MYSTERY GUEST: Art Linkletter [ubiquitous TV personality, best remembered for "Kids Say the Darndest Things"] PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Robert Q. Lewis, Hedda Hopper, Ronald Reagan
In her latter days Hedda Hopper was a monthly guest on Linkletter 's House Party show giving her brief gossip tidbits about Hollywood . Miss Hooper was a spry 71 here .
Art Linkletter is the only person I am familiar with who was born in Moose Jaw. An orphan, he lived nearly to 98 and was still producing "Kids say the darndest things" at 95, when he suffered a minor stroke, which seems to have forced him to retire. Married for nearly 75 years, his wife survived him by a bit more than a year. I had not realized it but he hosted the Tonight Show twice between the departure of Jack Paar, and the coming of Johnny Carson.
This episode makes it rather evident just how important Arlene and Bennett were for the Mystery Guest segment... According to Bennett, both of them tended to "study up" on who was in town, and this guided their questioning much more efficiently, compared to the irregular panelists who were struggling to establish the Mystery Guest's identity "from scratch". Oh, and I love Dorothy's dress here; it's so dazzling, and the cut looks very flattering on her!
Another very entertaining episode ! THANKS for sharing with us ! When I was a kid in the 60s, Art Linkletter was all over the place ! He hosted two shows ("People Are Funny" & "House Party") & "House Party" was even still running on radio back then ! A popular riddle when I was a kid was "What's green and talks to kids ?" The answer was "Art Linklettuce !" :-)
I love these chances to feel old feelings and see heroes I’ve nearly forgotten. What a marvelous treat. In some ways society has moved forward and sadly we’ve slipped a bit in others. For instance, look at Ronald Reagan’s graciousness and charm that he carried into our nation’s highest office. That defines “presidential,” whether you liked his policies or not.
@@carlottasherwood1560 👨🏻🦰👎🏻NO IT WASN’T OLD LADY THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT WAS THE SOUPY SALES SHOW IN HE DID IN DETROIT WITH CLIFFORD BROWN THE GREATEST MAN DAT EVER LIVED 🧔🏿DISNEYLAND SUCK SO DO LINKLETTER AND REAGAN
I think some legs are being pulled here. But it is true that someone would have had to wait until at least 1981 before they could have been on a game show with President Reagan.
Corey Adams - Not to say you don't know these, but there are lots of interesting names for professions, like steeplejack, gandydancer, stevedore, roustabout. Made language fun.
One of my good friends from junior high/high school had a pet skunk. Her name was Tinker, and shexwas a well-behaved little girl. She had been descented, but the stuff from her scent glands had been processed into a very mild perfume, which my friend occasionally sprayed Tinker with that scent.
Related to another contestant: The town of Los Gatos is a suburb of San Jose, which is the hub of Silicon Valley. It was named originally for the common observation of a critter known as puma concolor in the adjacent Santa Cruz mts, although the only wildcat I ever saw while I commuted thru those mountains, was a bobcat running across the highway. Still, even at this tome (2023), the occasional Pima wanders out of either of the local ranges into the suburbs and causes quite a commotion by doing so.
I've heard the backstory with Hedda Hopper and the skunk before. Joan Bennett sent her a skunk for Valentine's day with a note attached that said "Won't you be my Valentine? Nobody else will. I stink and so do you." The skunk was well behaved and Hopper named it Joan. She ended up selling it to James Mason for $400 after he heard the story about the gift.
@@jessicaphillips4542 Joan Bennett? Actress from a long time ago. Considering Hedda was a very prominent gossip columnist any actor or actress of any note could potentially be a victim of a Hedda article. I'm guessing that's where the antagonism started.
Not only were Reagan and Linkletter 2 of the co-hosts of the opening of Disneyland, one of the guesses was Bob Cummings who was the third co-host. I guess it's a small world after all.
Ronald Regan and Art Linkletter along with Bob Cummings who Hedda Hopper mentioned were the hosts the broadcast of the opening of Disneyland the year prior.
Art Linkletter was great on People are Funny and Kids Say the Darndest Things. I am a little surprised that more people commented on Ronald Reagan than on Art L. He was charming and funny, and I'd be surprised if he ever really offended anyone. I saw some of both programs when I was very young. At that time, there was nothing like either of these shows on TV.
The allegation that Diane had LSD in her system when she died has been debunked. Please read this article. mediamonarchy.com/diane-linkletter-1969-suicide-jump/
I never heard of Robert Q.Lewis, but he is funny and resembles Harold Lloyd.Reagan was funny on this.I watched some of his old movies as a child in the 1960's, and in the 1970's, and it was kinda difficult for me to keep him separated from show biz, in the 1980's, as our president.It just seemed kinda weird, although he was a good president.I always thought he was handsome.Art Link letter had a really good show, I watched it as a child.I always thought he looked funny.
