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What's My Line?: TV's Most Famous Panel Show
"Will the Mystery Guest enter and sign in please!" With these nearly-Immortal words, America's most popular, most prestigious, longest running, and most successful television game show, WHAT'S MY LINE?, ushered in the famous, near-famous, and sometimes, infamous. Movie stars, senators, film makers, generals, opera singers, governors, writers, comedians, Supreme Court justices, composers, athletes-all gathered to chitchat, exchange compliments and play games with peer notables on Sunday evenings. Now Gil Fates, the show's longtime producer, goes behind the scenes to provide an entertaining, chatty, insider's view of just what it was that made WHAT'S MY LINE? a smash success and set the precedent for all TV game shows. And in so doing, he highlights over two decades of glittering personalities. More celebrity party than game show, WHAT'S MY LINE? was truly a phenomenon. Begun in a loft above Grand Central Station with pigeons looking on from the rafters, it outlasted and outclassed all other game shows. Broadcast "live" at the same time every week, 52 weeks a year, it ran for seventeen years on the same network with no repeat broadcasts. It was slotted into Sunday nights at 10:30, an hour that audience researchers had solemnly proclaimed too late for the nation's television watchers ...but thirty million Sunday night viewers promptly proved them wrong. The program changed a nation's habits, and the accepted way to finish the weekend soon became watching WHAT'S MY LINE. Bishop Fulton Sheen, Chief Justice Earl Warren, Carol Channing, Jimmy Durante, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, Steve Allen and John Daly- a veritable celebrities' Who's Who of the fifties and sixties. Filled with show-biz gossip and told with verve, style, and humor, WHAT'S MY LINE? is a unique, nostalgic, inside view of the television classic that not only paralleled the development of television, but paved the way for the current game show craze.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionTv
239 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 9, 2019
Back in the early electric days of American television -- from 1950 to 1967 to be exact -- there was a game show broadcast nationally on Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. and it was called What's My Line?. It was not so much a game show as a grand and chic guessing-game party among well-coiffed New York City sophisticates, and it became America's national cocktail party of sorts, the last bit of comforting entertainment that millions of working citizens enjoyed before hitting the relentless Monday grind again.
The game panelists consisted of an Ivy League publishing titan and master of the Dad joke -- Bennett Cerf, along with the elegant, charming, witty multi-media maven, Arlene Francis and the prickly and intense social gossip journalist, Dorothy Kilgallen, along with a galaxy of the best comedians, actors and other celebs, every one of them dressed to the nines with their diamond jewelry casting sharp sprites on the black-and-white TV cameras reflected from the hot studio lights. The host, John Charles Daly, from our perspective, was from another age altogether: erudite, composed, gentlemanly, poised, tasteful and diplomatic; a master of semantics, locution and vocabulary in ways no longer remotely seen on television since the 1970s when Eric Severeid retired from the CBS Evening News in 1977. We may not always have understood what these guys were saying but it was sure fun to hear them talk with such stentorian authority. Back then, there was still a hint of noblesse oblige on broadcast television. By the mercenary '80s, when standards and practices and regulations went out the window for the almighty buck, the pretense of elevating the public went with it.
I grew up with What's My Line? as a youth, but not the original '50-'67 version, which would have been on past my bedtime, but the 1968-1975 color syndicated show that ran after the evening news on weekdays. In retrospect, that revived version of the show was inferior to the original, but at the time I didn't know any better. The later version I find hard to watch today. It's cheesy and padded and lacks the elan and electrical theatricality of the original black-and-white version of the show. That '50- to '67- version is still considered to be TV's longest running network game show (as opposed to syndicated; that prize goes to The Price is Right).
The original What's My Line? was revived for the Game Show Network on cable in recent years and proved a hit, particularly among younger generations who would not have known it otherwise, and also attracted new fans via an exemplary Youtube channel that includes every extent episode. That's where I discovered it about six years ago or so, when randomly tooling around the Utubes. I watched some segments with Elizabeth Taylor, Jayne Mansfield, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, Ed Sullivan and Jerry Lewis and was so enamored at how charming, funny and "live" feeling these shows were that I became hooked, even addicted it.
The show's cult popularity accounts, somewhat, for the current market value of this long out-of-print book about the show, written by its studio producer, Gil Fates. Copies routinely go for hundreds of dollars, when one can be found. Luckily, a copy can be read online at The Internet Archive (archive.org; you have to sign up to use it), but you'll have to get on a waiting list to read it. I got on it and only had to wait 3-4 days before the copy became available, which is not too bad.
