3 things I really admire about the panelists; one is their intelligence two, the clean humor, and 3 just the level of good manners among them. Thank you, for these shows.
The panelists should have been blindfolded for Patty Berg. Bennett Cerf recognized her by sight, Dorothy and Fred recognized her as a golf champion from the start even though they couldn't remember her name. The panelists probably knew her better than they knew Gary Crosby. If WML was on today, they would surely recognize Lydia Ko or Michelle Wie if they were challengers.
And on the very next day after this program aired, I made my television debut. On January 9, 1956, my fourth birthday, I appeared on a local television show called Parlor Party. The host, Bill Stulla (also known as Engineer Bill on another program) asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I answered "A man." Very much off-topic, but the date really caught my eye.
+corner moose Ah, a Los Angelo (to quote a great song by Billy Joel). Debut implies further appearances on television. True? Are you a potential MG should WML be revived again?
Patty Berg still holds the record for the most titles 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer.and there was a championship named after her The Patty Berg Classic was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1973 to 1980.
Dorothy looks pretty and exotic here. Love that dress! I was in basic at Ft. Dix! On Crosby, it's hard to just sing acapella on cue. I wonder why the panelists keep asking singers to do this.
To my knowledge, this is the only episode where Dorothy asks the mystery guest to perform. As the regular watchers know, it’s typically Arlene that asks. I’m guessing Dorothy felt she should in Arlene’s Adsense? FYI...I dearly loved Arlene Francis. However, I didn’t like that she continuously asked the special guest to perform. It often caused the mystery guest to suddenly feel uncomfortable.
Since I was confused by the Babe Didrikson Zaharias reference starting at 7:28, I looked her up to see what injury was going on in this period (I assumed it was sports-related). Depressingly, it was a recurrence of the colon cancer that eventually killed her.
Crosby's hatred for his father is plainly evident. ...Re: his siblings' disputation of Gary's claims about his father: I believe him, and here is why: siblings can grow up in the same house with the same parents, yet have completely different - even opposite - experiences. My mother, who was a physically strong woman, would punch me in the head so hard it changed the taste in my mouth, and made me see stars and lose time. From the time I was about ten years old until the end of my mother's life, she took every opportunity to tell me how much she hated me. But none of my siblings went through that. Consequently, they don't believe me when I tell them what I went through. ...She abused me because I did poorly in school. My siblings, for the most part, did better in school than I did, so they didn't get the same abuse. ...Decades later, it was discovered that I have multiple brain and metabolic disorders which make normal living very difficult for me. It also turns out that she probably contributed to the brain disorders with the punches to the head. My father was not much better, but at least he never hit me above the shoulders. ...So I have no problem believing Gary's claims because I know it is quite possible that his siblings didn't get the same treatment he did. Also, it is no coincidence that two of his children committed suicide. That cannot be coincidence.
The thing is that Gary himself later admitted that he lied and exaggerated in his book. That was on several occasions. For example in a 9 hour long interview with Gary Giddins or also during a conversation with his half sister Mary.
Garry Goldman. I am so sorry for what you suffered at the hands of your abusive mother. It is a shame no one protected you. I hope as you grew older you found counseling to help you heal from your abuse. God bless you !
So sorry that you suffered at the hands/fists of the people who were meant to have protected and nurtured you, my friend. Believe me, I know exactly how that feels. Bless you. Stay strong.... 🙏✨💗✨🙏
@15:07 "She looks too sweet to be an MP. How does she get anything done?" Umm Dorothy, you also work in (what I believe to be) a stressful environment that is dominated by men and you're freaking adorable. You've answered your own question.
@@jillgordon1003 I am alright thanks. Incase you might be wondering. My name is James and I'm originally from Denmark but I live in Massachusetts USA. Where are you from?
So much complaining in these comments. Get a better smart device so you can hear better. That is Fred Allen’s shtick, so deal with it. And the dollar value is like the points in whose line is it anyway, the points don’t matter. This show is epic and thank you RU-vidr for putting these on!
Have to turn speakers up to almost full blast to hear them and the CC was not working for some reason. Have to turn up speaker equilibrium to 85 from 50.
Weird pronunciation of Babe Didrikson Zaharias's married name, thanks to Bennett who introduced the mispronunciation and then John perpetuated it at the end of the show. Ms. Zaharias died later the same year as this episode, on September 27, 1956, at age 45. Mildred Ella Didrickson, nicknamed "Babe", had colon cancer in 1953 but recovered and made a comeback as a golfer in 1954. Her cancer recurred in 1955 and that's what they were referring to here.
