What's My Line? - Charles Laughton; Martin Gabel [panel] (Feb 21, 1960)

MYSTERY GUEST: Charles Laughton
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Steve Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen, Martin Gabel

[@TheBee87bee]

The charming Charles Laughton, among the greatest of all actors!!!!!

[@sitarnut]

Director of "Night of the Hunter"......

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@sitarnut Indeed. The only feature film he ever directed. He did a fine job. Wishe he'd directed more.

[@leesher1845]

Charles Laughton was one of the greatest actors of all time.

[@simon2077]

Another actor who left us too soon in my eyes. His acting was the best IMO. His roles he took in all of his major movies made each movie he made a joy to watch. For me he will always be a giant amongst British Actors.

[@kathyvarela2215]

Yes he was an AWESOME ACTOR 👌 Mutiny on the Bounty was a favorite movie for me.He could literally become the character 😀.

[@pinedelgado4743]

Aye. 😉

[@donnacook8994]

I totally agree with you Lee!

[@jensullivan7380]

I just watched "Witness for the prosecution" in which he was absolutely brilliant. He was such a good actor and such a charming man.

[@hizgrase]

I love watching Arlene’s facial expressions in communication. She just shines.

[@asteverino8569]

I love this man, Mr Laughton. His acting and real life history.

[@dannydoc1969]

Charles Laughton, one of the greatest actors of all time.

[@mikejschin]

Agreed. For me, his most memorable role was as the barrister in "Witness for the Prosecution".

[@randykirkland3927]

mikejschin Even better in Barretts of Wimpole Street

[@esmeephillips5888]

Unlike most men, he looked better as he went gray and grew more stout, and his beautifully gentle and precise speech never got cracked or hoarse. Laughton had detailed plans for his rendering of Lear, as he told Christopher Isherwood (see the latter's diaries). It could have been the role of his life- he was the right age. But cancer had other ideas.

[@chessdad182]

What a find seeing Charles Laughton. One of the best.

[@kenyongray2615]

Mrs. Sharp got more attractive the more you looked at her. Lovely policewoman. Charles Laughton was a giant in Hollywood. Loved him in Spartacus. Thanks for the video.

[@davidcaldarola5188]

He mentions being scheduled to play Falstaff and King Lear in 1962. Unfortunately, he injured his back from a fall in the tub and was hospitalized in January of 62. While he was being treated, they discovered he had cancer of the gall bladder. His health worsened until his death in December. It was reported that by the time he died, he withered down to only 90 lbs. Sad end to an incredible talent.

[@kevinbutler5026]

Charles' last film was the big screen version of'Advise & Consent"..he was slated to take on the role of "Mustache"in the movie version of "Irma La Douce'".

[@preppysocks209]

@@kevinbutler5026 Yes, in the short time between this appearance and his death, he played two senators -- a Roman one in "Spartacus" and an American one in "Advise and Consent." A very impressive career, and it wasn't because he was a pretty boy.

[@susanwadlow192]

Gall bladder cancer is deadly and rare. I know. My husband died of complications of it in :2017.

[@sandrageorge3488]

😢😢😢

[@davidgladstone5261]

But he did a great turn in Advice and Consent in 1962 and he was terrific.

[@annakaminski4406]

Love watching these shows.

[@YouzTube99]

15:32 Laughton, Olivier, Robeson, Edith Evans, Harry Andrews all playing together at Stratford upon Avon in the same season? Wow! Another event added to my time machine list . . .

[@bluecamus5162]

Indeed,. Imagine, if you will, Robeson and Laughton on the same stage. Oh my goodness. By that time, Robeson had been branded a dangerous commie by us. Britain's gain, our loss.

[@YouzTube99]

@@bluecamus5162 It was a golden age for live theater! Here is the only excerpt I can find from the Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by Peter Hall) video to which he refers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4Pdd394e8iVe7s Bonus: Simon Callow's insightful 1987 tribute to Laughton: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWPaaqd5ntSri68

[@Mandeley100]

Sad to see Charles Laughton talking so enthusiastically about his future plans to play Falstaff and Lear, plans that would sadly never come to fruition due to his illness and premature death.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indubitably.

