What's My Line? - Jack Benny (Feb 8, 1953)

MYSTERY GUEST: Jack Benny
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Steve Allen, Arlene Francis, Hal Block
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[@goldengirl1168]

Steve Allen says some of funniest things and can think of funny comebacks so quick.

[@ruthkidney3582]

I wish I knew why he left the panel. I was born in late 1956. So if anyone can help me?

[@genekrauss]

He had many talents including as a piano player, entertainer, host, comedian and stunt man. Plus he was interesting to listen to. His comic writers were talented as well. It was a pleasure to watch The Steve Allen Shows.

[@feraudyh]

He appears to have been an immensely creative person.

[@bocajrs7628]

​@@ruthkidney3582 I was born too late to have seen the original episodes and have been watching several days. Steve Allen was asked to replace Hal Block, who was fired because he treated females very poorly on numerous occasions, including this episode. He declined because NBC was in talks with him to be the first host of The Tonight Show. He was the host from 1953 to 1957.

[@broughtbackin]

At this point in time, they were trying to get rid of Hal Block and fed many lines to Steve Allen to make him funnier. (They would feed Block questions also, from the beginning, to make the audience laugh)

[@kelvynification]

Daly was an amazing show host... intelligent, witty, charming and good natured.

[@rmelin13231]

There were none better. Not then, and not since.

[@65hooptee]

I agree completely, Mr. Daly was superb at all aspects of his duties.

[@sandrageorge3488]

I love Jack Benny's eyes. The smile lines show he is a happy person.

[@SueProv]

Interesting that,a man who wrote a biography of Johnny Carson said the two most unhappy people on earth he knew were Johnny and Jack Benny. I'm not sure that Benny had a good marriage but was a very nice man. I am,a big fan of his myself.

[@johanbrand8601]

@@SueProv strange how he would say that Jack Benny and Johnny Carson were the most unhappy people. I wonder what he meant by that.

[@SR-iy4gg]

He meant they were unhappy people!@@johanbrand8601

[@hh-sb4nq]

I've read his autobiography by J.B and his daughter, nowhere did it say he was unhappy. As for his for him and his wife, he was devoted.

[@jamesturner9651]

Its so nice seeing this. People were so civilized and polite with one another. There was a simple eloquence and respect for one another that seems to be lacking today.

[@freeguy77]

Blame that on the ubiquitous social media programs Facebook, Twitter, etc. Too much social media junk, not enough telephone or in-person learning communication!

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

Aside from Hal, who sexually assaulted contestants and chased the minister around while the second contestant was signing in. He was fired that night, given three more episodes. The other panelists were always lovely though.

[@mcbrion1951]

Yes, people did behave like that. And you're right, it is certainly missing in today's society. Part of the reason for that is people having much better boundaries 30 years ago, never mind 60 years ago.

[@MOGGS1942]

Two words to describe Jack Benny - simply wonderful.

[@eepanusstar5940]

He was so well liked people worked for him for years-and he could get every top star to be on his show. a great man

[@razorback9926]

Jack Benny may be the most beloved entertainer in history. A poll gave him a 97% approval rating. Jack responded, “what did I do to the other 3%?”

[@Concetta20]

He’s my all time favorite.

[@freeguy77]

I would guess Bob Hope would have comparable approval ratings as he was so popular for decades, as Jack was.

[@waldolydecker8118]

@@freeguy77 - yep, you would think Bob Hope was the most beloved entertainer by both the public and his peers. Benny was up there, but would not think he polled higher than Hope. Hope was so respected by literally everyone in Hollywood and he helped so many others become stars.

[@JamesHenrey]

​@@waldolydecker8118w

[@maryblushes7189]

He and Red Skelton were my two most beloved ones, Hope came in a close third.

[@inkyguy]

Dorothy Kilgallen just amazes me. She was so sharp, intelligent and perceptive. I can count the number of these shows where she zeros in on the answer like a hawk on rabbit.

[@maryflanagan1493]

Mask not on propley.

[@TheBee87bee]

I thought Dorothy handed Jack some money from her purse,funny!!!!

[@davidsanderson5918]

Well considering her own line, she had a nose for finding out things. As well as that though I suspect she did a little digging prior to each show. She seemes ahead of the game too often to me.

[@thomashulsey8495]

She was amazing. Her demise needs more investigation.

