It might be good to add that Belafonte was more than your usual guest panelist. He was also an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, he was one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s confidants.Earlier in the year of this broadcast, Belafonte performed at the inaugural gala of President John F. Kennedy. Just another example of how WML was a time capsule and in a small way, a measure of the changes going on in society at this time.
@@preppysocks209 He’s black yes, but not African American. He’s of Caribbean decent. Could be semantics as the black population of the Caribbean islands are originally African, but then using that logic a Latino in South America should be considered European and not South American. But then again, all of us came from African originally. Either way, I think you’re right, I can’t think of any black panelists before him.
My English is not perfect, but in the introduction did the host say that they had one black person like in the metropolitan opera? I was super surprised to hear that, if that is the case
I saw one of the best comedy shows of my lifetime in 2007 that was held to honor Mort Sahl and to celebrate his 80th birthday. It was a word-of-mouth event at the Wadsworth Theater in Brentwood, CA. Mort and his wife sat in the front row with Hugh Hefner and his girlfriends, and I was a couple of rows behind them with my wife. I knew that it was going to be a special night when I recognized dozens of comedians and comic writers and producers in the audience, such as Fred Willard and his wife Mary who sat on my row, and Tommy Chong, Dick Van Patten, and Rob Reiner. Among the performers that night were Shelley Berman, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin, Drew Carey, Norm Crosby, Richard Lewis, Kevin Nealon, Jay Leno, Albert Brooks, Bill Maher and others. Woody Allen and Don Rickles gave a video greeting. My wife was not used to laughing continuously for more than 2 hours.
Reminds me of a few years ago after l had watched a two hour solo show featuring George Carlin.. I woke up the next morning aching throughout my mid stomach area...? It took me a few moments for it to dawn on me that l had laughed for a solid two hours the night before.. What a character ....!!! Rest in peace George...you were a treasure. 🙂
They should have shown the vid of that show on some cable channel. Oh well. I used to listen to mort at every opportunity. He was on george putnam radio show a lot in socal. Sometimes michael jackson.
The last contestant was my beloved mother. When most kids had their moms home baking them cookies, mine was hard at her own business fixing TV's. I don't think the year is correct! I believe it was in the 50's because in 1961, she had remarried and was Juliette Ovsay. I've always been proud of having a mother who was out of the box as to what women should be doing. I follow in her shoes proudly taking a stand in not following the "should" in a woman's life. I proudly chose never to have or raise children, wrote a book about it and was given a lifetime achievement award in the childfree movement. I'm Marcia Drut-Davis, author of "Confessions of a Childfree Woman". I'm so proud of my mother and what she represented in the potential of what women could do.
Always wonderful to hear from folks related to the contestants-- thanks for adding the comment. I can't explain any inconsistencies with your memory of personal family history, but I know the year on the program is correct. No question about it, honestly.
What's My Line? Just spoke with my sister. Our Mom kept her name with my father because she was known with that name in her unusual business. (Thanks for caring.) She paved the way for so many to make personal choices right for them and not what was accepted. I was deeply influenced by her when I chose never to have children. Although I lost my job after being interviewed on "60 Minutes", I knew I had to follow my heart. My memoir, "Confessions of a Childfree Woman" shares that journey. My Mom was not happy with my choice but supported my right to know my own heart.
Marcia Drut-Davis Marcia Drut-Davis it's so nice to see you on here. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for many years and we've chosen to be childless so I'm familiar with your story and find it very interesting. By the way, I thought your Mother was lovely on this show and find her career path to be admirable.
Jeff Vaughn How wonderful! Hey! Are you coming with us on our Happy2BChildfree Cruise this December? Write to me at nokidcruise@gmail.com. Hurry! The deadline for our awesome group rate is APRIL 30th! Big Hug.
Keep coming across more WML shows that are new to me - great! Tonite, Dottie is wearing my favourite flowery white earrings, Harry Belafonte is a gorgeous panel addition...
