What's My Line? - Peter Ustinov; Hugh Hefner [panel] (Apr 23, 1961)

MYSTERY GUEST: Peter Ustinov
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Hugh Hefner, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@moviemonk1000]

I guess it becomes a cliché but Peter Ustinov a briiliant wit and charming fop could be all things to all people the whole world wanted to have a chat with Peter Ustinov

[@kugelweg]

He was such a BIG DEAL in his time and deservedly so! It is sad that he is relatively unknown these days to the younger folk, when he was such a brilliant performer, writer, comedian, and all-around human being.

[@briane173]

That's the beauty of watching these old episodes at my age. ALL of their mystery guests were famous and enormously popular at that time and I have fresh memories of all of them. Part of the fun of watching these; _What's My Line_ itself was an institution and as a kid I'd try to catch every episode. It had class. It's funny though -- as a kid back then I used to remark to myself that Daly and the panel quests all seemed so "elderly" to me; Now that I'm quite a bit older than all of them were back then they suddenly don't seem so old, and in fact the ladies on the panel are now, to me anyway, quite attractive; and their humor was ribald enough to where even though I perhaps didn't get the joke as a 10-y//o kid, I certainly can laugh at them now. Turns out Arlene Francis was a hoot and a firecracker. I'm sure she kept Martin Gabel a happy man indeed.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

In his own mind he was. In reality, not so much.

[@kugelweg]

@@Walterwhiterocks That's not true. He was a multi-award winning playwright, actor, and director. At that time he was VERY well known and well respected. That's how people knew who he was and why he got asked to be on so many programs.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

​@@Walterwhiterockscrikey,what have you got against him?🎩🤔

[@HolgerRuneFan]

Ustinov was an incredible genius. He spoke 7 languages and was a marvel.

[@jonisafreak3]

phenomenal actor, incredibly interesting human being.

[@joetursi9573]

Six not seven languages, Signing is not considered a formal language.

[@MySpace662]

Nice to see faces that have gone for ever, but their memories will live on forever.

[@paulaward3976]

"of any kind no? it is a very specific kind!" So quick and witty! what a voice! so rich and velvety!!

[@nollyfkennedy]

I adore this show so much. I love watching it as if I was in that year 🥰

[@ianbentley7276]

me too

[@maryblushes7189]

I was, born 1951, and it was like this through the entire society. People were different than today. We were well dressed and polite as a norm. Men stood to shake hands and when a lady entered the room. This was true for all classes, not just rich people. Good manners and good etiquette were not only expected, but were given. Teachers, ministers, doctors, etc. were respected but so were manual laborers. Children responded yes sir, yes mam, etc. and there were no screaming kids in public. We knew we would get a spanking on the spot, so we simply didn't misbehave in public. It is an era past but not forgotten by those that lived it.

[@user-ik4kh9lt6d]

His performance on this show deserves an oscar in of itself.

[@bluecamus5162]

Certainly he did the best 'door closing' I ever heard. He was a multi-linguist, so I bet he could close that door in several languages.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Surely you jest.

[@tango6nf477]

How do you make an already good show outstanding? Answer, invite Peter Ustinov.

[@Moochtv]

Peter's doing The Old Man character from Logans Run a good 12 years before he did the film! Genius!

[@edwinrivera8449]

My favorite and loving movie of Mr. Ustinov is... Logan's Run. He was so lovable. I love classic science fiction.

[@Bonobanos]

that staredown between arlene and john during the fish counter guessing was hilarious

[@Adam-Mercer]

This aired the same night that Judy Garland made her famous concert debut at Carnegie Hall

[@TheMinnieme2011]

Oh my, such ladies and gentlemen panelists.

[@poetcomic1]

Peter Ustinov was doing a good imitation of his friend Jonathan Winters and as a matter of fact, he had Winters pick up his 1965 Academy award for Topkapi.

[@frankie3041]

Hef!! It’s nice to know that he’s somewhere warm looking up at us!

[@mikegendron3723]

Dan Schneider and his brother's Mudlavia Hotel led to the Schneider Clinic PC in Elkhart, Indiana which is being run by, now doctors, Drs. Mark And Dan Schneider.

