I have to say... given the times this was filmed in... and the struggles of people of color... back when people freaked out if a black and white person were shown to even touch each other on TV...the fact that Lena was shown so much warmth and affection... and both Dorothy and Arlene kissed and hugged her... made me very emotional.
I was IN LOVE with Lena Horne as a child, an adolescent, an adult, and even her memory now as an old codger. I _loved_ that infectious smile, vivacious personality, supreme talent, and stellar character. She was drop-dead GORGEOUS in my estimation.
Lena Horne moves so fast with everything she does. My word, she writes fast, sits down fast and was away from the desk and out the door in seconds. LOL. She must have been one hell of a dancer, Dang.
The judges reminded me of the time one of the guests was an attorney. Someone asked if he or she passed the bar. Arlene said, "well, haven't we all?" The guest panelist replied, "Some of us haven't."
I recently saw on TCM a 1942 film called Cabin in the Sky. An all-black cast musical which was very charming and entertaining. Ms. Horne was very young and cast as Ms. Georgia Brown opposite Ms. Ethel Waters. She was so beautiful and sang so wonderfully!!!! Ms. Waters was enchanting. waters
Man, what a star Ms. Horne was. Before my time, but I remember her appearance on Sanford and Son (touching and funny). And on "60 Mintues" in which she said a singer like herself could only be happy being married to a musician.
I've said this different times, but it's nice to see that there were people back in the 50's who weren't racists. Lena Horne kissed both girls and they didn't mind
Well, I may burst some bubbles here . . . Ms. Horne was extremely fair complected & did not have African features but more prominent European features, undoubtedly some European dipped his banana into some chocolate back in Ms. Horne's lineage, so her looking less African & more European cld lend to Caucasians in the US to more easily accepting Ms. Horne, for a moment until they came to their senses & remembered she has AFRICAN blood running thru her veins. But, there are a few caucasian ppl that truly aren't racist, I guess. 🤷🏾♀️
Ever notice no matter on how bad the weather was back then, that all the ladies still wore dresses, all the time I been watching these shows, I never had seen a lady wearing pants.
Women didn't wear pants on television back then. There was a big controversy over this on the Dick Van Dyke Show, which debuted in 1960, because Mary Tyler Moore wore sexy capri pants and it was still considered unacceptable. They actually had to negotiate with the network/sponsors to reach an agreement where she was allowed to wear the pants, but only in one scene per show!
What's My Line? -- Of course, my mother and all her friends who were stay-at-home moms (I turned 8 years old in 1960) were wearing Capri pants by then and had been for some time. It was just not a big deal. I think part of the controversy was that the hide-bound TV censors thought that women should not be shown wearing pants because pants were for men. I never saw any of the women in our neighborhood dressed like June Cleaver in a fitted dress you couldn't reasonably do any housework in, wearing a string of pearls to go with it, unless they were going out somewhere for a social engagement or out to dinner.
Yes that is true about MLK, but in the early '50's, Lucille Ball, as well as Vivian Vance often wore "slacks" and even blue jean on I Love Lucy. Guess when you own your show you had more say lol.
- This is not the first time WML has had a person of color as the mystery guest. I am glad to see that whoever invites the m g. believes in diversity. Bravo!
Hello Shirley, I simply think that WML supported true talent, regardless of any diversity considerations. Lena Horne certainly had "it" (talent) by the boatload.
There were some great talents on the show. Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Earth Kitt, Mahalia Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis and more.
It was about talent, not diversity. They had people of many races, continents, ages, walks of life. They didn't care about race, but they did care about talent, which is what the show was all about and what viewers wanted to see.
I think Arlene and Dorothy were always sharp, better than the men. Classy, prepossessed, very bright. It's hard to fathom Arlene killed two people through negligence, and Dorothy offed herself with a barbituate-martini combination.
Lena Horne was a truly brilliant entertainer, singer and actress. I saw her on a Perry Como TV show and she was simply delightful. I wish she had appeared in more films as she was a tremendous talent!
So did she. In one of the "That's Entertainment" movies, she complains fairly bitterly that she did not get chosen for the lead in "Show Boat," which went to Ava Gardner, even though the character is supposed to be mixed race and that fact is important to the plot. She said MGM was quite racist back in the day, and there is quite a bit to support that belief from the way the films were presented. For example, black performers appeared as "novelty" acts that were separate from the story and theater owners in some areas could and did cut those scenes if they desired. And I regret that various MGM performers appeared in blackface at different times, including Judy Garland.
