(1950) What's My Line 1st Telecast 

She is my youngest grandmothers age (who is still alive). It is amazing that Mrs. Finch could have grandchildren in their 40s.

Incredible. I wonder if she or grandchildren watched this down the years.

spindalis79 Miss Finch, yes?

Thanks for sharing. I just watched the last WML episode where she also appeared....

TY. She was also on in Feb 1955 which what brought me here. Fifth Anniversary of the show.

That perp walk was awful. It's amazing that the contestants suffered it so graciously. Good idea to get rid of it and the wild free guesses.

Apart from what?

@@dLimboStick what's my line

She was an excellent player, the rest of the "regulars" were as well, all quite astute!

@@dLimboStick "a part" she meant, I believe.

What a wonderful memory!

72 years

73 yrs, soon 74 yrs.

I could not agree more with your analysis of how they treated the contestants, especially the women. I was cringing a great deal. I am GLAD things are different now.

+Walter Moriarty Yes, history. Part of the evolution of television and a glimpse into society of yesterday.

I view them as a pleasanrt way to recapture part of a Lost Eden, Professor Mriarty..

Oddly, with 90% of pre 1970 TV footage " lost", many WML episodes survive. The show was almost always broadcast live on Sunday nights at 10PM EST.

Oh my! I cringed watching and listening to this episode especially when the panellists asked her to act and do those awful things

However, I continued watching and am now enjoying it so much including all the changes and especially the 'usual" 2 women and 2 men. They are immaculately dressed and dignified. John Daley is such a lovely person too Thank you kindly

Yeah, I guess that didn't last too long. Cuz they probably figure out that if they guessed correctly right off the bat that would kind of ruin the show.

Indeed. I lived at the end of this era and witnessed it crumbling. 😥😥

+Nicknacks Nicknacks - You would have loved to have been a woman too. Rather than just claiming to treat women better society actually did treat them well, often just being nice by telling them they're beautiful which when prettied up is exactly what they wanted to hear. Women then were upheld for the magnificent creatures they were, before far too many of them became convinced they should be treated like men (and watch how they'll react if one dared actually doing that!). Now we live in a time and place with a society that likes to talk big (lie really) of their supposed better treatment of women while in fact offensive language against women has become normalized in the music played over the radio and is heard by young children who will grow up with the idea that songs about "hos" being "banged" is part of our culture rather than what actually is (ie. shows like "What's My Line?"). Hell, pornography is legal today where many women are taken advantage of while in the 1950s pornography was very much illegal for the very reason of protecting the sort of vulnerable women that are today exploited in that industry. Yup.. just so wonderful to be a woman or anyone for that matter in the hellhole that is 2017 where we say one thing and do another. These people on TV had a certain trustworthiness and intellect to them; even Hal Block understood the "Comme ci, comme ca" thrown at him by Daly in one episode. Imagine uttering one word of French on the average American TV show today and expecting anyone on a panel or in the audience to understand it! You also can't really trust anyone on TV now. I just can't believe people have been convinced we're on a better track today than we were in 1950. We've fallen so far to the point where many people now wouldn't even understand what this program is about or what the people are saying. Wake up!

Women today are a disgrace, not all but many. My mom and all my aunts deserved respect and got it.

I always thought that whole walk in front of the panelists was creepy, and I'm glad they did away with that.

Scott Burton I enjoy watching these old WML shows.

Well, some of the people, both panellists and guests were certifiable …

It was much better, you will never know how pure and lovely it was to just play outside for hours, without a single care in the world, in the 50's.

What do you mean? Of course the world was B&W back then! There's so much photo and video evidence!

@@11redlions no it wasn't

Perceptive.

Yes those guys were duds

Jesus

As per our warped, unstable money system

And it certainly blossomed after the adjustments were made.

You're right. Nothing wrong with good manners.

I still spark one up occasionally. Usually a Sobranie Cocktail.

Much like myself. Stuff all of that vaping nonsense.

It took a long time to get rid of the smoking silliness on television. Just think of Charles Nelson Reilly on Match Game. People like Jackie Gleason did comedy skits with a cigarette in his hand. What were people thinking?

But I can't say that this current world full of prescription medication abusers, potheads, alcoholics, and all around messed up degenerates is somehow a better place to be than the midpoint of the previous century. At least these people dressed nicely, expressed themselves eloquently without resorting to profanity, and in general were far more genteel.

Before diversity completely destroyed American culture

I was thinking the same exact thing!

