What's My Line? - Barbara Ann Scott; New game rules introduced (Apr 17, 1955) 

adverse She is a doll !!

Denise Richardson Good god she's more than a doll...she's stunningly beautiful...

@@deniserichardson630 too thin..

+buyvital Thank you for that info

Thanks. I knew a little about the Nautilus sailing under the North Pole, but did not know about him.

This is a short bio of RADM Axene

+Roger Thornburgh Justvintedge Sub Commanders' children were about 95% girls; presumably this has changed as females are now on board?!

It simply means the PRIZE was never the POINT, but rather the FUN.

@@Nightturkey1 I agree that they wanted it to be fun, but it’s certainly not simply the reason. That was a huge amount of money to many of those people and would make a very big difference in their life, it was showing an amazing spirit of generosity. It was giving people a wonderful feeling of abundance.

@@TempleGreen You are certainly correct that $50.00 in 1959 or 1960 was a handsome sum, but I just meant that the point of the show was not to give away money but to have fun and showcase the brilliance and wit of the panelists (and Mr. Daly). Compare WML with greed-based shows like "Deal or No Deal", "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", "The Price is Right" or "Let's Make a Deal", where the whole "raison d'etre" for the show seems to be giving away money or prizes. .

@@Nightturkey1 Well, after watching for a while I started to notice a pattern in this show that surprised me. I don't think the show was trying to display the brilliance of the panelists nearly as much as it was working to open people's minds, to expand their understanding, to inspire minorities and people in low-income brackets, and give them a feeling of personal dignity. They treated everyone on that show wonderfully, regardless of their sex, color income bracket, religion, or nationality. They pushed the boundaries of every prejudice but they did it in such a sly and playful way that they not only got away with it, they made it a smash hit. They were battling McCarthyism, in my opinion, and so beautifully, with love and grace. And they gave people the prize not as because the people won, but because they could, just because they could. That all by itself was a strong message of kindness and generosity, which every aspect of that show embodied. That's how I see it anyway.

@@Nightturkey1 And don't forget Queen For A Day where the lady with the most miserable life won thousands of dollars worth of prizes.

John was quite happy with himself over that one.

He's the absolute best "jokester" type panelist for this show -- witty quips with amazing deadpan delivery, but he still also takes the game itself seriously and plays it rather well (even if he's not quite as good as the other three)! This particular panelist lineup is my absolute favorite.

Arlene is brilliant 😊

Have you discovered that Fred Allen was a huge radio star with his own program? Jack Benny and Fred used a pretend, made up feud between them and their radio shows for years as a running gag. I think Fred Allen also had his own tv show and made some movies.

@@rharvey2124 Yes thank you

I heard Dorothy Kilgallen exclaim with glee that Pierre had red "fingernails." Then, Bennett Cerf said the same thing and he corrected it to "red toenails." I didn't hear Fred Allen get excited about it.

I had a miniature poodle that looked very much like Barbara Ann Scott's. She was a fantastic little dog, a wonderful companion through some tough times. There is no loyalty on earth greater than that of a good dog.

Or a husband 😊

I would agree. When John talks about the inclement weather, I can feel it, even if it is summer here (which it is!)

I don't think that is stupid at all, its fun !

It doesn't sound stupid, at all, to me. I love going through the seasons with John and the panel, too! 😊

Johan Bengtsson Thanks for the info., Johan! Nice that she continued to be recognized and acknowledged in her field throughout her life.

SaveThe TPC She was worth it.

Still the only Canadian to win the ladies single figure skating gold medal, doing so at St. Moritz in 1948. She relinquished her amateur status a few months later, enabling her to be a paid performer in various ice shows. She would wed Tom King in September 1955 and they remained married until her death in 2012.

I believe Barbara Ann Scott was also the only non-European female to ever win the European figure skating championship. After She won, the rules were changed to prohibit non-Europeans from competing.

ToddSF 94109 Yes, the walk past the panel is much more civilized in this era, a great improvement over previous years, but I agree that it's best when the contestants get to greet the panel _after_ the game, instead of before.

