What's My Line? - Fred MacMurray (Mar 15, 1953) 

I agree. Fun, entertaining, and it always makes me smile.

He's very sharp. These were the days before Teflon

It is impressive, though he does have the advantage that as he already knows what the person's line is, he knows what answers were close calls or careful evasions, so they would stick in his head better than they would in the head of a panelist whose mind is busy ruminating on the possibilities.

No question; Mr. Daly really knows what to say, though he wastes a lot of time trying to say it.

John Daly was a great newscaster, or journalist....

​@@laurahoward5426He was a war correspondent, a White House journalist during the FDR administration and one of the first to report the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was definitely a talented journalist and not just a game host

You're very welcome-- I'm glad you're finally able to catch up on the shows. :)

So you finally moved out of your parents house at 66

I am just a couple of years younger....same story for me.

@@TheBigMclargehuge until they were on RU-vid, it could be difficult to watch. I never had GSN, let alone watching the first run.

@@TheBigMclargehuge Very funny!

He was iconic in Hollywood film "Flubber" and "Son of Flubber" and as "The Absent Minded Professor," feigning to be a bumbler.

He was great in those early films that put him in the map as a dramatic actor especially double indemnity which made him a heavy.

@@gardensofthegods my favorite Noir film of all time. Not to be missed.

@@JDAbelRN yes , great film , I can't believe how many people have never seen it .

Opening music to Double Indemnity is so haunting

He was really good playing a widower with 3 sons in "My Three Sons." That was a great show. I have the first season on DVD.

He was great in The Absent Minded Professor movies too. After seeing that movie, we went to the store & got a pkg. of Flubber as soon as it was made available. *and yes, we put some on the bottom of our shoes to see if we would bounce real high too (we were young kids); we didn't bounce, but the Flubber itself did indeed bounce high.

I agree that the contestants walking behind john Daly as they left was an awkward part of the early shows. Walking in front of the panel was equally awkward. The first couple of shows with Untermeyer and Hoffman was a bit boorish. Examples: do a rumba step, bend over and touch your toes, walk and balance a book on your head. I think the show had difficulty finding its place because of the newness of panel shows and the competition of the other game shows. I'm happy to see that it finally found its footing. As a child I loved watching everything about it from the introductions to the "goodnights". I try to imagine what it might be like to resurrect the show today. I'm happy it hasn't been redone. I don't think it could do it justice judging by the brief summer episodes of totell the truth and match game in last few years. It was of its time and best to be left in its time capsule.

Difficult to imagine just WHO came up that ‘walk of shame.?’

Sad to read that... but I guess this WML channel is mostly a treasure for the children or grandchildren of the contestants, it's sad that these people didn't probably even watch themselves on TV as there was no VCR at the time, those were the days where fun was declined in the present tense and you couldn't keep a trace of it... so we've got to be thankful to have the Internet and RU-vid to resurrect these old programs and to 'somewhat' resurrect the people who participated in.

V. Mickey Aww how cool! How lovely and pretty she was!

She looked like a lovely and sweet girl--something about her smile reminds me of the young Judy Garland.

She seemed like a lovely midwestern girl from America's greatest generation.

What a beautiful and charming contestant she was! It's a shame she never had a chance to see this, but it is such a wonderful time-capsule for you and your family. God Bless!

Both singing and playing an instrument were mentioned briefly, but Steve Allen guessed correctly so quickly that they never had a chance to go into great detail.

Interesting do you know what the name of his Ranch was or is

Fred sang and played the saxophone in the Broadway production of "Roberta" (1933-34), by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach.

@@gardensofthegods Just do a search for "MacMurray Estate Vineyards." Once you get to their website, look under their Legacy tab for a brief mention of Fred.

I have the first season of "My Three Sons" starring Fred MacMurray. In the introduction of each episode, someone is playing the saxophone 🎷. I really liked how they have a drawing of the legs and feet of the 3 sons with the 2 older boys tapping their feet to the music. I don't know if Fred MacMurray is playing the saxophone 🎷 then or not.

Chad Quick - I agree! This is the Dream Team.

Chad Quick - I agree.

I agree!

I miss Fred Allen. This episode is before he died but I also like Steve Allen

They're pretty good, but Fred is still better than Steve.