Maybe a cigarette company was a sponsor

She eventually had something of a career on Broadway. And a son. She also appeared on the final CBS episode of the series, along with other guests from the early days.

You know all of the original contestants in this show were in the last show? That’s crazy.

And I still mourn the fact that Dorothy Killgallen wasn't present for the final episode. Killed for trying to do her job.

+‫עידו שמחי‬‎ --- wow, so glad this show has been preserved

Raconteur, racketeer - mere semantics LOL

I'm glad too. Plus, I'm glad the panel kept Dorothy but got rid of the original men. Love the show

Turned three what? Handles … playing cards?

1967 was the last network show. It went to syndication for 8 years but I don't remember it may have doubled but I am not sure.

😊I agree!

I think it was Phil Rizutto, the mystery guest, that is.

Shirley Rombough - yes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Rizzuto VERY famous ball player and TV personality back in the day.

Considering people used to watch the test pattern until programming came on, this was a bit of an improvement. You're right that they're being kinda creepy toward the first guest. Fortunately they got some better panelists and got the format down pat.

jerryg1964 I agree. But it does make you reconsider all the stuff you hear about the "Golden Age" of television. Even the live dramas from studios in New York City were not as uniformly good as some people remember. Another thing on RU-vid is the old Kinescopes of Groucho Marx and "You Bet Your Life." Groucho's insults were funny when delivered to Margaret Dumont in a movie script, but when they're just random comments about height, weight, age, marital status, and general appearance of quiz show contestants, they seem forced and rude, and more than half of the time got no more than polite "laughter" from the audience in the studio. The ones we remember have been seriously cherry picked.

jerryg1964 There are things I loved about the show in the later years. They stayed with the evening dress standard that you saw on television in the early days....tuxedos for men and evening dresses for women. And they addressed each other formally as Mr and Miss. It was before courtesy and even civility vanished from public life. They were also serious about playing the game......before "game" shows became vulgar exhibits of poorly attired celebrities spouting packaged comedy lines. Sadly, it was also a time when people could not take a cigarette out of their mouth long enough to do a TV show.

Most first shows are weak. Remember too, there were only about 15 TVs in the nation. Not really of course but there would have been a fairly low percentage of homes that had one. It was funny at the end. John Daley looked like he was going to throw up after barely ending on time. I am SO glad it got better!

Dannys99887 I believe it was Ed Wynn who once said in the early 50's (paraphrasing here): Today you can pay hundreds of dollars for a TV and watch a few bad shows - But someday you will pay a few dollars for a TV and see hundreds of bad shows. Actually, there was some really great stuff during the "Golden Age" The willingness to experiment made way for some awesome entertainment. Of course experimenting could lead to failure too. Commercial TV was less then a decade old at this point so there was very little precedence. What would or wouldn't work was still a matter of guesswork. That's why for every "Studio One" or "Texaco Star Theater" there was a "The Continental" or a "You're in the Picture" This experimentation meant when you set in front of the set, you didn't really know what to expect. To many, that was part of the fun. Those Highs and lows have given way to periods that tended to be more "Average" and predictable. A little more assembly-line produced entertainment. There's been great shows in just about every period, including now. It's just a good deal rarer now. Mostly simple ideas with minor variation and a lot of FLASH & GLAMOR grace our screens. Most of the reality based series require very little in-depth thought, just a few hooks here and there that go down smoothly and while many will watch it, it won't truly stir them. Every so often I see proof the great TV is possible today if perhaps a little effort was put into the quality entertainment instead of concentrating only on checks and balances and sticking to the same old formula. Figuring in inflation - Ed Wynn just about hit the nail right on the head!!

because he apparently misled the panel on the "garment industry" point

Freddie Swanson They were very creepy.

But somehow it transformed

Poof! And the stink of your smelly groin is gone!

Don't you mess with my Dorothy. I always thought she was cute,charming and intelligent. Besides Olive Oyl had an annoying voice.

After Daly stumped up some green for it.

You're not a baseball or history fan. Phil Rizzuto is a legend!

According to his unintentionally (?) hilarious induction speech into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, available on its website, when Rizzuto was in WWII and arrived at New Guinea, he expected to find Italians.

@@preppysocks209 Sounds like Scooter...

Jeez, you're kidding. I am glad they stopped that practice.

On the last show in 1967, when these 3 appeared, John gave hints about their 1950 occupations and nearly all were guessed on a free guess (except that the closest they came for Pat Finch was cigarette girl).

Episode 3 I believe

The GSN ones are the syndicated ones I think