What's My Line? - Groucho Marx; Tony Randall [panel] (Oct 13, 1963) 

I've seen Grocuho's segment about 50 times, but it's always worth another look.

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, the legendary hotel sign-in for amorous and illicit couples. Groucho was the greatest 🤣

“This was waste of evening” 😂😂😂 hilarious episode. I love this show man🤎

Groucho Marx is one of the greatest comedians/entertainers of the 20th century. And I may add of all time.

5:53 "Bennett's a people." I don't know why I find that so adorable.

I wonder if Dorothy's "I would've thought it wouldn't be allowed now"....and Daly's "well let's not get into....".....is in reference to the move in 1963 to make Bible-reading in US schools non-compulsory. I thought that was quite edgy of Dorothy, in a good way, to bring that up.

What’s really funny is Groucho says he’s from Deutchland (Germany) from Strasbourg, which is actually in France. Then he says he’s from Salzburg, which is in Austria.

As if they couldn’t tell it was Groucho..apart from the voice..the smell of cigar would have been a dead give away! 😄

This was not only enjoyable, but interesting historically, as across the ocean in London, England ( 5 hours ahead of EST ) The Beatles had only hours before on the same date performed their famous "London Palladium" show, which made them national stars in the U.K. Also, within a couple hours of this broadcast on early Monday, October 14, 1963, I was born ! Always enjoyed Groucho, as he was not only very funny, but really unpredictable. Great post !

I would have asked him whether or not this product is found in your kitchen

The people in this studio were blissfully unaware that across the ocean on this very night, a quartet from Liverpool took the stage at the London Palladium, triggering the outbreak of "Beatlemania." A condition that would spread to this country, and affect it in ways they couldn't imagine, a few months later.

I think the panel was playing dumb... after a minute or two, how could the answers they were receiving come from anybody BUT Groucho Marx? There's no way they wouldn't have recognized that sense of humor, and that voice. I think they were bluffing just to keep the game going.

Wouldn't you love to see what Groucho said to the panel during the commercial break?

Did anyone notice Tony Randall immediately use a napkin to wipe his hands after shaking the first guests hand? He really was Felix

For a good time, call Groucho.

I believe Duck Soup was the first Marx Brothers film I saw on TV as a child, not even in school yet. I have been an ardent fan ever since! On Mr. Marx's TV show YOU BET YOUR LIFE he asked some questions of a contestant, "Do you have a family?" The contestant said, "Yes a wife and 10 or so children." Groucho replied, "Wow that is a lot of children." The contestant answered, "Yes, I love my wife." Groucho instantly came back with, "I love my cigar, but I take it out once in a while".

Groucho was actually a highly intelligent person, if a bit of a pain at times

I cannot thank you enough for posting these gems. What an incredible treat! Noteworthy on this one is that I would have guessed Danny Kaye also, based solely on Groucho's fake voice. Wonderful!

Tony Randall realizes he’s looking at a legend while shaking hands.

Loved Tony Randall.

This comment could go on any WML? video, but I am posting it here because it occurred to me shortly before watching this particular episode. (And maybe it is especially appropriate because Groucho pretty much acts like he can't hear the question every time.) It is fairly consistent that the panel and the challengers have trouble hearing each other from time to time. It occurs to me that it was deliberately kept that way so the panel wouldn't be able to overhear conferences between John Daly and the challengers.

I wasn’t born until 71 so I don’t remember this show but recently we found it here on YT and man oh man… it’s HILARIOUS and just all round a really fun show. I could binge this all day … the best was a woman came on from Fergus Ontario which is about a half hour from us and was a baseball hall of famer umpire!!! We were so proud of her and turns out I know a few people from Fergus who knew her and her hubby. 🇨🇦 ⚾️

Would an animal really have a feeling of well-being after having this product is applied? I think it would almost come under the heading of animal abuse (but not in 1963 of course).

Groucho was a voracious reader. His favorite evening's activity was reading at home. He took books and magazines with him wherever he worked. You can find on the Internet that he was good writer as well. Obviously he had an editor on "Memoirs of a Mangy Lover," but Groucho gave them plenty of manuscript to work over. "Well, this has been a wasted evening." Not by a long shot, sir.

I was a teenager when this show was filmed and for the life of me have no clue now why we wanted to bother "teasing" our hair and buying gallons of hair spray to look like we had a growth of some sort on our heads. Either that or some creature nesting in the "rat's nest."

John taking some shots at Bennett in the opening of this episode. After 13 years of taking it he is starting to fire back!

Oh how I wish we could hear what is being said when the contestants are greeting the panel!

