What's My Line? - Eddie Anderson (Nov 23, 1952)

[@mrbrooks7846]

Thank you Mr.Anderson for all the years of laughter. He, Jack, and Dennis could always have me 🤣!!

[@dotsywotsy18]

They were magic together

[@jasonhurd4379]

​@@dotsywotsy18So was Don Wilson

[@TheIgnatzz]

Dorothy Kilgallen was so smart. I think she heard the loud laugh when she asked if Rochester was a brunette, and figured out the rest.

[@glennhoddle10]

I totally agree.

[@manthony777]

I think she was given the answers before the show

[@bloodgrss]

No...

[@robertholman8730]

@mananthony777. Totally ridiculous 😮

[@Vino-bv5ic]

@@manthony777 Yes !

[@janepatterson6779]

I read recently he was the first black millionaire actor in Hollywood..happy for him, or any hard working person, to have achieved that comfort in their later years.

[@richardbullis6263]

No. I think Stepin Fecthit was the first millionaire not Rochester.

[@5thcorps]

@@richardbullis6263 That's correct

[@marylinvitals4950]

@@richardbullis6263 8

[@dr.a.995]

Hope you have seen the Topper films, sloth the prejudices of the times are uncomfortable, at times.

[@aarondigby9859]

@@richardbullis6263 STEPN FETCHIT is too damn funny. I can't believe how freaking funny he is, playing that ridiculous stereotype. Lincoln was a comedy legend and genius.

[@asteverino8569]

Love you Rochester and love this show.!

[@keithharvey7230]

Hear hear!

[@dr.a.995]

Nice audience reaction to this wonderful character actor.

[@dominicpiscopo7915]

Every time I watch this program I’m always amazed at how intelligent the panelists are n very charming I just love ❤️ this program

[@kenyongray2615]

John Daly makes a difficult job look easy. He has to consistently interpret questions and answers from both the contestants and the panel.

[@virghammer1]

They never ONCE called him Eddie Anderson? -. Yeesh. - Well: all honor, praise and RESPECT to you, ultra- ( OK: to an otherworldly degree, I’d say) -gracious Eddie Anderson. Thanks for the exquisite laughs ! ❤ ♥️ 💕😍 🙏🏼 👊🏽 ✌🏽. Xo, MidlanticTheatre, Newark, NJ

[@kitcat9447]

Absolutely love Rochester. He was hilarious here and everywhere else!

[@jeric7740]

Eddie Anderson was very funny and I always loved it when he was doing a skit with Jack Benny.

[@demef758]

What a great show WML was. Simple as hell, but always classy. Everything was prim and proper. Oh how those days are missed! Anderson was a magnificent prize, sassy and always had the upper hand on Mr. Benny. Rich as hell, too!

[@19tc85]

LMAO!!!! Aw, poor Eddie was dying up there trying to hide is voice.

[@razorback9926]

When he left, he got the biggest ovation of any mystery guest ever.

[@photo161]

Such a sweet man and a brilliant comic actor.

[@richardbullis6263]

Where in Jefferson park did Rochester live? I grew up near him. I heard he was a nice neighbor. Tell me more.

[@DD-rp2qr]

@Paula Johnson it’s possible that you may not see this reply but it’s really not just for you. If you’re from the U.S. we need to have more serious discussions about race in this country. Mr. Anderson’s wife succumbed to cancer at age 43. I brought up race because the stereotype of his era was to be childlike, irresponsible, or problem free. The comments in the post say “unfriendly and rarely seen”. To be fair a hard working well travelled black entertainer making over $100k during his time (~1937 to 1972) could be rarely seen by neighbors and that would be okay. As for “friendly”, sadly the list is far too long of friendly black entertainers and athletes who went broke so perhaps he chose to socialize wisely. As for trick or treating, low hanging fruit there - not every African Americans (especially older ones) favorite “holiday” for good reasons. More should be known about him though because he broke a lot of barriers in radio and television.

[@emmabradford137]

@@DD-rp2qr Yes he was a trailblazer and so was his "boss"

[@theronedawson3236]

@@DD-rp2qr Well said. There should be more information about him.

[@aarondigby9859]

@@theronedawson3236 Art and theater classes and schools should be more responsible for getting these legends out to the young; what I notice is how precise their timing and delivery to make the jokes hilarious, pure comic legends and pioneers.

[@mermaidwe2743]

His voice would have been an instant give away.

[@slaytonp]

Even as high as he was pitching it, I thought it the inflections made it recognizable.

[@paulabasso6153]

When I was young, all ladies dressed like the lady who was the costume designer. My grandmother went downtown on the bus in a dress with heels, wearing a hat and gloves. It was a more gentile time of life where men always tipped their hats to all ladies even young girls. Every once in a while a gentleman tips his hat to me and I always greet him with a smile and a “good morning or good afternoon .” Wonderful memories and I love WML. The panel is so clever!

