What's My Line? - Judy Holliday; Shelley Berman [panel] (Apr 28, 1963)

MYSTERY GUEST: Judy Holliday
PANEL: Arlene Francis, Shelley Berman, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf

[@jtcann]

The final contestant is my mother. What a great find!

[@loissimmons6558]

+jtcann How wonderful for you. Did she ever talk about her appearance on WML and is she still alive to enjoy seeing it again?

[@Kat-fw9se]

Yes, do tell!

[@sbalman]

I love that you told us that!!!

[@Dolphin-cb9sq]

How wonderful! She was beautiful.

[@michaelmiller1215]

jtcann How wonderful! I read somewhere that Judy’s IQ was a few points higher that Einstein’s! And that when she was filming “ Born Yesterday “, that the film crew couldn’t stop laughing, because your mother was a ‘genius ‘, but played a character that seemed not too bright so wonderfully!

[@tjbnyc76]

I love the gracious, solicitous way that John Daly handles the nervous final contestant, and the panel obviously went out of their way to be extra friendly when she exited, as well. Class acts, all around.

[@leesher1845]

John was a master of making all the contestants feel comfortable and at home. Arlene was, too.

[@garyzerr9821]

What’s great about these shows is that those (few) of us not up to speed on stars like Judy Holliday in my case (and I am 62) can get an education and start watching her films!

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Judy Holliday was a remarkable actress and comedienne; apparently very generous and extremely clever. So sad her life and career were cut short less than two years later by cancer.

[@WhatsMyLine]

She left us far too young. I was deeply moved when I read her biography about ten years ago-- a remarkable woman. And not only clever-- she had a Mensa-level IQ, which makes it all the more fascinating that most of her career was spent playing ditsy characters. But part of what makes her portrayals so special, for me, is that while she's fully believable as a ditz, there was always a sparkle of intelligence just beneath the surface. A totally unique person and performer. I love her work dearly.

[@neilmidkiff]

@@WhatsMyLine It takes an intelligent actor to portray a ditz in a way that comes across to the audience and is faithful to the author's intentions. Casting a real ditz wouldn't work -- the performer couldn't be relied upon to be in control, to stay on script, to react properly to other actors. (It's akin to playing a drunk: it's not a good method to get drunk before the performance!) Maybe the most fun I've had onstage is playing the somewhat dimwitted Wilfred Shadbolt, assistant jailer in Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Yeomen of the Guard" -- the little photo of me at left is in that role; yes, the beard is real, grown for half a year before the performances.

[@helenesteppe6091]

Dorothy Killgallen died in 1965 too. She was 53. My father thought she was beautiful.

[@bluecamus5162]

In about 2005, before I ever saw a Judy Holliday film, I was refurbishing an apartment house built in 1965 and found an old newspaper left in the wall by a construction worker 40 years prior. It should've never seen the light of day again. On the front page was the announcement of Judy's death. I've always felt a little connection to Judy because of that.

[@patrickryan1515]

@@WhatsMyLine Couldn't agree with you more. Loved her!

[@soulierinvestments]

12:48 -- Bennett's look is priceless. Apparently ticked that John used that particular line of reasoning to give him a no. Daly was the master of interpretive semantics

[@Noone58319]

…and so very fast. Sharp as a tack

[@goldenchick85]

Since there are few comments on this video than some, let me just take the time to say that I love and appreciate these uploads. I don't have time to watch them everyday, so I just stick them on my Watch Later list (which explains why I'm like four years behind, lol). Despite my young age, I'm a huge classic game show fanatic. I wish that this show still existed, mainly because I have an occupation that might make me qualified to be a contestant, lol.

[@WhatsMyLine]

If you're on Facebook, we sometimes play rounds of the game in the WML group there. In fact, we're playing a couple of rounds on March 29th. Please check it out if you're interested! Thanks for the comment. :) It's always great to read that younger people are discovering the show.

[@goldenchick85]

That sounds like fun! I'd love to join.

[@WhatsMyLine]

goldenchick85 Ah, well, I forgot that I posted this episode before the group was formed so there's no link to it in the description. Here it is-- hope to see you there: facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/

[@lauraminer9542]

goldenchick85 . I grew up watching the show and to this day make a mental note when encountering someone whose job would be fun to guess on the show. For example, the allergist who was among the first official pollen counters.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Laura Miner I've done something similar. A lot of the people I know are in professions: doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacist, teachers, lawyers, stockbrokers, clergy, engineers, computer programmers and scientists. Women in some of those fields were rare but not any more. I think my most unusual are Uber driver (because it is relatively new), professional fencer (because it isn't a very common sport in the U.S.) and a school custodian who is legally blind. At one time, I had a client who as a part-time job did horror makeup for a Halloween-themed event that ran for about a month.

