What's My Line? - Amelia Adler; Rhonda Fleming (Apr 10, 1955)

[@trock6577]

So many of the actresses from the fifties and sixties were absolutely gorgeous.

[@stevekru6518]

Given that attributes which are not readily quantifiable are judged relative to others, don’t you think the proportion of those who are perceived as gorgeous has remained fairly constant through the decades? Come to think of it, Arlene has remained gorgeous through several decades.

[@toneman8478]

And they had more class.. My grandmother was like that.. Today is another story..

[@sansacro007]

​@@stevekru6518Sorry, beauty is NOT relative. It has geometric properties of proportion and symmetry that most people in studies (look 'em up) identify. (However, physical beauty is quite different from attractiveness and inner "beauty.") However, I would add that the style and couture of the 50s augmented the physical beauty of such standouts as Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor, and, the gorgeous Mrs. Fleming.)

[@shirleyrombough8173]

That was a sweet exchange between Rhonda Fleming and Bennett Cerf.

[@jackkomisar458]

Two days after this episode aired, on the morning of April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. told a crowd of scientists and reporters in the Rackham Auditorium of the University of Michigan that the polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk was “safe, effective, and potent”. Reporters hollered “It works! It works!” Church bells rang out across America. People flooded into the streets, kissing and embracing with joy and relief. The same day, the 15-member licensing committee of the Laboratory of Biologics Control of the National Institutes of Health held a 2 1/2-hour meeting to consider whether to license the new vaccine. The vaccine was granted a license. That afternoon, the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Oveta Culp Hobby, announced amid great fanfare that the vaccine had been licensed.

[@stevekru6518]

Sixty five years after this episode aired on August 23, 2021, Dr. Janet Woodcock, FDA Acting Commissioner, Zoomed that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer was “approved.” Note, this approval came after millions of doses had been administered

[@laurahoward5426]

I Remember my grandfather rushing us to the local school to get the vaccine, on a sugar cube....my pediatrician had had polio, neighbors were in iron lungs....it was a horrible, horrible disease....

[@williamhiles7404]

Anyone ever wonder why Dr. Salk only came up with one more vaccine? That quite a story. It involves a cure for spinal cancer, from herbs, no less, the death of his partner and the disappearance of his papers, and the good(sic) 'ol Gov. Gee, I hope they don't disappear me for this. But I'm close to the end of my rope anyway. LedHed Steven 🎶 🎸 🎹 🎸 🎶

[@leswadley6792]

To say Rhonda was beautiful is just not giving her enough credit! That girl was just about perfect!!!!

[@rhondablackburn3713]

My grandfather named me for her ❤

[@leswadley6792]

@@rhondablackburn3713 That’s so great! You are beautiful yourself ☺️! Name fits you perfectly!

[@poetcomic1]

Bennet Cerf had a crush on her it seems. It is a running joke that he keeps asking when blindfolded if the mystery guest is Rhonda Fleming.

[@pablobanados6552]

Miss Flemming is such a beautiful lady here.

[@sandrageorge3488]

Hate the hat though

[@elisabethlinz4256]

@@sandrageorge3488 Without she would have looked even better... :--))

[@hazelspirk9628]

An oldie but goodie, cant get enough of these reruns.😎😍

[@SnowWalker1]

When Dorothy says "Is it enjoyed by all sexes?" and Bennett says "How many do you think there are?" I thought, boy, he should be around today to see just how many there are, lol.

[@kathyyoung1774]

ZoneFighter1 Right. The AMA calls transgenderism a “mental health issue.”

[@davidarcudi230]

2

[@rucksackzen]

There are still only two sexes. There are multiple genders.

[@mikehunt8997]

@@kathyyoung1774 And Michael Savage calls liberalism a mental disorder.

[@gabesmith1933]

Yes I thought the same. If he only knew the madness that goes on today.

[@rickcharles5064]

Good for Arlene letting Bennett have the honors since he knew who it was.

[@Beson-SE]

It was nice of Bennett to pass to the other and they all passed back to him. Teamwork! 16:15

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Yup. That was fun.

[@hopelewis5650]

I like Bennetts southern accent better than his New York accent.

[@loissimmons6558]

As Fred Allen mentions, April 10, 1955 was Easter Sunday and there was only a little more than an hour left of it when this showed was aired. That's quite an interesting Easter chapeau worn by Rhonda Fleming, outshone only by her beautiful decolletage.

[@Beson-SE]

Oh, I could write a sonnet about her Easter bonnet. :)

[@loissimmons6558]

+Johan Bengtsson Very impressive! But could you write a rondo for Rhonda?

[@Beson-SE]

Of course! "Help me Rhonda! Help, help me Rhonda!" :)

[@loissimmons6558]

+Johan Bengtsson ... the newest member of The Beach Boys!

[@williamhiles7404]

The Song Fannie Mae is where the Beach Boys did some borrowin' for the basis of their tune. Listen to it and you will hear the horns blare out the refrain of the BB's title. To be fair, it's not the only one, either. Borrowin'. LedHed Steven 🎶 🎸 🎹 🎸 🎶

[@joeygagliardi7380]

Wow Rhonda Fleming is beautiful. She truthfully resembles my Mom. I did not know who Rhonda was, or what she looked like. Now I remember the time at the Racetrack that a couple at the next table commented on my Mom looking like Rhonda. I thought nothing of it at the time, due to not knowing who she was. I remember my Mom replying, I wish. At any rate thanks for all the Nostalgia and better times, I wish that I was an adult during these times. Peace to all here in 2022.