In my travels, I visited the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center on the westbound I-10 Frontage Road in Beaumont, TX. In planning my trip driving from New Orleans to Houston, it was a must see for me as I had admired her for a long time once I learned about who she was. I was there in 1986. I assume it has even more to offer now. She was truly a superb all-around athlete, often considered the female version of Jim Thorpe. She won three medals in the 1932 Olympics, two golds (javelin and 80 m hurdles) and a controversial gold-silver when she tied for the best height in the high jump but was ruled to have used an improper technique. She could have won more medals but women were limited to competing in 3 events to protect us poor fragile things.
Bennett mispronounced everybody's names. For that matter, he didn't so much have an accent as a speech impediment. I've never heard anybody else talk like that. Ever.
I think his pronunciation of her last name might be related to his Jewish background. The way he pronounced it is similar to some names from the Hebrew scriptures, the Christian Old Testament. Zechariah , Zachariah, etc.
Poor Gary was a tortured soul as were his brothers. Growing up in an emotionally and physically abusive home will do that to you. It's too bad because he was a very good looking guy and had so much potential. You can see him flinch when the host says to him..."your father is such a lovable man...".....Bing may have been lovable in public...but at home....that was a different story. The face of the matter is that two of his brothers committed suicide and Gary himself was an alcoholic who died too young of lung cancer. So sad.
And yet people will continue to think that being raised in an abusive household is something folks can grow out of. It goes to show even when they enter adulthood, the damage is done and the seeds have been planted. Trying to live a normal life is like growing roses in a dandelion field. Always on the surface, people just see the sugar coating.
Please go to items on google - redemption of Bing Crosby. It might also be helpful to read both Kathryn's books and Bing's earlier book as well as listening and reading quotes from various friends and relatives who disputed some of his son's accusations in his book. There was also a great article by a gorgeous lady (who worked for Bing) which is well worth reading (Nelkane Benton - I hope I spelt that correctly). These are all well worth a look. Also look up the reasons why both of his son's committed suicide - long after Bing had passed, really nothing to do with their father.
Wodger Dog, again, Kathryn didn't know Bing during the years with his first family. She wouldn't know. She was 19 when she met him, he was 50. Those children from that marriage were lucky that Bing made the decision to change his ways, in large part because he knew he failed his first family. Again, neither Dennis nor Lindsay said that Gary's book was untrue; only Phillip did.
Whilst Kathryn wasn't around during his first marriage she did spend quite a bit of time with the four boys and their families over the years. She even cared for Gary through illness at her home. She would have been privy to the relationships between the four boys and their father as well as having access to information from other family members, long time friends and acquaintances of Bings, who would have been around during his first marriage as well as all of the correspondence between Gary and his father. You keep frustratingly pointing out that Kathryn wasn't around, as if her books were my only point of reference, which I must say they are not. Your point of reference seems to be one/two articles which you keep giving links to, and which I have read long ago. One of which actually points out that Bing had been a very good father to Linny which indeed ties into all of the nice things he said about his father over the years, including how much he missed him, and he didn't realise how much he would miss him.
That walk in front of the panel is so ridiculous and I’m glad they change the format. Also the fact that the regular, every day contestants exited behind John Charles Daly was undignified, especially in light of the fact that the celebrities shook hands with everybody.
Around 1950, a friend of mine was dating Gary Crosby during one summer at Lake Tahoe. They invited my own boyfriend and me on a double date. Gary had a fancy car, and we drove around in it, but that's all I remember. He wasn't much fun. I think he was about 17, and I was 16. Even back then, there were better things for teenagers to do than drive around aimlessly in a fancy car, especially at Lake Tahoe. I was hoping he would at least sing something, but he didn't. He rather lacked any sort of personality, I thought. He wasn't even egotistical or obnoxious. That would have at least been interesting.
Gary himself admitted that he was drunk most of the time when he wrote and that he made stuff up at the publishers behest to sell more copies, other brothers denied the extent to which Gary described the abuse, and Bing himself said he was too stern with the boys. Bing wasn’t an alcoholic, anyone who believes that is an idiot, nothing short. His wife made him quit drinking in the early 30s, really before he was a sensation, or she would leave him. He quit drinking and she started. It was a nanny who did most of the beating, and Bing was so disgusted by her that he fired her upon finding out what she did. Read Gary Giddins’ books on Bing, or read anything for Christ’s sake, before slandering a dead man who can’t defend himself.
