What's My Line? - Van Johnson (Jun 30, 1963)

Many thanks to epaddon for contributing the full episode.
MYSTERY GUEST: Van Johnson
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Robert Q. Lewis, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf
With many thanks to epaddon for contributing this episode!

[@karlschwinbarger105]

These people could never have imagined that these episodes from 1950 on would be watched by thousands of people at the end of the second decade in the following century.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Karl Schwinbarger To be fair barely anyone doing anything then, not even The Beatles, would imagine their work would be still enjoyed at the end of the second decade in the following century. :)

[@washoe4827]

they knew - i time-travelled there and told them... now i'm back.

[@bobk4404]

@@washoe4827 made me chuckle 😆

[@rtflone]

@@davidsanderson5918 I think the Beatles might well have been aware of their enduring popularity. You don't sell as many records as they did w/o having some idea..

[@shirtless6934]

@@washoe4827 Did you warn John Lennon?

[@galileocan]

Van Johnson was quite honest. When asked if he was married, he honestly answered... "separated". With that level of disclosure, it's a good thing none of the panel asked him if he had a boyfriend...

[@shirtless6934]

Not in 1963.

[@margaretname226]

😊

[@jacquelinebell6201]

I like that he felt he could say that. They wouldn't dig deeper because they were polite.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Dorothy could have been a good trial lawyer. She was very methodical and had great reasoning abilities, and a fantastic memory.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Daily can have somebody on that’s a janitor, and he always will say we have some very interesting occupations

[@kenyongray2615]

Linda McCahren was an attractive young lady. The more you looked at her the prettier she became to my eyes. Van Johnson was great as a villain in the old Batman television series and as the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Thanks for the video.

[@leesher1845]

Van Johnson was one of the few mystery contestants who actually acknowledged the audience before leaving the stage.

[@soulierinvestments]

Interesting coincidence that Van Johnson shows up when Arlene is still recovering from her car wreck injuries. Van’s career in movies almost never happened, because he nearly died in a car wreck while filming “A Guy Named Joe” in 1943. Fortunately, he survived: director Victor Fleming willingly put off filming until Johnson recovered.

[@lllowkee6533]

Thanks for posting these shows. I’ve learned so much about people and enjoy watching these folks, some my grandparents age, many my parents age. It so relaxing in middle of the night when I can’t sleep.

[@davidsanderson5918]

I reckon a masterstroke the WML producers missed out on would've been to have Arlene come on as mystery guest after her recovery. Would've loved to see her acting skills at work with a disguise!! :)

[@su8483]

Yes!

[@sandydog291]

Like they did with Dorothy. I agree, that would have been a good idea.

[@bbailey7818]

Fantastic idea! Somewhere Goodson-Todman are kicking themselves. But Arlene herself may have wanted to downplay the whole thing. This is the first time we see her arm in a sling which was covered up before--unless it was in an actual cast earlier.

[@sew1835]

Always like the films I had seen Mr Johnson in, but nice to see him on something where he can be himself, more or less. Thanks for posting these, by the way!

[@WhatsMyLine]

It's been a pleasure! Glad you're enjoying the shows.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

sew1835 also he quite enjoyed himself on Batman

[@saran3214]

I loved Invitation.

[@neilmidkiff]

Van Johnson signs in and adds a "smiley face" in chalk. It's hard to remember in these days of ubiquitous emoji characters, but that was not nearly as common an icon back then. In fact, the yellow-and-black standard smiley design is apparently not much older than this episode.

[@aarnotuhnu4011]

Good point!

[@peternagy-im4be]

Absolutely splendid.

[@VahanNisanian]

When Van Johnson first appeared as mystery guest in 1953, no game was played, because his named had been leaked to the press.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Vahan Nisanian Yes that happened two or three times actually. They really shoved it back in the face of the press.

[@slaytonp]

Re: The lady who sells fireworks. I grew up in Nevada, where a standing joke of those olden times was: "The only thing illegal in Nevada is fireworks."

[@davidsanderson5918]

Absolutely no problem for Kilgallen at all introducing the next guest here. Bang goes my theory about stagefright causing her jaw to seize up on other occasions.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

You can tell that Dorothy enjoyed being on this show to play the game more than any of them

[@galileocan]

Mr. Hodgson seemed like such a nice, sweet old man :-)

[@galileocan]

Mark Richardson - in poor Mr. Hodgson's defence, if you've watched WML re-runs over the years, you will see that many guests and mystery guests (for whatever reason) seemed to have a lot of difficulty hearing the panel. This has been mentioned on several occasions and I'm not sure if there was a real acoustical problem on the WML set, that caused people to have a hard time hearing things.

[@barrykendrick3146]

+@@galileocan Well, Frank Lloyd Wright stated that there was, & he would probably know!