[@quizmaster85]

19:38 - "I *do* want to mislead them!" His adorable persona worked well here :)

[@johnlewis9158]

That man had a wit second to none without ever coming across in a condescending manner. Also one of the best if not the story teller ever to grace a chat show

[@sitarnut]

Ustinov... sorely missed.

[@1063ghost]

Toller gebildeter Mann Herr Ustinov !

[@jackkomisar458]

The "sports car record" that Dorothy referred to at 21:54 is "The Grand Prix of Gibraltar". On that very funny record, Ustinov portrayed Americans, Britons, Italians, French, and Germans. He also imitated the sounds of the race cars.

[@1928gerry]

I love the Peter Ustinov-Parkinson interviews compilation found on youtube.

[@davidsanderson5918]

1928gerry Now you're talking! Vintage UK telly.....and I remember it well. Parkinson in the 70s had the best guests in the world!

[@moiAntonin]

fancy seeing bennet cerf and peter ustinov, two of the greats contributors to comedy the world has ever known, on the same tv show aired 63 years ago. I have all Cerf's anthologies from the 1930's to his death and the complete films and scores of TV appearances of Ustinov. I would not part with either.

[@savethetpc6406]

***** That is a very impressive collection!

[@golden-63]

*This is the exact voice Peter Ustinov used in Logan's Run as the Old Man!*

[@gilliankew]

So strange. I have always tended to think of Hugh Hefner as a rather lascivious old man, yet here he is, a handsome, articulate, young businessman. Clearly his “playboy” image took over.

[@lostinspace699]

He is no fool very smart and educated .... and could held it together pretty good

[@DavidLari]

Peter's elderly man voice in this segment reminds me of his role in the movie, Logan's Run.

[@juanettebutts9782]

Mr. Schneider's hairine was much like the previous week's Mr. Haley's hairline. Perhaps it's just my perception but Mr. Schneider resembles Ricky Nelson a bit. Thank you very much for posting these wonderful programs! I know it was difficult work. Rest assured countless people have enjoyed/are enoying/will enjoy What's My Line? because you made the shows available.

[@lindajohnson4204]

Yay! My family loved The Sundowners, but I just recently read reviews that said iit was a lackluster, so-so, run-of-the-mill movie. We would never think so, but who are we? So when Bennett Cerf mentioned the Sundowners, as if Peter Ustinov's performance in it was wonderful, I felt vindicated in our love of the movie.

[@BeIIeDoc24]

haha Arlene got a good one in ;) thanks to Bennett for setting that up!

[@JohnJohnson-ok4gf]

P.U. delivering a great impression of Marlon Brando.

[@juliansinger]

Mudlavia Springs was a big ol' Thing in the early part of the 20th century. Supposedly cured rheumatism. Then it burned down in 1920, pretty thoroughly, and the original owner never re-built. The Schneiders resurrected it in about 1960, and it survived until the mid-to-late 70s, at which point it burned down again. (I have now seen four different years for its second burning, so don't ask me /which/ year. Some Year In There.) The springs are still used, most recently by Perrier. The area is, in theory, haunted. I can't find much evidence of the Schneiders, alas. A long and thorough blog post on the original owner of the Springs, Harry Kramer, and his various forms of snake oil cures: blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/tag/mudlavia-hotel/

[@jeffwelch5349]

I can’t believe the producers let Hugh on the show!!!

[@larrygrebler5054]

I agree pretty low class for such a classy show.

[@Tessmage_Tessera]

Why shouldn't they?

[@larrygrebler5054]

@@Tessmage_Tessera As I said before: this is a classy show, that man lacked class.

[@Tessmage_Tessera]

@@larrygrebler5054 Now explain why Hugh Hefner lacked class.

[@larrygrebler5054]

@@Tessmage_Tessera He promoted a lifestyle that was hedonistic, decadent, and selfish.

[@donnacook8994]

What a treat to see Peter Ustinov! 🥰

[@stephaniemccoy9602]

Hugh Hefner is more soft-spoken than I thought.

