What's My Line? - Vaughn Monroe (Mar 28, 1954)

MYSTERY GUEST: Vaughn Monroe
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf
----------------------------
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[@ChadQuick270W]

Hilarious bit there with Steve and Bennett shaking each other’s hands 😂

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

They were like I'm gonna have my hand shaken if it kills me and I don't care by who! 😂❤

[@erilindigmaya2707]

The best!

[@davidarcudi230]

Bennett had the best grin

[@dinahbrown902]

Devilish 😊

[@erilindigmaya2707]

Such a handsome man ❤

[@diamondstud322]

Guest 2 may have been awkward about shaking hands, but she was absolutely riveting. Hahaha 😂🤣😂

[@kennethbutler1343]

Nice save by Arlene on the first contestant! I thought the panel was doomed.

[@roostero]

" I think she raises skunks." Real nice, Dorothy.

[@dinahbrown902]

To go with her eyebrows 🤣

[@juliansinger]

Mrs. Caparruva went on to become a teacher's aide in the Elizabeth public schools for over 20 years. She died in 2015. (At age 88.) Mrs. Foley, meanwhile, I can't find any hint of.

[@loissimmons6558]

+juliansinger A shame. I'm sure I would have found Mrs. Foley's story to be riveting. :-) Quite frankly, I was surprised her outfit had short sleeves and she had slender arms. I would think anyone with the job would need a lot of strength to hold that piece of equipment, aim it and keep it under control with all the vibrations it would be generating. Maybe she was very wiry. I'm also thinking that she started doing that work during WWII (a real-life "Rosie the Riveter") but managed to keep her job when the "boys" came home from the war.

[@MrYfrank14]

I think you are confusing building construction rivets, for I beams , and airplane rivets. I beams required a heavy tool, airplanes used a small power tool, about the size of an electric drill. www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history/pictures/women-factory-workers-of-world-war-ii/wwii-female-defense-worker digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-a911-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

[@dancelli714]

The shaking hands incident was funny.

[@jackkomisar458]

At 1:21, Bennett Cerf said, "Well, we've all just been intoxicated by Rodgers and Hammerstein's music." He was referring to the "General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein" that aired that evening on the four major TV networks of the time, DuMont, CBS, NBC, and ABC. The show featured 14 songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals including "Oklahoma!", "State Fair", "Carousel", "Allegro", "South Pacific", "The King and I", and "Me and Juliet". The hosts were Groucho Marx, Mary Martin, Jack Benny, Ed Sullivan and Edgar Bergen with his puppet, Charlie McCarthy, and the performers included Mary Martin, Ezio Pinza, Yul Brynner, Gordon MacRae, and Rosemary Clooney.

[@dejpsyd0421]

I wonder if that can be found on KZbin…I’m going to look NOW! :)

[@jeffreygrossi2800]

Interesting to watch this show 4 days before I was born......

[@adamodeo9320]

Vaughn Monroe's Riders in the Sky is a must

[@dejpsyd0421]

Agreed!

[@scotnick59]

From Vaughn's speaking voice, you'd never know what a great baritone singing voice had he

[@belindaalbright8798]

I'm afraid he was a baritone. A basso voice indicates he was a bass who sang opera, which he did not. He had an orchestra and was the lead singer, big band and was a jazz man. He also sang popular songs. He was known as "the baritone with muscles."

[@44032]

"Is this something that every working girl hopes one day to own?" If ever there was a planted question, that was it.

[@TheBraveIntrovert]

How is Dorothy back a week after having a baby? I guess it was just for 30 mins, but I think that was awesome she was there.

[@loissimmons6558]

Nine days afterwards, to be exact. As W.C. Fields might have said, "That woman's a trooper!" +Jon H posted that the TV Guide for this week stated that she would still be out on maternity leave for this episode. I would imagine they had another panelist lined up in case Dorothy was unable to go on. I wonder who it was. And I would imagine the heat from the lighting would be the hardest part for Dorothy to endure, while the production staff is hoping she won't have a problem halfway through. (Spock: "I'm afraid we have no time to test the theory, Captain." Kirk: "We have no choice. We'll have to risk it.") And hopefully she had a nice, soft donut or horseshoe cushion to sit on for a few weeks.

