Who was the first host of the game show "What's My Line?"?
What's My Line?
In 1980, Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, creators of "What's My Line?", produced "That's My Line" which also highlighted the unusual occupations of ordinary people. However, the show was developed as a reality show and had no panel or game elements. "What's My Line?" announcer Johnny Olson was the announcer, and Bob Barker was the host for the show which ran for two seasons on CBS.
What's My Line?
The syndicated series ran for 1,320 episodes over seven seasons. An attempt at an eighth season did not get off the ground as not enough stations were willing to pick up the series for an additional year. With this in mind, Goodson-Todman offered host Blyden the hosting position on "Showoffs," a charades-based game show that the company was developing for ABC's daytime lineup. He accepted and shot a pilot shortly after "What's My Line?" ended production. However, Blyden never got to host the series as he was killed in an automobile accident while traveling in Morocco just before taping was to begin. At the time of Blyden's death, a handful of new episodes of "What's My Line?" had yet to air in certain markets; by the fall of 1975, the last of these episodes had aired across the United States. (Comedian Bobby Van ended up hosting "Showoffs.")
CityLine
Originally hosted by Dini Petty, the show was hosted by Marilyn Denis between September 1989 and May 23, 2008. Subsequent to Denis's departure to host "The Marilyn Denis Show" for CTV, a series of guest hosts were used, including Jessica Holmes, Jennifer Valentyne, Jody Vance, Liz West, Dina Pugliese, Christine Cardoso, Tracy Moore, Catherine Marion and Nalini Sharma. Moore was named the new permanent host in 2008.
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. became a fixture on television quiz shows in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952, he settled into his most enduring game show role as host of ABC's "The Name's the Same". In 1954, Lewis gave up the show to devote more time to his variety program; several times during his tenure, contestants appeared on the show bearing the name Robert Q. Lewis. In 1958, he hosted the short-lived original version of "Make Me Laugh". In 1962, he substituted for and ultimately replaced Merv Griffin as host of "Play Your Hunch". In 1964, he hosted the short-lived game show "Get the Message" on ABC.
What's My Name? (radio program)
A version of "What's My Name?" was incorporated into the "Paul Winchell-Jerry Mahoney Show" on television. The program (originally titled "The Speidel Show" after its sponsor) ran from September 18, 1950 to May 23, 1954. In the show's early years, each episode began with a comedy skit featuring Winchell and Mahoney. That skit was followed by a quiz segment, "What's My Name?", similar to the radio program. The host for the quiz was Ted Brown.
What's My Line?
On January 23, 1955 panelist Nicole Germain appeared as a contestant in the first round on the American version, then sat on the panel next to Bennett Cerf for the second round.
Melina Mercouri
On 8 October 1962, Mercouri appeared on the American TV show "What's My Line". After the panel were blindfolded, a strange man appeared on-stage and proclaimed himself "the second mystery guest". Host John Charles Daly quickly called for "the relieving unit" and said "schedule two" (a coded phrase used on live broadcasts in case of an emergency: the cameras are turned to a neutral position and the sound is cut off). The man talked a bit about a dating service he apparently owned before being hustled off the stage by announcer Johnny Olson and executive producer Gil Fates. Daly apologized to the panel and the program continued.
Mystery!
The first host of the show in 1980 was the NBC Today Show arts editor and film critic Gene Shalit. In the first broadcast, February 5, 1980, Shalit opened with the introduction: “Good evening. We’re about to set out on a series of entertaining mysteries—15 weeks of suspenseful, sophisticated, crafty conundrums that are darkly diabolical or amusing adventures with introductions that suddenly seem alarmingly alliterative.” Shalit left the show in 1981.
What's My Line?
Johnny Olson continued as announcer until 1972 when he departed for California, after which a succession of guest announcers were used including Wayne Howell, Dennis Wholey, Bob Williams, Jack Haskell, and Chet Gould, with Gould eventually taking over full-time in early 1973.
Frontline (U.S. TV program)
The program debuted in 1983, with NBC anchorwoman Jessica Savitch as the show's first host, but Savitch died later after the first-season finale. "PBS NewsHour"s Judy Woodruff took over as host in 1984, and hosted the program for five years, combining their job with a sub anchor place on "The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour" when Jim was away. In 1990, episodes of "Frontline" began airing without a host, and the narrator was left to introduce each episode.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)
"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" returned to television, this time on The CW, with Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, and Wayne Brady, and Aisha Tyler taking the role of the host. In addition to the traditional rotating fourth improv player (often drawn from same pool of regulars that appeared on the original show), a new feature was that of a "special guest". This fifth player would not necessarily have an improv background, but would still participate in some of the improv games.
What's My Line?
In addition to the television version, "What's My Line" was also broadcast on network radio for a short time. From May 20, 1952 to August 27, an NBC Radio version was produced on Tuesday nights with the same cast as the TV version. After August 27, the program was then broadcast live on CBS Radio on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM for 10 months concluding July 1, 1953. The radio version is notable for the only appearances of Marlene Dietrich, Constance Bennett, and Marlon Brando.
Colgate Comedy Hour (Fred Allen episodes)
Allen was an original host of the "Colgate Comedy Hour", but he was taken out of the rotation of hosts after two months.
The last days of his career Allen was a panelist on "What's My Line." Fred Allen died on St. Patricks Day of 1956 at age 61.
