What's My Line? - Strange man invades the show; Melina Mercouri; Victor Borge [panel] (Oct 7, 1962)

[@downbntout]

The thing I like about this show is the lovely politeness and general decorum of the people here. Daly's precision in his clarifications is carefully done, the ladies are glamorously feminine and gracious and the men are calmly congenial. No F-bombs anywhere, just a leisurely charm. Everyone is respectful, smiling, refined and light-hearted.

[@arbyfatbuckle1733]

👍

[@terencemartin523]

You nailed it perfectly..

[@terencemartin523]

Style and glamour does not mean showing everything you have too the whole world, it's about poise, it's about charm....and a touch of respect. The success of this show, was it's charm. Ole

[@arbyfatbuckle1733]

Terence Martin agreed. Bennett was a very wealthy man but you'd never have guessed that. He was witty, funny, and very charming. As all of them were.

[@deidremontrose4379]

downbntout jjjj

[@renatoreside]

The way the show recovered after the intrusion is amazing. Great job by everyone. Victor Borge was hilarious.

[@brandonflorida1092]

I don't agree. He seems to be incapable of playing the game and simply holds everybody up. He makes a joke, and that's a generous description, because he can't think of a useful question. He does this every time he's on the panel.

[@robertsprouse9282]

@@brandonflorida1092, he is being a comic, and holding them up from what..taking a TV show about folks occupations too seriously?..lol. How anal retentive of you, you Einstein.

[@megancrager4397]

@@brandonflorida1092 it's not that serious

[@larrygrebler5054]

Victor Borge was a very funny man, but this was the wrong show for him. He acted like a real ass.

[@kevinmadden1645]

​@@brandonflorida1092😊😊😊😊😊

[@cavebear33]

The intruder was Ronald Melstein, who indeed was trying to publicize a dating service. He also may have had some fanciful idea he was the show's second mystery guest that night. As mentioned in other posts, he wasn't charged with anything. He apparently did have a dating service. He was college educated, and for a short time in the 1970's became a teacher at a local high school. He went through a divorce in the 1980's, and was denied child visitation as he refused to submit to a psychiatric examination. In 1987, he was arrested in New Jersey as his then dating services were providing prostitutes on call according to articles published at that time.

[@44032]

Did he provide them on Sundays?

[@larrygrebler5054]

Thanks for the info.

[@larrygrebler5054]

@@44032 Thanks for the laugh.

[@splerth3771]

​@@44032NEVER!

[@LANCSKID]

Freakin’ interloper!

[@The_A_Cast]

When John Daley announces “Schedule 2”, it’s a term I learned while working for a news organization. It means an emergency has happened that all of the cameras need to be immediately focused on the host, emcee or some other “neutral position” and to immediately mute all audio sources until the schedule 2 call has been lifted.

[@srothbardt]

Thanks for that information, interesting

[@tompaulcampbell]

Well, they didn't handle it well then.

[@srothbardt]

It’s live TV. Never again.

[@michaelcanney7218]

Yea, well, not so much

[@pinedelgado4743]

Thank you lots for the 411, A Cast!! :) :)

[@mrbobbell]

It was on 8 October 1962, that the strange man appeared on-stage and proclaimed himself "the second mystery guest", host John Charles Daly quickly called for "the relieving crew" and said "schedule two" (a code word used on live broadcasts in case of an emergency: the cameras are turned to a neutral position and the sound is cut off). The man talked a bit about a dating service he apparently owned before being hustled off the stage by announcer Johnny Olson and executive producer Gil Fates. Daly apologized to the panel and the program continued. (Source: Wikipedia)

[@lelandjr2]

Thank you for informing us. I often wondered what it was all about.

[@KingFahtah]

Did they take him out back and giving him a right kicking?

[@author]

Thank you Bob, for finding that info and sharing it with us. On the other hand, about the "strange man" who interrupted the show, that kind of "being-removed-off-stage" publicity probably didn't help his dating business too much.

[@Qboro66]

I wonder if Johnny Olsen went "Joe Pesci" on that intruder once they got him outside on 54th street.

[@kristabrewer9363]

How do you know all this? I, for one didn't think it was FAIR of John to make him leave without even hearing him out! A couple seasons ago, when a man ran on the stage to see the mystery guest, everyone thought it was a hoot (infact they even laughed)! This guy could have been a fan of hers for all we know. John should have at LEAST heard him out! If we, watching the show didn't know what was said, how do you?

[@pinedelgado4743]

It's interesting that all the panelists knew enough to keep their blindfolds on and that Miss Mercouri was also silent and managed to not give herself away during this onstage disturbance. Everyone kept their composure. Awesome job!! :) :)

[@kellydinitz6727]

I agree! Everyone was incredibly professional

[@lancedukel3436]

Thanks for posting this! I love Melina. What a talented, ravishing lady she was.

[@TPOrchestra]

I saw this on live television when it occurred. I remember how shocked we were that something like that could happen. John Daly handled it like the pro he was.

[@HelloooThere]

What else was he gonna do?

[@northwestprof60]

Daly was always only about ONE thing: John Daly. His endless whispered conversations and tortuous explanations were deliberate attempts to focus attention on him, as some sort of annoying dictionary. He was simply annoying

[@HelloooThere]

@@northwestprof60 that’s ridiculous

[@jamesanthony5681]

This was back in the day when you could literally go into the building, take the elevator up to the floor where the show was being taped, and walk on set with little or no security to prevent you from doing so. The intruder was well behaved.