[@chino3796]

I'm 65 (!) and Judy Holiday was my favorite Musical Comedy star. "Bell's are Ringing" was my fave. Idk why it hasn't gotten the fame it deserves. RIP Judy.

[@hcombs0104]

I have heard that it didn't do particularly well when first released. Part of the reason for that was those who had seen the Broadway production hated the filmed version. I love Judy Holliday, and I'm fine with the picture UNTIL DEAN MARTIN MAKES HIS FIRST APPEARANCE! To me, they're as well-suited together as a dog and a cat. Too bad Jack Lemmon didn't sing...they had great chemistry.

[@Brian-uy2tj]

I just love Judy Holiday. Born Yesterday is one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@jmccracken1963]

Apropos of a couple of things: The Chicago nightclub that Shelley Berman was opening at a few days after this episode was Mister Kelly's, at 1028 N. Rush Street, part of the then-infamous strip of "Outfit joints" in that neighborhood on Chicago's Near North Side. The club opened in 1953, and finally went out of business in 1975. A number of very good recordings of live music and live comedy were made there (including Mort Sahl's "The Next President" and Bill Cosby's "I Started Out As A Child"). Gibson's Bar & Steakhouse (another "Outfit joint") is currently in business at that address. Washington Park, in south suburban Homewood, Illinois (the racetrack that Barbara Dickerson was going to be working at after she finished her stint at Gulfstream Park), was then in its 2nd year of hosting harness-racing meets, after almost 40 years of thoroughbred racing (including the famous 1955 match race between Swaps and Nashua). The track burned to the ground on Saturday, 5 February 1977, and was never rebuilt.

[@loissimmons6558]

I remember talk of the Nashua-Swaps match race many years after it took place in 1955. Nashua was the two year old horse of the year in 1954, but Swaps beat Nashua in the 1955 Kentucky Derby with Nashua coming in second. Nashua came back to win the final two legs of the Triple Crown (the Preakness and Belmont). Swaps was injured with a split hoof and did not race in either of those meets. Clearly these two horses were champions in their own right, a class above the rest of the three year olds that year. Either of them might have swept the Triple Crown races if they didn't have the misfortune of coming of age in the same year and were healthy. It was also a match of East vs West, and there was a rivalry back then as to which part of the country had the best horses. And it was a match of two of the great jockeys of all time. Nashua was raised in Bowie, Maryland and was ridden by Eddie Arcaro. Swaps was from California with Willie Shoemaker aboard. Because Swaps had won the big race when the two went head to head, the California horse was the betting favorite that day. What the bettors didn't know was that Swaps had reinjured its foot on the wet track the day before. Those rains also influenced the race. Arcaro had scoped out the track and found a narrow strip of track in places where his mount would have better footing. Nashua also had drawn the inside position and Arcaro made sure to get his colt out quickly to maintain control of the position on the track. In the Derby, Swaps had challenged Nashua's lead and overcame it. At Washington Park on August 31, 1955, when Swaps challenged, Nashua held him off. Then the horses headed for the finish. To see how it came out and which horse won the $100,000 for his owners, watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2i0YmCYaK5sl5o Nashua would go on to be the second horse to win over a million dollars during his racing career, surpassing the mark set by Triple Crown winner, Citation. He would also be named the best three year old and horse of the year in 1955. Swaps was named horse of the year in 1956 with Nashua second. Because of frequent injuries, Swaps fell about $150,000 short of the million dollar mark in winnings.

[@neilmidkiff]

Two questions from Dorothy that I wouldn't have expected to hear in sequence, at 14:40 : "Would I ever wear this to the beach?" "Is it a bikini?"

[@leesher1845]

😂👍

[@leesher1845]

Judy Holiday seemed like a lovely person.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Sadly Judy Holliday died from breast cancer on June 7, 1965, aged 43.

[@lauraminer9542]

Message at the end about schools and exercise/physical fitness. This was one of President Kennedy's ideas.

[@loissimmons6558]

I was in school when the increased emphasis on physical education was introduced into the schools with certain benchmarks for the students to achieve. I also remember the promotion of adults doing 50 mile hikes. The President's Council on Youth Fitness was actually established under President Eisenhower in 1956. President Kennedy changed the name to The President's Council on Physical Fitness, broadening the scope and giving it greater emphasis. He named Bud Wilkinson, famous as the football coach at the University of Oklahoma, as the Chair.