David Jacobs (broadcaster)
Most of Jacobs's career after the late 1960s was at BBC Radio 2, although in the early days of Radio 1, which opened in September 1967, he had a late programme on Sundays. Though a Radio 1 show, this was broadcast on Radios 1 and 2 and consisted of easy listening music and interviews with guests. From December 1967 until July 1984, Jacobs chaired the Radio 4 topical debate, "Any Questions?" He later presented a similar series called "Questions" for TVS. He hosted the panel game "What's My Line?" when it was revived on BBC2 from 1973 to 1974. In 1973 he hosted a short-lived version of the American game show "The Who, What or Where Game".
What's My Line?
Unlike its predecessor, the syndicated "What's My Line?" did not emphasize formality as the panelists dressed in normal attire. In addition, the panelists were simply referred to by name and only their first names were displayed in front of them. The show did manage to keep some elements of the original series intact, as the cartoon introduction used during the final two seasons on CBS was reused with new music added. The panelists also entered in the same manner as they had before with Soupy Sales (or the panelist occupying the seat farthest left when he was absent) coming out first and introducing the person sitting next to him, and continuing down the line to Arlene Francis (or whoever occupied her seat while she was absent), who would then introduce the host.
Louise M. Tesmer
She appeared on the popular television gameshow "What's My Line?" in 1966, with Betty White and Allen Ludden as guest panelists.
Tag the Gag
Tag the Gag is a very short-lived television series which aired in 1951 on NBC. According to IMDb, it lasted two episodes. It was a panel game show, a popular genre at the time. However, "Tag the Gag" proved unsuccessful with viewers and critics. It was hosted by Hal Block, best known as a regular panelist on the popular and well-received series "What's My Line?". Also featured were Morey Amsterdam, Harvey Stone, Herkle Stiles, and Jean Carroll. The archival status of the series is not known, and it is possible (though not confirmed) that it was wiped.
What's My Line?
The South Korean version began in 1956 by the South Korean government and run as a non-profit organization. On July 28, 1963 a panelist from this version, Miss Keun Oh Kim, appeared as a contestant on the American version.
Eamonn Andrews
In 1946 he became a full-time freelance sports commentator, working for Radio Éireann, Ireland's state broadcaster. In 1950, he began presenting programmes for the BBC, being particularly well known for boxing commentaries, and soon became one of television's most popular presenters. The following year, the game show "What's My Line?" began and Andrews was the host.
Larry Blyden
In the late 1960s, Blyden began working as a game show host and master of ceremonies starting with "Personality" in June 1967. In 1969, he hosted "You're Putting Me On" and "The Movie Game". In 1972, Blyden took over hosting duties for the syndicated revival of the game show "What's My Line?" Blyden remained the show's host until it was canceled in 1975.
Isobel Barnett
In 1956, a reviewer predicted that an alien visiting from another planet could ask anyone between the ages of seven and 70 "What is "What's my Line?"" and "Who is Isobel Barnett?" and be confident of getting an answer. She featured in the first revival of "What's My Line?" which ran for two series from 1973-74.
Mary Louise Rasmuson
She was the first guest contestant on the February 3, 1957 episode of "What's My Line". With one no answer left, Dorothy Kilgallen correctly identified her occupation. "Are you head of the whole thing." she asked.
Fred Allen
A comedy series, "Fred Allen's Sketchbook," did not catch on. He landed a two-year stint as a panelist on the CBS quiz show "What's My Line?" from 1954 until his death in 1956 (March 17, 1956). Allen actually appeared as a Mystery Guest on "What's My Line?" on July 17, 1955, when he was taking a week off from the show to have an emergency appendectomy. Afterwards he joked about the operation: "It was an emergency. The doctor needed some money hurriedly."
CBS Television Quiz
Fates would later produce and/or direct many Goodson-Todman game shows on the network (most notably "What's My Line?"), while Buss (later Frances Buss Buch) became CBS' first female director.
Miskel Spillman
Miskel Spillman (September 8, 1897 – March 30, 1992) was the winner of the first and only "Anyone Can Host" contest on NBC's late-night variety series "Saturday Night Live", and hosted the December 17, 1977, broadcast of the show. An 80-year-old German immigrant and grandmother from New Orleans, Spillman held the record as the oldest host in "SNL"s history (two weeks older than Ruth Gordon when she hosted on January 22, 1977) for many years, until it was broken on May 8, 2010, by 88-year-old Betty White. Spillman remains the only non-celebrity to host the program.
What's My Line?
The 876th and final CBS telecast of "What's My Line?" aired on September 3, 1967; it was highlighted by clips from past telecasts, a visit by the show's first contestants, a challenger from the New York unemployment office, and the final mystery guest, who was John Daly himself. Daly had always been the emergency mystery guest in case the scheduled guest was unable to appear on the live broadcast, but this had never occurred. Mark Goodson, Bill Todman and Johnny Olson appeared on-camera as well.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (often known as simply Whose Line?) is an improvisational comedy television show, an adaptation of the British show of the same name. It aired on ABC and ABC Family from August 5, 1998 to December 15, 2007, hosted by Drew Carey. A revival of the show, hosted by Aisha Tyler, began airing on The CW on July 16, 2013.
What's My Line?