[@goodsamaritanskitchen5165]

22:48 ... "She struck oil" Dorothy's amusement is too darling. ... what followed is just as funny.

[@loissimmons6558]

Followed by an Emily LItella "Never mind" moment.

[@igkoigko9950]

Dorothy’s comment that traffic tickets are a product was clever

[@Linda98671]

How charming Charles Laughton is..

[@65wiseman]

Superb by any means!

[@susanbartone1347]

I LOVE LOVE the episodes with Steve Allen!!!!!!

[@henridelagardere264]

Cordelia Sharp, one of the most attractive, charming guests, very appealing voice as well.

[@timothywills7709]

What a night for the panel!

[@jubalcalif9100]

Wonderful to see the iconic Mr Laughton. A shame he didn't disguise his voice much. This episode is from 1960. He only had a few more years left, passing away in Dec of '62. Sweet to know that he & his wife Elsa Lanchester were regular viewers of the program.

[@robertmelson2130]

What a pleasant surprise. Knowing that there'd be two guest panelists and seeing only one listed on the playlist (Martin Gabel), I figured I'd be watching Robert Q. Lewis. How nice to see Steve Allen instead!

[@kentetalman9008]

So I'm not the only one who notices that Robert Q. Lewis is NEVER mentioned as guest panelist.

[@jasonjohnston94]

I’m glad to know more about his body of work. It’s hard to look at Charles Laughton and not see Quasimodo, his character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[@pukulu]

Laughton only lived a couple more years, passing away in 1962. He was a bit before my time. I saw "Mutiny on the Bounty" with Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard when I was a child, and still have never seen the original version with Charles Laughton.

[@RonGerstein]

He did Sparticus within a year.

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@RonGerstein Never heard of that one, but I know he did appear in a supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus".

[@datagerrl8495]

You see [& hear] he couldn’t [or, wouldn’t] make an effort to play-the-game of disguise, voice wise... but was ‘confined’ by his own marvellous assortment of timbre. The 1st guest was interesting, interesting face, voice and behaviour, and her dress was stylish in fitting and appearance.

[@mikejschin]

Besides Charles Laughton's mention of King Lear, this episode had another reference to that play, though somewhat tenuous. The first contestant was named Cordelia, which was the name of King Lear's youngest daughter. I half expected one of the panelists to ask her "How are Regan and Goneril?", who were Lear's other two daughters. Betcha Bennett would have asked it.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Probably, because Bennett is an unmitigated ham.

[@loissimmons6558]

The last challenger is another person from the borough of Queens (NYC) who identifies himself by his neighborhood (Bayside) and as being from Long Island. We haven't had that in a while, but on the early episodes of WML it happened quite often and was often commented on by the viewers of this channel.

[@stevekru6518]

This was the era of migration to suburbia. If you don’t actually move, you might be tempted to make your urban address sound like a suburb.

[@tjbnyc76]

"Are [the moving parts] larger than Steve Allen's?" Oh, Arlene, you naughty vixen!

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Someone should have said, "We'll have to ask Jayne about that."

[@kristabrewer9363]

Can you guys PLEASE not make this show dirty? I can't see Arlene meaning something dirty, otherwise John would've said something

[@MrYfrank14]

@@kristabrewer9363 - yeah, right. and the audience was laughing at a squirrel that got on the stage.

[@cuidatrava1]

@@MrYfrank14 Exactly! Lol. It's not like nobody understood sexual innuendo in 1960. There may have been a lot more censorship/self-censorship and even genuine innocence, but people weren't THAT innocent.

[@davidsanderson5918]

With a hearty seven minutes to go and on to the last guest already I'm worried that Daly has TOO MUCH time to look at the clock!!

[@patbest7057]

Not surprised Martin Gabel knew it was Charles Laughton and deferred to Arlene who answered Both MG and C L intellectual well read theatre types

[@trudyharris8776]

I enjoy the PR ogram very much . I watch it quit often

[@leesher1845]

Steve Allen was funny. He’s saluted the contestant who sold the ships.😂

[@Gwaithmir]

My favorite Charles Laughton movie is "Witness for the Prosecution."