Robert Q Lewis acted a bit on stage & in films but he was better known for being a radio & TV personality and sometimes host. And yes, with those glasses he did indeed look like silent movie icon Harold Lloyd !
With the first contestant there was a kinda long conference with Daly and Lewis said; "it's not a girl john !" It made me laugh out loud. MY first laugh this morning.
Ronald Reagan and John Anderson were both there but apparently Jimmy Carter couldn't make it. Those of us old enough to remember the presidential 1980 election should realize what I meant by that.
When Reagan got a "no" answer from the first contestant, you could hear him say "WelL..." I immediately thought of Johnny Carson's imitations of President Reagan in the 80's, that always started with that same "Well..."
Ronald Reagan, and Art Linkletter on a show. Bo Cummings gets a mention, these three guys ten months previous they were all together to dedicate the opening day of Disneyland.
@@accomplice55 Yeah, these are supposedly intelligent people but a lot of times after John flips a card they will ask-Was that a no? DK one of the most intelligent panelists is bad about that.
When Hedda Hopper correctly guesses the occupation of the first challenger, she mentions that someone once sent her a skunk. It was sent to her as a negative reaction to her gossip column and it was sent by actress Joan Bennett. It was part of a valentine that cost Miss Bennett $435, $35 of which was for the skunk. Miss Hopper said that the skunk was well-behaved, named it "Joan", publicized the incident and put the skunk up for auction. She then gave it as a gift to actor James Mason and his wife: they put in the first bid.
Lois Simmons - In the anecdote you have told, Hedda Hopper seems like she was not cruel. In fact, she was a very cruel person. When movie actors with heydays in the 1940s and 1950s reminisced with Dick Cavett much later, they avoided discussing Hedda Hopper because her name brought back unpleasant memories. Granted, some actors were cruel, but at least they helped create timeless material. Hedda Hopper is lost to posterity. She was not a creative artist. Who wants to read one of her newspaper columns in its entirety these days? Someone without friends. Hedda’s only possible legacy consists of short quotes, such as the following rhetorical question that was part of one of her columns in 1961: Can Marilyn ever really be happy? If you were to say that those six words can grant Hedda Hopper immortality, you would be pushing it. Yes, people can say she often treated Marilyn Monroe curtly or meanly, but 99 percent of the words Hedda banged on her typewriter are forgotten. Ditto for what she said on her radio show, which didn’t last nearly as long as Walter Winchell’s radio show.
I find it curious that the Quinns, from Los Gatos, California, had to top a tree while painting a flagpole in Yonkers (18:10). I would have thought that a New York flagpole owner could have hired a local steeplejack to do the work. Did they have a national clientele? Or was there some agency that found them a gig in Yonkers while they were in NYC anyway to appear on this show? Puzzling.
It's sad that Art Linkletter lost his 20 year old daughter to what was finally ruled as a suicide in the late 1960's. He said it was because of an LSD trip, but no drugs were found to be in her system.
While I was a HUGE supporter of President Reagan, I don't think he would have been a good fit. He didn't have that 1950s New York savoir faire like Bennet Cerf and John Daley.
@@annakaminski4406 I agree ! Her hats were always on the large size and it would simply have not been practical for technical reasons for her to wear one !
Skunk Breeder : what a romantic and enchanting endeavor; I lament our modern - day bias against that most noble pelt. Or roast, or whatever the hell they did with skunks after they bred them. Okay, they're not eaten; that point was just made. ( Just had a horrid thought that " skunk breeder " might denote an act that is not so romantic or enchanting. ) John and Dorothy are fabulous here, before she goes for ' scaley ' . Wow .... Hedda, that stinker, solved the mystery ! ( She's supposedly a bad, mad, ugly character in real life. )
Is there a photograph of the 'BIG LAUGHER' that is usually part of the TV audience ? I always wanted to see what he looked like. He may have been a professional laugher. I remember there was one on the Carson show for a while, I know my mother thought she was one.
Actually I and my friend Jim would ride the train to this show.The station is very noisy and very busy and under the theater. No fee to watch the show. We were regulars Jim was the one with the loud voice. I'm 87. JIMS PASSED ON😢
Has anyone noticed that John Daly , after asking people where they're from, no matter where it is, he has a ready reply of, "that's wonderful country out there." I think he's referred to everywhere as eventually being a "wonderful country."
HALLELUJAH! This is the first episode to FINALLY do away with the hateful 'walk of shame' and the idiotic 'panelist wild guesses'. No one says anything they just don't do it and they never do it again.
This show is so unique in that they hardly put any emphasis on the prizes. They’re just there having a good time. It’s so simple that it works. Happy surprise having my favorite President there! If only they knew how lucky they were to be sitting next to the person who would save the world.
