What's My Line? - Victor Borge; Garry Moore [panel] (Sep 24, 1961)

MYSTERY GUEST: Victor Borge
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Garry Moore, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@kenyongray2615]

Mr. Lange had great eyebrows. Victor Borge was an immense talent. He performed right into his 90's. Great musical talent and comedian who could combine both in one spectacular act. Thanks for the video.

[@sandydog291]

I remember seeing this show some when I was a kid. Not too often, I was 9 when it left the air in 1967 and coming on rather late on Sunday evenings my parents wouldn't let me stay up to see it during the school year. I've been watching two episodes a day, on my lunch hour at work, for the past several years, and doing so very often makes me smile. I think that's important. In our world today (Oct. 20, 2022) we could all use something that makes us smile. So I'm very glad this show is here, I'm going to keep watching, and keep smiling.

[@AllenMQuinn]

Victor Borge always cracks me up

[@VickyRBenson]

I’ve been watching some of his humorous piano shows again on KZbin. So funny. And endearing. I’ve seen him as a panel member on WML, where he’s quite a cut-up and has more opportunity to express his humor than as a mystery guest.

[@antonsmith9788]

Arlene to Miss Tom: “Does the public deal directly with you?” Love how the audience laughs out loud at this moment.

[@neilmidkiff]

Usually Arlene is very sensitive to an audience response like this, but her question (at 5:56) "We would deal directly with you?" is one of the few times she went on without asking herself why they laughed. That word "deal" was really one of the few clues that would have helped them; all the panelists were going off in the wrong direction on that round.

[@tmangamingx]

I was 3 days old I think when this show aired. I am sure my mom and dad were watching this when it came on. Probably holding me in her arms. Maybe that is why I love this show so much.

[@teddytodorova]

While introducing Bennett, Dorothy mentioned Grandma Moses, so I googled to see who she is and turned out she was an American folk artist. She died less than 3 months later - 13 Dec 1961 at the age of 101

[@erichanson426]

She obviously took good care of her health.

[@bluecamus5162]

Both Dorothy and Bennett were wrong on that one.

[@juliansinger]

Miss Tom was born in China and immigrated to the US at age 10. Moved to Reno after living in California for awhile. Was a 21 dealer for 20 zillion years, and seems to have gotten married at some point and then divorced. Or something. Anyway, had some kids, a good life, and enjoyed Lake Mead. Died in 2009. Obit: obits.reviewjournal.com/obituaries/lvrj/obituary.aspx?n=mabel-kim&pid=134377425

[@epaddon]

To explain the context of what John is talking about, on the September 20 episode of "I've Got A Secret" they had a contestant who was a champion flagpole sitter and her secret was she was going to be on top of a makeshift flagpole inside the studio until the next IGAS program on September 25 (it was moving to a new time slot). She was thus from above watching the entire proceedings during this broadcast!

[@loissimmons6558]

How fortunate that she didn't drop in to the episode of "What's My Line?".

[@loissimmons6558]

How fortunate that Garry Moore was the guest panelist and Victor Borge was the mystery guest, and not the other way around. With the IGAS flagpole sitter in attendance, it would have been too obvious for Garry to have been the mystery guest.

[@DaneToTheBone]

It's not fair for mr. Borge. Nobody could make people laugh like that doing nothing. And the panelists knew his voice well. They must've run out of guest stars to appear on the show 🤣

[@neilmidkiff]

At 22:48 Dorothy asks if the mystery guest is a playwright. Actually he is both a play-wrong and a play-right, and he finds a lot of Comedy in Music in the contrast.

[@hcombs0104]

Grandma Moses had less than three months to live at the time of this broadcast, if you're curious. Maybe hearing Dorothy say she was 102 when she was merely 101 helped kill her.

[@shuboy05]

I have to agree with John that a blackjack dealer is NOT in the entertainment business. How entertaining would it be to lose all your money?

[@WendyDarling1974]

That vet had amazing eyebrows.

[@lauraminer9542]

CLEAN WATER! Serious issue.

[@alansorensen5903]

Never more so than now. Water, period, on the Hi-Line of Montana.

[@dinahbrown902]

Government still hasn’t solved the water issue, balanced the budget, education, health care, taxes or anything else our country is crumbling from. Politicians spew lies and get rich, no civic interest at all in hardly any of them. Almost 2023

[@keithidota]

That IGAS episode appears to be a lost episode. It's one of the few 1961 episodes not listed on the IGAS episode guide. I was curious to find out who that 4th panelist was besides Arlene, Dorothy and Bennett. IMDB does not list John Daly as being in that episode.

[@sandrageorge3488]

I see below in the comments, it is mentioned, that Mr. Lange has light hair and dark brows, and they say it doesn't look real. My granddaughter has blond, blond hair and very dark almost black eyebrows and thick, long eyelashes.

[@rtflone]

Mr Lange had white hair and very dark almost black eyebrows. Not unusual as eyebrows are some of the last bits to lose pigment..

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Yes, it happens. I have a totally grey goatee with a dark brown moustache and dark brown eyebrows.

[@VahanNisanian]

The boom mic's shadow is visible, at about 4:14! That's Live TV for you!

[@norelcopc2431]

Not a big deal on a game show but mike shadows were a huge deal on early live dramatic shows.

[@juliansinger]

I can’t find Dr. Lange’s obituary and I’m not dedicated enough right now to find out when he died, but sometime before 2014, since that’s when his crackerjack of a wife died. They met at Michigan State, got married in 1938, and kept together forever, him doing veterinary work with Arabians, her doing social work. He was at Al Marah (in Bethesda) until 1965, when they moved to Santa Barbara. I think they owned a couple horses, but certainly, he was relevant in Arabian breed circles for most of his life. They had five kids, and a lot of fun. Rhoda’s obit, because why not: www.legacy.com/obituaries/newspress/obituary.aspx?pid=172054225

[@stevelange819]

Dr. Lange passed away on December 22, 1991 at his home in Santa Barbara with his wife and five children present. All their children recognize the exceptional childhoods they enjoyed due to their parents' interests and careers.