New versions of "WML" were planned as early as 1981, then in 1996, the show was going to be revived by a joint venture between All-American Television and Miramax Films (which also would have been Miramax's first foray into television game shows) as it was being described as "a new model" that would have blended the original features such as having a celebrity panel question contestants in an effort to guess their occupation and also having the panel blindfolded to guess the identity of a famous person, with contemporary "special effects" and "interactive twists." CBS reportedly committed to air six episodes for its fall 1999 schedule. However, according to Miramax TV president Billy Campbell, the deal crumbled because the network decided the show was too costly and ambitious.
What's Your Bid?
What's Your Bid? was an ABC and DuMont Television Network game show hosted by John Reed King (ABC) and Robert Alda (DuMont). The show aired Saturdays from February 14, 1953, to late April on ABC, and Sundays from May 3, 1953, to June 28, 1953, on DuMont. The show was an auction where audience members bid on items, with one item in each episode supposedly belonging to a famous person.
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game requires celebrity panelists to question a contestant in order to determine his or her occupation, "i.e.", "line [of work]," with panelists being called on to identify a weekly celebrity "mystery guest" while blindfolded. It is the longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-show. Moderated by John Charles Daly and with regular panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf, "What's My Line?" won three Emmy Awards for "Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show" in 1952, 1953, and 1958 and the Golden Globe for Best TV Show in 1962.
Victor Borge
Borge made several appearances on the long-running TV show "What's My Line?", both as a celebrity panelist, and as a contestant with the occupation "poultry farmer" (the latter was not a comedy routine; as a business venture, Borge raised and popularized Rock Cornish game hens starting in the 1950s).
Game Show Network
In the network's infancy, GSN regularly showcased vintage Goodson-Todman game and panel shows from the 1950s and 1960s, many of which were either originally broadcast or only preserved in black-and-white – such as "What's My Line?", "I've Got a Secret", "To Tell the Truth", and "Beat the Clock". These classic shows made up much of the channel's lineup at the outset, but have been gradually cut back in prominence since the late 1990s. On October 1, 2006, only "What's My Line?" had a regular spot on the schedule, late Sunday/early Monday at 3:00 a.m. ET, it was followed by a selection from various 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s Goodson-Todman shows, usually another panel game. On December 19, 2006, GSN reinstated the "Black and White Overnight" to seven days a week from 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET, showcasing "What's My Line?" and "I've Got a Secret" in the block, other shows, including "Choose Up Sides", "The Name's the Same", and the Bud Collyer-hosted primetime version of "To Tell the Truth" have been featured, this run ended March 31, 2009. "Black and White Overnight" has returned for two weeks in December since 2009, featuring "What's My Line?" and "I've Got a Secret".
What's My Line?
Publisher Bennett Cerf replaced Untermeyer as a regular panelist in 1951, and comedian Steve Allen replaced Block in 1953. Allen left in 1954 to launch "The Tonight Show," and he was replaced by comedian Fred Allen (no relation), who remained on the panel until his death in 1956. Following Fred Allen's death, he was not replaced on a permanent basis; the fourth panelist was thereafter always a guest. For the majority of the show's network run, between 1956 and 1965, the panel therefore consisted of Kilgallen, Cerf, Francis and a fourth guest panelist.
Clive Anderson
Anderson was involved in the fledgling alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s and was the first act to come on stage at The Comedy Store when it opened in 1979. He made his name as host of the improvised television comedy show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", which ran for 10 series.
Humorist
Bennett Cerf (1898–1971) was one of the founders of the publishing firm Random House, known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances on the panel game show "What's My Line?"
John Payne (actor)
In his later roles, facial scars from the accident can be detected in close-ups; he chose not to have them removed. One of Payne's first public appearances during this period was as a guest panelist on the popular CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) Sunday night game show "What's My Line?" In the December 3, 1961, episode, regular panelist Dorothy Kilgallen introduced Payne by saying, "He's been in the hospital after a very bad accident. So it's good to see him fit as a fiddle and all in one piece." Regular panelist Bennett Cerf remarked, "Good to see you here, John. Glad to see you beat that car on Madison Avenue that bumped into you."
Dorothy Kilgallen
Kilgallen became a panelist on the American television game show "What's My Line?" in 1950 (its first broadcast), which was telecast from New York City on the CBS television network until 1967. She remained on the show for 15 years (until her death).
Bennett Cerf
Prior to 1951, Cerf was an occasional panelist on the NBC game show "Who Said That?", in which celebrities try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports. In 1951, he began appearing weekly on "What's My Line?" and continued for 16 years until the show ended its run on CBS in 1967. Until his death, Cerf continued to appear regularly on the CBS Films, Inc. (now Viacom) syndicated version of "What's My Line?", along with Arlene Francis. Cerf was known as "Bennett Snerf" in a "Sesame Street" puppet parody of "What's My Line?". During his time on "What's My Line?", Cerf received an honorary degree from the University of Puget Sound.
What's My Line?
The Indonesian version is called "" ("Who He/She Is"). First premiered on August 3, 1992 until June 26, 1998 then was revived on March 1 until August 26, 2013 on TVRI, it was one of the most successful and legendary quiz show in Indonesia. Created by Ani Sumadi. After 15 years, the show is aired again on Trans 7 TV station starting from October 27, 2014 until March 1, 2015. The hosts were Aom Kusman, Denny Chandra and Ananda Omesh.
What's My Line?