[@vastolive8]

Because he was young here

[@esmeephillips5888]

He looks embarrassed introducing Dorothy as WML's playmate, as well he might. Looks overdressed out of a robe, too. What became of the biopic with Tony Curtis?

[@Tessmage_Tessera]

Hefner was always a very shy person.

[@andrewgilmore7669]

I'm surprised Bennett got away with saying "damn" on live television in 1961! Even if it was by accident.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Words that weren't allowed slipped by now and then. In the Groucho episode, he sings a little song with the word "hell" in it, which also definitely was not allowed on TV then. Funny that no one ever, apparently, made a big deal of these cases. My guess is that it was understood these were just momentary lapses. Groucho, on the other hand, I think knew full well what he was doing singing "I wonder who the hell invented Jersey?" :)

[@andrewgilmore7669]

***** If Block had stayed on, there would have been a LOT of obscenities... from the other panelists.

[@WitoldBanasik]

+Andrew Gilmore Let alone Arlene and John used to smoke like hell while on air back in 1950's. C'est la vie... Something's got to give.

[@jmoss491]

Andrew Gilmore u

[@jmoss491]

Sorry for the stray “u” lol

[@rabsmiff]

great Saul Bass graphics, my friends.

[@kentetalman9008]

I met Saul Bass in the mid-70s. An interesting guy.

[@maynardsmoreland]

I miss the wit and intelligence of Peter Ustinov.

[@moviemonk1000]

we all do

[@savethetpc6406]

He was hilarious in this mystery guest segment!

[@ginnylorenz5265]

Peter Ustinov always utterly charms me on all levels.

[@dannydoc1969]

I was lucky enough, while living in L.A., to get onto Mr. Hefner's guest list, and was invited to some great parties.

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

With that voice, he sounds like the cartoon character Super Chicken! 😂

[@Jolar70]

Usually it's Bennett with his foot deeply inserted in his mouth but I bet Arlene wished she hadn't phrased her winning guess quite the way she did at 15:58! Awkward...but of course she recovers beautifully.

[@nanaberry4120]

Bennett asked about a Playmate named Joyce Nizzari. She was one of the readers favorite girls. She had done bikini photos starting at the age of 15 and as soon as she turned 18' she was photographed topless in Playboy. She made many attempts at acting, but non of them were a real success. I find it a little strange that Bennett was so interested in this one particular girl!!!

[@ironduke2000]

It was a joke. However, Joyce Nizzari was a very popular Playmate -- and Hefner's girlfriend for a period. As a matter of fact, she was Hefner's date at JFK's inaugural ball in 1961. In her centerfold shot, in at age eighteen in 1958, she was not topless; however, she did other photos for the magazine after her initial appearance,and she was topless in some of them.

[@briane173]

17:08 Indeed there IS a White Salmon. It's on the Washington side of the Columbia, directly across from Hood River, OR.

[@accomplice55]

He asked if any salmon were white. He wasn't asking about a town.

[@cort_tempered]

Hooray! This episode aired 29 years before I was born lol

[@bigoldinosaur]

Holy crap!!! Peter is doing his Old Major voice if anyone knows who that character is from a very famous book and somewhat unknown movie.

[@matimus100]

Holy crap stinks too

[@dougw.4788]

I was shocked that they would have hefner on wml back in 1961 but he did change the world back then and made sexuality not an embarrassment though he probably has in his latter years.

[@narrowgate528]

Man, I love Peter Ustinov!

[@thamnosma]

Bay of Pigs invasion occurred early that week.

[@loissimmons6558]

Unfortunately there was something about that invasion that wasn't kosher.

[@billolsen4360]

Lois Simmons You got, lady!!!!

[@karenedmiston4721]

One of the few times Hugh Hefner wasn't wearing a smoking jacket.

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

Interesting, I didn't know that Hugh Hefner had Playboy magazine back in 1961. I thought that would be taboo. Growing up in the late 1950's and 1960's I never heard of him untill the1970's.. We had I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith. I would sneak and watch Johnny Carson show and still never saw him on there. He goes way back than I thought.

[@kentetalman9008]

The first issue of Playboy was in 1953. Marilyn Monroe was the centerfold.

