy a lot. She's my favorite panelist.

[@stephaniezimbalist3757]

I suppose that’s one interpretation but if you actually use the facts available to you then you would recall that Arlene stated she did not recognize her. Once she realized that she played a game she suspected it was the woman she read about and immediately said I know what you do. she could have been wrong so she asked questions to confirm. No need to call into question the panelist’s or the show’s integrity.

[@galileocan]

So when Noel Coward said "helluva", would have that been considered a little shocking back then? Just wondering if any examples of questionable words made the national airwaves back then due to many programs being live with no tape delay...?

[@greggoreo6738]

May I hazard a guess? Yes. Hell and "Hell -of -a" would have been frowned upon, and HECK would have been preferred. But for two concepts. 1. Noel was such an idolized author/Lyricist that he might have been given broad leeway with his nationally favored artistic license. 2. Because "Hell," in the 1950s had such a revered name, of an "actual" place, according to the (highly esteemed) "Holy Bible" (and the zeitgeist of the religious minded times) But. Might this help? On a scale of one to ten: "darn" is a one. "Damn" is a five. "Heck" is a 3. "Hell" is a Six. And. God help the utterance of any "Ef" words (which would trip the Scale of Ten: into the 50s, of the 1950s.) Helpful?, I hope. Kindest regards, Gregg Oreo

[@galileocan]

@@greggoreo6738 - thank you Gregg. I would love to know if any celebrity or star messed up during the Era of live television, and ever said a word that would have been deemed an 8, 9, or 10 on your profanity list.....?

[@bleepiestofbloops]

Groucho said a little limerick that included "hell" on the show too.

[@shermanhatch2716]

Keenan Wynn was the voice of the winter warlock!

[@lopa2828]

He was a great performer too, who could make you laugh with him or cry for him at the same time. See him in the movie named "the phone call from a stranger" with Bette Davis and Shelly Winters.

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Thank you, Sherman! I loved that character & I knew his voice from somewhere, yet could not make that connection! 🙏🏼

[@stephaniezimbalist3757]

I think he sounds identical to the mayor in the animated 1974 classic ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas the mustache is even the same but turns out that was Charles McGiver.

[@rymhreads]

Please update this to include Masako Katsura's name in the description, she was the Google Doodle today and I imagine this would appeal to some people and might help them find this :)

[@photo161]

When giants walked the earth...

[@kristabrewer9363]

Yes, giants walked the earth. They were called Nephilim

[@johnscanlan9335]

I was just a month old when this episode of WML first aired!

[@johnpickford4222]

@johnscanlan9335: And your point is?

[@johnscanlan9335]

@@johnpickford4222 I was a month old when this episode first aired - that's my point!

[@boognish999]

21:15 - Wow, Noel said "hell" and through the black and white I could see John Daly turn red.

[@fredkruse9444]

I was surprised to hear it. Maybe it was used on TV more than I knew, but the first time I remember hearing it on TV was on "All In the Family."

[@sdacj]

There was a lot said on WML that is surprising - Bennett once got a wrong answer and exclaimed "oh, damn". John's response was hilarious - "now Mr. Cerf, you know we never say darn on this show!" Likewise the time the contestant was a fish counter for the Army Corps of Engineers; she mentioned how many steps there were at a couple local dams and John replied "that's a lot of dam steps". It was a strange mix of decorum and class and just the right amount of naughtiness thrown in. :D

[@davidsanderson5918]

z Rather than other people getting 'a brain', you need to get some perspective. There is not ONE single word anywhere that shocks me anytime anyplace...I've used them all liberaliy....but I understand quite easily that the context varies based on location, era, situation and company. Of particular interest to me is the code of conduct and decency for television and film and knowing what is allowed (and what isn't) can actually enhances one's appreciation and fascination when things cross the line and push the boundary. After all that's what makes silent cinema pre-Hollywood code era so racey and daring. Anyone can swear any old time but this one from Coward was interesting because of when and where he said it. Can't believe I having to explain it. I've appreciated and witnessed this about history and society since I was a child! So simple.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@sdacj And yet by this time nobody minded a movie called 'Damn Yankees'...