[@larnakeane8940]

Adore this Show. Lifts my spirit.

[@lw8546]

This is great! We all love Rochester!

[@patrickryan1515]

Rochester always brought a sparkle to the screen. His ability to react to situations with such comic results never failed.

[@chrischeshire6528]

I was listening to Jack Benny (otr) last night when Phil Harris told him that Frank Remley was going on What's My Line, Jack said, "good they will never guess his occupation because he's a bum...and he can use the Stopette!" oooohhh Rochester!! love it.

[@nowvoyagerNE]

what a shame that they did not spend time talking with Eddie Anderson / Rochester :(

[@blodgettshouseofinsanity]

nowvoyagerNE I thought the same thing.

[@carolv8450]

He seemed to want to leave quickly.

[@edwardcochran5060]

May he had to catch a plane!😆

[@keithhyttinen8275]

1952. Rushed off the stage before the southern states started making angry phone calls.

[@sgsmozart]

@@keithhyttinen8275 WML is one of the few shows that had black guests in the 60's and certainly the 50's...

[@VahanNisanian]

If you listen carefully during the Pretzel Twister segment, you can hear New York sirens. Apparently, the Mansfield Theater was not 100% soundproof.

[@loissimmons6558]

Those were the loudest and longest lasting I've heard so far.

[@Banks-gd1in]

I couldn't hear it

[@davidsanderson5918]

Yeah I heard it. Wondered whether it was the wind till I saw your comment.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

Heck now I have watch it again.

[@bobhayett2376]

Rochester was a BRILLIANT comedian!!!!

[@cleopatrabonz]

Eddie Anderson adopted the name Rochester....he was known to be called Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. As far as I'm concerned, the name Rochester was quite distinguished.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Rochester was great. So was Jack Benny for always letting him "one-up" him.

[@davestianson518]

Jack would gladly let his crew one up him, if it got a laugh. Humor was more important than ego

[@debbigray1752]

Check out Rochester's bio...he was a good man...a life well lived.

[@aarondigby9859]

@@davestianson518 Jack would get every single laugh out of a joke, he'd squeeze that sucker, be patient and wait on that one peculiar laugh from the audience while basically allowing himself to be the butt of his own joke. My parent's hipped me to him when I was a little kid. Comedic timing, not rushing the joke like these So called comedians of today.

[@akrenwinkle]

@@aarondigby9859 There's a wonderful documentary about Rose Marie available on the internet called "Wait For the Laugh." It's her life story, and like Mr. Benny, boy, was she right!

[@glennmarshall4693]

you'd recognize Rochester's voice in a second

[@theexperiment8498]

These days no one would guess a line of work like “pretzel twister.” I enjoy seeing how times have changed (but not always).

[@jsmiles2488]

I wish Rochester wasn't rushed off stage so fast! He had great facial expressions when giving his answers!

[@emmabradford137]

Bennet took off his glasses when he shook Mr. Anderson's hand

[@gofanman8455]

He was not "rushed out". That was the program routine. Check other celebrity episodes. Good job trying to make it sound racist..didnt work

[@TheCinematicPackrat1]

@@emmabradford137 I could be wrong, but I think he merely hadn't been able to put them back on yet after take the blindfold off.

[@mehboobkm2018]

@@TheCinematicPackrat1 you were right because Anderson was rushed off coz they had to accommodate one more contestant.

[@akrenwinkle]

@@gofanman8455 You're right. Or, as it's usually written on the internet, "your right." WML was live and packed in as much show as it could.

[@golden-63]

*Poor Eddie Anderson. There's no disguising that distinctive voice!*

[@ironduke2000]

In an idle moment I looked up the final guest and found an obituary. He was a fighter pilot during WWII and later pals with Tom Landry, the legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and others in the Cowboys organization. He's 31 here. Typically people on this show appear, to my eyes anyway, older than do people of the same age now, but this person looks, again to my eyes, a bit younger.

[@tomhavens6006]

How ironic Dalys comment about Johnnie Ray for reasons I won’t elaborate on . Enjoyed the show.

[@spikehofmann]

rochester is a gem. he's got 'funny bones'

[@kevind1931]

Just been reading The Reporter Who Knew too Much and they were right. Dorothy did guess Mystery Guests correctly more than anyhone else.

[@robertholman8730]

She was a sluth very intelligent woman 😊

[@tejaswoman]

One of these days, I should make a list of those great lines like "a panhandler in a pie factory" - they are my favorite part of Hal's appearances

[@jerrysky4598]

Isn't it wild that back then no one considered mustard on a pretzel? The 'All in the Family' episode where Archie chastised Mike for doing it comes to mind.

