What's My Line? - Shirley Booth (May 3, 1953)

MYSTERY GUEST: Shirley Booth
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf
Many thanks, as always, to epaddon for providing his copy of this episode!
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[@ClarenceHW]

This is my favorite panel configuration, witty & light hearted. Steve Allen's irreverent humor adds so much. Shirley Booth was a classy joy.

[@wmlwest3382]

The very best ever

[@fiona4228]

They're fantastic!

[@cynthialyman2636]

Eloquent, intelligent, and engaging Shirley Booth was both a talented actress and a remarkable woman.

[@michaelclark6223]

Charles G. Connor drove for 20 years. He was in the Indy 500 and Formula One World Championships. In 1949 he finished 3rd in the Indy 500. He slightly disguised himself by wearing glasses and using his first name instead of the name he competed under "George", his middle name. He passed away in 2001 at age 94.

[@blockcl]

Steve Allen was great at reaction shots after audience laughter.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Wow Dorothy nailed the celebrity guest.. wow... incredible

[@bob58jf]

I have watched a great many episodes here on KZbin. When it came to identifying celebrities of any repute, rarely could one of them get by Dorothy, Arlene or Bennett.

[@tomgraves6463]

Shirley Booth was certainly in Dorothy K's orbit of knowledge and interest. 👍

[@brookehanley3659]

These shows are the absolute best time capsules you will ever see.

[@ToddSF]

Very apt analogy, to compare these episodes of WML to time capsules. That's definitely one of the main reasons I'm so addicted to watching them. It's amazing and entertaining to see how things were when I was a child and a teenager -- and how the world has changed since them. The other big reason I watch these is that the regular panelists and the moderator are people I very much like.

[@brookehanley3659]

ToddSF 94109 I know it's like they are your friends. You do get to know them.

[@ToddSF]

Brooke Hanley -- Yes. I am very fond of them -- and every now and then I stop to think that they are all gone. All of them were born over 100 years ago as of today. I watch these episodes and it's as though they're still alive.

[@44032]

It's fun to take a stroll through the 50's and 60's ans the majority of prominent entertainment and sports figures from the time appear on the show and the jobs the common people have sometimes no longer exist but were a part of regular life then.

[@44032]

But they aren't gone. they are here. Don't you feel that they are somehow old friends and that if you walked into a room and they were they would greet you warmly as an old friend? Their personalities come out so strongly on the show, you feel you know them and that they somehow know you.

[@lindachavezw...246]

Absolutely best panel...love them. I was just a kid...a lil kid when this was aired. But, I still love to come back to watch it. Always so much fun. All these years later, Mom would get a kick out of knowing that I was still watching.

[@winonafrog]

:)

[@franknew9001]

Shirley Booth was a very talented actress as she won the triple crown of acting. She won the academy award for the movie Come Back Little Sheba, she won 3 Tony awards for her live performances on Broadway, and won 2 Emmys as Hazel Burke.

[@elaineteeter2904]

One of my favorite actresses, she had such warmth. One of my favorite of her pictures was, “About Mrs Leslie,” with Robert Ryan. Always makes me cry. Loved her.

[@tigergreg8]

I never realized she was so accomplished. It's funny, I'd seen the show Hazel before, and her being so good at being a maid, you just assume things. She is a really good actress.

[@patrickryan1515]

@@elaineteeter2904 An odd film, but the performances were quite good.

[@CarlB_1962]

I first stumbled across these a couple years ago and watched them all in the space of a few weeks, and now I’m watching them all over again! The series is a joy.

[@adelebz7]

I love WML great memories and very entertaining.

[@aryehfinklestein9041]

Dorothy Kilgallen impresses me more each time I watch these shows - she's quite brilliant. As is Arlene, but in different way.

[@donaldmanthei1224]

Sometimes she says something quite naieve or cute, but stupid. This guy raised reindeer and she knew but then sked, " do they have horns?" The guy said, "no!" but John gave her a pass for not saying antlers.

[@tigergreg8]

Dorothy was indeed brilliant, because she was so keen on getting details. I truly believe they took her out because they knew she was going to crack the Kennedy case. She was def on to something, and you can see it in how she can ask a few questions, and get a lot of information to go by.

