What's My Line? - Peter Lawford; Peter Lind Hayes [panel]; Eammon Andrews [panel] (May 13, 1956)

MYSTERY GUEST: Peter Lawford [film and TV actor, member of the Rat Pack]
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Peter Lind Hayes, Dorothy Kilgallen, Eammon Andrews

[@Merrida100]

Mr. Andrews is so charming and he's a brilliant panelist. Quite a refreshing and enjoyable change. I sure hope he makes other appearances on WML. He's wonderfully entertaining and quick witted in his delivery, as opposed to trying to crack jokes and wait for laughter. This was a wonderful episode.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Yeah, I'm a fan too! I wish more WML UK episodes were extant. But there's only one.

[@thecandidcounterbalance1492]

@@Bigbadwhitecracker Wow, that's a shame. I wonder if they kept telecines to record their broadcasts as commonly as it was done in the U.S.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

No, apparently only one exists and I think it's on this channel somewhere, if I remember correctly.

[@AbhinavS.R.]

True. Watch the British WML episode. The way everyone in it carried it was a 1000 times better than the American version.

[@grammarofficerkrupke4398]

Well, that would be good old British dry wit. One does not wait for applause, it's unheard of in polite society.

[@jamespfp]

4:05 -- The Whistle the first contestant gets with the revelation of her line? Priceless.

[@stephenvincent4989]

Eammon Andrews was a truly great presenter of the British “What’s My Line” as well as “This is your Life” and a superb commentator on the sport of boxing. A household name in the UK and rightly so, he had “IT”,

[@davidsanderson5918]

I would imagine most people watching these shows here are American and dare I say, I'm often at a loss with the MG if it's a US TV celebrity....so at last, it feels good to be the one who knows someone here that the American viewers may not know. I don't mean Lawford of course but our very own Eamonn Andrews who was a household name well into the 1970s. Rather than the moderator of WML, most people knew him as the polite middle-aged man holding the book on This Is Your Life. He was always utterly professional, somewhat mannered but had a charm about him and always ALWAYS that smile.

[@sandrageorge3488]

I loved how Arlene jumped up (for joy) when the rank of the female Colonel was stated.

[@ladya1953]

Colonel Hamblett had a beautiful smile!

[@johnhakel4933]

These are great to watch

[@mikejschin]

I had a small chuckle when Eammon Andrews asked the Marine colonel if her work had anything to do with children. The answer was, of course, no. But in my Marine Corps days we used to joke that USMC stood for Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. Based on that, I had a silly brief thought that the colonel should give a qualified yes.

[@wchumphries]

Apparently, Colonel Julia Hamblet is still living. She turned 99 on May 12 of 2015

[@QuestoPiccoloKaiju]

She died aged 100 on April 17, 2017.

[@Beson-SE]

Two future presidents are mentioned on the show: John talks about Peter Lawford's brother-in-law Senator Jack (John F. Kennedy) 19:58 and Eammon Andrews presents next week's guest panelist Ronald Reagan 25:42

[@preppysocks209]

And the Kennedy mythmaking machine was already up and running -- with Daly saying that a very sick JFK was looking very good and Lawford lying about how healthy he was. As a member of the Rat Pack, until JFK stayed with Crosby rather than Sinatra, Lawford was referred to by Sinatra as The Brother-in-Law-ford

[@preppysocks209]

@ Not everyone agrees with his policies, but Reagan gets good reviews from historians for his performance as President. It is hard to find anyone who says he is close to being one of the greatest actors.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

@@preppysocks209 HOOAH!

[@calvin777100]

Peter Lawford is no worse or better than the rest of us with all our sins. None of us are qualified to judge him or anyone else.What he did in his private life is his business. I just appreciate what he did on screen.

[@claystevenson1821]

Agreed

[@jerrylee8261]

If he had been a private person, I would agree with you but he was in the public eye and therefore was fair game.

[@juliansinger]

The Colonel is still alive, which is worth noting even though +wchumphries already did two months ago, because she is, after all, almost 100. I basically can't find any information on her since she retired in the 60s. (But she was pretty trailblazing.) Last year, some military pages were inviting people to send cards to her, but I haven't seen those for this year.