ToddSF 94109 Just before the game they must be very nervous and a bit unconcentrated. To ask them to take a walk before the panel seems almost cruel. But after the show they certainly are relaxed and happy and can take a walk AND greet the panel without fear or embarrassment

This show was originally coming off of the radio era, and the introduction walk would help audiences at home in games like this, and the comments would have been much more appreciated and humorous to a radio audience. However, it didn't translate well to television.

Agree completely

Me too - you can tell a lot about a man by the way they relate - or don't relate - to animals. The finest men are animal lovers. And before some idiot jumps in with a dumb punchline - no, I don't mean sheep shaggers, they are perverts! It is especially true of men who are kind to little, lap dogs like Pierre. My tiny Maltese girl tragically died of cancer a few months ago, aged 13. I miss her terribly. She was tiny all her life, no more than 6lbs at her heaviest. I would put a bow in her hair sometimes and occasionally if it was a cold day put a cute sweater or dress on her. I noticed there's a particular kind of guy who does not like a cute little dog like mine. For some reason, the sight of a little furry scrap of fur looking cute, enrages them and threatens their masculinity. These cretins would invariably clap eyes on my cute dog and say the same thing: "Is it a rat?" They thought this terribly witty, and that they were the first person ever to say it. A man who appreciates a tiny dog and is kind to him/her, is a real man in my eyes.

@@glamdolly30 Seriously I would assume those mean men are psychopaths.

@@rharvey2124 I certainly would not want to be married to one!

JayTemple Steve Allen used to say ‘’...is it bigger than a bread box?’

And 4 years later, it's still here... HURRAH!

I didn’t really watch much RU-vid until this year, so you’ve got me curious what got pulled and why and if the shows removed were replaced.

He may have identified as female, who knows?!!

After 9 correct quesses they stopped 😊

Robert Melson it is though erroneously since the reason they were called boats was the first ones needed to be "launched" which by the time of this show was many years removed but they retained the name

My hubby was a sub sailor, he said they were taught subs were boats as they had no safety boats or dingys.

Sadly, USS Thresher was lost at sea with all hands onboard. RIP shipmates

People keep referring to the panel's accents as mid-Atlantic whatever that means. I thought it meant the preferred way of talking for London West End and Broadway ways stars... Update - that is correct. The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent,[1][2][3] is a consciously learned accent of English, fashionably used by the early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation). It is not a native or regional accent; rather, according to voice and drama professor Dudley Knight, "its earliest advocates bragged that its chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so".[4] The accent was embraced in private independent preparatory schools, especially by members of the American Northeastern upper class, as well as in schools for film and stage acting,[5] with its overall use sharply declining after the Second World War.[6] A similar accent that resulted from different historical processes, Canadian dainty, was also known in Canada, existing for a century before waning in the 1950s.[7] More recently, the term "mid-Atlantic accent" can also refer to any accent with a perceived mixture of American and British characteristics.[8][9][10] Wiki

@@rharvey2124 no. It means neutral accents from northeastern US. Pa., new Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island,

@@rharvey2124 From what I’ve gathered, the Mid-Atlantic accent was a trained way of speaking for broadcasts (started in radio, then TV) so everyone could understand you. It is clearly understood by English-speakers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, hence the name. I don’t think anyone really grew up talking like that, you would just learn it if you were to be recorded. Why they stopped using it by the eighties is beyond me.

@@rob585 We are correct. The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent,[1][2][3] is a consciously learned accent of English, fashionably used by the early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation). It is not a native or regional accent; rather, according to voice and drama professor Dudley Knight, "its earliest advocates bragged that its chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so".[4] The accent was embraced in private independent preparatory schools, especially by members of the American Northeastern upper class, as well as in schools for film and stage acting,[5] with its overall use sharply declining after the Second World War.[6] A similar accent that resulted from different historical processes, Canadian dainty, was also known in Canada, existing for a century before waning in the 1950s.[7] More recently, the term "mid-Atlantic accent" can also refer to any accent with a perceived mixture of American and British characteristics.[8][9][10] wiki