[@marcuslarinen684]

Amelia is the wife of the very famous Felix Adler who was with the Ringling Bros. for quite a number of years.

[@Rhonda9199]

My mama named me after Rhonda Fleming, I've always been proud of that!

[@Ace1King1]

My mama named me after a famous hardware store.

[@mw54470]

It nice to hear the introductions done from the other side than usual. Dorothy's intro is always the same!

[@jvcomedy]

I believe that Gil Fates in his WML book claimed that Fred Allen never correctly guessed the occupation of a guest however he guessed the lady clown in this episode and he's done others as well.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Exactly.

[@daltonbelflower7331]

I wish they would've brought Rhonda Fleming back on later on to give her another shot to fool the panel. On the flip side, this episode is a prime example of why they needed to change the rules to one question at a time when the mystery guest was on. One person could dig out too much and guess it too quick.

[@SnowWalker1]

It's different to watch the way the camera worked in those days. The zooming in and out is something we don't usually see anymore. Now it just goes from clip to clip from two or three cameras that are set up at different angles and distances.

[@sendoh873]

Ms Rhonda Fleming is still alive and kicking

[@bigoldinosaur]

Her husband, Felix Adler, is from my home state of Iowa. Fun fact: Felix was inducted into the first class of the Clown Hall of Fame in 1989.

[@craftymystic4868]

bigoldinosaur mine too! Adler theater....the place to be....

[@Lava1964]

Rhonda Fleming passed away in October 2020 at age 97.

[@rmelin13231]

"Is there anything inside the outside?" Dorothy had everyone fooled with that one. That has to go down as an all-time classic question from the panel.

[@wholeNwon]

Happily, Rhonda Fleming is still very much with us.

[@Etnalleb]

Rhonda passed at 97 yrs old last year 2020 but we still have Arlene Dahl

[@foul-mouthfarrah1158]

@@Etnalleb Arlene passed at 96 yrs old last year 2021 but we still have Debra Paget

[@gugurupurasudaikirai7620]

Rhonda Fleming clearly watched the show. I remember the episodes with Arlene Dahl and Jeanne Crain in back to back weeks where the panel ascertained that the guest was a red head and guessed Rhonda Fleming both times. Then the next week Bennett joked about how they broke the streak of guessing Rhonda Fleming.

[@rhondablackburn3713]

Rhonda Fleming was very lovely ❤

[@robertjean5782]

She's gorgeous 😊

[@InjuredRobot.]

Note: with the exception of any WWII minted steel pennies, money is not magnetic - seems to me like that was a technical error on both their parts.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Here's what I want to know: the second contestant, who counts money. Arlene asks if her product can be worn and the answer is "sometimes"??? What??? Are they talking about a dress made of dollar bills? A necklace with a dime hanging from it? Who wears money?

[@rickcharles5064]

Have two old silver dollars in a belt buckle.

[@WhatsMyLine]

rick charles Well, that just explains everything.

[@WhatsMyLine]

rick charles Well, since no one else has offered any other answer. . . a money belt, maybe? Is that something anyone would even have thought of in 1955? Now I suppose I'm going to have to look up money belts on wikipedia. I'll have to get right on that. But really, this one puzzles me, a pretty rare example of what strikes me as a completely wrong answer with the master moderator, John Daly, in charge. At the very least, it's unfairly misleading. I only take note of it because it's so very rare-- Daly was always excellent at parsing the questions!

[@rickcharles5064]

The 2 silver dollars in the buckle I won in a shooting game at a carnival about 1967 or 68. Remember spending a bunch at that game. Why would I keep trying? For a girl of course. Dumb? Hell yeah. After I gave it to her she broke up with me. Did she keep it? Oh yeah!

[@krasnykavkaz]

"Arlene asks if her product can be worn and the answer is "sometimes"???"...Who wears money?" After the ownership of gold was banned by FDR in 1933 under Executive Order 6102, people got around the restrictions by making gold coins into jewelry.

[@RetroFreak35]

Watching this after hearing Rhonda Flemings passing.

[@leesher1845]

Friend Alan said that that woman had a weatherbeaten look? With all due respect and may he rest in peace, if anybody had a weatherbeaten look it was Fred Allen.

[@peternagy-im4be]

Calm your skin down rooster.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

He even said he meant a tan. He was not being mean.

[@md_vandenberg]

The lady even said she understood what he meant. "Lighten up, Francis."

[@calliopivogiatzis2235]

I have a guy come to my home to tune my piano but I never thought you could tune a wind instrument let alone a harmonica!

[@bigwilson8794]

John should not have flipped the card at 13:08 on Fred's question, which was couched in the negative and should have been answered "yes". They do that with Fred a lot

[@waynehowell6160]

Dick Wilson I have noticed this myself. I've also noticed that Fred seems to be the one panelist who phrases is questions in the negative the most.

[@bigwilson8794]

I agree

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Well, Fred was a weak panelist to be sure although I'm a fan in other areas of his career. Too bad it had to end like this.

[@victoriataylor5457]

Rhonda Fleming is a very beautiful lady, Fred Allen was quite rude though in saying the Brinks lady was weathered looking, gee she was already nervous, that probably made her very self conscious. Although she said it wasnt so bad at the ending.

[@DaRozeman]

Weathered isn't necessarily a negative thing. It can also mean a look of someone who spends a large amount of time outdoors.

[@El_Ophelia]

Fred Allen has been rude and nasty in every single show I've ever seen him in. He isn't funny and when he thinks he's funnier than he is. He makes "jokes" at the expense of other people. There's no need to go as far as Fred Allen takes it in every single show. How did they ever decide he was a good fit here?

[@anonymusum]

@@El_Ophelia Those were always my thoughts about him as well.

[@sfbirdclub]

@@El_Ophelia I can't agree MORE! And I'm so glad I'm not the only one. There is nothing funny about spouting bile!!

[@jennymode]

@@El_Ophelia I agree! He always made these snide, just mean comments

[@gbrumburgh]

Felix Adler; June 17, 1895 - February 1, 1960), was a world famous American circus clown performer and entertainer. Known as "The King of Clowns", he performed for Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey for 20 years. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989. Wife and fellow clown Amelia (September 1, 1919 -June 16, 1999) had the distinction of being the first American husband-and-wife clown team.

[@NealKanter]

Understatement calling Rhonda Fleming beautiful!

[@randyhutton9371]

Technicolor was made for her flaming red hair.

[@Cerph]

@@randyhutton9371 She was known as "The Queen of Technicolor".

[@tonycevallos7513]

Mrs Celia Abrams lived to the age of 95. She passed away in 1987

[@MarcosVAlves87]

How did you figure out This info? I didn't found anything on Google

[@keithnaylor1981]

You could hear the audience gasp in embarrassment at Fred’s weatherbeaten comment. John tried to smooth it over. Sometimes comments which may seem humorous in your own mind are best kept there!

[@joeygagliardi7380]

I would have replied, you could take a trip around the World with the luggage you have under your eyes,,, but then again why lower yourself to his level.

[@peternagy-im4be]

@@joeygagliardi7380 it was a harmless comment.

[@s6y9l]

@@peternagy-im4be Agreed. He meant she was tan.

[@jacquelinebell6201]

He doesn't mean any harm. He's not a mean man. He just made a mistake. Hal Block was much more offensive in his day.

[@dianawardrip5171]

@@joeygagliardi7380 No need, he was I’ll, only lived another 11 months. He was harmless.

[@juanettebutts9782]

2/26/2019: Rhonda Fleming is 95. She will be 96 on 10 August.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Juanette Butts - I may be wrong but I think Rhonda Fleming seemed like a nice person.

[@Traderjoe]

Bennet was pretty amazing at coming so quickly to money when questioning the lady who counts money for Brinks.

[@galileocan]

Three things that I found very strange about this episode. 1) At the beginning they introduced each other right to left. I can't remember another episode where they introduced in that direction. 2) I was very surprised that Bennett Cerf conspicuously did not applaud for John when Dorothy announced that John had won the Peabody award (I thought John and Bennett were very good friends). 3) I honestly was shocked that Fred was so rude to that woman contestant who counted money, by saying that she had a "weather beaten look". Wow.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Wow, #1 and 2 ARE odd. Good catch. I've certainly never read any reference to hostility between Bennett and John, and Bennett would often refer to John having won an award when he did John's intros (as he almost always did). I suspect it was just a gaffe; even if there was some sort of bad feeling that night, it would be amazingly poor showmanship to intentionally not simply applaud along with everyone else. About #3, I wrote about this in another comment here to Todd Brandt. I'm a *huge* fan of Fred Allen's who thinks he's generally pretty terrible on WML. Not always, but usually. For what it's worth, in real life he was known to be a very kind, generous, compassionate man who would never in a million years have said anything intentionally insulting about anyone's looks. I think he was just straining so hard, at all times, to come up with any opportunity to insert jokes, he said a lot of things that (a) don't actually make any sense at all, but get a laugh anyway, or (b) are shockingly rude. there is *none* of this on his radio show, and he was constantly off script and ad libbing. His hour long radio shows usually had at least one unscripted segment per show-- with amateur performers, or average people from the audience participating in a group discussion-- and his ad libs were amazing, witty, fast as lightning, and never rude. However long the producers may have kept him on WML, it was always a terrible format for him. I'll take Steve Allen or Ernie Kovaks in the 4th chair over f.a. any day!

[@jvcomedy]

The episode just a month earlier on 3/13 with Sammy Davis, Jr. as the mystery guest also had the panelists introducing each other from right to left. I recently read an interview with Bennett Cerf from the late 60's and he talked about how he and Jon Daly were great friends from the very first time they met. He only had nice things to say about him so I don't think there is any animosity intended by not clapping after Dorothy announced Jon Daly's award. I think he's just a little caught up in the moment and it would appear he's possibly just looking at Daly to see his reaction to the announcement. Plus he might have been feeling a little awkward due to the reversal of the order of introductions. Normally that would have been his duty. BTW, on the following week show they introduced each other from their usual left to right and Bennett concluded by again congratulating Daly on his Peabody award. Just my take on it.

[@krasnykavkaz]

What's My Line? I don't think he was ever comfortable in the TV medium. His famous quote says it all: "Television is the triumph of equipment over people… the minds that control it are so small you could put them in the navel of a flea and still have room for the heart of a network vice president."

