What's My Line? - Sammy Davis, Jr.; Richard Boone [panel] (Jan 7, 1962)

MYSTERY GUEST: Sammy Davis, Jr.
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Richard Boone, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@miina7776]

i absolutely adore this show! A great pastime. Even if they recreated this again. it sadly wouldn't be the same again.

[@paulolavigne354]

It's been the highlight of my quarantine. Definitely associated with it.

[@austinharris4]

@@paulolavigne354 Same

[@leannsherman6723]

No, it certainly wouldn’t be the same. Maybe that’s why they haven’t done it.

[@megancrager4397]

No it wouldn't. The culture is too messy.

[@WillieBojangles501]

Arlene was always so gracious and fun, and I loved her laugh, it makes me smile every time I hear it.

[@yawlltube]

'Since you do sometimes touch people below the waist...can we rule out dentistry?' 'That is the deepest root canal work I ever heard of.'

[@sagarsaxena6318]

Arlene was down a few here and except for Mr. Boone no one was unscathed. Dorothy misheard "clams",Mr. Daly called Mr. Boone "Miss Boone" and Bennett made that "rule out dentistry" remark. Fun episode!

[@dpm-jt8rj]

Arlene, here at age 54, is lovely as ever, and funny.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Spawndude Spawndude To be fair, you can say someone's lovely without at all finding them attractive. But yep agreed, she's never done anything for me looks-wise either but I LOVE LOVE LOVE her humour....that's her attractive asset.

[@jeffmansfield914]

Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed 54. She was such a pretty and charming lady.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

everyone's eyes are different to me she looks her age & that's factoring in how b/w film(& pics) hides a LOT

[@susanbrogan3267]

She had a good hairdresser. I'm sure it cost her a fortune.

[@RonGerstein]

​@jeffmansfield914 She was born in 1907, so on her birthday in 1962, she would be 55.

[@kenyongray2615]

Arlene Francis was on fire during this show. If you ever got into a potential confrontation with another person, having Richard Boone as your ally would probably put a stop to things before they even started. He was a nice man with a physical presence about him. I wonder if Bennett heard from the American Dental Society after his comments. Sammy David Jr. could do it all. What a fabulous talent he was. Thanks for the video.

[@kristabrewer9363]

It most certainly would be fun to watch the Walrus keeper do his job!

[@bluecamus5162]

They didn't say where he did this, but I know that the now-defunct Marineland was only 2 or so miles away from San Pedro, his home, so I'll assume that.

[@scottpardee6303]

This is why sometimes the syndicated show in the 1970s was worth watching. They would take five minutes to show us baby walruses.

[@capitanfuturo594]

Samy Davis Jr was amazing !!! *Mr. Entertainment !!!*

[@erichanson426]

As smart as the panel can be, I'm surprised they got stumped on the chiropractor.

[@vickieoglesby536]

Richard boone looks amazing...what a great smile.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

Don't miss Have Gun Will Travel" on MeTv!

[@mikeyates7931]

@@janeiwasduncan8463 yes , and he was also great as the villain in "Big Jake" and "Hombre"

[@ofrabjousday1]

4:36 Ass Burn? Is that it? 9:23 Bennett--"a little porpoise is..." Dorothy--"a Dangerous thing." That was a stroke of genius, Dorothy!

[@leannsherman6723]

Sammy Davis Junior, bless his heart, wasn’t good at disguising his voice. Sweet that he acknowledged the audience as he was leaving.❤

[@johannarhymer1093]

My nightly entertainment, those were the days!😊

[@ChadQuick270W]

I just love Dorothy’s laugh. It’s priceless! 😂

[@ChickenGeorgeClooney]

It's really showing of the times how when Norma signed in, there was just non stop whistling from the audience.

[@kristabrewer9363]

I know! That's ANNOYING!!! they do that ALL the time when a pretty lady comes on, but I think this time was the worst!

