What's My Line? - Guy Lombardo; Betty Furness & Garry Moore [panel] (Dec 31, 1950)

Happy New Year, everybody!
MYSTERY GUEST: Guy Lombardo
PANEL: Betty Furness, Louis Untermeyer, Arlene Francis, Garry Moore
--------------------------------
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[@Brian-uy2tj]

I met Guy Lombardo. I was 10 and my mom and I went back stage after his concert and I asked one of the Royal Canadians if I could get Guy's autograph. He looked surprised and called for Guy "Where's Guy! This kid wants his autograph!" here comes Guy with a huge smile on his face. I think i really made his day when a kid wanted his autograph. He made everyone sign my Playbill/program.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Garry Moore is awesome! Wish he did more of these.

[@balconi89]

"I have no idea what she does, but I'd love to be there while she's doing it." That comment makes me laugh every time I hear it.........

[@Beson-SE]

I am glad that the contestants later on was spared the humiliation of trying to touch their toes with their hands and doing dance steps...

[@tejaswoman]

Likewise glad the rest of us were spared how boring that part of the intro was. I've mostly watched the 1955 shows, so it's pure agony waiting for them to get on with the damn questioning and stop wasting the contestants' time and ours.

[@miketheyunggod2534]

@@tejaswoman I thought they were being tested for drunkenness. 😜 .

[@ihay472]

"You asked a mushy question and you got a mushy answer" LOL

[@gugurupurasudaikirai7620]

What an appropriate mystery guest for New Year's eve. I can also see why they brought in the lingerie model during an episode without Hal Block

[@jvcomedy]

This is the first episode we've seen that they're using the blackboard and chalk to sign in.

[@michaelnivens6267]

Guy was a great entertainer - saw him at the Riviera In Vegas when I was a teen - I knew him as a bandleader from New Year's Eve performances - I was blessed to hear him also sing " Loving You Has Made Me Bananas " and also great Impersonations of Bogart , Gary Cooper & Robert Mitchum - rip, Guy Lombardo

[@debrareisdorf309]

My family and I always watched Guy Lombardo on New Years Eve.

[@juanettebutts9782]

Dec 31, 1950 was a few days before my sister's birthday! Wow! To know my mom was pregnant while watching this is bizarre.

[@mikejschin]

Thanks for supplying that perspective. It made me realize that my mother was 6 months pregnant with me when this show aired.

[@amethystanne4586]

My. parents had not met each other yet when this episode aired. Mom still lived on the family farm in rural Hunterdon County New Jersey that had no electricity. Dad and Mom met in 1951, married in 1953, and I was born in 1954.

[@VahanNisanian]

Before there was Dick Clark, and even before there was Ryan Seacrest, there was Guy Lombardo. He started the Live New Year's Eve specials in New York, and paved the way for Dick Clark (1971-2011; Rest in Peace!) and Ryan Seacrest (2006-Present).

[@savethetpc6406]

***** I'm old enough to remember Guy Lombardo as a New Year's Eve tradition. In fact, I remember New Year's Eve 1970 very well, because my parents were having a party and had bought colorful tin horns and other party stuff, and they let me stay up until midnight. When "1970" flashed on the television screen, I ran up to the screen with my tin horn and blew it as I placed the circle of the horn directly on the "0" at the end of "1970." At 8 years old, I thought that was the coolest thing in the world! (Somehow it didn't give me the same thrill in 1980, when I was 18, but I think I tried it anyway, because I remembered how much fun it had been for me as a little girl. ;) ) I did not remember that 1970 was the *last* year with Guy Lombardo as the New Year's Eve bandleader, but I do remember that when "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" first started, I felt a bit saddened by the end of a tradition I had grown up with all my life. Dick Clark as the New Year's Eve host became the new tradition for succeeding generations and even for most people in my generation, but I never forgot Guy Lombardo, and he will always symbolize New Year's Eve for me. I'm glad I got to watch him tonight -- thanks Gary, and Happy New Year to all! [*Edit:* I just realized I had done the math wrong on my age and corrected it. ;p]

[@2508bona]

I remember Guy Lombardo appearing on NYE later than 1970. Maybe the difference was that he was not the host, but one feature among many. My wife's grandfather was a big band era trombonist and played in Lombardo's band, as well as numerous others.

