What's My Line? - From Los Angeles (no regular panelists): Duke Snider; Bob Cummings (Jan 12, 1958)

[@kimmoraisanen2488]

Such wholesome entertainment - from an era when eloquence on TV was considered a positive thing.

[@gbrumburgh]

Laraine Day was married to baseball's Leo Durocher, manager and coach at one time for the Dodgers. This is why she recognized Dodger center fielder Duke Snider so quickly.

[@dcasper8514]

We knew that.

[@chrishintz1077]

Number 4! (?). I wonder if number 3 ever was on the show?

[@lindaroper2654]

This panel was having a great time 😁

[@44032]

Both Bob Cummings and Jack Lemmon played Juror #8 in versions of Reginald Rose's "12 Angry Men".

[@soulierinvestments]

Announcer Roy Roland was Lucille Ball's announcer and was the announcer of the last radio drama of the OTR golden age of radio "Yours Truly Johnny Dollar." It was still on CBS Radio in 1958 and left the air in 1962.

[@MrWindermere123]

This episode confirms what I've long suspected - you can change the panellists, change the mystery guests, put up wrinkly curtains as a backdrop but you'll still have a great show if John Daly is the moderator. He seems effortless but as he died comparatively young from a heart attack there must have been stress in his work. I've never seen a host on television do a better job and repeat his role for so long without losing his evident delight in the game. He was a serious news journalist before this show began but I think it was made for him. RIP Mr John Charles Daly.

[@fredrupert9237]

1914-1991, died at age 77.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I disagree. Bennett, Arlene and Dorothy (and Steve and Fred) were just as important to the show as John. I cannot imagine it running for 17 years without them.

[@ricardorojas5045]

In the late 1980's I'd used to stop at a 7-Eleven(convenience store) in Chevy Chase, (a Wash., D.C. neighborhood) on my way or back from work in Bethesda, Maryland and I swear I saw My. Daly in the 7-Eleven but I never worked up the nerve to speak to him. My loss! :^( My Almighty God bless the woman who brought John Charles Daly into this world! Amen.

[@accomplice55]

Heart attacks can be caused by things other than stress. And 77 was not that young.

[@chrisc6015]

@@MrJoeybabe25 good point, but I disagree. To me, Bennet and Dorothy made the show a little stale at times. This panel was much better, IMO

[@mikele5756]

This was refreshing. I loved it.

[@oldwestguy]

I love Bob Cummings signature... his handwriting is so attractive and flowing.

[@atsf1920]

I may be in the minority, but to me this episode was a delight. For a panel that contained *none* of the regulars, they were witty and quick on the uptake. I think Dorothy, Arlene, and Bennett needn't worry for their positions, but as a one-off substitution, I'm glad they decided to make this one. The Sunday-night time slot was well-protected here.

[@Sylvander1911]

Not regulars, but all experienced as panelists and MGs

[@kellythompson3865]

In my opinion the regular cast was condescending and class oriented. More fun without

[@susanslack6347]

I agree one of the best

[@jacquelinebell6201]

I agree.

[@jameshenrey1198]

​@@jacquelinebell6201?. ❤

[@chrisdaugherty8265]

Love seeing Duke Snider on here. Great baseball player and man.

[@joncheskin]

With all due respect to Dorothy and Arlene, Laraine Day and Esther Williams are simply gorgeous.

[@donnawoodford6641]

Maybe more gorgeous.

[@harlow743]

Try "I've got a secret" and Betsy Palmer and Bess Meyerson

[@scottlevin4487]

Had a lot of class as well.

[@smadaf]

It's interesting how your comment reads. If you'd said just "Laraine Day and Esther Williams are simply gorgeous", it would have focused on Day and Williams and, if it had been taken as comparative at all, been taken as comparing them to people (or women) in general. Mentioning Dorothy Kilgalen and Arlene Francis, especially with the expression "With all due respect", it comes across as saying "In terms of looks, Dorothy and Arlene have nothing on Laraine and Esther"-something I might agree with, but also might feel no need to state in a KZbin comment. If Dorothy and Arlene were in front of you and you wanted to treat them with respect, would you simply say something nice about the looks of two other women, or would you start by saying "Arlene and Dorothy, with all due respect, . . . "? What sounds kinder?

[@jwsuicides8095]

But Laraine and Esther were working in a profession where looks were paramount. Dorothy and Arlene had their professions due to their intellect. I can't believe that I'm reading this over 60 years later.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Mickey was quite funny tonight. The whole team were having a ball. Loving it tonight from Hollywood, just for a change.

[@WitoldBanasik]

At last the real motion pictures stars in full bloom while acting in their capacity as the panelists. Day, Rooney, Williams, Lennon...ups Lemmon... anyway... I enjoyed the episode enormously. Not all is gold that glitters as they say. Having said that willy nilly nolens volens one can not deny the marvelousity of the 1950's. Thanks Spacetime we still have the video tapes like this one at our disposal... Happy Valentin's Day WWL !

