What's My Line? - William Bendix; Garson Kanin [panel] (Jul 5, 1959)

MYSTERY GUEST: William Bendix
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Garson Kanin, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@jesper2455]

11:10 Arlene seemed impressed when the boy bowed quickly to the audience on his way out and pointed it out to the others. Fun little detail!

[@kathyfrew7282]

I LOVE the details!!

[@thomasthompson6378]

The boy ended up becoming, not a doctor, but a CPA with some reputation for helping individuals make wise investments (something he still does today).

[@aileen694]

@@thomasthompson6378 thanks, I wondered how the kid did later in life!

[@donnacook8994]

Roy was such a smart young man! His penmanship was AMAZING! He even acknowledged the audience! He was quite professional! 👏👏👏

[@operadog2000]

William Bendix was a great actor.

[@HassoBenSoba]

Absolutely

[@savethetpc6406]

I liked Garson Kanin's clever introduction of Dorothy Kilgallen.(1:24)

[@shirleyrombough8173]

SaveThe TPC - Me too.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Yeah and of course it figures coming from a serious writer. They know how to introduce an item with wit.

[@neilmidkiff]

Arlene asks the boy "Are you a winsome caddy?" I was expecting Bennett to jump in and say "You winsome, you lose some."

[@cuttersboi08]

That certainly worthy of Mr. Cerf. Well done.

[@battlegirldeb]

I love Willam Bendix here in D.C. on Sunday nights you can listen to a old radio show of the Life of Riley.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Little known fact: the series "The Life of Riley" was co-created by Groucho Marx (and two time Marx Brothers writer Irving Brecher).

[@MrUhwoody]

Arlene is a hoot!

[@robertmelson2130]

I thought Mrs. Sebening (who raised spiders) was delightful with her mannerisms, her facial expressions, her slight French accent. She was just....different...in a very charming way.

[@TheNomadicview]

I felt that she had a slight hearing problem.

[@HassoBenSoba]

@@TheNomadicview I thought so too, and it affected her speech a bit.

[@Kate8790]

I just can't believe Arlene is 52 here! She looks great!

[@steveburrus9347]

Ya Arlene vastly outlived everyone else assocated with WML. She lived until May 31, 2001, the age of 93! In 2nd place in longevity was John Daly who passed at age 77.

[@Mafon2]

No way!

[@dpm-jt8rj]

An absolutely stunning and very beautiful lady.

[@erichanson426]

Very polite young man the first guest was

[@lednew2010]

Funny that one panelist asked if he was Jackie Gleason since, less than a year after this show, Wm. Bendix would replace Jackie Gleason in the Broadway Musical "Take Me Along." About 8 years before this, Bendix would replace Jackie Gleason on Chester Riley in the TV series "The Life Of Riley!"

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

The weirdness of WML's categorizations of the animal kingdom never ceases to amaze.

[@nelsonricardo3729]

I mean, we have to assume that John and the panelists graduated high school, but some of their "broad terms of reference" call that achievement into question.

[@dawnjohnson3263]

@@nelsonricardo3729 it's because in 20 questions the categories are Aminal Vegetable or Mineral? Everything falls within 3 groups. It's just to narrow it. So car or camera would come under mineral

[@dawnjohnson3263]

Because those are 20 questions categories. Only to narrow an item down. Animal Vegetable or Mineral

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

@@dawnjohnson3263 Not really. 15:00: "Is it animal, rather than [vegetable or] fish?" Any amount of confused thinking on these lines across these old episodes. (I oughtn't to have said "WML's categorizations" - it's mainly the panellists whose grasp of what constitutes an animal is so shaky.)

[@sagarsaxena6318]

If spiders didn't bite we would've never had "Spider-man". Arlene's reaction was spot on lol.

[@davidsoulier6375]

The kid has very good penmanship.