[@savethetpc6406]

Chris Barat That would explain this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h17RlIOGdtere80. Here's what Wikipedia says about Guy Lombardo's New Year's Eve shows: "The band's first New Year's Eve radio broadcast was in 1928; within a few years, they were heard live on the CBS Radio Network before midnight Eastern Time, then on the NBC Radio Network after midnight. On December 31, 1956, the Lombardo band did their first New Year's TV special on CBS; the program (and Lombardo's 20 subsequent New Year's Eve TV shows) included a live segment from Times Square (long the focal point of America's New Year's Eve celebrations) showcasing the arrival of the New Year. During the early years, pioneer broadcast journalist Robert Trout reported from Times Square; in later years, another longtime newsman, Ben Grauer, reported from Times Square, though Grauer worked for NBC.While CBS carried most of the Lombardo New Year's specials, there were a few years in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the special was syndicated live to individual TV stations instead of being broadcast on a network. By the middle 1970s, the Lombardo TV show was facing competition, especially for younger viewers, from Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, but Lombardo remained popular among viewers, especially older ones. Even after Lombardo's death, the band's New Year's specials continued for two more years on CBS. The Royal Canadians were noted for playing the traditional song Auld Lang Syne as part of the celebrations. Their recording of the song still plays as the first song of the new year in Times Square." This doesn't quite fit in with the way I remembered things, as I had thought that Dick Clark's show actually replaced Guy Lombardo's on the same network. It may be that I remained loyal to watching the ball drop with Guy Lombardo as long as he lived but finally switched to watching the ball drop with Dick Clark, either after Guy Lombardo died or after the Royal Canadians stopped doing the show. Now that I think about it, I do vaguely remember years when I would switch channels back and forth between the two shows.

[@savethetpc6406]

Here's a more complete and better quality video of Guy Lombardo's and Ben Grauer's last New Year's Eve (Dec.31, 1976 - Jan. 1, 1977): kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXOnYqx-fcyUe80.

[@savethetpc6406]

Chris Barat Very cool about your wife's grandfather! Did you ever meet him? I'd bet he had some great stories about his experiences as a musician with these bands!

[@juliansinger]

I knew of/watched Betty Furness when she was older, so this is somewhat startling. But she's pretty fun. David Roads is weirdly hard to find info on, but apparently last time I watched this I found his obituary but never posted about it. He was a WWII veteran (in the Marines), participating in the invasions of Bougainville and Okinawa. Once he got out of the army, he went to a) the Ohio Military Institute, and b) Case Western Reserve University, and got a degree in chemistry, after which he worked for Dow for a long while. Eventually got married, had two daughters, and moved to Tiburon, CA in about 1961. Helped with the volunteer fire department, and a few other things, and died a bit early, at age 61, in 1986. Obit: www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.california.counties.marin/5114

[@lorijeangrandi4434]

The model was adorable.

[@ripleb6261]

"A decorator from Decca Records, from the cradle to the groove." My my, Mr. Untermyer..... even if he didn't write that on the fly, I would love to have seen him in more episodes!

[@Beson-SE]

I am sure Betty Furness was a nice person and a good panelist but I miss Dorothy Kilgallen's razor-sharp questions and lovable appearance.

[@savethetpc6406]

Johan Bengtsson It was odd that John started off the "free guess" portion of the second game around 12:40 by saying, "we'll begin the wild guesses, *as usual*, with Miss Furness." "As usual," John? "As usual" would be Dorothy Kilgallen! I understand that Betty Furness was sitting in Dorothy's seat, and she had begun the wild guesses in the first game, but it still wasn't "as usual" in my opinion! Pssst... Johan! This is today's rerun episode -- come rewatch it with us and join the rerun party! :-)

[@TheCometHunter]

I'll always equate Ms. Furness with I've Got a Secret, and no other show!

[@deboraholsen2504]

@TPC John Daly meant the wild guesses as usual, NOT Betty Furness as usual! :p

[@tammycosby4495]

This show was from August 1950, only 6 months after WML began. There wasn’t really enough time to have seated regular panelists. Dorothy was great but she wasn’t replaced by Ms Furness.

[@catteadams]

Check out the on air smoking. I remember that was so common back then and often the shows were sponsored by cigarette companies. Different times, man.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Yes. Back when we were free. Slow erosion of that.

[@geemom04]

Guy Lombardo, my parents used to say when he went he took News Years with him :)

[@Beson-SE]

Louis Untermeyer had a confusing way of asking, changing and answering his own questions before the contestants had a chance to reply.

[@ih82r8]

Johan Bengtsson I know and it was ridiculous. usually when he speaks all i hear is wah-wah-wah wah-wah wa.

[@TheCometHunter]

I was SO glad to see that bloviating fool leave the show!

[@kentlewis987]

December 31, 1950 was my mother's 14th birthday. ☺

[@cowpokeone]

Ear tug at 4:45. Edit: also at 14:11 (This is my new hobby, finding the “warnings” in these early episodes. 😁)

[@Kitskacat]

I see, also at 15:58! Was it a communication with the show producer?