[@ToddSF]

Galileocan g -- That remark about the "weather-beaten look" gave me a moment of pause, too. Fred Allen crossed a line with that -- humor is fine on the panel but not when it's negatively critical of a contestant. (Maybe if Fred had said the contestant had "an outdoorsy look" about her it would have been okay as a joke.) I think that sometimes Fred Allen comes off as irritating, though I don't think he comes off as intentionally irritating. I've seen the right-to-left introductions before, though not often, and there were times when they seated the panelists in a different order than usual, too, sometimes the mirror-image of normal. John and Bennett definitely got on well -- their constant fun-poking with each other was never, ever rancorous -- it was entirely good natured. I don't know why Bennett didn't applaud John at Dorothy's announcement about the Peabody award, but I can't imagine there was any problem between them.

[@ToddSF]

Galileocan g -- That remark about the "weather-beaten look" gave me a moment of pause, too. Fred Allen crossed a line with that -- humor is fine on the panel but not when it's negatively critical of a contestant. (Maybe if Fred had said the contestant had "an outdoorsy look" about her it would have been okay as a joke.) I think that sometimes Fred Allen comes off as irritating, though I don't think he comes off as intentionally irritating. I've seen the right-to-left introductions before, though not often, and there were times when they seated the panelists in a different order than usual, too, sometimes the mirror-image of normal. John and Bennett definitely got on well -- their constant fun-poking with each other was never, ever rancorous -- it was entirely good natured. I don't know why Bennett didn't applaud John at Dorothy's announcement about the Peabody award, but I can't imagine there was any problem between them.

[@2201Duluth]

It always blows me away that Bennett Cerf asks of the female mystery guests "Are you a beautiful lady?' How would someone not attractive feel about being asked that?" Those were different times

[@Ace1King1]

What are the odds a female mystery guest would not be an attractive person?

[@kattahj]

Yes, and how awkward for John if it was some character actress playing granny types and he'd have to answer as he usually does... though knowing him, he would probably still come up with a way to give her a compliment! I think also the panel can probably figure a lot out from audience reactions and the guest's voice.

[@davidarcudi230]

Grow up snowflake

[@igkoigko9950]

@@Ace1King1 There is a reasonable possibility that a female MG would not be attractive, for examples, Elenor Roosevelt, one or more senators, a Treasury official. There could even be mystery guests in “show business” who are not attractive (Dorothy)

[@joncheskin]

Did Fred Allen say that the one woman had a "weatherbeaten" appearance?

[@lauracollins4195]

Jonathan C - Yes he did. Can you imagine saying that to a lady, or anyone? :(

[@El_Ophelia]

He sure did! Can you imagine? He's so rude. How did he look at himself in the mirror each day? He's not exactly Adonis himself, and has no room for attacking other people, especially their looks. Even for the 50's he is rude by all standards.

[@cuttersboi08]

Yes he did! "And can you imagine" that he clarified what he meant by that? How dare a comedian go for a joke! As insensitive as it may seem by today's standards he didn't mean anything insulting by the comment. And most of the time, if you're paying attention, many people on this show have taken "rude" comments as jokes and laughed right along with everyone else. Somewhere, in the course of a very short period of time, our skins have gotten thinner and our spines have disappeared.

[@aphrabenn3233]

And on the episode hosting one of the dancing Murphy sisters he remarked there wouldn’t be room on the stage for anyone else. Btw, the lady was a bit on the chunky side.

[@accomplice55]

Yes. I was stunned.

[@rickcharles5064]

Didn't remember Rhonda Fleming was so hot.

[@michaelny7]

Rhonda F was certainly a beauty, check her in Gunfight at Ok Corral wth Burt lancaster, whew what a knockout. Still alive at 90 along with Maureen o'hara 2 gorgeous red heads

[@johnny1963ify]

She really is beautiful.

[@jimchabai3163]

still alive in July 2020 when i'm watching. the 3rd person i've found to be alive (watching in order)

[@danielbisson8032]

@@michaelny7 b pictture redxhead

[@sandrageorge3488]

I don't like the hat.

[@志瑜杨]

Updates on regular guests Celia Abrams- likely also lived in Cedar Grove, NJ. I believe she died around 2006, but I cannot verify this. Ben Burley- I couldn’t find much, but there is an old archived newspaper article that he appeared in.

[@horseyhorselips3501]

I was born Two months and one day after this aired

[@marcuslarinen684]

I think worn here could be taken to mean carried. For example if one carried a wallet in your pocket you could be said to wear the money on your person (and as Arlene said in a later episode, she wears a lot of things on her person :D )

[@WhatsMyLine]

That as good an explanation as any, but I just don't buy it. There is no normal context in the English language in which anyone would say, because they had money on their person, in a wallet or in their pockets or anywhere else, "I'm wearing money."

[@WhatsMyLine]

Ry Cade But the line in question was a money counter, meaning actual cash. Accessories and jewelry may cost a lot of money, but that doesn't make them the same thing as money. My best guess on this is they were thinking of money belts, which is still a pretty thin explanation, but does technically fit the criteria of (a) actual cash money and (b) being worn rather than carried.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Ry Cade Oh, I don't feel you're harping on me at all, it's just an interesting discussion. It's pretty rare for me to take issue with John's moderation of the questioning, so I find it fascinating when it happens.