[@fonso1030]

Thomas Hulsey I think the reason and culprit of her demise is pretty well known. The fact that we don’t know, or will ever know, is another story. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Dragon.Thistle.112]

It’s so refreshing to see cursive writing, suits, dresses, bow ties, politeness, and extraordinary vocabulary that we are sorely lacking today. I love watching this show!

[@MensAsses33]

All of those nice things are going extinct.

[@freeguy77]

Too much government monopoly skools that have dumbed down the population over the last 50 years, and worse since the Dept of Educashun established to centralize power in the District of Criminals from 1979. Teacher unions rule educashun, not the parents or students!

[@b3j8]

Late to reply, but one thing nobody thought a thing about in that era was the forwardness of Mr. Block toward the first contestant. Today that would certainly be a huge no-no.

[@leesher1845]

Jack Benny was wonderful, Steve Allen was hilarious and Dorothy Kilgallen was so smart.

[@golden-63]

My addiction to WML is so serious, I may need an intervention!

[@savethetpc6406]

+goldenthroat86 Have you joined the WML Facebook group yet? I can't promise it would work as intervention; in fact it would probably just encourage your addiction, but at least you'll be in the company of a whole group of equally addicted folks, most of whom are managing to function through life in spite of it! ;)

[@savethetpc6406]

Gravydog316 Lol!

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Same here. hooked

[@Rhonda9199]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I can't stop watching!!! 😊

[@nadiazahroon6573]

goldenthroat86 me too

[@saritaschwedes8393]

I love mr. Daly!! He makes me laugh watching him enjoy himself!

[@birdbrain9625]

Jack Benny had me rolling on the floor. I have watched this episode four times 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@CheyenneKlover]

One of my very favorite episodes of the Jack Benny Show, is when he takes a trip to supermarket. It is on KZbin, just google JACK BENNY GOES TO THE SUPERMARKET....I love that one !!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@citizen1163]

Jack Benny. .such a wonderfully distinctive voice.

[@haileyh500]

Jack Benny, one of the greats! I love these shows. They are like time capsules to the past. So entertaining!

[@debbigray1752]

Did you catch that Dorothy paid Jack Benny out of her purse as he left! One of the best moments of WML!

[@hcombs0104]

😂 caught that, too!

[@gingerhaydon4693]

@@hcombs0104 So cute that Dorothy was quick on the draw, and paid Jack... ha

[@diananutt1517]

@Debbi Gray 🌿😄 Thanks, Debbie❣️ I noticed she was distracted, but she recovered in time to grab Jack's hand. I was so caught up watching him leave that I missed her little schtick!! Thanks for making sure we all got to savor that, too. P.S. Jack's hair sure seemed like his own when he brushed it forward. He wasn't gentle❣️😊

[@freeguy77]

How much was it? Hard to see any denomination of the bills as it was so fast and Jack was blocking most of the view, could barely see her outstretched hand. He did not really need it. His cheap shtick was one of the most famous gags in radio and TV history. A very generous man in real life. He had to be one of the happiest men on Earth, no matter what some unknown writer offered as the truth! Now, Johnny may have been closer to the privately unhappier person, but it is all relative on the level of unhappiesm!

[@SR-iy4gg]

She wasn't distracted. She was getting money out of her purse.@@diananutt1517

[@dpf2122]

Dorothy Kilgallen was such a pro.

[@karensheline6958]

I truly miss seeing her in the later episodes. RIP Dorothy dear ❣️

[@65hooptee]

I also miss Dorothy kilgallen in the final year of WML. She was amazing.

[@spactick]

The greatest comedian of all time. Wether it's standup or situation or sit com, Jack Benny did it all. A genius that all comedians use as the 'gold standard' of their art.

[@TheProfessorpat]

Johnny Carson was just one of many who idolized him.

[@freeguy77]

@@TheProfessorpat I was going to mention Johnny as one who used Jack as one of his inspirations in comedy.

[@photo161]

The inimitable Jack Benny...like so many millions of others, Oh how I love that man!

[@kali8188]

Rochester: Mr. Benny? Your dentist and your barber called. Jack: Oh, what did they say? Rochester: They left the same message - you can pick 'em up tomorrow!

[@photo161]

possible the most beloved comedian of all time. Too bad they ran out o time and couldn't interview him...

[@robertholman8730]

WML not a talk show😊

[@CheyenneKlover]

I love this episode! Jack is hilarious, and when he loses it, and starts laughing, John Daly gets laughing also ! Love you, Jack! Thank you for sharing your gift, and making us all, laugh and smile. I'm a big fan !!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@bjmajor]

I miss Bennett Cerf when he doesn’t appear on the panel. This show aired the year I was born! Love Jack Benny.♥️

[@bostonblackie9503]

Jack Benny had the best comedy show on radio. If you haven't heard it you should be able to find it on the internet.