[@rmelin13231]

VERY observant. I wonder if Mr. Daly was ear-tugging this early in the run? It sure does look like it, especially at 14:11 - interesting, as I would have thought that practice didn't start until later on.

[@loissimmons6558]

One thing about showing all the challengers at the beginning of the show: WML had pretty much committed themselves to putting that person on the air that evening. So if the first three segments ran long, the fourth challenger would have a much better chance of getting the entire $50 as John Daly would need to flip over all the cards if they ran out of time without the occupation being guessed. If you don't show them at the beginning, you could save a local challenger for the fourth segment and hold them over to the next show if first three segments ran long. WML most certainly was not supposed to be "Beat the Clock"!

[@Wilsonfamily66]

Was at the Roosevelt Hotel until 1959. Then moved to Waldorf.

[@debbigray1752]

One of the rare times that Arlene is introduced as charming...I wanted to correct him that she is delightful! Such fun.

[@heidikickhouse-]

I was surprised to see how to be beautiful she is here as a brunette. Such a shame the color was changed later. For some reason, in my opinion, going lighter somehow lessened the beauty of her face (although perhaps that was just the natural aging process instead).

[@jeannemarie2230]

What a hoot..love it

[@rebeccayoungblood4136]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen chalk write so well

[@jasonfrancis6174]

Ms. Lella is very attractive and Garry is right, she is lovely. I think she even winked at him when he said that. I can tell that a lingerie model was a risqué occupation in those days as it is today and that's why I think it received the reception it got when it was revealed. I'm surprised that it wasn't any whistles from the audience when she appeared, I wonder if she would've been offended by that or would she ignore it?

[@TheCometHunter]

It was cute, the way she hid her face as her occupation was shown.

[@scotnick59]

Lombardo seemed to be a genuinely humble & nice "Guy": good 2 no

[@TheCometHunter]

He was!

[@skoplpnews9450]

John Daly and Garry Moore are fantastic together

[@barbaraalauro]

A wonderful way to spend new years eve!

[@tejaswoman]

Kind of amazing that it took them that long to get Guy Lombardo ON NEW YEAR'S EVE

[@JayTemple]

I like the font they used for the occupation better than the one we're used to.

[@erenunal]

First appearance of the blackboard!

[@JakobSeidl]

Somehow, Louis Untermeyer who was born in 1885 speaks in a more modern sort of accent than a lot of his younger counterparts in my view. I wonder if anyone else noticed this.

[@HelloooThere]

Yes this has fascinated me as well.

[@peterhildebrandt2827]

Maybe because he was a poet. Poor guy was dropped due to all the anti Communist furor at the time. Read in his bio that after the snubbing he did not leave his house for a year! In some ways he’s more fun than Cerf with his whiney voice, always trying to show off his vocabulary skills while being rather arrogant to many guests.

[@princeharming8963]

Love how when the lingerie model was revealed.. the camera went right to Garry's smile.

[@Beson-SE]

The last contestant, the Seltzer Manufacturer, had a charming smile. :) 23:40

[@savethetpc6406]

Johan Bengtsson He also looked way too young to be running his own seltzer company!

[@enriquesanchez2001]

Nathan was as cute as a button! That smile was so refreshingly natural and unforced.

[@italiano3.16]

Anyone else not watch when they show each guest’s “line”?

[@loissimmons6558]

The first thing I noticed about the first challenger is that he walked with hunched shoulders and slightly stooped over. I was thinking an offensive lineman in football. But his actual profession made sense, too. I could see being a little shorter after doing his profession for a while, not to mention accumulating some broken bones along the way.

[@loissimmons6558]

