What's My Line? - Casey Stengel; Tony Randall [panel] (Apr 15, 1962)

[@VictorySpeedway]

These people genuinely enjoyed what they did. And the audience (in the theater and watching television) knew that. That's why WML lasted as long as it did. It was an absolute pleasure to watch in every era of its existence. It still is.

[@robertlucca5666]

This show is as good today as it was then. Some moments last forever !!!

[@Merrida100]

Tony Randall always has such a ball! He's a natural. He's so relaxed, he picks up on social cues, he takes care of those near him, good chemistry. He's always Tony!

[@HassoBenSoba]

And I prefer him over Steve Allen, who's regarded as the more-or-less 4th regular panel member. Steve often tried too hard to be funny, and seemed to enjoy it when he was. Tony was just a naturally bright, poised, appealing presence on camera, in addition to his with and intelligence. LR

[@Lava1964]

I love John Daly's long-winded explanations and clarifications. They are always good for a chuckle.

[@ald668]

I think he was full of himself at times.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Have to be honest, this episode (having watched hundreds of the things) is the first time he lost me! Concerning the cable car guy's uniform.

[@deejay8403]

He is quite verbose

[@kdnp529]

John Daly spoke perfect Stengelese, but he spoke it in perfect English.

[@michaelangood]

i find he doesn't let the guests speak. it annoys me

[@princeharming8963]

Randall always seemed like one charming, funny, delightful, all around decent guy.

[@randall-king]

Thanks!

[@princeharming8963]

@@randall-king - Now everyone knows!

[@60smusicrules]

This was most entertaining. Both Arlene and Tony Randall had great comedic timing! And Stengel is a treasure. I wish he could have gone on one of his famous monologues.

[@scratchking3205]

Casey was one hell of a coach. The baseball world shall always miss this legend

[@freeguy77]

Manager.

[@bjbell52]

I got to met Casey when he came to my home town of Grayslake, IL. with the rest of the N.Y.Mets because the first pitcher to win a game for the Mets was Jay Hook, who grew up in Grayslake.

[@dcasper8514]

BjBell52... What were Casey's Intentions visiting your home town ?

[@bjbell52]

@@dcasper8514 I already said. Jay Hook, the Met's pitcher, was from my home town and the town dedicated a day of honor we called Jay Hook Day. Jay brought the entire Mets team with him to our town. I met Casey and got his autograph. BTW, there was a book in 1969 named The Amazing Mets that mentions Jay Hook Day.

[@rentslave]

The best line showing that even the best manager needs the horses was uttered by Warren Spahn:"I knew Casey before and after he was a genius."

[@TheBatugan77]

Casey was a Bklyn Dodger, a NY Giant, a NY Yankee and a NY Met. He hit a game winning HR in the World Series at the brand new Yankee Stadium. And he managed the Mets in the Polo Grounds final days. In between, he was the most successful manager in Yankee Stadium history. No one else was ever interwoven so deeply into NYC baseball history.

[@dcasper8514]

AND, he's from Kansas City, hence his name.

[@moboutmen]

An Inside The Park home run, mind you!

[@bluecamus5162]

He's known for his World Series victories, but he had some of the best teams money could buy. It's been said that a Little League coach could take those teams and win World Series with them.

[@freeguy77]

One reason I adore WML? more than any other game show is its high level of erudition and linguistics from the moderator and the panel, with kudos to Arlene, Dorothy, Bennett, and Tony or the others who were the fourth panelist after Fred Allen died in 1956. Most of all, how John C. Daly adroitly comes up with his typical long-winded, funny but erudite explanations in explaining how he gives a 'qualified yes' or other ways of not a clear 'yes' or 'no' answer to a panelist's question. This series shows how exactly how far the general level of education and intelligence in the U.S. has been declining, after it went off the air in Sep. 1967.

[@louisejackson4780]

It fascinates me to see how important baseball was back in the day

[@dennisbedard9850]

I have watched hundreds of WML shows. I don't think a sports figure ever fooled Bennet Cerf

[@freeguy77]

Baseball was still the #1 sport for kids, but football was gaining.

[@crabbyoldman8209]

@@freeguy77 In 1962, football was still being played on glorified playgrounds and *rented baseball fields* in many cities. The first Super Bowl had such poor attendance that spectators were asked to move from the upper seats to those lower and near the field so it would look better on TV. In 1962, football was about as relevant as soccer is today: a devoted, but sparse, following.

[@kikovazquez7277]

Baseball is still huge in New York City - actually, all professional sports are huge in New York City, as great a sports city as there has been. Now in 2024 NFL football is as popular as it is everywhere, but the baseball teams remain just about equally popular.