I love Groucho.

Thank you, Tony Randall! 6:48 In the space of 30 seconds he establishes that something vegetable can be alive and that the word consumable does not mean merely eaten or drunk (he uses the term, "...in the larger sense a consumable product"). A very tight resolution of a couple of WML inconsistencies. Too bad neither John or the panel will remember this.

Groucho Marx... and and Harpo Marx. He turns around... and stares at him ! I peed in my bed at 12 years old. Damn funny. ;-)

For the fact he wouldn't stop talking, I'd have easily guessed Groucho,

Dorothy broaches the subject of religious instruction (as opposed to comparative religious history) wouldn't be allowed in the schools now. This comes from the Madalyn Murray O'Hair court case from the early 1960's. Murray filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Public School System in 1960, in which she asserted that it was unconstitutional for her son William to be required to participate in Bible readings at Baltimore public schools. In this litigation, she stated that her son's refusal to partake in the Bible readings had resulted in bullying being directed against him by classmates, and that administrators condoned it. After consolidation with Abington School District v. Schempp, the lawsuit reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1963. The Court voted 8-1 in Schempp's favor, which effectively banned mandatory Bible verse recitation at public schools in the United States. Prayer in schools other than Bible-readings had already been ended in 1962 by the Court's ruling in Engel v. Vitale. However, as is the case with some Supreme Court decisions, it is one thing to have the court decide something and then enforce that decision as law. I can remember as late as 1968, in elementary school praying to Jesus before going to lunch. And this was public school!

In the Marx Brothers first major Vaudeville Show, "Fun in Hi Skule," Groucho played a German teacher. In fact, he played a comic German for most of his vaudeville career. He probably enjoyed pulling out his old German accent.

I took notice when Bennett and John Charles Daly mentioned Minnesota; I am from Minnesota!

Miss Pattie Thomas had on one of the beautiful wigs that they wore back then. My older sisters had an assortment of wigs styles . One was like the one Diana Ross wore.

Pattie Thomas is approximately 22 years old during this episode. But after this, there seems to be no information about her on the Internet.

I don't understand something. Groucho's last appearance has netted well over 400k views by now. This appearance has less than 10k views? I understand that the 1959 show was a phenomenon and has garnered plenty of rewatches, but you'd think search results for Groucho would have made this one something more than 9k and change. Heck, Maurice Evans' mystery guest appearance from 1960 has 7k views!

Man... Groucho... When I grow up, I want to be just like him. Addenda: Among other things, wasn't this show elegant? And so it was, every Sunday evening, for years. Remember "alternate sponsors?" I do... barely. The announcer, Johnny Olson, did the voice stuff for about 20 shows a week, everything from "Jackie Gleason" to "The Price is Right," right up until his death in 1985. (Don Pardo's only serious competition for the title, ANNOUNCING ICON.)

This is the second best panel lineup on WML. Replace Tony Randall with Steve Allen and you have the best.

WML, already joined the FB group months ago. Really interesting. Thank you so much.

You would think the smell of the cigar would have given his I.D. away

Groucho is hilarious here. Tony Randall seems genuinely confused by his patter and Arlene Francis sounds surprised it's him. I suspect Bennett Cerf may have been staying silent just to hear more. Any German-speakers have a sense of how good the "German" that Groucho and John Daly speak here is? Groucho seemed to have a habit of throwing in the occasional German phrase on "You Bet Your Life" as well. At one point John Daly switches to Russian and tells him "I don't understand."

I am surprised Groucho's cigar smoke didn't give him away immediately.

It is interesting to compare the way the panel responded to the female Reverend McGuire (identified as a minister) vs. this contestant (identified as evangelist traveling preacher). What is the matter with the panel? Groucho's vocal disguise is still so obviously Groucho that Arlene should have ended it at question 4.

Groucho had a sharp with that stood light years above anyone!

Dog cosmetics: they had ridiculous products back then also.

People in the 60s were putting mascara on their dogs' eyes? I assume this was an extremely niche product as most people of that era would find that as absurd as people today.

3:54 dang they wrote cursive so beautifully in those days.

It'd help if contestants would answer the questions correctly. That first guy saying "Yes" to "Is it useful" and "Is it anything that makes the animal feel better". The correct answer to both of those is no. It's not useful, it's a pointless gimmick and the animals certainly don't feel better. At best, they're indifferent to it. In fact, most pets hate that stuff. They only go along with it because their clueless owners force them to. I can't believe the presenter tried to justify that answer by referring to a hypothetical, anthropomorphic animal. Dogs, cats etc. aren't humans, they have their own likes and dislikes. Although, while we're on the subject, even if the animal was somehow imbued with the mind of a human as the presenter suggests, the answer would still be no. Nobody would feel better if someone randomly grabbed them and forcibly applied cosmetics to them. They'd knock the fucker out!

Miss Thomas looks a little like Gigett. Lol!

"This was a wasted evening." Hilarious!

19:05 “mr. & Mrs. John Smith.” 😂 😂

Groucho couldn't obey enough of the rules when he was a panelist to allow the show to move forward, and he can't obey them as a mystery guest. He didn't answer any question he was asked. No other comic has ever simply refused to cooperate.

Hilarious Groucho appearance!

You'd think the panel members would have smelled that cigar. Many stars smoked back then, but he was being goofy, besides.

Sometimes, like now, I get creeped out watching Dorothy enter - knowing she'd be murdered in 2 years. What an awful shame.

Did they not smell the cigar smoke?

Groucho wanted to be a writer more than anything!

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith?! Oy.... Groucho was unique, although we have to admit the Italian accent wasn't bad. [I think it was Italian.] :-)

Well, THAT was uncalled for. Bennet asked the Evangelist if there were people in the school that were pleased by what she does. Obviously we all knew what he meant, and John was like, "MR.CERF! I'm REALLY!" as if he was saying something dirty.

I can't imagine they didn't smell the cigar and figure out Groucho nearly immediately.

Groucho's not trying very hard to disguise his voice in this one!

Groucho Marx would drive me to drink lol he never shuts up!

And 1 month later kennedy was killed

Thanks for posting this complete episode.

They couldn't smell his cigar?

Sounds like Mr. Daly gave it away who the mystry celebrity is for this episode.

Wonderful, thank you very much for posting this.

To me, one of the stupidest questions they ask is " Is this a useful product?". Yes, it is always a useful product for someoneor they wouldn't make it. Maybe I am missing something here, but I think they are wasting time asking that.

"Why can't dogs use the same products we do?" Well, for a start, it would be trans-creature, cross-species merchandising-marketing and that would be wrong. It gives me the creeps just contemplating it

Here's another example of language changes. When the dog cosmetics seller is on and Dorothy asks if anyone on the panel could use this product, John says "he could think of someone on the panel that could use the product", not for a second thinking Dorothy (as in dog) but Bennett whom it could improve. "Dog" referring to a woman's looks I think may have been a part of teenage lingo at the time, but I wonder if John (or the audience who titters only slightly) even would know that?

Grouchos last words: The nurse said "I'm sorry, but you are dying" Groucho said, "Why my dear, that's the last thing I'll do!"😂

When this episode was broadcast, I was 2 days old. 😲🙂

It like watching for the first time even though I went through those years

20:27 poor John. He's so lost with what to do with that question, lol.

I wonder why no one could smell the cigar. Wouldn't that have been a clue to who the mystery guest was?

Yeah Seattle and Salmon !

21:03 funny part

20:20 what is Daly saying? I want to make sure I heard that right lol

16:44 -- This will be long after you pass on, Ms. Kilgallen, but a similar service will one day help a particularly horrid serial killer named Jeffrey Dahmer abandon his evil ways.

Groucho's voice could not be very well disguised. I think the Panel had a good idea almost immediately.

Tony Randall makes this show tons better. I liked him in Odd Couple sitcom. This show drains my android battery because it seems to drag along. Takes too long for the panel to guess the job.

They knew it was Graucho within the first minutes to be honest

A great show period.Steven M.Fanale

Do you have all of the"What's My Line" episodes from the CBS DAYS?

"This was a wasted evening"

This was not Groucho's best moment.

I wish what's my lion was still on TV this is such a great show

love the woman preacher - put prayer back in schools!

What does Daly say in German?

Who didn't know the minute they caught a wiff of the cigar? lol

Tony's hair had grown quite a bit from the month before he was on.

That voice is a dead giveaway

How could they NOT KNOW???! Saying, " They call me Rider Haggard." Absolutely hysterical.

Brought to you by King’s King’s cereals the best to you each morning by King’s of Battle Creek

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THESE EPISODES MAY HAVE ORGINAL COMMERCIALS ?

OMG: what a ham for a Mystery Guest. Someone ought to have told him that the goal is to fool the panel by speaking as little as possible!

Did Dorothy really wear wigs? I think she might have. At least in her later appearances on this show.

Anyone speak German and can translate what John said to Groucho? Very impressive

A little over a mont after this show the world as we know it would change forever..