[@jimtrue1465]

I'm surprised Bob Cummings wasn't guessed sooner...the voice disguise he used was the voice he used in his series when he played his own grandfather.

[@YxYzYx]

Phoebe is my Great Great Grandmother❤️

[@sharonjudd7786]

That has to be so cool to have this of her

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

The close ups of the panelists were more extremely close up in this episode than in the New York episodes. I also noticed the laughter was very dominant, like the laughter in a situation comedy.

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

Possibly a much larger audience at CBS Television City, Hollywood than New York?

[@princeharming8963]

Bob Cummings was one dashing son of a gun. Class.. style.. poise.. fantastic dresser.. one of the good guys.

[@frenchjr25]

It's interesting that they either shipped the table surrounds from NYC to Hollywood or CBS Television City recreated them. And it's great to see one of the classic sets of CBS Television City curtains used.

[@CarloQuinto]

Esther Williams and Laraine Day on the same panel? WOW!! May we have a conference?

[@lopa2828]

Yes you may but can you decide how many hours you need for conferences?!!! I suppose it took hours or days, may be months.

[@bbailey7818]

Great novel episode! They had to follow the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA at least once.

[@louisianagrandma9787]

I love the way Bob Cummings signed his name. Very creative!

[@piddles11]

Wow Esther is such a beauty!!!!

[@greeneyes2256]

My Dad, a BROOKLYN Dodgers fan, use to love to yell at Duke Snyder, listening to the Dodgers on the radio.

[@RonGerstein]

Brooklyn Dodgers 1890-1957 Los Angeles Dodgers 1958- Present [2024]

[@MrJoeybabe25]

This was fun. Thank goodness the show didn't emanate from Hollywood regularly or we would have been deprived of Arlene, Dorothy, Bennett and the New York aura and had probably just another forgettable game show. True it was the format, but it was so much more the regulars that made "Line" an enduring classic. Having said that, it would have been cool for the producers to pick up and travel, perhaps once a year. Maybe to D.C., or England...just for fun.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joe Postove Of the four panelists, only Laraine Day had been a panelist previously (3 times). A short time earlier when John Daly had been in Europe and Bennett Cerf was the moderator, it was clear (as many commented) that the show was thrown off with out John's able hand at the helm. Here we can see that with John at the helm but guiding a group of novice and one relatively inexperienced panelists, the show is also thrown off its normal smooth rhythm. It's interesting to watch for its novelty value. But unless the group of new panelists had gotten the hang of game play rather quickly, the show in this configuration would have died within a few months, even with John heading it.

[@dovbarleib3256]

I think it was prophetic, that if the Duke of Flatbush could be forced to relocate to LA, even the best of game shows could be forced to relocate to LA.

[@perfumeaddict1204]

What an interesting show and a lively panel - I love the regulars but this made a nice change.

[@robertjean5782]

I totally agree absolutely 😊

[@RikardPeterson]

I love the regular panel, but it was fun to see a completely different one. It had a different kind of energy to it, but still good.

[@JLionelWaller]

But it does make you realize how good, and experienced, the original panel is..

[@princeharming8963]

Yes... I don't believe I've ever seen an episode without at least one of the regular panelists. This was indeed interesting. Naturally, it would work just as well with super smart people.. but we still miss Arlene, Bennett and Dorothy all the same!

[@d.jensen5153]

Well, at least for one night the panel could hear everything said by the guests.

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

You can thank those terrific CBS Television City technicians. Many came out of the motion picture industry.

[@robertjean5782]

I agree the theater in New York city faced a very noisy street. Underneathe a subway station. Finally the acoustics were horrendous 😢

[@alansorensen5903]

Two of the most honored male performers of all time and two of the most intelligent and successful female personalities of the 20th century. Super!

[@barrypoupard7009]

Lordy. Beautiful women in the 50s were stunningly beautiful compared to today.

[@marnie0512]

I agree. And I think there was more "natural beauty" back then. Now it's too much botox, collagen injections, breast implants, plastic surgery etc etc.

[@randysills4418]

People dressed better back then. My Mother always dressed well...even when going to the market!

[@bigfella1998]

@@marnie0512 Style and grace.

[@andreaplummer3841]

There was more respect then...for yourself and others. This translated into better grooming and clothing styles that accentuated natural beauty without exposing it for the world. Wrap that up with wit, charm, intelligence and manners, and yes, the pretty became beautiful and the beautiful became stunning.

[@barrypoupard7009]

@@andreaplummer3841 Yes I agree. There's an elegance about the entire episode reflecting the norms of the time. The WAC Sargeant has a poise and grace in her manner.

[@vickisawyer7405]

I love clean comedy!! And Duke Snider is a dream!

[@thomtlc2]

I agree. I love clean comedy. And Esther Williams is a dream!

[@juliansinger]

Daly is weirdly subdued here -- I think it's just he's trying to project Gravitas. I like how the panel is all folks who at least have some experience with the show. (And I appreciate the better acoustics immensely.) Mrs. Rumley retired in 1959, and died in 1972. She'd gotten her BA from San Francisco State College while in the army. She and her husband Owen got married in 1913, and did a bunch of Montana homesteading before she joined the army in 1944. Owen died in 1962.

