Mrs. McKean was a lovely lady. Ray Bolger was one of the greatest dancers in the history of this planet. I think he also played one of the most beloved characters ever.
@@saran3214 I was young and bought all the magazines with the great stars. I saw the Ship of Fools advertised and never saw it being so young. About 5 years ago I found it in the bargain bin and bought it. I finally saw it. I sobbed through that movie. Everyone was perfect.
@saran3214 re Ship of Fools -- the good doctor died immediately after she departed the ship... so they were both doomed. 😢 I agree they had quite a chemistry, didn't they?! It was such a sad film, for so many reasons. "What can they do, kill ALL of us?"
Later in his life Ray Bolger appeared in my favorite TV commercial of all time. It was for Dr. Pepper and being a Texan, it did my heart a lot of good!
Ray Bolger the scarecrow in the "Wizard of Oz"! That is a timeless movie I have seen maybe 40 times but I could still watch it today! It use to be aired every year around Halloween!
I love seeing Ray Bolger. Arlene is so intelligent. You can see her thinking by her eyes. The flash she had when she guessed the dance instructor was amazing. Pretty funny when they tried to get John to do the twist. He was having none of it!
IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN, MY DARLIN', MARY DARLING, and of course ONCE IN LOVE WITH AMY (if you wanna see an AMY to fall in love with, AMY SLATTERY..who plqays songs from the same decade..))
Margaret McKean's dance career led to a number one record. She introduced the Twist to Manhattan's Peppermint Lounge located on West 45th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Their house band was a group from NJ called Joey Dee and the Starliters. One of the reasons that the panel isn't putting down the Twist as some horrible rock 'n roll dance is that celebrities started swarming into the Peppermint Lounge in 1960-61 to dance the Twist. We are talking the top stars: Monroe, Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Judy Garland, Liberace, Greta Garbo and Jackie Kennedy. These are the types of people that the WML panelists would (and sometimes did) fawn over. The First Lady at that time even set up a temporary duplicate of the Peppermint Lounge at the White House and used it for a time to lighten up State functions. Released in 1961 (most likely by the time of this broadcast), "Peppermint Twist" hit #1 on the Billboard charts in January 1962 and spent 3 weeks there. The lead singer is David Brigati, whose brother Eddie was a member of the (Young) Rascals. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7WIvZu4dPQQ.html Sam Cooke alluded to the Peppermint Lounge in his hit song "Twistin' the Night Away". ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jSoPeZMHMf4.html Before 1961 is out, WML will have another connection to the Peppermint Lounge among their challengers.
Joey Dee was the lead singer of Joey Dee & Starliters not David Bragati. Brigati may have been in the group but wasn't the lead singer. Jimi Hendrix was part of JD & Starliters at one time and so was Joe Pesci (Raging Bull, My Cousin Vinny)
@@wyatt_kincaid Brigati and Dee shared lead vocals for the Starliters, but it was Brigati who was the lead vocalist on the "Peppermint Twist", their biggest hit. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppermint_Twist en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Dee_and_the_Starliters
The first time I ever saw her was in "Ship of Fools" on the B&W Telly with my Dad in the late '60's. Simone Signoret was a standout amongst a great cast - I luved that movie and it really "internationalized" my appreciation for Great Cinema.
I like how just three weeks ago, they had Yves Montand on as a mystery guest. Now, they have his first wife. And the movie she and Laurence Oliver made together in Ireland was called "Term of Trial" (1962).
Joseph Palermo I thought that to start with but I've watched every episode from 1951 to this point and after about the fortieth or fiftieth one I thought 'd'you know, I like her now'. She has a social persona like all of us (hanging out in Manhattan with her showbiz colleagues, how could she not?) but she's consistently warm, funny, bright and affectionate. Her little asides and under the breath witticisms are often quite near the knuckle which shows her to be no prude, that's for sure!! I think she would've been a lovely person to know.
No whistles for the first guest ? All women audience that night ? Will I ever tire from this show, NEVER ! As a teenager I'd stay up to enjoy this show at 10:30 every Sunday night.
I've been watching these shows in order, and I've noticed how the whistling has tapered off lately. I wonder if that was in some indirect way a byproduct of the JFK era. Certainly by the end of the 60s no one would have gotten away with it. So maybe the cultural transition away from wolf whistles as a sign of acknowledgment happened in 1961. Then again, maybe I'm wrong, and I'll have to see what happens in future episodes.
Signoret had a face unlike all the Hollywood beauties of the time, but it was compelling and very subtle, as were her performances in all her films. She died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 64. What a blessing that we are still able to see her craft on dvd.