[@shadowg6563]

arguably the greatest baseball manager of all time...some people should live forever and Mr Stengel was one of those people

[@loissimmons6558]

When Casey Stengel managed the Braves before the start of World War II, one of his pitchers was a rookie named Warren Spahn. Casey sent Spahn to the minors, saying that Spahn lacked heart. When Spahn returned to the Braves in 1946 after getting out of the service, Stengel was gone from the Braves, managing in the minors. Spahn went on to have one of the greatest careers for a pitcher of all time. At the very end of Spahn's career in 1965, he again played for Stengel as a member of the Mets. Spahn quipped that he was the only person who played for Stengel both before and after he was a genius.

[@dcasper8514]

Casey sent Warren to the minors, not Stengel. Another brain fart.

[@robertfiller8634]

@@dcasper8514 Apparently you are not aware that Lois Simmons' comments are gems and often provide fascinating detail on many subjects, especially sports related ones. She should be cherished. Your cheap shot at her, merely because of one error only shows what a fart you are.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@loissimmons6558 Warren not only had 'heart', he earned a Purple Heart and a battlefield commission in WWII.

[@broughtbackin]

In case anyone cares, When Dorothy kept asking the Mystery Guest in previous episodes, "Did you ever study to be a dentist?". Casey Stengel was who she was talking about.

[@loissimmons6558]

My favorite Casey Stengel story when he was managing the Mets about the signs that he was giving to his players. One of the games within the game of baseball is members of the opposition trying to figure out the signs that either the manager or a coach gives to his players to take a pitch, steal a base, hit and run, bunt, etc. Stengel had been annoyed by his players' inability to remember the signs the previous year. So he made the steal sign very simple, or so he claimed. He would point at the player and then point at the next base. Casey claimed that none of the opponents ever figured out his steal sign that year.

[@dcasper8514]

KISS... Keep it simple, stupid..

[@bemore1134]

I prefer his comment about young catcher Greg Goossen: "I have this young kid Goossen, twenty years old, and in ten years he has a chance to be thirty."

[@adriennegormley9358]

SF has 3 cable car routes I'm familiar with: California Street, Powell & Mason, Powell & Hyde. When I lived in SF, the high school.I attended was across the street from what is now Ghirardelli Square, but at thatbtime was stillbthe actual chocolate fsctory. When I went to school, I took the city bus as it was faster, but going home to my sister's apt, I walked the 2 blicks to the Hyde Street Pier and took the Powell & Hyde cable car home. If the 1st contestant drove that line, since that was my teen years, I probably rode his car more thsn once.

[@joemartines3545]

Wonderful beautiful show at a special time and place in history...

[@pearldiver1006]

Stengle was a true American treasure. Men like Casey built this country and made it great.

[@peternagy-im4be]

He seems like a crazy old man.

[@kentetalman9008]

@@peternagy-im4be Did you see the same Casey Stengel as everyone else?

[@peternagy-im4be]

@kentetalman9008 yes brudda

[@waldolydecker8118]

A whole bunch of folks built many of our National Buildings and Monuments in Wash DC...iconic Presidential Homes like Mount Vernon and Monticello, among others....many of our State Capital buildings...many of our first major roads and thoroughfares in cities across America...many of our railroad lines...etc, etc, etc, and never got paid for their labor. They built this country and made it great for a guy like Stengle to play a game of baseball and get fully paid doing it. Capiche?

[@sdgakatbk]

I love it when they had baseball guests on this show! This was an excellent panel.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Wow what flirtacious eye contact at 6:52....transmitted and reciprocated!! One glance afterwards at Randall and she immediately changes to regular 'showbiz' smile instead.

[@ironduke2000]

I see what you mean: he kind of zaps her with a look -- you can actually see an extra sparkle in his eyes for a split second -- that caught her off-guard, so that also for a split second, she appears almost lost. She started it, of course, with the "Boy, would I" remark, so maybe he thought, "Hey, if she appreciates me, I'll return the favor." Anyway an interesting moment and a good catch on your part.

[@loissimmons6558]

I remember watching the Mets play the Pirates on April 15, 1962 at the Polo Grounds. They lost the first game of a doubleheader, 7-2. As Casey mentioned the weather was not pleasant: drizzly and cold. The second game started and while it continued to rain where we lived north and west of the stadium by about 15-20 miles, these huge, wet snowflakes started to fall at the stadium and the game was halted because of poor visibility as much as anything else. As far as I know, the snow never really stuck there, but conditions were so miserable that the game was called before it reached the official five innings. I had seen pictures in the newspapers previously where an early season game was cancelled because of snow. A memorable one for me was pictures of the scheduled starting pitchers, Don Drysdale of the Dodgers and Bob Anderson of the Cubs who were supposed to start a game at Wrigley Field. Usually the starting pitchers will pose for photos with each holding a baseball. This time they were holding snowballs! But this was the first time I had seen snow start and cancel a game that had already started. When they finally were able to play the next day, the Cubs beat the Dodgers, 5-1. But it worked out all right in the end for the Dodgers as they went on to win the pennant and World Series that year.

[@joeambrose3260]

Thanks for the bedtime story It worked great

[@scottstacey7447]

Did that Drysdale snowball game happen in '59, '63 or '65?

[@loissimmons6558]

@@scottstacey7447 1959. Bob Anderson, the Cubs starter, was traded to the Tigers after the 1962 season and was out of the major leagues after the 1963 season.

[@scottstacey7447]

@@loissimmons6558, that was a very interesting piece of information and quite impressive. Thanks.

[@richatlarge462]

Thanks Lois, for this and all your other posts across the WML seasons. I get so much out of them.

[@davidwalter2002]

I'm very impressed by Dorothy Kilgallen's assessment of the new National League team. New York did, indeed, need an underdog baseball team, and they were still smarting from the exodus of the Dodgers and Giants. Casey was an excellent choice to be the face of the Mets when they started out. He understood how to work the media, and he charmed everyone, which was sorely needed, since the team was abysmal. And they did go on to great things, and built a fan base that is loyal and strong.

[@ta2686]

Thank you for posting this episode!!! Very apropos also that this is posted around the 39th anniversary of Casey's passing. (9/29/1975)

[@WhatsMyLine]

ta2686 Wow-- total coincidence!

[@Vitte4]

For years, Kilgallen had been asking the following question to mystery guests: "Have you ever studied dentistry?" She had been lying in wait for Casey -- the Yankees' manager the first 11 years of the show.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Chuck Booker You've ust reminded me of Cerf's question on a recent show....."do you touch people from the waist down"....."yes"....."can we therefore rule out dentistry?" I see how he came to that gag now!!

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Dorothy looks so pretty tonight. She and Arlene always looked good. It's fun to see them and their varied looks each evening.

[@ironduke2000]

I never noticed until this episode the marks on the floor in front of the chalkboard. John Daly guides the first contestant to his mark for a two-shot. I imagine the contestants were given a little lesson about hitting their marks when they arrived at the studio, but many probably forgot the lesson because of nerves.

[@lauraatkinson4790]

That's why John Daly comes up to guide them.

[@bluecamus5162]

Almost from day 1 of WML, I have seen the contestants look down at their feet and shuffle a little as if to stand in a certain place. I always knew the marks were down there. Often they'll forget and John will take them gently by the hand or arm and guide them,

[@kentetalman9008]

I always get a kick out of the contestants who forget where they are, or which way to face, or the ones who try to walk right through Daly.

[@loissimmons6558]

When Casey Stengel appeared on WML, the Mets had yet to win a regular season game. At this point they were 0 and 4. They would lose their first 9 regular season games until Jay Hook beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh, 9-1 on April 23. The Mets put together a two week stretch in May 1962 when they won 9 out of 12 games, including sweeping the Braves twice in doubleheaders. They had climbed out of the cellar and into 8th place. But then they lost 17 in a row and that was the death knell of the team. An oddity of the Mets early history is that they won a World Series before they ever won on opening day of the regular season. They even lost to the expansion Montreal Expos, the first regular season game in Expos history, at the start of the 1969 season in a crazy 11-10 game that saw a relief pitcher, Dan McGinn hit his only major league homer off of none other than Tom Seaver and the Mets scored 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs before Carroll Sembera struck out Rod Gaspar with two runners on base to end the game. The Mets finally won on opening day the following year and it took 11 innings for them to do it. It also happened in Pittsburgh, where the first Mets victory in 1962 took place at Forbes Field. The Mets loaded the bases against relief pitcher Chuck "Twiggy" Hartenstein and took the lead on a two run pinch single by Donn Clendenon (the MVP of the 1969 World Series) off of Joe Gibbon for a 5-3 victory.

[@robertfiller8634]

Wow Lois! Brings back memories of the Mets and the Expos!

[@robertlucca5666]

I think that year the Mets , Jets , Knicks, and Nets all won championships ! Maybe 69 , 70 .

[@robertlucca5666]

Make that Mets 1969 , Jets 1969 , Knicks 1970 .

[@fanboy2015]

"Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?" - Casey Stengel on the '62 Mets.

[@jeffthewhiff]

+George Alexander Haha, yes! The Mets ended-up having the worst record of all-time in 1962.

[@loissimmons6558]

The lost 120 games, and fortunately for them, two games were rained out.

[@preppysocks209]

yes, Casey, after 50+ years in baseball said the '62 Mets found ways to lose he didn't know existed

[@preppysocks209]

@@jeffthewhiff yes, fulfilling John Daly's prediction about the Mets but not in the way he intended

[@robertfiller8634]

@@preppysocks209 Very funny!

[@andysiegel6131]

I loved how Tony nearly nailed it. Only a technicality tripped him up Enjoyed him on this show as much as I enjoyed him in the Odd Couple

[@dankind80]

There's a video up now on the New York Mets KZbin channel featuring that chalkboard Casey signed. It's currently in the possession of a collector in Philadelphia. That's a great piece of memorabilia.