[@lucindasommer720]

John Daly sounds as though he's very tired or has a cold. I noticed right away he was so different.

[@loissimmons6558]

+juliansinger Only Laraine Day had experience as a panelist, and that just three times. The others were mystery guests one time apiece prior to this episode. From others celebrities who made the jump from MG to guest panelist, it was usually the case that one didn't necessarily prepare a person for the other role.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Lucinda Sommer Jack Lemmon makes the comment that John barely got there in time, flown in by helicopter to land at CBS Television City in Hollywood. Based on other comments, it sounded like John had been playing in Bing Crosby's golf tournament in on the Monterey Peninsula in northern California and had to fly down to L.A. after his round was over. And remember, the show would have started at 7:30 PM PST to be in its normal 10:30 PM EST time slot. At a time before jet travel, this must have been a logistics problem and John would have needed to play in an early round that day.

[@roberttelarket4934]

In 1958 the year of this broadcast hardly any American outside of California knew what an avocado was!!!

[@janetmarletto6667]

Note the confidence of the West coast panel. They were great and did not focus on Broadway as the regular panel does. I love the show no matter what!🌞😍

[@janetmarletto6667]

So refreshing! Very genuine and intelligent. Wonderfully lacking affectation of the NYC panel.Go California!🌞😄🌴

[@519djw6]

It has become a cliché to say that Mickey Rooney was short. But in this episode, "sandwiched" between Laraine Day and Esther Williams, I see how "vertically challenged" he truly was!

[@theamishumpire1301]

Hi might have been short, but it certainly didn't stop him from being famous, and in quite a few movies, and on TV I believe.

[@JLionelWaller]

There was an episode of "The Burns and Allen" radio show where he was in contract negotiations and was trying to hide out. Gracie thought he was a homeless boy and wanted to adopt him. He moved into their home to hide, and he could not convince her that he was not a little boy..

[@DDumbrille]

The Amish Umpire His height helped him in his early career, but basically destroyed his career post-WW2 as he was considered too short to be a leading man, at 5' 3".

[@ToddSF]

DDumbrille -- Some sources even say that Mickey Rooney was 5'2" tall. One of the reasons Mickey Rooney could do all those musicals with Judy Garland is that she was only 4'11" tall, so they were a good match, though if Judy were wearing significant heels, I suppose they might have put Rooney in elevator shoes just to keep him a bit taller than Garland. They were great as a pair on the screen in their salad days, I think.

[@Mandeley100]

ToddSF 94109 When Mickey guested on Judy's tv series and they danced together, the first thing Judy did was kick off her heels and perform in stocking feet. Even then there was no significant difference in their heights. As Judy was absolutely tiny, I guess Mickey must have been too.

[@kgalford]

This panel did a great job

[@mw54470]

I think Arlene and Dorothy would have guessed the Army Sergeant (WAC'S) right away with just those first few clue's!

[@123rosebuds]

Thank You--great fun!!

[@bethdibartolomeo2042]

Interesting to see a moment in time, when the Dodgers had just recently been relocated to Los Angeles.

[@loissimmons6558]

A sad moment for this very young Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Duke Snider was my first favorite baseball player. Everyone thought he loved moving to play in Southern California where he was born and raised. It was a terrible move for him as for all but his last year in a Dodger uniform, his team played in The Coliseum with a ridiculously far away right field fence and a ridiculously close left field fence. The Duke was a pull hitter and his home run totals were cut way down by the configuration and accumulating injuries. As it was, he was the only Dodger to hit a home run to right field at home that year. Because the Dodgers had yet to play a home game in Los Angeles in January 1958, and because the Dodgers play half their schedule on the road (11 games in San Francisco and the rest out of state), plus all of their spring training in Florida, Duke hesitates before saying yes to Jack Lemmon's question as to whether he does his work mainly in California. Then after a conference with John Daly, Duke correctly changes his answer to "yes and no". That answer could be in recognition of both the location of all the games, and in recognition in the change of location of the Dodgers between 1957 and 1958. Had Duke been a challenger during the 1957 season, the answer should have been "yes and no". While the Giants were also in NYC in 1957, the Dodgers still played many games on the road, plus 8 home games in New Jersey (Jersey City) and all of their spring training either in Florida or in other southern states coming up north for the start of the season.

[@belindaalbright8798]

I have been a Dodgers fan my entire life. They can move back to Brooklyn anytime! I drive 3 hours to see them when they play the Phillies. Brooklyn is the same distance but it would be so cool to see them play on their home field. ⚾️🇺🇸

[@Beson-SE]

They must have recorded the show in a studio with better acoustics than in New York. The laughters from the audience were very loud. It almost sounded like a sitcom.