The series returned, on BBC2 with David Jacobs as host, from 23 August 1973 to 18 May 1974. Regular panelists were William Franklyn, Isobel Barnett (Lady Barnett),
Kenneth Williams, and Anna Quayle; later in the run, Quayle was replaced by Nanette Newman.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK TV series)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (shortened to Whose Line? or WLIIA) is a short-form improvisational comedy television show created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, and hosted by Clive Anderson. Beginning as a BBC radio programme, it was successfully adapted for television after its acquisition by Channel 4, and aired ten series from 23 September 1988 to 4 February 1999.
Television news in the United States
"ABC Evening News" began airing in 1953, hosted by John Charles Daly. Daly had been a well-known CBS radio correspondent, though today he is best remembered as the emcee of CBS's long-running game show, "What's My Line?", which he hosted while serving as ABC's anchorman. Daly left ABC in 1960 and was succeeded by a frequently expanding list of successors that included John Cameron Swayze, Bill Laurence, Bill Sheehan, Ron Cochran, a young Peter Jennings, and Bob Young. In 1968, Frank Reynolds became anchor of the program, and it soon expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. A year later, Howard K. Smith joined as co-anchor, reporting from Washington. In early 1971, Harry Reasoner left CBS News and replaced Reynolds as the New York anchor. Reasoner became the sole anchor in 1975, and Smith provided commentaries. In 1976, Barbara Walters joined the program as Reasoner's co-anchor in New York, thus becoming the first woman to serve as a regular network news anchor. (Marlene Sanders had previously served as an occasional substitute anchor). Other women who would occasionally appear in daytime and weekend anchor roles in earlier days were Pauline Frederick of ABC and NBC and Nancy Dickerson of NBC. From the early 1970s forward, females such as Lesley Stahl of CBS, Carole Simpson of ABC and Jessica Savitch of NBC began to appear in significant on-camera newscasting roles. Reasoner was very unhappy with the addition of Walters, and the two did not work well together. With Roone Arledge as President of ABC News, the ABC Evening News was succeeded by "ABC World News Tonight" with a trio of anchors: Frank Reynolds, Peter Jennings and Max Robinson. Jennings assumed solo anchor responsibility in 1983 following Reynolds's death.
What's My Name? (radio program)
What's My Name? was a 30-minute radio program in the United States. The program was hosted by Arlene Francis and was among the first radio shows to offer cash prizes to contestants.
Who Said That?
"Who Said That?" began in 1947 as an NBC Radio program with John Cameron Swayze as the emcee. It moved to television in December 1948, with Swayze as a regular panelist and the CBS news correspondent Robert Trout as the emcee until February 18, 1951, when the series ended for 14 months. Walter Kiernan took over as the second television emcee during an interrupted schedule from April 5 to 26, 1952, and April 13, 1953, to July 5, 1954. John Charles Daly, long-time host of "What's My Line?" on CBS, was the emcee for the final shortened season of the series, February 2 to July 26, 1955, when it aired on ABC. Recurring panelists included Morey Amsterdam, Al Capp, June Lockhart, Kitty Carlisle, Bennett Cerf, Oscar Levant, and columnists Bob Considine and Earl Wilson.
Colin Mochrie
On March 28, 2007, Mochrie and his "Whose Line" costar Brad Sherwood hosted part of the Press Correspondents' Dinner with the President. At that event, Sherwood and Mochrie featured Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove rapping. Rove's only line was "MC Rove". On August 29, 2007, it was announced that Mochrie would host the Canadian version of the game show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?". The first of five episodes aired on October 25, 2007. As a result, Mochrie became the fifth member of the American "Whose Line?" cast to become a game show host, after colleagues Brad Sherwood ("The Dating Game" and "The Big Moment"), Greg Proops ("VS.", "Head Games" and "Rendez-View"), Wayne Brady ("Don't Forget the Lyrics! and Let's Make A Deal"), and Drew Carey ("Power of 10" and "The Price Is Right").
Mochrie hosted the only season, consisting of five episodes, of Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader?, which began airing on October 25, 2007.
Greer Garson
On 4 October 1956, Garson appeared with Reginald Gardiner as the first two guest stars of the series in the premiere of NBC's "The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford". She appeared as a mystery guest on "What's My Line" on 25 October 1953 and again on 6 April 1958 to promote her appearance onstage in "Auntie Mame". She also served as a panelist rather than a guest on the "What's My Line" episode which aired on 12 May 1957.
Game Show Network
Game Show Network launched at 7:00 p.m. ET on December 1, 1994. The first aired game show was "What's My Line?". From 1994 until about 1997, the network aired classic pre-1972 game shows as well as game shows made after 1972, most of which came from the Mark Goodson–Bill Todman library. The network aired game shows in a 24-hour cycle, and also used live interstitials as wraparound programming. In its first few months, GSN's commercials consisted of public service announcements (PSAs), promotions for its programming and commercials related to network parent company Sony. By 1995, when the network began to expand, the network began accepting conventional advertising as it gained new sponsorships. On March 17, 1997, the Game Show Network rebranded with a new presentation package and a new logo (which had the network's name in boxes and a colorful swirling ball) and a new slogan "All Play, All Day". While the logo changed, its programming remained unchanged, the network also debuted new promos and new idents on that day, which were designed by graphics agency Lee Hunt Associates.
What's My Line?
CBS announced in early 1967 that a number of game shows, including "What's My Line?", were to be canceled at the end of the season. Bennett Cerf wrote that the network had decided that game shows were no longer suitable for prime time, and that the news was broken by "The New York Times" on February 14 before anyone involved with the show was notified.
What's My Line?