[@ilanarhian]

They still don’t use mustard on them in Germany

[@WhatsMyLine]

Today's KZbin Rerun for 5/28/15: Watch along and join the discussion! If you're a fan of Jack Benny, this episode is real treat-- Rochester! If you're a fan of mustard on pretzels, however, prepare to get very ticked off at John for his answer to one of the questions in this show. . . ;) Eddie Anderson must have had one of the least disguisable voices of any mystery guest on the program, right up there with Louis Armstrong and George Burns. (Incidentally, we're now in the midst of a LONG string of episodes that were posted over a year and a half ago when I first started the WML channel, and don't have a lot of comments added. I really look forward to more discussion this time around!) ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ To stay up to date with postings, please consider supporting the WML channel by subscribing. The WML channel already contains the complete CBS series, with new videos still being added on the weekends. kzbin.info/door/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? Yes, I did yell at John when he gave a "no" to mustard on pretzels! Having lived in Philadelphia for several years during college and grad school, I am a great fan of mustard on soft pretzels -- yum! And I think some people might dip hard pretzels in mustard, too. And yes, as a fan of Jack Benny and his programs, It was indeed a treat to see Eddie "Rochester" Anderson -- and amazing that he was able to fool the panel for so long!

[@Concetta20]

I love Eddie Anderson! I laughed to see that he was the mystery guest. Indeed his voice is distinct and hard to disguise. What is the high pitched sound in the beginning of the program I wonder?

[@juliansinger]

+What's My Line? Not that it matters, but I think John's distinction was you wouldn't put mustard /and/ chili-type sauce on a pretzel. If they'd stuck to mustard...

[@bandbvending1]

Back in the 1950's they did not put anything on the pretzel. Laugh at this.... They put mustard on Hamburgers and Malt Vinegar on fries. Cotton candy was place on a long cone stick; made of paper.

[@juliansinger]

+Brian Allen I still use malt vinegar on my fries! (Though not all the time.)

[@tommyreid2317]

Really liked Eddie Anderson

[@WhatsMyLine]

@4:45: Dorothy demonstrates that the breadboxes hadn't arrived yet.

[@kirkmorgan-austin1187]

It makes me angry whenever I think of the SOB 😠 who stole Arlene's necklace !!

[@golden-63]

I know. Pisses me off!

[@saran3214]

I know. It's like he stole OUR necklace.

[@aarondigby9859]

@@saran3214 how you know it's a he, could be a she or possibly a gender bender ..IJS, as a forensic pathologist let's do an accurate and thorough investigation.

[@saran3214]

@@aarondigby9859 At the time the mugger identified as a he, but fenced the necklace, used the money to trans. She got too old to snatch and run so she switched to swimming and now wins the female senior swim events, stealing the prize money.

[@dnhy7951]

​@saran3214 Or maybe he was homeless, hungry and desperate.

[@lindaboyce8805]

Dorothy is a sharp gal

[@SuperWinterborn]

linda boyce Yup! Very sharp, indeed! :)

[@ChelseaForeverFan]

Very Very Sharp.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Too sharp. I often suspect she knew the answers anyway. Her questions arrive at the answer very specifically very early!

[@academyofshem]

@Jonathan Fairbank Illegal aliens? Oh, you mean the Pilgrims...

[@LoudCitizen]

Jonathan Fairbank She truly was brilliant, and the show was honest. The panelists had a special sense and brainy instinct that picked up on subtleties that clued them in to the identities of guests, Dorothy most of all.

[@lottalady73]

As much as I knock Hal for being too crass, boorish and all-round creepy for the show, he really was a clever quipster. 3:31 “I think he’s a pan handler in a pie factory.” Not too shabby.

[@OrigamiMarie]

That really was a pretty solid quip. I saw somebody point out that he normally wrote jokes rather than told them, and I think that would be consistent: he has lots of ideas, and only about 5% of them are really good jokes. He just doesn't know which 5% on a moment's notice, so he throws them all out there (which is the right way about it for somebody who brainstorms jokes). That just makes him kind of a broken record player when he's live, and we're not fond of the particular record groove that he tends to catch in.

[@MarthaCarnahan]

He's like the proverbial kid brother who is annoying but occasionally endearing.

[@altonpitts5303]

Lotta Lady Miss Double LL, I like to make an observation. At 17:17, I thought that Mr. Daly flipped the card unfairly due to a casual remark by Mr. Bloch. That really was not meant to be a question.

[@davidsanderson5918]

Bob Hope who he wrote for was occasionally funny too.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

@@davidsanderson5918 I like the Hal. My Mother was a WWII Gen said, "Bob Hope is not funny." I listen to him on Sirius/Xm Old Radio Classes CH 148. My Mother was right; he's not funny

[@kelvyquayo]

Hahah. He knew his voice would be give-away. Hilarious!

[@davidsanderson5918]

This is a shout out to watchers from the UK....isn't it a shame there aren't more episodes from the popular UK version? Enjoyable though this programme most certainly is, sadly the US celebrities from television are unknown to this fifty-four year old, I'm sorry to say. I'd have loved to see the UK television celebrities of the time.