[@donaldwarren463]

@@loissimmons6558 , I took that test every year, yes there was a test.. as someone who was in shape and have been a prof. Skater, there were parts of that test I did not pass.. I can't imagine what they would do today with all the obese kids ..

[@loissimmons6558]

+donald warren I missed out on those tests because I switched from public school to private school after fifth grade and the tests (at least in my area) weren't given in grammar school. But I certainly heard of them. Fortunately I stayed in pretty good shape during the year: soccer or cross country for two of my high school years, ice hockey for three of them and baseball for four of them. I was also active in gym class in junior high (soccer, touch football, one of the captains of the gym class softball teams in eighth grade). And starting in the summer after 8th grade, I took long walks (just a hair under 5 miles one way) over hilly terrain (a climb on the way home of 463 feet, 331 feet on the way there) to visit a female classmate. That doesn't mean I have any idea how I would have done on the test.

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

Sadly, Judy and Dorothy would "shuffle off this mortal coil," 7 months apart in 1965.

[@LANCSKID]

When Arlene smells blood, there’s no stopping her! The way she reveals the last contestant is a delight.

[@jvcomedy]

This is really digging from the past, but does anybody else think that the last contestant looked like actress Sue Randall that played Beaver Cleaver's teacher, Miss Landers, in Leave it to Beaver?

[@robertmelson2130]

Jeff Vaughn Yes, she does. I've seen Sue Randall appear as a guest star on random b&w tv shows from the late 50's and early 60's, so I've just now looked on IMDB for her credits, and, being a fan of Twilight Zone, I noted the two episodes on which she appeared. So, to tie her in to WML, I should mention her appearance with WML's beloved Wally Cox on the episode titled _From Agnes--with Love_.

[@sbalman]

I do!!!!

[@poetcomic1]

She was never quite well after her first throat cancer surgery two years before this and would die two years later. There is a quiet sadness here that I find hard to endure. R.I.P. Judy Tuvim ( her real last name which is a yiddish word meaning GOOD.. This is her last television appearance..

[@patrickryan1515]

The final contestant (from Ireland) resembles Sue Randall (Miss Landers on "Leave It To Beaver").

[@44032]

good choice to resemble! Sue was one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood at the time.

[@gbrumburgh]

On April 22. 1963, Arlene Francis and Jack Klugman replaced original stars Margaret Leighton and Anthony Quinn in the Broadway play " Tchin, Tchin." Quinn appeared earlier as a mystery guest while starring in the show.

[@VahanNisanian]

Poor Judy Holliday. This was one of her very last television appearances, before her death in 1965. Her career had all but dried up completely by 1963.

[@WhatsMyLine]

So unbelievably talented, and so brilliant a mind-- I read her biography a few years ago. She was almost, but not quite, ruined by the blacklist.

[@druidbros]

What's My Line? I loved her in Born Yesterday. I knew she had to be smart to do the role in that film.

[@44032]

@@WhatsMyLine Wikipedia: "The investigation concluded after three months and, unlike others whose careers were severely damaged by communist allegations, her career was relatively untarnished."

[@leesher1845]

Dorothy was very smart.

[@jamesjoyce9207]

unfortunately for Miss Holliday, Hot Spot closed after only 43 official performances (and 58 preview shows under the guidance of 5 different directors)

[@jmccracken1963]

In fact, there is no listed director or choreographer for "Hot Spot" on its IBDB profile list of opening-night credits. Milton Rosenstock was the music director. Sets and costumes were desinged by Rouben Ter-Arutunian; lighting designer was John Harvey.

[@loissimmons6558]

It was also her final performance on stage or screen. She was another victim of smoking.

[@kenlieberman4215]

@@loissimmons6558 I thought she died of BREAST cancer. No conection to smoking.

[@roberttelarket4934]

She’s originally from Ireland and now lives with the queens in Queens!

[@soulierinvestments]

Berman's last appearance in WML, and his first appearance since that famous WML night when he utterly broke down in hysterical laughter. Bennett's comment about the incredible expense of Daly comes at a time in 1963 when Daly publicized that he was leaving the show -- I'll bet it was a strategy -- and G-T probably had to pay up on a lavish scale to keep him on.

[@reno1uest]

2nd appearance since his laugh attack in 1961.

