Friday, June 28, 2002
Sign in please - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- “Would our first challenger enter, and sign in please,” firmly declares the moderator, John Charles Daly. The show is What’s My Line?, the CBS panel show that aired for 18 seasons from 1950 to 1967. Note that it isn’t a ‘game show’, nor is Mr. Daly a host. It’s a panel show and he’s a moderator.
What’s My Line? truly is the finest game show that America’s ever come up with. The concept was simple. Four panellists -- from famous celebrities, to non-celebrities who became famous for being on the show -- have to decipher the occupation of the contestants. From the hat-check girl at the Stork Club, to a police commissioner, to some guy who auctions off minks. What’s My Line? is the longest game show to have run on prime time television. It’s longevity is mind-boggling considering it didn’t have a fancy set, nor was the money anything significant. Actually, by the end of the show’s run there was no longer any mention of money.
The game was one of many that came from the genius of Mark Goodson and his partner Bill Todman. The late Goodson’s name still runs at the end of the indestructible daytime hit, The Price Is Right, and there was a time when their programs proliferated on daytime and primetime television. In primetime there was I’ve Got A Secret and Beat The Clock, in daytime there was Allan Ludden’s Password and its two spin-offs: Password Plus and Super Password with Bert Convy. Convy, himself hosted another Goodson-Todman property, Tattletales. Match Game, perhaps the darling of game shows of the 1970s was a Goodson property, as was To Tell The Truth and of course Family Feud with Richard Dawson himself.
The panellists on What’s My Line? became stars themselves. “The delightful star of stage and television,” Arlene Francis was there from day one, as was the columnist Dorothy Kilgallen. Random House chief Bennett Cerf was also a regular, and the three of them embodied the panel for most of the show’s 18 year run. Miss Kilgallen, a columnist, had died suddenly in 1965, and with Miss Francis and Mr. Cerf the show lumbered on with guest panellists filling out the other two seats. Amongst the regular guest panellists that’d drop in: Mark Goodson himself, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, Phyllis Newman, Sue Oakland, Tony Randall, and in one noteworthy episode, Frank Sinatra.
The panel would figure out, by asking ‘yes’/‘no’ questions, the occupation of the contestant. After signing in, the questions would be directed with the only hint being that the job is either a service or a product. A shoe salesman would be a product, whilst a judo instructor would deal in a service. After two of these occupational lines of questioning, the panel and the audience would be treated to an all-important ‘Mystery Challenger’. Anyone who was anyone in show business was on: Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, Louis Armstrong, Jane Fonda, Bob Hope amongst hundreds of others.
Though the celebrities would play a significant part of the show, it wasn’t its sole purpose. The stumping of a panel was something people watched for. If it wasn’t, I’m sure it wouldn’t have lasted 18 seasons. I guess I like this program, because I enjoyed the classiness of it all. The panel had a wordiness with the questioning. Miss Francis, herself, was a real shot at asking questions, and Mr. Daly as the moderator, had perfect manners and a certain élan with words. This was an intelligent program where sophistication became the draw. Lady panellists would don handsome gowns, whilst the men often wore tuxedos, bow ties at least.
The Game Show Network has been showing re-runs of What’s My Line? daily on their gimmick ‘black and white, overnight.’ Along with Line?, there’s Allan Ludden’s Password from the ‘60s and I’ve Got A Secret from the ‘50s and ‘60s as well. These programs however run at the ungodly hour of 1:00 in the morning here on the Pacific coast. In the east, it runs at 4:00. The timing aside, the shows have gotten quite a following. However, come Sunday, the Game Show Network will halt showings of What’s My Line? That will be disappointing, considering these black and white gems have a certain style that’s not seen on those tacky ‘70s shows like Match Game or Chuck Barris’ Newlywed Game. I certainly hope GSN will return What’s My Line?, hopefully returning it on a more saner hour.
Game shows are unique thing. It’s a facet of television that we are loath to admit watching, unless we ourselves won a mink on Let’s Make A Deal or got to hoist Bob Barker. Nostalgia too isn’t a bad thing, and when we’ve braved the failures of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and their clones, old game shows are a comfort. Great consolation too, following September the 11th. Even with Regis getting canned, Millionaire is getting a syndication deal with The View’s Meredith Viera hosting. Let’s Make A Deal is getting revived, but not with Monty Hall at the helm, rather Madonna. The Game Show Network has launched three original game shows: Friend or Foe hosted by former VJ Kennedy, Russian Roulette hosted by Mark Whalberg (no not that, Marky Mark), and the Todd Newton helmed, Whammy, a revival of the old CBS show Press Your Luck. The revived Hollywood Squares and Family Feud will face major revamps come this fall. Gone are Whoopi Goldberg and Louie Anderson. Goldberg won’t produce Squares anymore, as the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler will. Anderson is out, as Home Improvement’s Richard Karn will take over hosting chores of the Feud. Also, Chuck Barris’ life gets screen treatment as George Clooney directs an upcoming film bio.
What’s My Line? was truly unique and probably the classiest show to have graced the television medium in all of its history.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .