TV Tuesday: What's My Line? - Season 4; Episode 18 (1953)

 

What's My Line? - 1953

After a long holiday weekend, I thought it would be fun for this TV Tuesday if we revisited an old favorite of mine.  "What's My Line" never fails to entertain.  A panel must determine the lines of work of a couple of guests and also be blindfolded in order to ascertain the identity of a mystery guest.  Let's begin!

Our panelists for this episode are columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, publisher Bennett Cerf, actress Arlene Francis, and comedian Steve Allen.  All very good at what they do, and all very much bedrocks of the show.

Naturally, our host is Mr. John Daly, without whom the show could not exist.  In this episode, he's just received an award for his hosting duties on the show.  Well deserved, Mr. Daly!

Our first guest is a very well-put together lady.  Dorothy Kilgallen gushes over her diamonds.  The panel gets to make guesses as to what she does.  They are that she sews pearls and rhinestones on stockings, owns real estate, has an advice to the lovelorn column, and that she is a head telephone operator.

In reality, this snazzy dresser is a grease monkey on locomotives.  Can you see this woman wearing coveralls with a wrench in her tool kit as she works on a train?

Needless to say, the panel is not successful in guessing her line, and she wins the full $50 prize.

Mr. Sylvan M. Edison is next.  Dorothy likes to take a look at all the guests' hands, thinking this might give her an idea as to what their line is.  The panel makes their guesses as to what Mr. Edison does.  They suggest he is a chemist, runs the Tavern Club in Chicago, salts nuts, or is an electrician.

In reality, Mr. Edison is a monocle manufacturer.  The panel has some very humorous back and forth as they try to work out what Mr. Edison does for a living.

Alas, they cannot guess his occupation, and Mr. Edison wins the game by default because of time constraints.

However, Mr. Edison has brought the panel a little gift.  Each of them receives a monocle he has manufactured himself.

Our celebrity mystery guest is up next.  Each panelist is required to be blindfolded before the celebrity reveals themselves.  In this case, it is none other than Miss Rosalind Russell.

What follows is some of the most riotous question and answering that you have ever seen!  Miss Russell provides us with an outrageously disguised voice and a bunch of hilarious facial expressions.

The panel is able to guess her identity, though she has won $25 in prize money.  After her segment, Miss Russell goes to greet each member of the panel warmly.

You can watch Miss Russell's entire segment here.  It's absolutely hysterical!

The show ends with John Daly signing off.  "Panel, I’ve got to thank you, too.  That’s as much fun as I’ve had in many, many a moon," he says with a grin plastered all over his face.

If you've a mind to, you can watch the show in its hilarious entirety here.

Cast rundown:

   John Daly..................................Himself

   Dorothy Kilgallen........................Herself

   Steve Allen................................Himself

   Arlene Francis............................Herself

   Bennett Cerf..............................Himself

   Rosalind Russell..........................Herself

And that's it for What's My Line?.  Rosalind Russell absolutely makes this episode completely worthwhile to watch, proving that she's one of Hollywood's brightest stars.

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