[@donnawoodford6641]

Lol.😄

[@steveliveshere]

I wonder how popular billiards was in Japan?

[@Swingguido]

Interesting how polite the US-television deals with members of former enemies (Japan).

[@gerberjoanne266]

This was during the Cold War, and the two main WWII enemies (Japan and Germany, or, actually, West Germany) were hyper-valuable allies, so they were quickly rehabilitated.

[@preppysocks209]

@@gerberjoanne266 It was more than that. The postwar years represented a change in policy prompted by learning lessons of history following World War I and its accompanying draconian peace treaty and virulent nationalism and economic self-interest. Churchill wrote a memoir of 6 volumes about World War II, and to him, the moral of the story of 50.000.000+ unnecessary deaths (they became necessary because the world ignored Churchill in the 1930's) could be encapsulated in 12 words: "In war, resolution. In defeat, defiance. In victory, magnanimity. In peace, goodwill." FDR, Truman, and Eisenhower -- three consecutive Presidents ranked then and now as among our 10 best -- each held and implemented those beliefs. Bringing Japan and Germany back to democracy was useful not only in maintaining resolution in the Cold War, but the rebuilding we did represented both magnanimity and goodwill, which led to economic cooperation, democracy, and peace with former enemies is one of America's greatest diplomatic accomplishments, widely supported across the political spectrum. Vietnam began to unravel this postwar consensus, and later events have continued to undermine it, and the failure to heed Churchill's wisdom has led to numerous regrettable situations and harmed America's position in the world.

[@sleb99]

preppy socks wonderful summarized! Thank you!

[@larrygrebler5054]

Yes and even more interesting how we went the other way with China. Before the war China was considered A sweet country run by a Christian, being bullied by Japan. Can any one say 1984.

[@geraldkatz7986]

It's not 1984ish. There was a civil war in China and the Communists won. They turned China into an adversary. It's not propaganda.

[@juliansinger]

I find myself very confused by the world of professional, tournament-level billiards. Apparently one can score runs of over 10,000 points at a time, specifically in balkline tournaments? Which are very different from three cushion tournaments? This is a rabbit-hole I can tell I could go down for hours, but won't. Anyway, the ambidextrous Mrs. Greenleaf was a) very good at billiards, be it straight rail, three cushion, or otherwise, 'b) a champion in both Japan and the US (competing against men), and c) charming. (OK, maybe that one's arguable.) From Japan originally, she married an American service-man, came over here, had a massive run of billiards fame in the 50s and early 60s, disappeared for awhile, came out of retirement briefly to dazzle people, and then eventually moved back to Japan. She died in 1995. Billiards historian Ralph Byrne writes about her: books.google.com/books?id=tA_v24zx7J8C&pg=PA191-IA3&lpg=PA191-IA3&dq=Masako+Katsura&source=bl&ots=Z0RVdc9pjL&sig=-MM0KVzrykGibRjMuIXBX0rnZH8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi07JOpjL3MAhVIJx4KHQP-AsQQ6AEITDAK#v=onepage&q=Masako%20Katsura&f=false'

[@dlepanto9002]

juliansinger and

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Thanks!

[@Marcel_Audubon]

They were all star struck by Noel Coward

[@judyd.5026]

Back in the early 60s when I was a little girl my mom would give us kids cough medicine that tasted horrible. A bitter taste they tried covering up with a peach flavor. I don't think that was tested very well.

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Agreed! Then they came out with grape cough syrup or something! That stuff was pretty good. 😁 We’d be about the same age! That burnt orange medicine tasted horrible! 😝

[@osvaldonoda4368]

She should have gotten the full prize, given Arlene’s knowledge of the contestant

[@bluecamus5162]

To be honest, I think everybody get the full prize for appearing. To admit that to the audience would take away a little bit of the fun & competition from the game.

[@leannsherman6723]

Agreed!

[@danahsutton101]

I have been trying to find my birthday show but this might be my conception show. Dad went to bed at 9pm so it's possible.