[@soulierinvestments]

Shirley Booth was one of the earliest actresses to win a Tony Award for a play, an Oscar for a movie, and an Emmy best best actress in a comedy. Two Emmys in fact for the NBC domestic sitcom "Hazel." One year she defeated Lucille Ball in the first season of "The Lucy Show," Mary Tyler Moore in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and Irene Ryan in "The Beverly Hillbillies." Winner is.

[@brookehanley3659]

Pygiana Shirley Booth. Wow!

[@ChadQuick270W]

She was also an astute business lady. She owned a portion of the show “Hazel” and thus made a nice sum from it and it’s syndicated run.

[@hategreed1]

Shirley Booth was wonderful. I still love to watch Hazel, and loved her performance in Come Back Little Sheba. GREAT actress.

[@glamdolly30]

Her achievements were all the more remarkable, as she did not enter TV or films until she was in her 50s - and won an Oscar aged 56! And Hollywood was brutal for women over 30 then - way to go Shirley!

[@sarita423]

She actually won the Tony and Oscar for the same role. I think it was the first time ever. Not sure if that ever happened again. I'll have to dig around.

[@lorihansen8674]

"I saw Bennett propelle out of '21' last night"--referring to the "21" Club Restaurant, founded by my great uncle and his family.

[@savethetpc6406]

@Lori Hansen That's quite a claim to fame!

[@patrickryan1515]

Shirley Booth was wonderful in "The Matchmaker", along with all others featured. Sad that in her later years she lost her sight. Made few movies, but never failed to give a rich performance.

[@IslandDigital]

Shirley Booth won Academy Award , beating out , Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Julie Harris and Rita Hayworth . Some amazing competition. Miss Booth such a smart , Lovely, witty lady. Amazing talent. Those were the days!

[@dougtagg9162]

I still like watching Hazel like I love watching this show.

[@gcfifthgear]

I must admit Dorothy Kilgallen homed in on Shirley Booth like a heat-seeking missile! Of course, with Miss Booth's distinctive voice, disguising it was a "doozy" of a challenge! 😊

[@Dani-nd9kd]

"Goodnight Benefit" really made me laugh😂

[@adamodeo9320]

I am in awe of these 5 people - charm smarts and humor - they should have never died

[@zekezacker9449]

Interesting that Shirley Booth was born the same year as Bennett Cerf (1898).

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

Late 1800’s…Jesus.

[@lisablack124]

I love watching Ms. Booth playing Hazel. This lady was adorable in this role.

[@JymboGG]

I am glad they changed the rules for mystery guests.

[@davidzimmerli489]

I was 4 years old on May 3, 1949 .... My family were regular viewers of "What's My Line?". It was one of our favorite TV programs.

[@tigergreg8]

I feel that John really wanted to give the Hatcheck girl the $50 She never flinched at giving yes's for an answer, and I think he really respected that she did that.

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

She was brilliant! The way she was so quick with the “Yes, it’s not…” He basically had nothing to do since she was so on it!

[@IslandDigital]

It’s amazing in a few weeks from now it will be 70 years ago she appeared on this show.

[@elidaze5868]

It's a good thing they changed the format for the questioning of the mystery guest segment because Dorothy never gave any of the other panelists a chance to even guess. I've seen her do that in another episode from around this time too. It was better when they could all join in on the fun. It's a good thing Shirley Booth went back on the show at least two other times.

[@kitcat9447]

Arlene was on her A-game here. So many witty comments

[@hategreed1]

Arlene Francis was beautiful, such beautiful skin!

[@mizfrenchtwist]

LOV E , LOVE, LOVE ANYTHING , WITH THE INIMITABLE SHIRLEY BOOTH.............

[@neilmidkiff]

I'll add an enthusiastic recommendation for Shirley Booth as Dolly Levi in the 1958 film of Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" (the play which later was the source material for the musical "Hello, Dolly") -- the film is mentioned in a reply left here earlier, but her truly fine performance deserves to be acclaimed at the top level of these comments.

[@patrickryan1515]

So glad for your comment. A stellar cast all around, but Shirley really outdid herself, much more endearingly than did Ms. Streisand in the same role.