I have the first season of "My Three Sons" on dvds. That show debuted on September 29, 1960. Stanley Livingston, who played Chip Douglas was 7 years old and his brother Barry Livingston was 5 years old. Stanley Livingston appeared in two episodes of "Ozzie and Harriet." He played one of several boys who went over to the Nelsons's home to watch a "famous" cowboy perform on TV. Of course, the cowboy wasn't really famous. Stanley was pretty good as a child blonde 👱‍♂️ actor.

I think Stanley Livingston was an excellent child actor in his early my three sons episodes. He seemed to have lost naturalness as he became a preteen/teenager and older.

Chisenbop! As a child of the '70s, I definitely remember being fascinated by all those news stories about kids who could do rapid mental math using just their fingers. Never knew the origins until I read your comment.

soulierinvestments Great film put him on the map as a serious and great actor

@@gardensofthegods Also, the heavy in Caine Mutiny and of course the sleazy boss in The Apartment. But he loved working for Disney when he was older and had the most fun being funny and lovable.

@@poetcomic1 His "absent minded professor" man-next-door exploratory-scientist character broke the mold.

Agreed. He was adept at both drama and comedy. Loved his performance in "The Caine Mutiny".

yes I love this actor, I am French so I cannot really measure if he was underrated or not in the USA , but he is great , for me he is a kind or "ideal man "

Trivia bit: In 1939, artist C. C. Beck used MacMurray as the initial model for the superhero character who became Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel.[15]

@@echoecho3108 Very interesting! Who would have known. Thank you.

@@purrrfect6032 😊👍

Also, the cartoon inventor Clyde Crashcup on THE ALVIN SHOW was a vocal imitation of the Carp character.

Chris Barat I had to look that up, as I'd never watched The Alvin Show, but I think you're right. The Professor Crashcup character does seem to be an imitation of Haydn doing Edwin Carp.

+ghshinn I remember that episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show. If I recall, Rob had the idea of bringing to the Alan Brady Show a lot of the old time radio performers who had once been stars but were no longer in the limelight because of television. And the show did give the spotlight to Arlene Harris and Bert Gordon (radio's "The Mad Russian") in addition to Haydn. It was a heartwarming episode on a great show. ("The Return of Edwin Carp": season 3, episode 27)

Great knowledge!

He didn’t play Detweiller in “the sound of music.” That was Ben Wright. He played Uncle Max.

And Collette was best known for getting her 'Bell' rung. ;-)

Yes but also “My Three Sons”

@@m.e.d.7997 Not at that time. My Three Sons started in 1960.

Purple Capricorn - I like the two of them in the Gilded Lily from 1935. :)

@@robertcarran9585 I have "The Egg and I" on a DVD. That movie also introduced "Ma and Pa Kettle" and their 15 children. I have all 10 "Ma and Pa Kettle" movies on dvds. That movie "The Egg and I" was a great movie!!

Amazing how he guessed that with nothing but "do you still have most of your dark hair?" Unbelievable

@@katydid1955 He had more information than that. You obviously weren't paying attention.

@Jonathan C. He put together the clues from the other panelists.

I think Steve may have picked up something from Fred's voice, which stood out a bit, in the first question or two. Some of the celebrities have given themselves away (in this regard) during the show's run.

I knew that-- but only because he showed off his saxophone skills on an early Jack Benny television show!

"My Three Sons" did have that sax-based theme song. Sax-based.

soulierinvestments Lawrence Welk had a semi-hit with the theme.

Made some greats.

He made some great ones with Billy Wilder. Double Indemnity, The Apartment..

And "The Absent Minded Professor" and sequel "Son of Flubber" are fun, too. Especially the ending of the former: the army is going to shoot down Fred in his flying Model T Ford near the Capital Dome. An assistant warns the General that congress is in session, so he pauses in his countdown, for two seconds, and then resumes. The thing that finally stops him from demolishing the building is the fact that it's just been given a new paint job.

Mark Jacobs - I particularly enjoyed his performance in The Gilded Lily with Claudette Colbert in 1935. :)

He made a ton of Disney movies!!

Joe Postove - I thought that also.

While Arlene got more attractive.

Bennett and John had a lot more hair here than in the ‘60s.

Who was your grandmother? So we are related.

There was one young lady by facial expression was not happy with his comment and I thought so too. But on the whole I think he was charming.

For several weeks they had both Steve Allen and Hal Block on the same panel and SA contributed so many more laughs and fit in well with the panel. Seemed a no-brainer to not renew Blocks contract.

The downvotes on these videos are basically meaningless. 99% of the time, they're left by people who are angry at me personally because they don't like the way I moderate the comments. I try to ignore it!