[@bobanderson6656]

@@kristabrewer9363 There were times where it was much worse. Generally, people showed a lot more decorum then, but I cringe with the whistling.

[@henrygrove100]

Love this episode!

[@leesher1845]

Very interesting that John Charles Daly referred to Alaska as that new state of ours.

[@Yowza78]

And Bennett Cerf distinguished it from "the states proper." I might have objected to that characterization if had been the contestant from Alaska.

[@RonGerstein]

​@Yowza78 Bennett Cerf meant the continental United States versus including the final two states (Alaska and Hawai'i).

[@piyushmisra1839]

Arlene is the kind of woman every man wants to spend his life with.

[@benoitpellet1657]

Piyush Misra That is SOOOO true! Gorgeous, witty, intelligent, funny, charming, sexy...she really had it ALL. And the fact that she seemed genuinely in love with Martin Gabel made her all the more desirable...this was a woman who was definitely a keeper.

[@bondslave2jc]

Smashed and Arlene is still a keeper

[@poetcomic1]

Whoa! Arlene is flying high tonight! I'd say four cocktails.

[@dpm-jt8rj]

Martinis X4 with extra olives and shaken, not stirred!

[@loissimmons6558]

After all, this episode was live on January 007, 1962.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

@@dpm-jt8rj What's the difference?

[@dpm-jt8rj]

@@loissimmons6558 Good catch!

[@dpm-jt8rj]

@@janeiwasduncan8463 "Shaken, not stirred," a reference to James Bond and his favorite drink, or so I am told, and which was not uttered in the films until Goldfinger in 1964! .

[@smdftb8495]

Dorothy was just wonderful

[@gailjackson8941]

I love her giggle. More like a "tee hee."

[@pukulu]

Sammy Davis Jr. was so famous and popular that they got him right away.

[@McMillanScottish]

Wow, I never saw Sammy Davis Junior with both of his eyes intact. Having seen his other appearance on the show, recently after the accident in which he lost his left eye, you could certainly see the change not only physically but in his demeanor.

[@brianoneill7186]

Sammy had his accident in 1954, and appeared on WML the following year wearing the eyepatch. He was wearing the glass eye here.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Whenever John Daly thought that a contestant gave, perhaps, a wrong or misleading answer to a question, he would ask "with your permission" to qualify the answer. I wonder if there was ever a contestant who said, essentially, no, I think my answer stands?

[@leonpse]

Yes, it happens and John will defer to the expert. For example, the Bowing Pin Setter, elderly woman, from Southern California did it when John questioned her if the patrons did changed clothes.

[@jmccracken1963]

Same thing with Charles H. Goren, on the 10 December 1961 episode.

[@TheBatugan77]

Yes they did. Like Mr Daly, politely and deferentially.

[@barrykendrick3146]

+@@jmccracken1963 Yes: he taught Bridge but did not use his hands in his work!

[@irresistablejewel]

I'm fairly sure the question, "Can we rule out dentistry?" made that (long) trip from Alaska worthwhile. Yes, lucky Alaska!

[@erichanson426]

The part where Arlene mistakenly called the 1st constant asprian had me in stitches.

[@neilmidkiff]

The barber who gave Mr. Asper (the whale keeper) his flattop came awfully close to drawing blood! I don't think I've ever seen one that showed so much scalp in the middle.

[@leesher1845]

Arlene was so funny and charming.

[@mauricelandesberg6822]

The movie Sargent's Three was referenced. I didn't remember it so I looked up the plot line. It sounds like a remake of Gunga Din.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

The guy makes a living feeding baby walruses and no one bothers asking him where he works?

[@vickihshallenberger3644]

Well since he is from San Pedro, he might work at a marine attraction called Marineland of the Pacific which is now gone. I was raised in rolling hills California right up the hill from Marineland.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Interesting. I think they've modernised the microphone set-up (well it is 1962!!)....there's more perspective to the sound and a sense of location at various points in the room, Particularly when Arlene or John is talking,

[@neilmidkiff]

I had just the opposite reaction to the sound -- to me it seemed like one of the usual mics wasn't working, and the mix included more room echo than usual because the other mics had to be amplified a little more to pick up more distant speech.

