What's My Line? - Jack Paar (Jan 24, 1960)

MYSTERY GUEST: Jack Paar
PANEL: Arlene Francis, William Bendix, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@michaelclark6223]

Mr Lingo, the flagpole maker, was a fighter pilot in the Korean War, and afterward a reservist in the NJ Air National Guard. His physique, noted by Bennett Cerf, was also due to his athleticism in high school, namely football and hurdles. He was the fourth generation of his family be in the flagpole business. John E Lingo Jr passed away August 2, 2018, age 88.

[@angelageren48]

Thank you for thinking of sharing this. We need to continue to share our parents/grandparents stories. Otherwise we will relive the horrific parts of history. Parents, please, tell your children. Schools aren't teaching REAL history anymore. I know...my daughter is graduating HS this year (2020, need I say more).

[@leesher1845]

Thank you for sharing that information.

[@BUSTER.BRATAMUS]

Sounds like a great man

[@leannsherman6723]

Thanks very much for sharing.

[@leannsherman6723]

That panel was smart. If you added up their IQs, I bet you would’ve come up with a very high number.

[@donnacook8994]

How I love watching these shows. Thank you so much for airing these! We are indeed blessed to watch shoes from childhood years! 👏👏👏💕💕

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

You do a fantastic job with these shows, Mr. Line.....

[@MrWindermere123]

I haven't seen a mystery guest go off too soon and come back to make up time - it was too late to bring on another challenger and too early to sign off the show. John Daly, being a pro, was just about to discuss with William Bendix his next project when Jack Paar returned with his coat on. That's live TV!

[@suelutz5364]

I liked that he was afraid he was wasting their time talking to him.

[@llyngibson4160]

I love Dorothy's giggle.

[@kennethtobin6906]

Arlene Francis is Ravishing tonight

[@wnturck]

Simply one of the most beautiful women and not only that, lovely and so intelligent

[@neilmidkiff]

Arlene to Jack Paar at 21:47 : "Do you kid us not?" refers to Jack's book "I Kid You Not" which had recently been published. A generous plug, as usual, from Arlene.

[@rickrick5041]

Neil Midkiff He made up the saying I kid you not on his show.

[@lorenanders702]

Published by Bennett?

[@neilmidkiff]

@@lorenanders702 No, by Little, Brown.

[@leesher1845]

I noticed that Jack Parr acknowledged the audience which very few of the celebrities did. Cute ending.

[@maynardsmoreland]

Can Arlene Francis get any more lovely or charming than this?

[@savethetpc6406]

She does look particularly beautiful in this episode!

[@rickcharles5064]

SaveThe TPC I think it's because her hair glistens more.

[@sferrell1000]

rick charles She is breathtaking, classically beautiful. Her gown is classic.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

maynardsmoreland love her "smiling" eyes

[@ToddSF]

maynardsmoreland -- Arlene had some really beautiful dresses, many of which revealed her shoulders, and here she is at age 52, looking great. Her hairstyle here is particularly good -- looks great on her.

[@hopicard]

Arlene's dress is more than stunning.

[@emmgeevideo]

William Bendix is particularly charming as well.

[@dalej42]

Paar still shows up as a crossword clue even today. Those two a’s make it a good word to use in a puzzle plus they know people will be tricked and think Leno at first

[@RayNDeere]

When Jack talked about being fired from CBS and ABC, John said he might get fired one day at ABC (where he served as anchor of the evening news and news director). He left ABC after the upcoming 1960 Election because the Network decided to run a half-hour of cartoons before starting Election Night broadcasting (while the other networks were already into the coverage).

[@TheBraveIntrovert]

Loved William in "Lifeboat"one of my fave movies.

[@VahanNisanian]

Jack Paar is so funny with his bullhorn.

[@jackkomisar458]

At 4:22, William Bendix alludes to "Frankie & Johnnie's", a steakhouse on West 45th Street that started as a speakeasy during Prohibition. The New York Times described Frankie & Johnnie's in an article dated May 26, 2009 as "a hangout for hard-drinking meat-eaters from show business and the garment district".

[@georgealexander141]

Jack Paar and Dorothy Kilgallen on the same stage? The earth shook that night!

[@bluecamus5162]

Indeed, Paar's Wikipedia entry states that he used his last night on the Tonight Show (1962) to attack his enemies, Dorothy Kilgallen and Walter Winchell.

[@kenhenderson1762]

@@bluecamus5162 Kilgallen blasted Paar in her column for going to Cuba to interview Castro. Well, then it was ON! The two were constantly sniping at each other. She thought he was being un-American, he thought she was being reactionary.