John's quip at 11:53 about bathtubs, "What do you want him to do, move it to Times Square?" has to be one of the funniest ad libs that John ever allowed himself to make. As a professional news broadcaster, it appears that he tried to maintain much of that dignity amid the informal setting of this panel show most of the time. This and other off-the-cuff funny lines give us a hint of how quick-witted he must have been in private life when not constrained by his public image as a newsman.
I've said it before, but it's worth repeating; John Daly was brilliant in the way he could fully explain/analyze the finest of fine points. He demonstrated this here (early on) during the appearance of the lovely Lena Horne. All on live television, no less!
The panel guessed the occupations of the first guests, the judges, very quickly, leaving time for some conversation, but no, they were wisked away without discovering their relationship to each other or how all three came to be judges. I would like to have heard more from them.
Can you imagine how amazing Lena would have been as an actress too. too bad hollywood at that time was too close minded against race shes really something special beautiful articulate smart funny that would have been magic on screen i really wish that could have happened
I'm tall and love to lay in the bathtub with my head resting on the back edge - it's very relaxing to take the weight off shoulders and back. I'm surprised that the panel members, Dorothy especially, seemed to question the given answer. Perhaps women with fragile hairstyles would not risk squashing their coiffure (and that's the first and only time in my life when I'll use the word). Sometimes the panellists appear to live sheltered, wealthy, urban lives and regard the contestants as being from a different species. Luckily John Daly often bursts their bubble.
Interesting that Bennett asked if Lena Horne's current show ("Jamaica") opened before October 31, 1957 in New York, they had to have a conference, because it opened in New York on that very date, and not before it.
@@alexforest1 By today's standards, the men were incorrigible sexists. However, I have yet to witness any woman give a man an evil eye because of it. I do wonder, though, what the women really thought. Arlene was nearly as bad as Cerf in that category.
@@mrbob4u495 I totally agree with you! I wonder how the wives were treated. I bet Sylvia Sydney wondered what kind of man did I marry! Arlene was right in there with the incorrigible behavior. Steve Allen was pretty bad.
I'm pleasantly stunned, Dorothy actually wore this dress is another episode! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gfF6up9cMCs.html I had JUST seen it and thought it was stunning and here it is again! She must have loved it, too.
They were playing kind of fast and loose with that _Jamaica_ technically for Lena Horne - Bennett's question/assertion that the show was _not_ currently in New York should have been answered “yes,” because it wasn't, and wouldn't be for another seven months - but it was a cute segment nonetheless. (It took me a minute or two to determine that Arlene's next question and most of those afterwards we're referring to the show's out-of-town tryouts, but even that may be reading too much into it, and ultimately this was sixty-one years ago, so analyzing it to this degree is silly. 😳
Because I had to look it up: The 'musical comedy about the Amish' (what an interesting idea) that Dorothy referred to at 19:05 was Plain and Fancy, which ran on Broadway from 1955-1956. (Produced by none other than Dick Kollmar.)
Saw it once at one of those crazy summer tent theaters in the round, not too far from actual Amish country. Remember enjoying it, but haven't a clue any more as to what the story was.
John really blew it with Lena Horne. He had plenty of time to chat with her. She was obviously having a good time, and to rush her off like that was unnecessary. Who needs a final, rushed, contestant anyway ?
as someone pointed out on another episode in the comments about this action. Some of them may have had other commitments to get to and John may have been aware. Some, this was what i read not coming from me, may have been uncofortable out of their element to sit and talk. It wouild have been nice. With her it probaby was necessary to leave. If she was familiar with the program at all she knew she could sit there till John let her go.
Bennett's comment about the dresses that were "an insult to every man in the United States" refers to the Chemise or "sack" dress which was introduced by Balenciaga in 1957. It was a formless dress that ballooned out at the waist & narrowed at the bottom. They were especially hated by men and deemed ugly & unfeminine. Still, they were revered by women for being both modern & comfortable and nearly every woman owned one in 1958.
The Kelly family members rushed out so fast, it was as if they had to catch a red eye to the west coast so they could be in court Monday morning. I was glad that John took the time to mention which courts they presided over.
Am I the only one who thinks it would be hilarious if, when the contestant told him where he/she is from, John reacted negatively? Example: “Nice to have you here, Mr. So-and-so, and where are you from?” “Cleveland, Ohio.” “Bah, what an awful place. You must have been relieved to get out of that wasteland to come visit us.”