That's the THIRD time today I saw "the Twist" mentioned (and I don't even listen that kind of stuff). I played "Quiz Planet" on Facebook, and had to guess the singer of the song. Then I saw Hank Ballard, the writer of the Twist on To Tell the Truth, and now this (3rd time just today)
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the "bromance" (a term I HATE!), or, more appropriately, mutual admiration society of John Daly and Bennett Cerf is lovely to behold.
If there ever had a Top 10 of what made the show so enjoyable, their relationship would be in, can you imagine John Daly not being introduced with one little quip or a snarky but witty joke (and from time to time, a genuine heartfelt compliment)?
I've always thought it funny when John or Bennett would mention the letters they'd get urging them to stop fighting or be nicer to each other, when they were in reality very close friends who just liked to tease each other. Not sure how anyone could miss their friendship and not know they were kidding.
They were the two I preferred most. Although Arlene generally seems pleasant and good tempered, I've seen some episodes in which I detected what I suspect was some kind of slight condescendance towards some guests, and Dorothy apparantly wasn't always nice when the camera wasn't there, and is said to have quarreled with Daly over probably trivialities. But Cerf and Daly were real gentlemen, and I really loved the friendly teasing between them. There's one episode in which one or another "comic" who was added as a panelist very rudely and impatiently interrupted Cerf's welcome joke, and it was nice to see how Daly took over, and told it anyway. I frankly hope this was the last time that silly new panelist appeared, what an arrogance....
@@Retroscoop This occurred on one of the last episodes in 1967, so there would have been essentially no chance he (Henry Morgan) could have appeared anyway. Yes, he was rude, but the joke was particularly awful, and John's retelling of it only made matters worse.
Ms Signore is and was a very nice star in the Movies. She was born in Germany, and settled in France. She had a beautiful command of the French language. Ooh-la-la, as my Mom would say. My Mom also told me that a lot of French people married Germans; I would imagine that the French-German marriages were successful and nice. I also believe that Ms Signore also married a French gentleman; that was mentioned on CBS News that Ms Signore past away in the 1980s. My heart became broken, so to speak. Faithfully, Ludwig
The complimentary remark of Bennett Cerf, regarding Simone Signoret's wonderful performance in "Room at the Top," was heartfelt, but it took a somewhat awkward turn when John Daly turned to Miss Signoret and said, "IT (my emphasis) won an Academy award, I believe." It seems Mr. Daly had forgotten his lovely mystery guest won the big Oscar prize for "Room at the Top" ("Best Actress") and Simone is unsure how to respond - and then simply says "yes." (The film did win an Oscar for "Best Writing" as well). Simone's Oscar win for best actress was fully deserved and the "Academy" got it exactly right (they didn't always) when Miss Signoret was presented with her award in April 1960. Her autobiography (published in English in the mid-1970's) was a great and fascinating read.
Wow, while many things are different from the original airing of this program, Daily's speech of dibites is very similar to a speech I heard just recently in the present. Some things do stay the same.
When the final challenger (Constance Williams) signs in, she announces her residence as Moorestown, NJ. It is in South Jersey, not too far from Philadelphia. It sounds like John Daly (and then later Ray Bolger) repeats the name of the city as Morristown, which would be more familiar to New Yorkers as it is the seat of Morris County and in the NYC metro area. It is a common mistake as the names sound almost the same. Although I am familiar with Moorestown (one of my college classmates, a fine distance runner who happens to also be named Phil Collins, was from there), I also misheard her. I was thinking she would have a heck of a commute to work on the NJ Turnpike from Morristown to Philly.
Miss Williams was born in Camden New Jersey and graduated from Centenery College (at the time a junior college, so, an Associates Degree). She became admin assistant to Bud Dudley, who sounds like a go-getter and/or scattered person with many interests. (Probably both.) He founded the Ramblers, which is how she got involved. (One obit says she was the first female GM of a pro hockey team.) He also put her in charge of the Liberty Bowl, which is now in Memphis but started in Philadelphia, which makes so much more sense of everything connected to it. She did that til about 1965, at which point she went to work for the Philadelphia Civil War museum. Her obit focuses a lot around the Fitler Square Improvement Association, which she was a force behind in the 80s and 90s. She died in 2014, of a ’ruptured organ’ (which is both peculiarly specific and very vague). Obit: articles.philly.com/2014-12-15/news/57038127_1_dudley-bowl-game-logan-square Different obit with a lot of different details: www.kalasfuneralhomes.com/book-of-memories/2519996/Williams-Constance/obituary.php Mention of her trailblazing nature in SI: www.si.com/vault/1961/10/30/618298/faces-in-the-crowd
I once applied for a job at Centenary (didn't get it) many years ago. It is located in Hackettstown (NJ), better known as the home of Mars Candy. At 23:09, Dorothy asks Miss Williams if she has a degree and the reply is "no". But it would appear that she had an Associates degree from Centenary by that time.