[@ToddSF]

Johan Bengtsson -- I think the acoustics were very likely better in the Los Angeles studio they used. No one complained "I couldn't hear" as Dorothy Kilgallen often did, among others. The acoustics in the New York studio were pretty bad -- older contestants often had a terrible time hearing. I'm guessing they did this Los Angeles show from one of the studios at CBS Television City at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles (in the Fairfax District) since that studio complex was built in 1952 and designed specifically for TV. There's also a possibility they used the CBS Studio Center in Studio City.

[@richard41783]

ToddSF 94109 Next to Farmer's Market? Where the Art Linkletter show -- Kids Say The Darndest Thing -- took place? I took a tour through there in the 60s when I was about 10.

[@ToddSF]

Yes, Farmers' Market and CBS Television City were virtually back to back with a couple of minor local streets between them. I went to a taping of multiple episodes of the later edition of "The Match Game" at CBS Television City. They used to do "The Carol Burnett Show" there and also "The Smothers Brothers Show" among many other shows. I suspect the acoustics were better because they built CBS Television City specifically for the purpose of TV shows in 1952 and I suspect the CBS studios here and there in NYC were retrofits for TV and the acoustics were haphazard. (I could well be wrong about that.)

[@loissimmons6558]

A bit of irony for Duke Snider to be the first WML guest on their episode originating from CBS Television City: the CBS facility was located just west of Gilmore Field, home of the Hollywood Stars team in the Pacific Coast League until the 1957 season that just ended a few months before this broadcast. (The arrival of the Dodgers ended minor league baseball in the L.A. area.) Although there was also another Pacific Coast League team in L.A. (the Angels), their home park (the other Wrigley Field) was in a more pedestrian neighborhood. The Stars were the team that the celebrities usually came to see play and the other fans would come to see the celebrities almost as much as they would come to see the games. It also helped that from 1939-57, the Stars ownership included Bob Cobb of the Brown Derby restaurants. The Hollywood location of the Brown Derby was also a favorite of celebrities. In between Gilmore Field and Television City was Gilmore Stadium, an oval used for football and midget car races. Both stadiums and Pan-Pacific Auditorium (on the other side of Gilmore Field) were built by Earl Gilmore, heir to the oil fortune derived from the petroleum found beneath the property in that area (thus the nearby La Brea tar pits).

[@loissimmons6558]

+ToddSF 94109 You are correct about the retrofits. According to what I have read, the CBS television facilities in NYC were converted either from stage theaters or radio show facilities. Another show I recall as emanating from Television City was "The Red Skelton Show". Red was a big favorite of my mom back in the day.

[@steveliveshere]

LOL at having Mickey standing next to Ester

[@majorneptunejr]

I don't think he mind it a bit.

[@Plathianloner]

I didn't realize how beautiful Esther Williams was

[@saran3214]

Read her autobiography. She had a great sense of humor.

[@Baskerville22]

You said exactly what I was preparing to say. She looks much better in a dress than in a bathing suit & cap

[@randysills4418]

Ms. Williams' great sense of humor was very evident in a 1958 appearance on What's My Line which I just saw on KZbin.

[@accomplice55]

@@randysills4418: Isn't that what we're all here for? :)

[@robertjean5782]

Gorgeous 😊

[@quizmaster85]

I think someone commented the acoustics in Los Angeles were way better since the questions didn't have to be repeated.

[@LaptopLarry330]

Television shows being produced in New York City during the 1940s to the 1960s often took place in old Broadway theaters that were constructed in the 19th Century. In those days, prior to the invention of microphones and speakers, actors and actresses had to be able to project their voices in order to be heard by audiences. Acoustic design was not taken into consideration until the time when Carnegie Hall was built. When it was completed, its acoustics were "state-of-the-art". Because of CBS' early experiences with bad acoustics in these old Broadway theatres, they decided that they wanted to build a large TV facility, where they would eventually create all of their television programs at one central location, with the best lighting and acoustics that they could build into the facility from the very outset. This facility that they built ended up being CBS Television City, in Hollywood, California.

[@rebeccaquartieri3564]

Larry Ressler

[@loissimmons6558]

The way the audience applauds and how it sounds during the show also changes the feel of the show. It isn't better or worse, just different. There is also something different about how Los Angelenos react compared to New Yorkers: more polite, maybe. Because of the oil boom and the 1930's dust bowl, many L.A. natives had southern roots and in general a more laid back life style was developing in L.A.

[@typeface-um6kl]

Sergeant First Class Phoebe Rumley- enlisted in the Women's Army corps August 6, 1944 at Butte, Montana. She served in Washington, D.C., France and Germany and had retired from the Army March 31, 1965 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. (That means she got retirement) WWII, Korea, Vietnam, ARCOM ( Army Commendation Medl) Died Aug 29,1972

[@chrishintz1077]

I like this panel, for a change. The celebrity world was a small one, interconnected. It still is.

[@davidturk6301]

The hard to believe the second contestant was still active in the Army or Reserves at the time this was aired.

