What's My Line? - Celeste Holm; Tony Randall [panel] (Jan 4, 1959)

MYSTERY GUEST: Celeste Holm [film and TV actress]
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Tony Randall, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf

[@elisabethanderson8654]

I met Celeste Holm, when she was involved with a medical center for performers. She was lovely and gracious.

[@karenleemallonee684]

The Deputy Sheriff was lovely, I loved the gown & the long gloves. I hope she had a long, safe career!

[@bluecamus5162]

My mother was born in Harlan and raised nearby, where the Deputy worked. When Mom left the hills during WW2, she worked hard at losing her accent. Later in life, at will, she would revert back to her "hillbilly" speech to amuse us kids. That area is rich in Irish and Scots descendants, and many of those Gaelic women are quite striking in looks, like the deputy.

[@feraudyh]

Yes, I would do a misdemeanor just to get arrested by her ;).

[@leannsherman6723]

I loved the gloves too.❤

[@judylutz1702]

I looked Loyall, Ky up. It has a population of a little over 700.

[@jackkomisar458]

I like the way Celeste Holm says "Oh, yes!" when Bennett Cerf asks her if she had appeared in "Oklahoma!"

[@vincentdelgatto5925]

She Was Fantastic In"All About Eve" Despite How Much Bette Davis Hated Her And Visa. Versa Read Back Story If You Don't Believe

[@michaeldanello3966]

I am really quite suprised and a little disappointed at the many somewhat disapproving or critical comments about Celeste Holm. She was a lovely woman with more class than some of these modern-day "critics". She was excellent in all the work I have ever seen, had a pleasant singing voice and was never trashy like many of today's "stars". And since when did today's utter lack of manners, politeness and common decency ever become "dated". My God, the more boorish people's behavior becomes is not my idea of the "advancement" or modernity of civilization.

[@williamlinington9166]

Could not agree more.

[@kristabrewer9363]

Was that Celeste Holm from "Promised Land?" I didn't know she acted before she stared on that!

[@joeambrose3260]

How the hell do you know ?

[@Tahoenjr]

@@joeambrose3260 I guess we can see her consistent public profile was always dignified, collected, mature. But in private, who knows anyone.

[@thesweeples3266]

We were better people then.

[@geoffm9944]

Celeste Holm was a superb character film and theatre actress.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

Not in enough films over her entire career-which stretched at least until late 80s-she appeared in less than 20 films🎩

[@dailyowl6337]

Arlene is very beautiful woman, I'm sure we all agree, but I especially like her 'look' during "Once more with feeling' (play in which she was starring ) period - 1958/1959

[@garypinto5200]

Katarzyna Kopeć on no

[@lala-gj4oo]

arlene beautiful? you've got to be kidding!

[@gregmoorhead7203]

Love Celeste Holm!!! ❤️

[@Traderjoe]

Can you imagine that elevators were so complex in the 1950s that they needed an operator to make it go where the people wanted to go. And this was some people’s jobs. That’s what they did. And most of them lived well enough to afford a home and pay off their college debt.

[@waynebrasler]

I met Celeste when she brought her one-woman evening to St. Louis in 1963. The show was sold-out, she was wonderful and what struck me was how shiningly intelligent she was. She sang "I Can''t Say No" and I told her it was my dream to witness her doing it. She was remarkably versatile and certainly earned her Oscar for her brilliant work in "Gentleman's Agreement."

[@allenjones3130]

I chiefly remember Celeste Holm for her charming portrayal of the Fairy Godmother in the 1964 remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA.

[@kristabrewer9363]

I've only ever known Celeste Holm as an older lady, but she's never changed her looks any. Still looks like her in the face

[@commandoxy]

Celeste Holm 'sparkles'.

[@lemoncrinckles]

Wow...Dorothy looked lovely!

[@marycleary7810]

Yes that is my favorite hairstyle for her

[@ilzamaria6424]

I agree

[@Noone58319]

Oh my goodness what a gorgeous dress Dorothy was wearing!