Mikey Condry Well said. It’s awful the damage that was caused by that book. And then Gary not even remembering, what he wrote while in a drunken, stupor.
@@buckjohnson1119The terrible mistruths that get mentioned on sites is sad. Bing wasn't an alcoholic, he did not physically harm his wives, who both adored him, he wasn't prejudice in his life, in fact he was one of the first big stars to stand up for equality, he never harmed his pet dog, he wasn't despised by all of his costars and colleagues, most of whom loved him, he wasn't hated by bob hope, in whose books actually written by him, he talks about Bing's friendship being the best one he had. As to the first sons, I've read the beautiful comments and later defensive quotes given by the three younger boys about Bing after Gary's book was released. I do believe some of Gary's book and I don't think he intentionally set out to write badly of his father. But when you read about the later interviews and Gary's responses and that he later apologised to the family you would have to think the truth probably is somewhere in the middle. Bing was a good man as was Gary. It's good to read other people appreciating Bing and his talent and that he was a lot closer to his image than what people give him credit for.
"Redeeming Bing Crosby" 2017 article. You might find it an interesting read. As well as this go to the other relevant information available that shows that Bing was a pretty decent guy and not the monster he has been portrayed as.
@@dancelli714 Well, I think Bing was a Boy Scout in public and a SOB at home. If one child commits suicide, that's bad enough but when two it kinda makes you go-Hmmm.......
@@jerrylee8261 The two sons who committed suicide did that as middle aged men about a decade after their father's passing. They both suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and went through a terrible time financially as well with painful divorce. The two who killed themselves were Dennis and Lindsay and they are the two who defended their father against Gary's claims passionately and who were close to their father until Bing's death and beyond. There is literally no reason for blaming Bing for this tragedy. By the way, Gary himself admitted later (multiple times!) that he lied and exaggerated in his book and that his father was not a tyrant.
Mrs. D'Elia joined the government in 1929, and the WACs in 1943; she retired from active duty in 1966, afterwards working at the Valley Forge Veterans Hospital until 1973. She then became a volunteer dynamo; VFW, DAV, Historical Society, Women's Club, the Coatesville VA Hospital, etc etc etc. She had a husband whose name has disappeared to history (or at least my historical finding), and a daughter who may still be with us. She died in 2007, age 98. (I confess myself curious as to whether it was a case of divorce, or of her husband dying A Long Time Ago. Though, Catholic, so maybe not the former.) Anyway. Obit: www.dellafh.com/obituary/Marie-DElia
have perfect hearing have sound on pc turned full and yet can barely hear this.. no background noise either.. yet can hear the audience clearly when they clap
For all those who still believe that Bing Crosby was a raging alcoholic who beat his sons throughout their childhoods. All that came from Gary's book and only his book. He had already had a very acrimonious split from his three brothers who literally threw him out of their group. Bing was a devout Roman Catholic and had the four sons with his first wife Dixie Lee. He made a fortune with his part ownership of 3M, especially with their line of tape used in recording and films. He owned a stable of racehorses, was constantly in the recording studio, made numerous films, had radio shows. His older brother was his business manager. A quick reflection would make anyone realize that with all those businesses and his addiction to golf there was no time to be a constant raging drunk He traveled constantly including overseas and was never home long enough. This contributed to the breakup of his marriage. The family had a very strict nanny who didn't spare the rod. If the boys received corporal punishment it was she who inflicted it. Gary was bitter about his father's absence, the rejection by his brothers, his own boorishness and resentment of always being compared to and being in his father's shadow. This story is very complicated but his brothers later discredited the claims of childhood beatings by their dad and their mother never made any such charges. Gary was in need of money, and rather than writing a truthful account, spiced it up by blaming everyone but himself and placing the blame for his own shortcomings primarily on his father. Bing and the boys did not want to trash their own and delayed or downplayed the reality out of respect for their parents by being Christian about the affair and not resurrecting its sordidness
Very well said and all true. After Bing found out about the strict discipline the nanny was meting out he fired her. Unfortunately the nanny was then hired by Frank Sinatra. Nancy Sinatra detailed in her book the physical abuse she endured under that woman's care. I only have one small correction to what you wrote. Bing's first marriage didn't "break up," his first wife died of ovarian cancer.