[@lemorab1]

@@jamesanthony5681 I am impressed with the speed and efficiency with which the intruder was handled, like they had a system in place for just such a contingency. I wonder if this was the first time this happened on the WML set?

[@soulierinvestments]

I used to show this to students in my college research composition sections as an example of professional jargon. All Daly had to say was “Schedule Two” - two prearranged words - to officially signal the crew of trouble on the floor. They shut down the microphones and set the TV camera in a neutral shot until the staff resolved the problem. I suspect if any contestant had died on set on live TV, Daly would have said "schedule two" to the same response. “Gil get the relieving unit” was also apparently some prearrange jargon meaning [I assume] "Get some guys with you and get him off the stage..” Fates wrote in his book that for a moment he could not remember if his contract specified this sort of duty, but look carefully at the men who hustled him off - Gil Fates, Bob Bach, Johnny Olsen.

[@gorgeouss79]

soulierinvestments that's so cool

[@savethetpc6406]

I'm quite impressed by how smoothly the crew took care of this incident and then the cast (including the mystery guest) moved on from it. True professionals!

[@gerberjoanne266]

Interesting! Thanks for this.

[@antonioacevedo5200]

What is so surprising is that they had a code word for such an event as a man invading the set, but did not employee security guards to deal with such an emergency.

[@pooh44100]

PEOPLE WEREN'T AS CRAZY AND MENTALLY ILL AS THEY ARE TODAY.... MOST PEOPLE KNEW THE BOUNDERIES OF PROPER SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND DIDN'T CROSS THEM..

[@robertmelson2130]

20:58 Victor Borge: "Are you alone on the stage?" JCD: "No, I'm here" VB: "I realize that, of course, but they removed somebody..." Biggest laugh I've heard from everyone in a looong time.

[@kenmolinaro]

That was a good one but when the panelist next to him asked if anyone else saw the movie, his answer of, "No, I was blindfolded," absolutely killed me!

[@bobdaman98]

It's a little odd that no one on the panel removed their blindfold during the interruption, especially when John called for the relieving crew. Although Victor did make mention of it.

[@JimBalter]

@@bobdaman98 That's not odd at all. OTOH, it's very odd to expect them to have done so.

[@bobdaman98]

@@JimBalter I fallback on the "rubbernecker" theory, where everyone wants to see what's happening.

[@Rushyesgenesis]

I love Victor Borge so much

[@bonnieikamas1201]

While I love to watch these, I feel sad whenever I see Dorothy Kilgallen...🙁

[@tribulationprepper787]

bonnie, Yeah, Shame what happened.

[@JimBalter]

Well, they're *all* dead.

[@tribulationprepper787]

@@JimBalter Guest and all. They must have eaten carrots at sometime in their lives.

[@bradleysmall2230]

she was about to report on jfk conspiracy

[@bradleysmall2230]

@@JimBalter how about the intruder who looked like a fat cassius clay

[@c0mputer]

Very subtle and professional move Arlene did with Melina when they were shaking hands. Melina looked like she was going to walk the wrong way off stage which could cause a bit of embarrassment but Arlene held her hands and motioned with her head the right way to go.

[@terrihenricks4160]

There apparently were no security people on duty, as the intruder was escorted off by announcer Johnny Olson and producer Gil Fates. Could you imagine a television program today with that kind of lax security?

[@slade307]

It was a different time. People had more respect for others in general. This jerk on stage tried to get free advertising. If you watch other shows from this time, there doesn't seem to be much security except possibly at the entrances to the theater. I suppose ushers could be used as security if they're present during the show.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

@@slade307The ushers were at the door way in the back , too far to reach the front of the stage .I know The Tonight Show had an armed guard, standing not too far away from the producer .

[@tuberobotto]

Terrorism has not yet been conceived of in those days, though trespassing may not have been uncommon. When famous musical groups like the Beatles perform before a huge and screaming crowd, stage invasions by audience members were quite common, or getting there.

[@brianhammer5107]

@@tuberobotto I beg your pardon? How do you think World War I started? Terrorism has been around for a long, long time.

[@fenwaypark1725]

Brian Hammer hahah. You too Brutus.

[@elliotburing87]

John Daly is so deeply intelligent.

[@LANCSKID]

Those WML names defined in full (continued) Daly - (i) An extremely verbose fellow. (ii) Mildly creepy, especially around beautiful young women (iii) A corn merchant.

[@ldchappell1]

Strange for me to see SF Giants baseball announcer Russ Hodges on this video. I was his paper boy and his neighbor in Mill Valley California from 1969 until his death in 1971. I always wore my Giants baseball cap when I went collecting at his house. He was always good for a nice tip. BTW, this strange man who showed up wanted to promote a new dating service. If you turn up your volume you can hear him saying that as he's being led away. He wasn't charged with anything because there was no law on the books against what he did.

[@gerberjoanne266]

What a strange way to advertise. Who would want to go to him as a customer?

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joanne It would be even worse to end up with him as my date!

[@eduardoibazeta8157]

@@loissimmons6558 Hahaha!!! You are really funny 😂

[@swingrfd]

How many times did Hodges yell, "The Giants win the pennant!!"?