[@igkoigko9950]

A panel with Arlene and Dorothy is like a garage with a Porsche 911 and a Buick and you compliment the Buick.

[@lilybean835]

I really, really like how it's.a small, square screen and it's not wide-screen. I really like that it's in black and white, and I also really like that the edges of the "corners" seem a tad "blurred" out because of the filming process. I love it! I'd pay a good price for a small TV that has a square screen.

[@neilmidkiff]

The special studio video monitors off which these were filmed in the kinescope process had picture tubes with round flat faces...The CRT was shaped rather like a chemist's Erlenmeyer flask turned on its side. As you noticed, the corners of the movie-camera frame show the round edge of the picture tube. This didn't matter when the kinescopes were used for delayed broadcast at the time, because home tv sets had picture tubes with rounded corners too. Only in recent times, when the film frame is transferred to digital video and viewed on rectangular screens, do the dark corners show up.

[@YowzaBowzaWowza]

Those old style televisions received only analog transmissions which are no longer broadcast.

[@lauracollins4195]

No business like shoe business?! Oh boy. Gotta love dear Bennett and his lame puns. :)

[@adriennegormley9358]

This is the first episode where ther are 49 states (Alaska was admitted to the union January 3) . Hawai'i will become #50 in August of the same year.

[@carlsperr]

Now many in both states if not most wish they never had.

[@patriciamooney928]

My first intro to Celeste Holm was Fairy Godmother. Loved her in Cinderella.

[@jacomans9078]

It’s a bit sad that almost all of the people we are watching except possibly the youngest children are now gone, they had such a great time on this show.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Miss Holm was in town to do Third Best Sport which ran at the Ambassador Theater, (12/30/1958 - 3/07/1959) for 79 performances.

[@ald668]

I LOVE CELESTE!

[@ginnylorenz5265]

Dear Barbara Bach, thank you for saying it. I completely agree. Where have the elegance, intelligence, and grace gone? I like how you put it. Ginny in San Diego

[@kulturekritik9665]

I love Arlene's hair in this episode.

[@Baskerville22]

That Deputy Sheriff was very attractive. I thought she looked like a young Queen Elizabeth II

[@samanthahill748]

That deputy sheriff is my grandmother. She’s 84 now and still as beautiful as she was back then 😊

[@filipkogut8533]

@@samanthahill748 you're one lucky granddaughter, she seems like a great person :)

[@josephlacerra8433]

What's My Line is wonderful to watch and brings back my memories of being a boy glued to the TV on Sunday night. However, it can cause us to view this era through rose colored glasses. What's My Line was stiff and formal even by the standards of its time. My mother and grandmother always referred to the panelists and host as 'stuffed shirts'. In reality, people could be almost as coarse as they are now, and conditions were in some ways pretty awful. For example, very few places were air conditioned (movie houses were, and filled their seats by extolling that fact), manual labor was common, and I did not know anyone who owned a car. I also never even met a person who had attended a Broadway play. Television was black and white, and where I lived ( New York City) there were seven stations. However, when we moved to Philadelphia in 1960 it had only three! I am sure the contestants on WML were wearing their Sunday best, and were not 'turned out ' like that in their daily lives. On the whole, it was a decent time, but it was not Camelot.

[@sdacj]

Bennett Cerf once gave an interview where he mentioned that when they left the studio after doing the show they would be dressed "like normal human beings".

[@deboraholsen2504]

@Joseph La Cerra Ok....thanks...

[@shoegeezr]

These shows are terrific, and they transport one to another time. Despite the erudite nature of the regulars and the aspirational nature of the show, I would never say it transports one to a better time. One can argue for or against the political virtues, or lack thereof, of then vs. now, but it is not necessary. Two words: medical science. Thank you for making these gems available.

[@sabinebeyer9249]

Oh, the first contestant from germany I can remember and quite a lovely Lady to. Her elevator must be very crowded for days.