Forestburg is not near Dallas. It’s 1 hour and 44 minutes northwest from Arlington, Tx which is in between Dallas and Ft Worth. It’s closer to Oklahoma than Dallas.
More on Lee Quinn: www.wavetrain.net/lit-bits/594-lee-quinn-he-sailed-to-tahiti-with-an-all-girl-crew. More on Mary Ann Burton Quinn: www.mercurynews.com/2008/10/31/longtime-los-gatos-residents-book-chronicles-life-of-adventure/ and www.nytimes.com/1972/07/20/archives/a-woman-steeple-jack-is-keeping-on-top-of-things.html
+What's My Line? I am 100% in agreement with your decision to have a blanket rule against political discussions, no exceptions. I stubbed my toe once or twice on the rule when I first started watching (on another of your channels), but I greatly appreciate it now. Probably at the time this episode aired, it would be possible, even likely, to have a civilized political discussion, even if people were taking opposite positions. But the overwhelming evidence is this is not possible in today's climate. Yes, it can be tempting to make political comments when someone comes on WML, YBYL, TTTT, etc. who was or will become connected with the field of politics in any way. And WML had them on the show with some fair regularity. But if I, who graduated with a degree in Government (aka Political Science) from Cornell can restrain myself, others can manage to make the sacrifice. And we do. Gary, you and I grew up in roughly the same place at the same time. When we were kids, it was generally accepted for one of the kids to assert "my ball, my rules". If the kid became unreasonable about it, no one would play with him/her and that was the way it kept from getting out of hand. This channel is your "ball" and you are quite reasonable in your rules. The number of people who come to "play" (post as well as watch) by the rules is testimony to that.
i will argue, to the death ,about politics with any idiot that disagrees with me. but i don't come here for politics. it is nice to be in a neutral area.
Lois Simmons - I don’t understand what the following “explanation” has to do with pointing out that Hedda Hopper was a cruel person. You seem to be making loose associations here: Gary, you and I grew up in roughly the same place at the same time. When we were kids, it was generally accepted for one of the kids to assert "my ball, my rules". If the kid became unreasonable about it, no one would play with him/her and that was the way it kept from getting out of hand.
@David Pinegar Actually no. The past two years have done nothing for me politically. And my days of political involvement ended about 35 years ago. My desire to run for office ended around the same time.
Lois Simmons Ronald Reagan was not involved in politics when he made this live network television appearance on May 20, 1956. He was an on-camera personality in a weekly network television series that was sponsored by General Electric. It was an hour-long dramatic series on which Reagan and other performers recited dialogue that had been created by writers. Lois, you can say almost anything you want about what Ronald Reagan says and does during the half-hour What’s My Line telecast. You will not violate Mr. Wetstein’s rule that bans political discussions.
@@davidhenschel1990 I was starting a new thread, most likely in response to the owner of the channel coming down on someone else starting a political discussion about Ronald Reagan. The fact that the future President wasn't involved in politics in 1956 wouldn't stop someone from starting such a discussion. All I wanted to do was agree with Gary's decision. But it was two years ago. I don't remember the details of the genesis of my thread. I do know that I still agree with Gary's choice to ban political discussions. This thread also had nothing to do with Hedda Hopper. That's why I never mentioned her name in the thread.
Gary's brow begins to furrow when politics invade the comments so will manfully resist the temptation and that ain't easy for me as I am very opinionated and outspoken.😊
Robert Q. Lewis was totally clueless about the show running out of time, even though John gives a one minute warning at least 15 seconds before his turn. John has to drag it out of him to give the solve of the MG.
Tough to be blindfolded, though because you can miss visual cues like body language regarding timing. Even though he was a little slow, at least he wasn't just randomly guessing names without asking questions about them, like some of the guest panelists do.
That always bothered me too. Fred Allan did the same thing and even Bennett Cerf would pull jokes and wait for laughter too. I wonder why they didn' t just get a 2nd giant clock to face the panel so they could also see how much time was left.
+Joie Fulton That is presupposing you (that "you" potentially either being a man or a woman) are already in the market for a skunk/already want a skunk... then YES men and women could both find one enjoyable equally. There's no discrimination of sex there, lol.
