What's My Line? - Salvador Dali; Lillian Roth; Peter Lawford [panel] (Jan 27, 1957)

MYSTERY GUEST: Salvador Dali [surrealist painter]; Lillian Roth [movie starlet of the 1930s whose career was ruined by alcoholism-- she was one of the first celebrities to go public with her experiences with addiction, in her autobiography "I'll Cry Tomorrow"]
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Peter Lawford, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@shelleynobleart]

The Dali segment was incredible. Yes, he did everything, he's an artist.

[@gabinadina]

I love watching these, trouble is I can't stop.

[@WilburBeauregard]

Bobby Gabinadina I agree. Very addictive.

[@philiphoward1731]

I spent about two hours a night watching these I am so glad these are on KZbin thank you so much

[@scotnick59]

You are not alone with that!

[@RobJazzful]

Ain’t it the truth?

[@kevinw712]

The first one of these I watched was still I believe technically less than 48 hours before my posting this, and I already pretty much consider it my new favorite TV show lol

[@Nightturkey1]

So beautifully low-tech - no flashing lights, no sound effects, just human beings with wonderful minds and wit...

[@louisemiller9921]

Yes! Turn on the game show network now and see humans screaming, shouting, jumping at a tempo designed to create excitement on steroids. Why? Advertisers sell more when people are hopped up in Adrenalin. Sad.

[@R.a.t.t.y]

You have forgotten the artificial intelligence. You didn’t think John Daly was real, did you?

[@dougr3142]

When I was a teenager, I wrote Lillian Roth a fan letter a few years before she died and she very graciously answered me and sent along an autographed photo. She said she was amazed that somebody 16 years old would know who she was. A very nice lady.

[@summertummer2394]

Hmm are you 103?

[@funboy7979]

@@summertummer2394 lillian roth died in 1980. a few years before she died would have been the 1970s. a teenager in the 1970s would have been born in the 1960s or 50s. in 2020, someone born in the 1950s or 60s would now be in their 50s or 60s.

[@Courdorygirl]

@@funboy7979 yep, my dad was born in 1958 and he turned 61 last year, and he knows who Lillian Roth was.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Doug R - I bet that you cherish that photo and the letter.

[@dougr3142]

@@shirleyrombough8173 i do indeed!

[@maynardsmoreland]

One of the best and funniest Mystery Guest appearances - Salvador Dali.

[@CellGames2006]

He's like the anti-Groucho... they must never meet or the universe might implode.

[@mckavitt13]

Arlene's statement that Dalí was a "misleading man" couldn't be more spot on. 😂😂😂

[@waynej2608]

That was perfect!

[@michaelbaucom4019]

Surrealism defined, Dali's forte, one more reason why Arlene is my favorite regular panelist

[@jvcomedy]

That Salvador Dali segment was one of the funniest ever. I laughed my ass off. What's My Line thanks for posting all of these great episodes. I watch them every night.

[@sandrageorge3488]

He was a bit odd.

[@kennethlatham3133]

Fkn hilarious! It was like having Groucho on! I wish I had that board he signed. BIG influence on my artwork.

[@donnawoodford6641]

Dalí. (Accent on second syllable.)

[@Eowyn187]

@@sandrageorge3488 of course he was. He's Dali.

[@susanwenner8738]

I was laughing too. Just that confused look and all the ‘yes’!! Then he just jumped up out of the seat and took off.

[@dannydoc1969]

Dali's signature on the blackboard is something I would have loved to have kept, lol.

[@The_A_Cast]

Anytime I want to learn a new word, or sound sophisticated, I watch this masterpiece show!

[@timcarr6401]

John was over-the-top with his eruditeness. He should have given his explanations in a concise and intelligible manner.