Fates' book comes from a guy who was there from the beginning till the end of the run. It's a solid and mostly well written rundown of the behind-the-scenes history of the series, providing some choice insights into the nerve-racking, hair-pulling days of live TV before the advent of videotape.
The book is a mixed bag, sometimes giving you too much information on some things and too little info on others. The book gets so digressive at times that Fates has to wrench his tale back on track with the awkward segue: "Anyway..."
Some of the digressive bits involve other Mark Goodson/Bill Todman game show productions that Fates worked on, similar sister programs such as I've Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth, though, to be fair, some of these stories are good and do relate. Fates talks at some length in the second half of the book about the syndicated color version of the show, starring Soupy Sales, which, I have to admit, was less of interest to me.
Overall, fans of the show will dig this written account, especially as it's the only extensive insider record we'll ever have of the goings on. One of the fun parlor games for the reader is trying to guess the "blind item" stories about the tactless behavior that some stars are alleged to have exhibited, but whose names couldn't be revealed at the time of writing. The internet now identifies for us some of their names, in light of new information. Without going into the stories, my naming them would be pointless. If you want to know, it's all out there.
Some of the most sociologically interesting stories deal with the kind of letters sent in by fans, whose ideas, bitching and other concerns prove that internet trolling has always existed in one form or another.
I wanted to write more, but the interest in this will be limited, so my recommendation on this is that anyone who enjoys the show will find plenty of backstage gems here.
kr,eg '19
The game panelists consisted of an Ivy League publishing titan and master of the Dad joke -- Bennett Cerf, along with the elegant, charming, witty multi-media maven, Arlene Francis and the prickly and intense social gossip journalist, Dorothy Kilgallen, along with a galaxy of the best comedians, actors and other celebs, every one of them dressed to the nines with their diamond jewelry casting sharp sprites on the black-and-white TV cameras reflected from the hot studio lights. The host, John Charles Daly, from our perspective, was from another age altogether: erudite, composed, gentlemanly, poised, tasteful and diplomatic; a master of semantics, locution and vocabulary in ways no longer remotely seen on television since the 1970s when Eric Severeid retired from the CBS Evening News in 1977. We may not always have understood what these guys were saying but it was sure fun to hear them talk with such stentorian authority. Back then, there was still a hint of noblesse oblige on broadcast television. By the mercenary '80s, when standards and practices and regulations went out the window for the almighty buck, the pretense of elevating the public went with it.
I grew up with What's My Line? as a youth, but not the original '50-'67 version, which would have been on past my bedtime, but the 1968-1975 color syndicated show that ran after the evening news on weekdays. In retrospect, that revived version of the show was inferior to the original, but at the time I didn't know any better. The later version I find hard to watch today. It's cheesy and padded and lacks the elan and electrical theatricality of the original black-and-white version of the show. That '50- to '67- version is still considered to be TV's longest running network game show (as opposed to syndicated; that prize goes to The Price is Right).
The original What's My Line? was revived for the Game Show Network on cable in recent years and proved a hit, particularly among younger generations who would not have known it otherwise, and also attracted new fans via an exemplary Youtube channel that includes every extent episode. That's where I discovered it about six years ago or so, when randomly tooling around the Utubes. I watched some segments with Elizabeth Taylor, Jayne Mansfield, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, Ed Sullivan and Jerry Lewis and was so enamored at how charming, funny and "live" feeling these shows were that I became hooked, even addicted it.
The show's cult popularity accounts, somewhat, for the current market value of this long out-of-print book about the show, written by its studio producer, Gil Fates. Copies routinely go for hundreds of dollars, when one can be found. Luckily, a copy can be read online at The Internet Archive (archive.org; you have to sign up to use it), but you'll have to get on a waiting list to read it. I got on it and only had to wait 3-4 days before the copy became available, which is not too bad.
Fates' book comes from a guy who was there from the beginning till the end of the run. It's a solid and mostly well written rundown of the behind-the-scenes history of the series, providing some choice insights into the nerve-racking, hair-pulling days of live TV before the advent of videotape.
The book is a mixed bag, sometimes giving you too much information on some things and too little info on others. The book gets so digressive at times that Fates has to wrench his tale back on track with the awkward segue: "Anyway..."