[@rtflone]

Terrific playwright Garson Kanin was married to Ruth Gordon for 43 yrs until her death age 88. One of his best plays imo, and smash Broadway hit in 1950 was Born Yesterday starring the great Judy Holliday. She also starred in the 1951 movie of the same name with Wm Holden and Broderick Crawford. BY is the story of a seemingly dim NY chorus girl (JH) who accompanies her wealthy but crude salvage dealer boyfriend (Crawford) down to DC where he's working on buying off a US Senator. To keep her out of his hair Crawford pays newspaper man Holden to show her around DC. That's all the setup I'll give. Born Yesterday needs to be top of your bucket list of old movies if you haven't seen it. It's very funny, the acting is fantastic, and the story is more politically relevant today than it was in 1950..

[@nickarcher03]

Thank you for compiling these episodes. They have provided hours and hours of enjoyment. I can't imagine the hard work it must have taken. May I make a suggestion for a compilation? Would you consider a compilation of kids (Or "youngsters")? Thanks and thanks again for your efforts.

[@kathyfrew7282]

At the age of 71, I remember Bill on Life of Riley when I was VERY small, like 2-3 or4 so!! Loved it!! 😂💘

[@kentetalman9008]

"Life of Riley" was one of my favorite shows of my childhood. But for the life of me, I can't remember a damn thing about the show.

[@rmelin13231]

@@kentetalman9008 How about his tag line: "What a revolting development this is"? That's what I remember most about the show.

[@juliansinger]

My main knowledge of Kanin is his 1971 collection of stories about Hepburn and Tracy (after which Hepburn not-so-cordially hated him forever), so this should be interesting. (Edit: Unsurprisingly, he is incisively funny, and quite good.)

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

5 Dollars in those days must have been like about 50 now!!

[@soulierinvestments]

People complain that Doorthy was argumentative -- but Arlene could draw the line in the sand as well, as illustrated by her intense reaction to the non-biting arachnidia.

[@loissimmons6558]

+soulierinvestments Arlene would argue to get a no changed to a yes many times, maybe even more frequently than Dorothy. The difference, however, is that Dorothy's mien was usually quite serious and determined at such a time, whereas Arlene was usually smiling, and if not, the smile would return to her face quickly. Such things are not as unpleasant when they are sugar-coated.

[@sleb99]

soulierinvestments actually the raiser of spiders was correct. They don’t bite, they sting. Not mouth but rear end.

[@rmelin13231]

@@sleb99 Well done!

[@donnacook8994]

Will Bendix was hilarious, and I loved this segment, and couldn't stop laughing! 🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏

[@BETTERWORLDSGT]

Good one. The best William Bendix Movie was "Kill the Umpire"

[@davidsanderson5918]

Wow. A thirteen-year-old kid gifted the equivalent of five hundred dollars just like that!!!

[@LightningSt0rm]

$50 not $500 according to Google in 2022 (2 years after this comment)

[@vingotaq777]

Garson Kanin was a very interesting panellist

[@rmelin13231]

I thought he did quite well as a panelist.

[@loissimmons6558]

Garson Kanin and his publisher, Bennett Cerf, both had the same tendency to act surprised at times when they got a yes answer, including saying something like "you do" or "it is" with a note of surprise. Kanin, of course, was a rookie on the panel. But Cerf knew the game well enough to frame the question in reverse if he thought that was more likely to get a yes answer. It intrigues me that he was surprised that often to get a yes.

[@preppysocks209]

or he fully expected the answer to be affirmative and wanted to impress people by thinking that he had hit up on something unexpected, or he wanted to stall for time before his next question

[@randyhutton9371]

With Cerf, it often sounds as if he is doubting the contestants' answers.

[@loissimmons6558]

Interesting that John Daly flew from Tokyo to Seattle on July 4, 1959. It is quite likely that such a flight would have taken him over the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. With Alaska being admitted to the Union on 1/3/59, the new U.S. flag with 49 stars would have become official on 7/4/59. It would only be the official flag for one year as Hawaii was admitted to the Union on 8/21/59 and the 50 star flag became official on 7/4/60.