[@williamarndt9465]

I had the unique honor of seeing Jack Benny perform live.

[@saran3214]

If you all want a good read, get the book Jack Benny's daughter wrote about him and growing up in Beverly Hills. She really loved him.

[@savethetpc6406]

@Sara N I think you are referring to _Sunday Nights at Seven_ , which is a combination of Jack Benny's unfinished autobiography and biographical reminiscences of Jack's life by his daughter, Joan Benny. It is indeed a good read and a great resource for Jack Benny fans! Here's a link to the entry for the book at GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/944519.Sunday_Nights_at_Seven?ac=1&from_search=true

[@hcombs0104]

He was a good person. Mary Livingstone, on the other hand...

[@ckersh74]

It's a crying shame they didn't get him on as a MG when Fred Allen was on the panel. That could have been electric.

[@Concetta20]

I knooow! Oh, that would’ve been just too fantastic!

[@Blairpark]

Good Lord, yes. That would have been tremendous dous.

[@freeguy77]

They were good friends in real life, but their famous radio feud was a terrific piece of inspired, created comedy for years!

[@glennmarshall4693]

I love Jack Benny, he is great on this

[@jimbeasley9460]

I love watching the shows that aired before I was born. Thank you for posting them.

[@WhatsMyLine]

You're very welcome!

[@nowvoyagerNE]

these are out of my babyhood and childhood :) i enjoy watching them too :)

[@WhatsMyLine]

nowvoyagerNE Glad to hear it!

[@daltexasone]

Great stuff. Love the show and Jack Benny is wonderful.

[@jennyrust8334]

I loved that Dorothy gave Mr Benny money. He was. a national treasure

[@randallriley]

I love that Dorothy just paid Jack Benny!

[@romansroad2007]

Randall Riley She is so smart , too bad someone killed her...or whatever really happened? God bless

[@allnitenurse]

Just good clean fun.....And still fun today!!

[@Concetta20]

Jack had some of the best reactions. “WELL!” 😆

[@michellebeckstrom6110]

Oh my word, my mom was two yrs old then. Love these episodes! Thank you

[@annakaminski4406]

So cool to watch these. Thank you.

[@joijaxx]

“Do I get paid for tonight?” 😂😂😂

[@raulmidon]

Dorothy Kilgallen is the bomb!

[@stevekru6518]

Bomb exploded, took off her chin. Looks aside, she is bright, perceptive and motivated.

[@SG-ug9xj]

@@stevekru6518 your face isn't worthy of Dorothy's Gold shoe resting on it pal!

[@suelutz5364]

@@stevekru6518 how rude. Maybe you can share your picture for critique.

[@robertholman8730]

I beg to differ, Arlene was the bomb 😊

[@lindameyers8341]

I throyghly enjoyed his humor clean fun there will never be anyone like him again.

[@magnificentfailure2390]

My friends might be getting a little tired of me telling them to watch these old programs. Oh well.

[@magnificentfailure2390]

Gravydog316 You've stumbled upon my master plan. I'm gonna have to swear you to secrecy. Pinky Swear. The most serious kind.

[@bookwoman53]

I’m just discovering these programs. I tend to like quiz shows and game shows that require knowledge instead of pure luck.

[@juanettebutts9782]

I stumbled across these during December 2018, became immediately addicted. I bounced around watching shows from all the years WML aired until I realized there was a chronological order set of programs. I've been such a Happy Camper since then! I might be late to the game but I'm a super fan now!

[@robertholman8730]

I wholeheartedly agree!!😊

[@jamesfoss5428]

From 23:20 - Oh my gosh. Hysterical. It’s clear that John Daly couldn’t hold it together at all. He was trying but just couldn’t.

[@11redlions]

John Daly had a nice smile.

[@graperonto]

Do I get paid for tonight? And Dorothy pulls out her purse!

[@wrshpr4lf]

Leila Dell Miller was a well-known evangelist with the Nazarene denomination. She was privileged to lead many people to Christ in her ministry.

[@vickiross9299]

Loved Jack Benny!

[@spongevee1]

Yay for Jack Benny!

[@Concetta20]

I also love the regular guests-they really buck assumptions, which is the point. I would’ve never guessed jazz drummer from a woman who looks like Marie Callender.