[@juliansinger]

@@stevelange819 Oh, wow, hi. Always glad to hear from kids of former contestants. (Or the contestants themselves, but that's rare.) Thank you for the info, and I'm glad you were able to be there for him, then.

[@stevelange819]

@@juliansinger Greetings back and thankyou for the kind words concerning my parents and sharing a bit of the background story. The depth of my dad's understanding of biological sciences for all creatures in the the animal kingdom was so vast that he was instrumental in performing and affecting some miraculous feats during his life. I was the beneficiary a couple of times. Good health and long life to you.

[@VickyRBenson]

That’s a beautiful obituary. What a remarkable couple!

[@rtflone]

@stevelange Mazel tov on having such a man for a father and a role model. The DNA lottery is the best kind of lottery to win..

[@NeedsMoreButter]

i feel the first contestant would actually be in "the world of entertainment"

[@davidsanderson5918]

What she does isn't appropriated towards a performance or a production though. The phrase "world of entertainment" by convention means stage, film and TV.

[@erichanson426]

@@davidsanderson5918 thank you

[@nicksair]

Is there an episode of IGAS with the WML Panel in your collection by chance?

[@WhatsMyLine]

I don't have a collection of IGAS shows, sorry. Just WML.

[@SheilaB]

I think I heard Dorothy exclaim, "how sweet!" when Miss Tom came out to sign in.

[@jillgordon1003]

Oh yeah! I heard that too. Also at 6:43 you can hear Dorothy say, "That was pretty inevitable, now wasn't it?"

[@jvcomedy]

Sheila B Miss Tom is a cutie!

[@ironduke2000]

She's adorable!

[@ironduke2000]

PS: Listening to that bit, I hear Dorothy saying, "How cute."

[@tedberwick3186]

Ty

[@joycejean-baptiste4355]

Mr. Lange has white hair and very dark and thick eyebrows, they really stand out, like Jay Cordage, but his hair matched, Lol!

[@drumbum3.142]

"Oft'n.. ." 😂🤣😂😂😂

[@jeanpauljh]

Why do they feel a need to specify that Miss Tom works in a "gambling casino"? Is there any other kind of casino?

[@ImaCOTV]

Actually there is. Casino in Italian means "small house" such as a summer house. Later it came to mean a public facility for entertainment. In the '20s, and '30s in the United States you had facilities such as the Glen Island Casino near New Rochelle New York, or the Catalina Casino at Avalon on Santa Catalina Island which never had gambling. These buildings were (and the Catalina Casino still is) entertainment venues. Over time the term has been taken over by the gambling industry, originally because many of these facilities offer more in the way of entertainment than "just" gambling (like food, alcohol, and shows) and because "casino" sounds more elegant than "gambling hall." In the 1950s and '60s though the term "casino" probably hadn't become synonymous with "gambling hall."

[@loissimmons6558]

When I was growing up in Queens, the Casino Theatre was the first place I saw a movie outside of on school or on television. It was located on the south side of Liberty Avenue under the elevated tracks between 113th and 114th Streets. I lived on 108th between Liberty and 107th Avenue. cinematreasures.org/theaters/4687

[@accomplice55]

Yes.

[@gailthomas2631]

How many times has he been a guest ?

[@leahmollytheblindcatnordee3586]

I noticed that the first contestant had very small feet. Of course she was a small lady, but was very pretty.

[@kristabrewer9363]

Why do they have so many episodes where the mystery guest hardly has any time on here?

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_BLACKJACK DEALER_* *_HORSE DOCTOR_*

[@dinahbrown902]

I have an Uncle Tom🤣😆

[@drumbum3.142]

"Her Face Must Hurt". 😐

[@Baskerville22]

I always found Victor a Bore.

[@peternagy-im4be]

An odious man. Completely unfunny.

[@Baskerville22]

@@peternagy-im4be I'm both relieved and surprised that, at last, you found one of my comments you could agree with.

[@mypham2788]

I knew Miss Tom was a blackjack dealer the moment she walked on stage.

[@gregoryholstein3033]

John Daley insulted Gary, sometimes he goes a bit overboard with his “joking” insults, especially to Bennett.

[@peternagy-im4be]

No he doesn't.

[@sdacj]

With Bennett though, it works both ways - Bennett says some things to John that are pretty rough, but as they explained a few times during the show's run, it's just the way some guys show their love for each other. They were actually very close friends; John gave a eulogy at Bennett's funeral, and Bennett attended John's son's wedding with him.

[@jvcomedy]

The Horse Doctor with white hair and black bushy eye brows..........that just can't be real. He has to be one of the odder looking guys I've seen on WML.

[@carolv8450]

My dad had hair and eyebrows like that, but THAT black. Very similar, tho.

[@stevelange819]

They were real and the white head and facial hair and dark eyebrows was past on. Though I'm 70 now and the eyebrows are lightening up, they still retain mostly dark hue. Thanks Dad for the distinctive look and the experiences and memories.

[@neilmidkiff]

@@stevelange819 It's great to hear from a family member of a contestant! Thanks for sharing your story. We have somewhat opposite genetics -- my first white hairs were in one eyebrow, before I started going gray on top.

[@loissimmons6558]

Victor Borge did a mediocre job disguising his voice. He sounded exactly like Victor Borge trying to fake a French accent.

[@dinahbrown902]

🤣

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Then it was certainly less than mediocre, no ?

[@ruthwhitten8162]

He tried not to use his voice at all until one of the panel member’s asked him to speak…