[@anneroy4560]

She likely could not bear to think they could manage without her ...

[@NoobsShadow]

@Anne Roy They really didn't that well, she was a needed piece to the puzzle. And yes women were made of sterner stuff back then. My mother went in to labor at 3:05 and I was born at 5:03. No epidural no painkillers and she never let out a grown or cry. She was back at her job within 2 weeks. Now women want maternity leave for 6 months. This was only a 5'7" 120 lbs. lady btw, not a lumberjack.

[@davidarcudi230]

Tough lady

[@neilmidkiff]

@@loissimmons6558 I may be wrong, but I think Fields would have spelled it "trouper" -- that is, a reliable worker, as in a theatrical troupe, with the attitude that "the show must go on."

[@ivangranger8494]

Ghost Rider’s in the, Sky. Loved, his version.

[@BabeFroman]

I made the mistake of taking a sip of coffee when Mr Monroe first answered and nearly shot it out my nose!

[@BabeFroman]

Annnd again with the "is your weenie shot to pieces?"

[@davidd33511]

@@BabeFroman What did she mean by "is your weenie shot to pieces?"

[@oriontaylor]

David Densford A weenie was a nickname for when Dorothy Kilgallen had an idea.

[@jehobden]

TV Guide stated that Dorothy K would still be out on maternity leave for this show. She came back a week early I guess.

[@Baskerville22]

Arlene guessed the marriage license guest's line right out of the blue. Not the first time she has done something like that. I think she got pre-show inside info.

[@zarabada6125]

She was definitely given some clues in advance from time to time. I just watched one from 1960 where the panel was questioning a stockbroker. The questioning went as normal until Arlene's turn, when she asks if the contestant advises people about what to do with their money (money had not been mentioned at all up to that point). Arlene then asked if travel was involved and got a "no". The panel cycled through, mostly moving away from Arlene's line of questioning, only for Arlene to ask if the contestant was involved in stocks as soon as it got back to her.

[@NHfiddle]

Wow, this aired three days after I was born.

[@NoobsShadow]

As I've already said somewhere probably... This was the classic lineup and by far the best imo. Everyone has their own preference but to me the show just didn't work without John, and Dorothy, and/or Arlene. Preferably with all three.

[@ChadQuick270W]

NoobsShadow I agree. This panel is the best foursome for this program 👍

[@shirleyrombough8173]

NoobsShadow - And with Steve Allen. The best panel and of course moderator.

[@mikejschin]

Agreed: Dorothy, Steve, Arlene and Bennett constituted the ideal panel. Many people comment on the episodes after Dorothy's 1965 death that the show was never quite the same, and I agree with also. But few, if any, have noted that it was never the same after Steve Allen left as a regular panelist. Fred Allen was good and Martin Gabel was good as a frequent guest panelist, as was Tony Randall. There were several other guest panelists who filled in well. But the show lost something when Steve's humor and quick wit left, and that something was never quite regained.

[@lllowkee6533]

I AGREE ❣️

[@dinahbrown902]

And Martin 😊

[@richardr2555]

Mystery guests hated it if they fooled the panel. It meant they weren't that famous or well known. At times they would use there normal voice to help give it away like Vaughn did when Bennett asked a question.

[@dinahbrown902]

Egos

[@epaddon]

It seems like twice Bennett goes out of his way to signal the idea that he has no idea who Vaughn Monroe is with his "It's your daughter Marilyn, I know" crack after the panel is stumped and then his closing, "These mystery guests are getting awfully mysterious" remark.

[@PepsiMama2]

I'm with the stumped one... I don't know who Vaughn Monroe is...