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

Yes but he could have used a hearing aid (no offense)

[@carollee444]

Always lliked Van Johnson 😁

[@erichanson426]

With the race horse clocker, that is one Daily defiantly had to correct the guest, gambling is anything but charitable. I really enjoyed this segment, and the guest.

[@jazzvampire]

"...Everybody's been in a religious picture." Ha! I think I will always remember Van for his appearance (dancing and singing, as himself) on I Love Lucy.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Both female panelists looked great this night.

[@bluecamus5162]

Truly I am smitten with Dorothy and adore her, but I cannot easily abide that thing on her head.

[@markxxx21]

Triangle Publications (Race Horse clocker) owned TV Guide too

[@MrJoeybabe25]

The first two contestants spoke to Arlene at length. I suppose it was to give best wishes.

[@philippapay4352]

@gcjerryusc She is a delight and from accounts by one and all who knew her. I think the injury was from the auto accident in which someone died. So, I can understand one would take a moment with a survivor because one's reaction to the death would be far worse than one's own injuries that can be treated, rehabbed, and healed. She is not someone who would have taken the death of another lightly in anything with which she was involved.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Joe Postove It could be. But the old guy certainly made Arlene laugh her head off as he shook her hand so I don't think what he said was anything to do with her accident!!

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Yes and neither one hesitated at all when shaking hands with Dorothy. Arlene exudes warm, Dorothy certainly does not.

[@bluecamus5162]

I noticed that in last week's program as well.

[@1928gerry]

"Are you married? Isn't everybody?" Not always safe to ask. But, yes, Van & his wife did separate.

[@n.michaels1565]

Johnny Mathis never married nor had kids...so miss sarcastic one...no not EVERYONE!

[@donaldwarren463]

haven't touched a fire cracker of any kind since 1971 when I lit a spinner that went up in the air turned around and spun into my hair scaring the you know what out of me , I hit the ground screaming...

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

😄

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Robert Q. Lewis took over from Merv Griffin on "Play Your Hunch" when Merv started his own live talk show on NBC Daytime, the same day that Johnny Carson began his tenure on "The Tonight Show, Oct 1st, 1962. Merv lasted less than a year on NBC.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Merv never did have any luck on television, poor guy.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Ha! Just a 1/4 billion dollars worth of bad luck!

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments It was a sarcastic joke, Soulier. . . I'm a bit surprised you would take what I or Joe said so literally.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I don't see Soulierinvestments said. Gee, after all this, I hope I ain't going blind!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Joe Postove soulierinvestments Apparently the comment was removed once soulier realized it was a joke. It was nothing bad-- never from soulier, whose comments are a delight! It just explained to us how successful Merv really was on TV. :)

[@CoxJoxSox]

Is Van Johnson wearing spats? - DAPPER!

[@allanshulstad1783]

He wore red socks when not in a movie.

[@adamcoates2890]

Haha John was so mad there at the end when Van Johnson and Arlene were talking and ignoring him. John started to ask van when his picture opened, but then Van interrupts John to list the stars, Shelley Winters etc. As soon as van takes a breath then John quickly almost yells, " WHEN!?" And he did it right in Van Johnson's ear. You can tell that made John mad.

[@dancelli714]

Van could have said yes instead of mentioning that he is separated. Technically he's still married.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Ok thanks very much for that.

[@VahanNisanian]

Arlene's right arm is still in a sling, because of her car accident. it was off by the next episode (Woody Allen's first appearance).

[@davidsanderson5918]

Vahan Nisanian She didn't have it in a sling on the episode she made her comeback on so she must've had a relapse.

[@kristabrewer9363]

@@davidsanderson5918 I wondered about that, because I JUST saw the previous episode (like I mean JUST saw it), and I don't remember her arm being in a sling)

[@sallyhaid7030]

@@davidsanderson5918 She had capes on the first two episodes she was back. I imagine they were to cover the sling.

[@washoe4827]

@@kristabrewer9363 the mind is the first thing to go...

[@eric4464]

Vegan Nisanian Are you saying that the "sling" was cut off by the next episode...or that her arm was cut off by the next episode...not sure because of the way you phrase your comment

[@neilmidkiff]

John Daly was in a punning mood at the end, conflating "humid" with "humored" at 24:18, and shortly thereafter, when Bennett suggests that he should try red socks like Van's, John says that he hasn't played baseball professionally (referring to the Red Sox). Maybe stumping the panel put him in a good mood....

[@shirtless6934]

Van Johnson played the Pied Piper of Hamlein and then the Minstrel on the Batman show.

[@leesher1845]

So many of the older contestants were hard of hearing. They were apparently resistant to wearing hearing aids.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

the elderly horse timer wasn't too elderly to spend a few extra moments with the lovely Arlene Francis

[@troydante]

I know! I wonder what was said between them ...