[@dnhy7951]

Waal, the US version did feature the occasional UK guest, eg Eamon Andrews and Bob Monkhouse!

[@Concetta20]

The ladies get to have a whistle at the last guest.

[@DarylReeceJames]

Cannot blame them really ;)

[@lindaboyce8805]

if you want to see a good movie with eddie Anderson - " cabin in the sky"

[@deadfreightwest5956]

Two thumbs up for this! Fabulous cast in that film.

[@13ECHO20]

Y E S !

[@aarondigby9859]

CABIN IN THE SKY,a good movie!!!

[@robertholman8730]

He had a major role in a topper movie 😊

[@grapetomatogirl2141]

I was so hoping Russell Broden’s line of work was a paper salesman when he stated he was from Scranton, Pennsylvania 🤞

[@ihatey0utube]

same!!! haha!!

[@belindaalbright8798]

The first guest was a pretzel twister. With factories being automated we tend to forget that manufacturing of all types was largely done by hand. Pretzel twisters still exist but will likely in time become a lost art. I notice many jobs or products represented on these old shows no longer exist. Thank you for the lovely look back at early television and simpler times, when intelligence and respect still existed. Watching these shows so many years ago, we never noticed the class, respect, proper speech, pride in appearance because they were simply part of our daily life. Looking back with appreciation at what mattered most; we have deteriorated rather shamefully as a society.

[@ilanarhian]

I live in Germany and the baked pretzels are done by hand by the baker here. I think my husband knows how to do it, though not sure because he worked in a bakery a long time ago in north west Germany and pretzels were mostly a thing in Bavaria then.

[@theronedawson3236]

Eddie was attractive during his heyday.

[@Sheila02181]

Agreed but a suit makes nearly any man attractive.

[@dnhy7951]

​@@Sheila02181Suits are for squares....

[@raymondschmidt2003]

I REALLY LIKE ROCHESTER AND ALL OF THE MOVIES HE WAS IN , AND WITH JACK BENNY AND WITH CHARLIE CHAN..

[@dino.jay2007]

I dont think Eddie Anderson was in any of the Charlie Chan movies ... you're probably confusing him with the Birmingham Brown character played by Mantan Moreland.

[@pgh45rpms]

This was when guests made their exit by walking behind John Daly. Rochester walked over to the panelists and shook hands, then bowed to the audience before exiting. A classy gentleman.

[@ilanarhian]

All the celebrity guests shook hands with the panel. It was the non celebrities who exited behind John Daly

[@loissimmons6558]

This episode certainly gave a lot of new twists to WML, as well as to the great pretzel w/mustard debate. I've already added my 2¢ to the discussion on that topic, so I won't repeat myself.

[@TacomaPaul]

I used to do Rochester on KZOK-FM in Seattle. The DJ Maynard once asked me, "Why are you Rochester ?" I said, "Cuz I'm from Syracuse !"

[@appledoreman]

I'm surprised John Daly didn't announce Rochester's real name, Eddie Anderson. On the other hand, he signed in as Rochester, so maybe he wanted to be known only by the name of the character through which he became famous - still, quite unusual.

[@StevieStitches]

He was famous as Jack Benny's butler and chauffeur Rochester on The Jack Benny Program

[@waynemarvin5661]

You had to Google it, didn't you, kid?

[@StevieStitches]

@@waynemarvin5661 You know what? No. I was raised by my grandmother and watched The Jack Benny Program on the Antenna TV cable channel and here on KZbin now. Purely for my own enjoyment now, along with The Munsters and Addams. More from my generation should give the oldies a chance.

[@joeguzman3558]

12:57 that's how decent people used to be back then

[@Concetta20]

Each time I hear Scranton, PA I think of "the Office". It's usual for pretzels to have mustard as a topping ... I'm surprised he said no, but maybe I'm only thinking of soft pretzels.

[@salmanilla2039]

Back then I was 8 years old. In a different time and place, I could have fallen in love with Arlene! A lady of style and grace!

[@PepsiMama2]

I thought Dorothy was so cute when she said "is it a pretzel"....

[@MrJoeybabe25]

I wonder if by November 1952, Eddie Anderson was known well upon seeing him? Jack Benny was still rather infrequently on television, only 4 times in the 1950-51 season and once every 6 weeks in the 1951-52 season. So I wonder if would have been instantly recognizable. There seemed to be a bit of hesitation among the audience until he signed his name.

[@vickirobison4604]

On yes, I'm sure most of the public knew who he was. Even a bigger revealer than movies and television were the radio guides that were available to the public. Later they became radio and television guides. In addition to including a complete schedule of radio programs, they also included feature articles, anecdotes, behind-the-scenes information, etc. Eddie Anderson was the subject of a number of these write-ups over the years.