[@karensheline6958]

Back when even the biggest stars were humble and appreciative of their status.

[@suzeaa]

I adore Jack Benny.

[@dekelanson5280]

I wonder what was funny at 25:26 when Jack Benny was leaving? You see Dorothy digging in her purse as Jack approaches, and then laughter.

[@perpieta]

He'd just asked if he was getting paid for his appearance here...so she gave him a quarter.

[@evelyncagle9595]

I love Steve Allen too.

[@d5r8u2e7]

Leila Dell Miller is 91 in 2015, so she must have been 29 or 30 on this show. An evangelist with a mink ... Glory be!.

[@portagee66]

W Brewer Her niece or someone else may correct this, but I believe they sometimes lent jewelry, furs, suits, etcetera to contestants with which to fool the panel. Notice that it didn't quite fit with her dress, and also possibly was fake.

[@BMarPiano]

portagee66 I am her niece and don’t know for sure, but that makes sense to me. I don’t remember her wearing minks, although I was not even born at the time of this recording.

[@dinahbrown902]

They were of the world way back then too, suppose that is the only reward she ever got

[@65hooptee]

Actually the Rev. Miller died on Oct, 2 2002 at the age of 79

[@yolandagee3925]

I Love Jack!!!

[@HusseinMSAAlsalahi71]

Dorothy Kilgallen paid JB a quarter lol

[@sandragailgoudelock1531]

I liked this episode, I know people tend not to like Hal Block but I like him in limited doses.

[@TheProfessorpat]

When he was not being crass or lecherous, Hal was actually funny.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@TheProfessorpat Those moments were rare. As soon as the camera focused on him at the intros, he started digging in his ear. Ugh! Gross!

[@dannydoc1969]

I find Hal Block annoying, he's rude, and jittery. Arlene Francis is my favorite. Jack Benny was a sweetheart and one of a kind.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

I like the guy.

[@brandonriggs1788]

I agree about Hal. In every episode I have watched that he was on, he seemed to leer at anyone with a va-jay-jay; was rude, and annoying. He just rubbed me the wrong way. Arlene was gorgeous. Bennett was funny. Before she was taken from this earth, Dorothy seemed like a sweetheart. Just my opinion though.

[@fairlyvague82]

dannydoc1969 I don’t like him either. I suspect it’s a generational thing but to me he comes over as a patronising letch. And my fave is also Arlene Francis 😄

[@abbycross90210]

He seems like the type whose entire self-esteem rests on how many laughs he can get per minute.

[@fairlyvague82]

Abby Cross Yes, and I also get that sense that he could be quite nasty when things aren’t going his way.

[@kvannoy1595]

Particular interesting show, the day before I was born

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

Love you , JACK, what a great man xxxxxxxxxxxx RIP x PS.. JACK APPEARS @ 17:03 :)

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

xoxooxooxoxooxo Forever xx

[@inkyguy]

Frederick de Cordova his producer worked for Jack Benny for years (as well as George Burns and Johnny Carson) and said Benny was just as great and kind a man as he appeared to be.

[@evelyncagle9595]

I love these earlier episodes.

[@Concetta20]

Oh, it’s too bad Fred Allan wasn’t on the panel for this one!

[@ifbpeanut]

This was exactly 49 years before I was born.

[@kkallebb]

Mystery guest: Jack Benny: If they had focused on which instrument he played, they would have identified him almost immediately.

[@savethetpc6406]

William S. Yes, what's funny is that Dorothy had specifically asked the previous contestant (the jazz drummer) if _she_ played the violin and had gotten a "no" answer, so maybe that made everyone even less likely to think of the violin again.

[@juliansinger]

I never did look Miss Miller up, the first time I watched, because other folks had done some sleuthing already. But it occurs to me, I don't actually know what denomination she was. So, she was famous in her own circles (niche famous, as I keep saying), and is of the Church of the Nazarene, which as I understand it, isn't actually Baptist (though it does baptise), but is descended from Methodism. Her sister Nettie basically got her into evangelism. They both graduated from the still-extant Trevecca Nararene University in Nashville. (So did their brother Jack. But not the older sister, Alice.) Leila Dell became known as The Flying Evangelist, since she went anywhere and everywhere, Hawaii included. Did this through the 70s, at least; died in 2002.

[@WhatsMyLine]

Never trust other people's research. ;)

[@inkyguy]

Nazarenes are very religiously conservative. It pleasantly surprised me to learn the allow - or at least allowed - female ministers.

[@georgecherucheril9947]

Jack Benny was awesome.