[@MrWindermere123]

At one point Dorothy shushes Bennet Cerf by saying Excuse me, Bennet in an icy way. That kind of veiled message to shut up is part of her precise, self-controlled style and fun to watch at a time when women often had to defer to men. Arlene defers to nobody.

[@Noone58319]

I found it uncomfortable and felt bad for Bennett when she did that. I thought it reflected poorly in her; Bennett was simply having fun.

[@Frankcastlepunisher74]

😂😂"I assume you aren't a dentist!!!" LOL! Good old Bennett!

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_BABY WALRUS KEEPER_* *_CHIROPRACTOR_* The best part of this episode was John Daly calling Richard Boone "Miss Boone."

[@dancelli714]

Arlene is sooooo witty !!!

[@robertdvorkin1633]

arlene seems a little tipsy. unusual, but not unprecedented. :)

[@dpm-jt8rj]

Arlene and her suggestive questions and comments. I just loved her.

[@princeharming8963]

@@dpm-jt8rj Yes.. one of the loveliest and classiest flirts in television!

[@44032]

When I used closed captions "CC" watching a broadcast show from decades ago, often the application incorrectly translates some words because they can't hear the word or phrase or the diction isn't clear. It was not problem on this show, (excepted for disguised voices). People knew how to speak and project back then.

[@disvids8754]

"Bennett was champing at the bit". Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there was a time when Americans knew and used that prhrase properly.

[@weckar]

As 'chomp' is an evolution of the word 'champ' with the same meaning, subbing in that word is in no way incorrect. In fact, the word 'champ' to mean chew or bite is dead in the English language outside this idiom.

[@Merrida100]

Palmer is considered 'the' premier school for Chiropracty.

[@joet840]

Merrida100 She looked to have strong arms too .

[@Merrida100]

I noticed that as well.

[@loissimmons6558]

The first two chiropractors that I saw professionally graduated from there. At one time, I am fairly certain they were the only institution to grant degrees in chiropractic (the first school in the U.S. for the purpose of teaching this skill) and they had a considerable fight years ago to gain accreditation due to opposition from the medical establishment.

[@loissimmons6558]

She needed them. She flew all the way from Alaska through inclement weather! :-)

[@dancelli714]

Bennett come up with a BIG FUNNY !!!

[@SOLE2SOUL]

Mr. Aspirin is so handsome! 😻

[@georgiawessling7987]

There were at least 3 black females on the show - Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson and Lena Horne.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Georgia Wessling There was also at least one non-celebrity black woman on WML, in 1963, I think. She was a secretary to LBJ, and though it was never directly mentioned in the program, the first black presidential secretary.

[@lucindasommer720]

The Supremes too.

[@jmccracken1963]

+Georgia Wessling Also Eartha Kitt (several times) and Leontyne Price (two or three times) and Marian Anderson. I think that Hattie McDaniel appeared as Mystery Guest in one of the earliest seasons - but I may be wrong. There is also Keely Smith coming up later in 1962; I think that she was bi-racial, if not a very light-skinned black woman.

[@jmccracken1963]

+What's My Line? And, if I remember rightly, there was also a non-celebrity black woman late in the show's run whose line was "disc jockey." And, of course, the next-to-last WML? show aired on CBS features Joan Murray as one of the guest panelists.

[@wyatt_kincaid]

Keely Smith is Native-American, I don't believe she has any African heritage.

[@jeffmansfield914]

I noticed that Mr. Daly asked the Alaskan Chiropractor if she had studied “in this country”, but later clarified Alaska being a state. It’s funny for me, born in the mid 70s, that Alaska had only been a state for 3 years at the time of this episode.

[@karenedmiston5964]

Arlene was loopy. Not her usual sharpness.