[@robertbrezinski9348]

@@swingrfd Five times.

[@soulierinvestments]

Melina Mecouri, still an actress in her early luscious period. Eventually she became a political leader in Greece first as a member of parliament and then as a minister in government. The Greek Glenda Jackson, as it were. [or is Glenda the English Melina Mecouri? I forget.] Hers was a nature without nuance. She was known to slap people who disagreed with her politically, and she once famously told Robert Kennedy in 1967 in her most Sophoclean manner, “You do not want to be remembered as the man who waited too long.”

[@shirleyrombough8173]

soulierinvestments - Wait too long for what?

[@emmabradford137]

that would be an insolent thing to say to him

[@voxtango1916]

Thank God he DID "wait too long." The USA has had enough of the American-soul-destroying Kennedys - unless, of course, you are referring to current Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana.

[@sandybruce9092]

@@voxtango1916Wish we had more people who speak up like Sen. John Kennedy,LA! And he doesn’t spare words!!!

[@joyciejd9673]

Wow. Live TV with a “bad mannered intruder” and incredibly sensuous Melina Mercouri. TV at its best

[@Charlottemadeleinec]

I love Arlene's dress. Dorothy's too. They almost always have great clothes.

[@cedricliggins7528]

Two classy ladies

[@eugenetalley7447]

​@@cedricliggins7528 see ms maibly on amizon omg the out fits

[@chino3796]

My grandma always came into the room for a minute to check out her dresses. She thought Arlene was so classy.

[@JS-zf1ub]

Originally the panel was seated during their introductions at the start of the show, but there was a huge public demand from American women to see the dresses that Dorothy and Arlene wore- so they changed it to them walking out and then being seated. A bit of fun trivia.

[@smadaf]

What always impresses me about these early- and mid-'60s episodes is how quickly the much less attractive dresses of that time displaced the much more attractive ones of the '50s. Every time had its better-looking and worse-looking clothes, of course; and it's all a matter of opinion: but anyway I like their '50s ones better.

[@andydixon2980]

Even the intruder seemed well mannered and harmless.

[@rr8960]

As a child just learning to play the piano, Victor Borge was my absolute favorite!!! He still is! ❤️

[@slaytonp]

Did you ever hear Victor Borge play anything from beginning to end? I always wanted him to, but he interrupted with his jokes and comedy and I never got to hear him play more than a few bars. He was funny, of course, but sometimes I would rather have had him shut up and play the music--because it always sounded like he would play so beautifully if you ever got a chance to hear it.

[@sandybruce9092]

@@slaytonpHe was a wonderful pianist. When he was in a show (which was we see now) he only had a certain time (my thoughts!) and people expected him to be as funny as he always was. But I seem to remember that he also did concerns where he had plenty of time for both music and jokes.

[@mortalclown3812]

The intruder was Ronald Melstein; no charges were pressed, but he was taken to the police station afterwards. Fwiw, I Googled 'intruder What's My Line' and the first item up contains a detailed article about the entire event and the semi-sad life of Mr. Melstein, who once showed such promise.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

Victor Borge's October 15th show was on my ninth birthday and then I was taken to see him at the Barbican Theatre in the '80s as a birthday treat, by friends. He was the consummate professional and though there weren't too many surprises in his show he was very very funny

[@toddmccreary4579]

Victor was hilarious especially when Arlene asked if anybody saw the movie and he said "no I was blindfolded"

[@rmelin13231]

That line had me on the floor. It almost went unnoticed.

[@DavidLari]

He was truly a genious.

[@Tedybear315]

For the ones saying "What if the guy had a knife" or other such statements. Keep in mind this was 1962! This isn't the era of Jerry Springer. Back during that era people dressed up in a coat and tie to do anything! Manners where always 100% and politeness was the rule. This was a different time indeed... Kinda wish we still retained those values of honor and decency. Where as now'n days it's trash TV.

[@gerberjoanne266]

I remember as a young child in the early 1960s, I was at a movie with my parents (I forget which film it was), and one of the stars said something like "go to hell." That was a big shocker in those days.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

President Kennedy was assassinated 1 year 6 weeks after this episode. ....

[@cookielady9995]

Apparently he didn't have manners, contrary to what you said. I was born a couple years after this airing...people were doing strange things, ie JFK being shot, MLK, being shot, RFK being shot...and on and on.

[@kacym.118]

Michelle Ray Bad seeds, evil people have been since Adam and Eve, but nothing compares to these days. Sodom and Gomorrah was like Mayberry compared to the evils and sins of today, and it will only get worse until God has decided no more can be saved.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

So true .

[@eyeandmouth]

and here we are talking about him 54 years later...

[@jmccracken1963]

I assume that you are talking about Mr. Melstein, and not Mr. Borge.

[@gerberjoanne266]

That's because we're now seeing it 54 (or 55) years later.

[@cowpattybill]

You can clearly see that John Daly is very irritated by the interruption and it takes several minutes for him to fully regain his composure.

[@peternagy-im4be]

He wasn't bothered in the slightest.

[@DeathBringer769]

Victor Borge always makes me laugh. One of the funniest people of the era to me along with Groucho Marx.

[@robertfiller8634]

Borge was an excellent pianist, charming, brilliantly humorous fellow, often employing very funny word play - even though English was a second language for him. An under-rated comic genius.