[@bethearly4593]

I love listening to his twisted, vague and extremely wordy responses. His job was to help baffle the panel, not make it easier for them. Also, for some people who are very well read, speak several languages, travel around the world, it is more challenging to think of simple words to explain something. A simple word contains too many assumptions and can lead peole to misunderstand a statement. He was a journalist and his job was to choose words carefully so as not to mislead his listener. Notice how he listens to the questions which are quite often double negatives - in order to get an affirmative answer? He thinks it through, helps the contestant to understand how to answer so that the panelist is not misunderstood and therefore misled. There is so much deep thinking, reasoning and complex language going on behind the faces. That is what is so fascinating to me and I cannot stop watching it! Btw: i am a speech language pathologist. My life work is studying language development, use, disorders, and the brain.

[@Beson-SE]

This show with Salvador Dali was the very first episode of WML I ever saw. In September 2009 The Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm opened an exhibition of Dali and his art. Among the paintings and sculptures there was a TV showing this segment repeatedly . The sound was not so good so I decided to try and search for it on KZbin when I came home. I found it, saw it and since then I am hooked on WML. :)

[@waynechapman9823]

I have to say that Lillian Roth is one of the rare celebrity mystery guests that I'm not familiar with, but she won me over with this appearance.

[@akrenwinkle]

She's all over KZbin singing her trademark songs like Red, Red Robin. An early 1930s star, she became better known for her battle with alcoholism. Perhaps an acquired taste, but I'm a big fan, have been forever.

[@Elitist20]

She was in the early Marx Brothers film 'Animal Crackers'.

[@ashleycrawford5123]

Wish this man was still alive. He wasn't just a painter. He was a jack of all trades, and a master of surrealism.

[@icurhuman2]

Salvador Dali used to have banquets at restaurants all around Milan and paid the bill with a check with a drawing on the back he drew while eating - the checks were always kept and never cashed, thus he never paid for a meal.

[@mckavitt13]

A genius alright. PS. In the US, he wouldn't be so lucky as we get our paud checks back!! Or used to.

[@terranova22]

would such a small drawing on the back of a check be worth much today?

[@xAlexZifko]

@@terranova22 definitely more than the cost of a meal even adjusted for inflation

[@happydreamer4679]

@@terranova22 would you rather have a drawing by Salvador Dali or a few hundred bucks?

[@terranova22]

@@happydreamer4679 Do you mean "by" Salvador Dali? ;-)

[@jec1ny]

Salvadore Dali was one of the great renaissance men of his age. A brilliant artist and all around eccentric.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Daly was truly GREAT in this episode. What a pro.

[@feraudyh]

Salvador Daly?

[@allegory6393]

Love this episode with Salvador Dali. Wonderful to watch him in his interactions with John Daly and the panel.

[@Merrida100]

I loved Lillian Roth. She had a Lauren Bacall thing going for her. I liked, too, that she played with her hair and ran her fingers through it so it was loose and lovely, and not lacquered down like a helmet. So beautiful and wonderful!

[@relax2dream164]

So often these shows have sent me off to research and find out more about the guests and panelists. So interesting to look deeper into times long gone.

[@elenarezuchova5649]

Me too

[@patricebest545]

Love Lillian Roth Very pretty smile She helped more ppl than she will know with her life story me for one Thankyou

[@cbass2755]

I loved this artist Salvator! Crazy quirky paintings, but I loved them all. I have a book of his on my table and go thru it today…2022

[@Rps2800]

"Yes"-Salvador Dali

[@44032]

I counted 18 "Yes"s, ( overturned), 3 "No"s and 6 questions Daly answered himself.

[@jadeshannon5583]

Steven Chappell,I think their were more no's than that

[@smdftb8495]

The Persistence of Yes

[@waynej2608]

Surreal.

[@aileen694]

I wonder who got to keep that Dali signature board?

[@44032]

At least we have someone who understands what John is saying perfectly- a surrealist!

[@dsscam]

Love this show. I really wished I lived during this time. People were so much better. John Charles Daly was a fantastic host/moderator, etc. I loved how he took the game and his job so seriously- even deciding to referee himself by turning all the cards over to maximize the prize for the Bullfighter. People of today are 1/100th of the people from this generation- maybe less.