The show was revived by HTV West and Meridian from 20 September 1994 to 17 December 1996 hosted by Emma Forbes. A special one-off edition hosted by Hugh Dennis was produced for BBC Four in 2005, as part of a season about British culture in the decade following World War II, along with an episode of the original series, from 5 October 1957.
What's My Line?
The host, then called the moderator, was veteran radio and television newsman John Charles Daly. Clifton Fadiman, Eamonn Andrews, and Random House co-founding publisher and panelist Bennett Cerf substituted on the four occasions when Daly was unavailable.
What's My Line?
The Brazilian version of "What's My Line?" was called "Adivinhe o que ele Faz?" ("Guess What He Does?") and was hosted by Heloísa Helena. On December 16, 1956 Helena appeared as a contestant on the American version.
Arlene Francis
Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She is known for her long-standing role as a panelist on the television game show " What's My Line?", on which she regularly appeared for 25 years, from 1950–1975 on both the network and syndicated versions of the show.
Waukegan, Illinois
On a 1959 episode of the television game show "What's My Line?", Benny quipped to host John Charles Daly
They say that I put Waukegan on the map. But it's not true. Waukegan really put me on the map. That's a fact.
Make Me a Millionaire
The first show was recorded on December 14, 2008 and broadcast on January 17, 2009. It aired weekly on Saturdays, in the early evening, at a time specific to each local station. The show was produced by 3Ball Productions and Milestone Entertainment for an initially anticipated four-year run, and featured Mark L. Walberg as host, with co-presenter Liz Hernandez. The show had the same four games throughout its one-and-a-half-year run. Twelve contestants were featured on each show, from whom seven were assigned randomly to play the games; the remaining five received $2,000 minimum cash or prizes. Contestants learned their assignments only as each game began, although only one of those contestant assignments was televised, and that was for the Millionaire game.
List of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK TV series) episodes
"Whose Line is it Anyway?" (often known as simply "Whose Line?" or "WLIIA") is a British improvisational comedy series, which was originally hosted by Clive Anderson on Channel 4 and ran from 23 September 1988 to 4 February 1999. The final series coincided with the first season of the American series; Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady, who all appeared in the British series, are all regular performers on the American version.
Toby Robins
Robins became a popular television personality as an original member of the cast of the long-running CBC television series "Front Page Challenge" in 1957, remaining with the program until 1961. Originally hosted by Alex Barris and later Fred Davis, "Front Page Challenge" was a current events series disguised as a panel-style game show in a similar format to the American "What's My Line?". Panelists had to guess the news story or person behind a news story by asking questions of the guest; after the game portion, the guest was then interviewed informally by the panel.
Launch My Line
Launch My Line is an American reality competition series which premiered on December 2, 2009, on the Bravo cable channel. The show features professionals competing against one another in hopes of winning the chance to launch their own clothing line. Each contestant was paired with a professional designer. The show is hosted by Dean and Dan Caten, founders of fashion label Dsquared².
Wayne Brady
Brady first appeared on national television as a recurring contestant on the sketch comedy competition "Kwik Witz" from 1996 to 1999, appearing most often as partners with Frank Maciel. Brady was one of the improvisational theater performers in the original (British) version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", along with Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and host Clive Anderson in 1998 when the last season was filmed in Hollywood, after which he became a regular on the American version, hosted by Drew Carey, which was his first stateside television exposure.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK TV series)
In 1988, Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson came up with the concept for the show, revolving around games focused on creating improvisational comedy, using a group of performers. As part of their concept, Patterson and Leveson devised the show's title as a comedic riposte to a radio programme that had recently moved to television at the time, "What's My Line", merged with the title of a 1972 teleplay (and eventual theatrical play) "Whose Life Is It Anyway?". After pitching it to the BBC, the show was given the green light to run as a radio programme on BBC Radio 4 - this early incarnation ran for six episodes, with Clive Anderson as host, and both John Sessions and Stephen Fry as the programme's regulars. During its run, the show's creators decided to adopt the approach used by an earlier BBC radio show, "I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again" - rather than having the show's credit read out by a traditional BBC Radio announcer, the performers in each episode were tasked with doing this themselves, but in an amusing, comedic style.
Add a Line
Add a Line was a daytime radio game show which aired on ABC July 4, 1949, to September 26, 1949. The title came from the show's format, which "called for players to add the final line to a rhyme given to them by the host."
Jinx (chimpanzee)
Jinx visited New York for the first time in late 1955 when Darlene appeared on the “What’s My Line?” television game show (Game 2, Season 7, Episode 282), hosted by John Daly. During that visit, Jinx was inducted into the American Airlines “Sky Cradle Club” for the flight from New York to Chicago in November, 1955.
Julia Meade
Meade and Zachary Scott were co-hosts of "Spotlight Playhouse", a summer anthology program on CBS in 1959. In 1969-1971, Meade hosted the syndicated program "Ask Julia Meade", a daily broadcast "in which she answered ... letters from the viewers" about family matters. In the mid-1970s, she had another syndicated program, "Julia Meade and Friends", on cable television. She was a regular on "Club Embassy" on NBC in 1952 and on "The Dennis James Show" on ABC, 1952-1954. She also was a host of "Playhouse 90" and appeared as a panelist on "What's My Line?" and "Get the Message".
Ghislaine Alexander
Ghislaine Alexander (née Ghislaine Marie-Rose Edith Dresselhuys; 7 January 1922 – 25 April 2000) was a wealthy heiress and British socialite who was a panelist on the British version of "What's My Line?".