@@gemoftheocean The Mid-Atlantic accent, or Transatlantic accent,[1][2][3] is a consciously learned accent of English, fashionably used by the early 20th-century American upper class and entertainment industry, which blended together features regarded as the most prestigious from both American and British English (specifically Received Pronunciation). It is not a native or regional accent; rather, according to voice and drama professor Dudley Knight, "its earliest advocates bragged that its chief quality was that no Americans actually spoke it unless educated to do so".[4] The accent was embraced in private independent preparatory schools, especially by members of the American Northeastern upper class, as well as in schools for film and stage acting,[5] with its overall use sharply declining after the Second World War.[6] A similar accent that resulted from different historical processes, Canadian dainty, was also known in Canada, existing for a century before waning in the 1950s.[7] More recently, the term "mid-Atlantic accent" can also refer to any accent with a perceived mixture of American and British characteristics.[8][9][10] Wiki

The doggie was so cute!

soulierinvestments He was "on fire" in this episode! The witticisms, and the corresponding laughs just kept on coming!

Never thought Arthur Godfrey was "charming". Folksy old navy salt, yeah.. How wa ya. How wa ya How wa ya ?

@@dcasper8514 Godfrey was never on my "A" list when I was a kid; but only discovering recently how arrogant, irascible and vindictive he was has REALLY lowered his stock in my mind. Arthur Godfrey obviously mistook himself for _Almighty_ God-frey.

sdg 14 I wouldn't exactly call either Block's or Bennett's humor "slapstick," but I think I know what you mean. Fred Allen was exceptionally quick and clever, and his jokes were kind of subtle -- a real "thinking person's" comic. Bennett's humor was much sillier and cornier, and Block's was more overt.

Except Fred Allen isn't funny. I'm glad they got rid of Hal Block as he was obscene, but Fred Allen is also obscene just in a dry way. He is disrespectful in his humour and how he talks about people, even to their faces.

@@El_Ophelia I am so pleased that somebody else sees that too.! He was mean and insulted people while pretending it was an off the cuff remark. I was glad when he stopped being a regular on the panel.

@@El_Ophelia I'm so glad someone else sees that too! He was mean and insulted people while pretending it was just an off the cuff remark. He just got away with it because he made it seem clever - except the episode where he was extremely insulting to a heavy woman, nonstop fat jokes. I was shocked. I was glad when he stopped being a regular panel member.

@@jennymode He stopped being a member of the panel when he dropped dead from a heart attack one Sunday morning. Fred Allen not funny? Comedy IS a matter of taste. I'll bet you like beets and reminded the teacher that she forgot to give out the homework assignment. Jeepers!

Poodles are definitely a wonderful breed. As I replied to another comment on this episode, I had a mini poodle that was the best companion imaginable. Putting her down was one of the worst moments of my life...though it was merciful to her, it was a hurt that I'll never completely get over. Btw, her successor is a Jack Russell terrier. Almost an exact opposite kind of breed, but also a fantastic dog.

And beautiful too😊

John Gee. He's done that before..

They paid transport costs for all their guests. It’s in some of the ads for United Airlines and American Airlines.

John knew the contestant's name. He was trying to match Fred's quips.

Lois Simmons. yeah, but 5 years later the Pirates win an exciting World Series over the Yankees in Pittsburgh.

Lois....Who had the better arm in right field ? Roberto Clemente or Carl furillo ?

@@dcasper8514 Wow! How does a person compare, especially so many years later? They didn't have the recording devices back then like we have now. Basically the scouting report was that you ran on either of them at your own peril. But the speed of the throw is only part of it. How quick is the release? How well does the right fielder get into position to make the throw? Furillo was one of the strongest men to ever play the game. After his playing career, he wanted nothing to do with the game and he became a construction worker. But he also had a huge advantage in home games played at Ebbets Field. That park had the craziest wall in right field to right-center field. At the bottom it was concrete. Halfway down, it angled away from the field; then it went straight up. It was topped by a metal screen that was also in play. In the middle of that wall was a scoreboard that had no angled part. But because it was a mechanical scoreboard with slots for the numbers, not an electronic scoreboard, and there were lots of other nooks and crannies (for example where the Schaefer Beer sign connected at the top of the scoreboard, plus the clock and the loudspeakers which were all in play). And there was also a short angled section to connect the scoreboard to the concrete wall. So depending upon where the ball would hit the wall, the ball would bounce differently. If it hit the concrete, especially the angled part, it would shoot back to the infield. It if hit the screen, it would drop straight down. If it hit the scoreboard, Schaefer sign, clock, loudspeakers or angled wall, it might go in any direction. Once Furillo was moved permanently from center field to right field, he spent hour upon hour having fungoes hit to him so he could judge by the flight of the ball where it would hit and he would know where to run (except in the cases where it would bounce toward center field: then it would be Duke Snider's ball). The Dodgers would win a few games each year at home because of that right field wall, especially when Furillo patrolled that part of the outfield for the Dodgers because opposing outfielders would be unfamiliar with the quirks of that wall and the Dodger outfielders usually knew it well. The best example was Game 4 of the 1947 World Series when Cookie Lavagetto hit one off the right field wall for the only Dodger hit of the game off Bill Bevens with two outs in the ninth inning. When the ball eluded Tommy Henrich of the Yankees, two runners (both reaching on walks) came around to score and give the Dodgers a 3-2 win. As one of the greatest 5 tool players of all time, I would pick Clemente to be on my team any time. If the Dodgers had handled things better, he would have eventually replaced Furillo in right field. But for giving better than 100% effort every time on the field and in preparing for each game, plus all his talents (1953 batting champ, home run power, excellent all around fielder with a rifle for a throwing arm) "Skoonj" Furillo is my sentimental pick as the best right fielder the Dodgers ever had.