[@feraudyh]

A rheumatologist told me once that foot warmers are generally to be avoided as they are deleterious to the circulation of blood.

[@jenniferyorgan4215]

Celeste Holm was sounding like Angela Lansbury's character in Gaslight.

[@waldolydecker8118]

she did that on purpose since she was trying to 'gaslight' the panel...always an actress, that cleaver Ms Holm.

[@sherricoffman]

MuchLoveLoves ❤ LoveChick ❤🎉

[@ToddSF]

I note that Kentuckians also pronounce the name of their largest city, Louisville, "LOH-vull" rather than "LOO-ee-vill" the way most non-Kentuckians do. The problem is, if you say it that Kentuckian way in most places, people won't know what city you're talking about.

[@Paul71H]

Yep. I live in Kentucky. I say "LOO-ee-vil", but most people here say "LOO-uh-vuhl." I was once asked by a woman from England if Americans pronounce it LOUISville (with the "s") or LOUEEville (silent "s"). I explained that almost no one pronounces the "S" (as far as I know), but that Kentuckians have yet another pronunciation that she hadn't thought of. :-)

[@hizgrase]

Yup. I once called the Greyhound bus station and pronounced at the negative way and they had no idea where I was trying to go

[@bluecamus5162]

2 miles away from Loyall is Harlan where my mother was born. She fought hard to lose her accent when she left the hills and there was not a trace left by the time I was born.

[@dotsywotsy18]

She exhibited beautiful southern charm

[@LoudCitizen]

The lady from Loyall, she cracks me up -- her favorite word is "sometimes."

[@littlebigman6957]

That copper was stunning. Very easy on the eye.

[@asteverino8569]

I love Ms Holm's.

[@geoffm9944]

It’s a pity that the celebrity guest is never given more time to be questioned, as frequently the panel quickly guessed the identity after only a few questions! Bennett Cerf and Dorothy Kilgallen were the chief culprits, as prior to the show they must have scoured the celebrity gossip columns as to which celebrities were in New York either promoting a film, or appearing in a play. I also understand that Bennett was sometimes ‘tipped off’ by his wife as to the identity of the celebrity guest. In this case, Celeste Holm, a wonderful actress was never given an opportunity to display her comical talents. Great shame.

[@jennjenn61]

Can't believe Celeste dared to utter that S word on 1959 tv

[@watsonpaddy]

i was shocked but by 59 things were beginning to change

[@ellemathews9840]

Sex? Big deal . Just cuz she was a woman ?

[@larrygrebler5054]

@@ellemathews9840 1959 by a woman, what are you dumb? Of COURSE!

[@FlavioGirl]

this date is my birthday, although i wasnt born until 13 years later :D

[@dcasper8514]

I knew something was missing ...

[@Appleholic1]

I like to play along with the panel and cover my eyes to not know what their lines are

[@mehboobkm2018]

But then you will miss most of the fun!

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

@@mehboobkm2018 Instructions: cover eyes when the occupation is revealed on screen. After the applause has ended, remove hands from eyes.

[@hizgrase]

My fairy godmother for life.

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

Back then it was a compliment that you were special one way or another, to get a Wolf whistle.

[@thesweeples3266]

Yes. Its a simple, normal, complement.

[@preppysocks209]

Dorothy once again plugged the wrong vehicle for the guest panelist, as when she said that Dick Clark hosted "American Broadcast." In this case, she confused two movies of the 1950s. "The Mating Season" was from the early 1950's with Gene Tierney and John Lund. Thelma Ritter, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor when she appeared with Celeste Holm and others in "All About Eve" received another of her six nominations for that film. "The Mating Game" starred Tony Randall, Debbie Reynolds, and Paul Douglas. It was Douglas' last film -- he was slated to play the part ultimately played by Fred MacMurray in "The Apartment," but died.

[@johnodonohoe7602]

Foot warmer lighter fluid what ! Burnt feet law suit crazy!!!