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

@@kentetalman9008 Oh, no wonder, I wasn't born yet. I was born in 1957. I did see a calendar with Marilyn Monroe on it though.

[@WATCH-IT-BUSTER]

Bennett Cerf has such a comedic, cartoon voice that it must have been used in some animation in the past 😅😅😅😅

[@jonathansmith9235]

Back when the world was somewhat intelligent.

[@carlstawicki1915]

Peter Ustinov did his Logan's Run character.

[@nadiazahroon6573]

The applause were Luke warm, not everybody was easy dealing with Heff, especially Cerf.

[@jaysonbiggs8979]

Spartacus is a GREAT movie! See it!

[@davidsanderson5918]

jayson biggs Agree totally. Seen it on the big screen?? EPIC!!!

[@jaysonbiggs8979]

@@davidsanderson5918 No. Just on the small screen. The screenplay was written by a longtime member of the Communist Party, by the way. He also wrote the screenplay for The Way We Were.

[@WintersWar]

Ustinov was so brilliant and he pretended he wasn't. intense class.

[@geraldkatz7986]

Wow. What a risque show given the time. Hugh Hefner and Playboy gets mentioned. A young handsome man giving mud baths to men. Bennet Cerf says "damn" audibly. What's My Line loses a bit of its wholesomeness this episode.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Incorrect.

[@vince065us]

He was a wit!

[@sandybruce9092]

Just noticed the date of this show - one month or from this date I would be graduating from 8th grade😀😀😀. Peter looks so young here - for some reason I picture in my mind an older and a bit heavier man - must be because of his later movies. I thunk he looks adorable!

[@osseousrex2755]

Apirl 23rd! My Grandmothers birthday.

[@garthly]

Along with Shakespeare!

[@NMC21887]

If you're a younger person like me, and you consider how Playboy is regarded nowadays, seeing Hugh Hefner on this show feels...out of place.

[@lostinspace699]

It was very in place ,, the hippy era and the sex liberation all the Hollywood party's the president fucking Marlin Monroe the saying goes if you can Rembert the 60s you were not there ,,,,, i am 56 my i was remember 1970 onwards my parents were hippes I'm a pessimist and i never thought things would be this bad ,, Music,,and so on ,,,

[@sandybruce9092]

Well, I do remember the 60s (mostly), the 70s (sort of)🥴😀🥴🥴🥴🤫🤫. Problem is that I’m now of an older generation and have trouble remembering some of the new things!!!!?

[@wholelotanothin1]

Seams to be a little tension in the air in this episode.

[@jvcomedy]

wholelotanothin1 I totally agree. Everyone seemed a little irritable including Arlene which is really unusual.

[@pianoplayrpiano99]

Agreed. For some reason I found Dorothy irritating in this episode. He couldn't seem to grasp the concept of performing a service for men, as the first contestant did.

[@carolv8450]

How so?

[@richardr2555]

Dorothy mentioned he might have worn contact lenses. I didn't know they knew how to make them in 1961

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

I had a pair of contact lenses in the 1970's, they were hard and uncomfortable back then in 1971.

[@accomplice55]

They made them long before that, but they were fragile and prohibitively expensive for most people.

[@osseousrex2755]

And Allstate Insurance. Damn.

[@osseousrex2755]

Didn't know they still had that "In Good Hands" motto back then either.

[@ToddSF]

+Osseous Rex (Color Streak) -- Of course, in 1961, Allstate Insurance was owned by Sears Roebuck & Company. Sears founded Allstate in 1931 and the Sears catalogue used to have tear-out, mail-in forms for insurance quotes and all Sears department stores had an Allstate desk inside with insurance agents on duty. In 1993, Allstate became an independent company when Sears sold off the 80% of Allstate shares it still owned.

[@osseousrex2755]

O____O

[@loissimmons6558]

+Osseous Rex The motto dates back to 1950.

[@pukulu]

Ustinov lived to be 82 in spite of being rather overweight for much of his life. Perhaps he restricted his indulgences to food but not much else.

[@yawlltube]

'Mud Labia Hotel'? AF's chuckle.