[@bigwilson8794]

What's My Line? Sometimes people say things like: "Do you have ten dollars on you?" The money is not really "on" them, but somewhere in their clothing or accouterments.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

Marcus Larinen sorry to disagree but a bunch of examples come to mind--you dont "wear" luggage, shopping bags, umbrella, etc

[@VTMCompany]

14:21 "In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it..."

[@waldolydecker8118]

7:00 Mrs Abrams is from Maplewood, NJ!!

[@Rosarium2007]

What an interesting hat Rhonda Fleming was wearing.

[@ltrain4479]

Another episode where Fred Allen is given lines to ask the money counting lady. It's so obvious now looking back on it.

[@loissimmons6558]

Bennett briefly mentions the Brooklyn Dodgers during the second segment. The 1955 baseball regular season opened the following day with the traditional games in Washington, DC (where the President of the United States usually, but not always, threw out the first ball, and Cincinnati. Washington was accorded that honor as our nations's capital and Cincinnati in recognition of being the home of the first professional baseball team. President Eisenhower did throw out the first ball on opening day in 1955. barnstormingwithfrankbarning.blogspot.com/2012/04/life-begins-on-opening-day-president.html The Dodgers would not open their season until Wednesday. They beat the Pirates at Ebbets Field, 6-1, the Dodgers unknotting a 1-1 tie with 5 runs in the 7th as Carl Erskine went the distance for the win. Jackie Robinson started at third base for the Dodgers and went 2 for 4 with a double. Manager Walt Alston had not been popular with some of the veteran players on the Dodgers in 1954, Alston's inaugural season and it was made worse when the Dodgers finished second to the Giants, eliminated before the final day of the season for the first time since 1948. Robinson was one of the ones most vocal in his opposition to Alston, reacting to his reduced playing time in 1954 and some of Alston's questionable managerial moves. They picked up the feud during Spring Training in 1955, sniping at each other through the press. It boiled over as the Dodgers came north at the end of Spring Training, playing games in various cities along the way. During the last week before the start of the regular season, Robinson said something in the clubhouse in Louisville. Alston got mad, Robinson got up to challenge him and Alston went to meet him. It would have been some brawl. Robinson was an tremendous athlete and fiercely competitive. Irving Rudd, who served as the Brooklyn Dodgers Promotions Director for much of the fifties said that of all the people he knew personally, including Rocky Marciano, if he had to pick one man to accompany him down a dark alley, it would be Jackie Robinson. On the other side of the potential battle, Walt Alston at age 43 and for many years after was still considered to be the strongest man in baseball, and that included being stronger than Gil Hodges and Ted Kluszewski and later on Frank Howard. But before any blows could be thrown, Roy Campanella stepped between them. While Alston still didn't have the veterans totally behind him, that cooled things off and Alston finally asserted himself as boss of the team. The Dodgers were now ready to go out and beat up the rest of baseball instead of each other. Walt Alston would go on to win more pennants and World Championships than any other Dodger manager. He and Jackie Robinson are both members of baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

[@barrykendrick3146]

+Lois Simmons We now know that the Giants cheated in 1954.

[@preppysocks209]

@@barrykendrick3146 They cheated in 1951. What evidence do you have for 1954?

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Lois Simmons - I always wondered how the Dodgers came to be called "dem bums." Now I know.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Have they ever gone from right to left in the introductions before or since?

[@OrigamiMarie]

They did it sometimes in some of the earlier shows, I think just to mix things up a bit (clearly it didn't stick). In this case I think it was particularly so that Dorothy could announce the award, instead of Bennett (since Bennett's role is usually to jab Mr Daly a little).

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Several times to mix things up, up to this point.

[@joeambrose3260]

RIP Rhonda

[@shuroom57]

That harmonica tuner looks like comedian Rob Schneider.

[@michaeldanello3966]

Interesting Bennett would comment on Dorothy's question ( "Is it enjoyed by all sexes?"). "How many do you figure there are?". Today in 2018 the answer would be between 35 and a few hundred.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

Bologna!

[@leesher1845]

That hat looked great on Rhonda Fleming.

[@robertjean5782]

This was her Easter hat😊

[@Sylvander1911]

Is there anything inside the outside?

[@jennymode]

loved it!!

[@mtnman6557]

Really enjoyed the 1st guest, but Fred was wrong about the sawdust only being seen in the circus now (1955), as it was no longer in saloons. During my Jr HS years, we still had sock hops in the middle sixties. We'd have to leave our penny loafers in the hallway outside the entrance to the gym as no street shoes were allowed on the gym floor. The entire floor of the gym was covered w/ sawdust & in your sock feet, you could really twist away to some of the rock-n-roll #'s. *the harmonica tuner was very interesting too

[@robertjean5782]

I worked in a butcher shop 1950s and they used sawdust on the floor to keep you from slipping 😊

[@mtnman6557]

@@robertjean5782 That probably helped w/ sweeping up at the end of the day too.

[@hairyscotman]

wow....Rhonda Fleming is a KNOCK OUT!!!....and 96, today!

[@henrywyche]

" worn" as in worn out or used up, not as in apparel.

[@robertfiller8634]

Not really. It could have been worn, as a "money belt" (although don't know if such things exist nowadays).