[@MichaelSorbello-yo4nl]

Divine indeed. Loved Shirley Booth. Wonderful actress and great sense of humor.. could also break your heart.

[@bob58jf]

I was very much impressed as to the excellence of Dorothy, Arlene, and Bennett on this show. It was very sad that Dorothy died in 1965 at the age of 52 the very night here last What's My Line aired.

[@oksills]

Dorothy is brilliant! I think her single best and quickest job!

[@SymphonyBrahms]

In the course of her career Shirley Booth won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and three Tony Awards. She is remembered for her role in the tv series Hazel, but before that she had a distinguished career on Broadway and in films. She was a great actress.

[@dancelli714]

Booth was on this show 3 times. Friend of Daly too.

[@cindyszymakowski804]

I still watch Hazel ❤❤

[@matthewgray469]

Hazel is one of the all-time great TV characters

[@frereM]

I can't watch it without remembering the tragic death of Bobby Buntrock ("Harold") at the age of 21.

[@VahanNisanian]

The last contestant has the same occupation as Pat Finch, the first contestant on the first episode.

[@44032]

She has amazing eyes.

[@joncheskin]

Dorothy was psychic on this show. She had Shirley Booth pegged and I did not even know who she was.

[@juliansinger]

Mr. Gielow's full name seems to have been Harold Lowell. He was born in Minnesota in 1904 and had migrated to Atlanta by 1935. He married a Dorothy, and had three kids. He died in 1971, at age 67. (Still living in Atlanta.) The main thing I can find out about Ms. Canavan is that she's probably still with us, and she married Frank Butler in 1957.

[@lindaackerman3507]

I love shirley Booth aka Hazel, she was amazing, classy and so lovely😘

[@amiek9269]

10 years later....Arlene was in a car accident on May 26, 1963. She missed one month of shows. One person was killed in the other car. Sadly.

[@lindaackerman3507]

I did not know this fact Ami, how tragic, and Dorothy also died during this show, there was alot of tragedy with this show as much as it was a fantastic show....😪

[@scotnick59]

There was another weird quirky accident around that time about someone getting killed from something falling off her balcony

[@philippapay4352]

@@lindaackerman3507 The worst of it was probably that the original sponsor, Jules Montenier, was not successful enough in his business to carry the weight of this show as it became hugely successful and attracted sponsors that could pay the much larger fees now charged by all involved with it. In the late 1950s his wife died, he lost a leg or part of a leg in an auto accident, and he lost all his money along with his health in the end by insisting on trying to pay for a show that was now more in the General Mills or the Johnson & Johnson category in terms of money obtainable from and needed from sponsors to pay increased transmission fees and salaries.

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

@@scotnick59 it was a potted plant that fell from the window hitting a guy in the head killing him.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

@@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653 It was a dumbbell that fell. It was used to prop open the window.

[@steveward2394]

Everyone always dressed up. Looks professional.

[@littlebrookreader949]

She looks a lot like Bette Middler there! I always loved Shirley Booth as Hazel!

[@suzannereilman4516]

...I STILLLLLL want Miss Dorothy Kilgallen’s necklace....;)!!

[@TerryComo2010]

Arlene was always the best at getting their job.

[@dancelli714]

I have 3 of Booth's movies ; ABOUT MR LESLIE is my favorite with Robert Ryan.

[@elaineteeter2904]

Mine, too. You should read the novel it was based on. It has the same title but it was more in depth about the lives of Mrs. Leslie’s boarders. A very entertaining book, but out of print. I found it on Amazon. Written by Vina Delmar.

[@Dolphin-cb9sq]

Wonderful to watch this.

[@ToddSF]

For a minute, I thought the hatcheck girl _[sic]_ was being disingenuous about where hats were worn on the person until I realized that she would be checking in not just hats, but coats as well. Nowadays, of course, not so many men wear hats (except for head-warming types of hats in cold climates in the winter), and terminology has changed. I think I would tend to say "coat check" rather than "hat check" when referring to the area upon entering a hotel venue, a restaurant or a night club where one checks things in, just because hats are not worn very often these days, at least not on the west coast.