[@spongevee1]

Mudlavia

[@WitoldBanasik]

Peter was a witty guy, sarcastic at times... I can smell some slavic predecessors of his. Hefner was and maybe still is the most famous and shrewd womanizer on Planet Earth. Both guys are bigger than life !!! Long life Hugh. Rest in Peace Peter !!!!!!

[@accomplice55]

Just FTR, Hefner died Sept 2017.

[@michaelnivens6267]

For once , I agree with Bennett - I liked Peter In " The Sundowners "

[@blackie75]

wait....the Mud Labia Hotel?

[@davidsanderson5918]

Dynamic Hypnotic Ha haaaa! Yep.......certainly is! What's so strange about that? :)

[@accomplice55]

Mudlavia.

[@neudimensions1320]

Anybody know if the Hugh Hefner movie is out yet?

[@Gwaithmir]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Hefner:_Playboy,_Activist_and_Rebel

[@tomsaltsman]

It's a serious tragedy if you missed Peter's breakout role as Nero in 'Quo Vadis.' Fantastic!

[@Anti-WokeCanadian]

20:30 Arlene held her head that way to peek through the space between her mask and nose. She did that a lot.

[@dodge96neon]

THE FISH COUNTING lady said she is from some county . is that the name of the town or is it so lightly populated that maybe the county has only 1 school

[@johnb332]

I sounded like Mr. Hefner's guess was Peter O'Tool. Not Peter Ustinov.

[@accomplice55]

He pronounced the last name "Oostinov"

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

What's My Line's own Playmate... Dorothy.... lmao

[@lilybean835]

Mrs. Dunlop is very pretty

[@Terry-tree]

I think it’s the first time John Daly didn’t welcome the guest panelist at the beginning of the show or thank him at the end of the show.

[@ibecheifallday]

RIP HUGH HEFNER 😞

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Once again Bennett just couldn't keep his mouth shut. This time when Arlene was questioning the fish counter. No conference was called for and he just butt in during her questioning with some comment as to what she should ask, etc. At least Arlene sort of reprimanded him with "I 'm aware of that, Bennett." He is so annoying on this show.

[@alamudesky1959]

Bennett is a star

[@dianemutchler9213]

Sadly, I agree with you about Bennett and his "mouth." The more I watch him, the more he reminds me of an attention-getting kid you can't control. I'll never understand why so many people continuously praised him - both panelists and show watchers. To me he seems immature, rude at times, and not funny. But, I love this TV show.

[@drumbum3.142]

At Least he's more Couth and "In Line" and even respectful than rob q (egotistical) Lewis.. .

[@kentetalman9008]

@@drumbum3.142 I never thought that of Lewis.

[@drumbum3.142]

@@kentetalman9008 Well.. ... While This is Unfortunate. It "helps" to listen to him talk and strut his stuff.. 🤨😑🙄🤨🤢🤮 One would think he's the hottest thing since hades in the sahara in August or July... 🙄

[@alskndlaskndal]

Bennett seemed a little testy on this episode. :)

[@Walterwhiterocks]

He frequently is. He loves to be the center of attention.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Did anyone ever dare to say 'Lighten up, Benny baby'?

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Did you see the episode where John Daly kept calling Bennett by the name "Chuckles"? Bennett pouted like a two year old.

[@1jamyc]

Best line was Ustinov saying just because he couldn't hear didn't mean he was near-sighted I love watching tis series, but this was a very tedious episode - -too many long answers from John, explaining what the contestant already said.

[@felixdiaz3]

Mud Labia Hotel?