My Word!
The host of the show was originally the cricket broadcaster John Arlott, but he was soon replaced by Jack Longland, who spent over twenty years as chairman. Longland was succeeded by John Julius Norwich and finally Michael O'Donnell.
What's My Line?
For the first few seasons, the contestant would first meet the panel up close, for a casual inspection, and the panel was allowed one initial guess. Beginning in 1955 Daly simply greeted and seated the contestant, who then met the panel at the end of the game. Additionally, starting April 17, 1955, the panel stopped taking initial guesses. The contestant's line was then revealed to the studio and home audiences, and Daly would tell the panel whether the contestant was salaried or self-employed, and from 1960 on, dealt in a product or a service.
Richard H. Hoffmann
Hoffmann was a panelist on the TV game show What's My Line? appearing on three episodes early in the show's existence in 1950. In 1950, Hoffmann hosted an ABC radio drama providing psychological analysis and insight into the criminal acts depicted. One journalist criticized Hoffmann for "trying to add a little respectability to these little melodramas" and "putting his own profession in disrepute".
The Line (game show)
The Line is an American game show pilot co-hosted by Jeff Davis and Candace Bailey. Created by ITV Studios and produced by High Noon Entertainment, the pilot showcased contestants waiting in a "line" to enter a "vault". While in the latter, they must answer a series of eight questions to win a jackpot that grows progressively as contestants fail to answer all eight correctly. While waiting in the line, they may be chosen to perform various challenges. These can earn them additional prizes and/or a move to the front or back of the line. Critical reception for the show was mixed; one writer argued that the show's pace of gameplay was too slow, but was also pleased to see an autistic contestant compete.
Lee Vines
Lee Vines (April 11, 1919 – July 9, 2011) was a Canadian-born American radio and television announcer and actor. He was best known to television audiences in the 1950s as the announcer on the "What's My Line?" game show.
What's My Line?
The first four episodes (#001 – #004; February – March 16, 1950) were broadcast live from a converted loft at the former CBS Studio 41 Grand Central Studios at Grand Central Terminal (15 Vanderbilt Ave., NY).
Colin Mochrie
After the British version of the show ended its run, Mochrie joined the American version of "Whose Line?" hosted by Drew Carey on ABC. He was brought on alongside Ryan Stiles, who was also a regular member of the UK cast. Mochrie appeared on every episode from its debut in August 1998 to its finale in 2006. He noted his favourite games as "Scenes From a Hat", where he would have to act out scenes based on suggestions by audience members, and "Whose Line" where he and Stiles would act out a scene and have to add in lines written on pieces of paper. He felt that his weak spots were the musical segments and the "Hoedown" game, which he said was the only time during the show when he felt total fear. Mochrie, who cannot sing, usually spoke his lines instead of singing them.
What's My Line?
The programme aired for a further two series from December 13, 1988 to August 28, 1990 with Rippon as host. The Keith and Rippon episodes were taped and screened in ITV's daytime schedule.
Arthur Henderson, Baron Rowley
Henderson appeared as a contestant on the game show, "What's My Line?" on 6 October 1957.
Chicken eyeglasses
On January 16, 1955, Sam Nadler of the National Farm Equipment Company of Brooklyn appeared on CBS' popular primetime television show, "What's My Line?" The show was in the format of a guessing game, in which a panel attempted to determine the line (occupation) of contestants. Show officials listed Mr. Nadler's occupation for the audience as "sells 'eyeglasses' for chickens". After the panel was unsuccessful in guessing his occupation, Mr. Nadler's identity was revealed and he stated that his company sold 2–3 million pairs of chicken eyeglasses per year. "What's My Line?"s director, Frank Heller, said in 1958 that the show's "most unusual occupation" over its then eight-season run was "...the gentleman who makes eye glasses for chickens."
What's My Line?
It was during the run of the syndicated version that Woody Allen parodied "What's My Line?" in his 1972 film "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex," with the segment "What Are Sex Perverts?" featuring a game show called "What's My Perversion?" Appearing as panelists were Robert Q. Lewis, who had been a panelist on the original "What's My Line?", and Pamela Mason, who had been a mystery guest. Jack Barry, partner of Dan Enright, both of whom had taken falls in the quiz-show scandals of the 1950s, hosted the "What's My Perversion?" game show, years before both would finally return to television in triumph with "The Joker's Wild."
What's My Line?
Regular announcers included Lee Vines, who served from 1950 to 1955, Hal Simms, who served from 1955 to 1961, Ralph Paul, whose tenure was confined to 1961, and Johnny Olson, perhaps the best known of Goodson-Todman's television announcers, whose tenure began in 1961 and ran till 1967.
What's My Line?
The program began with Daly and panel entering from off-stage as they were introduced. Prior to 1954, both panelists and host began the program in their seats, but this was changed, responding to letters asking what panelists looked like away from their seats. The first panelist would be introduced by the announcer following the show's introduction, and each panelist would introduce the next in turn, with the last introducing Daly. During his tenure, Hal Block sat in the final seat and began the practice of introducing Daly with a pun. Upon his departure, Bennett Cerf took over this position. Cerf's introductions of Daly were generally straightforward in his earliest years on the show, but as time went by Cerf expanded these introductions, often telling long jokes which he tied to Daly in some way.