[@rmelin13231]

I think Richard Boone did quite well! He seemed to be in the flow of the game.

[@kennethleblanc8854]

Just curious...who provides the wardrobe for the female guests? They are usually very stylish.

[@MilkLikeSubstance]

"Miss" Boone. lol

[@charleswinokoor6023]

The guy makes a living feeding baby walruses and no one thinks to ask him where he works?

[@deroiste16]

Bennett annoys me the way he has to question John all the time after they've already had their 10 no's down. Like I listened to an interview where he said Dorothy used to take it too seriously.....pot....kettle.. .

[@TheBatugan77]

It shows Bennett's sincere interest in the topic. Dry up.

[@deroiste16]

@@TheBatugan77 dry up?

[@philippapay4352]

Collections Never Complete - I think Bennett was by nature both a teacher and a lifelong learner, so he was genuinely interested in the details of a given topic, like the time they all got onto the subject of what worms are. Dorothy, understandably due to her life as a crime journalist, was the one who had to get it right and first, just as she did when solving the latest "whodunnit." I do hope that is not what got her killed, though dead is dead and we will never know what she knew in 1965.

[@deroiste16]

Philippa Pay yeah now that I look back on it I can see what you mean

[@philippapay4352]

@@deroiste16 And I might add that thanks to all of them, the time they went on and on about worms they had me looking them up, because none of us knew what they really are. A lot of critters get called worms, it seems. So, we have another interesting point about watching a panel show with educated, well-read, cultured people on it: they stimulate us, too, to read up on or look into things we do not know.

[@leesher1845]

Sammy Davis should’ve disguised his voice better. He acknowledged the audience, which was very nice. Very few tcelebrities did that.

[@henrygrove100]

I finally figured it out my cousin twice removed!

[@WhatsMyLine]

What on earth are you talking about?

[@henrygrove100]

I was talking about van cliburn not Sammy Davis Jr

[@WhatsMyLine]

Paul Edelstein Van Cliburn was your cousin, AND you're related to Jascha Heifetz? That's some family!

[@toinimoore3463]

I enjoy watching my cousin Richard Boone He’s handsome and intelligent!!

[@TheBatugan77]

I love Arlene. No matter how many martinis she's had. Wouldn't anyone here give anything to knock one back with her?

[@paulolavigne354]

I would for sure! Especially considering that those martinis probably contributed to her living almost 100 years!!!

[@44032]

Could also have been pain killers. She had a history of accidents.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I ask this because Bennett was a man of letters. Is "Los Ang-les" (hard A and G) an accepted pronunciation for Los Angeles?

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joe Postove It was a common alternate pronunciation to use a hard A and G, but usually with three syllables (ANG-el-es). For example, famed broadcaster Red Barber pronounced it that way.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Sounds a little pretentious to me, the high priest of Judaism!

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joe Postove Oh, it took me a few seconds to figure out that you were talking about yourself. At first I thought you were talking about Sammy Davis Jr.! After all, he wore plenty of rings. I'm no expert, but it seems to me that ANG-el-es is an Anglicization of the Spanish pronunciation which is more commonly used. What would be pretentious is if you called it by its original name: "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula" which translated into English means "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula".

[@neilmidkiff]

In the 1961 Webster's Third New International Dictionary (unabridged) the hard-G pronunciation of Los Angeles is one of the alternatives given. The schwa (ə) neutral vowel after the "g" is in parentheses, showing that it could be suppressed as Bennett does here, giving an essentially two-syllable version of Angeles. It sounds wrong to most of us today, but it was common enough to be recorded in the dictionary.

[@grayadam]

"You studied in this country although you're practicing in Anchorage"

[@neilmidkiff]

John makes this mistake at 19:48, which seems unusual for him. And even when Alaska was a territory before that, it still was part of "this country," not any other. Bennett had earlier (13:00) made a reference to the "states proper" making a similar error. Considering Alaska had become a state in 1959 it seemed to take them a long time to assimilate the change.

