What's My Line Syndication Aired (October 28th 1968)

Here is the First classic episode of What's My Line from 1968.

[@SigmaWolf-in2mr]

*As of today, I miss them all.*

[@tomchris60]

The color shows were fine. But the posh, Manhattan cocktail party vibe of the black and white episodes were better.

[@joyciejd9673]

tomchris60 I so agree!

[@Muertes-tf2oj]

This lacks the class and intelligence of the original, but it's still fun to watch.

[@libertubey2199]

One thing that Goodson-Todman seemed to do well was adapt their game shows to the changing times. Although I do like the CBS run better, as many people said, it was fun. Same thing with "To Tell The Truth", "The Price Is Right", "Match Game, "Password", "I've Got A Secret", etc.

[@H76Pro]

At least they still had Arlene Francis! The show would not be right without her. The original show was better in my opinion.

[@neilphelan145]

Agreed! This version is completely changed. 👎

[@ericcarver3604]

@@neilphelan145 How has it changed.?????

[@brandonflorida1092]

Of course the original is better, but that's not to say that this isn't good.

[@jldel615]

@@ericcarver3604 In the original, the mystery guest portion was with very few exceptions played in full… until it was 10 down, none to go. In the post 1967 syndicated versions the mystery guest portion was rushed. If after 7-8 the panel didn’t get the identity of the mystery guest, the host would say 15 seconds (or 30 seconds) and then quickly identify the mystery guest. And is does not seem to have been a matter of time remaining (as is apparent in this episode). Noticeably, as the syndicated version went on, the rushing of the mystery guest portion of the show gets more and more rushed. Usually relegated to 2 minutes of questioning. Also different in this new version is the frequency (and more and more frequent as the series went on) of showing the contestant at his/her work, demonstrating his/her craft, or displaying his/her wares… Something the original host John Daly had been quite adamant not be done. Also, noticeably missing, in the post 1967 version is the banter between the panelists and the moderator. It very much lost its urbane feel. Also, different, is the loss of the third contestant segment, which if time allowed in the 1950 to 1967 series occurred after the mystery guest, and probably one out of every two shows. Also different was the loss of the “three regular panelists” structure (e.g., Cerf, Francis, Allen, or Cerf, Francis, Killgalen, etc). and one guest star. In the post 1967 version very clearly Arlene Francis was THE regular panelist surround by three guest stars. So, while this version of the show isn’t bad, it is certainly several steps down from the 1950-67 original.

[@susanrutherford866]

@@jldel615 you are completely right !! Much preferred the original !!

[@benkleschinsky]

You know it would have been real funny if they brought back John Daly as a mystery guest.

[@georgemaster6356]

Ben Kleschinsky Ikr! At least Bennett Cerf made a return to his stomping ground, albeit a few shows.Wonder why John Charles Daly didn't make any appearances? Would've been great!

[@HelloooThere]

HE WOULD HAVE NEVER APPEARED ON THIS VERSION HE DESPISED IT

[@brandonflorida1092]

He did, however, cast a giant shadow on this video. Bruner is clearly imitating him.

[@carl44acq]

Why would they allow only 2 minutes for the questioning of the mystery guest? That was the best part of the show!!

[@scottpardee6303]

I was working at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York at the time. I never met him but heard of the job he was doing. Memories!

[@mshroye2]

One of the first classic game shows I watched on the game show network was the syndicated What's my line. Watching these takes me back to when I was 9 sitting on the couch at my dads trailer watching Wally and the gang.

[@melvingeloneck3344]

Morey Amsterdam was great as always! On the Dick Van Dyke show he was great with the one-liners!

[@ToddSF]

Mutilated paper money and worn-out paper money is collected by bank tellers and turned into the Federal Reserve Bank for new money. When the Federal Reserve Bank destroys the mutilated or worn-out currency, they replace it with new currency. So they aren't really burning anything of intrinsic value because it's replaced with fresh, crisp new currency of the same value. However, it does cost something to print and circulate paper money, which wears out rather quickly, and that's why most countries have replaced their lower-value paper money with coins. Canada, for example, retired its $1 and $2 bills and replaced them with coins and I think we should do that with our $1 bills. The coins work way better in vending machines in any case -- and even in parking meters.