[@KristopherBel]

My goodness, so many people may have signed that chalkboard I don't know how often they were replaced I know WML was filmed on 3 or 4 different sets, and the props were at least relabled if not replaced when they had new sponsors.

[@broughtbackin]

I didn't read all the comments, nor will anybody really care (lol) but Al Ward did end up being in several movies after this show aired. :)

[@13loomisst]

Delightful, per usual. Thanks very much.

[@WhatsMyLine]

13loomisst My pleasure! Glad you're enjoying the shows. :)

[@SuperWinterborn]

This must have been one of Dorothy's best hairdays! :)

[@jethro1963]

Dolly Mae must have fired her hairstylist, she looks great!

[@SuperWinterborn]

jethro1963 Yes, but I'm afraid he wasn't fired. It just happened that her hairstylist had a good hairday too.. ;)

[@dcasper8514]

No. Seen better.

[@ReWriteMan62]

I agree. It’s a much more casual look than I’ve ever seen her wear before. Love it.

[@golden-63]

*The cable car guy is very handsome. No wonder Arlene is flirty with him.*

[@ta2686]

I just realized how much the managerial careers of Casey Stengel and Joe Torre were similar. Both managers were mildly successful (Torre had more winning records than Stengel) before they became Yankees managers. The ownership was scoffed at for hiring these guys as managers. They both became the most successful managers of their era while with the Yankees. Casey winning 10 American League pennants and 7 World Series between 1949 and 1960, while Joe won 6 American League pennants and 4 World Series between 1996 and 2007. After they both left the Yankees they had a short managerial career and then retired. Both are in the Hall of Fame as managers.

[@epaddon]

With one chief difference being that Torre did better with the Dodgers than Casey did with the Mets! :)

[@ta2686]

It wasn't hard for Torre to do better - look at the talent he had on that team. What did Casey have with the Mets? Marvelous Marv Throneberry? Choo Choo Coleman? A bunch of washed up major leaguers for the most part.

[@rebeccaquartieri3564]

epaddon Torre managed the Dodgers? don't remember that.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Rebecca Quartieri After the Yankees slipped to second place in 2007 (although still winning 94 games) the Yankees offered Torre a new contract but with a cut in salary. Torre declined and the Dodgers hired him. He won NL West pennants in 2008 and 2009. With all the chaos that occurred with the marriage of the principal owners, the McCords, breaking up, the Dodgers fell to 80-82 and 4th place in 2010. Torre resigned as manager at that time. Except for his tenure with the Mets, Torre had a winning record for at least one season with every team he managed (Braves, Cardinals, Yankees and Dodgers). He won the NL West with the Braves in 1982 as well as winning division titles with the Yankees and Dodgers. Torre holds an important place in Mets history for another reason. When the Mets beat the Cardinals to clinch the 1969 NL East title, it was Torre who made the final outs of the game by grounding into a double play.

[@robertfiller8634]

@@loissimmons6558 Torre hitting into that double play is a lovely bit of trivia, Lois!

[@thisisthatsong8352]

I'm really surprised that nobody was able to guess Mr. Ward's occupation. I'm also surprised that they didn't focus on the fact that he came from San Francisco, When he said that he was from San Francisco, I guessed it right away.

[@WhatsMyLine]

***** Particularly true because on other occasions where a contestant was from SF, the panelists *did* ask about cable cars!

[@poetcomic1]

Bennett Cerf would ALWAYS start off with the 'local' specialties even if it was kind of obscure.

[@alanfollett6242]

Technically, Mr. Ward would be termed a "gripman."

[@shirleyrombough8173]

This is That Song - And I would have thought that immediately.

[@dcasper8514]

Off on one of their tangents again..

[@finosuilleabhain7781]

And now a word from our sponsor: Random House. Free ad every ep,

[@davidsoulier6375]

and Dorothy identified Casey without asking about dentistry.

[@charlescrowell4615]

I played for Casey before and after he was a genuis. Warren sphann

[@mikejschin]

There's a fascinating story behind that quote. In 1942, Stengel was manager of the Boston Braves and Spahn was a young pitcher trying to make it to the majors. In a spring training game, Stengel told Spahn to throw at Pee Wee Reese and Spahn refused. Casey sent him to the minors, telling him that he didn't have the guts to be a major league pitcher. Spahn soon joined the military, where he earned a Purple Heart and a Silver Star as a combat engineer in Europe, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge among other places. So much for not having guts. Spahn finally made it to the major leagues at the age of 25. Despite the late start, he went on to win more games (363) than any left handed pitcher in history. At the very end of his career, his contract was sold to the Mets. In 1965 he pitched a few games with Casey as his manager. Stengel, to his credit, admitted that he had been very wrong about Spahn.