[@loissimmons6558]

+ToddSF 94109 Indeed I have only seen it referred to these days as a coat check room rather than a hat check room.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

I wear a variety of hats (trilbys, ivys/newsboys, pork pies, fedoras) coordinated with/complimentary to my attire when I go out, even to just run common errands. I was born within the last 3 decades of the 20th century - not the 19th - and am both a native-born and current resident of the Pacific Northwest. I do not deny that I am a very odd anachronism - though I come from a family (particularly on my late mother's side) who never left home without a hat of some sort.

[@scotnick59]

8 years before Shirley starred in TV's HAZEL

[@redcan5254]

The timing of this episode is important ... it aired on May 3 1953 ... Shirley had just received the Best Actress award on March 19 1953 at the 25th Academy Awards Ceremony ... which was the first time that the Awards were presented on TV ... so TV audiences were probably abuzz with her celebrity ... possibly (??) ... I don't know ...

[@lawrencecunningham7321]

Arlene was on fire with the first two lines

[@Beson-SE]

In one episode of 'Seinfeld' George complains of when he grew up the kids used to say "Your mother's uglier than Hazel!" Maybe a true story from someone but unfair to the lovely Shirley Booth.

[@brookehanley3659]

Agreed and she was a great actress. I do not find her ugly either.

[@gailjarvis2592]

A warm, gracious and smile. And she was a physical type that could have a range of roles. In a sense, great beauty could limit your role choices.

[@ATINKERER]

There are a lot of pretty faces, but few achieve the respect and adoration that Miss Booth earned both as a person, and as a giant talent in the entertainment world.

[@brianelliott3817]

Hazel was a witch in cartoons. Actually Witch Hazel. She appeared in several WB cartoons. Perhaps George was referring to her.

[@schmim1]

Johan Bengtsson George made a lot of stupid statements

[@cricketrecords1411]

Shirley Booth played a character in one of my favorite animated movies as a child, “The Year without a Santa Claus.” She played Mrs. Claus.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Hatcheck girls seemed to be in fashion more in the 50's than the 60's, would I be right about that? Unlike Dog catchers which were always in season.

[@zekekresco3443]

She really cracked me up in HAZEL , which I only have the 1st Season . I must get the other seasons . " Mr . B . You're just a doozy " . She also did a great job in " A Year Without A Santa Claus ".

[@brianelliott3817]

It can be seen mornings on Antenna TV

[@oksills]

Zeke Kresco Friend, are you aware you can watch many, many (if not all) episodes for free online? That is exactly what I did. I was quite some time ago and I don’t recall where they are located , or I would tell you. I didn’t watch them originally, so I especially enjoyed them. Good luck in finding them-- if you choose to look

[@hategreed1]

And Come Back Little Sheba, with Burt Lancaster. Both masterful performances.

[@elaineteeter2904]

I have the first three seasons but didn’t buy the fourth. That’s when the network replaced Don DeFore and Whitney Blake with Ray Fulmer and Lynn Borden; big mistake. Strangely, they retained Bobby Buntrock. The story had Missy and Mr. B moving to Saudi Arabia, with Harold staying with his uncle and aunt in the same house. Absolutely no chemistry between Hazel and the new Baxters.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

@@elaineteeter2904 That was actually the fifth season. The fourth season was still the old Baxter family.

[@alskndlaskndal]

I wonder if Bennett really did 100 coming down from Mt. Kisco. I'd believe it.

[@robertmelson2130]

Outlaw "Chuckles" Cerf.

[@carolv8450]

I bet he did!

[@igkoigko9950]

President Biden claims to have driven 160 mph in the late 1960s using the same make, model, engine and trans as my car which never exceeded 145. Bennett’s 100 is believable but more dangerous in early 1950s technology. Interestingly, a massive Caddy or Lincoln, the car we all imagine Bennett driving, would at 100 mph have the same momentum as Biden’s 1967 Corvette.

[@kennethmorgan7957]

Shirley Booth was one of my favorite actresses .........

[@mcmlxii4419]

That was "Hazel"! I remember her!