+What's My Line? In hindsight, I figured there might be something personal about the dislikes, as WML is a very likable show with nothing that might generate dislikes on its own merits. In fact, I always apply a "like" to each episode; they're so much fun to watch.

J Dano I really appreciate that-- clicking thumbs up helps a lot with the search rankings, as does leaving comments!

The surest way to attract dislikes on a youtube video that has none, is to mention how the video has no dislikes.

In some later episodes, I've seen comments in which people said they clicked "dislike" because they were offended by the occupation of one of the contestants. For example, big game hunting, raising minks, and jumping into water with a horse.

How did they handle rewrites or changes ?

She was left handed both I and my brother are left handed as are my two children and one grandchild.

As a left handed person myself, it was always difficult for me to write on a chalkboard. While trying to glide the chalk it would always get stuck on the board. It glides better using the right hand.

I disagree. I like her dark hair much better. Same with Dorothy.

This show had several left-handed contestants.

1950's didn't have color back then. Delux invented color in the 1960's

@z yeah I feel that but I want to see their clothing. We have entirely different dyes now. The colors they wore will never exist again and even if you get the clothing they've probably faded over the years.

@@stanmaxkolbe Wrong. They did have color in the 1950s, but it was extremely expensive to produce. It's also extremely expensive for people making these videos and other videos to upload them in color.

@@stanmaxkolbe The United States first broadcast color in 1950.

You can easily take a screen-shot and have the image colorized in seconds.

Yes, I once heard Shirley MacLaine say that Fred MacMurray (whom she worked with on "The Apartment") still had the first dollar he ever earned. According to Shirley he came onto the set (everyday) with a brown-bagged lunch from home. In any event, Mr. MacMurray was certainly a fine actor - cheers to his memory!

well, also not having to deal with Benett's obvious loathing of Block made things easier too. Cerf went on vacation for Block's final few episodes, only returning when Block was gone for good. (Edited because autocorrect changes stuff it shouldn't!)

@@nanaberry4120 - I liked Cerf and he was great ,but he was also somewhat of a snobby prude

I don't know that Hal Block was missed by anyone. He was crude and boorish, today he would have had harassment lawsuits.

The 15th anniversary show is coming up on Sunday, Nov 9th-- with original commercials!

When Steve Allen says "I think she's a doll", he uses one of Hal Block's old phrases.

***** It makes sense that Block's name was mentioned on-camera very few times after his departure and then only regarding telegrams he sent that congratulated his former colleagues on the show's various anniversaries. Gil Fates said in his book that the increasing gap between the show's sophistication and Block's vulgar sense of humor had been the reason Goodson instructed Fates to fire him. Fates told only part of the truth, according to a 1987 video interview with Franklin Heller that you must visit Beverly Hills to watch. Anyone can visit the Paley Center for Media for free. RU-vid never will give you the Heller interview. The most important reason for Block's firing is that Fates caught Block using the assistance of his sister, who was seated toward the front of the studio audience, to cheat during a segment with a jazz drummer named Mildred Landwehr from Trenton, New Jersey. Block's sister pantomimed playing the drums while Fates, who stood on the side of the proscenium arch stage, looked at her without her awareness. The audience clapped when Block "guessed" the contestant's line. Evidently, he was a great actor. Watch the kinescope from February 8, 1953. Or you can click below to read comments by tv.com bloggers who have seen the relevant kinescope but have not watched the color videocassette of Franklin Heller talking in 1987. www.tv.com/shows/whats-my-line/episode-141-93121/

Janine Gaston I just went back and watched that Feb. 8, 1953 segment, to which you referred ( What's My Line? - Jack Benny (Feb 8, 1953)). The Mildred Landwehr segment begins around 8:40 of that episode. If Hal Block's sister in fact tried to pantomime a hint to her brother, and if he saw her do it, he very clearly made a deliberate decision not to use her clue. He only got "drummer" after calling for a conference and getting the suggestion from Dorothy, who had used logic to deduce it.

Janine Gaston After I wrote the above comment I checked out your link to the comments on TV.com regarding the Feb.8, 1953 episode. In fact, those comments completely debunk Heller's assertion of Block's cheating on that episode. My impression is that those commenting on that TV.com page have watched or are at least familiar with the content of Heller's interview, but based on what they have seen for themselves on the episode, they don't believe him. I agree with them.

This was one month after Christine Jorgensen's sex-change operation had come into the public eye. She was the first American known to have such surgery.