[@jamesr1703]

OMG! Salvador Dali was hilarious! And his quick exit.

[@joeambrose3260]

Saw Lillian Roth at the Auto-Mat at 42 & 3rd in NYC in the 70s. Nice lady, she loved blueberry pie

[@allenwayne2033]

I'd never heard of Lillian Roth until watching this tonight. After doing some research I found that she was an amazing and wonderful woman who went through an awful lot! Her story should be told again to modern audiences!

[@zBeestBeest]

I became a huge Lillian Roth fan around the time I became a huge What's My Line? fan, both way before my time, both because I was able to watch their stuff on yootoobius. Isn't she an absolute wonder here? What power and sass. I'm much too young to know about these people but was always one of those weirdos who sought out old media while not connecting with present-day media. I'm happy to say that when talking to two generations younger than me, people are really interested in discovering artists who were popular before their parents or grandparents were born, because they grew up on the internet and can research anything and have a general curiosity. So I think America is due for a proper worship of the awesomeness of Lillian Roth. Finally! Start with The Love Parade "Let's Be Common" and go from there.

[@allenwayne2033]

@@zBeestBeest If you haven't already, check out her "This Is Your Life episode"! "What a courageously honest woman, she was!

[@poetcomic1]

Arlene: "Are you a girl?" Lilian Roth: "A woman, dahling."

[@DeathBringer769]

+poetcomic1 The only problem is in that specific case she said "dear" instead of "dahling" lol. I do like how she says darling though ;)

[@ccbsnyc]

I worked on Lillian Roth's estate in the 1990s. Despite her literary talents, she died practically penniless in a studio apartment - there was just enough to bury her. But she lived quite an up and down life.

[@poetcomic1]

@@ccbsnyc No disgrace! Mozart died the same way!

[@jamesfox2579]

@@ccbsnyc 💔😢🥀🥀🥀

[@RobJazzful]

“A woman, dear!” “Amen!” from the chorus!

[@rivaridge7211]

I recall my local PBS station, doing a wonderful Salvador Dali tribute/biography back in the day. I am thinking that this was in the later 1970's. I do, however, fully recall the title of the show - "Hello Dali!" True!

[@mavinajfan]

I love Dali! He's the ultimate eccentric and I wish I could be more like that because it's hilarious! As a fellow artist I'm a huge fan. Plus we both support the same team. Sometimes the way Andy Warhol would talk reminded me of Dali. I think I just like eccentric people.

[@THE-HammerMan]

I wonder what happened to the sign-in board after Dalí signed in, and where it is today.

[@gdeec]

I wish I was born well before 1967, this was awesome television and love the dress code. Thank you for the wonderful uploads as we get to see the real personalities before the fame and misfortune we got to read about. Some so sad.

[@artemisdanube4941]

It's been a pleasure to stumble upon these episodes. I have to say that this is one of my favorites so far.

[@itsjubilee2012]

One of the best whats my line episodes ever

[@markh3271]

Imagine the worth of the different signatures from this program if they had been kept. It would be one of the greatest autograph books ever collected.

[@rickgonzo8765]

Great statement Mark!! Wow,,, just the sports alone!! Mantle, Mays,, Leo,,, My God!!! The Dali painted sig?? I am a collector and dealer of signatures and i wonder if they kept any??

[@iammrmat]

It was surreal to see Salvador Dali on WML.

[@queerchoreography54]

This is the first time I’ve ever seen Dali the man. What an incredible artist, I was expecting him to be even more eccentric,

[@Beson-SE]

Dali must have been the only professional painter on WML. I like his work a lot, I think his paintings are very interesting and wistful.

[@Merrida100]

Can you imagine how much that Dali signature went for when they were selling off the signed papers?! WOW

[@tonibackus1438]

I hope someone saved the board Dali wrote on. That alone was art!

[@Frankcastlepunisher74]

And worth a fortune!