[@dariawells7438]

His little joke about the nut who stormed the stage also really seemed to break any tension that was left from the shock. That was really sweet of him.

[@bemore1134]

I've heard the name Victor Borge but never saw him perform until a viewing a couple of these WML episodes he appeared in. Both left me laughing out loud. Great timing, deadpan delivery, just hilarious. Glad I finally discovered him.

[@JD-jc8gp]

Loved Borge on these shows, but not Groucho (who was obnoxious).

[@davidschatzky23]

Melina Mercouri went into politics later and became Greece's Minister of Culture.

[@soulierinvestments]

Victor Borge is a producer's dream. He is very funny, even though he is tasked to ask one question in a row. Notice how when the audience loses its focus after the intruder Borge's funny question gets the audience back with the show. Good job.

[@Yootubebites]

I like Victor, but a little goes a long way. Same for Groucho. They both tend to distract the audience from the show at hand. As for the intruder, TV.com says he was doing a commercial and was apparently in the wrong studio.

[@WhatsMyLine]

I'm a sucker for Borge. I think he's hilarious.

[@savethetpc6406]

I like Victor Borge, but I agree with MrBlueSky1977 that he tends to go "off the tracks" a bit too much as a panelist. In this case, however, as soulierinvestments commented, he is helpful in bringing everybody back on track by confirming that the intruder is gone.

[@maremacd]

I know I'm in a very small minority, but I usually find Groucho obnoxious. Victor Borge, on the other hand, I always find charming and funny. There's almost a sweetness about him.

[@noddatellayu4144]

+SaveThe TPC Victor Borges' charm was his spontaneous and infectious humor. He obviously was limited in his cultural assimilation, and he didn't understand the shows format. He was hilarious (as usual), and kept the regular panelists in stitches as he broke all of their rules and not realizing the time restrictions. Jonathan Winters was equally spontaneous. These were Robin Williams fore bearers.

[@lizaelliott6862]

Even the intruder talks with grace and respectability. How times have changed.

[@tuberobotto]

I'm happy with my Boomer generation. Nowadays they don't just climb the stage, they just indiscriminately fire at anyone at any point. People have gone mental.

[@brianhammer5107]

Grace?! And if he had respect, he wouldn't have been an ass and gone on the stage. Poor security - hopefully they gave him a couple of good pops in the ribs before they tossed him out into the alley by the dumpsters.

[@Alaryk111]

@@brianhammer5107 That would be illegal I think.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Course there is the possibility, highly possible in fact, that the man was mentally unwell. You don't beat up mental patients.

[@Dharmon1]

@@davidsanderson5918 He wasn’t mentally unwell. He went into the wrong studio to do a commercial for a dating service.

[@robertmelson2130]

Someone just put this on the facebook page. tralfaz.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-interruption-smaller-than-breadbox.html This is a column written the next day on Oct. 8. It's mentioned that the intruder was Ronald Melstein, age 37, who had been sitting in the audience. I did a search without finding much, but there was a reference from 1971 to a Ronald Melstein who was president of Scientific Dating Service.

[@GrantTarredus]

Thanks for this! I've wondered about this for years.

[@CellGames2006]

I thought he was a fan of Ms. Mercouri.

[@ModMokkaMatti]

Do people still actually use Facebook in 2024? I haven't used it in years, and hopefully will never again. It's absolutely horrid.

[@chrismacheras8714]

Love this!! I have a letter that Melina wrote to a friend and signed, can’t even remember how I acquired it but I often think of this scene when I look at it.

[@hcombs0104]

Whether or not the man knew what he was doing, it was certainly the single most creepy thing that ever happened on this show. Ah, the perils of live television! I'm a little surprised ALL these shows were not pre-recorded, and not just the summer episodes, since videotape had been in use for almost five years by then.

[@wilfred508]

"Live" carried a certain status at the time, sort of borrowing from "the legitimate theatre."

[@marcpower4167]

Videotape was expensive then too so many production companies and networks probably didn't want to record unless they had to.

[@mistermac56]

@@marcpower4167 kinescopes were used because videotape was indeed expensive at the time. Kinescopes were much cheaper. Thank goodness that kinescopes were made, as networks erased videotape on a regular basis because of the cost. Plus, Ampex didn't release the quadruplex video tape machines and tape for purchase by the networks and TV stations until 1956. Networks would even scrap kinescope film to recover the silver from the film for profit. Some of the very earliest WML episodes are lost forever because the kinescopes were either lost of scrapped. When Goodsen-Todman found out that kinescopes were being scrapped, they paid to have their shows recorded by kinescope for their archives.

[@secondstring]

After watching over half of this video, I thought Victor Borge was the "strange man" referred to in the title.

[@CellGames2006]

I thought it was the announcer Mr. X X because they couldn't know his name...

[@mrsilence]

Same here...but he cracks me up!

[@rr8960]

If you’ve never seen him perform, look him up, he’s absolutely brilliant!

[@Kenngo1969]

If Mr. Borge was strange, he was delightfully so. ;-D

[@sandybruce9092]

Someone wrote and complained that all Mr. Borge did was tell jokes, but he did circle right in to baseball , etc.

[@kberken]

The walk-on was no doubt a man who had an idea on how to become famous, how to get some publicity for whatever. I don't think he was necessarily mentally ill. He probably figured out that security was not that tight, and this was a live show, so he took a chance and just walked onto the set and started talking to see how far he would get. He got on camera, and since he did nothing illegal, he got away with it. John handled it like a pro.