[@robertfiller8634]

Remarkable how you could misspell two words in a short comment.

[@kenyongray2615]

Casey Stengel besides being the manager of the NY Mets led the New York Yankees to multiple championships. He was also a very good baseball player himself way back in the 1910s.

[@dcasper8514]

Ask Ms. Lois Simmons..

[@robertfiller8634]

@@dcasper8514 Lois is the best!

[@MrKTVM]

Vintage Casey Stengel! How baseball and humanity misses him.

[@stewartberger7734]

There will never be anyone like Casey again

[@soulierinvestments]

And Dorothy got him quick -- without that danged dentistry question.

[@44032]

I just wish Dorothy had remembered to ask him if he'd studied dentistry. Is having a Bachelor of Oratory degree worse than having a Batchelor of Science degree?

[@cdrugly]

5:05 Holy smokes! That whole line of questioning from Francine got me clutching my pearls!

[@robertfiller8634]

Although she used it in a totally innocent way, the double entendre meaning would surely cause it to be censored in today's day and age......but come, come now, Travis, you should know her name is Arlene Francis and not "Francine"!

[@cdrugly]

@@robertfiller8634 I blame auto correct!

[@Justcanadianjanjan]

RIP Dorothy…. Makes us so Sad they never found her murdered…😢 she was a wonderful, intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful, genius ❤

[@preppysocks209]

My favorite Casey Stengel story concerns an appearance he made with another MG, Mickey Mantle, a few years before this show. The two testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on baseball's exemption from the antitrust laws. One of the senators asked Casey a question about whether baseball should be exempted from the antitrust laws. Stengel responded for two pages of transcript, a long, incoherent, rambling, unresponsive answer to the question. Then the senator asked Mantle what he thought. Mantle's reply: "What Mr. Stengel said goes double for me."

[@shirleyrombough8173]

preppy socks - Good for him!

[@scottstacey7447]

Said Mr. Stengel to Sen. Estes Kefauver, "I'm not sure I'm going to answer yours [questions] perfectly, either." Casey's classic answer on being fired: "The reason I was discharged because there was no question I had to leave."

[@willisknapick4405]

Casey was a cagey character. He played different roles depending on the circumstances. Some of the Yankee members appeared before a Congressional committee for a reason I can't remember. I think it happened in the late 50s. Casey was the first to speak. Again I don't recall the subject nor the questions nor the answers but I do remember Casey going on and on speaking anything that seemed to come to his mind. He seemed evasive. You could hear chuckling and laughing going on off camera. When he was done he walked away from the table and Mantle took his place in the chair. Before questioning Mantle leaned into the microphone and said "Before I start I just want to say I agree with everything Casey just said." Hilarious.

[@preppysocks209]

Tony Randall correctly quoted T.S. Eliot to the effect that "April is the cruelest month." And it is correct that April 15 is the deadline for filing a tax return and paying any tax owed. However, Eliot's characterization of April in this way had nothing to do with the duty to pay taxes.

[@dcasper8514]

What did T.S have in mind ?

[@robertfiller8634]

@@dcasper8514 He was speaking from the point of view of a depressed, despairing person. What is uplifting to others in the sun, beauty and growth of spring, is to that individual even more painful than the winter months were because the cold, darkness and gloom did not show a contrast to a man in despair.

[@Lava1964]

When this show was broadcast, the expansion New York Mets were 0-4. They lost their first nine games before finally getting a win in their tenth game.

[@sandygort]

So Dorothy finally had a chance to ask her dentistry study question, and get a yes, but she didn't ask it.

[@maynardsmoreland]

19:26 John was right about the '62 Mets writing their name large in sports history. 120 losses!

[@bshan804]

Great for Tony's introduction of Dorothy, then the audience reminds us that it was still 1962, when Miss Mendoza appeared.

[@gilbertotongco1054]

The panel knew the answer all the time but they just wanted the contestant make some money first. Very kind of them

[@franklesser5655]

Love how Arlene always flirts with the handsome male contestants.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Frank Lesser Al Ward has pulling out the stops with her though. I think she was "out-flirted" this time!!

[@gretchenking5952]

Another winner Arlene is wearing.

[@kevinmiller1985]

Who da ever thunk it? Casey Stengel, one time manager of the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, & soon to be manager of the expansion New York Met, who set a modern Major League record for most losses in a season-40 wins, 120 losses in their inaugural season, 1962, prompting the Old Perfessor to quote, "Can't Anyone Here Play This Game?", especially whenever the Mets snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@robertfiller8634]

Well said!

[@RonGerstein]

The 2024 Chicago White Sox had a worse record than the New York Mets, 41-121, to set a modern Major League record for most losses in a season.