[@foxopolos9681]

August, 2024. I like the good manners shown in WML. It really is nice how they compliment people with "handsome" or "pretty" too. That's considered not PC these days. 😊

[@daler.steffy1047]

Our society has become increasingly narcissistic as we move along (and it's now October, 2024), and I have continued to notice this in my conversations with people "from all walks of life." I ask a lot of questions that are appreciated, and I get their stories, but they NEVER think to make even the slightest inquiry into what matters to me (with respect to what we would be presently talking about; they don't want to hear it because, when another person is talking to them, it takes away from "the spotlight" being on them). So I often walk away from these "conversational" encounters with people feeling a bit empty; and it's not because I always need to take this spotlight away from others; rather, I've had a lot of life experiences over these 75 years, so that can often add some interesting contributions in terms of brief stories/comments to share with people, in relaxed conversations. One main purpose that emerges out of engaging in conversation is for all those involved to each have an opportunity to contribute. (And I personally never give unsolicited advice.) But with so many people staring into their cell phones constantly, including when they're riding their bicycles, or going for walks, or are in the grocery store's parking lot, or...or... anywhere and everywhere, and (nearly) at all times, this technology has created an the addiction is so intense that it is removing people from visually looking at each other and truly connecting in more profound, more meaningful ways. And, lastly, narcissism further perpetuates "this condition" of people's inability and/or unwillingness to listen to what others are saying; they simply don't care. They are more interested in themselves, as, for them, that is all that matters. And I find this lack of desire, and/or inability to truly be engaged with others--in the Present Moment--to be of an epidemic proportion, and that is pathetically sad. ~drs

[@thunderball6908]

Can you imagine calling a live human and getting a weather report? How things have changed.

[@goldenchick85]

I was born in 1985, so I haven't really had experience with a telephone information and weather person. How exactly does that work? Was there a specific number to call or something?

[@jvcomedy]

goldenchick85 Yes, you could call a specific local number and it would give you time and temperature.

[@neilmidkiff]

In the 1960s when I was a boy, the special numbers like 411 for directory assistance or 911 for emergencies had not yet been established, at least not in Kansas City. Simply dialing 0 would connect you to a live operator who would handle any request, from connecting you to police or fire departments to telling you the correct time or looking up a phone number for you. It seems that this contestant also would use her pleasant voice to record the weather forecast on a tape loop every hour. I don't recall if there was a separate number to call to hear the forecast, or if you just dialed 0 and asked for the weather, but I do remember that you would be connected at whatever point of the tape loop was then playing, so you'd listen till the end, then it would start over at the beginning and you'd listen until you heard the spot where you came in.

[@lauraminer9542]

In New York area you would get a recoded message. MEridian 7-1212. "At the tone the time will be..x o'clock and y seconds" repeated every ten seconds. Or "x o'clock....precisely" And later a weather forecast recording service was offered. WR 6-1616 I think. I miss the weather service. For a good time, to learn about the history of the "Speaking Clock" --search that plus BBC. Fun history of British invention and changing accents.

[@lauraminer9542]

goldenchick85 When I was young all,you had to do was pick up the receiver and the operator would come on and say, "Number Please" .....If you asked for information or to place a long distance call you would be connected to a different operator.

[@loissimmons6558]

+Laura Miner 1212 as the last four digits was what the phone company used for various information lines in many cities. We didn't call for the time very often, but I remember calling for the weather NYC and then in the suburbs at WE 6-1212. Apparently someone else did as well when I searched for that phone number. www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/smorgasbord/Anyone-Remember-Calling-WE6-1212-TI4-1212.htm

[@leesher1845]

A bathing suit is a necessity? Sometimes I wonder about John Daly’s answers. I also noticed that he often answered for the contestants; I don’t know why he did that so often. 😜

[@kenlieberman4215]

Well if you don't want to go to the beach naked, you need one. He often answered because guests were nervous, hesitant or just did know what was correct in terms of the rules of the show. Yes and no answers can be difficult. Part of his jobwas to keep it the same from week to week.

[@soulierinvestments]

Though no one knows it at this time - Berman’s last Sunday Night WML panel appearance. Judy Holliday’s last WML appearance. Arlene would not last in Chin Chin for long. And if she had died in May 1963, this would be one of her last countdown appearances. Fortunately - - - as we will see later . . . . she did not.

[@kelloggs5473]

soulierinvestments You are alluding to the Long Island Expressway accident in which Arlene Francis was seriously injured. A lady in her age bracket died in that accident. Microfilm at libraries can lead you to newspaper accounts of the accident and the lawsuit that followed it. Google does not lead you to many reports of it. Arlene devoted a few pages of her 1978 memoir to the ordeal. She omits the name of the female motorist who died on that Sunday afternoon in 1963.