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_Deputy Sheriff_* *_Makes Foot Warmers_* *_Elevator Operator_*

[@dale19532]

Kilgallen the sharpest tack in the bunch! I often wonder if she was tipped off, she was so smart!

[@Annuska1995]

Her death is really suspicious. She overdosed on barbiturates but was found in a bedroom she never used and she was investigating the death of JFK and according to her friend found something and was waiting for something on Monday ( if I recall well) and passed away a day or 2 earlier ( so very unlikely she wanted to commit suicide just right before that). As sharp and smart she was, in my opinion she really found something, some people didn’t want out and killed her.

[@johnjaybonstingl9007]

@@Annuska1995 There can be little doubt.

[@kristabrewer9363]

Was that Celeste Holm from "Promised Land?" I didn't know she was an actress before that!

[@tomklock568]

Was there no show on December 28, 1958? There was December 21. BTW my birthdate!

[@jenniferyorgan4215]

John Daly said at the end of the Dec 21 broadcast, they wouldn't be on next week because of a special program.

[@beachchaos1863]

Celeste Holm was the only saving grace of The Tender Trap (1955). She blew Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds out of the water

[@maureen5540]

Dorothy says a "young man" tony Randal hahahaha tony Randall, I never think of him as a young man 😄

[@sherricoffman]

LOL 😆 🤣 😂 😹 ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉

[@maggiejohnson5891]

Lighter fluid in a foot warmer? Yikes 😧

[@Eddie_Schantz]

One of the things that aggravated me about this show was that after the mystery guest is found out, they sit there and jabber for 2-3 minutes, then the last guest really doesn't have a fair amount of time to play the game. They really wasted their time coming there in the first place.

[@drakea.5816]

I agree with you, Eddie.

[@ellemathews9840]

It was known that the 3rd person most likely wouldn't go on. The mystery guest usually showed up for some type of promotion

[@thesweeples3266]

Yes, quite strange they would spend 2-3 minutes talking to a nationally recognized personality. Odd that.

[@joiefulton4015]

What was the joke about Phyllis Cerf and foot warmers?

[@lauracollins4195]

Joie Fulton - an affectionate wife is a lovely foot warmer for a cold-footed husband to cuddle with at night. :)

[@mariedirvin5468]

CBS should revive WML

[@kd6836]

It would be a disaster. The classic shows had class. All remakes are awful now. It would be vulgar and crude.

[@poolside123canadian7]

Hehe she says sex in 1959🤣

[@yeahnoonecaresifyouarefirst]

Singing? Orange juice? Oyyyy

[@adamodeo9320]

that sharif woman was a hot babe

[@leannsherman6723]

Some of Bennett’s puns were so bad. 🤣😖😣

[@summermen]

Celeste looks like her sister gave her a permanent the night before her first day of school.

[@joiefulton4015]

If Celeste can get a rousing ovation like Marilyn Monroe usually gets, then Celeste should be humbled and grateful. Matronly or not should not make any difference.

[@albertobello8717]

What accent has Bennett Serf?

[@MrYfrank14]

I would love to know as well. he mutilates words like someone trying very hard to learn the language.

[@albertobello8717]

@@MrYfrank14 LOLOL Agreed.

[@44032]

Serfer dude...

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Elmer Fudd after one too many martinis.

[@bryanspindle4455]

He kills me every time he introduces John Daly and says mawdaraydah.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

The elevator operator did her work (sometimes) from a rather high perch

[@raiderrodriguez]

Why men back then used to stand up when women approached to them?

[@TheNWPerry]

It was called manners and a courtesy that men did as a sign of respect to women. Just like holding a door open or sliding in the chair as the women sat. Unfortunately not a thing done today.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

TheNWPerry What did women do as a sign of respect to men?

[@TheNWPerry]

Different time, different Morals and different Society rules. Adults gave and received respect from each other as a matter of course. Society has changed since then. thankfully in most areas. I'm in my 60's and remember as a Child standing on Public transport so that Adults could sit. Never done today. As I said a different time.