gcjerryusc Yeah, hips, knees, neck, ankles ... a biped is not well designed to land feet first on the ground after falling from a great height, even with a parachute. Quadrupeds are able to distribute the impact so much better. Near where I grew up was the location of Camp Bluefields, a training facility used on and off by the NY National Guard and the US Army between 1909 and 1945. The remnants of the camp were still quite accessible when I was a teenager and young adult in the 1960's and 70's. One day, I drove there to go hiking and took my camera. I came across a roofless structure with a cement floor and walls reinforced with rebar that was sticking out about 6-8". It was a rather large structure so I decided that I would rather explore it by going straight down than by walking around and entering in the open side (it had three walls and was built into the side of a hill). My camera had a case with a long strap to carry the camera around the neck if one desired. I didn't want to jump while wearing the camera, so I dangled the camera over the edge of the wall, maneuvered below one of the reinforcing bars and dropped the camera about 2 feet so it would snag on the bar. The strap was long enough so that I could grab the camera once I dropped down to the bottom. And it worked perfectly. Emboldened by my initial success, I walked over to a section of the wall where there was a large gap (many times wider than the width of my body) in the rebar. This was where I was going to make my descent. Being a fan of Jean Shepherd's radio program, I knew to keep my knees loose and let them give on impact. And that helped with my knees and most of my body ... everywhere except my ankles. I'm not sure there is any way to relax those in anticipation of impact. Although most of the judges gave me a 9.9 (the Soviet judge was much lower) and I stuck my landing, I felt considerable pain in my ankles for a while that day. In retrospect, I saw how foolish I was: hiking alone, deep in the woods, and I hadn't told anyone where I had gone. The only clue would have been where I had parked my car along the side of the road, but there still would have been a lot of ground to cover (although fortunately it was summer and it wouldn't have gotten too cold at night). But if I had broken or even badly sprained an ankle, there's no way I could have walked out of there. I guess I could have crawled, but it would have taken quite a while, and then there would have been the matter of driving if the right ankle was badly injured. Yes, I've had that screw very well tightened since then.

[@loissimmons6558]

gcjerryusc Ouch! Of course where and how you might have been injured (or even snagged) depends upon whether you were using a hurdling technique or one of many high jump techniques (scissors kick, Western roll, straddle or Fosbury flop), Obstacle course? What obstacle course? And to paraphrase something a former colleague of mine used to say: we were young and we got over it.

[@VahanNisanian]

Happy New Year's, to all "What's My Line?" fans, young and old, around the world!

[@savethetpc6406]

Happy New Year, everybody! :-)

[@Beson-SE]

Happy New Year from Stockholm, Sweden! The time is now 1 AM Jan 1, 2015. :)

[@savethetpc6406]

Johan Bengtsson "Let's do the time warp aga-aain!" (It's still 2014 in New York, USA -- and only 7:34 PM right now.)

[@Beson-SE]

SaveThe TPC Time to go to bed. See you next year. :)

[@alskndlaskndal]

Happy New Year! I've so enjoyed watching the episodes this year. Sitting down to watch the latest video and read the entertaining comments left on it has become a nightly ritual, I know we don't have enough episodes left to fill all of 2015, but I look forward to all the fun that still remains.

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

My favorite Big Band leader! 🎶

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Happy New Year from Israel to all of my What's My Line Pals!

[@savethetpc6406]

Joe Postove Happy New Year, Joe! It's still 2014 where I am, but it must be 2015 already there... I must be in a time warp!... OOOO000ooo....

[@brigitkelly5317]

♬♪•*¨*••*¨*•.♪♬ Happy NEW YEAR ♬♪•*¨*••*¨*•.♪♬

[@savethetpc6406]

Brigit Kelly Happy New Year, Brigit! -- How did you add those cool musical notes & stuff?

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Brigit Kelly Yeah! I want to know too!

[@brigitkelly5317]

SaveThe TPC Joe Postove I just copied them from someone who posted them on my FB page, then saved them on a Word doc., then wrote HNY in between 2 sets. I just tried it with my post and it worked. After you copy to a Word doc. right click the 'Paste Option' and choose Keep Text Only and it will work for you as well, thanks

[@bleepiestofbloops]

Arlene sure is referencing the jumper's physique a lot. :P

[@debrareisdorf309]

My husband was named after Garry Moore when he was born in 1951. His name is spelled Gary. These episodes are fascinating. I was born in 1953!

[@leonardbennett9903]

Me, too...

[@jmccracken1963]

Something that I noticed, and please forgive me if someone else has already commented on it: This is the first extant episode in which the Mystery Guest has his/her own name plate on the contestant side of John Daly's desk. I don't know when the staff began doing that, but this is the first episode that we can see one.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Some observations of my own on this one: - As one of the earliest surviving shows, there are some interesting elements of the format that were (thank goodness) later dropped. In the cold opening, we see a preview of not just one contestant, as in the prior surviving early WMLs, but all three non-celebrity contestants. Odd. Pointless. Wisely dropped from the format later. - The first contestant must have wanted to sock Untermeyer in the jaw for asking him to do a dance step during the Walk of Shame. - John is smoking on camera again. - Garry Moore's comments during round two are no less salacious than Hal Block's ever were, but somehow it comes off innocently. The same jokes would have seemed sleazy from Hal. - Surprisingly, the only mention of New Year's in the whole show is a brief mention by Untermeyer during his introduction of Arlene. New Year's isn't even mentioned during the Guy Lombardo segment, even though Guy was clearly invited on the show this day directly because of his association with New Year's Eve - At this early stage in the show, the panel struggles to identify Guy Lombardo as the mystery guest. The later panel would have needed maybe 4 questions to guess him-- especially on a New Year's Eve!