[@kenanacampora]

Hey, that’s Hazel!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun for 10/8/15: Watch along and join the discussion! ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ Please click here to subscribe to the WML channel if you haven't already-- you'll find the complete CBS series already posted, and you'll be able to follow along the discussions on the weekday "rerun" videos: kzbin.info/door/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w

[@wayneyadams]

A couple of observations. First, Dorothy Kilgallen is amazing. Second is the difference in the culture from then until now. Can you imagine the outrage of today's women if they were whistled at they way they regularly did on this show? There would emails, tweets, and all manner of protests demanding the show be cancelled.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Were segments of this kind, where one panelist (Dorothy with Shirley Booth) gets it without allowing the others to get a chance, the reason they changed the mystery guest format to one question, yes or no? And did they change it soon after this show. As good as Dorothy is, it was a shame to waste a Shirley Booth on her.

[@battlegirldeb]

Joe Postove Going by what is said on Wikipedia it was changed on April 17, 1955.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Gil Fates attributes the rules change to Bennett guessing correctly too early, not Dorothy.

[@soulierinvestments]

What's My Line? My non-scientific viewing suggests that Bennett AND Dorothy both liked to get the mystery guest quick to win the game if they could.

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments And to be clear, I'm not taking a position personally, I'm just relating what Fates wrote. He attributed the rules change to Bennett specifically.

[@soulierinvestments]

I remember that point in the book.

[@sgmadvertising]

Aaack! It's Hazel! :) Thanks for posting!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Steve Garland I should have sent you a special alert!

[@bunpeishiratori5849]

She looks just like George Costanza's mother!

[@JordanMB94]

Benefit Cerf! 😂😂😂

[@rebeccadavis7219]

SO SO INTELLIGENT

[@timjohnson8689]

great show

[@zekezacker9449]

The male panelists and the host are wearing bow ties, but their dress appears informal. By comparison, in the recent past, the males appeared to wear formal clothes. It seems the dress for males is occasionally formal, and is occasionally informal (I cannot tell if the female panelists are wearing formal or informal attire). Bow ties seemed to be much more common then than now (a KZbin of WML bloopers showed Steve Allen's bow tie had partially come off - he wore a pre-tied, and not a self-tie, kind of bow tie...it has been decades since I have seen bow ties of any sort sold in a non-specialty store).

[@davidsanderson5918]

I think they should've got Hal Block on sometime as a mystery guest. Ha ha!!!

[@peternagy-im4be]

A very funny guy.

[@robertholman8730]

Hal had a full time job, making a great deal of money. Writing jokes for the most popular comedians in the world!! 😊

[@paulonorato7501]

She has a deeper voice than Hazel.

[@kristabrewer9363]

Is this the first time that the mystery guest was revealed by the first panelist?

[@dutchtea8354]

Yes

[@Gwaithmir]

The free guess is a waste of time because none of the panelists take it seriously.

[@marciadiehl5733]

That is why the show got rid of it eventually.

[@519djw6]

The "hatcheck girl" was sure a cutie!

[@akrenwinkle]

Aside from Eve Arden, is there a lady's voice as instantly recognizable as Shirley Booth's?

[@steve3131]

Katharine Hepburn, Selma Diamond or Bea Arthur?

[@akrenwinkle]

@@steve3131 Good point, but with Shirley and Eve, it takes- for my ear- one syllable.

[@VahanNisanian]

This one is episode #153. The next episode to be posted will be #190.

[@richardvilseck]

12:15 The audience applauding JCD for his eloquence. How far down hill Americans have come in the last 65 years.

[@manuelaffonso2191]

It's good that the ' walk of shame ' was stopped later on . It's kind of embarrassing/degrading.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I got to wondering how long What's My Line had been "produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman in association with the CBS Television Network", so I went back to look at the first telecast and the announcer said pretty much the same thing. I wonder if G-T ever owned the show while it was on the air or sold it immediately to CBS at the start of the run?

[@VahanNisanian]

One Google search later, and here's what I found out: Episode #421 (June 29, 1958) was the last time the announcer said "'What's My Line?' is a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production in association with the CBS Television Network." Beginning with the next episode, the announcer would say "'What's My Line?' is a CBS Television Network Production in association with Mark Goodson and Bill Todman."