[@rmelin13231]

I particularly noticed that Dorothy didn't join the chit-chat after questioning was complete, and their handshake, while cordial, was very brief. Probably not something we would have noticed at the time, but evident in retrospect.

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

I hope that what ever is being fried (background noise) is going to be good food 😂❤ thanks for posting! ❤

[@hcombs0104]

Scratchy old kinescope.

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

@@hcombs0104 👍

[@wiguy3]

oh if only they had had DVRs or TEVO in those days.....Bennett would not have to have been so annoyed by commercials. I seldom watch anything live now just for that reason. I must be every advertisers nightmare. How nice it is to watch these videos without commercial breaks (even though some of them are quite nostalgic).

[@allenjones3130]

This episode aired just one day before my 2nd birthday.

[@annakaminski4406]

Great to watch this.

[@loissimmons6558]

Ironic that Jack Paar's bullhorn made it more difficult for him to be understood.

[@spongebobandplanktonshould2920]

Didn't get it. Explain re: ironic, etc.

[@loissimmons6558]

@@spongebobandplanktonshould2920 A bullhorn generally is employed to amplify the voice to make it easier for more people to hear and understand what is being said. (Thus the joke a speaker will sometimes use at the start of a talk: "Will all the people in the back of the room who can't hear me, please raise their hand.")

[@Bonobanos]

interesting conversation about advertising, didn't realize commercial breaks weren't like they are now

[@rtususian]

Oh, yes. In the 50s half hour shows ran 26 minutes without the commercials. Now it's more like 22 minutes or even less. And one hour programs in the 50s and 60s ran about 52 minutes, now with all the commercials deleted it's only about 43 minutes.

[@loissimmons6558]

WML was preempted for other broadcasting on 1/17/60. It would be interesting to know the different shows that took the place of WML in those markets where WML had a regular time slot, once that time slot was established at 10:30 PM Sunday, Eastern Time.

[@chuckbracken]

yeah Love toos ee one of these 50's shows in color!1

[@mikejschin]

The episode guide on tv.com is singularly unhelpful. It simply says that the show was pre-empted. It would be great to know the reason and what the replacement was.

[@donlitos]

Amazing all these celebrities at the end of the show saying good night to each other most families don't even talk to each other anymore let alone have such social grace and respect. Love it

[@miketheyunggod2534]

William Bendix played Babe Ruth.

[@bombasticwood4220]

i love ARLENE FRANCIS" SMILING eyes

[@anneroy4560]

Dorothy looks so disgruntled when she is not able to guess ...

[@libertyann439]

Anne Roy She's a perfectionist.

[@grayadam]

alcoholism i believe

[@lopa2828]

@@libertyann439: I agree with you. I heard from the discussions that she took this fun show far more seriously than other panelists.

[@karlschwinbarger105]

Does anybody know why I've Got A Secret hasn't been uploaded as lovingly as What' My Line on KZbin. I don't know if I'd like as much but it's hardly available to ever know. John Charles Daly was awful good at this.

[@TylerDeBoy]

To be honest, I’ve Got a Secret was harder to follow for me. It would be cool to see them regardless…

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@Karl Schwinbarger. I was wondering the same thing. I love watching "I've Got A Secret" as much as I love to watch "What's My Line." My favorite panelist on "I've Got A Secret" is Bill Cullen. One reason why I love to watch "I've Got A Secret" is because of all the talent that they show from the contestants! It's also fun to watch the mystery guest get the panel involved in some type of game or physical contest. I also like some of the inventions that some of the contestants come up with or very unique things that they do. Yesterday, I watched an episode where 2 men from South America came to New York driving a 1918 car. They explained all of the problems that they had on the way like all the repairs that they had to get done or do themselves. They had an interpreter with them because they didn't speak English. That was fun to watch. 🙂

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

Mr. Bendix had a gazing stare when he asked his questions like a cross examination. Lol!

[@miketheyunggod2534]

He was entertaining though. Probably his way of thinking.

[@randallmacphee7260]

They thought six twenty second commercials in a row was excessive ; what would they think now? They can go on for thirty minutes when a show is only thirty minutes .

[@Thomas-fu8vp]

They truly had fun!!

[@sweiland75]

I feel like I am in the minority because I favour Dorothy over Arlene

[@libertyann439]

sweiland75 I like them both. They were wonderful in different ways. But the panels would be dull without them.