[@robertjean5782]

Back during the depression many people were out of work, zero money. They would take money from people with money. The money belt was created to keep people from robbing them while in public places. 😊

[@laurahoward5426]

My favorite, by far, is Arlene, and her beautiful necklace was snatched from her in a mugging in her old age

[@robertjean5782]

It was snatched by a taxi driver as she was getting out😢

[@dameaustel]

@@robertjean5782 No it was snached by a mugger as she was getting out of a taxi

[@robertjean5782]

@@dameaustel The taxi driver snatched it from her neck as she departed the cab. IT was insured

[@Cerph]

I'm in love

[@randyacuna3248]

Frances was always cheerfull in her personality and this made her so attractive in my view. Rhonda was absolutely the most beautiful actress ever. Just my take.

[@briane173]

I can understand Bennett Cerf's pining for Rhonda Fleming; she was SMOKIN' hot then....

[@robertjean5782]

Bennett was a married man, but he flirted often😊

[@tjbnyc76]

I know Fred Allen is beloved by many WML aficionados, but I find him often incredibly rude to the guests -- presumably for the sake of making a joke or pun, but I just don't see his appeal, OR find him particularly funny.

[@WhatsMyLine]

I haven't gotten into this much in other comments yet, but I figured it would come up sooner or later. . . I don't like Fred Allen on WML very much either, and you won't find a bigger fan of Fred Allen in the world than me (at least, one under the age of 80). As a writer and as a radio performer he was brilliant. But he hated television, had tried and failed at several formats, and did WML because it was an easy paycheck and kept him in the public eye. It wasn't his kind of show, and I think it's more a tribute to his former career than his panel performance that he was kept on the show until his death. One thing I've noticed, he repeats a lot of jokes throughout his WML appearances, which I think is indicative of how uncomfortable he really was and how hard he was straining to be funny in this format. It just isn't a good fit at all, and matters aren't helped by the fact that he's pretty much hopeless at the game itself (Steve Allen was able to be funny and to play the game competently when he wanted to). I'm glad some folks seem to genuinely find f.a.'s panel appearances to be impressive, but I don't think it's possible for anyone to understand what a truly brilliant ad lib comic he was based solely on WML. Any single radio show has more laughs than he gets in a month of WML appearances. It's a real shame that the majority of folks who have heard of f.a. at all know him only from this show. It's akin to folks knowing Orson Welles only as the guy in the 1970s who was always on the Merv Griffin show and did all those wine commercials.

[@bigwilson8794]

Todd Brandt That's one of the good things about the show and these discussions. Everybody has a different opinion. You like Bennett and don't like Fred, I happen to like Fred and don't really like Bennett. It's all good...

[@richarddarlington1139]

Well, to be fair, Fred Allen did have the perfect face for radio. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Don't bother, I'll find my own way out.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Richard Darlington I've enjoyed hearing clips of Fred Allen's dry humor and always found his dour, deadpan expression an interesting one for a comic. The only other one like that I know of is Steven Wright, one of my very favorites. It helps a comic to have a humorous appearance and Fred certainly has one. For some reason when I see him, I think of Mr. Potato Head, sans mustache. It's not a criticism or poking fun. Many comedians had a distinguishing feature that was less than attractive, like Gleason's bulging eyes or the large noses of Durante, Hope and Danny Thomas. Others had the ability to contort into a funny face, like Skelton, Ball or Coca.

[@TheNomadicview]

It's strange. When I first saw him on WML- I mean in the episodes when he first appeared on the show- I felt the same. He seemed corny and stiff and not particularly interested in playing the game. But over time, I grew to like him more and more. His humor can be both acidic and dry but also sometimes self-effacing, which makes him more tolerable.

[@karlhungus5554]

Rhonda was such a classy beauty.

[@drakegalager9702]

DOROTHY KILGALLENS QUESTIONING OF THE HARMONICA TUNER GUY, WAS JUST SO SO LABORING, UGH !

[@vickiebohy7609]

Am i seeing things , or is Fred Allen' s left ear smaller than his right ear?

[@sbalman]

I was a just a little creeped out the way Bennett talked to Rhonda FLeming.

[@robertjean5782]

He was a flirt Cerf😊

[@garyzerr9821]

Cool hat Rhoda Fleming is wearing. Dorothy just goes on and on with that last contestant until she used up all the time (e.g. "Is it larger than a raspberry?").

[@rogerpropes7129]

I think it was Easter.

[@virginiamonroe38]

I love Arlene's jewelry.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I think it is misleading to say that money is worn. Perhaps so, in very limited circumstances, but not so much as to deserve a yes.

[@arrghhouse]

Often money becomes worn; it is soon retired thereafter. I thought it was a clever answer. And almost immediately, Bennett went to money.

[@robertjean5782]

Money belts were worn😊 popular after the depression

[@daler.steffy1047]

Well, now, here's an interesting occupation. It was the last guest, Ben Burley, who was announced by John Daly as "an harmonica 'tuna'!" [Sic] There's just something fishy about Mr. Burley's occupation, in my opinion. In order to understand that occupation, perhaps we need to get into the subject in a way that is deep...see the significance of it all!

[@DBEdwards]

THESE ARE KINESCOPES. FILMED OVER A TELEVISION SCREEN. NO VIDEO TAPE THEN.

[@laurahoward5426]

In these early show, the contestants were from nearby

[@robertjean5782]

No they came from distant places 😊

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Rhonda Fleming had it all going on!

[@MrYfrank14]

6:23 - did anyone get the "sloans, sawdust" joke?

[@sdacj]

It was saloons and sawdust - old time saloons used to have sawdust on the floors.