Some of the digressive bits involve other Mark Goodson/Bill Todman game show productions that Fates worked on, similar sister programs such as I've Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth, though, to be fair, some of these stories are good and do relate. Fates talks at some length in the second half of the book about the syndicated color version of the show, starring Soupy Sales, which, I have to admit, was less of interest to me.
Overall, fans of the show will dig this written account, especially as it's the only extensive insider record we'll ever have of the goings on. One of the fun parlor games for the reader is trying to guess the "blind item" stories about the tactless behavior that some stars are alleged to have exhibited, but whose names couldn't be revealed at the time of writing. The internet now identifies for us some of their names, in light of new information. Without going into the stories, my naming them would be pointless. If you want to know, it's all out there.
Some of the most sociologically interesting stories deal with the kind of letters sent in by fans, whose ideas, bitching and other concerns prove that internet trolling has always existed in one form or another.
I wanted to write more, but the interest in this will be limited, so my recommendation on this is that anyone who enjoys the show will find plenty of backstage gems here.
kr,eg '19
April 3, 2011
nice book on old series that had a revival just recently on the game show channel. it's a bit more detailed than i thought it would be (especially when it went into the syndicated version, without kilgallen and company). still, a good take on a thinking man's series, in the day when women wore formals to a quiz show, and men wore hats to the office.
May 28, 2019
Over the last couple years, I've watched some 650 of the first 750 episodes of What's My Line, every one which remains on YouTube. I've got another 100 or so to go before the original Sunday night series ends its run in 1967. When I discovered there was a book written by the producer of the show, I hunted it down immediately. Fates doesn't give as much background as I craved (though his description of Random House publisher and long-time panelist Bennett Cerf as "a friendly, open, happy man because nothing in his life ever gave him cause to be otherwise" and "not an intellectual" who wrote "two dozen books and not a one of them contains even a semiprofound thought" was pretty revealing). But I love this show, which was often hilarious and almost always at least spontaneously captivating, and I can't get enough information about the panelists (also including Dorothy Killgallen and the wonderful Arlene Francis, as well as many shorter tenured ones such as Louis Untermeyer, Hal Block, Steve Allen, and Fred Allen) and the MC John Charles Daley. So, while not as entertaining as the show itself, and spending too much time on the later syndicated version of the show which I've never seen, this book gave me glimpses of what it was like behind the scenes of my obsession.
March 22, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed the part of the book where the author discussed the original What's My Line, which was broadcast from 1950 to 1967. Less enjoyable was his story of the syndicated version, from 1968 into the mid-70s. This iteration of the show didn't have the style and lower-key attitude that the original did. And frankly, I think John Charles Daly, Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf were more interesting personalities than the groups from the syndicated version. Still, though, this was an entertaining look at a bygone era.
May 10, 2017
An interesting behind-the-scenes look at the game show What's My Line?, and other game shows of the era.
I never watched the show, other than clips in retrospectives about TV and game shows, so this book probably would have gotten an extra star from me if the stories resonated with me, personally, more.
I never watched the show, other than clips in retrospectives about TV and game shows, so this book probably would have gotten an extra star from me if the stories resonated with me, personally, more.
March 15, 2016
My all-time favorite game show--what fed into my love of language. John Charles Daly was brilliant!
February 15, 2021
It was ok but the cover and title were deceptive . The panel of the nighttime show were on the cover. However at least half of the content was about the syndicated version. Even the parts that dealt with the nighttime version veered often into other shows such as I’ve Got a Secret or To Tell the Truth.
May 31, 2017
A very good book about a fun and funny TV Game Show.
December 11, 2020
I loved this book. Excellent writing.
April 5, 2024
For those who like behind the scenes stories and nostalgia, this is a pretty good read. I came to know this program through the Game Show Network and YouTube. A simple game presented with so much elegance and grace, the kind that seems extinct in modern culture. Gil Fates was there for it all and provides a fine glimpse behind the curtain at the show and the long gone personalities that graced the screen for so many years.
March 1, 2010
I am a huge fan of WML. I went in search of this book after I discovered it existed. It occasionally shows up on auction sites and goes for ridiculous money. My daughter, knowing my fondness of the program, found it at a library sale for a dime. Not the best shape and has the library stamps and all. It's not a collector's item but a prized possession nonetheless.
It's a great behind the scene look at the long running show. I used to watch reruns of the show on GSN and saw somethings that raised questions. After reading this I found all the answers and then some.
It's a great behind the scene look at the long running show. I used to watch reruns of the show on GSN and saw somethings that raised questions. After reading this I found all the answers and then some.