[@MrJoeybabe25]

According to Wikipedia "Jules Montenier, Inc's sponsorship of What's My Line? caused nearly a third of the United States not to see the show until 1958. The reasoning was that the company's ad agency controlled the time slot and would not buy the slot in markets where Jules Montenier's products were not sold. Notable markets that were missing the show until the late 1950s included Columbus, Georgia, Tallahassee, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Spartanburg, South Carolina, Jackson, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Meridian, Mississippi, and Lexington, Kentucky. In 1958, Jules Montenier, Inc. was sold to Helene Curtis. Since the products now had a national market, What's My Line? was then shown nationwide." I wonder if that had anything to do with the sale of the show in 1958.

[@soulierinvestments]

Joe Postove For the first several years: "A Mark Goodson - Bill Todman Production in association with the CBS Network." Then around 1958: "A CBS Network production in association with Mark Goodson and Bill Todman." For some reason I am under the impression there were taxation advantages to the second arrangement.

[@igkoigko9950]

@@soulierinvestments You are on to something. The name change reflects ownership changing from GT to CBS. WML has minimal, if any, depreciable assets, but amortization of its “goodwill” is deductible. Therefore, after investing in WML, CBS could recoup some capital through lower taxes, or CBS may just have had more income to offset than GT who, as part of the crazy high tax rates of the 50s, would have found ways to deduct living expenses. Going up in value IRL, while decreasing in value on paper, made successful tv shows a good tax shelter.

[@gsandy5235]

The panel zeros in on the identity of mystery guests too during the early seasons. I think that they stopped giving the answers ahead of time after the game show controversies later in that decade.

[@melianna999]

Shirley Booth 1898 - 1992

[@hopelewis5650]

John reflects the Truman shoe 1:58

[@dymondwillow2]

...a lot of the names are unfamiliar to me. When they give the address at the end so you can be a contestant, i am tempted to mail in an entry!

[@krystonjones]

Send it via time machine! John Daly named all his 4 boys John, and wanted to name his 2 girls Joan

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Hazel.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

RACING CAR DRIVER MAKES CONVICTS UNIFORMS HATCHECK GIRL

[@dancelli714]

Booth is slim here.

[@holsinger78]

Does Shirley Booth play Hazel the housekeeper.

[@2508bona]

Andy Pafko was playing for Brooklyn at the time, I believe.

[@juliansinger]