[@gerberjoanne266]

Yes, but I still think he was mentally ill or unstable. This is no way that a sane person would seek fame. For most people, such "fame" would be excruciatingly embarrassing. If he were a teenager, say, doing it on a dare, I'd chalk it up to immaturity.

[@marnie0512]

Here's what I found.... www.yourememberthat.com/media/10065/Intruder_Incident_on_Whats_My_Line_1962/#.XW3XRuhKjIU

[@preppysocks209]

@@marnie0512 thanks for that link because it reminded me of the time in 1959 when a man came on stage when Milton Berle was MG - I had forgotten that this was not the first time. There is no education from the second kick of a mule, Sam Rayburn used to say, so the ability of a second person to crash the show is particularly inexcusable -- it is not like they were not on notice.

[@preppysocks209]

@@marnie0512 One of the other interesting things about this link is that the only thing the intruder was guilty of was bad manners. His actions at the time violated no laws.

[@bobbyfrancis8957]

@@preppysocks209 I saw this episode on my tablet. Milton Berle called this intruder "My agent!" He knows how to keep his cool.

[@artytoons]

20:05 Johnny Olson as the announcer and bouncer.

[@b43xoit]

This was in my lifetime, but I am fascinated with the nametags. No given name, just Miss Francis, Mr. Borge, Mrs. So-and-So.

[@stephanieyeshuaislife7236]

I like Mr. Daly

[@LANCSKID]

Those WML names defined in full (continued) Daly - (i) An extremely verbose fellow. (ii) Mildly creepy, especially around beautiful young women (iii) A corn merchant.

[@somebose7395]

That man will now live forever on utube in a time when getting onto any video was tough

[@Lewisswwel]

I've watch many of these here on youtube. Who are the same ten people who dislike every one of these episodes?. If you don't like then just do not post or even open to watch. This is entertainment show. Its wonderful, clean, and happy.

[@julianmarsh1378]

That is the point. Everyone else writing is having a good time and that rankles the 'repulsive 10'....can't have a good time and can't handle anyone else simply enjoying a good show. Sad.

[@TippyNorth]

I must say that I was impressed with how smoothly Daly handled the disruption--he kept total control of the situation but I can't tell what word he was using to explain to the panel what happened. A what kind of visitor did he say?

[@4Hardy]

+TippyNorth In case you're still interested after 4 months, it sounds like "bad-mannered visitor" to me.

[@GrantTarredus]

"A bad mannered visitor."

[@fuscinula]

I'm more impressed by the panel. If I had heard an intruder rambling just about a few feet away from me, I would have taken off my blindfold right away!

[@miamidolphinsfan]

I agree, that must have been terrifying

[@rosrychaplet]

Bad mannered visitor removed from the stage. Captions work well.

[@chem100]

That was a little scary but they kept their cool which was the best way to handle it.

[@perlman7376]

There were nutjobs even back then. There are just so many more of them now.

[@joanbenson4381]

I love this class show. IDK how those people sat there with blindfolds on when Mr Daley requested security for the intruder! Wow.

[@LANCSKID]

Daly.

[@clapoutloudclapoutloud]

They did a nice job of not allowing some kook to mess up the story line on the show, and ignored the mans requests to the actesss Melina Mercouri and escorted him off stage, kept on track with the panel and the show went off without a hitch, it was live back then. It was handled with grace and style. People had a standard of humor, style and now grace handling this off beat incident, enjoyed this show a lot, .....for its time great content.

[@NoOne-kr4jc]

I don't think he was doing it at Mercouri. He was looking at the audience or cameras.

[@usa02]

20:07 and 20:10, the late great Johnny ("COME ON DOWN!!") Olson

[@artytoons]

Johnny had to come on down himself to escort the intruder out. The Announcer-Bouncer. ;-)

[@robertfiller8634]

@@artytoons Announcer-Bouncer - good wordplay!

[@mjames4709]

Looked like a loony.

[@jrubybowman]

Melina Mercouri was born in Athens, Greece on October 18, 1920. An early woman activist, she was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1977. Later Miss Mercouri was to become the first woman to hold a Senior cabinet post "Minister of Culture" in the Greek government. In 1971 she wrote her autobiography titled "I Was Born Greek."

[@sergioalbuquerque4134]

It is very impressive the number of times Arlene Francis guess who was the secret guest. So smart girl she was.

[@khaotix64]

"Are you alone on stage?... because I know they removed somebody" 😂😂😂

[@jeffschornack3519]

This episode on my birthday how nice

[@nobleroman5601]

I was only a little kid when this episode aired but I do remember growing up with these shows , and I've come to the conclusion that both men and women had more self respect back than and dressed better , and presented themselves better than people nowadays , men were men and women were women . I remember overall that things were better and we had less but the earth somehow still rotated and America was able to operate without the internet , eventhough I'm old now I wish I could spend my remaining time back then where I'd have more peace of mind instead of the uncertainty of the present society.

[@Enthrox]

All things considered, they handled the situation pretty well. Imagine if a similar scenario occurred on today's television.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Most "live" shows haven't been truly live for the last 40 or so years. Other than awards ceremonies or political events, live TV is always on a tape delay in case there's a total catastrophe like this.