[@loyaldude10]

Good ol Case! one of greatest managers ever, and one of a kind personality

[@soulierinvestments]

All those years in the 1960s, Dorothy asked mystery guests if he or she had dropped his or her address book out of a helicopter over the Greek Islands -- but she never asked that question of Anthony Perkins whose address book actually bailed out over Greece. Think of all those times in 1960 when Dorothy obsessively asked FOR MONTHS people like Red Skeleton if he studied dentistry; think of the uncomfortable confrontation between her and Bennett when he finally got up the nerve to explode her obsession by revealing it. Here is Casey himself at the bat, ages after he studied dentistry, and she does not ask him her question. However, she identifies him -- so in the long view, she won that run. Some sort of existential illustration is in all this, but I do not know what it is. I do like Dorothy's sparkly blouse, though. Too bad this wasn't color TV: it would have looked great. Her comment about New York baseball was quite prophetic.

[@rebeccaquartieri3564]

soulierinvestments Dorothy did ask those questions all those years ago just so we could have the honor of seeing your comments now! Lol

[@shirleyrombough8173]

soulierinvestments - Dorothy's hair looked so cute in this episode.

[@shirleyrombough8173]

soulierinvestments - I think Dorothy looked great this night. I loved her blouse.

[@sandy3482]

The ole professor came to the Yankees in 1949 and guided the Yanks to a world series tittle, then he did it again in 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953 for 5 in a row, I can safely say nobody will ever do that again, and if you do believe me as Casey would say" you can look it up"

[@soulierinvestments]

9:00 -- Weanie. Defined here as not a meat product. One of these days, I should do a search to see how far back the slang expression "Weenie" goes as a "flash of inspiration" Did WML invent that slang expression? or did it bounce around New York in that context before 1950? It certainly bounced through WML all through the 1950s, including that memorable night in 1958 when the chairs of the political parties sat side by side and Arlene got that blinding flash of Weanie. .

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments Not that this proves anything, but I know I've certainly NEVER heard this expression used in any other context but WML!

[@SuperWinterborn]

soulierinvestments I have been through a lot of lists, but all I've found about this word in particular, is "weenie", which originally was used about a Franfurter (sausage) and that its origin might have hinting at "Wien/Vienna". In common use mostly in some sort of sexual meaning as when two boys competing : "You show me your weenie, and I'll show you mine". I think the "WML-weenie" was invented by the girls themselves, and comes from "wee", which means "tiny, a short moment" or similar. Good luck with your further investigations! :)

[@SuperWinterborn]

***** Thanks for your informative contribution in this matter! ;) Here is a lot of possibilities to choose in between, and I'm not sure if this debate will stop here either! :)

[@alanfollett6242]

I wonder if there could be some relationship to the archaic "ween," meaning to believe or suppose--as in Gilbert's "And that junior partnership, I ween, / Was the only kind of ship I ever had seen." (From HMS Pinafore.)

[@dcasper8514]

Who really cares ??

[@erilindigmaya2707]

This must be the most beautiful Dorothy has appeared on WML.

[@runawayuniverse]

I love the Stengelese answer Casey gave to the question about what he was going to do with the Mets.

[@kennethbutler1343]

Arlene, "Might I come? And boy would I come!" Then later: "Would we come together?" - Funny how expressions change over time.

[@judygalvez4119]

Or do they ??

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Kenneth Butler - Knowing what the jargon of today is I cringed when Arlene asked her questions.

[@davidsanderson5918]

judy galvez No. Even for Arlene that would be milking the innuendo just a little too much.

[@richatlarge462]

She had me cringing the whole time.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

I wonder if today anyone has that top that Dorothy's wearing. ?

[@ironduke2000]

The first contestant, Al Ward, appears aboard his cable car in this 1962 Rice-a-Roni commercial at 0:20 or so: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6uyg5J8ltGSibs

[@andrewmichaelD]

Al Ward was my grandpa

[@juliansinger]

@@andrewmichaelD Oh, wow, always good to hear from relatives of contestants.

[@winstonsmith11]

19:28 Large sports history, indeed. The 1962 New York Mets would become arguably the worst team in major league baseball history. With a record of 40-120, they would suffer the most losses in a single season of any team in the entire 20th century. From 1900 to the present day, no team has lost more games than those Mets in 1962.

[@richatlarge462]

Which makes their World Series victory seven years later all the more sweet to Mets fans.

[@RonGerstein]

The 2024 Chicago White Sox had a 41-121 record, the most losses in a single season of any team in the modern era (1900 and on).

[@moboutmen]

Lotta OG Met Fans in the audience. Yanks, too. The Ol' Perfesser.