[@Beson-SE]

I have never liked the Circus and I have something against clowns in general. One of the few clowns I found funny was Emmet Kelly who was the MG in Fred Allen's last show in 1956.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Johan Bengtsson We have something in common. I also have never been a big fan of the circus or clowns. About the only thing I enjoy is the aerial acrobatics. And I do prefer the hobo clowns like the one that Emmett Kelly basically originated. As it turns out, he was a trapeze artist before he became a clown. Ironically, you also brought up a baseball reference in Kelly. Bennett Cerf briefly mentions the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose season was about to start during the week following this episode. When the team went through its lean years in the 1920's and 30's, Dodger fans referred to their team as 'dem Bums. "Bums" was even the name of Peter Golenbock's book on the team before they left for Los Angeles, an oral history. In his interview of a fan by the name of Bill Reddy, the most ardent fans would arrive early to watch pre-game practice and they would talk baseball, kids and adults alike. And when the team was inept, they would jump on every fault of the Dodgers players. But when the opposing team went on the field, no Dodger fan would utter a negative word about his team. If a Yankees fan or Giants fan happened to be there (or occasionally a fan of the team they were playing from another city) and they started razzing the Dodgers, Dodgers fans would give it to them with both barrels. They knew their team was usually a loser, but there would be enough bright spots to give them hope, and the undyingly loyal Dodgers fans and the players had a love affair on and off the field. Brooklyn fans were mostly working class people, not like their neighbors in Manhattan and the ritzy areas of the Bronx who rooted for the Giants or the Yankees. And they saw the players like them: working class stiffs rather than stars. In the 1930's, famous NYC sports cartoonist Willard Mullin (no relation to the man that Amelia Adler would marry after the death of her first husband) drew a caricature of Kelly to symbolize the Dodgers in his cartoons about the team that ran on the sports pages. Other cartoonists picked up the theme as well, but eventually it was Mullin who the team would hire when the team was in its golden age to include the Dodger Bum on the cover of that season's yearbooks. 1951: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/77/96/49/77964903dbd928f3f4762b3f6590a8df.jpg 1952: www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-cover-of-the-1952-brooklyn-dodgers-yearbook-featuring-a-news-photo/3200230?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect#the-cover-of-the-1952-brooklyn-dodgers-yearbook-featuring-a-cartoon-picture-id3200230 1953: www.amazing-adventures.com/images3/ebs53dodgeryrbk.jpg 1954 (alluding to Walter O'Malley's desire to keep the team in Brooklyn with a new ballpark): keymancollectibles.com/publications/images/brookl5.jpg 1955 (the one for this upcoming season): keymancollectibles.com/publications/images/brookl6.jpg 1956 (celebrating Brooklyn's only World Championship): keymancollectibles.com/publications/images/wpeE2.jpg 1957 (my brother has this one in his possession to this day and I practically memorized it over the years): i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/u6UAAOSwo4pYdIjQ/s-l225.jpg Why no 1958? The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the end of the 1957 season and backed away from the bum image. Sports cartoonists tried to keep it alive for awhile, especially in NYC, to represent the Dodgers. But they modified it to show that the bum had turned Hollywood. He might be wearing a beret or be riding in a fancy sports car. The cigar butt he was smoking would be at the end of a long holder. But its only on rare occasions that the Dodgers are called Bums now, and it usually refers back to their days in Brooklyn. Probably the most famous Bums image was drawn by someone other than Mullin. At the end of this season, the cover of the NY Daily News of 10/5/55 on the day after the Brooklyn Dodgers won their only World Series featured this cartoon by Leo O'Mealia (if you look closely, you can see his little lion drawing as his signature) with the appropriate headline: www.nydailynews.com/sports/iconic-daily-news-sports-photos-years-gallery-1.1847973?pmSlide=1.1847954 In 1956, the Dodgers hired Emmett Kelly away from the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus to be their full-time mascot. The job didn't last.

[@Beson-SE]

As always a substantial comment. :) I love cartoons and caricatures. They can be funny per se ("A bum dressed as a baseball player. Funny!") but when you realize there is more to it than that you get a feeling of greater joy ("Ah, the Dodger Bum! Funny!").

[@doctorjames7454]

I love clowns. But I think I'm in the minority.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Clowns are creepy

[@Ace1King1]

Stephen King gave clowns a bad name. American Horror Story continued that tradition.

[@robynnsong]

Amelia Adler ❤ is my favorite contestant.

[@ronmerkin129]

Isn't it interesting how many, many viewers have posted comments about people - almost all of them - by now long dead. I've found a lot of your comments interesting but can't help wondering what if anything this signifies; have wondered also why Bennet Serf with his provocative comments about John Charles Daly wasn't moved away from introducing Daly sooner....did their insults back and forth actually increase viewership?

[@RaoYiLan]

19:39 When Ben Burley sits down, he's sitting behind a name plate that still says "Rhonda Fleming"! Oops ...

[@lindaroper2654]

I don't like the panel says if Darlene had it,why not dorthy?

[@tumarbongrox6074]

Rhonda Fleming was only 32 years old when this aired but she was dressed like an elderly grandma!

[@lawrencecunningham7321]

Fred Allen said she looked weather beaten. He was always insulting

[@robertjean5782]

Tanned😊

[@roysandywoodward1854]

Which coins were magnetic?

[@dcasper8514]

None.