[@BurnRoddy]

So the punch at Geraldo Rivera was staged?

[@WhatsMyLine]

BurnRoddy I don't know whether it was staged or not, but it certainly didn't air LIVE.

[@BurnRoddy]

What's My Line? WOW! That's some mind blown right there. It's so hard to believe they did air that then. Thanks mate! :-)

[@WhatsMyLine]

Ulrich Lehnhardt I was referring to modern programs, like the Geraldo Rivera show that BurnRoddy brought up. "Geraldo" being a modern syndicated program, it was prerecorded, not aired live-- not even pseudo-live on a tape delay, like late night talk shows are. WML was for the most part a truly live show, no tape delay of even a few seconds.

[@truthandreality8465]

Wow, and during Melina Mercouri!!

[@mandolindleyroadshow706]

This was aired during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crises. I'm sure tension was high before and after the show.

[@preppysocks209]

No. The 13 days started later. JFK did not even address the nation about the missiles until Oct 24. No one on the set or in the audience had any idea.

[@preppysocks209]

Oct 22 rather.

[@iesusegoconfidoinvobis4309]

@@preppysocks209 I remember the Cuban Crisis. It could have easily been the start of WW III. Those of us who lived on the East Coast are extremely lucky we survived that era. I was only 15.

[@JimBalter]

Why lie?

[@freeguy77]

@@preppysocks209 The start date from Atty Gen. Robert Kennedy's book (pub. 1969, after his death) was Oct. 16, so it started 9 days after this Sunday episode, until Saturday the 28th which was the 13th day. JFK addressed the nation 6 days after the start, Monday, Oct. 22. Imagine today, I doubt any president and his inner circle of advisors (and military chiefs) could keep a crisis secret from the public and press for 6 long days!

[@tugginalong]

Everyone loves Arlen and rightfully so. She is the First Lady of Television.

[@voxtango1916]

Quite frankly, I have always thought of Arlene Francis as an overly entitled old bag - not as bad as Kitty Carlyle but still...

[@kentetalman9008]

@@voxtango1916 You are so incredibly WRONG!!!

[@juanettebutts9782]

First time we visited Staunton, Virginia, we pronounced it "Stawnton." We were nicely but immediately corrected. We've been careful to say "Stanton" ever since. It's a lovely place we've visited several times. If you visit, be sure to take in a play at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriar Playhouse. It's our favorite place in the city.

[@sandybruce9092]

As a Yankee living in NC I also mispronounced Staunton! But I learned quickly. It’s just one of😢i those quirky Southernisms😄😄😄😄. And I was wondering if that razor blade factory is still there! I didn’t catch the name of the company.

[@eduardoibazeta8157]

Arlene Francis is one of the most generous and humble actresses wich openly recognize the talent and the work of others. This is a essencial part of her recognized charm. God bless her in Heaven.

[@romanemul1]

But how she strangerly moves with her head at 20:11. Are you sure she was blindfolded all the time ? Deffinitely she was smart to wait untill third round.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

well said.

[@LANCSKID]

@@KindCountsDeb3773But, unfortunately not very well spelled.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

eh, no a biggie unless I can't understand. People type fast, too. @@LANCSKID

[@galileocan]

When I tuned into this episode and saw that Victor Borge was a panelist, I knew that this episode would quickly become "The Victor Borge Show". There was literally one portion where Borge was on for almost 3 minutes straight!

[@ModMokkaMatti]

That's better than having to suffer through Groucho Marx or Hal Blockhead.

[@Floppyearsmomma]

Was so glad when Victor Borge provided some comic relief for the elephant in the room! LOL I wonder what happened to the intruder.

[@ChadQuick270W]

Good old live television! You just had to go with the flow. Very professionally handled by all those involved 👍

[@feraudyh]

It was not always live television. A lot of it was taped.

[@steveliberty2427]

Dorothy Kilgallen was really quite good at this game.

[@tribulationprepper787]

Steve, Her "Line" requires that her to be part detective. She has to be able to get the facts in order to do her job well.

[@prchristman]

Ignoring that invading strange man, my attention was on Melina Mercouri, who could grab my attention anytime. Including 1967 as a teenager, when I saw her on stage in New York in "Illya Darling." She really owned that show, for sure.

[@VahanNisanian]

Melina made one more appearance on this show, on the June 11, 1967 episode, in which she promoted "lllya Darling".

[@prchristman]

***** Thanks for the tip. I don't see that appearance on KZbin and don't recall it offhand. I usually stayed up to watch WML at 10:30 p.m. after "Candid Camera" at 10. It's been 47 years, though.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the 6/11/67 show.

[@VahanNisanian]

What's My Line? Too bad. It last aired in regular rotation on September 16, 2004, and before that, on June 22, 2002, per tv.com. GSN inexplicably skipped over it in 2008.

[@WhatsMyLine]

***** The fact that they skipped it during the last rotation is undoubtedly why I don't have a copy. I'm always trying to fill in gaps, though. Maybe I'll find it some day.

[@jacksandler35]

Victor Borge- overflowed with comedic talent

[@saradecapua3264]

I had the joy of seeing him in concert many years ago. My ribs hurt for a week from laughing. Put genius. Too bad comedians today can't follow his course.