September 2, 2016
The first part of the book was amusing sorties about the behind the scenes goings on at What's My Line. The book suffers from a lack or organization--which is very much in evidence by the end of the book. The author doesn;t have enough WML stories and branches off into other shows he worked on. For die hard WML fans only.
February 19, 2017
Very disappointing book. The author focused too much on boring behind-the-scenes, technical stuff and not enough on the panel, moderator and guests. Also seemed much more interested in the later syndicated version. Too bad because I'm certain there are plenty of anecdotes to fill at least one or more books. Hope someone writes that one soon.
Anyone?
Bueler?
Anyone?
Bueler?
April 25, 2014
A great read for those of us who are fans of the show and of the old game shows. I really wanted to know the backstage stuff with the 4 most famous of the panelists of WML and there were definitely great tidbits. Also, lovely tributes to them.
May 1, 2017
I recently discovered the trove of What's My Line? episodes on YouTube and have been somewhat immersed in watching them for the last month or so. It was a program that I watched as a kid with my family every Sunday night, so, it has been fun to see these old kinescope recordings of the shows, many of which aired before I was born.
As I have watched the programs, it has been interesting to see how times have changed with regard to the treatment of people in a public forum. There are many occasions in which contestants' weight, for example is cavalierly joked about; women who had jobs which, I suppose, we're typically held my men were referred to as "lady" this or that, with the male description (for example, "lady handyman") still in the title. There were also many occasions in which a woman's good looks were referred to in not-so-appropriate ways.
So, it is with that background that I happened to pick up this book at the library while I was there to renew my account.
It was a pretty fast, light read, and was informative more for the process that the production team had to work with (and sometimes around). There are a few tidbits about the various panel members, but if you're looking for a gossipy tell-all, this isn't it. Fate does, however, give a few opinions regarding the panelists, and there are times at which I thought he had an axe to grind, but by and large, the book is a fairly straightforward nostalgic recounting of his twenty-five years of producing one of the country's most loved quiz shows.
I must admit that I was pleased to see that regular panelist Arlene Francis was given a fair amount of space in the book, and that his admiration for her was as I would have expected. Even as a young person, I somewhat crushed on Arlene... while she wasn't (in my time) a bathing-beauty type celebrity (though attractive she was), she was quick-witted, funny, worldly, and completely charming.
The book, as a whole, is OK... again, a light read which probably would have been better with more reportage of the difficulties with personalities (panelists and Mystery Guests alike), but I suppose that burning bridges wasn't Fates' intention. (I have read elsewhere that a few things he did report on were considered either unsubstantiated or untrue by others.)
The book includes a couple of indices with lists of the Mystery Guests and their appearance dates, as well as guest panelists. Fates also kept copious production notes, which are quoted from time to time.
As I have watched the programs, it has been interesting to see how times have changed with regard to the treatment of people in a public forum. There are many occasions in which contestants' weight, for example is cavalierly joked about; women who had jobs which, I suppose, we're typically held my men were referred to as "lady" this or that, with the male description (for example, "lady handyman") still in the title. There were also many occasions in which a woman's good looks were referred to in not-so-appropriate ways.
So, it is with that background that I happened to pick up this book at the library while I was there to renew my account.
It was a pretty fast, light read, and was informative more for the process that the production team had to work with (and sometimes around). There are a few tidbits about the various panel members, but if you're looking for a gossipy tell-all, this isn't it. Fate does, however, give a few opinions regarding the panelists, and there are times at which I thought he had an axe to grind, but by and large, the book is a fairly straightforward nostalgic recounting of his twenty-five years of producing one of the country's most loved quiz shows.
I must admit that I was pleased to see that regular panelist Arlene Francis was given a fair amount of space in the book, and that his admiration for her was as I would have expected. Even as a young person, I somewhat crushed on Arlene... while she wasn't (in my time) a bathing-beauty type celebrity (though attractive she was), she was quick-witted, funny, worldly, and completely charming.
The book, as a whole, is OK... again, a light read which probably would have been better with more reportage of the difficulties with personalities (panelists and Mystery Guests alike), but I suppose that burning bridges wasn't Fates' intention. (I have read elsewhere that a few things he did report on were considered either unsubstantiated or untrue by others.)
The book includes a couple of indices with lists of the Mystery Guests and their appearance dates, as well as guest panelists. Fates also kept copious production notes, which are quoted from time to time.
July 8, 2017
LOVE IT! that's all you need to know
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