Reagan is, in fact, fairly good here. Also entertaining. (It's nice to just enjoy watching him, as opposed to the political days.) But Hedda pronounced his name wrong in introducing him! You'd think, given as he had a TV show, she'd know better. The Quinns have a long and complicated history; they got married in 1946, and did everything possible, from steeplejacking to sailing around the world. They were both constantly taking up new hobbies and methods of work -- Lee got a passion for sailing, started doing it with 'all girl crews,' and they eventually got divorced in 1964. (People in retrospect describe it as 'fairly amicable'; if you say so...) Lee disappeared on a circumnavigational tour in 1975, and was never seen again. Mary Ann is still around, and keepin' on keepin' on. Someone else summarizes: www.wavetrain.net/lit-bits/594-lee-quinn-he-sailed-to-tahiti-with-an-all-girl-crew Mary Ann's webpage & self published autobiography: maqpress.com/aboutauthor.html Mr. Anderson was a farmer until heart disease caused problems, and then he switched to animal hunting and raising. I can't find solid information on it, but he seems to have died in 1975. www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj6-aXlrdPLAhVJlxoKHTsCDdAQFgglMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnewspapers%3Fnid%3D1755%26dat%3D19590702%26id%3D3z01AAAAIBAJ%26sjid%3DFGUEAAAAIBAJ%26pg%3D7377%2C350962&usg=AFQjCNHGzKF-D1Fsn0Qt0bpg_PRnv4qc6w&sig2=8pNUChqAbaC3L0mMfbgLUw
Ray Rothermel This isn't a discussion board, it's my RU-vid channel, and I get to set the rules for what comments I allow. There are a billion places on the internet where people can have political discussions. I do NOT want to have to deal with the fighting and the insults that are inevitable if people are left free to rant about any subject they feel like. If you don't understand why, you haven't read nearly enough comments on RU-vid on other people's videos. RU-vid is the worst place in the world for any sort of political discussion unless you enjoy reading threads full of screaming and insults. I put a great deal of time and energy into keeping the comments on my videos civil-- this is the key reason why they are, because I don't allow discussions of controversial subjects. If you don't approve, don't comment.
I hate the next technical format for these posts. I used to click on the link for the 1955-57 shows and got a menu with thumbnails of each episode and a red line under the ones I had seen. Now I go right to the clip of the beginning episode in the group and have to scroll down and figure out where I left off. It's less efficient and more irritating than the old procedure.
It's not "these posts". I have absolutely no control over RU-vid revamping how the site is laid out/works. Things have been changed site-wide, not just on this channel. THEY change these things, without asking for feedback, or even informing us when big changes are rolled out. The playlists are still visible the old way, but it's pretty hard for me to explain it without screenshots. And since there's no way to put a screenshot in a comment on RU-vid, all I can tell you is to click on the title of playlist after it starts playing the first video in the list. That should work. Don't blame channel owners for RU-vid changes that we have absolutely no control over, please. Thank you.
In that case, I'm very sorry I misinterpreted. It read to me like you thought this was something specific to these videos! It drives me crazy that RU-vid makes changes like this without even notifying anyone. As I said in the last message, try clicking on the title of the playlist when RU-vid starts playing the first video and it will display (close to) the way it used to. Why they changed this I can't imagine. Sincere apologies again for misunderstanding you!
+What's My Line, I completely agree with what you've written about your opinion of Robert Q. Lewis, but I must point out that your listing him as a guest panelist on the playlist would have at least served to WARN us of his presence. Personally, I'm much less inclined to want to watch an episode that he appears on as opposed to, say, an Allen.
What's My Line? And, too, after Fred Allen's death, the fact that there'll always be at least one guest panelist (and often two) makes the number of characters available in the message field all the more likely to limit what you can include, right?
Robert Melson Yes, but I managed to squeeze in all the names. Sometimes I had to use an initial for the first names in shows with a lot of guests, but I managed. And Robert Q is never once listed in the a video title, because I'm a small, petty man.
gcjerryusc Opinion is definitely divided, but I was surprised myself to find that so many people apparently feel the same way as I do about RQL-- I kinda figured it was just a very personal aversion to him I had specifically, but there are LOTS of folks who don't like him on WML (and lots who do, to be fair!)
Has anyone ever heard John NOT make the comment "that's beautiful country out that way"? He talks like he's been everywhere. He tells every contestant that gives their home town the same thing. Is this part of fakery to help make people feel more comfortable?
hey, you can't say that....everything was perfect in the "good old days" of yesteryear. Nothing and/or Nobody will ever be as good as it use to be. That's the overwhelming consensus you read from most 50+ yr old internet clips...it was a veritable Heaven.
Oh how ironic! A bumbling fool Ronald Reagan sitting next to the Hollywood witch Hedda Hopper. Whenever I hear her name I recall June Allyson's autobiography. Hedda drove up to June's lawn where June's children, one adopted, were playing, got out of the car and said, "Which one is yours?" June said, "Both of them!"
Roger Propes Great story and she is indeed presented as a formidable witch in "Feud: Bette and Joan". Dorothy seems to have a lot of respect for her as a colleague in the industry...which seems misplaced given Hopper's style.
I've watched every episode so far. I had to turn this one off. Cannot, will not watch Reagan. Even sadder is the fact that, as crooked a president as he was, he was nothing compared to the lunatic we have now.
![What's My Line? - Art Linkletter; Hedda Hopper [panel]; Ronald Reagan [panel] (May 20, 1956)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