[@washoe4827]

i don't think they'd go near the aleutians

[@tonyleach3181]

I was born on 4th July 1959 at 2:30pm London UK time.... I believe this was when John Daly was in Tokyo prior to flying to California.....

[@rmelin13231]

@@washoe4827 Every time I flew from the west coast to eastern Asia (and vice versa), we flew over the Aleutians.

[@washoe4827]

@@rmelin13231 Thanks, Roger, I didn't know that.

[@neilmidkiff]

Despite John's claim at 2:35 that he "finally got the International Date Line straightened out," it still has as many zigzags and bends as it did before his trip. Just look at a map if you don't believe me. :)

[@loissimmons6558]

John's remarks were on behalf of Goodson-Todman who were exploring the idea of a spin off: "What's My International Date Line?"

[@CzechMirco]

Actually it got more zigzaggy and bendy since his times. The Pacific island nations almost always want to be on the opposite side of the line than where they belong geographically and there were many switches in recent decades.

[@juliansinger]

I belieeeve that at 21:49, when Kanin mentions 'Bill Holden's horse', that he is in fact referring to the movie The Horse Soldiers, which had come out just recently, and in which Holden starred. Or possibly it's something else and I'm making stuff up.

[@soulierinvestments]

Game one. Great signature for a kid. I wonder if he had to undergo federal security clearance and if his father was a Republican. WML in this period had an affinity for employed boys. A number of them showed up from conductor Joey What’s his name onward. My two personal favorites were Canadian columnist Henry Makow and circus performer Ray Valentine. Oh yes -- who could forget the guy who raised eggs and called Arlene 'sir' ?

[@washoe4827]

i forget that one...

[@juliehuston8609]

What was the episode in which Arlene was called sir? Edit: Nevermind, I got it now. The January 29, 1961 episode with Julie Newmar

[@janetmarletto6667]

Remember that most of the contestants applied to appear.

[@ktrinablue3774]

I am curious to know what ever happened to young Roy Fairman. Did he become a doctor? Where is he now and what is he doing?

[@SuperWinterborn]

Ry Cade Thanks for posting this info.!

[@ryanschroer]

Ry Cade He was interviewed from the Gettysburg Times in 1988..and he admired Ike very much, also he appeared on To Tell The Truth in 1959 also.

[@gailsirois7175]

Actually, an accountant

[@belindaalbright8798]

I too was wondering the same regarding the young man becoming a doctor. He seemed quite sure about his choice.

[@christopherjones8517]

He was also on to tell the truth!

[@WendyDarling1974]

Dorothy: "Is it animal, rather than mineral or fish?" Her biology questions are always so inane :) A couple episode back, she admitted most of her knowledge of animals is from Disney cartoons.

[@slaytonp]

She isn't the only one. They are all uneducated in the basic biological sciences, including John Daly.

[@Gwaithmir]

I found the spider lady's occupation interesting. For 15 years I operated a caterpillar farm.

[@kulturekritik9665]

Wow! What was that like?

[@Gwaithmir]

@@kulturekritik9665 It was fascinating work. I reared and sold about 2,500 specimens annually. I specialized in giant Saturniid Moths: Antheraea polyphemus, Actias luna, Hyalophora cecropia and Callosamia promethea. I sold the cocoons and ova to private collectors, universities and biological supply houses. I had to close my operation around 2005 when the bottom fell out of the market.

[@kulturekritik9665]

@@Gwaithmir Somebody should have done a documentary on you!

[@kulturekritik9665]

Arlene is right about the spiders. They all bite, but some of them aren't able to pierce human skin.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_Golf Caddy (Caddies for President Eisenhower)_* *_Raises Spiders For Research_*

[@jackseward7779]

In seveal shows, I have noticed references to people as being part of the animal kingdom. Somewhat surprising notion when our society was not nearly as atheistic as it is today.