The Liberty Bowl was played in Philadelphia from 1959-63 at spacious Philadelphia Municipal Stadium that also hosted the Army-Navy game many times (later renamed John F. Kennedy Stadium). In 1964, it was moved to the Atlantic City Convention Center, making it the first major bowl game played indoors. Seating was limited as it wasn't designed for football. It can only hold 14,770 for concerts. Therefore only a little over 6000 people were in attendance. A profit was made because the game was broadcast nationally and a group of Atlantic City businessmen put an additional amount in the pot. I can remember watching the game and it was rather eerie. For one thing, the end zones were only 8 yards long instead of the regulation ten. And the lighting wasn't that good at the time. Also, artificial turf was not available yet, so they had to spend a good deal of money to put in padding over the concrete floor and then thick sod, plus special lights to help it continue to grow until the game was played. Four months earlier that convention center hosted the Democratic National Convention. It was also the venue for the Miss America pageant from its opening in 1940 until 2006 and returned there in 2013. It has been renamed Boardwalk Hall. The Liberty Bowl was moved to Memphis in 1965. According to the obituary I read, Miss Williams continue to work for the Liberty Bowl committee for many years after the game moved there. obittree.com/obituary/us/maryland/edgewater/george-p-kalas-funeral-home/constance-williams/2519996/
Bennett "corrects" John Daly with the wrong name of the hockey team for which Miss Williams served as General Manager. Perhaps he was suffering from a bit of hearing loss as well as a hoarse throat from rooting at the NY Giants football game that afternoon. The Philadelphia Ramblers were a member of the Eastern Hockey League from 1955-56 until 1963-64 in anticipation of Philadelphia returning to major league hockey with the Flyers. The team moved to Cherry Hill (NJ) for the 64-65 season (where the Flyers have had their practices for many years) and was renamed the Jersey Devils. Ramblers was also a nickname used when Philadelphia had a team in the American Hockey League 1935-41 Other teams in the EHL for the 1961-62 season were the Charlotte Checkers, Clinton Comets, Greensboro Generals, Johnstown Jets, Knoxville Knights (first season), Long Island Ducks (first season), and New Haven Blades. The movie "Slap Shot" was based on one of the successors to the EHL (North American Hockey League) and was filmed in part in Johnstown and Clinton. The movie was based in part on the experiences of Ned Dowd who played for Johnstown in the NAHL. He also played the part of one of the goons (Ogie Ogilthorpe) hired to play against Paul Newman's team in the league championship game. The movie was written by Ned's sister Nancy, who also has a bit role in the film.
18:10 Arlene held her head that way to peek through the space between her nose and the mask. She often cheated that way and confessed in a 1976 interview on the CBC in Canada. I have the interview recorded on VHS when it was rerun in the 1990s.
It's amazing how slim the people were in the fifties. Suddenly, or not so suddenly, we are all thick. Gives me some motivation to head back to Jenny Craig, if she'll have me. From the soon to be not so thick.
Those WML Panellists’ names defined in full. Cerf - (i) An overbearing a rather pompous person who makes creepy remarks to females. (ii) A Pisstaker (iii) A Smartarse.
Bennett sometimes suffers a wipeout when "Cerfing" incorrect notions, such as the hockey team's name, which was in fact, the Ramblers. He could have used some hot chicken soup this night. A great granddaughter of former Campbell's president, Arthur Dorrance, Miss Constance Williams was a free spirit, who loved to travel, never wed, adopted a daughter and served as a Philly community leader before passing roughly 8 months after this video was published. RIP
Dorrance was a very wealthy man, but probably not too much made it to his great granddaughter. Campbell's is in Camden NJ, which is across the Delaware from Philadelphia. Mr. Dorrance was not careful about establishing domicile for tax purposes. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey ruled that he was domiciled in their respective states and both states imposed estate taxes on his estate.
At the beginning of the show John Daly talks about a guy who was just promoted to head of the Secret Service. I wonder if he was still in that job about two years later (Nov. 1963).
Louella Parsons gets whistles but not Miss McKeon? Ray Bolger seemed hot-to-trot. I wonder how they determined the seating. Dorothy is more often on the left, (ironically) and Arlene next to Bennett.