[@barrybrittain6157]

I dont think the syndicated series was so bad! I can't believe how you guys are slamming it and putting it down so much! I'm from a younger generation that only discovered this series about 20 years ago! It was some shows from 1970 that were the first ones I saw and I've got to say that WHATS MY LINE has become one of my favorite game shows! In my opinion, it had ALWAYS been a classy and intelligent show, certainly compared to most game shows that are on the air today! It makes me think of a simpler time when people were more respectful of their fellow man and looked out for and cared for one another more!

[@bigdlovesoldies]

These shows wee OK, but not quite as good as when John Daly hosted it.

[@VinylToVideo]

Daly should have kept hosting though his intellectual and comedic genius seemed less relevant in the unfortunately changing world at the time.

[@nolancain8792]

He was asked to host it but he declined the offer.

[@kristabrewer6736]

@@nolancain8792 WHY?? I just watched the last episode of What's My Line, and he seemed sad to go off the air. Why would he not want to host it?!

[@nolancain8792]

@@kristabrewer6736 I have to believe it was because of it being every day instead of once a week.

[@kevinpyne5808]

Was on daily at 7 PM in Philadelphia. I believe ABC Channel 6, but not 100% sure.

[@kristabrewer6736]

also if this is the first episode of WML, how come he mentioned "yesterdays show?" and why didn't Arlene get a mention for being an original panelist?

[@magnificentfailure2390]

Thanks for posting!

[@zzzut]

Arlene Francis is still her usual classy and cheerful self after so many years on that panel. How could she do it? I would be bored to death if I had to this for so long.

[@princeharming8963]

Bennett Cerf was quoted from an interview, saying that in the very beginning the panelists all earned $300 per week. (Which was not bad by any stretch in 1950- for 30 minutes' work. Roughly $3200. in today's dollars.) But, he said, as the show went on to gain immense popularity with viewers, they were earning 'scandalous' amounts of money. Although he never would mention a figure. Perhaps That's how she was able to do it week after week 😉

[@zzzut]

Prince Harming It makes some sense!

[@ultraparadoxical7610]

Hmm. I don’t see how Arlene could possibly have guessed the first one based on the information.

[@MrJimmy440]

From what I’ve read in several posts, they weren’t given the “Lines” but were given direction on which way to go in their questioning.

[@chrisgast]

Hey, that MASH guy!

[@gralbr]

Arlene is amazing

[@normanbrunhammer9825]

I actually saw her perform this and then. Unfortunately all the animal people Shut that performance down

[@MrJoeybabe25]

So this was the first show aired in the top tiered markets (which would be the first to show the tapes, since in those days most syndicated shows were "bicycled" from major markets to lower markets by stations repackaging tapes and putting them in the mail to the next station down the line) but it looks like they did not air in the order that they were recorded. So... it seems that there was not a "debut" show where they could say "hey we're back on the air. Too bad. It means something to the history of the show when they acknowledge important information about the show itself. Syndication tended to avoid such things, I suppose because of the time and dates were so diverse depending on where you were watching. But too bad, anyway.

[@enigmatic9118]

Love Morey! This version of the show isn't as good, but it's still plenty of fun, and who doesn't love Morey Amsterdam?!

[@bemore1134]

They should've had him on the panel with Richard Deacon, so he could spend 30 minutes bouncing baldy jokes off him.😁

[@jimtrue1465]

This is not the first episode from the syndicated version. When the syndicated version started, the name plates contained first and last names.

[@emmgeevideo]

How the mighty had fallen...

[@meowkitty5588]

July 23, 1968

[@JohnParks-zc1pn]

The syndicated version was my first exposure to What's My Line. My father said Arlene Francis must have to continue working to pay the judgment for her maid dropping a dumbbell out the eighth floor window and killing a man. The incident is true, but claim was settled.

[@jmccracken1963]

This isn't the first episode of new series (there is some reference to how the panel did "yesterday") - but it is from the first week of the new series. At least, the show is still recognizably about people's interesting occupations (including Wally Bruner's introductory speech, which is the same as John Daly's from the CBS Sunday-night series). I just finished watching a 1973 syndicated WML? episode hosted by Larry Blyden which, aside from the Mystery Guest segment, and as interesting and entertaining as the episode was, seemed more like "I've Got A Secret" than "What's My Line?" And that is directly the fault of the producer, Gil Fates, who, "freed" from John Daly, was able to re-shape the syndicated show the way he wanted to.