+Chris Barat In totally irrelevant news, I think he'd been traded to the newly-moved-to-Milwaulkee Braves by then. (Seems he was traded in January.) And thank you, I hadn't known anything about him til just now. Wiki confidently says they mostly traded for him in order to have a Wisconsin native on the team.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Chris Barat Andy Pafko was traded by the Cubs to the Dodgers on June 15, 1951 as the key player in a 4 player for 4 player deal and it gave the Dodgers an All-Star caliber player at every position. He did play for the Dodgers in the 1952 World Series and was their starting left fielder during the regular season although a pulled leg muscle during the 1952 series limited his playing time during the fall classic that year. Probably his most memorable part of Dodger history was when Bobby Thomson's home run to win the pennant in the third and deciding game of the 1951 playoff with the Giants (one of the darkest days in sports history for a Dodger fan) sailed far over his head and all he could do is watch it. Had the game been played in Ebbets Field, the ball probably was catchable. +juliansinger Pafko was traded to the Braves in January 1953. Technically they were still the Boston Braves at the time as the rest of the NL owners did not give approval for the move to Milwaukee until mid-March. But obviously Lou Perini, the owner of the Braves had the move in the works for a while before the approval. That's not to say that Pafko wasn't a player worth trading for. He was a starting player in the NL for 10 years from 1945 to 1954, mostly in the outfield but occasionally at third base. He played in the All-Star Game at both positions. Then starting in 1955, he platooned as a starter in the Braves outfield, first ironically with that same Bobby Thomson and then with Wes Covington (except in 1956 when he saw limited action) until 1959, his last big league season. Another irony for Pafko was that his final two games in the major leagues were also in a season ending playoff, but this time against the Dodgers. He started the first game, going 0 for 2 before being lifted for a pinch hitter. In the second game, he came in the game as a pinch hitter (flying out), stayed in the game at left field, and then came out of the game for a pinch hitter the next time he was due to bat. The Dodgers won both games and went on to win the World Series. When the Braves released him the following month, that ended his playing career. He played in four World Series. In addition to the 1952 Dodgers, as a rookie he played in the 1945 Series with the Cubs, the last time that team made the Series until they won all the marbles in 2016. He also played in the 1957 and 1958 World Series, including a championship in 1957. The Dodgers basically sold Pafko to the Braves in 1953 although they received a throw-in player in the deal. It is reported that they received $50,000 for Pafko in the deal. Based on Gary's rule of thumb, that would be about a half a million today. The Dodgers were fairly certain that Jim Gilliam would be able to step into the starting second base job in 1953. That meant that Jackie Robinson would need to be moved to either third base or left field to keep his bat in the lineup. Apparently the deal for Pafko was better than they could get if they dealt their starting third baseman, Billy Cox, so Jackie went to left field for one season. Then he moved to third base in 1954 anyway. Ironically, Gilliam would also end up as starting third baseman and left fielder of the Dodgers during his 14 year major league career exclusively with that team. But in 1953, the Dodgers felt that Robinson was slowing down and no longer able to cover second base as well as Gilliam would. Just in case Gilliam didn't make it, the throw in they received for Pafko was a second baseman who saw quite a bit of action for the Braves at that position in 1950 and 51, starting more games than anyone else for the Braves those two years. But he was sent back to the minor leagues in the middle of the 1952 season. After the Dodgers acquired him, he never played in another major league game. But after retirement as a player, he moved through the Dodger organization, eventually becoming a Dodger coach in 1969-72, a coach for the Braves in 1973 and then the first manager for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977-79. BTW, the afternoon that this episode aired in NYC, Pafko started in right field for the Braves, going 0 for 2 with 2 walks in a Dodgers 4-3 victory. He also played against the Dodgers the following evening, and his late night at WML didn't appear to have any negative effect on him. His 6th inning lead off triple off Clem Labine keyed a five run rally that broke a 3-3 tie as the Braves won 9-4.

[@savethetpc6406]

I had to replay the video again to figure out what Andy Pafko had to do with this episode. Fortunately, I got my answer less than 4 minutes into the show -- as part of Bennett's "wild guess" about the first contestant at about 3:36 in the video. :-)

[@mikejschin]

Pafko played for Brooklyn the previous two seasons but was with the Milwaukee Braves at the time of this episode. He was in New York at the time because the Braves were playing the Dodgers. That afternoon, the Dodgers defeated the Braves 4-3. Pafko was 0-2 with 2 walks.

[@44032]

I wonder if Charles G. Connor might be George Connor: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Connor_(racing_driver)

[@lottalady73]

Steven Chappell The man who signed in at 2:28 as Charles G Connor was indeed George Connor, who (after some legal wrangling) ended up “winning” the tragic Lakeland 100 in Atlanta GA on Labor Day 1946. It was his only major victory in a 15 year racing career. Some details: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXvNmXimgL6leLM georgiaracinghistory.com/2011/09/16/lakewood-speedway-was-the-scene-of-indy-tragedy/

[@jamesr1703]

Shirley Booth must be a size 2 here.

[@robertholman8730]

Average waist line of women was 22 inch waist😊

[@drumbum3.142]

16:32 😂😂😂😂☺️😊☺️☺️😂😊☺️

[@franknew9001]

The contestants didn't win much money on this show. The first man won $15, the second man won $25, and they gave the woman $50 as time was running out, as $50 was the maximum amount you could win. Come to think of it, $50 was probably about average for a week's income, it not more in 1953.

[@michellefricke7942]

My grandmother's mortgage including escrow was $48 / month. $50 was not a bad sum back then.

[@jackkomisar458]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average man made $3200 a year in 1953, and the average woman made $1200. That works out to $61.54 a week for men and $23.08 a week for women.