[@satori03]

to be able to see Salvador Dali..what a treat. I am in awe

[@carolv8450]

And Eleanor Roosevelt

[@alansorensen5903]

@@carolv8450 Eleanor, a woman for the ages. She and Barack would have been great friends, IMHO.

[@romeman01]

I have always suspected that Salvador Dali did not understand the question: "Are you a leading man?" I think he took it to mean: "Are you a prominent man?" and said yes. When John Daly said "we can't properly call him a leading man," without explaining that it was a theatrical term, I think Dali was offended. This could explain why he turned his back on Daly and left abruptly once guessed. Bennett Cerf's remark that Dali had not known English at all when he first met him is, I think, telling.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Funny, I never took it that way at all. I always assumed Dali was being intentionally "surrealist" in his answers.

[@hopicard]

I also think that Dali did not know what a "leading man" is. English is not my first language, and I had never heard that term before watching "What's My Line"-Videos.

[@JLionelWaller]

I think it was just his personality. If he turned his back on John, it must have been very subtle as it was not obvious and they seemed to get along quite well. He seemed to take delight in some of John's answers. Let's face it, some of the John's answers could be quite surreal, which probably made him feel quite at home.

[@BaldJean]

+romeman01 Exactly what I think. The phrase "leading man" can be extremely misleading (sic!) for a non-native speaker of English.

[@DeathBringer769]

+romeman01 What seems likely is not what always turns out to be true. He didn't seem offended to me, but my point is ultimately this: Who knows for sure? We don't.

[@lucyflorey9152]

When I was a little girl, my father had a copy of the Essays of Sir Francis Bacon, oddly enough illustrated by Dali. I've loved surrealism since. I loved Andy Devine as a child...my favorite movie was Stagecoach.

[@thediamonddog95]

What a beautiful and charming woman Lilian Roth was. I'd have celebrity crush on her if i lived at that time. I don't understand why did they not put Dali as famous mistery guest. His line was - artist, and they guessed at the beginning that he was in arts. So they had to figure out who he is personally - and that wasn't practice with other mystery not that well known guests.

[@marccardiff]

I wasn't familiar with Lillian Roth before watching this, so I Wikipedia'd her. Fascinating life. I especially loved her correcting Arlene with "A woman, dear."

[@Lava1964]

Perhaps the greatest WML Mystery Guest segment ever! (I mean the Dali segment.)

[@cynthiaahern9081]

I was born too late. The gentleman bullfighter was Gorgeous! ☺

[@satori03]

yes and very tall for a toreador

[@Rollich1]

The Lillian Roth segment is a delight.

[@libertyann439]

Interesting they didn't show the blsck bull fighter saying good bye to the panel....

[@davidharris6581]

And bless her heart her problems were not over in 1957

[@accomplice55]

@@libertyann439: Many of the guests don't say goodbye to the panel.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

@@libertyann439 It's because he wasn't a mystery guest.

[@jadeshannon5583]

Lilian Roth is lovely!

[@scotnick59]

very cute in her youth!

[@nicklh186]

Look how good Mr. Lawford is looking here 😍

[@nitramluap]

So wonderful to see these people ‘live’.

[@soulierinvestments]

Arlene's dress with fur across the bosom: this turned up on WML clear to 1965. She wore it that night she said to Martin Gabel: "There comes a time when a man says too much."

[@designsonyouinparis]

Salvador Dali! What a legend! One of my favorites! Thank you for posting! ❤

[@Caocao8888]

As a freshman college student, I was visiting Paris, staying at the Hotel Meurice, snd I saw Salvador Dalí working on a mural behind the hotel bar. At that age, I had barely heard of him. In addition to his trademark moustache, he was wearing a red carnation in his lapel.

[@cynthiaahern9081]

That is awesome!☺

[@rockhard2654]

dali WAS a GREAT GREAT painter probably the greatest since Vermeer

[@bobhayett2376]

What an amazing TV show, really one of the best ever. I'd love to see a modern version, but it wouldn't match the original.