[@rmelin13231]

She passed at age 100.

[@gugurupurasudaikirai7620]

Never would have guessed Mr. Andrews was Irish by the accent. But then again I never would have guessed John Daly was South African by the accent either

[@smadaf]

I find Mr. Andrews's accent quite variable: sometimes Irish, sometimes American, sometimes English.

[@wchumphries]

Eammon Andrews played very well (understandably) and was quite charming & witty. Too bad he didn't appear more often (if I remember correctly, he replaced John on one of the very few occasions when he was off)

[@henjutsu1]

Would be interesting to link that episode here, if available.

[@rogerknights857]

He was the oppposite of John-very brisk and and concise. He really moved things along. I wish John had done more of that.

[@esmeephillips5888]

He became the launch director of Ireland's television service. One of the biggest names on British TV for 30 years, hosting 'This is Your Life' and talk shows as well as WML. Started as a boxing commentator.

[@jp0308]

@@esmeephillips5888 Appreciate your comment! Yes, I thought the gentleman was very intelligent and quite pleasing.

[@ejej6934]

Colonel Hamblet had a beautiful smile.

[@usermikes]

Peter Lawford played the "Thin Man" on TV..

[@MamaDeb62]

I liked William Powell in the Thin Man Movies better. But I love old black & white movies.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

I had never seen Eamonn Andrews before. Had heard about him a lot. It was nice to see him in person.

[@sansacro007]

Colonel Julia Hamblet was, as so many on this show, poised, charming, and impressive. She was also movie star beautiful. Oh, a time when the armed forces was still an institution commanding of respect that many aspired to join.

[@joncheskin]

Congrats to Peter Lind Hayes who got the two correct guesses on this show. He was so shocked about getting two in a row that he almost passed on the opportunity to identify Peter Lawford.

[@Wizardofgosz]

Wow. The Colonel just died this year, at the age of 100.

[@Merrida100]

She was wonderful!

[@sansacro007]

Peter Lawford's sporting tan is quite notable even on a 50s B&W screen.

[@chuckendweiss4849]

Semper Fi Col.

[@loissimmons6558]

Arlene Francis doesn't affect an English accent at any time during this episode. Peter Lind Hayes on the other hand ...

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

That was so annoying. He's annoying.

[@sbalman]

He was attempting humor.

[@loissimmons6558]

I wouldn't have known the Yankees batboy from a hole in the wall. But I certainly knew Charlie DiGiovanna. The Dodger batboy was part of the team picture taken near the end of the season and the pictures from the years when the Dodgers won the pennant were prized artifacts to a Dodger fan. As a boy in the 1940's Charlie was given a job in the Dodger organization when he came to the attention of Leo Durocher, the team manager at the time. From various odd jobs for the team, he became the visiting team batboy and then the Dodgers batboy in 1952. He was in his early twenties by the time he reached that position. The Dodgers won the pennant in four of the six years that he was the home team batboy in Brooklyn, so that's a lot of championship year team pictures. And it was easy to pick him out. His nickname was "The Brow" for obvious reasons. Because he was so recognizable, a bit more mature and longer lasting than the typical major league batboy, and considered one of the best in the business, Charlie is among the best known of all baseball batboys. One of his skills relates to players often hating to take time to sign the requests for autographed baseballs, especially ones that were to be signed by the whole team. Often that job was given to the team's clubhouse attendant. Pete Sheehy who had the job with the Yankees for 50 or so years often ghost signed for legendary Yankees like Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. With the Dodgers when he was their batboy, Charlie DiGiovanna was the autograph forger. There are many autographed Dodger baseballs of the 1950's where a large number of the signatures are by Charlie not the players. Charlie's hard work was so highly regarded by the Dodger organization that Walter O'Malley brought him west with the Dodgers in 1958. Unfortunately, he did not get into the team picture when the Dodgers won the World Series in 1959. Part of the reason that Charlie had come to Durocher's attention was that Leo met him when Charlie was recovering from a bout of rheumatic fever. That scarred his heart for life. Charlie died at age 28 in December 1958.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Oh terrible. :(

[@pattimaeda6097]

Lois Simmons good info

[@sansacro007]

Great story. Found this wonder page dedicated to Charlie, who died of a heart attack at age 28, leaving behind a wife and two children, one already 8 years old! opinionofkingmansperformance.blogspot.com/2012/02/charlie-brow-digiovanna.html

[@accomplice55]

Peter Lawford had to be one of the most gorgeous men ever.