Well, I think Rick just wanted to pick up champaigne tricks or sthg like that.... ha ha ha... No, seriously... some folks just desperately want to get any sort of reply from you I quess.... Nice try I must say.
This show really needs to be resurrected......this is so entertaining its silly......why doesn't some producer get a bunch of current stars and do this now.....it'd blow everything made nowdays outta the water
@@akrenwinkle you'd get celebrities with a working brain like cate blanchett, rosamund pike , giancaelo esposito, adam sandler to give a few random names
They'd probably start throwing a tantrum, cry it's not fair, and wear clothing with holes or workout gear. Definitely wouldn't care about manners, style, or speech. Would be treating each other like enemies and totally attention seeking to get likes. No thank you!
Lena Horne was clearly having a good time and enjoying her appearance. Not sure why she was rushed off, there was plenty of time for a chat. Also, the horse trainer said "around Albany" likely because she was training at (then) Saratoga Raceway in Saratoga Springs. If she gave "Saratoga" as where she was from, the panel may have associated that with horse racing (both thoroughbreds and harness horses) and targeted that.
+Greg .Patrei I thought the same thing regarding the identification of being from "around Albany" rather than specifically mentioning Saratoga. It would have been easier to hide her identity and still give a more accurate geographic location if she had been associated with one of the downstate harness racetracks at the time: Yonkers or Roosevelt. As far as Miss Horne rushing off, I always wonder if that was the decision of the challenger or someone on the WML staff. Sometimes John is able to catch them as they get up. But perhaps in this case, it was prearranged that she would leave quickly. One reason was that she didn't have something upcoming to shill for. Apparently her Broadway show, Jamaica, was a big hit, and she was the second star from the cast to appear on WML during its run (the first being Ricardo Montalban).
just posted this a couple questions above ....... as someone pointed out on another episode in the comments about this action. Some of them may have had other commitments to get to and John may have been aware. Some, this was what i read not coming from me, may have been uncofortable out of their element to sit and talk. It wouild have been nice. With her it probaby was necessary to leave. If she was familiar with the program at all she knew she could sit there till John let her go
Plain and Fancy, which was produced by Dorothy's husband Richard Kollmar. Featured a barn raising. The only member of the Broadway cast whose name I recognize was Barbara Cook, not in a lead role. I don't know who Bennet was thinking of.
I have to say that John Daly's decisions about when to flip all the cards and when not to, (after contestants' lines are guessed early on), seem rather random at times. More often than not he is generous about it, but in this episode it doesn't seem fair that the bathtub maker got the full $50 right after the 3 Kellys, who came all the way from Oregon, got only $10 to split between them! Every once in a while he also let contestants go without winning anything.
I suspect that all the contestants got their $50, whether John formally flipped all the cards over or not. Gil Fates was a little fuzzy on this in his book, or my memory of it is fuzzy, but it's implied in there, if not stated outright. Remember, too, that the contestants from Oregon got a free trip to NY and a stay at a fancy hotel, the value of which far, far, far exceeded the maximum $50 prize money.
SaveThe TPC To me so far, it seems to be, that Daly usually flip all the cards, when obviously the contestant(s) are not in well-paid positions. The Kelly trio was Judges, probably with a safe pension ahead, and wasn't in need for the money. When he flip all cards for people in good positions, the amount is usually marked for charity.
He was referring to a sack dress which was a style at that time. I'm not sure of the word he used after it, but it's possible it was "chamois" which could have been the type of cloth the dresses were made from.
Thank you, I google it, they were called chemise or sack dresses. They were loose fitting dresses for the most part but fitted on the legs, if you know what I mean. Some of them were really stylish and some were ugly!
Debra Harris You're exactly right. If you watch the very next episode which is 3/9/58 with Jack Paar as the mystery guest, John Daly makes mention of it again at the very start of the show and you can understand the word chemise much more clearly.
Jeff Vaughn The chamois you are talking about is a leather, a chrome tanned leather, that back then, as well as today, they use to dry cars and other things with out scratching.
Most likly, this is posted just above in the comments. ..... Edward died in 1960; Bernard (after moving to Alaska and practicing law there) died in 2013. As far as I can tell, Noreen is still around. ... the post is 2 years old so. Best I can come up with right now if she is still with us she is 86.
![What's My Line? - Lena Horne; Ralph Bellamy [panel] (Mar 2, 1958)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