[@sandrageorge3488]

Because they all heard him on the radio show.

[@user-hu4gr1bo5g]

Yes!! Eddie had been in feature films (before 1937, I believe) when he joined Jack. Also vaudeville...

[@robertholman8730]

He was in one of the topper movies. 1940s😊

[@bethdibartolomeo2042]

From the comment on pretzels being sweet, "No", this is obviously before chocolate-covered pretzels came into vogue or they'd say "sometimes".

[@Arthur_McGowan]

Hal asked about mustard and chili. Of course, if he had asked only about mustard...

[@WhatsMyLine]

He was thinking of hot dogs.

[@loissimmons6558]

It depends upon what kind of pretzels he twisted. If it is the thin, crispy kind that you buy in the snack section of the supermarket or find in a dish at a local tavern, the answer would be no to mustard. But if he twisted the large, doughy kind, those are famous for people to put mustard (usually yellow) on them in the Philadelphia area, usually sold from a pushcart on the streets.

[@robertholman8730]

​@@loissimmons6558 No thin crispy then, no supermarket

[@bweatherman3345]

Things really changed. We eat pretzels in these days with mustard.

[@lottalady73]

9:16 When Hal wonders whether Mrs. Alexander is mother to “Grover Cleveland” he’s referring to Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander who pitched in the National League from 1911-1930. This begs the question, “Why would people be thinking about Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1952?” The answer is that the movie “The Winning Team” which chronicled Alexander’s sometimes triumphant and sometimes tragic life, had been released five months before this episode aired and, since it starred Ronald Reagan and Doris Day, Hal could reasonably expect that people were familiar with the name It really is a terrible film. Baseball guru Bill James called it "an awful movie, a Reader's Digest movie, reducing the events of Alexander's life to a cliché." Nonetheless it’s one of my favorite baseball flicks. Interesting anecdote: when Reagan was first introduced to the White House in 1981 he was shown President Grover Cleveland’s desk and said, “Oh. I played him once on film.” He had to be corrected. No studio would ever have thought to cast Reagan as a president - he simply wasn’t the type.

[@rebl1128]

Glad you explained this. I thought he was making fun of her age!

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

I hope you're joking because Ronnie sure was.

[@dnhy7951]

​​​@@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116 Ron Reagan was a ham.

[@amymanns8023]

We didn't even get to hear Eddie's real voice. I wish they would've talked to him for at least a few seconds. geez

[@robertholman8730]

Not a talk show😮

[@dnhy7951]

​@@robertholman8730Nobody said it was!

[@forrestcalkins93]

man I felt bad for poor Rockcester he nearly lost his voice

[@27kjh]

It’s a shame they don’t talk with the guests before they leave.

[@dnhy7951]

Sometimes they did if they weren't under time pressure.

[@kelvyquayo]

"Are you brunette?" LOL. Great reaction!

[@mrpuniverse2]

Has anyone done stats on how many Arlene and Dorothy guess correctly on this show as they always seem to get so many correct And I am trying to find out the info you wanted on broadcast in Australia of this show

[@WhatsMyLine]

Much appreciated! Anything you can find would be helpful-- I've read what there is to read at Wikipedia. As for stats on who "wins" the rounds, I've thought about this a lot and I don't think there's any good way of doing it. Without getting into a long-winded explanation, it's not always clear who should be properly given credit for solving a round. The person who asked the last question? The one who got the essential nature of the line? A panelist who shouted out an answer when it wasn't his/her turn? It's a lot more complicated than it would seem to be, or I think someone in the dedicated fan community would surely have undertaken this task already. It is an intriguing notion, though.

[@swertyr6]

mrpuniverse2 6*

[@catelynstark5689]

My money's on Arlene as being the sharpest

[@algoritmosalfredohipicasig7116]

"Have you appeared in silent films?" "Gulp" (meaning yes, this one).

[@neilschmid4991]

Eddie Anderson was a fantastic actor but it's sad that the black community look down on him because of the roles he played but he used the "times" to his advantage. I also believe Jack Benny treat him as an equal.

[@cuttersboi08]

I would like to have seen Dorothy Kilgallen's expression at the sound of Johnny Ray's name. Or had the affair not been alleged yet?

[@sandrageorge3488]

I think it had. He was on with her and I was uncomfortable. Her youngest son Kerry looks just like him.

[@dorothykilgallenwasmurdere1653]

Kerry was born in 54. Idk if the affair was on in 52 or not.

[@Drmoemoe]

Love Rochester.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Hal just had a good one and it was missed by the other ("more sophisticated") panelists. Arlene guess that the last contestant may be in oil...and Hal Block says that may be pretty boring! That's worthy of Fred Allen.

[@clearfield2009]

Eddie Anderson was born in 1905....