[@MrKenichi22]

jmccracken1963 Perhaps a few test runs? I know though that the wait between the previous John Daily What's My Line ? (1952-1967) to this What's My Line ? (1968-1986?)

[@MrKenichi22]

Sorry, The Wait was Short.

[@jmccracken1963]

Only a little less than a year. And the syndicated "What's My Line?" ran from 1968 to 1975.

[@fromthesidelines]

You're right. This was taped during the THIRD WEEK of shows {7/23/68}. This edition was originally syndicated at the end of September 1968.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Barry I. Grauman The show was taped in a New York City studio. Not in California.

[@meowkitty5588]

Air Date: October 28, 1968

[@HelloooThere]

ARLENE WAS MORE CASUAL OVER THE YEARS

[@bbailey7818]

Interesting seeing Alan Alda years before MASH.

[@dianepowers9643]

Morey sounded like dracula with his fake voice. Love him

[@jaynerosajohansen4864]

What happened to John Daly ???

[@richatlarge462]

I thought this would be far worse than the original, but not really. It takes some adjusting to color TV and to the game show music during the sign-ins etc, but otherwise the host does as good a job as John Daly did, and I like the feature of chatting a bit more. So in 1968 things were still pretty good for WML, even though an era had ended after the 1950-67 original show closed down.

[@johniacocca3168]

Being in color and less formal dresswear gave it a noticeable visual contrast but still essentially the same show, still fun. Though sad Bennett died during the run and disappointed John Daly rejected coming back because likely the daily grind rather than a weekly show, pardon the pun. Wish though he hadn't turned down at least a mystery guest appearance, and sorry to hear he really hated this itineration of the show.

[@MileyonDisney]

"Dives 40 feet into tank on horseback" - how many times has that been on the show??? Same with "burns money".

[@shuboy05]

Which explains why Arlene got it. I think she got the answer before.

[@donaldleroy6502]

This is the second instance I've seen about the diving, however this is much cooler seeing the footage

[@manidig]

Wally Bruner says "You did so well yesterday..." was this episode 2?

[@draugnaustaunikunhymnphoo6978]

Is it wearable rather than eatable. The host says no to both. Geez, no. You have to say yes to that, goddamn. >.> This syndication already lost the heart of their ancestor, but this just breaks my heart.

[@draugnaustaunikunhymnphoo6978]

And then the Qualified No. That's when they don't flip the number and keep playing.

[@jaredjlinden]

Joanna Barnes looks so much better here than it’s her frosted hair in “The Parent Trap”.

[@770WT]

Alan Alda seems so awkward and fidgety on this show .

[@jackseward7779]

Ome year after the show ended, there must have been a reason to resurrect it with different music, set, and staff (except for Ms. Francis...why I don't know.

[@maxkoykas9651]

This is not the first episode of the new what's my line. The host even says yesterday panel was a good show

[@Musicradio77Network]

max koykas The syndicated "What's My Line" has the same format than the original did. Arlene Francis returned as a regular, so they brought another regular Soupy Sales to the panel. Soupy Sales was best known for his novelty hit "Doin' The Mouse" in 1964. After he left the show, he became a talk show host on WNBC-AM in the 1980's.

[@kristabrewer6736]

Was John Daly ever on this?

[@ginamcbride09]

John Daly hosted the show during the 1950’s and 60’s, for 17 1/2 years. He was exceptional.

[@nsnopper]

Daly did not host the syndicated version of What's My Line?, although he did co-host a 25th-anniversary program about the show for ABC in 1975. Source: Wikipedia You can find the 25th anniversary show here on KZbin. I’ve seen it. Of course it had the wonderful Arlene Francis.

[@johniacocca3168]

Would love to know why John Daly avoided the revival like the plague, why he hated it so much.

[@vickiwesterkamp8072]

I feel sorry for the horse

[@youbetcha6880]

The poor horse

[@princeharming8963]

At 5:00 Wally should have said 'no' to Arlene's first question and moved on.