[@davidarcudi230]

Im with you. Great lady and great journalist. Murdered for finding the truth

[@Chris73388]

Im with you. Dorothy is my favorite

[@syd8802]

Same Dorothy is my favorite 🤩

[@dalej42]

They’re all wonderful. I’d go Dorothy, Bennett, Arlene

[@davidsoulier6375]

Gil Fates mentioned in his book this particular Arlene Francis introduction gaffe. My particular favorite of her intro boo-boos was the time she forgot Tony Randall's name all together. And yes, she looks stunning in that outfit. William Bendix gets my nomination for best mystery guest performance. He asks great questions, and he is involved in solving 2 of the lines. Unlike Adolph Monjeu's similar record back in 1957, Bendix does not give the impression of cheating. Jack Paar at the height of his line. 2 months later, that he got so mad at NBC's censoring of his "Tonight Show" opening monologue, he abandoned the program for a month. In his departing broadside, he specifically criticized Dorothy's newspaper and took shots over Dorothy's bow for her reporting and her column as well. By this time, neither Jack nor Dorothy were terribly fond of each other or their views. As for Castro -- he outlived both of them and their views of him.

[@savethetpc6406]

David Soulier Are you referring to a different episode when Bendix was the mystery guest, or did you mean to say "guest panelist"? I agree that he was an excellent panelist on this episode, with a very direct way of questioning. I've never heard anyone ask, "do you advertise?" before, but I thought that was a very good question, even though it didn't lead to much in this particular case. I'll be interested to see if other panelists pick it up in future episodes.

[@soulierinvestments]

SaveThe TPC I fixed the post and reposted it. drs

[@tomitstube]

+David Soulier agreed, bendix did a great job with the questions, not as easy as the regular panelists make it look.

[@suelutz5364]

@@savethetpc6406 that was a good question, and I was surprised that she didn't advertise.

[@timothycarley2174]

I'm Definately Hooked on W.M.L.

[@MrWindermere123]

Pedantic point: John Daly talks about the area of a flagpole compared to that of a building. I think he means the volume but I am reluctant to correct him because he very rarely slips up in his use of language.

[@neilmidkiff]

But in this case you're completely right and Daly is (rather unusually) wrong in his word choice. "Volume" is exactly what he meant.

[@wholeNwon]

I wish Paar had remained on TV longer. Still miss him. Orders of magnitude superior to all of his successors.

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

Only an electric personality like Berle or Parr would ever reappear like that. Sadly, many pioneers like Jack end up hanged, drawn and quartered.

[@soulierinvestments]

Gil Fates mentioned in his book this particular Arlene Francis introduction gaffe. My particular favorite of her intro boo-boos was the time she forgot Tony Randall's name all together. Yes, she looks stunning in that outfit. Of the guest panelists who appeared only a few times, William Bendix gets my nomination for best short-term guest panelist. He asks great questions and is involved in solving 2 lines. Unlike Adolph Monjeu's similar record back in 1957, Bendix does not give the impression of cheating. Jack Paar at the height of his fame and ego. 2 months later, that he got so angry at NBC's censoring of his "Tonight Show" opening monologue, he abandoned the program for a month. In his departing broadside, he specifically criticized Dorothy's newspaper for blood, gore, and bad taste and took shots over Dorothy's bow for her sensationalist reporting and column as well. By this time, Jack and Dorothy despised each other or their views. Castro outlived both of them and their views of him. So there.

[@PhilBagels]

Castro? You mean Fidel, I assume? What did they say about him? Paar said something about Castro in his monologue that was censored? Do you know what it was?

[@preppysocks209]

@@PhilBagels this is all jumbled. Paar was pro Castro. Kilgallen was anti Castro. That was not the subject of the monologue that was censored. The subject of the monologue that was censored was "WC". After that, he left Tonight. Then he came back after awhile, his first statement on the air was: "As I was saying..."

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Chiropractor Sells Flagpoles

[@rickcharles5064]

Surprising how they listed the other networks. Bet the producers were cringing. Was wondering why Jack was in such a hurry. lol

[@ToddSF]

rick charles -- They didn't seem to have any qualms about mentioning the other networks on WML. John Daly, of course, was the vice president in charge of news, special events, and public affairs, religious programs and sports for ABC, and he also hosted the final years (1954-55) of the NBC game show "Who Said That?" in addition to doing WML for 17 years on CBS. So he was seen on all three networks -- maybe that put him in the position of not caring about mentioning the other two networks.

[@lynettepalecek3141]

@rick charles. Jack Paar said that he was given the sign from the producer to hurry up and he showed what that sign is.

[@leannsherman6723]

I love the evening gloves that the chiropractor was wearing.

[@TheBraveIntrovert]

Arlene has a new rock on her finger!