[@SuperWinterborn]

PRETZELS: As for the first contestant and the question whether one put mustard on a pretzel or not. I've noticed several comments on this page regarding this topic. Since none are in a thread easy to follow up, I dare put my comment on this separately. I don't know pretzels. I've never seen or tasted one. I understood that it was made of wheat flour, salt and water and that the taste was mainly salty. My conclusion is, that Block should have gotten a "yes" or "it's possible one could do, yes." to his question "would one put mustard or chili sauce on it?" (even if he was thinking of hot dogs). If you have a salty edible product which ingredients else are of a neutral character, you can add whatever you want to it, only depended on personal taste.

[@savethetpc6406]

SuperWinterborn No pretzels in Norway -- *_really_*???

[@savethetpc6406]

What's My Line? SuperWinterborn Check it out -- above ^ ! Bold *_and_* italics at the same time -- WooHoo!!!!!

[@SuperWinterborn]

SaveThe TPC We have something similar, like salty sticks. Made of the same ingredients, but too small to put either mustard or chili sauce on. ;) As for both bold and italics; did you use both underscores and asterisks, if so, in which order? I'll try underscore first, then asterisk; *_really_*? Then asterisk first, so underscore; *_really_*?

[@SuperWinterborn]

SaveThe TPC Aha! Both ways worked! :D

[@savethetpc6406]

SuperWinterborn How cool is *_that_*?! I did it with underscore asterisk WORD asterisk underscore, but extra cool to know that it works both ways! I'm trying it the other way this time. As for pretzels, I guess I thought they were universal, having started in Europe (Bavaria?) and being so ever-presently popular in the U.S. There are so many different shapes and sizes and styles of pretzels now, but the classic is a twisted shape with 3 sections. See this link for an image: images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pQJ1GpVkAgAlVqJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzOWUyNmluBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM4MmUyOTlkNDBmOGY1OWNkY2M5YTBmZGNjYjA0YjFmNQRncG9zAzE5BGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dpretzels%26fr%3Dush-mailn_02%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D19&w=1072&h=1000&imgurl=blog.timesunion.com%2Fnorder%2Ffiles%2F2010%2F10%2FPretzel1.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.timesunion.com%2Fnorder%2Fon-beer-pretzels-and-archival-research%2F57%2F&size=78.7KB&name=On+beer%2C+%3Cb%3Epretzels%3C%2Fb%3E%2C+and+archival+research&p=pretzels&oid=82e299d40f8f59cdcc9a0fdccb04b1f5&fr2=piv-web&fr=ush-mailn_02&tt=On+beer%2C+%3Cb%3Epretzels%3C%2Fb%3E%2C+and+archival+research&b=0&ni=21&no=19&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12c97lnd4&sigb=136bsic08&sigi=11lv2nkpj&sigt=11ff3ntgi&sign=11ff3ntgi&.crumb=lOgxIpuY0Qm&fr=ush-mailn_02&fr2=piv-web. I think the contestant on this episode twisted hard pretzels like those in the image linked above, which are smaller and less likely to be served with mustard than the soft kind, but still could be. New York soft pretzels look more like this: images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pQJ1GpVkAgAo1qJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzcDE2OHZnBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZANmM2ZlZjEzNjhjYTIxMzNhZTczNTYwMjU4NmQ1N2ViMwRncG9zAzMzBGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dpretzels%26fr%3Dush-mailn_02%26fr2%3Dpiv-web%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D33&w=400&h=350&imgurl=www.theboobirds.com%2Fimages%2Fsoft-pretzel.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theboobirds.com%2Fpretzels.htm&size=38.8KB&name=%3Cb%3EPretzels%3C%2Fb%3E&p=pretzels&oid=f3fef1368ca2133ae735602586d57eb3&fr2=piv-web&fr=ush-mailn_02&tt=%3Cb%3EPretzels%3C%2Fb%3E&b=0&ni=21&no=33&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=117pdhqi2&sigb=136il7462&sigi=11bhl23uh&sigt=10fdebm1c&sign=10fdebm1c&.crumb=lOgxIpuY0Qm&fr=ush-mailn_02&fr2=piv-web Mustard on pretzels is much more popular in Philadelphia, but it has become accepted in NY too nowadays. The Philadelphia-style soft pretzels look more like this (with mustard) : images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pH01GpV20IASRCJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzOWZoc2Y0BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAMzMTIwMjFmZGRkZWEyMjIwNzcyYzc5YWNhMDZjM2Y2NgRncG9zAzExBGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dphiladelphia%2Bsoft%2Bpretzels%26n%3D60%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dush-mailn_02%26fr2%3Dsa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D11&w=471&h=354&imgurl=eatyourworld.com%2Fimages%2Fstaff_food_entries%2Fsoft-pretzel.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Featyourworld.com%2Fdestinations%2Funited_states%2Fpennsylvania%2Fphiladelphia%2Fwhat_to_eat%2Fsoft_pretzel&size=79.5KB&name=%3Cb%3EPhiladelphia%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Esoft%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Epretzel%3C%2Fb%3E+with+mustard+from+a+street+cart.&p=philadelphia+soft+pretzels&oid=312021fdddea2220772c79aca06c3f66&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com&fr=ush-mailn_02&tt=%3Cb%3EPhiladelphia%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Esoft%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3Epretzel%3C%2Fb%3E+with+mustard+from+a+street+cart.&b=0&ni=160&no=11&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=135moib94&sigb=14se2g0ip&sigi=11rpbothc&sigt=12fja33ok&sign=12fja33ok&.crumb=lOgxIpuY0Qm&fr=ush-mailn_02&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com or this (the way they are baked and before they are pulled apart into individual, separated pretzels): images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pH01GpV20IAUhCJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzbnJoYTVvBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAMyZTQ0M2JjMTVlZDE5YzY5MTc3MjEyOTVhNGI3Y2I3MgRncG9zAzIwBGl0A2Jpbmc-?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dphiladelphia%2Bsoft%2Bpretzels%26n%3D60%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dush-mailn_02%26fr2%3Dsa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D20&w=1300&h=559&imgurl=phillypretzelfactory.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F06%2Fpretzels_header-lores-1300x559.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphillypretzelfactory.com%2Fabout%2F&size=168.9KB&name=Home+of+the+Real+%3Cb%3ESoft%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EPretzel%3C%2Fb%3E&p=philadelphia+soft+pretzels&oid=2e443bc15ed19c6917721295a4b7cb72&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com&fr=ush-mailn_02&tt=Home+of+the+Real+%3Cb%3ESoft%3C%2Fb%3E+%3Cb%3EPretzel%3C%2Fb%3E&b=0&ni=160&no=20&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=1168m65jm&sigb=14san1okm&sigi=12m58tldm&sigt=11bduhje4&sign=11bduhje4&.crumb=lOgxIpuY0Qm&fr=ush-mailn_02&fr2=sa-gp-images.search.yahoo.com .