[@peternagy-im4be]

He was sorta ok i guess

[@wchumphries]

Happy to see the new masks/blindfolds for the ladies. The ones with the straps always seemed so awkward (although, if I am not mistaken, I believe that Dorothy went back to the old style.) Sorry for the multiple posts, but my observations on this episode are all unrelated.

[@MeowingKittyCat]

+wchumphries I miss the old masks -- at least, the women's masks. They were a lot cuter, and the ties in the back would have been much more gentle on a 1950s hairdo (and more comfortable) than those elastic bands. I don't remember hand-held blow dryers being in common use before the 1970s -- before then, you had your hair set on curlers and sat under a stationery hair dryer. Then the hairstylist would comb you out. You would want to avoid anything that would mess up your hair!

[@loissimmons6558]

Doing something that requires any dexterity behind my back, like tying a bow, is completely outside of my skill set. I could never have been a panelist with the masks that Arlene and Dorothy wore in the early years without the assistant of a stagehand.

[@thecandidcounterbalance1492]

@@loissimmons6558 But I'd bet if you had the elaborate hairdos sported by Arlene and Dorothy - particularly in the '60s shows - you'd want to learn how to tie behind your back pretty quickly!

[@loissimmons6558]

+The Candid Counterbalance That's why I always had simple hairdos, even back in the day!

[@llyngibson4160]

Eamon Andrews is a gorgeous man. I wish the panel hadn't passed away because I would love to correct John for always pronouncing Eamon as it's spelt rather than Aimon. Too bad I'm many years too late. 🤣

[@thesweeples3266]

Famous for being famous

[@erichanson426]

When Peter Hayes asked the dentist if her service would make him happy, and she replied very. All I was thinking was to each's own opinion.

[@llyngibson4160]

The people today normally don't dress up & often look a mess but these people could be of the present day according to their dress (WHEN TODAY'S PEOPLE ARE DRESSED UP). Peter Lawford's hair is much like the fashion of today.

[@lilybean835]

Does anyone know if Gil ever addressed why after so many years, they still kept just a single chair to offer when they had multiple guests, forcing them to share? How awkward!! I'm interested in his book but my goodness it's quite rare and expensive. Maybe one of these days, lol But does anyone know why they were always forced to share a single chair? Especially as the years went by, when it became clear there'd be many times of multiple guests? After the first one or two seasons, they should've figured this out and adjusted. A chair certainly could be in the budget, couldn't it?

[@MrYfrank14]

i would guess since this was the early days of TV, no one had figured out to adjust the camera to ft two chairs in the frame. today, they would just switch to another camera or roll the camera backward. also, since they are not in a room built for TV, there may not have been any room to move a camera back or to use another camera. my understanding is they are in a converted theater.

[@smadaf]

@@MrYfrank14 , What's My Line? throughout its run had plenty of wide shots, dolly shots, and zoom shots. I think the choice to keep the same number of chairs regardless of the number of persons makes it more intimate, like what might happen if suddenly another friend joined your party at a crowded café: there night not be any more chairs to be had, so someone might stand or someone might say "Oh, Sam; don't worry; there's room; come down here and scooch in next to me; we can all fit."

[@robertjean5782]

​@@MrYfrank14Exactly right😊

[@davidjames666]

Peter Lawford coughed into his hand, then immediately shook John Daly's hand.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

we didn't care about germs back then.

[@geraldbaker4019]

@@Bigbadwhitecracker many people still don’t!

