What's My Line - Oscar Levant

American pianist, composer, author, comedian and actor on his last TV appearance on October 10, 1965.
I had fun to mess around with this clip in 2011. Now, in times of deep fakes and fake news, I don't find it funny anymore. But I keep it on my channel as a "handmade" fake compilation of two different episodes of "What's My Line" (the other is from November 7, 1965).

[@frankiegray4569]

This guy was a genius....it seems to me that Oscar had so much going on in his head, he just couldn't handle it...very sad

[@SuperIliad]

So sad to see him so tortured.

[@ferociousgumby]

The producers NEVER should have let him go on the air like that. He was just out of detox and having neurological spasms. Sad.

[@carolcaponigro]

So what. Hiding mental illness, caused many, many problems. We needed to be educated on it.

[@troydante]

@Joe Postove, I was binge-watching Oscar Levant (don't ask why) and this is obviously pieced together from at least two different WML episodes. Same answers as the Milton Berle episode.

[@rbd1956]

poor oscar, what a mess he was toward the end. how he suffered.

[@nickrich56]

I need a menthol smoke after that commercial.🚬

[@carolcaponigro]

A genius.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

The Tony Randall show looked suspicious. Levant didn't get up and shake the panelists hands. I thought at first that maybe they went right to show close because Oscar was going to have a fit. I think Oscar Levant was one of the most talented pianists and wit of the last century. But if I were producing a show, I'd have a problem putting him on the air. Look at him. He looked like he could break down at any moment. Although that was his typical look, he seemed far worse than his Jack Paar days.

[@bigred997]

my friend, you are a little confused by the sarcastic remarks of the panelists. oscar was a great concert pianist, raconteur and friend and colleague of george gershwin. bennet cerf but trying to be funny when he said rock and roll because he recognized oscar's voice and knew he couldn't stand rock and roll.

[@joniachenbach410]

a beautiful human being....he may have just needed the money

[@bt10ant]

This is most probably tardive dyskinesia from the effects of his medications. This can happen on a regular regimen, but Oscar abused his meds and what you see here is the result. Very sad.

[@ClueSign]

Terribly sad.

[@user-si2nx4zl3b]

He was,a very talented pianist... 2:40 2:40

[@lorianderson-musgrave3609]

Beautiful penmanship

[@ClueSign]

I noticed that too

[@ClueSign]

@PAUL RICCA Your caps lock is on.

[@hcombs0104]

This is pieced together. When Oscar Levant made his appearance Dorothy was wearing a black gown with one strap over the shoulder. Is this also from the Joey Heatherton episode (Dorothy's final show)?

[@blackwingy]

@verbaud He never did heroin.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I just watched Oscar Levant in another WML video with Milton Berle as guest panelest. How close were these two programs together? I think the Berle WML was in late 1965. Joe

[@yannschonfeld5847]

This looks suspiciously like a copy and paste of that episode and some other one.

[@mungous1000]

I agree with Yann. We also don't see him shake hands. This was the one with Milton Berle as guest panelist. Tony Randall was not there with Oscar Levant.

[@Floorguy1000]

I have a feeling that WML redid the Oscar Levant part of the show.....notice how Mr. Cerf doesn't ask the question about "...making use out of various illnesses....." It would be very interesting to know just what the story was here.

[@jamesfox2579]

Poor, Oscar.💔😢😢😢

[@CarloQuinto]

Oscar Levant...Rock N' Roll? No way Jose. That's like saying Justin Bieber is an opera singer.

[@blackie75]

Cerf was being sarcastic as he knew he it was and that Levant detested Rock n Roll music.

[@edward6761]

Was this where he was given a 4 hour pass to get out of the mental hospital to go on a game show?

[@mungous1000]

This episode was a few weeks before Dorothy died. The guest panelist was Milton Berle. You can see the bad editing job here. They took generic questions when Tony Randall was on and did a bad copy & paste . Why? I haven't the slightest idea. Look for the original one. It is here on KZbin in it's entirety.

[@Floorguy1000]

I have a feeling that WML redid the Oscar Levant part of the show.....notice how Mr. Cerf doesn't ask the question about "...making use out of various illnesses....." It would be very interesting to know just what the story was here.

[@carolcaponigro]

The few times mental illness was out in public and it's a shame he and his family dealt with that. He was a genius. I think it's good he was out on TV. Nothing to be ashamed of, those who think he should have gone in hiding, think again.

[@greggi47]

Jack Paar apologized/explained to his audience the week following one of OL's appearance that he wasn't exploiting the man's peculiarities--that's just the way Oscar presented himself at the time. That seemed a bit off at the time. I was maybe 14 or 15 then (yes, an odd child who looked forward to the Jaclk Paar show weekly).

[@admiralus1]

How did he guess him with rock n roll?

[@rmreddicks6063]

Faked deal.

[@FerdinandCesarano]

This video is misleading. Levant's last appearance came with Milton Berle on the panel, not Tony Randall. And it was on October 17, 1965, not October 10. The actual show is here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJPUpouCeqp3gq8m51s

[@Floorguy1000]

I have a feeling that WML redid the Oscar Levant part of the show.....notice how Mr. Cerf doesn't ask the question about "...making use out of various illnesses....." It would be very interesting to know just what the story was here.

[@NealKanter]

Thanks for posting link!

[@ron101346]

It seems that Oscar emptied his medicine cabinet before appearing on this show. It's hard to believe that he survived 7 more years, until 1972. Fortunately, he behaved (somewhat) better when appearing on Jack Paar's shows. Jack wasn't mentally tormented himself, but he understood what Oscar was going through, even while on the air.

[@michaelg.golden7327]

Looked terrible and I agree he shouldn't have been on the program then. I appreciated his valor, though.

[@verbaud]

Heroin was as close as Oscar L got to Rock n Roll.

[@HooverCat11]

Demerol. Prescribed, then addicted. And what looks to be severe tardive dyskinesia. Brilliant man.

[@DRUOPS]

shamefully rigged no way he could have come up with that