Contestant number 2, for August 10, 1958, Florence Martin, is my Mom! She's gone now, but she became Mrs. Sidney Dry. She was a Model, and an Artist, and a beautiful Mom.

What a charming mystery guest Althea Gibson was.

It's tough enough to compete in sports, especially against elite competition. To succeed with the added pressure of being a trailblazer, while dealing with prejudice and the hopes of your people on your shoulders takes a remarkable champion. To do it with grace takes a remarkable person. Althea Gibson was all those things.

Althea was quite beautiful and multitalented! An impressive woman! Lovely voice 🥰

The year after this appearance, Althea GIbson acted in the John Ford/John Wayne Civil War movie, "Horse Soldiers." Her character was a slave and the screenplay called for her to play the part with a stereotypical dialect. According to TCM, she told Ford that she would not play the character that way and, uncharacteristically, he acceded to her wishes. So far as I can tell, that was her one and only acting performance.

My mother was also name after Ms Gibson. My Grandfather was very big tennis fan in her early days when she played in ATA (American Tennis Association) which was formed at the time because people of color were not allowed in the USTA

"What's My Line" was the best!!!

LOVE Althea Gibson. Twenty years later she competed on Superstars on ABC, and did quite well even though she was much older than everyone else.

The WML panel always extended complete courtesy to various black celebrities that appeared on the show. This was during a time when black people (or the then term "colored") were relegated to either servant or comic/buffoon roles on TV. They were way ahead of their time.

Ms.Gibson was such a modern,up to date,person at a time in the USA!! I think she could,fairly well,playing against a male player.I admire her tenacity of spirit,her guts,courage,CHUTSPAH!!

Wow! An episode with a prolific architect and an incomparable athlete, really enjoyed seeing Ms. Gibson whom I admire and Mr. Stone. Wish some of his buildings hadn't been razed for newer, less interesting designs.

The pajama model is just ADORABLE!

great lady althea gibson,,,,,!!

John Daley the younger harness racer, was so handsome! His speech certainly showed his capability to perform as a lawyer! 👏👏👏

I think the pajama model was fangirling when George Sanders was asking questions, she got a little excited.

althea gibson won the u.s open 2 days prior, she won in 1957 too. it was an amateur sport then so there was no money in it, that's why she should would retire from tennis right after this show and pursue other venues to make a living. in 1959 she got a part in a john ford movie as a "slave maid". she would take up professional golf at the age of 37 (1964) and face even more discrimination. if althea had been born today she would have been rich, but as it was during her prime she had to rely on benefactors to compete and live.

One of the very best episodes I’ve seen.

Bennett's question to Althea Gibson presaged the Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs matchup by about 15 years! Ms. King, memorably, won. Of course Bobby Riggs wasn't one of the ranked Australians that Bennett asked about, but the idea of a men's/ladies' match was already brewing in '58!

George Sanders stole the show in "All About Eve".

i also realize why they got the mystery guest so quickly. Once they realize it was a woman in the sports area. It had to be tennis because it was time of the U.S. Tennis Open

How fun to see the assortment of Kellogg's cereal in their little boxes - we kids would always pick Frosted Flakes or other sugary stuff and then raisin bran was last to be chosen.

Wow, for once I would have had to disqualify myself from a round! As soon as John identified E.D.L. as someone whose full name might give him away, his distinct first, middle, and last name just auto-filled into my head! In fact, I thought Bennett had it too and was just pacing his questions for time. Of course I had the benefit of history. I wish history had been kinder to Stone's buildings. His pavilion mentioned here was stunning for 1958!

That John Dailey was a handsome young man.

Trivia: This show of 8/10/58, last contestant is John Dailey, harness race horse driver. The WML show of 4/11/65, first contestant is John Daly, a circus clown.

I'm taking a Sociology of Sport class at my college, and we watched a documentary called "Althea." Part of her mystery guest appearance was included in the documentary!

11:30 - John looks so proud of himself for that pun! That guy is adorable.

Correction: I meant,Ms.Gibson,could have competed well against a male player,as her athletic prowess was quite evident.I read about her,that she " always" thought she would be" famous." She was,apparently," prophetic" as well!!

George Sanders is one of the sexiest men ever in movies. So classy!

It seems quite odd that Dorothy asks Mr. Stone if he considers Alaska to be part of the continental US. Alaska did not become a state until January of 1959. A bizarre requirement of their becoming a state was that they not represent Alaska as part of the Continental US. Years later the phrasing "contiguous US" came into use for the original 48 states. If you find a thin volume labeled as an abridged version of Althea Gibson's biography, be aware that it's bowdlerized. Deleted is her explanation of how she dealt with bullies in Harlem. Her dad had spent a lot of time teaching her boxing. Typically, on the way home, a bully would call her over to "talk" with her. She found she could not outrun them. So she would go over & they would start their usual BS before hitting her. She would then sucker punch them with everything she had! She said she immediately followed up, making every punch count to the max, & not stopping for anything. She related that she won a lot of fights that way!

Althea's begins at 17:09

*"Miss Darn It" sure was cute!*

FWIW, Gibson did appear in one movie the year after this episode: "The Horse Soldiers."

Very very very clever quip by Cerf: as the pajama girl would say nighty night.