For the record, Lindsay said that Gary's book was factual and Dennis didn't deny Gary's account either. Phillip was in denial about a lot of things, including the suicide of Dennis and Lindsay (he was estranged from his brothers for years). The fact that all four of them battled alcoholism and depression (Lindsay was bi-polar) is very telling. Dixie died in 1952, so it was very unlikely that she would have talked publicly about abuse; she was also a heavy alcoholic. Bing's children from his second marriage did not see the abusive side of him, as he made an effort to change. people.com/archive/cover-story-the-sad-ballad-of-bing-and-his-boys-vol-19-no-11/
No Linny and Denny never came out and said that Gary's book was factual. They defended their childhood and their father ("Crosby clan slams book". Denny and Linny said their childhood was strict and agreed that Bing could go cold quickly, also that his persona on screen was probably not always the same as off screen. I think they understood Gary's need to write a book detailing his life from his perspective whilst defending their father and their own childhood. I have never read that either one of these boys categorically agreed with Gary's version. Actually Mary in one interview said that she and Gary spoke about the book and he said to her that it was not really the way it went down, or words to that effect. Add to this the interesting article under "Redeeming Bing Crosby" the 2017 item and it would seem that Bing's good name has been tainted quite horribly over the years.
Look at Gary's face at 22:00 for the next minute when John Daley says something nice about Bing...Gary's head sshakes and the look in his face/eyes hides the abuse and torment his father dished out to him and his brothers. Yes it happened in Bing's first marriage, not his second.
Bennett asks Gary Crosby if he ever sang "Old Black Magic" at 17:38. He might have been thinking that the MG could be Sammy Davis, Jr., who had recently recorded that song. Oddly enough, Gary's father had sung it in the 1944 movie, "Here Come the Waves".
@@kasperjoonatan6014 Actually, I am from the year 1956, and have recently received my first pension check to celebrste it. Okay, I googled your Serena Williams, and she seems very impressive, but unlike Billy Jean King, I’ve never seen her play. And to be fair, I couldn’t name a male athlete of the year, either, probably since Joe Namath, as I find sports boring to watch. But if I had time-travelled from 1956 I’d be looking at the state of the world today, panicking, and heading back to 1956 PDQ. There I would recruit a bunch of top politicos and diplomats, move to Scranton, and start teaching young Joe Biden how to be a more effective leader.
What An Admirable Unidentifiable Monotone and Vague Voice ,! 😆👏👏👏👏 - Props to Vivian. 👏👏👏,. She's Pretty and Smart. And Visa Vera. (As Is, in this typists eyes, her doppelganger - Mary Heal(e)y.). - No Disrespect to Any of these panelists here tonight (but) I Wonder if Arlene Would Have Got It ..
Bing Crosby stipulated in his will that none of his children received their share until they reached age 65. He wanted them to work and earn their own living.
Just to clarify, Dennis and Lindsay Crosby DID NOT deny Gary's account of their childhood; Lindsay sided with Gary and was glad he wrote the book. It was Phillip who denied it, and Bing's children from his second marriage had a different experience. I understand to some degree, why some feel the need to "rescue" Bing Crosby's reputation but you can't always know how a person is behind closed doors. people.com/archive/cover-story-the-sad-ballad-of-bing-and-his-boys-vol-19-no-11/
He was a little show off and a drunk who no one liked. Both parents were heavy drinkers and all their sons followed in the same path, two taking their own lives. This was one hell of disfunicional family.
I realize that Adam-12 was 11 years later. I was noting that Mr. Crosby played that particular role on television. Not too long ago, I saw an article that mentioned that Jack Webb wanted Adam-12 to continue in production and was thinking of pairing Kent McCord (officer Jim Reed) with Gary Crosby (officer Ed Wells). Gary would be replacing Martin Milner (officer Peter Malloy) who had signed on to another television show. That never happened and Adam-12 wrapped up at the conclusion of the 7th season.
Sometimes Fred Allen's jokes escape me. The one he told about "Hamburg heaven" involving last week's appearance by a female Swedish bullfight is a case in point. Did Fred think that Hamburg is in Sweden, possibly? It is, of course, in Germany (West Germany in 1956). If he was trying to make a joke based on a dead bull becoming hamburger meat, he blew that one by saying "Hamburg heaven" instead of "hamburger heaven".