[@kathyyoung1774]

Lars Rye Jeppesen Younger women did stand out of respect for an elderly man. People were more mannerly then.

[@deboraholsen2504]

@Lars Rye Jeppesen - You ask what women did to show respect to men? ...They let them BE men! The women LET the men open a door for them and then said 'thank you' as they walked in with a smile and eye contact. The women also ALLOWED the men to slide their chair in when being seated at a table. Again, 'thank you' with a smile. Men still do these things for me all the time. I also open doors for anyone when we are passing through at the same time, and I always look behind me to see if there's anyone after me wanting to get through the door, and of course hold it open for them. If it's an elderly man or woman, I hold it open for as long as it takes them to walk through. My Dad is 85 and walks across a parking lot very slowly. When I'm with him, I wave and smile at people in cars who patiently wait for him to cross.

[@RichardHannay]

How quaint of them to talk about sex on tv back in 1959.... and hinted to be the “national pastime” 😂

[@augerontgen8240]

I love all this WML-stufff and watched it night and day - but this manner to look deep into the female contestant eyes and to ask her: "Is it Miss oder Missis ..." appears awful to me nowadays. But at least the acumen of Dorothy Killgallen and Bennet Cerf, the temper and charme of Arlene and the gentle leadershipof the sophisticated John Daly are plenty of compensation.

[@kathyyoung1774]

Auge Röntgen Women were addressed as Miss or Mrs., and it was polite to address them correctly. Manners. Nothing awful about it. He was showing respect. People get offended at the damndest things now.

[@sue2611]

Unfortunately, the title Ms. wasn't commonly use at that time.

[@patfulton7746]

Sue Morris Did the title “Ms.” even exist in 1959?

[@spongevee1]

@@patfulton7746 It existed, but wasn't really known or used until the Seventies.

[@calvinghanian8439]

john daly is 45 years old in this episode.but he looks 20 years older.

[@YaketyYakDontTalkBack]

True. they aged quite quickly in those days with the smoking.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

He always did. His saggy neck always stood out whenever he looked down.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I don't like the way the foot warmer guy kept saying "right, right", though I realize he meant no disrespect by it. It was his normal manner of speaking. Have other WML contestants answered in other odd similar ways? I am not New York centric, but the show was.

[@geoffm9944]

Again, it appears Bennett Cerf was tipped off to the identity of the special celebrity guest.

[@519djw6]

Miss Poetrsch was certainly lovely, but I could never understand why elevator operators were ever necessary in the first place. Couldn't passengers be put to the trouble of pushing a button by themselves?

[@WhatsMyLine]

Elevator operators used to manually control the movement of the elevator cars in the days before elevators were capable of stopping on different floors automatically.

[@bigbenhebdomadarius6252]

519DJW My goodness, that makes me feel old! I remember manual elevators, manual typewriters, and manual switchboards, too. In fact, I can remember when you still had to go through an operator for anything but a local phone call. Times have certainly moved on.

[@ToddSF]

519DJW -- Automatic elevators didn't exist for many, many years. When I was a small child, we occasionally went to the huge May Company downtown Los Angeles which had a whole bunch of manually operated elevators. Up and down were controlled with a semicirular rheostat with a handle -- straight up was "stop" and one direction was "up" and the other was "down". The operator could control the speed of the car by how far the rheostat handle was rotated in either direction. It took skill and practice to slow the elevator car down as it approached a floor and get it to stop so that the elevator floor was level with the floor outside. There were no buttons to push on the outside to summon a car -- you just waited for one -- but there were indicator globes that lighted above each car to show it was arriving and indicate whether it was going up or down. The smaller May Company in Lakewood (built in 1952) had automatic elevators with buttons. By the time I was in my teens, they'd converted all the elevators at the Los Angeles May Company to automatic, self-service. You could see the wall of the elevator shaft in front of you as it moved past, between floors, and large floor numbers were stenciled onto that wall so the operator would know which floor she was approaching. They used to announce each floor as the doors opened and recite which departments were on that floor, and they also used to say "Going up!" or "Going down!" so that passengers knew which way the elevator was headed. You seldom see elevator operators nowadays. Coit Tower in San Francisco still has a manual elevator with an operator to take people from the ground level to the observation deck and back, and I think the Washington Monument did, too, when I was there. But in commercial buildings, all elevators are automatic. Anyway, they had elevator operators because all elevators used to be manually controlled and it took a human being to do it.

