What's My Line? - Bennett hosts! Henry J. Kaiser; Julie London; Ernie Kovacs [panel] (Sep 29, 1957) 

No replacement was ever as good as John Daly. He is witty, super intelligent, personable, and his explanations, verbose as they may be, are spot on, impeccably phrased, and he knows how to keep the show moving along. In my opinion the best moderator ever to grace TV.

I love Bennett as a panelist. He’s always very polite and professional, and he seems to really enjoy the contestants and the game. I never before realized how much influence John Daly had on the show. Bennett did a good job for it being his first time but he’s obviously nervous.

Great line from Cerf: Daly is in Greece this week. I don't know why he went to Greece when he speaks to us in Greek all the time!

Okay, so, Bennett humbly admits he's nervous at the beginning of episode. He later would decide not moderate ever again. While John Daly had charisma & was superb of all moderators throughout TV history, Bennett did a pretty decent job. It couldn't have been easy to go from panelist to host. Love this show & love this channel! This is the best, most reliable, & trusted channel. :-)

In spite of having several years of experience on the show you can tell Bennett is very uncomfortable as the host. I think he found out it's harder than it looks. Just shows what a fantastic job John Daly did. While most probably considered the celebrity panelists the star of the show I don't think it would have been nearly as good had he not been the host. He made it look easy and really pulled the show together. He was truly "the straw that stirred the drink". BTW, I thought Arlene looked exceptionally elegant this evening.

"Are you....and this is only a wild guess.....are you Abraham Lincoln?" Ernie was not for everybody, but even his detractors must admit that this was a great line!

The beautiful and sultry voiced Miss Julie London..Who I believe even to this day holds the record for the most beautiful record album covers and backs ever released..Not to mention her wonderful, deep smoky voice..

Amazing some of the jobs these guests had years ago! So many of them would be out of work in today's environment! Sells plastic toothpicks! WOW! Can't imagine being able to make a living doing that! Love the show!

I like Bennett. He was quick and to the point. You did great Bennett.

Poor Bennett with the blindfolds, he's like a substitute teacher trying to gain control of the class!

I watched the show to the end. As much as I love Mr. Cerf...(who has a great smile) He is truly better on the panel than a host. But he did a good job for his first. You could hear how nerves he was. He is still the best.

WHAT’S MY LINE has made me a huge Julie London fan! She is fab! Love all of her appearances….. ❤️

I think Bennett was ok as moderator. Could have been a lot worse. Taking over from someone like John Daly is an impossible task and he was bound to be nervous. When your used to someone for so long it's difficult to comprehend anyone else doing the job.

Henry J. Kaiser...totally helped to win WW2 cranking out ships...

I must've been too young to appreciate Julie London's beauty when I saw her on tv now and then in the sixties; my God, she's beautiful.

The first thing I noticed about Bennett hosting was that he dropped the formal mr. and miss when referring to the panel.

Cesar Romero shows a brilliant smile when the contestants' lines are revealed, so he was doing his best to fill Bennett's place on the panel in that respect. Still, I don't think anyone ever beat Bennett in the generous grin he gave at the end of a round, whether the panel won or lost. His obvious joy in a well-played game was infectious to the audience, as well as being evidence of good sportsmanship and good humor. I miss that grin on every episode in which Bennett is away.

Mr. Cerf did a good job filling in for Mr. Daly :)

Henry J. Kaiser was vital to us winning WWII, also he invented the modern health care plan with his Kaiser Permanente which grew from a ten bed hospital for employees to a national phenomena.

This country needs more Henry J. Kaisers.

After looking up Henry J Kaiser, I learned that he owned over 100 major companies in addition to his other intetests. He fell in love with Hawaii and died there a few years after this appearance. He was a phenomenon!

You have to give Bennett Cerf credit where it's due. With John Daly out of town, who would keep the boat afloat? I don't think I'd have looked to anybody else, though of course, Bennett was no John Daly, but he was Bennett Cerf, he had to be himself. In my honest opinion, he did a decent job so I do give him credit for giving it a go. I know and understand that it wasn't easy, but it was still a good effort.

Great job, Bennett!

A couple decades later, Julie London and her husband Bobby Troup would co-star in the TV series "Emergency".

Julie London: most unguessed mystery guest ever.

Are you Abraham Lincoln? Greatest question in game show history. Ernie knew a lot about cars. He knew it was Henry Kaiser. His question about Ogden Nash just shows how far ahead of the times his humor was.