[@marcocisneros6982]

without a doubt I agree

[@isolde1802]

Great movie !!!

[@JD-jc8gp]

I liked him most in The Suspect.

[@jubalcalif9100]

That is my all time favorite Laughton film too !!

[@juliansinger]

They had someone else from the office that sells used warships for the Navy at one point. (The Defense Surplus Sales Office, DSSO, that is.) Ah, Dec. 30, 1956. That guy was the head of it.

[@mehboobkm3728]

Dorothy was such an intelligent, clever woman. To me, she was the best of the lot.. Her brilliance was clearly visible in the second case here, she was very fast to deduce what the lady contestant might be dealing with! Just wow!

[@lllowkee6533]

They usually knew who was in “town” and ‘guessed’ accordingly. The cast of the show never told Dorothy anything they didn’t want printed in the newspaper. She was a very good investigative reporter which ultimately cost her her life.

[@dinahbrown902]

Cost her her life, courtesy of your government

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I had to scroll down through too many episodes to find one with Dorothy. I won't watch those without her.

[@robertfiller8634]

Dorothy was the star of this episode!

[@leannsherman6723]

One of the top five actors who ever lived ~ except he didn’t disguise his voice enough for WML! 😂

[@jubalcalif9100]

So true. Wished he made the effort to disguise his voice!

[@jacquelinebell6201]

John's joke about the lion and grace was funny! 🤣🦁

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

Motorcycle Cop Runs Marriage Bureau (Matchmaker) Sells Used Aircraft Carriers, Battleships, Cruisers, etc. No Bennett Cerf makes for an always excellent episode.

[@jamescaputo5095]

Never forget his captain Bligh.

[@BlueLineGroovy]

I cover the screen thru the reveal to play along. Love this !

[@Vanspecial]

Wow. Someone from Vancouver, BC, Canada , as a matchmaker!

[@pinedelgado4743]

Charles Laughton did a splendiferous job filling in for Ed Sullivan when Elvis made his ED SULLIVAN SHOW debut!! :) :) :) :)

[@jubalcalif9100]

I would love to have seen Charles Laughton fill in for Elvis !

[@bluecamus5162]

I adore Laughton and his wife. He could be hammy or he could be the most brilliant actor ever. Guys like Gary Cooper, John Wayne and even Cary Grant could only do one thing and they did it well. But Laughton's body of work was unbelievably diverse and he succeeded in nearly all of it. I wish there were more like him.

[@jubalcalif9100]

I heartily concur !!

[@stevekirsch6803]

Raymond Berry would later become the head coach of the Patriots, and Alabama.

[@jackkomisar458]

There is a brief clip on KZbin of Charles Laughton playing Bottom in the production of Midsummer Night's Dream that he mentions in this episode of WML, at Stratford-upon-Avon. Cavorting with Laughton at the end of the clip is Ian Holm, who played Puck at Stratford and went on to a distinguished film career. Ian Holm was still playing Puck when my family saw Midsummer Night's Dream at Stratford in 1962, and I still remember it. The clip, from a 1987 TV dcumentary about Charles Laughton, is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4Pdd394e8iVe7s. .

[@weatherstationlytovchenko4794]

Mr Laughton not making plans post 1962 turned out to be a wise move.

[@hizgrase]

I wanted to say “good night John boy”

[@jacquelinebell6201]

Lol

[@givenscommunications6307]

Read Scotty Bowers book to see what he "arranged" or "fixed up" for Charles Laughton! You will look at him differently every time you see him on television or the movies!

[@jubalcalif9100]

I browsed thru Bowers' book at a local bookstore when it first came out. Since the celebrities he mentions in the book are all dead, I take what he wrote with a grain of salt. Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't. We have no way of knowing for sure.

[@fenwaypark1725]

Directed only one movie. Night of the Hunter. Great movie

[@jubalcalif9100]

That is a great film. I wished he'd lived long enough to direct those two iconic Horror/Westerns from 1966: "Billy the Kid vs Dracula" and "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter". Those ended being directed by Hollywood veteran William Beaudine (whose career went all the way back to the silent era).