[@paullad3178]

Dorothy gave Jack a COIN as he was leaving.

[@paullad3178]

***** You are very welcome!!!

[@tomitstube]

+Paul LaD i was wondering what that was, good eye.

[@rosemma34]

+Paul LaD I thought she was giving him her hastily scribbled telephone number

[@MrsWilberforce2]

Dorothy slipping him money at the end was priceless!!

[@ChadQuick270W]

Monologist. There’s a word you’d never hear now. People seemed much more intelligent back then. Gotta love Jack Benny. One of my favorite comedians of all time 👍

[@Gwaithmir]

It's too bad that Moe Howard never appeared on this show.

[@jmccracken1963]

Notice that they're still hand-flipping the credit cards at the end. This was the "straw that broke the camel's back" episode vis-a-vis WHAT'S MY LINE? and panelist Hal Block. Though his Marx Brothers-style chasing of the first panelist, Leila Dell Miller, upon her exit from the stage, was not shown on-camera, it did happen, and that incident (after Block had been suspended for 2 weeks by the show in early January and after he had been repeatedly warned by the producers about his behavior and his often lewd remarks on the show) was the "one too many" that led WML producer Gil Fates to notify Mr. Block after the show (over a drink at a local bar) that his option was not going to be renewed and that, after the next 3 shows, he would be replaced on the panel.

[@WhatsMyLine]

I've just been rereading Gil Fates's book on WML because people keep making these interesting comments and I can't remember what they're referring to. . . Anyhow, Fates talks about firing Block in an early chapter, but he doesn't mention anything specific as the grounds beyond Block not fitting in with the tone of the show. But I have heard that story about his chasing a contestant around elsewhere, maybe from another comment somewhere. Block was the kind of a guy you'd really have to think twice about inviting to your fancy dinner party.

[@jvcomedy]

You could hear laughter from the audience when the next contestant was signing in so I'm guessing that's when Block was doing his chasing that you refer to. Daly didn't crack a smile so I imagine he viewed it as an embarrassment and in poor taste. Thanks for the interesting input.

[@DLAN-jb3hb]

What's My Line? Bennett Cerf's interview in 1968 explains how WML fans hated Hal Block.

[@savethetpc6406]

DLAN 1122 In all fairness, I think Bennett misrepresented some things in that interview, and of course, was basing everything he said on his own personal biases. I actually feel rather disappointed in Bennett for the way he badmouthed several people in that interview -- if we're talking about the same interview, that is! I'd have to look for it again to find it, but the one I have in mind is on KZbin somewhere, I think.

[@savethetpc6406]

Jeff Vaughn jmccracken1963 Yes, I think it must have happened at around 8:43 in this video. I kept replaying that part to see what was so funny about the way the contestant was signing in, but there was nothing funny about it, so I figured there must be something going on off camera. I had also heard the story that the "last straw" leading to Hal Block's firing was when he chased an attractive female evangelist minister around the stage -- so this had to have been it.

[@treeoflife6386]

I miss the old time show like this one, and as a youngster I never seen the true wisdom in Dorothy, until later on in life when I found out about her other life of investigation into corruption, we need more people around today, who have her gift and influences, but also the armed guarded abilities to stop the silencers of the hidden truth, because we are in the famine of the truth these days, far worse now then even back then.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@molarguy]

Mary Tyler Moore said once Jack Benny told her to let everybody else get the laughs...it's your name they will remember. No self importance. Neither minded being the brunt of a joke.

[@molarguy]

P

[@yatinexile7144]

19:50 Daly's reaction to "Do you play a musical instrument?" 😂

[@shadowg6563]

the sad part of all this...everyone of the celebrity guests are no longer with us...great show...natural and genuinely funny and hugely entertaining

[@Lava1964]

Do you mean to say that every mystery guest who ever appeared on the CBS version of WML is now dead? If so, that's not true. Jerry Lewis and Betty white come to mind.

[@Rhonda9199]

howard greenberg also Kirk Douglas!

[@inkyguy]

I believe @Jakes G meant the celebrity guest panelists are all deceased now. Yes, I watch a lot of the "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" and all of the cast, including their children, are dead. A few of the younger guest actors such as children who have appeared (e.g., I just saw Jill St. John on a show as a child) can still be found alive, but obviously fewer and fewer.

[@mkl62]

Thanks for posting.

[@sammytripolone8473]

Fantastic show

[@freemanshackled]

I just realized that Mr. Benny signs his name the same way I would. We have very similar hand writting.