[@epaddon]

PepsiMama2 He was a popular singer in the late 40s and early 50s. If you've seen "Die Hard" that's his version of "Let It Snow" that plays over the end credits of the first two Die Hard movies.

[@michaeljayklein500]

epaddon Maybe even better known for "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "There, I've Said it Again" as well.

[@loissimmons6558]

Vaughn Monroe's theme song was "Racing With the Moon". I'm sure my dad had it on a 78 rpm record. Somewhere deep in my bat cave, I have the meticulous listings he kept of each record sorted by song name and artist name. Recently, I also saw him do a delightful turn in a 1962 episode of Bonanza where the Cartwright sons don't think the ladies will go for the way he sings, but it turns out they like it just fine.

[@garybryson1900]

Vaughn Monroe was a fine singer.

[@melianna999]

Dorothy missed only one episode after she gave birth to her son Karry. Strong woman.

[@errolfan]

How soon the great big band leaders were forgotten in the fifties. Reminds me of Errol Flynn's appearance on the show. It's almost like , if it wasn't current in the big apple, it didn't happen. These knowledgeable people should have known who their celeb was within 5 minutes. With or without the trumpet canard (I also didn't know that Vaughn played the trumpet).

[@WAL_DC-6B]

2nd contestant was an actual "Rosie the Riveter" working for Republic Aviation. Republic built famous military aircraft such as the U.S. Army Air Force, WWII fighter P-47 Thunderbolt and postwar (WWII) USAF jet fighters such as the F-84 Thunderjet and the F-105 Thunderchief.

[@Widda68]

I never knew that Vaughn Monroe was left-handed.

[@retailexplorationwithdanny8070]

I’m left handed too

[@winstonsmith11]

For some context, the value of the dollar has obviously changed dramatically in 66 years. How dramatically? One dollar in 1954 was equal in value to $9.63 today. So every 5 dollar "No" is worth about 48 dollars today. 10 of those, and they're basically playing for $500. Not too shabby.

[@gugurupurasudaikirai7620]

Arlene just barely saved the panel from a rare shutout near the end of that first guest

[@1Vmiboy]

The best lineup by far. The show was at its peak with Dorothy, Steve, Arlene, Bennett and John. 2nd best was with that other fantastic Allen, Mr Fred Allen. Once Dorothy and both Allens were gone and Arlene was absent more often the show definitely faltered.

[@vaec58]

Love the fashion of that time!

[@MrWindermere123]

The question about marriage licenses 'Has it ever been alive?' got a No but if the license is made of paper and the paper came from a tree then the answer could be Yes. It depends how far back you want to go into the composition of an object. This episode didn't have a 3rd unfamous challenger because the Mystery Guest segment ran to 10 No answers - that's rare in my KZbin experience of these great shows.

[@neilmidkiff]

In the show's idiosyncratic terms of reference, "alive" was usually restricted to animal life, not vegetable life. This really bothers many of us who remember our science classes, but it explains lots of answers that seem strange to us. Also, there wasn't much consistency about considering component parts. Here, it does seem reasonable to emphasize the license as a legal permission as opposed to thinking of it as a piece of paper, so I'm comfortable with "not alive" in this case.

[@4seeableTV]

What Neil said.

[@waynehowell6160]

A bandleader who sings. With my 2015 mindset, I can only think of two: Rudy Vallee and Vaughn Monroe, and Rudy was a tenor. (Dorothy had established he was a baritone.) When I was about 5 years old, my mom brought out an album of 78s entitled Vaughn Monroe's Dreamland Special. I asked her if that was Marilyn Monroe's husband. (c. 57 or 58)

[@WhatsMyLine]

corner moose Cab Calloway springs to mind.

[@waynehowell6160]

All right, smarty!

[@dancebandleader]

Sorry, Rudy was a baritone, although his early recordings were sung in keys not very suitable. See his autobiography commenting on "As Time Goes By"

[@ToddSF]

I think a lot of band leaders used to do some singing. Ozzie Nelson did, and his recordings were popular. He also had a well-known female band singer he worked with, one Harriet Hilliard, who sang solos and also frequently sang duets with Ozzie. (They eventually got married and were well known together as "Ozzie and Harriet".) Desi Arnaz is another band leader who often sang while his band played the instrumental accompaniment. Bob Crosby (Bing's brother) was another one. There were many more.