[@adamodeo9320]

Dorothy Kilgallen was a very smart woman murdered by the mafia - "the reporter who knew too much"was written about her.

[@stevekru6518]

Could have been Mafia, but more likely minions under the direction of LBJ, possibly Hoover, both of whom despised JFK and had the most to gain by his demise. If correct, in retrospect, much as we may like Dorothy, don’t you prefer Dorothy’s and about a dozen other assassinations to the downfall of the US government during the Cold War, which would have been likely had the LBJ coup been known?

[@dinahbrown902]

Mafia of the United States Government

[@hopicard]

Mental health in a very broad sense :)

[@carolynwalker339]

It was unusual to see overwieght people back in the old days. All of these contestants are so trim and healthy and good looking. I wonder if the show only accepted slender pretty women.

[@RonGerstein]

You are so brainless and a simpleton for accusing WML of selecting only contestants that are trim and healthy and good looking.

[@beadyeyedbrat]

Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester had one of the longest marriages in Hollywood.

[@aspenrebel]

63 years ago.

[@gailsirois7175]

Matchmaker...now called dating sites

[@elaineteeter9485]

More's the pity. It was more personal and safer, as well, to engage a kind and trustworthy person to help the lovelorn to find a mate.

[@username178able]

Dorothy is adorable!

[@downtonabbeyfreak]

14:18 Dorothy's laugh is so cute ❤️

[@davidsanderson5918]

It's been a long long time since I watched an episode and felt that the panel had a whiff of what the guest's line might be before the show started. And it's STILL a long long time. I'm very picky but these deductions are sharp and logical unlike some of the very early shows where they miraculously rushed to a correct answer. I suspect, seeing as the show (having gone long enough) always went well, they no longer felt it necessary to aid the smooth running of the show by giving them any help at all. Sorry if you disagree but I do watch very closely....and now I really CAN'T see the join if they know anything beforehand at all.

[@2004mojo]

They've said it often. The Panel , because they read Variety, & the many newspaper columns about people in the industry , they have a good idea who is in town for nightclub performances, picture premieres, & plays that on currently on Broadway. Then take it from there. One show the rodeo was in town. Someone correctly guessed Roy Rogers & Dale Evans.

[@bigwilson8794]

Second episode in a row that Martin Gabel blurted out the mystery guest when it was not his turn.

[@Walterwhiterocks]

Well, he's sitting in Bennett Cerf's seat, and Bennett does it quite often so maybe it's catching.

[@keymaninmusic]

He also blurted out matchmaker. I don't know if Dorothy heard it.

[@stevekru6518]

Are you certain that it is in any way improper to blurt out an occupation out of turn?

[@Dios67]

I like Bennett but this is a great panel lineup IMO.

[@bettybaumann5824]

I've noticed Arlene teeth look much better in the later programs. Did she have work done on them?

[@shirleyrombough8173]

I thought that myself a few days ago. I thought sh must have had some sort of dental work done.

[@jasonhurd4379]

How I'd have loved to have seen Charles Laughton as Lear. His death was a real tragedy.

[@tumarbongrox6074]

Charles Laughton *DIED* about 2 years after this episode.

[@jubalcalif9100]

He passed away in Dec. of 1962,

[@tumarbongrox6074]

​@jubalcalif9100Yea about two years after this episode

[@jubalcalif9100]

@@tumarbongrox6074 Indubitably.

[@someonezmom]

♪SANTUARY♪♪

[@williamlynnroden]

Dang Dorothy was good!

[@ivormctin6367]

Could that have been a risqué joke from Martin Gabel about Arlene's fur coat?

[@cathykinn4516]

Interesting that they got rid of Hal to maintain standards, Cerf's ridiculous claim that Hal was not of the same Class as the rest of them & yet guests & panelists were indulging in less than respectsble activity in private. The good manners of the day often hid a multitude of 'sins', was a cover.

[@ivormctin6367]

Didn't have many black guests did they?

[@RonGerstein]

Yes, they did, both celebrities and regular contestants.

[@jubalcalif9100]

They had some but not a large number.