[@MensAsses33]

Mildred, that's a name that's gone extinct.

[@stlmopoet]

I do think it interesting John Daly made the "peaches" comment at the beginning of Leila Dell Miller's appearance, given he already knew she was a minister. His doing so made the panel feel free to make comments in that direction. Perhaps he did it to steer them away from even remotely thinking "minister."

[@d5r8u2e7]

stlmopoet Peaches, tomatoes ... I was waiting for Hal to say "melons".

[@savethetpc6406]

+stlmopoet And John holding a "small conference" with her in his usual flirtatious way was surprising too, given that he knew what her profession was. Maybe that's what made Hal think he could get away with what he did. (In case you haven't already heard or noticed it in the other comments, Hal later chased this lady around the stage "a la Harpo Marx," and that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back and made Gil Fates fire him. It's not on camera, but you can hear the audience laughter while the next contestant is signing in and even see the curtain swaying while John is talking to Mrs. Landuehr --beginning at about 8:43 in this video.)

[@loissimmons6558]

+stlmopoet Fairly often, it would also seem that the female challengers with less glamorous professions or professions normally associated with men in those days, wear more glamorous outfits. Again this presumably was arranged to throw off the panel. It would have been more difficult to do this with the male challengers. At this time in American culture, men would have basically been restricted to a neutral color suit, dress shirt and tie. I don't even recall any who wore a sport coat and slacks instead of a suit during these early episodes that haven't been lost. The one variable would have been the quality of the suit: hence Dorothy occasionally asking to see the label in the jacket (which she also did occasionally when a female contestant wore a jacket).

[@loissimmons6558]

+W Brewer Not for nothing, as we say in Brooklyn, but Miss Miller didn't exactly have "melon" curves (and this falls into the "it takes one to know one" category).

[@inkyguy]

I think Mr. Daly was simply being the cordial, complimentary gentleman he was in every show.

[@mikecarter8880]

Neat seeing Jack Benny, he always made me smile. But dunno what it is and if it is just me as I go through all these old episodes. There is just something kinda uncomfortable. Reading all the behind the scenes stuff in hindsight I can see why.

[@willrothfuss8470]

Boy they were a little dense on Jack, but Dorothy came to the rescue. Comedian with his own radio and television show featuring monologues and supporting actors including his wife, plays a musical instrument with strings, has been featured in movies. Duh. Maybe the "leading man" threw them off. But really, how many comedians at that time had their own TV and radio shows?

[@hhale]

Arthur Godfrey, Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Jack Webb (though certainly not a comedian...on purpose), J. Carrol Naish, Gale Gordon, among others. They seemed to think at one point it was Bob Hope, who was popular on radio and TV at the time as well.

[@SeLLy261]

I found this bit in the trivia section of IMDB in regards to Hal Block and this episode alone. This is from one man's perspective since he was the director of the show. The Paley Center for Media has a long interview with Franklin Heller, director of the CBS version of What's My Line, that was videotaped in 1987 and never telecast. Among his many revelations is the precise reason why regular panelist Hal Block disappeared from the series in 1953 and never again appeared on a quiz show or game show. Although Block's vulgar sense of humor caused his two-week suspension in January 1953, mail from viewers proved he still had thousands of admirers, and he had a substantial future with Goodson-Todman Productions, possibly on another of their shows, if only he had behaved himself during the What's My Line episode that aired live on February 8, 1953. According to Heller's videotaped statement, Block cheated while playing the game during the segment with female jazz drummer Mildred Landwehr from Trenton, New Jersey. One of the producers, Gil Fates, was standing very close to the soundstage and could see not only the panelists but also the studio audience members in the front row. He witnessed Block's sister, seated in the front row, pantomiming playing the drums. Heller said Hal Block obviously had conspired with his sister, arranging for her to sit in the front row for deceitful purposes. By this time, the less dignified I've Got A Secret was popular, and Block could have had a future on it or some other Goodson-Todman quiz show, but according to Franklin Heller, if anyone cheated, that was grounds for a permanent separation from the company. A 1978 book by Gil Fates reveals that Mark Goodson and Bill Todman instructed him to fire Hal Block. Fates makes no mention of the cheating or of Block's sister, but his explanation of why Block had to disappear is vague and does not contradict Heller's videotaped statement. Fates avoids mentioning the fact that his company never booked Block on I've Got A Secret or interacted with him again, not even twenty years later when he was unknown to baby-boom viewers of network television.