[@VickyRBenson]

I scrolled down to see if anyone else had caught this faux pas, especially in light of the fact that John Daly acknowledged that Alaska was a “new state.” But I guess he was referring to the time she received her education. I was surprised that it was a “new state” in 1962. I had to look it up. It had already been a “new state” for three years but had been part of the U. S. since the 1800’s, when it was purchased from Russia for over $7 million. But perhaps John Daly, who was from South Africa, was not as up on American history as someone growing up here would be. As I grew up in South Africa myself, who traveled there with American parents when I was 6 months old, I can appreciate that. But still, I was a little stunned to realize that Alaska had so newly become a state when I returned to the U.S. as a young teen with a lot of catching up to do in U.S. history and geography. This episode was rich in enjoyable moments.

[@kentetalman9008]

14:04 "We have enough trouble in this business, without you starting THAT."

[@sandydennylives1392]

Poor old Arlene, the first guest was not 'of the earth'.

[@yatinexile7144]

10:05 🎶"They call him Flipper, Flipper..." 🎶

[@uofa82]

Love SDJ!

[@dancelli714]

As a black panelist, Harry Belefonte was the only one I can think of.

[@preppysocks209]

there were very few -- one woman on one of the last shows in 1967 and one other man

[@sandrageorge3488]

Lots of sports figures.

[@henrygrove100]

How old do you think Mr, Asper is, What's My Line?

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

1st contestant looks like could have been Tom Brady's dad, good to see "Maston Thrust" on the panel

[@YY4Me133]

Animals or fish, as though fish aren't animals. They had some weird ways of categorizing things.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Why on earth would you feed a walrus whipped cream?? Only WML can make you form a question like that!!

[@neilmidkiff]

I've read that for other marine mammals like whales, their "mother's milk" has a much higher fat content than whole cow's milk. Note that he said "whipping cream" not "whipped cream" -- that is, liquid cream with a high enough fat content that it *can* be whipped successfully. In these days when nearly all milk is homogenized so that the cream doesn't rise to the top, most of us have forgotten that raw milk will separate so that the higher-fat cream can be taken off the top.

[@VickyRBenson]

@@neilmidkiff Fascinating. I remember having milk delivered to our doorstep each morning in glass bottles (which were returned), with the cream having risen to the top. That makes sense that walruses would need that mixed in their formula. They wouldn’t have needed to explain that then.

[@Steve4TheWin]

I always confuse Sammy Davis Jr with Richard Boone.

[@RonGerstein]

One wears eyeglasses and one does not.

[@timothyball7502]

2-7-2023 Did Alaska Question? Sure!

[@chuckendweiss4849]

I wish those eastern folks learn to say Los Angeles. The letter. G is silent not forced

[@kirkweaver7132]

Arlene must have had a few drinks before the show.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Was there ever a black celebrity who kissed anyone on the panel over the 17+ years? If Sammy Davis had been a white man, I think he would have kissed Dorothy (who as a newspaperwoman knew so many people well) and perhaps Arlene. Even though the show lasted until 1967, I would place my money on "no". But I'll bet that there was no instruction from the producer on the matter, leaving it to a social barrier that they believed no one would cross. This makes me think of something else. There must have been a black person as guest panelist at some point, no?

[@WhatsMyLine]

It's an interesting question, but I don't know any good way to answer it. Even with the incredibly detailed info available at tv.com, you'd pretty much have to go through the info for each episode one at a time. My guess is that, no, there was never a black celebrity on the panel. It was rare enough to have non-white "ordinary" contestants. My suspicion is that you're correct that Davis knew better than to kiss a white woman on national TV at that point in history. I'm sure most folks old enough to be watching WML here remember his legendary appearance on "All in the Family", where a huge deal was made of his kissing Archie Bunker at the end.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I'll never forget that "All In The Family" Episode!