Wonderful show with unexpected and challenging guests. Very fun guests! Julie did a great job of disguising her voice! Her dress was amazing! Kudos to the designer 🥰

John Daly made it look so easy even from day one. It is not easy to keep the pace just right, to know how to cut off something diplomatically when it is going too long, and to do all those explanations without giving away too much or too little. Bennett is OK for a one shot guest appearance, but I too think that Arlene Francis might have been a better choice. She had experience moderating game shows. In fact, I recently discovered a RU-vid clip with her guest hosting the old Bill Cullen 'Price is Right.' I suspect Bennett Cerf did not quite understand the appeal of Ernie Kovacs -- It shows in flashes in this episode.

"Can you fold this product?", that's Ernie's trademark question in almost every episode. :) 4:40

Such lovely, talented, and classy people. What a teriffic show.

Very nice to see Julie London. I would enjoy her as a toddler on Emergency in the early 1970s.

I refuse to say anything negative about Bennett's stint as moderator here. No one could possibly have replaced John Daly. Bennett certainly knew that -- better than anyone perhaps.

THAT was a fun fantastic show! Seeing Bennett fill in for John Daly was a real surprise as Nd a treat for me, I Loved it. And And Mr. Kovacs and Mr. Romero on the panel with the 2 best woman, so cool!

Besides Bennett Cerf being host, another historic moment was Dorothy having to be reminded that the camera was on her and to ask a question.

I remember Henry J. Kaiser for two things: Kaiser Aluminum and Steel, and for having founded Kaiser Permanente, the HMO that follows a similar model to the Mayo Health System. He originally organized Kaiser Permanente to provide health services for his employees. I also seem to remember a defunct make of automobile called the Kaiser-Frazer which went the way of the Studebaker. It seemed the panel had forgotten that car. They stopped making passenger cars in 1955 and eventually made the Jeep brand of utility vehicles, which eventually became part of American Motors in 1963.

i never knew who arlene francis was til i watched this on youtube. she is such a peach and i am under 50

Yes, Miss Kalgallen, a toothpick definitely improves the appearance, especially if you have a piece of spinach caught between any of your incisors!

For once I was able to mouth read what Arlene said to Bennett when the toothpick contestant gave the panelist a souvenir and she jokingly said "I always wanted one!" to that degree. = ) (I been watching the heck out of these episodes lately. I can't stop! it's too addicting.)

Imagine if Henry J had walked along the panel handing out free samples as the toothpick man did. He'd have been the most popular industrialist in the US.

"It's Mr. Volks Vagon."

Job well done, Bennett!

That's three times that Julie London stumped the panel as mystery guest!

My late mother taught me to always call my elders "Mr, Mrs, Miss or Dr." It's obvious that Bennett Cerf was older than everyone on the panel because he called each panelist by his or her first name instead of his or her last name. Bennett Cerf was born in 1898. Each panelist was born in the 20th century.

I remember julie London from TV show emergency!

Bennett was OK but he gave far too many hints and the panel still couldn't get any of the contestants right. I always liked Ernie Kovacs, but he was sort of a pain on this show. I agree with ToddSF, no one could replace John Daly as moderator.

Strange to hear Bennett call the panelists by their first names after always hearing them addressed formally (Mr. Cerf, Miss Francis, etc.)

watching this show gives you +1 in Class.

Always shocked to see all the anti Ernie Kovacs comments on these shows, the man was a comic genius and a charming delight even if he was slumming here. And God bless the beautiful and talented Julie London too!

It just shows how hard the job of moderator is,,, Bennett done a fine job

It was nice to see Julie London, I first became aware of her as Dixie the nurse on the TV show Emergency, there is a back story to it.

Wow I didn't know you could ever say the Joker was once a panelist on What's My Line.

Although somewhat stilted, being naturally out of his prevue as a panelist, I thought Mr. Cerf did an admirable job as moderator of WML?. Retaining his sense of humor and familiarity with the regular panelists may have given him some ease in his performance.

Oh Caesar Romero ! Super Star !

I wonder, during the entirety of WML, has John Daly ever been asked to be a panelist. It’s so interesting to see these stars trade positions and how that has an overall effect on the show itself.

Too bad Arlene never moderated. Pretty certain she'd do at least as well as Bennett and probably with more grace. I imagine in 1957 that just wasn't in the cards.

Well done Bennett - I wonder why it is that this show seems so fresh and alive so many years later?

Dorothy got to be a mystery guest. Bennett was a host. Shame Arlene never appeared on the other side of the panel.