[@mikejschin]

Fascinating information, and it explains why Block wasn't allowed on any other G-T shows. Yes, he was crude, but he was pretty funny and smart and had many fans. If bad manners had been the reason for his discharge from this show, he could well have been a guest panelist on this show in later years and/or a panelist on one of the other shows. Thanks for digging this up.

[@elspethcoogan1499]

mikejschin I never found him funny or smart. He was a bore. He probably appealed to chauvinists.

[@jerrylee8261]

@@elspethcoogan1499 Hear! Hear! I never thought his asides were funny -just silly or out of place. It makes me wonder why he was hired as a joke writer. He has no class whatsoever. You would think his suspension would have been a learning lesson for him.

[@dsscam]

7:15 Dorothy Kilgallen was the best, by far. Incredible.

[@robertholman8730]

She was an investigator reporter😊

[@preppysocks209]

It is a measure of how popular Arthur Godfrey was in 1953 that when a star as popular as Jack Benny signed in, at 17:25, Hal Block thought that based on the audience reaction that Godfrey was the MG. This is why Arlene starts off the questioning by saying she does not think Godfrey is the MG. Benny stayed popular over the years but Godfrey didn't.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

When the Jack Benny Show would go to the South of course Rochester (Eddie Anderson) was with them. Any Hotel that wouldn’t take Black people; they’d go to another Hotel. Just think about all the money those Hotels lost because of the segregated South.

[@stevekru6518]

Your calculation omits the loss of business from other customers which (unfortunately and sadly) would have occurred had Rochester been accommodated. Hoteliers weren’t the prime movers for segregation, society was.

[@arthurharrison1345]

25:26 - We'll probably never know what evoked that big laugh while Benny was off-camera.

[@mrs.manrique7411]

Dorothy handed Jack Benny money from her purse in response to his, "Am I gonna get paid?" comment.

[@RobertR3750]

Did Dorothy actually give Benny some money?!

[@Beson-SE]

Probably as a joke. Since he asked if he was being paid for the show.

[@Nicolas-zb9uw]

Since she is a brilliant woman ,she played the game .

[@dinahbrown902]

Yep

[@tonycevallos7513]

Rev. Lella Dell Miller 1923-2002 RIP

[@fonso1030]

Steve Allen asking about trouble with hair? Now that’s a laugh.

[@picmajik]

Columbus Ga! My hometown

[@patfulton7746]

My late husband was born & raised in Columbus, GA. I think he would’ve got a kick out of this.

[@smadaf]

Although I've long found Dorothy's hand-inspection undemocratic and awkward, I wonder whether part of her reason for doing it was to *reduce* awkwardness. When you've stepped out onto a television stage for the first time in your life, and you're being watched at that very instant by millions of people, and you've just shaken hands with a very famous person, and you've had to write and speak in front of that audience too, you may already be pretty nervous. Then, suddenly, you're asked to do a strange, staged walk in front of four more people you haven't met, very close to them, yet not introduce yourself or shake hands-and all four of them are rich and famous, too! When you get to the end of this, Dorothy, the gentlest of the bunch, suddenly addresses you kindly, politely, and asks you to do something easy, and gives you what may well be a calming touch, some human contact. Then she sweetly thanks you, without offering any negative opinion of your hands. Maybe, for many people, that little inspection by Dorothy was the best they'd felt so far in their first several seconds of a strange, nerve-racking experience, before they finally got to sit down behind a barrier . . . and endure a live TV close-up of their faces.

[@tugginalong]

I always assumed she was looking for calloused hands but making someone feel comfortable is plausible.

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

What would be undemocratic about it?

[@ciroalb3]

It's just hard to think today, how popular Benny was at this time

[@kristabrewer9363]

Well, I'm GLAD they finally had a minister on the show!

[@Kitskacat]

I thought they had had one before, and a couple marriage councilors too...

[@poetcomic1]

The show that got Block fired. off camera he chased the Mink-Stoled minister They told him he was HISTORY. I could make a collection of his leering, lewd, suggestive comments. I distinctly remember an attractive contestant who AFTER she said she was married kept getting the 'Blockhead treatment' of unfunny lewd remarks.

[@ChristopherTate]

Watch the previous week's show, mystery guest Irene Dunne, too. Block made a crudely impertinent comment towards the woman guest who designed swimsuits, and somewhat unusually the live camera captured her ENTIRELY unamused reaction.