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? -I actually thought it was kind of cool that they showed all three of the regular contestants at the beginning of the show. I wonder how many episodes were done that way, when it started, and when it stopped. - The "Walk of Shame" was particularly shameful in this episode, though -- so humiliating for the contestant and even embarrassing for me to watch! -I agree with you about Gary Moore. And after Hal left, Bennett was often guilty of similar comments, which he somehow got away with, as well. -They did say "Happy New Year" quite a bit in the "good nights," but I was also surprised that they didn't refer to New Year's Eve during the Guy Lombardo segment and that they didn't guess him more easily, especially after it had been ascertained that he was an orchestra leader. I'd thought I remembered another WML New Year's Eve (or close to it) episode with Guy Lombardo, in which the panel guessed him much more quickly, but I can't find it now, so maybe my imagination embellished my first viewing of his mystery guest segment from this show (it is elsewhere on KZbin as a clip).

[@WhatsMyLine]

SaveThe TPC I think the cold open showing the contestants may seem cool because we're not used to it, so it's novel. But I think after a few shows of this, it would start to feel like just as big a waste of time as the Walk of Shame. I've been taking note when I watch the older shows of when the first question of the first game gets asked, and interestingly, it's usually about 3 minutes into the program just as it usually was later, after they'd dumped the cold open, the Walk of Shame *and* the free guesses. All that saved time in the show's format was instead spent with longer and longer introductions and more banter before getting the game underway. I'd rather see the cast banter with each other than get a sneak preview of contestants I'm going to be seeing in the course of the next 25 minutes. :)

[@brigitkelly5317]

this is great!....for all the reasons that you commented above Gary.

[@jvcomedy]

John Daly does wish Guy Lombardo a happy new year as he's leaving the stage.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Jeff Vaughn SaveThe TPC I'm sure you're both right about the mentions of New Year's that I missed. I guess they didn't register for me because I was expecting, at the very least, a mention made of Guy's connection with New Year's Eve, since that was certainly the reason they had him on the show this specific night. Not even a mention of where Guy was headed after the show to do his New Year's gig.

[@vickisawyer7405]

Oh my gosh, one of the originals, how fascinating. Until this episode I haven't seen anything earlier than '55. This is so cool...

[@mushmorant9253]

Rather sedate applause for someone of the stature of Guy Lombardo in 1950 I should say. The studio audience must have been comparatively small in those days. Also, I can`t believe the panelists didn`t immediately catch on to Guy`s undisguised and very distinctive voice. It is not like they had never heard it before, particularly on radio. Very strange indeed.

[@ih82r8]

Mush Morant tv was also new and not everyone had a tv set. so unless they frequented the cinema or Broadway they may not have known or cared as much about the "celebrity" then.

[@TheBlackhawkbrat]

Could be that people were more interested in going out for New years Eve and they didn't have enough for a full audience.

[@ToddSF]

Mr. Moore: Is it a rather abbreviated costume that you wear? Well, as Dorothy Parker once wrote, "Brevity is the soul of lingerie."

[@rogerrobin2774]

With this episode they went high tech: a blackboard rather than a flip pad.

[@zekezacker9449]

Interesting to see a weekly live/new (versus a rerun) network show on New Years Eve. Also interesting that this show was on 10:30 pm Eastern Time (now, most 30 minute shows are on earlier in prime time).

[@VahanNisanian]

The woman previewed at the end of this episode might have been the Ice Skating Teacher.

[@dizzyology7514]

Note that on this occasion, John does not ask the female contestant whether she is "Miss" or "Mrs." The panel does note that she is not wearing any rings. Note also that the mystery guest does not shake hands with the panel at the end of the round, which was usual practice. This may have been because of time -- the show was running late, but by introducing the three regular contestants in the cold opening, they were committed to using all three. Little wonder this experiment was dropped.

[@keymaninmusic]

The shaking hands was cut out of this video. Didn't you see the jump cut?

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

"Would he jump to a conclusion?" Yes! The End, now go away Untermeyer. Garry was a lot of fun and destined for greater things.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

About the first contestant (the parachute jumper) and whether or not he moves about under his own power, the answer is no. Once he jumps out of the plane, it is gravity, not he, who is moving him.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Joe Postove The whole segment is pretty muddled as far as John's moderation, in my opinion. It's never clear whether he was interpreting these questions as being about the parachute or the airplane that carried the jumper. The "vehicle" question in particular is nonsense-- a parachute is NOT a vehicle and shouldn't have been given even a qualified yes. But if they were answering about the airplane, it should have been a straightforward, unqualified yes. Messy-- yet somehow Garry Moore pulls out the answer at the last possible moment!