Henry Barnes (traffic engineer)
Barnes was featured in "Life Magazine" November 13, 1964 edition – "New York's traffic jam doctor". He also appeared as a "Mystery Guest #1" on the television show "What's My Line?" which first aired on February 18, 1962. Barnes was also featured in "Popular Mechanics Magazine" in January 1953.
Gertrude Berg
That same year, she made a last stab at television success in the Four Star Television situation comedy, "Mrs. G. Goes to College" (retitled "The Gertrude Berg Show" at midseason). Her costars were Cedric Hardwicke, Mary Wickes and Marion Ross. Berg played a 62-year-old widow who enrolls in college. The actress was also the "mystery guest'" on the series "What's My Line" three times. The first time she appeared was May 9, 1954. She signed in as Gertrude Berg, however, the show used her alias of Molly Goldberg. She also appeared May 8, 1960, and October 1, 1961.
The Fred Allen Show
Allen's health worsened further during his time on "What's My Line?" and on March 17, 1956 while strolling down the streets of New York City, he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 61. During the final ninety seconds of the next night's "What's My Line?" broadcast, host John Charles Daly along with fellow panelists Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf, and former regular panelist Steve Allen, gave brief but heartfelt tributes to Allen.
What's My Line?
Panelists and guests who appeared on the original TV versions and on the stage version include Shelley Berman, Lee Meriwether, radio commentator Michael Jackson, Jayne Meadows, Nanette Fabray, Joanna Barnes, Julie Newmar, Margaret O'Brien, and Marty Ingels. Usually when such a veteran appears, there is a pristine-quality DVD screening of the original kinescope on a plasma screen. Non-celebrities include the lifelong Los Angeles-area resident who challenged the panel with her line, afterward reminiscing how 43 years earlier she had traveled to New York, where Arlene Francis identified her as a meter maid. A clip from the kinescope was played.
Charlotte Whitton
In 1955 she appeared on the American game show and television series "What's My Line".
Judge for Yourself
"Judge for Yourself" aired at 10 p.m. EST on Tuesdays, opposite "The United States Steel Hour", then on ABC. It followed "The Armstrong Circle Theatre". After "Judge for Yourself" folded, Allen appeared for the last two years of his life from 1954 to 1956 on "What's My Line", a long-running CBS game show in which a celebrity panel try to determine the occupation of contestants through yes-or-no questions, as well as identify (while blindfolded) the mystery guest (a celebrity of note).
Bill Cullen
Cullen's first television game show was the TV version of "Winner Take All", which premiered on CBS in 1952. In 1953, Cullen had "The Bill Cullen Show", a weekly morning variety program on CBS. He hosted "Bank on the Stars" in 1954. From 1954 to 1955, he hosted NBC's "Place the Face", a program in which celebrities identified people from their past; he simultaneously hosted CBS's "Name That Tune". From 1956 to 1966, he hosted the initial daytime and primetime versions of "The Price Is Right", another Goodson-Todman production. He was also a panelist on "I've Got a Secret" from 1952 to 1967, and "To Tell the Truth" from 1969 to 1978, where he also guest hosted on occasion. After relocating to Southern California, Cullen guest hosted "Password Plus" for four weeks in April 1980 while original host Allen Ludden was being treated for stomach cancer.
Fred Allen
During the following night's regular Sunday broadcast of "What's My Line?" at 10:30 p.m., barely 24 hours following Allen's death, host John Daly preceded the program with a special message to the viewing audience. He stated that earlier in the day the producers had considered replacing the regular game play with a special memorial episode, but Allen's wife Portland Hoffa stated that she preferred the show be conducted as it always had been, indicating that this is what Allen would have wanted. The program then proceeded as normal, but with a noticeably subdued tone. Steve Allen (no relation) took Fred's chair on the panel. During the final ninety seconds of the program Steve Allen, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf (whose eyes began to tear) gave brief but heartfelt tributes to Fred. A somber Dorothy Kilgallen thanked Steve Allen for stepping in and helping them to carry on at a difficult moment; a similar on-air farewell would air after Kilgallen herself died unexpectedly in 1965.
Winner Take All (game show)
Winner Take All, an American radio-television game show, ran from 1946-1952 on CBS and NBC. It was the first game show produced by the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman partnership. The series was originally hosted by Ward Wilson, but is best known for being the first game hosted by Bill Cullen.
What's My Line?
"What's My Line?" was a guessing game in which the four panelists attempted to determine the occupation ("i.e.", "line [of work]") of a guest. In the case of the famous mystery guest each week, the panel sought to determine the identity of the contestant. Panelists were required to probe by asking only yes-no questions. A typical episode featured two standard rounds (sometimes a third, and very rarely a rushed fourth) plus one mystery guest round. On the occasions on which there were two mystery guests, the first would usually appear as the first contestant.
What's My Line?
An Australian version hosted by John Barnes debuted on station TCN-9 in 1956 during the opening week of Australian television and ran until 1958. It was replaced by a long-running version of "To Tell the Truth". The archival status of this version is unclear.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)
Brady had a summer variety show on ABC in 2001, "The Wayne Brady Show" and then hosted a daytime talk show of the same name for two seasons, starting in September 2002. He also was the host of Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics". In 2007, he made a guest appearance in one episode of "30 Rock", and has made several appearances on "How I Met Your Mother" as Barney Stinson's homosexual brother. He also had a couple of guest appearances on "Chappelle's Show". Since October 5, 2009, Brady has been the host of CBS' revival of the classic game show "Let's Make a Deal". Featuring Jonathan Mangum as announcer and Co-Host, this new iteration utilized some classic elements of improv from "Whose Line", most notably Brady's singing and comedic abilities, occasionally breaking out into spontaneous musical improv in front of or involving contestants, and not being a stipulated aspect of the particular game to be played. As of 2009, every main "Whose Line" participant has hosted at least one game show except Ryan Stiles.