John is a complete professional so I wouldn't think he would have purposely gave away the mystery guest. I did notice a couple of episodes back Simone's husband ,Yves, left in a hurry. John couldn't even give him a plug for his show. Was there something going on that might cause John to "slip up"?
Hmm, the person who or machine which made the undertitles is frivolous... ? And has Daly been quarreling with Dorothy, that he calls Arlene "Miss Arlene" but Dorothy "Miss Killgallen" (or "Kilgallon" :)
First contestant was a dance instructor that taught the twist.. lol I can't believe people would pay money to learn to twist. I was around when it was popular and all you had to do was twist your hips and swing your arms around.. too funny. If anyone wants lessons let me know... I'll give you a good deal....
Daly gave it away when he said that Simone was known for pictures "in the United States." He wasn't supposed to give information like that to the panel.
Scarecrow became a dirty old man? Mrs. Signoret was born "Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker" quite a mouthful. At one time she was a French-born Jewish army officer of Polish descent that was born in Germany. Would have loved to talk with her.
It was HER FATHER who was of Polish-Jewish descent. Mme. Signoret was of French Catholic background (the faith in which she was raised) on her mother's side (she adopted her mother's maiden name, Signoret, as her screen-stage name). She was a wonderful actress-so moving (and heart-breaking) in "Room at the Top", for which she richly deserved her Academy Award.
@@kayjohayden Exactly,i thought Ray was charming,it must be some of that Irish heritage coming through.I'm sure that he was delightful and i'm sorry that i never had the chance to meet him.
Bennett would often guess the identity of the celebrity guest as I suspect he was tipped off. In this case, however, John Daly gave the game away with his explanation.
It was the Philadelphia Ramblers. They played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1955 to 1964. John said the name correctly, and then Bennett "corrected" him to say Rebels. This was before the Philadelphia Flyers, which joined the National Hockey League in 1967 when the league expanded from 6 teams to 12.
I know I'm a little late in watching these, but I had to comment. Simone Signoret looks like she could have step straight out of the 80s in the hair, earrings and shirt.
The panelists felt somewhat uneasy while dealing with folks from different continents. I don't think they particularly liked and understood French or Italian actors and actresses, even if the people talked fluent English. Cultural difference, I think. Correct me, if I am wrong. Sure, I am !!!! Cheers !!!
EVERY time they try to get a twist instructor to twist or Carol Channing to sing just 'Hello Dolly' etc. it is embarrassing and the guest NEVER EVER does it.
Cerf : "We josh each other from time to time." A rationalization that does not excuse his verbal aggressive behavior. Some people like to hide behind humor ; only I don't find him humorous. His rude behavior taints the otherwise fine classic TV show.
Those WML Panellists’ names defined in full. Cerf - (i) An overbearing a rather pompous person who makes creepy remarks to females. (ii) A Pisstaker (iii) A Smartarse.
Love the show, but I can't stand Bennett Cerf. He always says the most banal, predictable things. How did he ever get to be publisher of Randam House, it seems here that he had a very mediocre intellect, no offense to Cerf fans. America in the fifties (and early sixties) was such a different place from now.
Cerf was instrumental in meticulously planning a legal challenge to obscenity law so as to be the first to publish James Joyce's Ulysses in the United States. A new book to be published in 2020 calls Cerf "eager, savvy, impulsive" and "a good hustler" in this effort. One way he built up the company, Mr. O'Suilemabhain, was to publish the dirtiest book he could find. Cerf reached out to the ACLU, which developed a brilliant strategy of not challenging then prevalent obscenity law under the First Amendment, but under the Tariff Act. One advantage of this approach was that Cerf would not actually have to publish Ulysses to challenge the obscenity law, saving him a large sum, and another would be that the defendant in the lawsuit would be the book and not Cerf or Random House. A copy of the book was shipped from Paris to Random House and surprisingly, after much effort by the ACLU lawyer, an obscenity trial was held. In part to ward off future obscenity prosecutions, but for other reasons as well, each American edition of Ulysses from the 1930s until the 1980s began with the judge's ruling that the book was not obscene. And this was not because the book satisfied the existing law of obscenity. Cerf and his lawyer changed obscenity law and produced a regime with less government censorship of publication. This was not the work of mediocre intellects.
Bennet was brilliant, the founder of Random House, and a much-sought after speaker at universities all over the USA. He was also known to be a very kind man.
Those WML Panellists’ names defined in full. Cerf - (i) An overbearing a rather pompous person who makes creepy remarks to females. (ii) A Pisstaker (iii) A Smartarse.