[@juanr9446]

Stars and glamour everywhere

[@magnificentfailure2390]

As Bill Maher was shaking Mickey Rooney's hand, he was still making eye contact with Esther Williams. Can't blame him.

[@mallorybesom1717]

A real pleasure to see Bob Cummings in his prime. The respite from the interminable presence of Bennett Cerf was also welcome.

[@robertjean5782]

Totally agree absolutely 😊

[@loissimmons6558]

Laraine Day is somewhat disparaging of the Dodgers and laudatory to the Giants during this episode after correctly guessing Duke Snider. She and Leo Durocher were an item in 1947 when Leo was suspended from baseball for a year by Commissioner Happy Chandler and they were married when Leo was released from his contract in 1948 to go from the Dodgers to the Giants as manager. Although Rickey did everything in his power to keep Durocher from being suspended in 1947 and retain him as manager in 1948 despite the Dodgers falling into last place during that season after winning the NL pennant in 1947, Durocher blamed Rickey for his suspension and subsequent departure from the Dodgers. Miss Day was instrumental in convincing Leo that Rickey was not his friend or supporter, even though Rickey had gotten him out of scrape after scrape with creditors and baseball authorities in both St. Louis and Brooklyn. If there was anyone with the Dodgers who undermined Durocher in Brooklyn, it was Walter O'Malley, not Rickey. The Catholic Church raised a ruckus about Leo being the Dodgers manager because of his affair with Miss Day when she was married to Ray Hendricks, basically stealing her away to be his wife. And O'Malley had powerful connections and influence in the Catholic Church as a wealthy benefactor and member of influential Catholic organizations. And a major reason why O'Malley didn't intervene on behalf of Durocher was that Rickey was Leo's advocate and O'Malley was hard at work undermining Rickey's position with the Dodgers so he could take control of one of the most profitable sports franchises (which he did in October 1950). Miss Day and Durocher had married in Texas in January 1947 after Day got a divorce in Mexico from Hendricks. But previously, Day and Hendricks had been divorced in California, requiring a one-year waiting period before she remarried. When Day returned to California, the judge who granted the California divorce ruled that the Mexican divorce was null and void, and therefore her marriage to Durocher in Texas was null and void as well. Thus they waited until February 1948 before they married again, this time fulfilling the requirements of the California court. But they were definitely a couple when Chandler suspended Durocher in April 1947. (As a tangent to the suspension, it took a lot of attention away from Jackie Robinson's promotion to the Brooklyn Dodgers the following day.) When this episode aired, Day and Durocher were still married, although he continued his womanizing ways. He was notorious for wooing starlets and models. Ironic in view of her remarks about the Dodgers and Giants, Day finally divorced Durocher in 1960 and in 1961, Leo returned to the Dodgers as a coach after failing to be successful in show business from 1956-60. (He was more successful as a baseball broadcaster.) He would stay with the Dodgers through the 1964 season. As a final note in the Day-Durocher saga, when Leo was posthumously inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1994, it was Miss Day who accepted the award on his behalf.

[@robertjean5782]

Such an amazing mind to remember all those facts😊

[@loissimmons6558]

Esther Williams was paired with Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy's love interest in 1942. Mickey pursued her and Esther declined and she had a reputation of being able to hold her ground in that area, even resisting the advances of her boss at MGM, Louis B. Mayer. Even at 19 years old, she was very capable of knowing her value and not budging from her standards. Despite Esther's refusals, Mickey and Esther seem comfortable seated next to each other on the panel. Of course by that time, Mickey had many other love interests and four marriages.

[@battlegirldeb]

I'm back. it's been a few year since I've watch some of these episodes.

[@waynehowell6160]

I was expecting Duke Snider's occupation to be "avocado farmer." When he left baseball, he took to avocados full-time, except to make a commercial for a men's hair dye. Grecian Formula, perhaps? He was prematurely gray.

[@ToddSF]

corner moose -- Actually, Snider played pro baseball until 1964. He stayed with the Dodgers until 1962, played for the New York Mets in 1963 and the San Francisco Giants in 1964. After that he did quite a bit of work on TV as a sports analyst and also as a play-by-play baseball announcer for the San Diego Padres (1969-71) and the Montreal Expos (1973-1986). So it seems there was more to his sports career than actually playing baseball.

[@loissimmons6558]