[@519djw6]

ToddSF 94109 They still have elevator operators in some department stores in Tokyo, and they are invariably young women wearing store uniforms and white gloves; they call out the floor number and what sorts of goods that are to be found there. However, like so much else in this country, they are just there for "atmosphere."

[@alanfollett6242]

My office building (226 West Jackson, in Chicago) still had uniformed elevator operators at least as late as 1975, when my employer relocated.

[@armyvet4081]

francis incapable to shut her mouth

[@Bigwave2003]

They're wolf whistling for matronly Celeste Holm?

[@WhatsMyLine]

The wolf whistling is really something else, isn't it? On such a classy show, too!

[@ToddSF]

Bigwave2003 -- Celeste Holm was still 39 at the time of this appearance and would celebrate her 40th birthday in April 1959. I don't think "matronly" is an apt description for her at that stage of her life.

[@hetmanjz]

ToddSF 94109 I can't tell if the original "matronly" comment is meant to refer strictly to age or to something about appearance and manner more generally. I've always found Celeste Holm to be immensely appealing in appearance and personality, so if that's "matronly," I'm all for it!

[@cellom.9227]

These are not wolf whistles, but more in the vein of cheering. Notice the panel doesn't open with the typical questions about the guest being a glamour girl, etc.

[@ToddSF]

cardboard orchestra Yes, I think that's exactly right. A lot of commenters on this board make accusations of "wolf whistles", but wolf whistles specifically consist of two tones, the first one rising in pitch and the second one falling. I think at lot of commenters are too young to remember the days when certain members of audiences that were applauding someone with the greatest of enthusiasm typically added single-tone whistling to the mix. That kind of whistling from the audience had nothing to do with "wolf-whistling" and was used a great deal when someone extremely popular appeared on stage, or when something excellent had happened. I can remember many a stage performance where the whole cast came out together after the final curtain, and the very pleased audience included lots of whistling. Trust me -- the actors and actresses were by no means insulted to hear the whistling -- quite the opposite. Yes, good-looking female contestants who were not celebrities frequently got the same kind of whistling because they were good looking. But a lot of celebrities regardless of gender got the enthusiastic sort of whistling accompanying great applause, merely because the audience was really pleased to see them.

[@stevestites9762]

Bennett Cerf is just plain creepy.

[@peternagy-im4be]

No he wasn't.

[@HBMHD]

@@robertcarran9585 Back then it was appreciated to be complimented for your beauty, rather than (for God knows what reason) offensive.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

His voice creeps me out. I could imagine him saying, "Take your panties off, little girl!" in that garbled voice.

[@rangerboy7877]

dorothy can ask some really stupid questions sometimes

[@vincentdelgatto5925]

But She Guesses The Secret More Often Than The Others, Sometimes, Stupid

[@joeambrose3260]

Always had a creepy feeling about Randall. He cemented it by marrying a girl young enough to be his granddaughter

[@accomplice55]

Oh, good grief. He was married to the same woman for decades before she died; then, happily, he found love again. Age is irrelevant.

[@mehboobkm2018]

Then what would you say about Groucho Marx!?

[@770WT]

Randall is so obnoxious and pretentious .

[@kentetalman9008]

Eye of the beholder.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

The ultimate "my sh*t doesn't stink" New York snob.

[@donaldpump8882]

You BASTARD!!!!!