[@freeguy77]

At 1:28 from Tony Randall: "It is my pleasure to introduce a lady who is a famous reporter, a charming woman, and a great twister, Dorothy Kilgallen!" A neat reference to the still-hot dance craze in '62 (from 1960, first by Hank Ballard, hit #28 in Jul. 1960), The Twist, covered later that year by Chubby Checker (Ernest Evans, b. Oct. 3, 1941; then 20, now 82). It was a #1 song for him in the week of Sep. 19, 1960, then hit #1 again for 2 weeks, Jan. 13-20, 1962, a rarity! Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" in Dec. 2019, and then again in Dec. 2020!

[@jennjenn61]

Too bad Dorothy gave up on asking every MG if they studied dentistry 😊

[@epaddon]

I like the symmetry of posting Casey's appearance on the same day the baseball season comes to an end and the career of another Yankee legend, Derek Jeter ends.

[@WhatsMyLine]

And of course, this was a totally unplanned coincidence. :)

[@soulierinvestments]

What's My Line? Some of the best coincidences are unplanned.

[@epaddon]

soulierinvestments Thank you, Yogi! :)

[@WhatsMyLine]

soulierinvestments Someone else just pointed out that this is also, just about exactly, the 39th anniversary of Stengel's death (9/29/75).

[@exapno]

What's My Line? I see you finally found this one!

[@joeambrose3260]

I wanted to see Miss Bisbee jiggle, I mean juggle

[@dcasper8514]

Me too..

[@nellwackwitz]

Steve, I've always heard she was quite the twister!! I'd love to see her at it!!

[@davidsanderson5918]

Maynell Wackwitz I've imagined her doing it....and it doesn't work. I think it would've been a rather shy, conservative effort without bending the knees, bless 'er.

[@bgmeadows6085]

Casey Stengel! What a baseball legend!

[@charlesnye1736]

Casey had no idea of the pain to come!

[@peternagy-im4be]

Pain?

[@charlesnye1736]

@@peternagy-im4be yeah 120 losses is painful to anybody

[@blockcl]

One of my favorite things is the baffled looks on the faces of the panel after one of John Daly's long-winded clarifications.

[@mickeyjudge7298]

2 days after my 5th birthday.

[@asmrdadbod2483]

Juggler vein...oh my, bennet...

[@drchilledair]

In his intro of Daly, Cerf misspelled aleatory as Oleatory. And John didn't call him on it

[@neilmidkiff]

It sounded to me as if Bennett said "Bachelor of Oratory" -- which would go with the initials of the joke and with John's fluency of speech.

[@alanfollett6242]

Yes; the second iteration of the word, at 2:16, is clearly "oratory."

[@shirleyrombough8173]

drchilledair - It was because of the joke on John's award, the B.O.

[@davidarcudi230]

CS wore the uniform of all four new York teams

[@davidarcudi230]

'Write their name *large* in baseball history.' Sure. Uh huh. Lol

[@VahanNisanian]

Casey Stengel is buried in Forest Lawn, right here in Glendale, California.

[@dcasper8514]

But, born in Kansas City, hence the nickname Casey..KC..

[@michaelinminn]

My father used to say, that he liked paying income taxes. It means that he made money that year. Spoken by a true American and a WWII vet.

[@dcasper8514]

Good theory..

[@stephenvincent4989]

BC if nothing else was a self publicist.

[@Chris-yt2gu]

Casey's neice Josephine Louisa Stengal was my great grandmother.

[@HelloooThere]

5:08 a double meaning, perhaps?

[@grape811]

Arlene knew exactly what she was doing.

[@HelloooThere]

@@grape811 she would cum?

[@michaelinminn]

I admire how Bennett, humbly, excuses himself.

[@davidsanderson5918]

michaelinminn He loves the game, loves the guest, loves it ALL so much.

[@gregengel1616]

Would I come, and boy would I? That's probably the second dirtiest thing ever said on old TV.

[@accomplice55]

Was the first spoken by June Cleaver? :D

[@freeguy77]

I love how Casey disavowed his present association in the sports world, by saying "No" when asked by Arlene at 18:40! He was appointed their first manager (1962-65) in their first well-known disastrous year, with one of the worst records ever seen in baseball: 40-120, the most losses for any team in the 20th Century; and a tiny .250 win percentage! The Ol' Perfessor was then 71, Reportedly said after another strange NY Mets loss of their 120, "Can't anyone play this here game?" He did play the game, from 1912-25. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, after the writers waived the usual 5-year rule after retirement, before voting. Baseball has missed him since he left the game in 1965. Charles Dillon ("Casey") Stengel, 85 (Jul. 30, 1890 K.C., MO - Sep. 29, 1975 Glendale, CA)

[@RonGerstein]

The 2024 Chicago White Sox had a 41-121 record, breaking the most losses by a major league team in the modern era (1900 and later).

[@shirleyrombough8173]

Tony Randall introduced Dorothy as a "charming woman" rather than "girl." That was gratifying in the year 1962.

[@gailsirois7175]

And didn't happen often

[@pearldiver1006]

It seems that Casey was one of the founders of Valley National Bank or something close to it.