[@ejej6934]

On one show Daly was right next to a regular challenger and he coughed and said something like, "Excuse me, I've got some sort of bug." (And of course the challenger had to sit right next to him afterward.) I was a wee bit disgusted by it. Real considerate of him, sharing like that.

[@leannsherman6723]

😮 pre-Covid lol

[@robertjean5782]

Dry cough😊

[@boognish999]

As I continue watch these episodes I feel a need to bring up Hal Block again. Peter Lind Hayes was just as inappropriate to the female contestants as Mr Block. I feel the reason that Hal got so much flack for it was because of his looks. I feel that if Hal had the good looks that Mr Hayes had people wouldn't have been so turned off by him. Peter Lind Hayes even once howled at a female guest. Not that I personally have anything against these behaviors. I wish a girl would admiringly howl at me. Just an observation.

[@monkey1580]

Zac M. I agree with you.

[@wchumphries]

+Zac M. A lot of it had to do with Block's leer - creepy. And, I don't think that P.L. Hayes said anything nearly as suggestive as some of H. Block's comments. In addition, Hayes was happily married, so his comments could be viewed as strictly for humour, whereas Block's were viewed as deliberate (correctly or not). This, too, is just an observation.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Zac M. OWOOOOOOOH! You're welcome!

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

I like Hal, I don't like Peter H. But you probably have a point. Hal had the perfect face for radio.

[@sbalman]

He doesn't seem attractive to me.

[@wcwindom56]

the 1st lady lived almost 101 yrs

[@rhondablack8079]

His voice is a dead give away

[@erichanson426]

I'm surprised with all the famous mystery guests, they never had The Beatles on, after all they were popular while this show was on.

[@thesweeples3266]

Wrong audience completely different target audience.

[@erichanson426]

@@thesweeples3266 good point

[@fallspring1033]

John Daly talks too much sometimes.

[@randylovering24]

We have to agree that Mr Daly does talk but he just wants to throw the panel off the track and have fun at the same time

[@fallspring1033]

@Mark Richardson Thank you for pointing that out. I'm a grammar Nazi and can't believe I let that slide. Sorry.

[@fallspring1033]

I fixed it. LOL

[@jerrylee8261]

@@fallspring1033 I'm a grammar Nazi, also, and grit my teeth when listening to football announcers. 😊 These announcers supposedly have a college education but invariably will say-He's one of the better tight ends in the country. That means there are only two tight tight ends in our country. Plus they will always say-That's a great favor he did for "John" and I. Of course, should be for "John" and me. Note:NOT claiming to be a grammar expert but these are basic rules of grammar.

[@Lord_Baphomet_]

I can’t tell if Daly is getting some all the time or not getting any at all.

[@robertjean5782]

Daly divorced his wife 1960 he married someone 15years younger 😊

[@michaelnivens6267]

not the walk of shame again

[@jerrylee8261]

I thought they were gonna stop that before these episodes.

[@smadaf]

Going up to people and shaking hands with them is so shameful. It's much more polite just to stare at them from a distance before they interview you across a room.

[@leesher1845]

I really didn’t like when they rushed through the final contestant. That was not right

[@peternagy-im4be]

Time restraints my dear friend

[@robertjean5782]

I doubt anyone complained they all got $50 which was a weeks pay or a mortgage payment 😊

[@bleepiestofbloops]

Eamonn almost sounds more American than the rest of them. Ha

[@lindaroper2654]

That first lady walk and Shaked hands like a man. Lol.

[@robertjean5782]

Military service 😊

[@donnawoodford6641]

Peter asked if the last contestants were juvenile delinquents??? Why try to pin something negative onto them in association with a tv show. John wanted to nix that notion fast, and repeated it at the end. Bad panelist???

[@miketheyunggod2534]

They look old for batboys.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Peter Lawford was only 32, but had a face full of wrinkles. The only good thing about Peter Lind Hayes was his hair. The last two contestants behaved like lovers.

[@thomasmirtin2428]

Eammon Andrews played very well (understandably) and was quite charming & witty. Too bad he didn't appear more often (if I remember correctly, he replaced John on one of the very few occasions when he was off)

[@robertjean5782]

Eamon had his own show😊