[@jvcomedy]

I saw this discussion referring to Rudy Vallee as a tenor and a baritone so out of curiosity I did some research and found numerous sites that refer to him as a tenor and several described him as a "thin tenor", but none referred to him as being a baritone. Although I did find that he did have a baritone sax.

[@freddyfurrah3789]

Let it snow let it snow let it snow

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

I bet Rosebud was the only Rosebud in the entire history of her high school. I just realized that Dorothy was 40 when she had her last child.

[@gingerfellah5665]

Women always had babies in their 40’s it was less common to have a FIRST baby in 1954.

[@scotnick59]

Like Dorothy's "look" in this one.

[@zekezacker9449]

The panelists tend to be New York City-centric, and as such, it is not so surprising they could not guess Vaughn Monroe...the panelists tend to know folks who have performed in New York City theaters, and/or who have recently performed in NYC movies and presentation houses. I may have missed it, but the panelists did not ask about Mr. Monroe's shows on radio or TV.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Jeepers! Three of the cast tonight make their big cash on "other networks". I guess Mutual had a monopoly on talent, huh?

[@PepsiMama2]

Somehow I don't think it makes the mystery guest feel too great when the panel cannot guess who they are..

[@Beson-SE]

Poor Vaughn Monroe. He looked more and more unhappy. It can't be fun to feel that unknown, although he was very famous indeed. The panel asked more than 30 questions during almost 10 minutes. Not a good day for them.

[@loissimmons6558]

2nd episode in a row that the panel got skunked trying to guess the MG

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

I feel the same too. And I don't like it neither when the panel finds out after 30 seconds . There is no build up.

[@TheNomadicview]

And then Bennett has to say something to make it a bit worse.

[@neilmidkiff]

Clearly Vaughan Monroe was unhappy as the guesses went on. But as I watch these in order, he's the first since General van Fleet the previous July that I've had to look up to see what he did. Whatever fame he had back then seems to have evaporated; at least, I can't recall hearing any of his recordings.

[@dutchtea8354]

Vaughn Monroe was the 5th known MG to stump the panel. At 23:02, John said, “Steve has got a weenie.” This was followed by Arlene asking, “Is your weenie shot to pieces?” These are the 15th and 16th usages. Steve said “good night, boys” for the 21st time, and Arlene for the 10th.

[@jeffreygrossi2800]

4 days before I was born.....

[@Hades2607]

I can not watch videos when the sound is on one side of the headset. other than that, This is a great show.

[@Scoupe400]

The later format after this is better. Shame this video cuts bits too.

[@taraxacum]

What's MyLine, it seems like some of this and some of the preceding episodes have lost their sound. Do you know what happened?

[@neilmidkiff]

I've listened to all the episodes up to this point in recent weeks and they all have sound, so it must be a setting on your device. One hint is that a few of the episodes apparently have sound only in one of the two stereo channels. (The originals were mono, so no audio information has been lost.) Perhaps you can adjust a balance control or something similar, if your player is currently set to listen only to the other channel.

[@larchmontmark1]

No, it isn't just his/her device. The same happened for me -- and nothing like it has happened with any other of the hundreds of these I've seen. (And see also yogibear2k2's comment below -- same thing.)

[@davidd33511]

I hear the panelists reference "presentation houses." What's the difference between a theater and presentation house? Is it what we refer to as an auditorium now?

[@davidd33511]

@Bessie D. Thanks very much! I've never heard of anything like that!

[@larchmontmark1]

Well, this is the second mystery guest in a row I'd never heard of (the other: John Hodiak), and it seems maybe the panel hardly had either. Was this guy ever really pretty well-known?? I wonder....