+ToddSF 94109 Excellent recap! Snider was still the Dodgers starting center fielder going into the 1958 season (he hit 40 homers in 1957), although his knee injury and then an injured shoulder from foolishly trying to throw a baseball over the top of the section of The Coliseum that held the Olympic Torch limited his playing time in 1958 and sometimes saw him moved to corner outfield spots. He appeared in only 106 games, swatting 15 homers (towards a much deeper right field in L.A. compared to Brooklyn) with a respectable .312 batting average. In addition to what you mentioned above, Duke invested in a bowling alley in Fallbrook that was not successful. He also scouted for the Dodgers and managed in their farm system from 1965-68. In 1972, he went from the Padres broadcast booth to be their batting instructor (although he wasn't officially listed as part of their coaching staff). In 1974-75, in addition to announcing for Montreal, he was listed as a hitting coach. Duke Snider was my first hero in baseball. He didn't look out of place too much in a Mets uniform since their uniforms were based on a combination of the Dodgers and Giants uniforms, but the color scheme was more Dodgers with just a little Giants orange in the NY on the cap and as a highlight color. But he looked very odd in a Giants uniform. It might have been Duke who commented that the Dodgers hated the Giants and their black and orange so much, they even hated Halloween. It was a bit ironic that Duke should end up as part of the media. He sometimes had a contentious relationship with them during his playing career. But from his appearances on WML (he had shared the MG spot with Sal Maglie in 1954), he certainly appears comfortable in front of the cameras, he has a great voice, and his premature gray hair at the temples doesn't take anything away from his great looks.

[@johnaclipper1399]

remember mickey rooney we love you

[@stickstr8up1]

As much as I adore all of these panelists, they are just too into "performing" than they are into playing the game. L.A. is just too brash and flashy for this show. WML truly belongs in the more refined and dignified environs of NYC.

[@coronaflo]

+stickstr8up1 NYC sucks

[@WhatsMyLine]

+coronaflo Brilliant comment.

[@watchman1178]

One thing was still the same. The women were the better players.....lol.

[@ginnylorenz5265]

You're right! I'm enjoying this show.....love these stars......but am eager to get back to the "real" WML. Your comment is precisely right.

[@AllenMQuinn]

Agreed.

[@sdgakatbk]

This was a very good show! I thought Mickey Rooney was VERY funny! And the whole segment with Duke Snider shows how big baseball was back then.

[@nancypine9952]

Was there a particular reason for broadcasting from LA? The only possibilities I can think of are that Daly needed to be in California for some reason, and the producers didn't want to try a substitute again, or that one of the sponsors was agitating to produce the show from LA so there would be more big stars available, so they gave it a shot to see what would happen. Or possibly all three of the regular panel needed that week off for various reasons, so the producers decided to have some fun.

[@accomplice55]

John Daly announced the week before that he'd been invited to play in golf tournament with Bing Crosby.

[@youbetcha6880]

This episode originally aired three day before my mother was born. Now I just have to find the episode closest to when my dad was born.

[@billw2812]

The New York panel were mostly in the entertainment business, so they knew who was in town with a show/performing.

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

Is Esther Williams "expecting" Lorezo Lamas in this episode? He was born in 1958? (Just checked, Lorenzo was born in January 1958, so she just had him!)

[@aprilove2005]

Fernando's mother is Arlene Dahl

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

Correctimento! In 1958 Esther Williams was just getting divorced from Ben Gage. She didn't marry Fernando Lamas until 1969.

[@wynnssecret8243]

​@@aprilove2005...... Lorenzo 😉

[@jmccracken1963]

As to the other three panelists: As it turned out, this was the last time that Laraine Day would appear on WHAT'S MY LINE? She appeared as Mystery Guest on 9 September 1951, and she appeared as a guest panelist on 31 May 1953 (when her then-husband, New York Giants manager Leo Durocher, was the Mystery Guest), on 1 May 1955 and on 8 May 1955. As for Mickey Rooney, I believe that this was the only time that he appeared as a guest panelist on WHAT'S MY LINE? He had appeared as Mystery Guest on 27 April 1952 and on 5 May 1957, and he would do so again three more times (on 2 October 1960, on 31 December 1961 (New Year's Eve), and on 16 January 1966). This was Jack Lemmon's second appearance on WHAT'S MY LINE?, and his first as a guest panelist. He had appeared as a Mystery Guest just 2 months before, on 3 November 1957, and he would return to WHAT'S MY LINE? six more times: 3 times as a guest panelist (22 June 1958, 8 March 1959, and 6 November 1960) and 3 times as Mystery Guest (10 November 1960, 17 May 1964, and 24 January 1965).

[@stevefish3124]

In 1953 Leo Durocher was the manager of the New York Giants.

[@robertjean5782]

Thank you for the pertinent information 😊

[@jmccracken1963]

@@robertjean5782 You are most welcome!

[@roberttelarket4934]

Very clever of putting ob inside the lower part of B for Bob Cummings signature!

[@termtech1]

How hot was esther Williams!!

[@mercedeslatapie9772]

This beautiful and talented panel seemed so much more relaxed and at ease and fun than the New York panel. Must be the weather!

[@billw2812]

The tension was thanks to Dorothy's booze and drug struggles, they never knew if they got Nice Dorothy or Hurricane Dorothy.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Let's all play... What's My Line? - The Minor League

[@dbarker7794]

This West Coast panel is great. Especially Esther Williams. What a classic beauty. It was funny when she saluted the army sergeant on her way out.

[@allanshulstad1783]

Weren't Esther and Mickey in an Andy Hardy movie ?

[@sevensolaris]

Those two panelists are so graceful and lovely. Such a shame how ladies like those don't exist anymore.