The main reason they switched up the questioning for the mystery guest segment is that they were trying to prevent the segments from ending so quickly.

Makes sense. Once Dorothy (especially) was on the hunt she could close up shop in 2 minutes.

Joe Postove I agree with you wholeheartedly, the free guesses where a time killer. Also glad that they eliminated the contestants walking by the panel "so they can take a look at you" part. But that was eliminated a while ago. I hated that part.

+What's My Line? And you could tell that many celebrities were depressed that they didn't get asked by all the panelists.

I didn't mind the free guess so much as it gave me as a viewer a little more time to guess the occupation as well. Dispensing of the walk of shame was long overdue. The panelists even seemed to be rather blase about it, no longer asking to see someone's jacket label or to feel their muscles.

Fred Allen was rude on several occasions throughout the show, the worst instance I remember is when he kept making crude comments about a bigger contestant's weight throughout the entire time she was there, poor lady tried to take it in good humor but looked very beaten down and embarrassed by the end.

I agree with mareike

​@@mareike63370 years ago this was acceptable to all contestants, not rude etc!😊

What new rules?? I missed it

@@randytomblin7130 At 14:10 John Daly announces the new rules, which apply only to the questioning of mystery guests. Each panelist will get only one question at a time, rather than continuing to ask questions until they get a "no".

Dick Wilson Yes, Fred got a lot of unfair No's, but no one ever seemed to notice!

What's My Line? actually if you replay it John sort of mumbled how Fred asked it in the positive earlier & he forgot to flip the card then

orgonko the wildly untamed I think what John was saying was that someone else had asked about an _association_ with the Air Force earlier. I think Fred was really just confirming that, and even if John wanted to nitpick, the fact that Fred asked it in the negative should have kept him playing, but John was full of beans in this episode and seemed to want to keep things hopping as much as he could.

fishhead06 Bright woman that Arlene. The laughter about traveling probably got her into the groove.

Arlene hosted a talk show and had the woman's brothers on the show (they were also human cannonballs) so it was probably on her mind.

Bennet cerf confirmed in an interview about the show that they always knew who was in town and always got vague wind of who was on. His interview is in two parts here on youtube

i firmly believe a certain amount of cheating went on in this show in order to 'speed things up' too often panelists reached the occupation just to easily for it to be by good questions alone. not saying they are told exactly what contestants do but maybe 'tonight there will be someone from a circus' just to steer them in the right direction. otherwise they may never guess anyones occupation

@@sandwichman100 I seriously doubt that. They often spend forever on rather boring guests because the occupation is hard to guess, and then rush through someone super interesting because they guess too well or run out of time. So if there's cheating going on, it's done in an incredibly stupid fashion. In this case, it was clearly the audience's laughter to the questions about "do you travel in your work" and "is there something special about the way you travel" that gave Arlene the clue -- obviously there was something special about "travelling" while working, and there's only so many things it could mean.