[@loissimmons6558]

There's an old story about the fox and the scorpion. They are both trying to cross a swift river. The scorpion knows it can't make it across on its own so it asks the fox for a ride. The fox refuses, because the scorpion will sting him. The scorpion counters that if it stings the fox, the fox would die and they'd both drown. So that convinces the fox to give the scorpion a ride. Halfway across the river, the scorpion stings the fox. With it's dying breath, the fox asks the scorpion why it did that, knowing it would die as a result. The scorpion replied, "I can't go against my own nature. I have to be who I am." Hal was basically a child in an adult's body. It wasn't always lechery. Notice him reaching in front of Arlene Francis to playfully slap Steve Allen on the hand when the camera takes a long shot of the panel at the show's open. People on this site compared Hal to Harpo. But Harpo's shtick fit a slapstick comedy anarchy known as the Marx Brothers. It was no longer consistent with the image WML wanted for itself. Usually the MG went in front of the panel to exit while the non-celebrity challengers went behind John Daly. (One male challenger a week or two earlier upstaged John by walking directly in front of his desk, but that wouldn't have interested Hal Block.) I am by no means blaming Miss Miller for Hal's behavior, but she apparently made the mistake of exiting by walking in front of the panel. Based on the studio audience's reaction, they loved it. Based on the letters received by WML and CBS when they suspended Block a month or so earlier, the viewers wanted him on the show. Perhaps these days, that would have been enough. Back in 1952-3, the fact that the sponsor, the other panelists, the production staff and some of the female challengers were offended was enough to give him the boot. But even before this episode, you can see it coming if one is observant enough. When Hal came back and Steve Allen is moved to the second chair, Steve was the lead questioner in the second round every time, not Hal. Previously, that was Hal's spot almost every time. And if gambits were crafted for Hal originally, WML obviously wanted some level of double entendre. However, Hal was all accelerator and no brakes in this area.

[@tallactordude]

Lois Simmons z

[@inkyguy]

Yes, I noticed his tendency for off-camera interjections. He seems an impetuous and irrepressible person. It's too bad he didn't have a sense of discretion and consideration for others, especially women, to go with it. He might get along better today where saying and doing anything you want seem to get a pass.

[@PepsiMama2]

" I am by no means blaming Miss Miller for Hal's behavior, but she apparently made the mistake of exiting by walking in front of the panel." He sounds like an animal that couldn't be controlled if someone can't simply walk past him without being harassed....People like that have no business being around other humans...

[@joeguzman3558]

People used to have a very beautiful hand writing

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun for 8/13/15: Watch along and join the discussion! ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ Please click here to subscribe to the WML channel if you haven't already-- you'll find the complete CBS series already posted, and you'll be able to follow along the discussions on the weekday "rerun" videos: kzbin.info/door/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w

[@oldschoolmuscle4436]

Including Hal Block as a panelist on WML was like throwing a monkey wrench into a well oiled machine.

[@RadialSkid]

It's a shame...he obviously had a lot of comic talent, he just didn't seem to know when to reel it in. No sense of propriety.

[@jimgeiser1570]

How do you hold a piano on your shoulder and between your chin?

[@patrickryan1515]

And so Dorothy digs down to ensure Mr. Benny does "get paid".

[@tomitstube]

with the first guest from georgia, i can't help but think of jim crow laws still ruling a segregated south (most of the north too) in 1953. 'brown v. board of education' was still a year away from overturning "separate but equal" and segregation in public schools. this of course would lead to yet another round of racist obstinance in the south and around the country.

[@inkyguy]

tomitstube, there's a lot to make one think it was all simple and nice then, but it wasn't. A lot of how good the world was depended on your race. However, the post-war American economy was very good and progressive taxation (top income tax rate was 90%, not 35% as it is today) and wealth was much more evenly distributed through society. Divisions based purely on race have grown smaller, but divisions between rich and poor have become vast chasms with 90% of the wealth in the U.S. possessed by just 1% of the population and opportunity for economic advancement being essentially static or regressive so that the poor and working class are becoming poorer.

[@freeguy77]

Dorothy picked up the clues on the jazz dummer in more than one type of instrument that had to be in the percussion area. And she figured it was Mr. Benny with the wife acting with him and he plays a string instrument. Who else could it possibly be! His long-running tv series plays on the AntennaTV network M-F at 6am and 6:30am CT, following George Burns and Gracie Allen's long-running series 5am and 5:30am.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Another stellar episode because of the hilarious Benny and the absence of boring Bennett Cerf, my least favorite on the show. I would have rather spent an evening with Hal Block than with that crashing bore Bennett.