[@wildzac]

Funny you say that, I came to this show specifically because it aired on my birthday week! And I was born there in Manhattan, and later in life (not that I expect any of this to be interesting to anyone else), I played Noel Coward in a Broadway show.

[@cynthiaennis3107]

@@wildzac how coincidental! I find it fascinating! I hope it was great fun!

[@keithharvey7230]

Arlene is a honey,what a dish.

[@gilbertotongco1054]

It's unfair that Arlene had seen her in the papers

[@gailsirois7175]

Cheating

[@igkoigko9950]

Nothing unfair and certainly not cheating to apply honestly acquired information to reach a conclusion. Blindfolds and aliases could have been used rather than assuming ignorance of panelists

[@miketheyunggod2534]

She should have disqualified herself.

[@toddmccreary4579]

I think perhaps they should have made her Miss X. Most people would disqualify but at least Arlene didn't give it away right off

[@leannsherman6723]

How could John Charles Daly referred to medicine as a luxury?

[@dadakijito]

in some instances it is today!

[@miketheyunggod2534]

I think Bennett wondered if it was dangerous to taste all those medicines.

[@joiefulton4015]

There is nothing bad about Keenan's mustache.

[@gerberjoanne266]

At that time, mustaches weren't so common in the US.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_Professional Billiard Player_* *_Medicine Taster For Drug Manufacturer_* Was something missing from this episode? It ran about two minutes shorter than the typical episode.

[@boognish999]

13:00 another example of when Bennett just couldn't stand when he was wrong.

[@67nairb]

Why isn't WHAT'S MY LINE on the GAME SHOW NETWORK anymore.

[@TimothyJonSarris]

Arlene Francis should have , at least once, filled in for Daly as moderator!

[@galileocan]

I found the Medicine Taster segment extremely awkward

[@Yowza78]

I wonder if that was a green carnation on Mr Coward's lapel.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

I’m always amazed at how naïve the commenters are. If you think that the introductions they make for each other we’re not scripted I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Are eggs considered a dairy product? I live in Israel, where meat and dairy are very important considerations for orthodox Jews. Eggs come from meat (chicken) do I don't think they are dairy.

[@leannsherman6723]

Arlene should have disqualified herself with that Japanese woman billiard player. She should’ve been given the full $50.

[@mckavitt]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the reference to "the good citizens of Brooklyn"? I AM American, but all this was before my time. I did see it a few times towards its end & ofc I know the great Noel Coward.

[@loissimmons6558]

In November 1944, he insulted the GI's from Brooklyn. He claimed that they didn't measure up to the soldiers from other parts of the country.

[@neilmidkiff]

In his 1944 book "Middle East Diary" he referred (about visiting military hospitals) to "tough men from Texas and Arizona; they were magnificent specimens and in great heart but I was less impressed by some of the mournful little Brooklyn boys lying there in tears amidst the alien corn with nothing worse than a bullet wound in the leg or a fractured arm." The book can be read at archive.org.

[@sandrageorge3488]

Wow what a snot!

[@cynthiaennis3107]

@@neilmidkiff thank you for clarification.

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

You might enjoy the link I posted below this one, its interesting.

[@gaelengesser9484]

medicine taster? That doesn't sound very healthy!

[@savethetpc6406]

Dixie Alexander I know! I think Bennett was trying to say or ask something to that effect at the end of the segment when he started asking additional questions about the medicines she tasted, but John clearly wanted to put a stop to that line of questioning.

[@MrYfrank14]

I assume, like a wine taster, she does not consume the medicine. she would absorb some of it, but it would be a low dose. any doctor or pharmacist could keep track of what she tastes to make sure they do not react with each other. some medicines can not be taken with other medicines. I further assume she only tastes over the counter drugs. prescription drugs you will take no matter how bad they taste.

[@snugglyshadow2049]

@@savethetpc6406 I think it was to get to the commercials. I assumed that John had followed the director's cues, and the show couldn't wait for an explanation

[@cynthiaennis3107]

Did you hear Arlene’s comment to Bennet? “She doesn’t swallow.”?? 😆

[@bluecamus5162]

The overwhelming majority of a pill's substance is the matrix, probably easily digestible biological content, with a tiny percentage of active ingredient that may not have a taste at all. I assume then, that the woman is tasting the matrix without any active ingredients in it.