[@petemarshall8094]

Extremely well known at the time. I still hear his hit “Ghost Riders” on the radio at least once a week. (oldtime channels admittedly.) Very distinctive voice. Sammy Davis Jr. used to do impressions of Vaughan Monroe and Nat King Cole in his act with Sinatra and Dan Martin. Durrante often kidded Bing Crosby “Listen to me kid, and you’ll be the next Vaughan Monroe.” I’d not heard of Hodiak either, but Monroe had a much longer and celebrated career than say, Julius LaRosa or Johnnie Rae.

[@katieg2161]

They didn’t guess Paul Newman, either. 🤷‍♀️

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

Why do guests or John Daly himself often ask Dorothy K. to repeat her questions while we, watching the show at home , and even me , understand perfectly well what she said ? How come the sound on the spot would be less better thet are very near one another.

[@MrYfrank14]

the microphones were probably only for recording and the TV audience. everybody on stage and in the audience used the old fashion theater acoustics. most TV studios at that time were converted theaters. they were never set up with sound systems.

[@Sylvander1911]

@@MrYfrank14 CBS Studio 59 - where they were based until 1960 is now known as the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (previously the Mansfield) 47th St, just off Time Square. Interestingly I stayed in a hotel right next door when I was in NYC last May.

[@jacquesfantastique]

Colin Harris Did you have a nice time?

[@BillyAlabama]

There were all sorts of audio issues ACROSS the stage....if the turned the microphones up that started the terrible feedback. So while we could hear, the audience could, but they couldn’t sometimes hear each other did indeed happen. Remember they were on enormous sets...just because the curtains made it seem smaller, it was huge.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

ISSUES MARRIAGE LICENSES RIVITER

[@Kmac005]

I don't know if I've heard the panel get so many 'yes' answers and still not really get close to the identity of the mystery guest. But Vaughn was a little unusual given that he was a bandleader and lead singer. Many bandleaders may sing occasionally (Bob Wills comes to mind), but Vaughn did so more than most and I think that is what threw the panel. Arlene in particular didn't place Vaughn as much a lead singer as Vaughn did.

[@ladya1953]

Too bad Mrs. Foley's first name was not Rosie.

[@neilmidkiff]

But at least she was preceded on the show by a "Rosie" (actually Rosebud), so if you take the two regular contestants together.....

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun for 1/22/16: Watch along and join the discussion! Don't miss the special announcement in the newly posted video here (a lost episode has been found!): kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHSnnpWZia-Mnac ----------------------------- 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

[@weatherboi]

That link don't seem to work?

[@WhatsMyLine]

***** Sorry about that. That was just a video announcing the discovery of a lost episode of WML from 10/1/50. I had to pull down the announcement video for silly reasons, but this is the episode it was announcing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJvanK14eribepI

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

Newly posted available , if I click on , it says "Not available ". But I have enough of the others to have fun with.

[@sean2015]

17:48 Little did the people in 1954 know that this question would not be a joke 60 years down the road.

[@dinahbrown902]

Is to me

[@sean2015]

@@dinahbrown902 please learn proper grammar before leaving comments

[@dinahbrown902]

@@sean2015 Twill do Sean🤪

[@sean2015]

@@dinahbrown902 good, and I’ll assume the “twill” was just a typo

[@dinahbrown902]

@@sean2015 yes teacher🤮

[@accomplice55]

What did Dorothy ask Monroe before "Are you a baritone?"

[@sandrageorge3488]

Are you a fellow?

[@vivianrodriguez2403]

I wonder what John said to Mr. Monroe at the end. His didn’t look pleased.

[@hnewyork5996]

"Is your weenie really shot to pieces?" lol jk

[@marcuslarinen684]

Wonder who Dorothy was thinking of with the "curly hair"?

[@joelake7986]

Eddie Fisher?

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

And trumpet seems to be a good clue ,too.