+corner moose Actually about three months after. Her story hit the front page of the New York Daily News on Dec. 1, 1952. However, she didn't return to the U.S. and the NYC area where she was born and raised until a month before this program aired. Quite frankly, I found Bennett's remark far more distasteful than anything Hal Block ever said or did. People should never be treated as a joke simply because of their identity.

Many of the previous episodes they remain seated.

I'm sure these bits were part of the original airings, no question there. These shows aired live and were never intended to be rerun. There's no conceivable reason why anyone would have tampered with the films after the shows aired to insert a promo for the following week's program. :) As for why they reused the same photo, I assume they figured no one was going to remember a picture flashed on the screen for a few seconds at the end of a show by the time the next one aired a full week later.

Thanks. I was just wondering if the official taped versions on file contained a "ringer" (a placeholder -- a stock face like the one I've mentioned, I've also seen a couple of the same female faces used more than once), which would be replaced when the show actually aired.

perpieta Not sure what you mean by "official taped versions on file". . . the kinescopes of WML are literally films created by pointing a film camera at a monitor in the studio as the shows went out live. It's an exact record (in poor quality) of what went out on the air, live, that night. They did reuse the photos for these fake preview teasers for the next show, as you noticed, but John was speaking the words, live, in each of the programs where the photos were reused.

Thanks. That's what I was wondering--if ringer photos were used for "the shows [that] went out on the air, live, that night."

I think it might be because actors would go on the few shows that existed back then to promote something like a movie or stage show. They probably saw or heard them on another show promoting something.

Joe Postove The info I've found indicates that the 1952-53 radio series was also live, broadcast on Wednesdays. It may have gone to transcription later in the run, but started out live.

Thanks! Do you know if it was sponsored?

What's My Line? Here's a radio show from David Von Pein's Old-Time Radio Channel. It was transcribed. Was the radio show on NBC at any time? WHAT'S MY LINE? (1953 RADIO EPISODE)

Sometimes it got a bit risque, for the 1950's. Thus the late air time.

Only because John labored under the misconception that animal=mammal.

Oh.

If you think that a bird is different than a plant or a mineral, then I guess a bird is an animal. It is like the first very broad classification. It's like someone trying to figure me out asking first off if I am carbon-based form.

+What's My Line? Also, the challenger initially responded "no" when questioned if it had to do with animals. So the person who built chicken coops was under the same misconception. And the lack of science knowledge has been discussed on many prior episodes.

The last ten years? He also starred in Double Indemnity 1944 and that was a hit.

Let me quote something about Fred MacMurray from my favorite book about TV: "Forbidden Channels. The Truth They Hide from TV Guide" by Penny Stallings. 1991 "The producers of that show [My Three Sons] had originally wanted to call it "The Fred MacMurray Show", but its namesake objected - seeing as how "if your name is on a show, you have to be on it all the time." And MacMurray didn't want to be on the show all the time. He barely wanted to be on it any of the time. He did, however, want the full-time rewards of weekly prime time stardom so he got the show's producers to agree to certain concessions. The "My Three Sons" scripts were written well in advance so MacMurray could shoot all his scenes for that year in sixty-five days. That meant that every scene from every script that took place in, say, the upstairs hallway was shot in an afternoon, out of sequence, one after the other - so they could then be inserted into various episodes. All MacMurray had to do was change his cardigan and (maybe) his expression."

CC-Tron That's what I meant, just about 10 years since "Double Indemnity" in 1944, with only "The Egg And I" as a notable hit, 1947. He continued to work in starring roles, so maybe these films made money. But none were memorable.

Johan Bengtsson Did Fred MacMurray ever change his expression? Maybe from befuddled amusement to slightly befuddled unamusement? He was not known for his range but I liked him.

Joe Postove Yes me too. He seemed like a decent guy. I have only seen one of his movies, The Swarm, maybe not one of his best...

Minimum wage in 1953 was $0.75, which would add up to $30.00 a week. So fifty dollars would be considered a nice little extra. And in those days minimum wage was enough to actually live on. You couldn't live well, but you could support a family.

And of course, a fine assortment parting gifts of Stopette products.

Agreed. Bennet Cerf is was more pervy than Hal ever was. He constantly makes suggestive comments about Arlene during the intros, which I am sure his wife must have enjoyed hearing him fawning over her every week🙄

Please don't be so silly

Wrong again later

Not only are humans animals, we are great apes.