[@dsscam]

@@saradecapua3264 The comedy of today is so saturated with a lack of pure talent due to the 1000s of doors open to them via social media, 100s of streaming services, etc to allow their averageness a vehicle - Nobody will ever have the talent of the old-timers like Victor Borge, Dick Van Dyke, etc.

[@peternagy-im4be]

He overflowed with bullshit

[@spankyharland9845]

back then even the strange creepy stalkers dressed up in suits to do their weirdness.

[@TheCleaner76]

Fun Fact: To this day the intruder is still dateless

[@leannsherman6723]

I like that Merlin’s Mercouri acknowledged the audience. Interesting at the end of the episode, that Jonny Olsen, even back then, was promoting the Pap test for uterine cancer.

[@LANCSKID]

Merlin’s? Uh?

[@waynehowell6160]

I noticed Ms Mercouri signed her name in Greek. I'm trying to learn Greek from books, and was told the Greeks don't have the equivalent of our "cursive" writing, but printed everything. I guess I was told wrong, but I could almost make out the letters and read it.

[@almavysniauskaite3032]

There is cursive writing in modern Greek language, yes.

[@takispapas9887]

She came back to the show in 1967 and signed with Latin letters...

[@wtju3883]

Musing out-of-the-box it would have been really funny, if Victor Borge used his verbal punctuation when asking his questions.

[@Kenngo1969]

Or word inflation ... ;-D

[@karenedmiston5964]

Victor was a card. Dorothy had on those beautiful earrings again. That man that came on stage was scary.

[@teresapflaumer5717]

Note, Johnny Olsen plugging the Pap Test during the end credits. By coincidence, another CBS program in 1962, The Guiding Light, had an episode regarding the Pap (written by legendary serial writer Agnes Nixon) and sure enough, many women were getting the test.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_BASEBALL ANNOUNCER (CURRENTLY ANNOUNCING THE WORLD SERIES)_* *_TESTS RAZOR BLADES_*

[@RonGerstein]

Russ Hodges was the radio announcer for the Giants when they were first located in New York City, then when they moved to San Francisco.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Impressive that not one of the panelists removed their blindfolds during the incident... real pros

[@tuberobotto]

What incident? I didn't see any... I got my blindfold on 🤔😜😅😅

[@michaelr.1305]

No just blind trust.

[@freeguy77]

@@tuberobotto Larry: "I can't see! I can't see!" Moe: "What's the matter?" Larry: "I got my eyes closed!" The Three Stooges gag

[@tuberobotto]

@@freeguy77 Man that line was one of the most mimicked during my days in elementary school where almost every kid watches the 3 Stooges. To a young kid's mind they were the best!

[@freeguy77]

@@tuberobotto Absolutely correct! And you know what? They still are the best, 64 years after filming their final short, "Flying Saucer Daffy" (Dec. 19-20. 1957)! They were fired from Columbia Pictures a few days later when their contract expired. No congratulations on the 24 years, no going-away party, nothing!

[@steffybabes]

How many watching this watched it as a kid when it was on live?

[@sandrasanders706]

Me!! Loved this show and Iv'e Got A Secret

[@kentetalman9008]

Our whole family watched it every week. It was practically the only thing we all did together.

[@stevenjoyal6565]

Eau Claire, Wisconsin -- where I grew up!

[@innotafanofanyofjlbjlbissd6777]

How does this get downvotes? People are absolute mental cases. I used to work with a guy 10 years ago who used to say he hated people. I used to think he was weird but now I realize he was right

[@NoOne-kr4jc]

You're taking this quite overboard. Ppl have a right to their tastes. Leave them alone.

[@LANCSKID]

Misanthropic …

[@violamateo-on8pc]

Absolutely loved how Victor Borge relieved all that tension!

[@chrisfreeman9960]

This episode reminds me of the movie starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis. Lewis played against type in a dramatic role as a serious late night talk show host, whilst De Niro played an obsessed fan, who wanted to be on his show, to present his comedy monologue. (He also had delusional hopes of hosting Lewis' late night show). The movie was entitled "The Kings Of Comedy." De Niro's character had his living room at home arranged to resemble a set from a late night talk show, complete with a desk and couch for his imaginary guests. He had life-size picture cardboard cutouts of celebrities sitting next to his desk, where he would imagine himself conversing and schmoozing with them, as he imagined himself to be very close friends with them. His wife would have to remind him to go to work in the morning, while he was imagining himself hosting his own late night show... The movie is really a study of how some individuals have a difficult time discerning the difference between fantasy and reality, and how that delusion affects their perception of celebrity. This WML intruder actually made it into the set of a live broadcast, never perceiving the inappropriateness of his actions, and actually believing the host would be interested in his reason for being there.

[@chrisfreeman9960]

Just to clarify: The name of the movie is "The King Of Comedy." Singular. I made a mistake. If you type in "The Kings Of Comedy", you will get a movie made by Spike Lee.

[@larchmontmark1]

Doesn't it seem odd that the producers knew that the panel wouldn't immediately recognize the name Russ Hodges?? The name is now SO well-known by baseball fans, for maybe the most famous play call in baseball history ("The Giants Win The Pennant....."). Typically the panel knew baseball very well (except Borge of course) 🙂 but they didn't know the name Russ Hodges... :shrug:

[@richatlarge462]

Russ Hodges actually did have something to do with outer space, since his voice traveled there before being heard by some listeners. Well, at least space, if not outer. Born in 1960 in SF and growing up there, I knew the voice of Russ Hodges well, though not in 1962. I therefore never heard him call a World Series. And FWIW, both Hodges and Bennett Cerf died in 1971.