CBS Television Quiz
CBS Television Quiz was a televised game show, running from July 2, 1941, to May 25, 1942, on the CBS television station in New York, WCBW Channel 2 (the forerunner of WCBS-TV). It was the first game show to be broadcast regularly on television. It was an in-house production and broadcast in black and white. The host was Gil Fates, with Frances Buss as scorekeeper.
The Comeback Story
At first the program was hosted by former vaudeville star, songwriter, and actor George Jessel. For the last episodes, however, the emcee was Arlene Francis, best remembered as a long-time panelist on the CBS Television game show "What's My Line?"
What's My Line?
From November 2004 to July 2006, Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten produced one-hour live stage versions of the show at the ACME Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles, California, titled "What's My Line? — Live On Stage". The Los Angeles version of the live show went on hiatus when van Straaten relocated to New York, then resumed in June 2007.
John Charles Daly
John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly (February 20, 1914 – February 24, 1991), generally known as John Charles Daly or simply John Daly, was an American radio and television personality, CBS News broadcast journalist, ABC News executive and TV anchor and a game show host, best known as the host and moderator of the CBS television panel show "What's My Line?"
Gordon Ramsey
In a 1969 episode of the TV show "What's My Line?", Ramsey appeared as Bozo the Clown as a Mystery Guest. Later in the same episode, Ramsey appeared as himself without the clown makeup, requiring the panel to guess his line, which celebrity panelist Phyllis Newman did.
Clifton Fadiman
Fadiman filled in for "What's My Line?" host John Charles Daly for two weeks in 1958 when Daly was on assignment in Tokyo.
Bert Parks
Parks' first game show was "Party Line" on NBC (broadcast from New York City NBC flagship station WNBT), which involved viewers calling in to answer questions and win $5 prizes; "Party Line" ran from June 8 to August 31, 1947, making its one surviving episode the oldest known game show and one of the oldest surviving television shows to have been recorded. Commercial kinescopes did not come out until fall 1947 (co-sponsored by NBC, DuMont, and Kodak), and the only kinescopes known to predate "Party Line" are a few episodes of "Kraft Television Theater" from February and June 1947.
Hal Block
In March 1950, producers of the new game show "What's My Line?" hired Block for its fourth episode to add humor to the show's format. With a panel previously consisting of journalists, a politician and a poet, reviewers had criticized the show as bland. After a rocky start, "What's My Line?" became one of the top-rated shows on television. Critics praised his work; the "Chicago Sun-Times" called Block the "freshest new personality in TV."
What's My Line?
While ostensibly a game show, if there was time, it also was an opportunity to conduct interviews. "Line's" sister show, "I've Got a Secret," and later, the syndicated version of "WML" engaged in the practice of contestants demonstrating their talents. However, despite frequent requests by the panel, particularly Arlene Francis, such demonstrations rarely occurred as according to executive producer Gil Fates, Daly was not fond of this practice.
List of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series) episodes
"Whose Line is it Anyway?" (often known as simply "Whose Line?") is an improvisational comedy show, which was originally hosted by Drew Carey on ABC and ABC Family and ran from August 5, 1998 to December 15, 2007. A revival of the show, hosted by Aisha Tyler, began airing on The CW on July 16, 2013. The series is a spin-off of the British show of the same name and features Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady as its regular performers with the fourth seat occupied by a guest panelist. All three regulars appeared on the British series; Stiles and Mochrie were regulars there as well while Brady was a frequent guest on the final season which moved production from London to Hollywood. In October 2017, The CW renewed the show for a fourteenth season, which has recently concluded.
"Winner(s)" of each episode as chosen by hosts Drew Carey (seasons 1–8) and Aisha Tyler (seasons 9–) are highlighted in "italics". Under Drew Carey, the winner would take his seat and call a sketch for Drew to perform (often with the help of the rest). Under Aisha Tyler, the winners perform a sketch during the credit roll, just like in the original UK series.
What's My Line?
At least by episode #034 (January 21, 1951), the show moved to CBS Studio 59 (Mansfield Theatre, later renamed the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1960, 256 W. 47th St., NY), and stayed there until Episode #516, June 5, 1960. Meanwhile, the concurrent 1952–1953 Radio edition, at least during the CBS run, was heard live from CBS Studio Building 22 (49 E. 52nd St., NY).
Arlene Dahl
Dahl was both a mystery guest (April 25, 1954) and a panelist on the CBS game show "What's My Line?". In 1953, she hosted ABC's anthology series "The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse".
My Word!
My Word! was a radio panel game broadcast by the BBC on the Home Service (1956–67) and Radio 4 (1967–88). It was created by Edward J. Mason and Tony Shryane, and featured comic writers Denis Norden and Frank Muir, famous in Britain for the series "Take It From Here". The show was piloted in June 1956 on the Midland Home Service and first broadcast as a series on the BBC Home Service on 1 January 1957. The series also ran on BBC Television for one series from July-September 1960.