[@cdman40]

I Also, thought I John J League game more time to the mystery guests. I think the mystery guests on the original what's my line were more famous most of them. Then on what's my line with Wally or Larry. Two minutes to get the mystery guest. How insulting? John would never done that.

[@sportsmedia25]

The first episode in color they're not dressed formally and has less class than its predecessor

[@judyhensley3930]

Its not the same without. John Daly an Bennett Cerf. Its ok but not as good but i love Arlene she. a classy Lady

[@duncanation]

0:10 boi

[@sydney13ism]

Imagine this diving horse act taking place today with PETA protesting, and rightly so. How the hell does this lady know the horse enjoys this?

[@josephalfonsoamantia7028]

Walley Brunner was so much better than John Daly. I actually like this version better than the older ones in black and white.

[@jmw9904]

Just like Perry Mason and Andy Griffith, this show just looks weird in color.

[@TheJMascis666]

Arlene Francis just doesn't look right in colour !

[@Sean-me4fv]

TheJMascis666 And it should say Miss Francis on her name card.

[@libertubey2199]

Although the episodes now exist on kinescopes, the final season (1966-67 TV Season) of the John Daly-hosted WML aired in color. This is an opportunity to see how both Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf looked in color. Cerf passed in 1971. The 25th anniversary WML special from 1975 is an opportunity to see John Charles Daly in color.

[@donaldaglipay1102]

It's about time there was color in the show! I never saw what Dorothy Kilgallen's and Arlene's outfits, not to mention what the mystery guests colors were like.

[@kristabrewer6736]

LOL, agreed!

[@kristabrewer6736]

@@donaldaglipay1102 uh uh

[@ZulcanPrime]

This must be the revived series shot in colour. It is not as good as all those black & white episodes from the past 17 years with John Daly and the original cast. My favourite panel member was Dorothy Killgallen.

[@cdman40]

I never liked how they had contests and demonstrations after some of the contestants on the show they would also answer question mail and guess peoples occupations totally unnecessary John Daly would have never had anything on like that on his show.

[@770WT]

Alan Alda so awkward on this show .

[@jaylee1318]

It made no sense that they spent several minutes trying to guess the occupation of a nobody and then only allowed 2 minutes to guess the mystery guest . Also the MC of the show had no personality,

[@draugnaustaunikunhymnphoo6978]

They're trying to imitate their predecessors. I don't like that.

[@bobthor9647]

this new judge is horrible

[@ToddSF]

I'm not entirely certain what you mean by "judge", but if you're referring to the moderator or host, Wally Bruner, I agree he's no John Daly. But I don't think he's even close to horrible. That said, after a couple of years, he quit to do something else, and they replaced him with actor Larry Blyden.

[@jmccracken1963]

Wally Bruner was actually the host of syndicated WHAT'S MY LINE? from 1968 to 1972, and then left the show to do a syndicated "do-it-yourself" handyman show called "Wally's Workshop." Larry Blyden hosted syndicated WML? from 1972 until the show's cancellation in 1975.

[@RRaquello]

The show was either cancelled or not renewed when Larry Blyden was killed under mysterious circumstances. I remember when it happened and at the time they said he died in a car accident somewhere in North Africa, which doesn't seem so mysterious, except later rumors came out that he was actually murdered by terrorists or some such story. He was never replaced and the show just ended.

[@KiddBloo86]

@@RRaquello: WML? was cancelled, and Blyden had finished hosting the pilot for Showoffs and his death fell between that and the series taping.

[@RRaquello]

G$8605 I'm not sure just how Larry Blyden died. There have been a lot of stories. WML was still on in syndication when it happened (maybe in reruns) because I actually remember watching the show the day there was an announcement before the show started that Larry Blyden had died-not on the tape of the show itself, but from the local station announcer here in NY before the show went on. At that time, they said he died in a car accident. Since then there have been different stories and I don't know which is true. A similar thing happened when Bob Crane was killed. Hogan's Heroes was on in syndication here on WNEW channel 5 in NY, and I turned it on that night to watch it and before the show started, the WNEW station announcer read the news that Bob Crane had died.