[@ih82r8]

skydivers can project and propel themselves apart from simply falling so it's not inaccurate.

[@stevekru6518]

Gravity moves him only because of his own mass

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun-- watch along and join the discussion!

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? Even though I had previously watched this episode fairly recently (just short of 4 months ago), it still strikes me differently watching it in chronological order of the existing episodes, instead of inserted into a long run of later episodes. By this time, John, the panel, and the contemporary television and studio audiences had all probably settled into a comfortable and predictable pattern of doing (or watching) a weekly show already. Of course, this episode was different because it included two guest panelists substituting for Dorothy and Hal (who I guess wanted New Year's Eve off?), but you can kind of tell that John, Arlene and Louis are feeling pretty comfortable with the format of the show and their roles in it. And even the guest panelists clearly understand the game and are able to play it well. I don't see Louis Untermeyer calling for any conferences in this episode, as I believe he had in every previous episode with him that I've seen. I don't know if conferences had stopped being "de rigueur" by this point, or if they just didn't happen to need one this time. It's too bad we don't have more examples of the show's evolution from the premiere of the Fall, 1950 weekly series to this episode, but I definitely see the results of that evolution here. I sure wish they hadn't kept on making so many humiliating requests of the contestants during the "walk of shame," though. I would have thought they'd be getting tired of them by this point, too!

[@WhatsMyLine]

SaveThe TPC It's remarkable to me how slow the Goodson-Todman shows were to tweak their formats in small, but very necessary, ways. E.g., catching up a bit with Password, it amazes me how long it took them to decide that there was no point in going through 10 full clues when the contestants weren't getting the idea. I think it took a few years before they first went to limiting to 6 clues per round. Later incarnations, from Password Plus on, limited the clues to 4 per round to keep things moving. Those rounds with 10 straight clues given to totally clueless-- pun intended-- contestants are brutally boring to me. Or take Judge For Yourself, which I know you've been watching. It took till halfway through the season of that ill-fated show before they tweaked the format to streamline it a bit, which helped somewhat, I guess, but the whole format needed a total revamp from top to bottom. And again, who knows how much longer the Walk of Shame would have continued past 1956 if Arlene hadn't spontaneously called for the viewers to write in about it? The impression I get is that the cast must have been unhappy about the Walk of Shame for a long time without being able to convince the producers to drop it, or she never would have pulled what she did.

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? I think the humiliating requests stopped long before the "walk down the panel" did, though. Even at the point when Arlene recommended doing away with that preliminary walk-by, it had, for quite some time, pretty much been just the contestants walking past and perhaps shaking hands with the panelists. I'll be interested to see, as we re-watch all these episodes, exactly when the panelists stopped making such ridiculous demands of the contestants as touching toes and doing dance steps. I think the last vestiges of these requests may have been Dorothy checking suit labels and hands, but even that stopped after a while, if I'm remembering correctly (which I may not be).

[@robertmelson2130]

SaveThe TPC You are remembering correctly. The requests faded out over time long before the walk was discontinued, with Dorothy continuing to ask to see suit labels and hands after the others had quit. Even Dorothy's requests became more and more sporadic and eventually pretty much disappeared. I remember Steve Allen's asking a contestant, "Can you do a backflip for me?", obviously mocking the idea of the requests and certainly after the time of the most outre' ones. Funny.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Robert Melson Did you ever watch the clips video I made of the Walk of Shame? I included that Steve Allen back flip moment in it. . . kzbin.info/www/bejne/apqTqX5qo9mImbM

[@beast1624]

Random thought from the middle of the night: How fun would it be if John, Dorothy, Arlene and Benet had the advantages of social media in their time?

[@TheCometHunter]

Swapping emails with Dorothy would allow me to die a happy man!

[@charlesp31]

So revealing how times have changed: with John Daly and one of the panelists smoking, right there on the set, and no one commenting on it....

[@juliansinger]

Miss Lella is more vocally objecting to Daly's moderation than some do. I like her. She married a gent named Elio DeTomaso in New York in 1956, and then I don’t know what all happened, but she eventually moved to Naples, Florida, sometime before 1986 (when her mural painter father died) and is apparently still there. She's still with us, at age 88, and writing occasional outraged letters to the editor.

[@fanboy2015]

Garry is smitten!

[@twinkle3026]

Loving all of this vintage stuff! Don't know if it's just my imagination, but Arlene @ Dorothy seemed to look so much more glamorous in 1965, but that's not to say they did not look lovely back in 1950. Thank you from The UK! xxxxx

[@karolynmcelwain7857]

Wonderful!