[@dcasper8514]

Today's women are built like pineapples

[@PeterMcDonald-sl9rt]

They do. Sadly not so much on TV, ugh!

[@randylovering24]

from CBS television city in Hollywood

[@rslitman]

@Spawndude Spawndude I associate it with "All in the Family".

[@thomtlc2]

At that moment when Esther excitedly shouted out his name, I really wanted to be Bob Cummings!

[@Bluecat72397]

Anyone know what is pinned to John Daly's jacket? Doesn't seem to be a microphone...just curious as to what it might be.

[@chuckendweiss4849]

Bluecat72397 Ribbon why I do know

[@brookford2628]

@@chuckendweiss4849 I wondered about that too, maybe it was his airline ticket. LOL!

[@sdacj]

He'd cohosted a golf tournament with Bing Crosby, which is why he was in LA in the first place, and had worn the ribbon as part of his duties there.

[@robertjean5782]

​@@brookford2628😂

[@lilybean835]

How come many of the videos are now private? Is there any way we can gain access to watch them? I've been watching your uploads every night for a year and a half (I'm a subscriber on my 2nd account). Is there a way we can watch the missing episodes again? I miss being able to watch all of them. They're brilliant and have helped my anxiety every night as I calm down to go to sleep. Do you share them with any users/subscribers/viewers?

[@WhatsMyLine]

I'm sorry for this, but it's the result of wrongful copyright claims that the channel is being attacked with by Fremantle, despite the indisputably public domain (non-copyrighted) status of the entire series, something they've been doing on and off to this channel for almost 4 years now. I'm in the process of fighting the claims, and when the claims are rescinded, the videos will be made public again. I hate having to do this, but I'm fighting against a giant international media conglomerate here, and there are very few options available, because KZbin has slanted everything against independent channels like this one. I can only ask your patience until I'm able to resolve this. Thanks!

[@SteveLittleLivesHere]

What's My Line? Ridiculous that this keeps being repeated and stressful you. I wonder if Vimeo might be a better option but good luck anyway.

[@robertjean5782]

​@@WhatsMyLineThose dirty dogs😢

[@galileocan]

Was Jack Lemmon tipped off that he would need to wear his blindfold prior to the first guest coming out? The camera shot as John announced that the panel needed to put on their blindfolds clearly shows Lemmon with his blindfold on before even being told to do so.

[@janicenoble5546]

Daly just had to mention Bennett. 😆 Lol

[@malcolmarmstrong906]

How , Ok , his voice; but still, she did quite considerably well??

[@2005dave]

Roy Rowan is the announcer.

[@Eddie_Schantz]

Duke cut his own throat when he didn't disguise his voice. Someone was bound to recognize it.

[@JJJBRICE]

Looking at this panel. Miss Day , Miss Williams, and Mr Rooney though still recognizable , were past their peak as stars. Jack Lemmon was , in fact, a fast rising star , who would be a BIG STAR in the 1960s. Its almost like watching a early Paul Newman movie people like Melvin Douglas, Myna Loy, or Orson Welles.

[@lopa2828]

In a same guest panelist list I suppose but I think it would be a great show with the great oldies and newbies altogether

[@dalemcdougall9240]

Tony randal and jack lemmond in the same show ???,?????

[@thecandidcounterbalance1492]

Everyone in Hollywood wants to be heard - including the audience. Poor John can barely get a word in edgewise. BTW, am I the only one who thought the Hollywood audience sounded more like a sitcom audience waiting for the next one-liner?

[@Frankf9382]

Yes it sounds like its a laugh track

[@Frankf9382]

Also it sounds like a smaller room and since being so, they may have added a laugh track

[@shrillbert]

@@Frankf9382 Not quite. This was done at CBS Television City, so it was more in line with what was new for television standards: Smaller theatres with better acoustics that allowed for better sound recording. Back in New York, it was done, just like Ed Sullivan and even some shows today, in one of the old theatres that was effectively jury-rigged into a TV studio, so there was a larger audience and more echoes in the sound than a studio specifically designed with TV shows in mind.

[@Frankf9382]

@@shrillbert Thanks for the info!

[@twenlil]

These are two beautiful ladies!

[@chrishintz1077]

Who was laraine day’s hubby?

[@MightyMoCat]

Leo the Lip (Durocher)

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

22:35 No female bartenders in 1958.😄

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Bob Cummmmmmmings shouldn't have used the "Walter Brennan". I think he was pretty known for it, huh?

[@classic-kool]

Esther Williams was a hottie ..

[@gnirolnamlerf593]

Bob Cummings used that voice on his show, playing his character's father or grandfather, I can't remember. They _should_ have gotten it. By the way, almost the same voice Pat Boone used when he was a mystery guest. Happily, no one guessed Walter Brennan.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Who are these people and why are they sitting in Dorothy, Arlene, and Bennett's seats?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Because Dorothy, Arlene and Bennett's seats are 3,000 miles away. :) (I know you know that already)

[@MrJoeybabe25]

It's like a Twilight Zone episode. And ‎Rod Serling is John Daly. I want my Nana!