[@christy4421]

I was surprised Jack shook hands with Dorothy. They hated each other.

[@preppysocks209]

came a little later

[@syd8802]

@@preppysocks209 No by this time the died had been going on since 1954 or 1955

[@spongebobandplanktonshould2920]

@@syd8802 Yes, preppy socks (lol weird name for a dude) is wrong, you're right.

[@KTPurdy]

love the megaphone

[@bettycogswell9851]

Bennet is so smart...

[@spongebobandplanktonshould2920]

Yep he is!!!!! Don't you just love him! 😘 Very good looking and charming too. 👍🤩😍

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

Lingo, a Game Show within a Game Show.

[@janepatterson6779]

The gloves..."naw."

[@bbailey7818]

The bullhorn was an inspiration. 🤣

[@TheGreatAtario]

Franké was indeed followed by John E.

[@donvedio]

Had to laugh when they were complaining about 6 commercials in a row on his show. Today we have double that......

[@alexhu7939]

Don F and ever more frequent ads on KZbin to boot!

[@TylerDeBoy]

I know Arlene is smoking in that dress and I’m only 21 years old.

[@igkoigko9950]

Concerning flag poles, when John says “area” he means - or should mean - volume. This very minor point, combined with numerous other math and science (plants are not alive!) errors may show that while the mid century elite were more erudite than their modern counterparts, their technological abilities were comparatively weak.

[@johngreen3543]

Americans in general are still very weak on their general knowledge of Math and Science.

[@davidsoulier6375]

"Overland Trail" was a flop. Maybe they should have called it "Overland Trial."

[@44032]

Taking the Overland Trail in the old days was quite a trial. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaPIaoWbmax2jbc

[@davidarcudi230]

I heard jack and Dorothy were ... Not friends... At all

[@robinchanteusedylan8326]

Arlene is extra stunning in this episode. Bendix & Cerf don't seem to be the best of pals.

[@Baskerville22]

Over the years they must have has a dozen chiropractors as 'guests' and they were usually easy meat.

[@geniusmchaggis]

i love bennetts OBSCURE reference to TWO EXTRA STARS on the flag pole....alaska and hawaii.....dont forget.....this is 196O...its 5O...not 48 anymore....hes a couple of years off in his joke!!

[@neilmidkiff]

genius mchaggis No, Bennett is very timely. Hawaii was admitted as a state in August 1959, less than half a year earlier than this episode. And while the layout of the 50-star design was approved in an executive order by President Eisenhower at the same time, and 50-star flags were already being made by the time of this show, technically it became the official flag of the USA on July 4, 1960, according to the 1818 law that specified that the number of stripes should remain at 13, while a new star would be added for each state on the Independence Day following admission. I'm just old enough to remember this (1959/60, not 1818!) so I don't think of it as obscure. Officially there was a 49-star flag from July 4, 1959 to July 4, 1960, but few were made and sold, knowing that Hawaii statehood was in the works. Our family skipped buying the 49-star flag, for instance.

[@janejayne8152]

Neil Midkiff. Wonder if the 49 star flags are of particular $ value since not many made. I love hearing all the chat about history now, but at that time were current events. So interesting and I love the witty banter.

[@trainliker100]

@@janejayne8152 Yes. 49 star flags are somewhat collectible. Flag manufacturers knew that Hawaii would be a state soon and didn't want to make a lot of 49 state flags they might be stuck with.

[@janejayne8152]

@@trainliker100 thanks for your reply, history is so interesting

[@larryteren5054]

seems as if bendix lost his composure at the intro and never regained it and had an axe to grind with cerf. it's not as if bendix had never done live broadcasts on radio so he should have been more relaxed.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

Larry Teren maybe they have some sort of history but in this episode i didnt notice but you could be right someone important did because this was his last appearance

[@geniusmchaggis]

oh crap...bennett proved his superiority after dorothy had got the specifics....there goes my ARLENE theory!!!

[@syd8802]

What was your Arlene theory

[@geniusmchaggis]

@@syd8802 how would i know? its been 2 years! my guess is that arlene was psychic.. she had a second sense... she was SHARP. she was forever upstaging bennett and just about ANYBODY on the panel

[@leannsherman6723]

Jack Paar was funny!

[@leannsherman6723]

Just saying that Bennett Cerf asked about all the commercials. Nothing has changed except today there are more of them and they’re much shorter and faster.

[@rmelin13231]

And louder and more irritating.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

And they feature nothing but black, Asian, East Indian, mixed race couples, and gays.

[@leesher1845]

Dorothy took her role of that program very seriously and she was good at it. Tragedy what happened to her. Bennett Cerf was very good at this game also.