MiketheYung God her dog was well behaved, too.

soulierinvestments Thanks! That answers something I'd been wondering about. I just watched WML's walk of shame montage and couldn't help but notice that the discontinuation of the walk seemed to somewhat coincide with Fred Allen's death. I just couldn't fathom how something so trivial could be connected to something else so serious.

soulierinvestments 2:38 - "Nice night for a walk, isn't it?" --Just the first of many great comic lines by Fred Allen on this episode!

Majority of replies are from " newbies generation" and don't appreciate the funny jokes from old time panelist. 😊

After 9 correct guesses they eliminated it😊

It's a pity he was never a guest on What's My Line!

never heard of him. ! (so he couldn't have been very popular, like the beatles )

@ It's my understanding that he learned English rather late in life, but that he was a devotee of this show in his final years.

I don't think the show knew he was sick.

You 2099...Never heard of Albert Einstein ? Really ?

The show used plants, and I picked up on the woman yelling or howling to encourage laughter, and the guy who, based on the audio, was in the center aisle, was there every single episode to gufaw and make loud faux laughter to try and encourage the audience into laughter. They were plants. Not real audience members. Every single episode there were the same group of people inserted to incite the audience into greater laughter. I wish they didn't do that because the show is so very good there's no need to hire these fluffers to pad the audience.

Lilly Beans Agree totally. Recently I rewatched the entire series of Rhoda starring Valerie Harper and the guffawing plant in the audience there got a bit much too. I don't remembering hearing this on UK shows, only US. Totally unnecessary for WML....and anyway, the guffawing guy laughs in the wrong places when nothing's funny!

There were some audience members who were fans and at every show if they were not sick. Merv Griffin had one such, a Mrs. Something or other who even attended a lot of Carol Burnett Shows and other programs where the hosts would acknowledge her and often even chat a bit with her - all on air. The tickets were FREE.

​​@@El_Ophelia People were coming every week and they were regulars attendees, I was part of that audience 😊

@@robertjean5782 That's cool that you got to be a part of the audience!

+Michael Maloney - i noticed that too, he seemed thrilled with the new rule, it probably made his job easier. at @ 16:52 he makes the rare joke and dorothy says he's "getting absolutely unbearable."

John was probably pushing the producers to change the rules for a long time prior to this.

+tomitstube He was really getting down to hairsplitting on this episode, trying to put words in the panelists mouth and twist their question so it would get a no. Arlene raised her objection before Dorothy did.

It was spring

She was awarded a lifetime standing in the best dressed hall of fame.

I’ve wondered if she had some sort of arrangement with jewelry and/or clothing suppliers. That could explain the variety she wore but I don’t have any proof of any such relationship. Surely a retailer loaning their products for the show would ask for some sort of recognition being made, say, in the show’s credits. Or, maybe she just had a lot of jewelry. 🤷‍♀️

​@@WBCRODorothy was a investigative reporter for years, and other jobs. She was well off😊

I was thinking that the last contestant has resemblance to Betty White

The panelists trying to outsmart the host added to the hilarity imo and worked against them as often as it helped. LOL.

@@rharvey2124 True.

Kinda...

It's the dimples. :)

I find that the non-Parliamentarian Brits do quite well, too.

@@frereM You’re right, and quite astute. The Cavaliers have always been far more polite than the Roundheads.

That's okay, someone else is a founding member of the Space Farce.

It was well known she was miss!😊

@Jon Boy so reassured that some of the young recognize true wit, etiquette and light entertainment.

@@JDAbelRN Some of us certainly do! I absolutely love this programme.

I won’t watch the new crap. The Idiot Box has become the Indoctrination Box, so many lost souls 😢

Im a millenial. We still witnessed class during the 80's and 90's

@@bambi274 If you believe that than your definition of class is so very different than older peoples

Nope, not the CBS version.

He was 61 - sad that he didn't reach his 'three score years and ten'.

That atomic submarine was big news in the papers that week.

​@@drakea.5816Exactly, and it was bigger news when it sank with all hands!!😢

@@robertjean5782 Terrible to hear that. I didn't know. 😥

She picked up on the previous questioning when they were talking about the contestant traveling for her job. The audience laughter about "traveling for her job" clearly indicates to a perceptive person - and Arlene was certainly one - that the traveling may be unusual. Very logical progression actually.

​@@waldolydecker8118Arlene had interviewed her brothers on another show😊

Arlene interviewed her brothers last week.😊