[@Bambi_Harris_Author]

What's My Line? I understand they did this with a different cast because of location, but why did they do it at all? Had they wanted to create a side show in LA or was it just a 'special' once off per se'?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Bambi Harris Yes, I think so, Bambi--- it was just a matter of keeping within the tone of WML.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

What's My Line? L.A. is in another country right? They shoulda had their own WML with Mr. Blackwell as host and Barbara Hutton, George Putnam, Rita Hayworth, and Sam Yorty as the panel. Now THAT'S a panel!

[@pbatommy]

The very first Goodson-Todman game show to originate from Hollywood.

[@erichanson426]

It is just my opinion but I don't think this panel takes this show as serious as the main one back in New York does.

[@robertjean5782]

Nonsense😅

[@roberttelarket4934]

Cummings was a handsome man!

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_Center Fielder Los Angeles Dodgers.....Army Sergeant......Runs School For Bartenders._*

[@mehboobkm2018]

It was disrespectful of Mickey not standing up for the female contestant.

[@robertjean5782]

He was, he's very short 😂

[@loissimmons6558]

For the second time in three weeks, another new sponsor: Mutual of Omaha.

[@richatlarge462]

Until I saw this episode, I only remembered Mutual of Omaha from the show Wild Kingdom.

[@brianloria2126]

Duke Snider appears to have a 'dip' of tobacco in his mouth. Funny! Always enjoy seeing Jack Lemmon!

[@anneroy4560]

I miss Arlene and Bennett ... sigh ...

[@robertjean5782]

Not so much Cerf😅

[@chrishintz1077]

Orchids to you, Phoebe. ;).

[@hizgrase]

“Goodnight John boy “

[@soulierinvestments]

Esther Williams. Wow. Not just another pretty face.

[@jmccracken1963]

This was her only appearance as a guest panelist, too. She had appeared as Mystery Guest on 16 January 1955 (when she was publicizing JUPITER'S DARLING), and she would do so again on 27 July 1958 (after wrapping RAW WIND IN EDEN but a while before its release) and on 6 September 1959 (her Southern-belle accent this time around is hilarious, as is she!).

[@loissimmons6558]

+soulierinvestments Indeed. While having a very pretty face and figure, it was also a very athletic figure. Her shoulders are on the broad end of the spectrum for a woman and she very likely would have represented the USA in the summer Olympics had they been held in 1940 and 1944 as she was a swimming champion and record holder in her time. One reason was that the lifeguards on the beaches in Southern California saw her as able to do the strokes (e.g. the butterfly) which at the time were reserved only for the men. As to her intelligence, she was also a very successful businesswoman.

[@erichanson426]

If 4 years is longevity, then what do you call 20 with Gunsmoke

[@robertjean5782]

25 episodes total😊

[@VahanNisanian]

This was only the second time the show taped in Los Angeles. When was the first?

[@WhatsMyLine]

I don't have any record of any other show being broadcast from LA, either before or after. That doesn't mean it didn't happen, but I checked and couldn't find anything in my log.

[@jmccracken1963]

Vahan, you may be referring to this being the second (and I think last) time that WHAT'S MY LINE? was broadcast from somewhere other than New York. The other time was on 12 August 1956, when, in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention to open the next day at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, WHAT'S MY LINE? was broadcast from the WBBM-TV studios in Chicago, rather than in New York. And What's My Line? has that episode posted in full; check his videos, as it's a good one.

[@TomBarrister]

These were the only two times that What's My Line was broadcast outside of New York. You can find the other episode here: watch?v=7HWKhQEK320 Add the KZbin URL and a forward-slash to the front.

[@VahanNisanian]

What's My Line? Sorry for not realizing that the other "Out-of-NY" episode was in Chicago. It'd be interesting to see exactly where at CBS Television City this was recorded at. When the facility was first built in 1952, there were four studios: 31, 33, 41, and 43. 31 and 33 started out having "permanent theater seatings" but eventually, 31's was covered with concrete. Now, only 33 (also called "The Bob Barker Studio") has one.

[@LaptopLarry330]

Didn't "What's My Line?" have at least two broadcasts from Miami, Florida, that were sponsored by the Florida Orange Juice Growers?

[@MrJoeybabe25]

When was this taped?

[@buckhart]

Well they mention that Mickey Rooney is starring in Babyface Nelson. He did that movie in 1958

[@accomplice55]

They were aired live, so it was on Jan. 12, 1958.

[@johnrichards4322]

The show was broadcast live to the Eastern and Central time zones at 7:30pm Pacific time. A kinescope was broadcast to the Mountain time zone one hour later at 8:30pm Pacific. The showing to the CBS Pacific Network was at 10:30pm. Videotape was just being rolled out by Ampex, so this was one of the few live broadcasts from CBS Television City to the rest of the country.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

@@johnrichards4322 They could have a "wet" kinescope ready in one hour? How long did it take to develop a kine?