[@josephpalermo4538]

Sometimes TOO serious....it was annoying at times...

[@tomitstube]

anyone know what trial dorothy was covering in l.a. in 1960?

[@alanfollett6242]

Coincidentally, I just posted a link to the Finch trial under the previous week's show: www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3498200213.html

[@YOGI-yl4ff]

Dr. Finch and his 26 year old girlfriend decided to kill his wife so they could live happily ever after. After the third trial they were convicted in 1961. She was released in 1967 I believe and found a position in a hospital. He was released in 1969 and eventually moved back to West Covina. I think I found it on Bing.

[@tomitstube]

thanks guys, just read the story.

[@libertyann439]

That last guy was hot.

[@spongebobandplanktonshould2920]

Meh nothing special. Ugly actually. But that's fine if you'd like to date him lol. Go girl. 😎

[@geniusmchaggis]

oh crap...arlene is queen again....she ot jack paar!

[@Forensource]

Bizarro fashion statements back then, the first guest has evening gloves with bracelets over them.

[@adriennegormley9358]

Forensource in that period many women wore long evening gloves and if they had glitter jewelry to wear they commonly wore the bracelets over the gloves. They certainly couldn't wear them under.

[@lauraminer9542]

Evening watches were also worn over gloves, too.

[@accomplice55]

Not bizarre. Just different. It would be kind of pointless to wear bracelets UNDER gloves.

[@hopelewis5650]

Not everyone could get a manicure.

[@josephpalermo4538]

I wish the panel would've gotten earing aids....they keep saying "What did they say"....

[@mgedr]

Are they all deaf ... even with a loudhailer they can’t hear him!

[@timothycarley2174]

Why Did the show end Abruptly in 1967,was it Ratings?lack of Interest?Lost Sponsers?

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

The show ranked in the bottom 10 in the ratings in its final season. Viewers didn't care anymore.

[@kristabrewer9363]

I can't HEAR this show? I know it's an old show, but every other show has been fine; what's with the static?

[@MrYfrank14]

these shows were never intended to be preserved. we are lucky to see what we have, in any condition. sometimes someone finds a better copy of a show and the owner of this channel updates it. you might get lucky.

[@washoe4827]

you ended a statement with a question mark.

[@brentadams28]

@@MrYfrank14 That wouldn’t be possible for this episode. That noise you hear is the sound, without being too technical, of a particular kind of microphone going bad. In live TV in those days it would have been virtually impossible to replace it mid-show.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

What in the world is that background noise?

[@brentadams28]

A microphone going bad.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I think they address chiropractors as "dr." But I am not sure.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

That noise is really disturbing.

[@dalekloss4682]

WML need to filter out the static, very distracting!

[@truth2uguys]

Jack Paar was such a jerk especially to Dorothy because she criticized his love for the Communists like Castro and the Soviet Premier.

[@geniusmchaggis]

oh crap...AGAIN....john daly used the word "supererogation" in its correct context.....guess who has the 3OO IQ....

[@chuckendweiss4849]

The sound is full of Staict hard to understand the questions and comments

[@beadyeyedbrat]

Never been a fan of Jack Paar.

[@terryhenderson9097]

The panel seem deaf most of the time

[@robertsmit9872]

Parr was a fantastic host of the Tonite show. Loved watching Steve Allen and Jack Parr! Then we got stuck with Johnny Carson!

[@chuckendweiss4849]

Boy is Parr’s ego is a bit too much

[@WhatsMyLine]

Always. And he was a complete neurotic (e.g., walking off the TONIGHT SHOW in mid-broadcast because he was so upset that NBC wouldn't let him do a bathroom joke.) I've never been able to stomach him.

[@trainliker100]

I think many in today's listening audiences barely have two brain cells to rub together judging by what passes for "late night entertainment" today. They probably wouldn't be able to understand much of what Jack Paar said. Sort of like the Far Side joke where a dog is being spoken to by its owner and all the dog hears is "blah blah blah". But it is perhaps not fair to compare today's viewing audience with dogs. No need to insult dogs.

[@geniusmchaggis]

arlene is the brightest panelist of them all... as she ever was... better than cerf... and thats saying something cuz bennett was one of them 3OO IQ type fellas.... YAY ARLENE!

[@geniusmchaggis]

what an ODD finale with jack paar!.....lots of INSIDE 196O refs!.....hmmm.

[@boognish999]

Dorothy Kilgallen = Killjoy She's so stiff and serious in a game that should have been light-hearted.

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

Can't stand Parr