[@0413dec]

Victor Borge was a hoot in this episode.

[@gerberjoanne266]

I agree. Some comedians need a script, but he's just naturally funny.

[@rosrychaplet]

0413dec he was so young too.

[@barrykendrick3146]

I've been trying to remember a book by Art Linkletter from many years ago: it must have been People Are Funny(1947). It was about his radio show, in which he had contestants try various hoaxes & pranks not that unlike our dating service guy. Don't know how it's held up as a book, but at age 12 or so I found it quite amusing.

[@tomklock568]

This was almost my brother's one year old birthday...not surprising something odd happened that day!

[@paulwilson4738]

Daly at about 14:00 into the video is absolutely circuitous with Borge!

[@saraschneider6781]

Bravo! Dorothy pronounced Eau Clair correctly!

[@sydneycarton9973]

When the questions go to Victor Borga, I am reminded of the SNL Sean Connery/Alex Trebek Jeopardy skits, I expect Victor to say 'The Day is Mine, Daly!'

[@michaeldanello3966]

Just in case anyone couldn't read it, Melina Mercouri signed her name in Greek.

[@oldpolishguy253]

So strange to hear My Clemens, MI, mentioned. I grew up there.

[@trinhdangngoc5859]

John's reaction is like that of a performer who has her baby waiting backstage and more or less expects that there is a chance the baby may slip out onto the stage lol

[@yawlltube]

'I thought it was a gun...something you hold your hand, you touch it and you might use it more in the living room than in the kitchen.' 'You shoot your guests?'

[@robertfiller8634]

Dorothy thinking it was a gun was indeed strange. It's not polite to shoot guests in the kitchen, but living room is okay!

[@markxxx21]

The difference is this show (and this version as opposed to the syndicated one) is like a cocktail party at an upscale New York City home, where the guest play a parlor game after dinner.

[@loissimmons6558]

It is my understanding that this was essentially the inspiration for putting the show on the air back in 1950.

[@ironduke2000]

Melna Mercouri looks smashing here, methinks!

[@lemorab1]

I didn't realize that Melina Mercouri was so tall!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Does anyone remember what Gil Fates wrote about this in his book? I tried to find the reference, but this isn't the sort of topic that you can look up in the index.

[@emnem100]

***** John Daly died in 1991, aged 77. Arlene Francis died in 2001, aged 93. Victor Borge died in 2000, aged 91. Dorothy Kilgallen died in 1965, aged 52. Bennett Cerf died in 1971, aged 73.

[@soulierinvestments]

Fates did not quote this sequence right in his book. He noted that when he and the relieving unit hustled him off camera, they gave him to security who gave him to the police. The police did not charge him, Fates reported, apparently because there were no laws on the New York law books forbidding someone from doing a commercial on live TV.

[@savethetpc6406]

soulierinvestments Can you (or anyone else here) tell what the intruder is saying? All I can catch is, "I'm here to talk about..." which, I guess, could be the opening of a commercial, but could also be the introduction to some way-out paranoid theory or something. I don't think it's possible that he simply made an innocent mistake and thought that he belonged on the stage at that moment. (I have posted basically the same question and comment on another thread, below -- mostly because I don't want to type out the names of everybody who has participated in both threads, but I do want to ask the question to all of you. ;) )

[@soulierinvestments]

a dating service.

[@savethetpc6406]

soulierinvestments Thanks! I just listened to it again, and I can hear that now: "...a dating service that we have..." just before they take him offstage. Also, when he first comes out, he says something like "I'm the second mystery guest," so obviously he knows where he is and what show he's on.

[@bradleysmall2230]

Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer, and politician. She came from a famous political family. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in the film Never on Sunday. Wikipedia Born: October 18, 1920, Athens, Greece Died: March 6, 1994, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY Height: 5′ 7″ Spouse: Jules Dassin (m. 1966-1994), Panos Harokopos (m. 1939-1962) Awards: Cannes Best Actress Award, MORE

[@maroulio2067]

She was married to Dassin until she died, and he carried on her work to bring the Acropolis Marbles (damaged and stolen by Brit Lord Elgin) back to Greece from England. His one desire to honour Melina did not come to pass and the so-called "Elgin Marbles" have yet to be repatriated to their homeland.

[@Juliet475]

​@@maroulio2067 w

[@RalphOnofrio]

Victor Borge was a genius.....I love him on the panel.

[@unclebillmusic]

So Melina does this on SUNDAY

[@freeguy77]

You noticed! I made a joke about that same day earlier on another poster's post.

[@bostonblackie9503]

There was an another instance were some guy made an appearance.

[@Cerph]

People were way cooler back then (emotionally). If someone interrupted a show now, they'd totally freak out.

[@AllenMQuinn]

Victor Borge was awesome!

[@gerberjoanne266]

Agreed!

[@preppysocks209]

Other than Wally Cox, I think he is the worst panelist. Even Dorothy had her fill with him. The game comes to a dead stop when he "questions."

[@grguy793]

Introductions in the beginning were very classy.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

Respect. We could use more of that today.

[@marywealth6475]

According to some research I did, the intruder, Ronald Melstein of the Bronx, is still alive in 2022 in his early 90s.