[@SuperWinterborn]

What's My Line? Harry Belafonte once was a guest panelist. I think it was in 1961. He was maybe considered "beautiful tanned", or? ;)

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Belafonte was a radical, politically and I think personally. If anyone was going to kiss a woman panelist, it would have been him. I don't know Arlene's and Dorothy's political beliefs, but if Harry had kissed them in 1961 they would have been quite nonplussed. But if it had happened they would have, I think, appeared cool on camera about it.

[@SuperWinterborn]

Joe Postove I think they not only would appeared cool, but also felt themselves quite cool and "avantgarde". But Belafonte isn't that type, and he was well aware of the social limits that time too. (Sammy Davis could probably have done it, he was more impulsive ;)

[@Merrida100]

Every time Bennett refers to someone's profession and says they "toy around with" something, it frosts me. Hey Mr. Cerf, when you're toying around with those books and things,.... I find it disrespectful. He does it quite often.

[@TheBatugan77]

He wouldn't take umbrage. Unlike you, Mr Cerf had a sense of humor. The name of his publishing house proves it.

[@lilybean835]

@@TheBatugan77 It's not about a sense of humour. It's rude when referring to someone's livelihood as "toying around" with things. That's their profession after all.

[@giarcoserrot8085]

When he toyed around with his books, he amassed a fabulous personal fortune and maintained a healthy and positive sense of humor- not to mention, he published books that quite literally influenced the lives of millions for the better. This is a man of an industry too. Sucks to hear you take a construct so seriously as to try to take another person down. In my field, I’m happy to say I “toy” around. When I enjoy my job the most- it becomes second nature and it allows me to look at it as fun or enjoyable and other people enjoy it too as a result. I don’t resent the work that comes into play nor do I elevate myself to a serious, prude depiction of a “hard working professional”. Duh, it’s how work works. Also, I doubt you have the desire for your famed and mighty profession to be shown on air. I mean- hasn’t this show featured First Ladies, magnates of industries, roaring celebrities, and humble man alike? Maybe you just hate your job and feel better than everyone else because of it? TLDR. the hardest working people I’ve known and admire enjoy what they do not because they have to, but because they can :-) I don’t think that kind of person would take offense to a 2-second question in a TV show in 1960 where it is the duty of a stranger to guess his/her job. -j

[@Mmdmade]

Because Dorothy has a diminutive chin only specific hairstyles were exceptional on her. This was not one of them unfortunately.

[@dancelli714]

SAMMY DID NOT COVER HIS VOICE WELL

[@TheBatugan77]

How could he?

[@henrygrove100]

What's my Line? Who was Sammy Davis Jr.!

[@carolv8450]

R u kidding?

[@michaeldanello3966]

Paul Edelstein: son of Sammy Davis, Sr. -- where the hell have you been hiding? Member of the Rat Pack with Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop. Superb singer, dancer, imitations of famous actors and singers, fast gun draw, stage plays, writer, most of which was talked about after the panel guessed him. You couldn't have been listening.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

Sammy campaigned for J.F.K , after he won, Sammy married a white actress and was promptly uninvited to the Galas .

[@preppysocks209]

and a very courageous man who came back from a near fatal auto crash that cost him an eye

[@Noone58319]

Perhaps the most talented all-around entertainer that ever lived. Check him out if you’re seriously inquiring.

[@adamcoates2890]

Dr godfrey, Bennet. Need it spelled? The woman is a doctor of higher degree than yourself.

[@henrygrove100]

It's not really that great I only found out in 1993 I was related to a Cafritz in DC whose real name could be heifets as they are related the same way

[@Baskerville22]

The chiropractor lady was very attractive - rather like Susan Haywood. More than 3.5 minutes before the first guest took his seat by John. Too much time lost with the scripted, mutual ego-boosting love-fest by the panelists.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

"Animal or Fish"?

[@ralphturner3798]

He should have altered his voice.

[@hopelewis5650]

Another female chiropractor!

[@RonGerstein]

How many were there, smarty?