[@adamcoates2890]

After watching this series a few times, it suddenly occurred to me that the panel actually may be doing the whole questioning wrong. In the instance of tonight with the lady deals in a product: They always start out the questioning about the product itself, such as asking it's edible or if it's used by men or women and things like that. But what they should try to do is start out and find out where they work and ask: do you work in an office? do you work at a grocery store? do you work at a department store? Do you work outside? I think they can find out much more quickly where the contestant works, and then they can easily narrow down the product.

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

Now it can be said that Robert Q and Van Johnson were playing two games, the other being, "I've Got a Secret."

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

Yep...you got it!

[@stlmopoet]

This may seem out of nowhere since the thread that inspired it is gone, but my mother always said: "There is so much good in the worst of us, And so much bad in the best of us, That it hardly behooves any of us To talk about the rest of us." Checked online and it is a quote from Edward Wallis Hoch (1849-1925).

[@WhatsMyLine]

Funny- that line was appropriated, in slightly modified form, by Gracie Allen! I deleted that thread, for the record, once it became crystal clear that the remarks there weren't just inadvertent gaffes, but a dedicated trolling attempt.

[@stlmopoet]

What's My Line? I'd love to see the Gracie Allen mangling of the phrase. She and George were always wonderful. I almost said brilliant. I guess she was brilliant at acting not brilliant.

[@WhatsMyLine]

stlmopoet Oh, man, that's a tough order! I know it was used in a 4th season TV show. I'll try to find it, but I don't want to make any promises.

[@stlmopoet]

What's My Line? I wasn't meaning to make you search. No need.

[@WhatsMyLine]

stlmopoet Ah, okay, cause it will really be difficult to find, and knowing it's in a 4th season show, I know I've only *just* recently re-watched that whoole era, so it would be a bit tedious (I've seen every episode of the whole series many times over-- HUGE fan of the B&A TV show.) But please do take my word for it, I'm absolutely *certain* it was used, if a bit paraphrased (as you imagine the word "behooves" wouldn't sound right coming from Gracie!) I know it was in a scene where Gracie is talking to her wardrobe woman, Jane (played by Elvia Allman). Just can't narrow down which show it was.

[@robertmelson2130]

I think that once and for all they should establish an interpretation of what it means for a product to be consumable. Given the mix of occupations seen on the show, it is very important to find out if a person (or animal) would consume the product versus whether it is used up. It seems that the panel always gets free information, essentially a free question's worth, when they ask if something is consumable when it's a product that is used up (like the fireworks here), rather than being eaten or drunk or smoked

[@WhatsMyLine]

Robert Melson Yes, I agree, another rare point on which John was less than perfect as a moderator. This came up over and over again. If the panelist asked, "Is this product consumed?" and got an immediate, unqualified yes, then they pretty much knew it was something eaten or swallowed. When John started in on the, "Do you mean consumed as in used up" nonsense, it was pretty much clear that the product *wasn't* eaten or swallowed. Leave it to these sly panelists, though, to take good advantage of this as often as possible!

[@robertmelson2130]

What's My Line? Exactly! It's taken me "13 years" (that's WML years) to finally say something, but that one specifically has been going on for a long time....and bugging me for a long time. All it would take to fix is to make a simple statement once and for all about how the word would be interpreted. John's got too much going on to worry/think about it off-air, your "sly panelists" would like to keep the advantageous tactic available, and the producers don't find it important, so stuff like that never gets addressed. One of the effects of doing the show live is that such things are "out of sight, out of mind, " after the shows.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

+Robert Melson That and the strange conceit that plants aren't living things are huge annoyances for me on the program (plus the general confusion about basic taxonomy).

[@markxxx21]

You're not wrong but over the years the definition changed depending on the asker. But in the end the celebrity can ask the question exactly as they want, so there's no need for clarification.

[@washoe4827]

@@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods especially the plant in little shop of horrors...

[@loissimmons6558]

I don't have much connection with South Dakota (had lunch during a thunderstorm in Sioux Falls one time, just before the tornado warnings were issued). But the other two challengers would have been right down the street from me in a way. For the first 8 years of my life, I lived a little over 2 blocks from Aqueduct Race Track and the grammar school I attended overlooked the track. When its upgrade was completed our street got the outflow of traffic when the last race had been run. It would have been the way Mr. Hodgson might have driven home to get to Jamaica. And for 8 years of my adult life (~2004-12), I faithfully attended a church (and was an elder and financial officer there) on the same street (about 0.6 miles away) as the nursing home where Van Johnson spent the final years of his life.

[@washoe4827]

religion poisons everything.