[@spongevee1]

Mudlavia

[@jmccracken1963]

I have to assume that having Hugh Hefner on the show as a guest panelist was Gil Fates's idea, but it seems to have made the three regular panelists and the panel moderator uncomfortable enough. They do a professional job (Dorothy even says "Come again, Hugh" in the good-nights at the end of the show) - but they're just a little bit "off." And, to me, Hugh Hefner's facial expression make him look downright creepy. Not a good or appropriate choice of panelist (even leaving out the "NOKD" aspect - as in "Not Our Kind, Dear")....... And, if I remember rightly, the discomfort was there once again several years later, when Hugh Hefner was the Mystery Guest on an episode of What's My Line?. I do have to agree with Bennett Cerf, that Peter Ustinov's performance in "The Sundowners" is much better than his performance in "Spartacus" - hands down. I also noticed, when I was reading the comments after watching this episode, that a couple of commenters said that they were watching "Beautiful Women in Everyday Occupations" - which may very well mean that they were watching my playlist of clips from WML? with that title. I made that playlist (and another one of WML? clips titled "Beautiful Women as Mystery Guest") before Gary started assembling and posting his vast treasure trove of episodes some years ago, at a time at which there were various and sundry "Ordinary Joe/Ordinary Jane" segments and Mystery Guest segments posted as separate clips on KZbin, but only a few complete episodes. (Of course, at that time, there was still a strict time limit on the length of clips enforced on KZbin, so it wasn't possible to post an entire episode as a whole clip.)

[@thamnosma]

I completely agree. While Hef became somewhat mild as society "marched on", at the time it was pretty edgy to have him on. John Daly, I am certain, was not happy with this

[@loissimmons6558]

IMHO, somewhat hypocritical to have dumped Hal Block and then some years later bring on Hugh Hefner as a guest panelist, even if Hefner was rather tame during his appearance. Of course of the three challengers, only one was female and she was a married woman who was attractive but no bombshell. Furthermore, the line is solved before he gets to question her. It even seemed like John Daly gave Arlene a lot of latitude in her questions and even let her skate by some no answers before she finally got it (although she asked the question backwards and got a no).

[@nadiazahroon6573]

jmccracken1963 some people would argue that Heff either liberated women or used women.

[@grayblanchard]

Hugh was actually kinda hot. I guess he was rather young here.

[@wife97]

Great to see Peter Ustinov. Disappointed that the vile, disgusting Hugh Hefner is a panelist here.

[@kasperjoonatan6014]

I think Hugh Hefner did much good. I don't know why you wrote that.

[@karencarter8292]

Hugh Hefner !?

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

Dan Snider? 🤨 And psychos 😂 Well i count people so.... You know what they say, when one door opens, you have to come back to close it 😂

[@beadyeyedbrat]

Another fish counter

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

GIVES MUD BATHS COUNTS FISH FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT 😜

[@ElaineHJ2006]

E

[@ivanhorvat4635]

ARE YOU ( insert appropriate adjective ) Kidding me ? Would this show work today???? ANYBODY ? HOLLYWOOD ?, CANADA ? ANYBODY WITH IMAGINATION CALL ME !?$?

[@davidsanderson5918]

IVAN HORVAT It might. Except you would need to suppress the egos of panellists today to get anywhere near the ethos of serious deducing by the masters at work here. Unfortunately I can just imagine they'd get Piers Morgan as a panellist because of his journalistic background. I wouldn't watch it.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

A pornographer as guest panellist!?! Quelle horreur!

[@grdn02100]

fishhead06 interesting his sons look like Anthony Perkins in his "Psycho" days.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Ulrich Lehnhardt Oh, I know - I'm being facetious about how prim and proper the show tried to be.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Ulrich Lehnhardt Oh I totally disagree. The US is a very sexualized country

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

It's the largest producer and consumer of pornography in the world, for one. But you only have to look at its popular culture - music, film, television - to see the obsession with sex. That's why I disagreed with your comment that "sex is totally banned today from public life." Look at Kim Kardashian. Or Miley Cyrus.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Ulrich Lehnhardt Yeah, the Americans have a very dual personality when it comes to sex. They are by turns puritanical and explicit. They are a people very driven by desire and shame. It is like an adolescent sexual morality.

[@13ECHO20]

Hugh Hefner looks creepy. I might not of wanted to shake his hand. lol

[@kentetalman9008]

Oh, please!

[@accomplice55]

I might have.

[@jackseward7779]

Yet another hammy Mystery Guest who can't keep his mouth shut. (Ordinarily, I like him.)

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

Smfh @ Hefner being there, and their disgusting talk about girls.