[@alanfollett6242]

How well did John Daly know Japanese? There were a few episodes in which he knew, or faked, katakana signatures.

[@WhatsMyLine]

He was completely faking it. He couldn't read Japanese at all.

[@norelcopc2431]

Her name could have been phonetically spelled for John to read. In fact, perhaps all the contestants' names were typed out for John to read. He does carry out an envelope at the beginning of the show.

[@norelcopc2431]

Upon closer examination, it looks like it might just be a piece of paper that he carries that with him at the beginning of the program. It still could have the names of the contestants typed on it, however.

[@Sylvander1911]

@@norelcopc2431 It likely did, else why have it

[@michaelchristopherson123]

@@WhatsMyLine 😂😂😂👍

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

Not in the fish family in anyway...... Fish oil has entered the chat 😂 Charles Pfizer? Where do i know that name from?! Covid has entered the chat (RUN) 😂 I would've love to see Martin in any play particularly the one where he sang..... Can't remember the name but it was before my time ❤

[@ToddSF]

Medicine -- nourishing? No way. Medicine serves a purpose very different from nutrition. And once again, dairy products were given (by Bennett) as "milk, butter and *eggs*". Eggs are not a dairy product because dairies keep and milk cows. They don't keep chickens.

[@adriennegormley9358]

ToddSF 94109 agreed on eggs. I think the confusion here is a combo of the basic scientific lack if knowledge here plus the fact that grocery stores display cartons of eggs in their dairy cases.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

ToddSF 94109 - Nor do they milk them. (Sorry.)

[@timothydouglas7949]

Vitamins are in the drug aisle!

[@stevekru6518]

@@timothydouglas7949 Vitamins are found in food; vitamin concentrates are found in the drug aisle

[@Ceelle2]

They made a mistake on Mrs. Greenleaf's husband. Her husband wasn't a billiards champion.

[@sergiolobato1798]

Sorry, Arlene knew who she was from the start.

[@kristabrewer9363]

OH MY GOSH!!! He DIDN'T flip those cards and she only had 15 points

[@Cruz0e]

13:31 she tasted too much of those drugs... she speaks nonsense

[@robertfiller8634]

I know this is not nice to say, but when John Cleese dressed in drag on Monty Python, he looked strikingly like the drug tasting lady.

[@cynthiaennis3107]

She speaks the way pharmaceutical companies think!

[@josephlacerra8433]

I have never been able to understand why Noel Coward did not change his terrible last name; it's way worse than, say, Archibald Leach or Bernie Schwartz.

[@loissimmons6558]

Maybe he was afraid to!

[@Sylvander1911]

It was often pressure of the Hollywood Studios that forced changes in names. It was, for example, the head of Paramount who wanted something that "sounded more All-American" than Archibald Leach. It was likely some perception of anti-antisemitism that forced a change from the very Jewish sounding Bernie Schwartz to the more "American" Tony Curtis. Noel Coward didn't face that pressure becoming established on the London stage and studios where there as less pressure to change a surname that was well established in England.

[@preppysocks209]

@@Sylvander1911 It worked for him. His name was so famous as is that it made it (in a way) into "The Lady Is a Tramp" : "I've never been to a party/Where they honored Noel Cad."

[@sleb99]

Lois Simmons you made me laugh!

[@sleb99]

Lois Simmons you made me laugh!

[@tatersalad5149]

They cheated and gave her the answer ahead of time.

[@domenicozagari2443]

That Arlene is jewish and gets some of the answers from the management.

[@noreenhalpern6695]

Arlene wasn’t Jewish. She was an American-born Armenian.

[@kentetalman9008]

Aside from the fact that Arlene wasn't Jewish, what the hell is wrong with you?

[@domenicozagari2443]

@@kentetalman9008 are you Jewish?

[@lemorab1]

@@noreenhalpern6695 I think her mother was British. I know Arlene's mom was not Armenian.