[@billmiller119]

I GUESS RUDY VALLEE

[@billmiller119]

HE HAD CURLY HAIR !….////

[@rickrick5041]

Marcus Larinen Curly Howard

[@edmondscott7444]

Pity not very loud.

Gosh, this episode is jumping about all over the place and we are missing so much. Sorry, I guess I am being a little pedantic, but this sound blocking and jumping is making it impossible to watch. But thank you anyway.

[@redneckscumbags4422]

doesn't he have many billboard #1s and a dozen top 10 hits in the 40s/50s...how can these ppl not know who he is? Was the music industry irrelevant back in those days?

[@BillyAlabama]

Bennett sometimes mistook bad manners for humor.

[@dutchtea8354]

As did Fredric March the week before.

[@bgmeadows6085]

Vaughn was a leftie. Didn't know that.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

BG Meadows - What do you mean by lefty?

[@dcasper8514]

Explain yourself BG, there are people who think you're talking politics.

[@philippapay4352]

Other than his being a superb moderator, I have always been repulsed by how in love with himself Daly is. However, though a plain Jane myself, if he were the 8th Wonder of the TV World that Cerf seems to think Daly is, he was still not an attractive man. He is plain and middle-aged and balding with a weird comb-over and a shit-eating smile when being what he thinks is justifiably complimented and named all his sons after himself and took a lot of time away from mystery guests who were generally there as guests at the agreement of the publicists to promote something, even if it were a charity. People wanted to know about the guests not about Daly, because Daly over the years told us everything but his blood type.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Philippa Pay - I don't think these panelists or the moderator deserves this kind of criticism. They all seemed to have such fun with each other. I guess I don't know why they couldn't guess Vaughn Monroe. He was pretty well known then I think.

[@kathleenharris3403]

I think Daly is a wonderful host, I've seen him fawn over some of the mystery guests, acting like he was in awe. He isn't all about himself and you for some reason just don't like him.

[@philippapay4352]

@@kathleenharris3403 I watched these with my parents as a child in real time and have watched them all multiple times hereon as an adult. I said immediately above that John Daly is a superb moderator. Yet he exhibits smarmy, lugubrious sincerity in all things and fawns over guests constantly without giving most of the mystery guests their due in terms of advertising the new work their agents & publicists have sent them there to promote. Often Arlene &/or Dorothy interrupt him to remind him of the work that the public was to be told of during the celebrity spot. It really is pervasive, if you watch them all. So much so that when the 25 year anniversary of the original program was going to be honored with a special, the network went back over the mystery guest spots and had to can the idea of using them because there were not enough of them for a program to just listen to these historic figures talk about themselves and their work. They were stunned at Daly's constant intrusions about himself or a friend of his they might know or had they ever read thus and so and how much he recommended it, instead of letting them speak for themselves for the history books.

[@robertsvorinich7959]

Ms. Pay I agree with you. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Great minds think alike. LOL. Daly and Cerf ganging on Henry Morgan was a funny episode. I liked Morgan. Morgan tiring of Cerf's crush on Daly zinged Cerf good.

[@philippapay4352]

@@robertsvorinich7959 Henry Morgan was not a major talent nor a nice man. Cerf & Daly had their little number going to add some humor to the show, if nothing else was sparking much. Cerf, you will note, spoke of other people and places, thus promoting them and their works. Whereas, Daly was all about Daly or creating obligation in others by overly praising them with the same words, almost exactly, for each one of them. When Morgan tromped on Cerf, it was without justification before anything overdone had time to have occurred and it was rude to someone who was chosen for the spot he held on the show due to his understanding of what the producers wanted. One of Morgan's flaws was not knowing the game he was now participating in nor what the audience expected of the panelists. I believe Morgan was never on again and with good reason. Some greats in show biz did not do well on the panel because they used up too much time about themselves and did not keep the game moving or were not funny, even when they were comedic geniuses in other venues. Among those few were Groucho Marx and Victor Borge and Wally Cox, who were all excellent in other situations or formats. They just were not familiar enough with this show. Most performers were more flexible with better timing than they.