[@bluecamus5162]

This conflict about what constitutes 'transportation' has come up before.in relation to horses, and I think John is always in the wrong. I don't think you can qualify a jockey going around a track as 'transportation' in the sense of the word that most people would understand.

[@maynardsmoreland]

Wow, the panel was shut out! Anyone recall another instance like this?

[@soulierinvestments]

It happened often enough to be noticed. and Robert Q was one of the better players, too. The panel had some difficulty over the years identifying Horse racing of the various sorts. The night Walter Brennan appeared for the first time as a mystery guest, a trotter racer from Boondocks, Iowa with full beard utterly bamboozled the panel.

[@RikardPeterson]

I can't recall any other instance where they didn't get a single contestant right. (The fireworks coming in contact with the body was a bit misleading, and I think a no answer would have been more appropriate. It was still a correct answer though - it's not an easy balancing act.)

[@alanfollett6242]

+Rikard Peterson Sparklers, perhaps, which are often held by the stem and waved around when in use?

[@stephensaunders1845]

+Rikard Peterson You might be amazed by what was held in the hand at a time when people were considerably less risk-averse and preoccupied by health, safety and litigation.

[@loissimmons6558]

Fireworks (firecrackers, etc.) have to be picked up to light them.

[@scottpardee6303]

I felt sorry for Van Johnson when he was asked if he was married, and he had to answer that he was separated.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Wives And Lovers sung by Jack Jones is a great record. Just sayin'. :)

[@shuroom57]

Find on KZbin the performance he did of it for the troops in the '60's. He pulled an Army nurse out of the audience to sing it to. It's a very enjoyable number.

[@jmccracken1963]

Perhaps "Robert Q. Lewis (panel)" could be added to the title of this episode, as he is a guest panelist......

[@WhatsMyLine]

Unlike the video title that omitted Phyllis Newman, omitting RQL from the titles is quite intentional. You'll find he's not named in any of the dozens of WML eps he was on. . .

[@Karen-nn6kg]

What is with Arlene and all of her injuries? Numerous appearances with an eyepatch, an ankle injury and now a sling.

[@macmcleod1188]

I don't know about the other ones, but this was a well-known car accident. They had to substitute in another actress for her the day the accident occurred.

[@joelfogelsanger5773]

The race track guy was on Long Island....of course he was near water...dumb question!

[@peternagy-im4be]

Don't be silly Joel.

[@lenafan492]

Van Johnson looks like Danny LaRue without the drag

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Cerf was not half as smart as he thought he was. His wild hunch is were usually wrong actually almost always wrong.

[@kristabrewer9363]

What happened to Arlene? I just finished watching the previous episode (and I mean I JUST finished), and I don't remember her arm being in a sling.

[@slaytonp]

The best way to watch this is from the beginning, in sequence.

[@washoe4827]

ignorance becomes you. no offense intended...

[@slaytonp]

@@washoe4827 Thank you, no offense taken. I think I was on my second tequila and tonic and thought I was saying something funny.

[@washoe4827]

@@slaytonp no probes, dude... my reply was to krissy...

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Well, at least we know that if you graduated from the University of South Dakota, you could get keep your job selling fireworks

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Look’s like Martin won the fight

[@soulierinvestments]

Johnson had lousy luck on WML:. His 1953 appearance did not get played because newspapers reported it before the fact. And this appearance is just . . . well, painful.

[@washoe4827]

less painful than if YOU had been on...

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Random house has got to be the worst possible name for a book publishing company

[@kentetalman9008]

It just means that, rather than specializing, they print all kind of books.

[@JohnJones-fg1dd]

Van Johnson was married?

[@su8483]

Yes. "Johnson married former stage actress Eve Abbott (May 6, 1914 - October 10, 2004) on January 25, 1947, the day after her divorce was finalized from actor Keenan Wynn. In 1948, they had daughter Schuyler." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Johnson They divorced in 1961.

[@macmcleod1188]

He was married but it was a bit of a beard marriage. I think it would be fair to say that he was bisexual but had a preference for men. On the wiki, they say that the marriage was arranged by the studio. They divorced because he became infatuated with a particular young male dancer.

[@pattimaeda6097]

Poor voice disguise

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Maybe because I could see him it's different for me and the way I experience it, but I don't think Van Johnson's disguised voice was very good.

[@johnsmith-gd6mt]

was Van Johnson one of the homosexual peoples?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Who gives a damn? Honestly.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

john smith why do you ask? was he your type?

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

+john smith Yes, he was. According to his Wikipedia article, his marriage was engineered by MGM to quell rumours about his sexual orientation. Another victim of the celluloid closet.

[@macmcleod1188]

Bisexual but with a preference for men. The marriage was arranged by the studio. As a bisexual myself, I feel that bisexuals and homosexuals are present at a higher rate in Hollywood than in the general population.