I have been binge watching these for the past three days. They keep me from getting bored when I'm painting (which can get tiresome after a while)

I'm looking forward to seeing the first few October 1957 episodes to see if the panelists, especially Bennett, show John Daly greater appreciation upon his return. On the 9/22/57 episode, Daly mentions that he was looking forward to watching the kinescope of this episode with Bennett as host. Once he finished watching, I wonder if he and his agent marched over to the Goodson-Todman offices to renegotiate Daly's contract.

chilling how kovacs died then his daughter 20 or so years later. sad

It's a shame Dorothy & Arlene didn't get a chance to guest host as well.

As someone that grew up in the 70s the only thing I know of Ms London was her role as Dixie on the 📺 series Emergency

I have just noticed that Bennett was doing a lot of reading off the script in front of him. You’d think that he would have had it memorized since hearing it every week before hand.

CBS should have brought in the "What's My Line" host from the UK, Eamonn Andrews.

Back when a "Millionaire" really meant something!!!

@9:01: Bennett lost track of this "no" and didn't flip the card or move to the next panelist.

Wow, Ernie Kovas was 50+ years ahead of his time-he referred to Florence Foster Jenkins in this episode. . ;-)

i watched three of these with ms london and she stumped them all three times

Dixie of Emergency 51. Loved her in that show.

In the early 1960's I worked at the newly-opened Kaiser Center on Lake Merritt in Oakland ca. I was surprised to learn of Mr Kaiser that his favorite color was PINK. Also, my father in his lifetime owned two Kaiser cars, one a pickup in early 1940's and sedan in 1950's, which is still in the family.

It looked like Cerf took a step to the left as if he was going to the panel chair. Lol

Was this the only time John wasn't there to moderate? I hadn't realised how big his presence on this show was until he wasn't here. It's so strange.

Not only Bennett was a wonderful panelist, he made a great host too, John was probably proud hehe

Dorothy at 7:07. Very funny! Even if she was mortified!

Seeing Cesar Romero prior to his role as the Joker in colour is pretty interesting to me.

The panelists behaved like kids with a substitute teacher, muttering to each other and spacing out throughout the program. Bennett said in his taped recollections of the show that John cracked the whip, and this is proof, if ever it were needed.

I did notice that Bennett Cerf did the same thing as John Daily and throw in all the cards when time got a little long with one guest. I wonder if this was more of a producer decision so that they would have time for the mystery guest.

Dorothy is lost in thought. :) 7:03

Henry J. Kaiser was a real hero his work during WWII helped win the war - and Bennett was charming in his own way

Gotta love Dorothy!

Kinescope!!! Another word that so many people have never heard! I’m old enough to know what that means and thank heavens it existed or we wouldn’t be able to watch these wonderful old shows! I wish it had been used for so many other shows that we only can remember in our minds!

Dorothy asked if Miss London was known for dramatic film roles, as apposed to musical comedies. Julie L did not hear what she said, but Bennett immediately said, "No!" - which of course was incorrect. Surprised Dorothy did not question this, afterwards - unless of course her dig at the end about Bennett not being kind to them - was in retaliation for being given a negative to what should have been an affirmative...

Just watched an episode of Hawaii 5-0 and it was filmed on Kaiser estate...which led me to research his name..instrumental in us winning the war in the Pacific. Great man with vision

Bennett wasn't completely terrible as the "panel moderator". But his skills and personality were much better suited for being a regular panelist, and I like him very much in that role. John Daly was simply an impossible act to follow as the moderator -- nobody could possibly have done it the way he did, and the way he did it was simply topnotch and utterly inimitable. The three other occasions a substitute moderator appeared featured Eamonn Andrews and Clifton Fadiman. Mr. Fadiman had hosted the quiz show "Information Please!" on the radio and, briefly, on television and while his hosting skills were right for a quiz show, WML had quite different requirements and his style wasn't the best for WML. Eamonn Andrews, of course, hosted the British version of WML for the BBC, so he at least knew what he was doing in every way and managed to pull it off, but what worked in the U.K. didn't work nerly as well in the U.S. -- and, again, John Daly set a standard for the original U.S. version of WML that couldn't be equaled. I suspect that WML remained on the air for 17 seasons largely because Mr. Daly was such a great moderator. He and the regular panelists kept things entertaining. I watch these episodes of WML mostly because they're so entertaining -- arriving at the occupation of any given contestant or the identity of the mystery guest is part of the fun, but it's the process of getting there (or not getting there) that keeps me watching. The fun of that process largely involves the personalities of the moderator, the panelists, and the contestants or mystery guests. (Of course, nowadays, there's also the nostalgia factor!)