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

I love Lillian Roth! So wonderful to see her here. ❤️

[@vorant77]

THIS is what TV needs to return too.

[@jesusthroughmary]

The panel is just so good, they seem to know everything

[@NondescriptMammal]

Most awesome sign-in EVER

[@erenunal]

@ hilarious segment with Salvador Dali - saw it one Saturday morning and got hooked on WML

[@sayit462]

Dorothy was incredibly sharp. So methodic.

[@robinstewart6510]

I cringed when John Daly said the bullfighter killed 178 bulls without further explanation. Most are unaware of the traditional feast (open pit fires) afterwards for the spectators and community, feeding rich & poor alike for free. Have to do something with the slain bulls and is a great way of drawing attention to the bullfighting event.

[@cazdinleyenkamyonsoforu4174]

How is great to see dali and listen what he's saying. It was so valuable thing.

[@RobJazzful]

Lillian Roth was in my favorite Marx Brothers film, “Animal Crackers.” She was only 19 then.

[@jrm8899]

The only good thing about 2020 was discovering these clips

[@b1i2l336]

One of the all time best and most entertaining WML episodes ever!

[@katherinepowell916]

"A woman, dear" followed by enthustiastic applause

[@Bigwave2003]

If you enjoyed Dali here, search for his appearance on the Dick Cavett Show where he brought along his pet anteater.

[@jeffreythornton428]

Class on television.

[@lindaackerman3507]

I was fasinated by Lillian Roth, I believe she was in a marx brothers movie, her life story in I'll cry tomorrow was portrayed by Susan Hayworth, this was amazing for me.😘

[@oldclassics1923]

I'm terribly sorry, I bumped the dislike button on your comment quite on accident.

[@I-Libertine]

This was surreal...!

[@rtususian]

It's so funny how the panelists absolutely HATE putting those damn blindfolds on!

[@Rosey01222]

Yikes! Salvador Dali couldn't wait to get out of there. Wish he'd stayed around so we could have least heard him speak. At least say "Hello, goodbye."

[@paultheaudaciousbradford6772]

Rosey01222 We got to hear him say, “Yes!” to every question they could think to ask.

[@erichanson426]

From first guest. Now that is what I call good, old fashioned, clean comedy.

[@RobJazzful]

When was the last time you heard a man describe another as “lithe” and “lissome?” Those were the days, men were secure in their own masculinity!

[@grego5284]

When Lillian Roth said, a woman dear. I was completely infatuated with her. 🥰

[@cynthiasoroka1838]

I DITTO WHAT Bobby said CAN NOT STOP WATCHING THEM!

[@tomitstube]

the great salvador dali, been to his museum 3 times don't remember seeing his painted signature from wml.

[@Kmac005]

The "shoe wax" remark that Peter Lawford makes before passing to Arlene during the "mystery guest" segment was a reference to the previous week. He made the same remark in trying to identify Robert Montgomery as the mystery guest. At the time, Robert Montgomery hosted a program promoted by Johnson Wax. Lawford was going for "floor wax", but messed up and said "shoe wax" instead to his great embarrassment. So, that's why he was hesitant about trying to identify Lillian Roth.

[@euniceluna8534]

Thanks for all your videos.

[@tomcorwine3091]

“We’re going to agree to consider that our guest is a writer”

[@hengamehfan7859]

Lillian is truly a great great artist.

[@joncheskin]

Surrealism comes to WML. Just like in his art, Dali managed to completely confuse everyone as a contestant.

[@sergiykuzin9427]

How Arlene mouths "Frahncis" to mimic Lawford's pronunciation at the beginning! Love everybody on this show.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Amazing- They had not only Salvador Dali but also Frank Lloyd Wright. I wonder if they ever had famous opera singers like Maria Callas or Giuseppe di Stefano? Or orchestra conductors or ballet dancers like Rudolf Nureyev?