Tata was fired from MLB, along with either 13 or 25 others, during a contract dispute in 1999. If I understand this correctly, lots of umpires tendered their resignations to force the league into contract negotiations, but lots of them backed out of their resignations, leaving Tata and the others holding the bag. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig fired them. You must hang together or hand separately.
Given today’s craziness. That was really hilarious when Arlene said “I thought you were going to say three” in relation to which sex could wear mink. 😂
As Mort Sahl mentioned during questioning in the Mystery Guest segment, he appeared in films "infrequently." In fact, over the years, he has appeared in only 7 big-screen movies (and 1 made-for-TV movie, as well). These are: IN LOVE AND WAR (1958), as Danny Krieger ALL THE YOUNG MEN (1960), as Corporal Crane JOHNNY COOL (1963), as Ben Morrow DOCTOR, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! (1957), as Dan Ruskin DON'T MAKE WAVES (1967), as Sam Lingonberry NOTHING LASTS FOREVER (1984), as Uncle Mort MAX ROSE (2013), as Jack Murphy
And his voice sounded just like that in the movie ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW, which he produced and starred in in 1959 - just two years before this episode.
Bennett Cerf was a genius --- you can tell he knew it was Mort Sahl on his next to last turn & decided not to say anything until his next turn, and you can tell Mort knew he'd been made by Cerf, and the audience knew on his question that he figured it out.
If you've watched these original WML episodes for any length of time, you appreciate that all the regular panelists (and quite a few guest panelists) were exceptionally brilliant at this game. And Bennett ranked as one of the best of the best.
@@jamesfeldman4234 Arlene & Dorothy were very good, but Bennett was the best. Arlene apparently attended a lot of Broadway shows as she typically was the one who guessed contestants who were currently appearing on stage.
I was just thinking about that...when was the first black panelist? Harry could be the first one! After how many years? I've watched all the published ones to this date so I think it is.
And I'd be right there. One can make other livings besides skinning animals for decorations. Nasty. I am so glad we've moved forward from that. I am admittedly horrified at this job. JMHO
+Annette Kelly I was thinking the same thing. As far as all the shows still extant, if memory serves from having watched them over the past couple of years, this would have been the first time.
I believe WML had several African American panelists, but mostly celebrities, such as Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis, Jr.. it was gratifying to see the respect accorded to these performers, since this was in the fifties and sixties.
And yet, Harry Belafonte and Mort Sahl had each appeared on the show three times before their paths crossed on this show. Harry Belafonte had appeared as Mystery Guest on 6 November 1955, on 16 November 1958 and on 1 November 1959. He would appear as guest panelist again on 21 October 1962 (right in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis), and he appeared one more time as Mystery Guest on 13 February 1966. Mort Sahl had appeared as a guest panelist on 23 August 1959, on 4 October 1959, and on 27 March 1960. This was his only appearance as Mystery Guest, as well as his final WHAT'S MY LINE? appearance. He did not appear as panelist or as guest on any other Goodson-Todman shows.
When I saw the blurb for this episode, I had an image of the powers that be at WML flipping a coin: should we have Belafonte as the guest panelist and Sahl as the MG or vice versa?
@@loissimmons6558 - That's what I thought: both could be either. I think it's pretty likely that both also are likely guests on WML. Guests seem to array themselves across the ideological and political spectrum.
WML is extremely formal. He always addressed the guests with the honorific. But two weeks earlier John addressed the male guests by their first names (older than Mr. Tata here), for the first time. And tonight he called Mr. Tata "Terry" three times. Here is the beginning of the decline and fall of civilization. Soon he will be calling the male guests "bro."
I agree. The fall of civilization as we know it. In my early years as a professor, just out of graduate school, I hated for my students to call me by my first name. I still wish people associating with each other in business and professionally would use the honorific. Would it kill you to say Mr. Jones or Ms. Smith? Hint: your profits might increase. I also hate to see politicians or anyone call the President "Joe."
She looks great! And certainly better dressed than most people today! Indeed, she’s better dressed than 99% of the last three hundred people I’ve seen.
![What's My Line? - Mort Sahl; Harry Belafonte [panel] (Jun 11, 1961)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