[@Traderjoe]

Have I been putting mustard on my pretzels all my life and not supposed to?

[@broughtbackin]

Came here looking for this! Mustard on pretzels is a HUGE thing. Maybe it started way later?

[@billyshepard5514]

He didn't use his real name? Was his real name listed on the Benny show?

[@user-hu4gr1bo5g]

Eddie Anderson often included his character's name (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) in credits AND in life... Sadie Marks (Mrs. Benny) changed her name to Mary Livingston... Jack himself was born Benjamin Kubeksky...

[@nadiazahroon6573]

I loved the way she turned around

[@mrb8993]

[LAST CONTESTANT] *fire* is an element Mr Daly :)

[@waynemarvin5661]

No, it's not.

[@EvergreenVB]

What was Bennett thinking announcing the value of Arlene's necklace?

[@lescoe]

It wasn't stolen until 1988. Bennett announcing the value had literally nothing to do with the theft.

[@EvergreenVB]

@@lescoe It's inappropriate to discuss such matters in a public setting.

[@aarondigby9859]

@@EvergreenVB yes it is, loose lips sinks ships.

[@robertholman8730]

​@@lescoeThis happened in the 50s!!

[@dnhy7951]

​@@lescoe Oh, I don't know now.Mebbe Arlene's mugger decided to bide his time.He might have had a lot of other jobs on as well.

[@WhatsMyLine]

That's one of the very, very few times we might be able to say that John Charles Daly was being unfairly misleading, except that no one objects in the episode, right (I haven't rewatched it recently)? Maybe no one put mustard on pretzels in the 50s. Seems like something Ed Norton would do, though.

[@loissimmons6558]

I think Ed Norton would eat his pretzels like he did just about everything in life: with great relish (and a lot of hand flourishes). Art Carney was one of the great sidekicks of all time, as well as a great actor (whether comedy or not - his Twilight Zone episode was brilliantly heartwarming). There came a time when Jackie Gleason was willing to do Honeymooner skits with a new Alice and a new Trixie, but I doubt he would have ever considered doing them without Carney. And like Carney, Eddie Anderson was top rate as a sidekick. He played off of Jack Benny's character marvelously.

[@stanmaxkolbe]

When the Jack Benny Show was in the South and if a Holtel didn't take black people; he go to another Holtel. Those fools lost a lot of money-GOOD!

[@SuperWinterborn]

I think Eddie Anderson was a wonderful "Brunette"...! ;)

[@13ECHO20]

😂

[@dallasheltzell]

OMG, I laughed so hard my sides hurt when they asked that!

[@glennmarshall4693]

such a formal show

[@robertholman8730]

Everyone dressed this way back then!😊

[@dnhy7951]

​@@robertholman8730Even coal miners?

[@ellamcfadden617]

Wow! They needed water for the guests! I felt so sorry for Rochester.