[@alansorensen5903]

Superlative divas, Leontine Price and Marian Anderson, for two.

[@jackkomisar458]

They had opera singer Lily Pons, conductor Seiji Ozawa, pianist Van Cliburn, and architect Edward Durrell Stone.

[@soulierinvestments]

I suspect that Salvador Dali was trying to be outrageous.

[@dannydoc1969]

He didn't have to try, he WAS outrageous.

[@fringelilyfringelily391]

If you look at his bio, you will find that eccentricity was born in the bone.

[@gutenbird]

Went to a bull fight once and was stupidly surprised that they actually kill the bull. Why did I think they just had the bull run at the red flag?

[@michellelekas211]

Roth looks amazing! She is 47 years old here and had been radically binge boozing and wandering the mean streets for years. Sad to hear the correct guess that mentions "making a fortune" from the ICT book, and its successful, and very good, movie. Her last husband (Burt), though from a wealthy family, stole all of her $$ and blew her off. Nice to see her here: she has a cool gig and seems really sharp.

[@ToddSF]

All that discussion about the meaning of "emporium" as Dorothy misused the term. The fact is, an emporium is a large retail establishment, a place people go to in order to buy a wide variety of merchandise. I note that southern California had a chain of home centers called "Builder's Emporium" and in northern California, there used to be a well-known chain of department stores called "The Emporium", which Bennett mentioned. (I was surprised he knew that!) The term "emporium" doesn't include theaters, night clubs or other entertainment venues.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

maybe she confused it with palladium?

[@neilmidkiff]

ToddSF 94109 Bennett was well traveled, doing lectures all over the country, and often remembered and mentioned the principal department stores and hotels in a guest's city. This was before the era of nationwide chains for the most part. I'm sure he made a deliberate effort to do this, and found it useful in his business, but it's also part of his charm and helped guests feel at ease.

[@Ceelle2]

The story goes when Gala asked Dali to paint a screen to hide an old fashioned apartment heating radiator he did it....he painted a radiator.

[@pfflyer3381]

And I thought I watched all these shows ! John never worked so hard !

[@jennybrown75]

Bennett clearly wasn't on his game tonight: after the first segment he failed to say, "Mr. Dali, I moustache you a question." VERY disappointed! It took me a few episodes to warm up to Mr. Cerf but now I look forward to all the pun : )

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Jenny Brown What? I found that super funny...

[@lucyflorey9152]

Bennett also said Salvador didn't talk English instead of speak English. It sounded awkward and uneducated...of which he was neither.

[@sleb99]

I actually love his puns....well, most of them!

[@TheBlackhawkbrat]

I agree. This is the only time I've heard him introduce JCD without the Charles.

[@voicetube]

Dick Evans looked like he could have easily gone from horns to hoops! :-) Thank you… I'll be here all week :-)

[@peternagy-im4be]

You are genuinely funny.

[@ContentWizard]

@@peternagy-im4be Thanks Peter! (I'm answering from one of my other channels).

[@Bonobanos]

178 bulls oh god, also lillian roth’s hair is so 80s to me

[@jamesr1703]

I recognized L.R. in the 1976 movie, Alice Sweet Alice. She was the doctor.

[@davidsanderson5918]

To be fair,....Dali, while not a 'leading man' (and let's forgive him here, to a Frenchman that could be construed as a 'significant figure'), he isn't just one thing. He painted pictures but he was indeed also a filmmaker and a writer. In fact, I can't think of anyone else more diverse to have on the show. His line had multiple roles. Anyway, that's all beside the point. Back to the fun.

[@nanaberry4120]

I wonder if they saved Dali’s sign in board? It would be worth a lot today.

[@sabirsal]

‘What we have to guess is an all around man.’ Hahaha Well yeah. Dali was a damn near universal genius. A real life renaissance man.

[@gregorykayne6054]

Why stop? I first started watching them live with my Dad at 10:30 pm every Sunday night. I first remember watching WML about 1958.