[@rmelin13231]

Humans have long been classified as part of the animal kingdom. Nothing new there.

[@mehboobkm3728]

Anybody know what happened to Roy, the caddie!? Did he become a doctor?

[@joyceadair3003]

The spider girl was completely wrong, and had no clue about what she was saying. I’ve been bitten by a brown recluse spider and I still have a scar. That was 30 years ago. She was strange.😮

[@kentetalman9008]

No, John Charles Daly, spiders are not insects. If most people think they are, they are wrong!

[@TheNomadicview]

So is Daly describing the research on LSD given to spiders?

[@lauraatkinson4790]

LSD, among other drugs. Just saw an article recently on this that showed what the webs looked like for a variety of drugs. Very interesting.

[@RichardHannay]

Garson Kanin weirdly sounds like Bennett Cerf.

[@HassoBenSoba]

John Daly, going into a conference with the kid (6:59), says "I can get sent away for this." Any idea what THAT was about??

[@secondstring]

Spiders bite.

[@sandydog291]

Young man wanted to be a doctor. I wonder if he became one.

[@terrib9381]

Wonder if that boy grew up and actually became a doctor

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

He has been on several times.....was he not?

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

William, Bendix that is....

[@stephaniemccoy9602]

***** Yeah

[@sandrageorge3488]

Panel and mystery guest

[@hopicard]

I am always a bit puzzled when they subsume animals under the category of "products". Would one do that in today's English too?

[@WhatsMyLine]

I think it depends on the context whether they referred to animals as products or not (but I may be wrong). E.g., a horse trainer would not be described as dealing in products, but a hog farmer would (raising hogs for the purpose of human consumption).

[@LynnDrumm]

+hopicard I find it more confusing that they seem to refer to fish separately from animals.

[@loissimmons6558]

By 1959 it was quite clear that one should never come to John Daly or the WML panel for lessons in science, especially zoology or botany. In this case, the second challenger didn't seem to know much about spiders, which didn't help matters. Not only do spiders bite, some of them are quite furry. For example one variety is known as the "brown furry spider" (aka _Pardosa xerampelina_).

[@sleb99]

Lois Simmons most if not all spiders sting. If John had listened to his guest she knew and was trying to explain. She already had said no and was about to when John cut her off.

[@kristabrewer9363]

I'm surprised that boy knew what Dorothy meant by, would the costume be more abbreviated. I'm 46, and I don't even know what means

[@overlydramaticpanda]

I certainly wouldn't have known what she was getting at but if I had to guess, I'd say that it was probably the polite way of asking if the uniform for his job required him to wear fewer layers/items of clothing than he currently had on - like if he worked at a swimming pool in some capacity (I've no idea why a swimming pool would employ a 13 year old for anything but let's just go with it), he'd probably be wearing trunks and an undershirt instead of a full shirt/trousers/jacket combo and thus the answer would have been "yes".

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Where the hell did YOU attend school? Abbreviated isn't a seldom heard word.

[@caroler01]

Mr. Fairman did not become a doctor.

[@kristabrewer9363]

Technically, spiders are SO insects! Where did THEY go to school?!

[@sleb99]

Krista Brewer spiders are arachnids, not insects. And they do not bite as dear Arlene insisted, they sting.

[@neilmidkiff]

Also, insects have six legs and antennae; spiders have eight legs and no antennae.

[@augustorodrigues7254]

Spiders belong to the class Arachnida.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

I should ask you the same question, honey.

[@robertmelson2130]

Never having heard of Garson Kanin, I looked him up on wiki. An interesting man, "When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garson_Kanin He was married to Ruth Gordon, who was 16 years his senior, for 43 years until her death at the age of 88...after which he married an actress 16 years his junior. What elegant symmetry.

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

Vine can do anything better than You. Tube 😝 #iykyk ❤