Julie London was a absolute stunner. The bygone years when women were real women and showed it.

7:05 Dorothy is adorable.

Dorothy the reporter who knew too much. Rip

Arlene & Dorothy must have owned hundreds of dresses.

Thank you Mr. John Daly. Thank you for your flirtatious, in a gentlemanly fashion, behaviors, for your slight bow with introductions, and your Circumlocution! You tickled my brain. So delightful to watch. So handsome. 😘

So that's what Cesar Romero looks without paint on his face!

I'm glad most of these comments about Bennet were positive. I can't BELIEVE there were a few that said he was awful. He surprised me VERY MUCH!! ! Why in the world would John not have him back in his absence. He was REALLY good!!

Wouldn't you guys love to live in the 1950s for a few days, as in "Back to the future"? It's remarkable how every recent time travel story it's about the 50s..I guess it's subconsciously associated with a happy period in history...No 30s Depressions, 40s World War, 60s-70s upheaval...Just a (perceived) innocent, peaceful, colorful time.

Yay, Ernie K!!

On this date, National League baseball left New York City until April 1962 when the Mets began play. The Giants had been on the road since September 8 when the beat the Dodgers in the last game in NYC between the two teams until Saturday September 28. They lost their last two home games to Pittsburgh, 1-0 and then 9-1. Because the Mets called the Polo Grounds home for two seasons, there were no major league lasts for the ballpark at this time. The Giants finished the season in sixth place with a mediocre 69-85 record. The Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field on Tuesday, September 24. They beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0, behind a 5-hit shutout by Danny McDevitt. The Dodgers scored a run in the first, driven in by Elmer Valo's double that drove home Jim Gilliam. The Dodgers scored their final run at Ebbets Field in the third inning when Gil Hodges singled home Gino Cimoli. Hodges started at third base that day, the same position he played in his first major league game in 1943. Don Zimmer, playing shortstop that day, got the last hit at Ebbets Field with a 7th inning single. (Duke Snider hit the final home run at Ebbets Field on Sunday, September 22.) The Dodgers finished their 1957 season in Philadelphia on this day, losing to the Phillies 2-1. Hodges drove in the final run for the Brooklyn Dodgers with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Gilliam's single in the fifth inning was the last hit by a Brooklyn Dodger. Sandy Koufax pitched the final inning in Brooklyn Dodgers history, walking two batters but surrendering no hits and no runs. He struck out Willie Jones as the final batter faced by a Brooklyn Dodger pitcher. Bob Kennedy was the last Brooklyn Dodger to bat, flying out to Richie Ashburn in center field. It was also Kennedy's last at bat in the major leagues. The Phillies won the game in the sixth inning on a double by Ashburn and a home run by Ed Bouchee off of Roger Craig. All three players were on the 1962 Mets in the first season that the National League returned to New York City. Hodges was also a member of the 1962 Mets, as was Zimmer. Koufax pitched a no-hitter against the Mets in 1962, his first of four no-hitters. The Dodgers finished the season in third place with an 84-70 record, 10 games behind the Milwaukee Braves. It was their worst finish since 1948. They would fall to seventh place in their first year in California while the Giants (bolstered by rookies Orlando Cepeda, Jim Davenport, Willie Kirkland, Bob Schmidt, Leon Wagner and Felipe Alou) climbed to third place. But the Los Angeles Dodgers rebounded to win the World Series in 1959, bringing a World Championship to California in their second season there.

Loved the question relating to Abraham Lincoln.

What a combo! Ernie Kovacs and, as Gil Fates put it in his book, "beamish industralist Henry J. Kaiser." This is just about the most famous bit Kovacs did on WML, and unscripted all the way. Brilliant man Kovacs; G-T auditioned him for 10 weeks and offered him the 2nd panel chair. I am not quite convinced his humor was right for the program.

Brings in many memories

Bennet... didn't seem to have prepared this good enough.. surpriced how uncomfortable he seemed. Got through it sort of ok though. Never ever seen the mystery guest being stopped by the clock!! Julie London was epicly gorgeous.. wow

Cesar Romero was a good panelist but he was even better and more funnier as the MG when he used the voice of a seal. :)

15:50 Ernie Kovacs totally cracked me up!!!!What a card!!!!!!