[@librarybob1958]

The last Broadway show of her short life and career...and it WOULD be an expensive failure!

[@soulierinvestments]

Vivien Leigh was the star of "Tovarich." Neither "Tovarich" nor "Hot Box" lasted long. But Leigh got a Tony award.

[@preppysocks209]

Vivien Leigh would have made a wonderful MG. I don't think she ever appeared.

[@dancelli714]

Judy's wig . . . no good. Did it have to do to her illness ?

[@allthingsretro2]

“Irish girls are very pretty, indeed.”

[@dinahbrown902]

Some

[@echarters]

And weather! Oh tempore! Oh Mores!

[@roberttelarket4934]

Bathing suits in Sweden?!

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

May The Force be with you Bennett, when you handicap 9/1 Derby runner, Chateaugay.

[@erilindigmaya2707]

Mr Bennett Cerf ❤ What a handsome man. Such an example. A handsome smile and a perfect gentleman. And what a sense of humor! I admire him!

[@broughtbackin]

You can't be serious. Do you know that he was a narcissistic, egomaniacal, self centered, obnoxious, CREEEPY perv? YUCK ! This has to be fake.

[@ChrisHansonCanada]

*_EXERCISES RACE HORSES_* *_DESIGNS AND MAKES BATHING SUITS_* *_TELEPHONE INFORMATION AND WEATHER OPERATOR_*

[@MaggillaKutz71]

Look how proud the young lady was when she said “Miss Dickerson” the women were so gracious ,that also meant she was as pure as the un driven snow....

[@washoe4827]

except that she didn't say that...

[@LANCSKID]

What was with the boy/girl comment?

[@timr68]

Is it just me, or does the first guest look like Sheldon Cooper wearing a wig?

[@aileen694]

Just until she smiled...Exercise RIDER, not boy or girl!

[@hopelewis5650]

LOL

[@Traderjoe]

Her number is 0

[@dancelli714]

I love to cringe thats way I like Bennet Cerf.

[@dinahbrown902]

🤣

[@judithsweeney2553]

why

[@geoffm9944]

I’m sure that certain members of the panel were tipped off. Far too often this occurred and hence the audience were deprived of hearing more from the celebrity guest. Great shame!

[@dinahbrown902]

The audience tipped off the panel quite often as well

[@adamcoates2890]

So John Daly asked the guy if he understands the rules coming from Sweden and the guy says yes he's been informed and then John proceeds to go ahead and tell him the rules anyway. Frankly I think it's because he didn't like the way the guy said yes I've been informed, so he just thought well I'm just going to tell him anyway.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I hate to comment on someone's looks, but hey, whatta we gonna do? Does Miss Dickenson, the first contestant, have a bit of a moustache and could she possible pass for a boy?

[@EliezerPennywhistler]

No.

[@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301]

Joe Postove possibly & yes

[@loissimmons6558]

+Joe Postove With b&w video and stage lighting, shadows creep in on that part of the face. They also did for the last contestant. And I also didn't get any masculine vibe from her. Maybe she could pass for a boy, but definitely not for a man.

[@aileen694]

No. Especially when she smiled, that was No Guy! And I agree with another reviewer, harsh TV lighting, angles, etc can drastically change a person's appearance.

[@michaelclark6223]

@@aileen694 You're right, she has a great smile, and beautiful hair. I was surprised there were no whistles from the audience.

[@adamcoates2890]

There's not a person in the audience then or today who cares one bit about John Daly's trip to sweden. Once again it's just his effort to place-drop and name-drop like they all do lol.

[@daler.steffy1047]

And I find what you have to say particularly true of Bennett Cerf! He always seemed so impressed with himself, and he wanted others to know how wonderfully intelligent he was. But I bet if you asked him where Ventura, California was located, for example, he would probably say "Where's California?" So in the end, no one person has all the knowledge, and Bennett served could have used a little bit of humbling.

[@waldolydecker8118]

17:50 The musical that John Daly applauds as a "great personal triumph" for Ms Holliday was actually an infamous textbook flop that had many of the stereotypical flop characteristics - a ridiculous storyline - this one playing off of Kennedy's recent establishment of the Peace Corps; a mediocre music score; 5 or 6 Directors who had their hands involved in the project; a Broadway opening date that was changed 3 or 4 times due to the show being in flux.