[@glamdolly30]

I love how men would stand up for women back then. Sadly feminism threw the baby out with the bathwater in some respects - it gave low-calibre men an excuse to drop such niceties, and disrespect females. These males deliberately misinterpreted feminism to mean women were the same as men. Men and women will always be different - thank God, and vive la difference. But they should have the same human rights. That's called equality. Equality does not mean men and women are the same, but that they have equal human rights. Why has that simple truth been so badly misunderstood - or misinterpreted - over the years?

[@kenanacampora]

“bitch betta have ma money” Rihanna. There’s your feminism.

[@glamdolly30]

@@kenanacampora You proved my point - that's not feminism!

[@jackkomisar458]

The men stood for all guests, male and female.

[@glamdolly30]

@@jackkomisar458 Are you denying the convention used to be for men to stand for women? This is a TV show - it was not the norm that men stood for other men who walked into the room, or other guys who stood up at social or formal gatherings, only women. Jeeze, there's always one idiot who has to split hairs!

[@jackkomisar458]

@@glamdolly30 In the early shows, the regular contestants exited behind John Daly, but in the later shows, they shook hands with the panel members. The men on the panel stood for the men and the women. Don't take my word for it. See for yourself. And by the way, I stand to greet men and women.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Hi, I'm Number One!

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joe Postove Do you have the foam finger to prove it? :-)

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Lois Simmons Oh Gee wiz!

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I'll bet that Dorothy got lots more kisses from the MG's than anyone else, naturally, because of her status as a newspaper columnist. Arlene would be second, huh?

[@soulierinvestments]

The power of the press and her hugely popular entertainment column. Rather like kissing the bishop's ring -- which is what Dorothy did when Bishop [later archbishop] Fulton Sheen appeared as a mystery guest. Dorothy did have her friends on Broadway..

[@hillingwarner1985]

Many mystery guests showed more affection to Arlene than Dorothy, especially if they were performers who had worked with her (Arlene). The only time we see a colleague of Dorothy's who once worked with her in the newspaper business happens in 1964 when the mystery guest is Sheilah Graham. When she leaves the soundstage, she is affectionate with Dorothy. Many more mystery guests were performers rather than newspaper writers. The sameness of the profession is what caused the deepest emotional bond. Some other newspaper writers, such as Jack O'Brian, appeared over the years, but Sheilah Graham was the one who had shared a hotel room with Dorothy in the 1930s when they covered a murder trial. Jack O'Brian was more of a columnist who focused on what his readers could watch on TV.

[@ToddSF]

I imagine that mystery guests wanted to stay on Dorothy Kilgallen's right side, since she was a gossip columnist and could do a great deal of damage to celebrities who got on her wrong side.

[@debbigray1752]

Dorothy often reaches out with her arms stretched and her cheek turned as if she is presenting herself to be kissed.

[@robertholman8730]

Arlene was a beautiful woman, compared to Dorothy!! 😊

[@oksills]

I’ve never see Shirley so slim and “cute”!

[@arthurcurrier9307]

Who's this Andy Pasco that Bennet says he sees in the audience?

[@mikejschin]

It was Andy Pafko, a major league baseball player. He had played the previous two seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers but by the time of this episode had been traded to the Milwaukee Braves. He was a pretty good player, with 213 career home runs and a lifetime batting average of .285. He made the All Star team 4 times. Not nearly a hall of famer, but a good solid ballplayer for 17 seasons. He died in 2013 at the age of 92.

[@ihatey0utube]

18:19 did anyone else hear the samsung whistle ringtone? xDD

[@joeambrose3260]

18:20 Woody Woodpecker in the audience

[@KirkBass1]

Uuuuuuuu

[@gilbertotongco8895]

lets do awar with the four free guesses waste of time

[@parkzed3855]

I’m absolutely enthralled with What’s My Line. One of the only things that irritates me is how John is so controlling & answers FOR the contestant way too often, as if they are stupid. Has any contestant ever said that they don’t know how the game is played? Why are the prizes so cheap? I know we’ve had inflation since then, but $50??? The values of those times are desperately needed back today: Class & respect, in particular.

[@robertholman8730]

$50 was a weeks pay, or mortgage payment 😊

[@FlockOfHawks]

Not related to Connie Booth though