[@DrakkariaDarKay]

Arlene has supernatural divining powers. She is borderline psychic

[@aliciawhitney7074]

Requiring the contestants to walk by the panel as if they were slaves at an auction was detestable.

[@jerrylee8261]

It was. The contestants should have refused to do some of those things or should have asked the asker to do it with them. The free guesses were silly and not that amusing most of the time.

[@peternagy-im4be]

It wasn't that bad folks.

[@carolyoung6732]

The first contestant is reminding me of a middle aged Harry Styles.

[@PhynTrickSnipin]

“ The Sweetest Music This Side Of Heaven “

[@jasonfrancis6174]

I'm with those who are glad Hal Block wasn't on the show yet. He would've used his usual routine with attractive women and it would've gotten laughs but it would also be inappropriate for the 50's. What Garry said was funny too and he didn't push the envelope like Hal did on a regular basis. His material towards attractive women was inappropriate for the times but it got laughs nevertheless.

[@TheCometHunter]

I'm a guy and Hal Block makes my skin crawl! That MoFu is 17 different kinds of creepy.

[@waynehowell6160]

Sorry, folks, but I still believe that Louis Untermeyer is a stuffy old windbag, Professor Bergan Evans without the charm. I'll take Hal Block any day. Here's my New Year's wish: that a few episodes turn up that we never suspected were still in existence.

[@TheCometHunter]

Don't apologize. Untermeyer IS a pompous old gasbag!

[@aileen694]

Still surprised to see cigarette smoke drifting up from J Daly! Probably explains why the first contestant kept coughing! The smoke was literally blasting at his (handsome) face! Different times!

[@jamesmiller4184]

Betty Furness's greatest achievement was selling refrigerators. And she sold LOTS of them. There was some sort of chemistry existing between them and Betty. She also was a successful actress having make quite a few nice ones, about forty. Also under the Johnson (L.B.J.) she was his Special Assistant to him for consumer affairs. Wikipedia tells much else.

[@VahanNisanian]

I think the reason CBS saved this episode was because it was New Year's Eve, and they had a famous icon of such holiday for the occasion. Just too bad they didn't save the Christmas episode from before. That one had Santa Claus as Mystery Guest (it might have been a Store-brought-Santa, that the show passed as a real Famous Person!)

[@stevehardy5936]

The question for the parachute jumper ' Do you work with others' or ' Do you work alone?' Should have been answered differently. There has to be a pilot.

[@MikkoHere]

Undermeyer was nettlesome as a panelist. Nothing gracious, generous or witty about him. The show would never have been the same without Bennet.

[@catteadams]

I so agree. In yesterday's terms he was a complete boor, awfully arrogant as tho he was the smartest person on the planet, and more than a bit misogynist. I saw some shows he did that were down right embarrassing for him and had a creep factor that even the audience and panelists felt, as well as John Daly and Daly cringed and had a lot to overcome, after his behavior to right the ship as it were. Glad they dropped him. He was ewwwwwwww. More than cringeworthy.

[@Rogermarch]

Love the use of nettlesome!

[@kristabrewer9363]

Has anyone ever won at those "wild guesses?"

[@kbrock9146]

Yes, several times.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Did Guy broadcast every New Year's in CBS until 1977? Was he on radio before then with New Years Eve specials?

[@louistaylor9796]

@12:58 She loooooks just like Jane Alexander ! Lou from N.Y.U.

[@johnsewell6593]

I live in Guy Lombardos home town. I'd be willing to bet that less than 1 in a hundred people under 40 would be aware of that fact......!

[@randylovering24]

New year's Eve 1950

[@Emiliee]

I really hope episode 24 is discovered soon! It's from November 12, 1950. It featured rudy vallee

[@marywebb9127]

That last guest was cute!

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Oh, My! Thank God Hal Block wasn't there for the lingerie model! YIKES!

[@WhatsMyLine]

Joe Postove VERY true-- as I noted in another comment, Garry Moore's remarks are no less salacious than Hal Block's would have been, but somehow the same jokes would have seemed far sleazier from Hal. Seemed to me that the audience *really* loved Moore in this show. I'm sure Goodson-Todman took notice of it!

[@TheCometHunter]

+1 LMFAO!

[@jamesmiller4184]

The Wikipedia tips the deal on writer/poest Louis Untermeyer and What's My Line. It was quite a fracas. He was replaced by Bennett Cerf. Real all about it there. (As far as I know, he was not related to Samuel Untermeyer, who was instrumental in getting the Federal Reserve Act passed into law.)