[@geniusmchaggis]

great to see the ladies show some lechery too!.....re arlene with the street car conductor young fella.

[@davidsanderson5918]

genius mchaggis I've seen Arlene get steamy at close range with a ventriloquist's dummy on this show. She's insatiable!!!

[@geniusmchaggis]

@@davidsanderson5918 she is strangely yummy....im old now...older than SHE was then....she had the shoulders...knew how to use the shoulders...not pretty but knew how to use what she had....plus she was one of them 200 IQ people.....she was sexy!

[@sandrageorge3488]

She often did

[@16Lizards]

Al Ward apparently didn't go far in his acting career as I can't find anything about him. Anyone know?

[@shaneegan7354]

He went on to appear in a number of B grade (at best) movies and also had small roles in a couple of Dick van Dyke episodes and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Blazing Saddles. Here's his IMDB page: www.imdb.com/name/nm0911347/?ref_=fn_nm_nm_1

[@MICHGO1]

HE WAS A BEAUTY.

[@ironduke2000]

@@shaneegan7354 I don't think that IMDb page is accurate. Much of the information on IMDb is inaccurate. One of those very low-budget films was shot in, like, Michigan, and this Al Ward seems to have been a lifelong San Franciscan, and I doubt seriously the production could have afforded to fly an actor to Michigan for a minor part, yet. He definitely did not appear on those Dick Van Dyke Show episodes. Anyway, I read somewhere online that he died about eight years ago, so unfortunately he can't weigh in personally as to his acting career or the lack of one.

[@davidsanderson5918]

16Lizards Hollywood's full of waiters looking for a break.

[@VahanNisanian]

Casey batted and threw with his left hand, but was right-handed when it came to writing.

[@SuperWinterborn]

***** I'm chopping wood with my left hand, but write with my right! ;D

[@runawayuniverse]

***** My grandfather did everything left handed but write and when I asked him why that was, he said his teachers forced him to write right handed when he first entered school. Maybe the same thing happened with Casey?

[@loissimmons6558]

+runawayuniverse It was a common practice back in the day to force left-handed students to write with their right hand. I happen to be a natural righthander, but I really felt sorry for the lefties when they came out with the school desks that were one piece and only had a writing surface that was convenient for someone right-handed.

[@janeiwasduncan8463]

@@loissimmons6558 My husband was one of those students.His handwriting is atrocious. Teachers today know better but most students can't WRITE anymore and can't read cursive.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Janei was Duncan It isn't evident in Stengel's signature, but I've read that many left handed people forced to write right handed still slant their letters as if they were writing with their left hand. Or there is no slant at all. And I have seen the loss of the ability to write cursive. With so much writing on electronic devices, the need to write with a pencil or a pen is greatly diminished. Yet pen sales seem to remain vigorous. One other thing I noticed some years ago is that students now are taught to hold the stylus differently than in my day. While the stylus rests in the crook between the thumb and index finger in both cases, we held the stylus tightly between our thumb and fingers (preferably curled into a round ball), while today they are taught to have the stylus rest loosely along the index finger with the thumb underneath. By a quirk in my schooling, my handwriting as a child was atrocious, much to the consternation of my mom who had lovely penmanship. (If I had a million dollars for every time she admonished me with the words "Palmer penmanship", my wealth would rival that of Jeff Bezos!) We moved out of NYC before the public schools there taught cursive in the middle of third grade. The school system where we moved to in South Orangetown had already finished teaching it. I had to catch up on the fly and it took a long time. But it is a learnable skill. If I have a good pen, a proper writing posture and take my time, people now compliment me on my beautiful handwriting. It's still not as good as my mom's but I hope she would be pleased by my progress. If my mom were still here, I'd be very happy if she were proud of her daughter.

[@gbrumburgh]

The show's opening credits this week bear new visuals but keep the same musical theme though given a new shot in the arm.

[@Vitte4]

24:22 & after -- Cerf: " ... In a juggler vein." Ha!

[@44032]

The Mets weren't used to playing, period.

[@dcasper8514]

New franchise, all new to them. Look out 1969..

[@mike.p.1400]

I often wonder what past sports stars would think of the game today.

[@dietpepsivanilla3095]

He never made the mistake of turning 70 again.

[@jamesr1703]

Our household didn't get a black and white t.v. until 1969, shortly before the landing on the moon.

[@jeffzest8393]

Knowing from San Francisco, supposed the panel did not get that one. If the male members of panel had reacted to a female guest like Arlene did to the cable car driver, people would be commenting about how sleazy he was on the show.

[@VahanNisanian]

The 1962-1965 theme sounds odd without a bongo track.

[@loissimmons6558]

And yet some people claim that the 1962-65 theme is their favorite and you can't beat it.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Bongos?!? There are no bongos on the theme preceding this one. I've just gone back and checked!!