[@robertjean5782]

Old 90% silver dimes😊

[@Merrida100]

How dare he refer to her as having a "weather beaten look!" Dear God! How flippin' rude can you get. And let's be honest, Fred, you're one to talk. To be fair, I don't know how he got his lovely wife.

[@RLPalatSr]

Because he is a star and has money.

[@davidarcudi230]

Shut up snowflake

[@taraxacum]

Hello, Mr. Troll

[@lauracollins4195]

Merrida100 - Yes that was surprising and appalling. From what I’ve read about him, I think he was a nice, generous person and wouldn’t hurt anyone intentionally; I think he spoke without thinking. As funny as he was on his old radio show, it looks like being on this panel was not a very good fit for him. His humor on WML can be refreshing at times, but so many of his jokes fall flat here, and he can be surprisingly insulting to contestants (unintentionally, I assume).

[@kristabrewer9363]

not watching the episode yet, but I can only assume you're talking about idiot Fred

[@leesher1845]

Money isn’t worn; that was very misleading.

[@peternagy-im4be]

It's worn on a belt

[@williamhiles7404]

I've seen old gold coins worn as necklaces. Robert Plant wears one at The Royal Albert Hall filmed performance 1-9-'70. LedHed Steven 🎶 🎸 🎹 🎸 🎶

[@bigwilson8794]

A lot of times John says "Miss .... (the first name), that is: Miss Rhonda, Miss Dorothy, etc. Rather unusual, isn't it? I never heard him say "Mr. Bennett or Mr. Fred, etc":

[@tomitstube]

+Dick Wilson - i noticed that too, i've lived in the south for a few years now and hear it sporadically, oddly enough i hear black people use it the most, miss (first name). kind of odd hearing a white male new englander saying it, i've heard it used in old movies too, where black folk (usually servants) were made to speak that way to white people, so it's odd to hear young black women saying it today.

[@lucindasommer720]

We called ladies "Miss" a lot back then. I feel like screaming "It was a different era, people!" I don't know why we did it, but we did. It was drilled into my head that even if a woman asked me to call her by her first name, that if she was older than me, I was to call her "Miss" followed by her first name.

[@sdacj]

It was a term of respect to ladies; John was being a gentleman according to the standards of behavior of that era.

[@kathyyoung1774]

sdacj Yes. I don’t know why people today simply can’t understand terms of respect. It explains why most people now treat nobody with respect. I am glad I grew up then and learned manners. We were taught manners at home and at school.

[@dcasper8514]

Dick Wilson. Mr. Dick ?

[@leannsherman6723]

You have sort of a weatherbeaten look? Seriously, Fred?

[@GeeBee909]

Arlene Dahi or Rhonda Fleming, Rhonda Fleming or Arlene Dahl, I can't make up my mind !!!!!!

[@robertjean5782]

Definitely Fleming😊

[@dameaustel]

Arlene Francis

[@yatinexile7144]

11:05 Speak for yourself, Fred.

[@sasmungcore5124]

Only someone with a weather beaten face can called another one that😊

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

LADY CLOWN (RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS) COUNTS MONEY (BRINKS) HARMONICA TUNER

[@peternagy-im4be]

Please remove this complete and utter troll from the comments section. Unfortunately today's awful society is full of pathetic losers intent on ruining other people's enjoyment of social media. Thank you

[@scottpardee6303]

Again, we are all friends.

[@Lokus199]

Who is amelia adler

[@rickcharles5064]

Did you actually watch this video? Lady Clown from Ringling etc etc.

[@adamcoates2890]

How did Arlene know that the clown's nose lit up? I never heard it mentioned until she asked her to light up her nose. If she didn't know ahead of time that the lady would be a clown, why would she just assume her nose lit up? Or is it rather usual for a clown's nose to light up? I've never heard of it, and I have seen many clowns in my life, mostly at parades or carnivals.

[@robertjean5782]

This was over 70 years ago clowns nose light was used😊

[@ggsilik5577]

Amelia Adler was the wife of Felix Adler, "The King of Clowns". He worked with Ringling for 20 years, she was their first female clown. Their costumes would usually have the balloons in the bottom, they carried small umbrellas, and even had a pig that, after he married his wife, was always named "Amelia". They also had noses that lit up.

[@PaulDA2000]

Pretty lady, HORRIBLE hat!

[@vivavoice7211]

I love that crown of flowers 💐

[@robertjean5782]

70 years ago this was considered very fashionable 😊

[@PaulDA2000]

@@robertjean5782 oh don’t get me wrong they wear some hideous things today also but I just don’t like that whether it was fashionable or not.

[@davidarcudi230]

Fuzzy about the....bwahahah

[@Eddie_Schantz]

During these years of the show, they wasted so much air time with going over to meet the panel and the free guesses. Getting rid of this practice was the best thing the could have done for the show.

[@robertjean5782]

There were valid reasons for the panelist to meet the guest😊

[@Eddie_Schantz]

@@robertjean5782 I can't think of one because there isn't any or they wouldn't have stopped it.

[@Cerph]

14:09

[@omargonzalez2641]

The lady clown was cute but it's a good thing the traditional circus is a thing of the past.

[@mavericko4782]

ZzzzżZ

[@augerontgen8240]

If I had a face like fred allen I would have become a boxer too. You cannot make more damage on it.

[@lorihansen8674]

I hate clowns.

[@Baskerville22]

I don't like clowns... male or female