[@johnsewell6593]

I live in Guy Lombardo's home town , and I'd wager that less than 5%of people UNDER 40 would be aware of that fact. Sad.....!

[@dogerecords5312]

I think I might make a video on big band leaders on WML, if your ok with it, I would give you credit.

[@bigoldinosaur]

Took me about 20 seconds to realize that John was smoking.

[@jeanhodgson8623]

Lol, Stopette.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

I think Arlene Francis was much prettier a few years later.

[@stitchergary]

I agree, but she was very smart from the beginning...

[@mistergrandpasbakery9941]

She got more beautiful as she aged!

[@catelynstark5689]

She's gorgeous here!

[@lllowkee6533]

Seventy years later…I can’t imagine why the producers had Untermeyer on this show ?????

[@JamesVaughan]

Smoking on camera was indeed odd, even for the early '50s. I can only surmise that, irrespective of what we know now about the health risks of smoking, it was considered "suave" to be seen with a cigarette in hand. For women it was the height of glamour. How many book jackets back then would feature a photo of the author holding a cigarette (even when the writer didn't smoke)?

[@CamhiRichard]

Did you know that the sponsor of I've Got a Secret was Winston Cigarettes? Gary even taught the audience to sing "Winston tastes good like a (clap clap) cigarette should!"

[@TheCometHunter]

It only seems that way to people of today. Back then, it was so normal that no one thought about it, one way or the other. In fact, for some (like Edward R. Murrow), it would have been odd to see them NOT smoking on air!

[@juanettebutts9782]

"Famous" people smoked so the general public saw it as suave, glamorous, elegant. My mother smoked. She said "everybody" smoked back in the day. Nobody thought of eventual health problems. I always despised it, the smoke, the stench, the nasty ashtrays. I despised it even more when she was diagnosed then died of lung cancer. 😭

[@jerrylee8261]

What gets me is how cig companies still advertise in movies by requiring that actors wave their cigs obviously before the camera. Congress should amend the no smoking act to require that if cigs are used or displayed in movies the producer has to pay a huge fee and the movie be taxed at a much higher rate. You may be able to tell I'm an ex-smoker.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

PARACHUTE JUMPER LINGERIE MODEL SELTZER MANUFACTURER

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Seems to me that, no matter the panelists, Arlene has a higher IQ than the others combined...

[@TheCometHunter]

Arlene was an actress, and I feel you can't memorize your lines if you're a dummy, man OR woman. But don't forget that to be a good reporter like Dorothy was, you needed to be smart too!

[@MarcosVAlves87]

The lingerie model is still alive (87 yo). Here's her Facebook: m.facebook.com/gloria.detomaso

[@AaronHahnStudios]

7:40 in, GRAVITY makes him move, I'd give that a NO.

[@stevekru6518]

Gravity makes him move only because of his own mass

[@alskndlaskndal]

I don't mean this as an insult, but Garry Moore makes me think of a ventriloquist's doll come to life.

[@alskndlaskndal]

The second contestant, on the other hand, was a real doll. Reminds me of some gals I used to know in high school.

[@jmccracken1963]

And, considering her occupation, a very demure and modest young lady, too. All of which makes her even more classy and more beautiful, in my humble opinion.

[@onecake34244]

Garry seemed quite animated on this show. He did a LOT of TV later and was a class act host.

[@jeffreygrossi2800]

Uttemyer gives me anxiety.....

[@ericstuart7748]

The lady wears "gob?"

[@sdkelmaruecan2907]

I'm sorry for what happened to Untermeyer but I can't stand his voice. it's a very natural voice for a man of his age but I don't think it fits for TV, not if you have to appear on a regular basis anyway.

[@jackseward7779]

The antics in front of the panel were ridiculous. Glad they did away with all that in 1956. And how does the first guest "move under [his] own power"? A pilot takes him up and gravity takes him down.

[@Rogermarch]

John Daly is smoking In this early episode.

[@enriquesanchez2001]

Mr. Untermeyer's mention of SEXES in the plural - even mentioning "Any one of the three or four that you can think of... " was strikingly "Prophetic" as in relation to contemporary social developments in the US. Very curious, even though it was said in jest. ♥

[@Nokiaar1]

Too bad there’s only two. (Which requires the plural nonetheless.)

[@enriquesanchez2001]

That's not my point. He mentioned multiple sexes in jest. @@Nokiaar1

[@sageywavey]

American women used to be so awesome

[@TheCometHunter]

OMG...When I first saw Ms. Lella (the lingerie model), I thought "OMG...that could be Lauren Graham's mother!"

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Jump to conclusions (Movie- Office Space)