[@nanaberry4120]

These ladies and their hats!!!!

[@robertholman8730]

Hats were a necessity back then! 😊

[@beesokay]

I do dance, theatre, drag, and burlesque, and I've been dressed by a lot of kickass Dressers who remind me a lot of Miss Alexander

[@theiceman6941]

Oh that was great! How in the world did she know it was him though? No clues really....

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Scranton PA... lmao.. need to watch The Office again...

[@Banks-gd1in]

What did Hal Block mean with the second contestant when Bennett asked her if her son was Alexander and he said or Grover Cleveland?

[@sandrageorge3488]

Above, it is explained by someone, there was a ball player at the time named Grover Cleveland.

[@lynnlobliner3933]

Interestingly, I see that if the guest is a humorist, then the people laugh at all the replies, rather than just funny ones. Francis, the talking mule, Eddie and Victor Borge, didn't say anything funny in their replies but the audiences laughed. I'm surprised the panel didn't pick this up.

[@mehboobkm2018]

My thoughts exactly,

[@RTSOB1]

What do you mean, no mustard on your pretzel? Are you crazy?

[@MickTheQuickk]

The audience reaction to "are you a brunette" pretty much told the panel that the mystery guest was a black man. Considering how many blacks were on tv at the time, it could only have been Rochester (who was never referred to by his real name of Eddie Anderson).

[@RalphOnofrio]

Dorothy was brilliant.

[@gregorytaylor3053]

evening dress polite conversation how charming

[@Vino-bv5ic]

Wow...show was "rigged" in early days---.

[@Cedar77]

Why did Bennett take off his glasses to greet Eddie? Is that a polite gesture?

[@Kitskacat]

I think just to get a look at him. He must be near- sighted.

[@The8neighborhoodkids]

Tbh I thought mustard was a common condiment for prestzels

[@robertholman8730]

Not 60 years ago!😊

[@MrYfrank14]

i have heard jack benny's radio show, not the originals, and recognized rochester's voice even from the uh huhs.

[@aarondigby9859]

When you heard Rochester say uh-ohh Mr. Benny, you knew Jack was going to get it. LMFAO

[@MrWindermere123]

People often comment that the 'walk of shame' is a waste of time in a time-limited show but also the photo at the end is not likely to be remembered a week later. It was probably meant to be a cliff-hanging puzzle which forced us all to tune in for the next episode, but who would care that much except the person in the photo? Another small thing: John Daly needs a tailor because his jacket rides up behind his head so as to make him resemble a turtle. Bennett Cerf was probably richer, so his tailor did a more skilful job. Hal Bloch has no visible neck, so for him it's not an issue.

[@jtal3292]

Daly was amazingly quick witted. When being asked about a fire hydrant... Dorothy: "Does it have anything to do with the elements?" Daly: Hesitates for 5 seconds. "You mean with rain, wind, snow, sunshine?" Dorothy: "Yes." Daly: "That would make it 4 down and 6 to go." Whenever people talk about a modern version of this show, I don't think it would be possible for two reasons: 1. To my knowledge, you would really struggle to find another host this quick. Panelists have time to setup their answers, the host does not. 2. Celebrity publicists would never let their big name clients go on in fear of the panel not guessing who it was. The game would have to be rigged, and the public would spot that and wouldn't buy in for long.

[@SuperWinterborn]

***** Well observed. Daly was an excellent moderator! I think your theory about why a modern version of this show won't work today, seems quite plausible too. :)

[@JLionelWaller]

I know this is late, but.... They did do a modern version of it I n 70's. Arlene Francis was on it. It was bad for anyone who grew up on the original. Arlene was the only sharp tack on the panel, the rest were nice, but sharp as a chunk of cheese. The moderator was NOT a John Charles Daly, he went out of his was to help the panelists, unlike John :) For number 2, are you kidding?? Free publicity?? Remember, back in the 50's publicists were a lot more concerned about the behavior of their clients than today.

[@OrigamiMarie]

I'll add another reason why the celebrity part wouldn't work well today: celebrity was a much narrower and more uniform field back then. Now there are so many niches of celebrity that it would be hard to have four people who could collectively know a fair amount about most celebrities, and it would be hard to come up with celebrities that a high fraction of the population would know. I guess you could go more niche and target the show at a narrower demographic, but somehow that seems a lot less appealing. And yes, John Daly is phenomenally quick, and spectacular at tracking his hidden information versus what the panel might be thinking. I feel like anybody these days who appears to even come close, is actually getting a significant technology assist (some kind of teleprompter or other extra data feed).

[@dallasheltzell]

@@JLionelWaller I remember that reboot. I saw one episode, and it was painful.

[@neilmidkiff]

Of course if you think of the classical elements of earth, air, water, and fire, the answer would be yes.

[@por1821]

That sounds like Eamon Andrews , the Irish presenter of the UK version of WML, doing the announcing.