I think Fred was making an inside joke for New Yorkers, referring to a restaurant in NYC called "Hamburg Heaven". Per the NY Times: "Founded in 1938, Hamburg Heaven gently played off its location across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral with a slogan printed on its menus and doors: ''The Gates of Heaven -- Never Closed.'' "
Gary D. -- Yes, that's probably it. In southern California there was a chain of restaurants (a good one) called Hamburger Hamlet and I even remember a restaurant called Hamburger Haven, so I can well believe Hamburg Heaven as the name for a restaurant in NYC.
Studies have shown that corporal punishment is not effective, and it can damage a child's brain. Hitting someone who is smaller than you is the definition of cowardice
Gary Crosby was a C-List celebrity, at best. He never had the stature to rate an appearance on What's My Line. The panelists could have no more guessed his name than they could have guessed mine. It was a wasted segment.
For the time of the show he was in public eye as a performer - As a teenager, he duetted with his father on two songs, "Sam's Song" and "Play a Simple Melody' which became the first double-sided gold record in history. He also recorded duets with Louis Armstrong and at least one 45-single with Sammy Davis Jr. He also performed on several variety programs. In the mid-1950s, he had his own radio program, the Gary Crosby Show on CBS.
Of course he was a working musician - just not prominent-enough to be a legitimate WML mystery celebrity. They had to be bona fide A-List show biz figures for the panel to have any hope of guessing them. Even Gary, himself, questioned aloud whether he was actually a "celebrity". Identifying him was akin to identifying Bing Crosby's drummer!
He stuck me as not being particularly happy to be there, something almost never evidenced by an MG. I can only speculate that he knew that at the time his primary claim to fame was being Bing Crosby's son. That and knowing all the accolades about his father that he would hear, considering what he knew about his childhood that was not yet public knowledge, it wouldn't make for a particularly pleasant prospect, and especially if he was not good at masking his emotions.
Lois Simmons -- Very true, and I kind of felt sorry for the guy. I guess he had to make the appearance, to get whatever publicity he could. He was just doing the best he could to put food on the table. Still, I can think of few other MGs who had less standing to be one, and it's a bit uncomfortable watching the guy. Seemed like a nice enough fellow.
+terryv What's worse, WML brought him back as MG on 3/26/61! And the You Tube avatar for that episode's video shows him with the same sullen expression.
Now we know why some people have double chins. One might be Dorothy’s. Amazingly some posters find Dorothy to be physically attractive. I cannot understand that
@@stevekru6518 I didn’t at first, but she grew on me. Nice personality and intelligence too. She looked great in the mid-1950s - by the 60s her face and eyes seemed puffy and she wasn’t as sharp. Lost the Betty Boop appeal. Seemed to age quickly. Likely plenty of reasons for that, but that’s not my business.
How in the WORLD does Dorothy DO that??!! seriously? Out of baseball, basketball, and Hockey, she picks GOLF?! And also, can somebody PLEASE tell me what the purpose of this game show is; John's always flipping over those cards to 50. It's makes the game show NOT fun anymore
The purpose of the show is to sell advertisements which is accomplished by growing an audience desired by advertisers. The purpose is not really a competition between panel and guest. Respectfully Krista I think it does not bother most of the audience when John gives away more money than than the guest has “earned.” Some venues are for true competition, like the golf tournaments the first guest tends to win; but game shows are more for fun. Let me share with you some studies I found interesting. In real competitive sports the stars of a team are found to be less likely to be penalized for a foul than the journeyman player. This was especially pronounced in basketball where the top scores are less likely to be penalized for traveling than others. It may be subconscious on the part if the umpire but it tends to make the game more interesting In answer to your other question, she probably cheats, but Dorothy is very bright
@Sunshine Baker Bing was not an alcoholic, read about it. His first wife gave him the ultimatum very very early into the marriage. Bing gave up the heavy drinking after that and people were amazed at the self discipline this took. Even Gary mentioned Bing was the only member of the family he never saw drunk. I think Mike was referring to corporal punishment being a normal form of punishment back in that era. And to be fair whilst I believe some of Gary's book some has been highly queried. There have been recent new information regarding Gary being reinterviewed and even apologising to the family in regards to the book. I do think Gary regretted the book later on and maybe that was why he was planning a tribute album to his father before he passed. I think both Bing and Gary were great, talented men with a complicated relationship.