I googled - that 1958 US pavilion really was a gorgeous building

Ms.Martin,appeared,quite proper,respectful in her demeanor,and a real pleasure,to see someone so courteous in that public setting.It was toward the end of the fifties,were women were" expected,trained" to be of that mindset.Personally,I do Not think this demeanor is exclusively for women,that men would benefit from this mindset of manners,also.MERRY CHRISTMAS,EVERY ONE!!

I think this the prettiest Dorothy I've ever seen. I don't know if it's the hoop earrings or what, but she's got it here.

Love the highly intelligent George Sanders.

Dorothy insists on a "yes" [pajama woman] but she's wrong. Dorothy asked: "If worn, is it unlikely that it would be seen with a naked eye?" The answer is "No." It's quite likely (the opposite of "unlikely") that it would be seen with a naked eye if worn.

Bennett seems to give a premonition for the "Battle of the Sexes" years later between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs by his question at 19:33

She was pretty

Patrician mid-Atlantic accents.....gone forever...

Regarding the Pajama Model's Line, Arlene's and George's questioning got a little risque, but still funny and clean for 1958 television.

Althea's dress is gorgeous!

@Klyber, I came on to read the comments to see if she ever married. I’m so happy that she did! She was so charming and adorable, just really adorable. Did she ever get to know that these episodes were online or did she pass too soon?

Puerto Rico is not a country (see 5:13). Since 1898, it has been part of the United States. Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens.

Dorothy asked if it was UNLIKELY the garnent would be seen with the naked eye if she were wearing 'it' but then was gently protesting that Daly should've given her a yes when he said it wasn't. H'mmmmm she is starting to show signs of not being quite 'on the ball' as previous years. Bless her. I've heard people suggest that she starting having a few tipples in later years before a show. I find that intriguing given how sober and well-behaved she's been so far. I'll soon see....working through these chronologically, like you do,

Whups, Dorothy's asking about folding or bending again. (I had it stuck in my head Miss Martin was a mattress demonstrator, so I was protesting in my head, but, clearly, I was Wrong.) Really, I like her telephone booth question better.

I didn't know there was a pajama model in stores.

I alway's like the Jazz intro theme. I wonder if anyone played it on a record?

It would be easier to call every woman "miss." It would eliminate the seemed intrusion into one's privacy. The female panelists on this program are mostly addressed as "miss" regardless of marital status. As were the female mystery guests. I abhor being addressed by my first name by tradespeople, in medical or dental offices or other business circumstances. My sister doesn't mind being addressed by her first name in medical offices but when my first name is called to let me know it is my turn, I'll bloody wait until they use my last name. When I did that recently, the nurse asked, "well, isn't your name 'Shirley?'". "Yes," I replied, "among my family and friends. It's my first name." Everyone deserves to be addressed by the honorific.

How is a Brussels pavilion in Asia?

25:27 Cerf:"As the pajama girl would say nightie-nightie John!" LMAO!! OH I LOVE this man's corny jokes!!

Mr. Sanders looked as if he'd much rather be standing out at the street corner waiting for a bus...

I've never understood why guest contestants weren't told how the game works back stage before they come on the air. That way it would have saved a lot of time and John wouldn't have had to always ask the same question.

My favorite panel is Dorothy, Steven Arlene and Bennett. I just think they’re the best together. They were good with one other guy too, but I’ll be danged if I can remember his name - Robert Something 🤔.

The Pajama lady had an amazing delightful charming and engaging personality!

The Daly/Daily pun reminds me of an episode of Quick Draw McGraw where the local newspaper keeps getting misspelt variously throughout the episode. It would have come out round about this time too.

Penmanship was a subject that was taught in schools back then and one can see that as people sign in. Over the years, even before computers were heavily used, it was a subject that was considered less important.

Thank you for posting. She was something else and overcame prejudice. The Americans should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm so glad John didn't give in to Dorothy's attempt to gaslight him! Her question was, "If I wore this, would it be *unlikely* that you could see it with the naked eye?" To which the answer was definjtely NO. She repeatedly asserted that because you COULD see it, the answer would be "Yes", which was definitely incorrect! It was very proper of Daly to not argue about it and just jovially flip the card. Still, you could tell she was angry afterward!

About Althea Gibson: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althea_Gibson

Bennett gets more and more annoying - first, telling a guest in a previous show that her beauty was wasted by being a lawyer I believe, and then by trying to say that Althea Gibson isn't as good as a man (trying to diminish her accomplishments - an extra insult as she wasn't paid enough for playing tennis to really cover the cost of living) - what a stuffy, pompous old dinosaur, with that patronising smile, jokes that were rarely funny and an obsessive hatred for rock & roll. There have been many instances where he showed he just didn't respect women very much, including his treatment of Dorothy (not that she wasn't annoying in her own way). Kudos to Ms. Gibson for handling the question with class and to John for the respect he showed in saying she could have a 3rd career as a diplomat. My fave panelist was Steve Allen - truly witty, funny and kind - a class act.

I would add to Bennett Cerf's intro and sentences with at least 8 words. 😄

the horse racer is most attractive, indeed.

Why did Bennet immediately start with that question?

My first question for Mr, S would be 'are you an owner or co-owner of a supermarket?'

Miss Martin ! Nice Lady

Edward stone designed the Brussels US pavilion, but has a comb over out of this world!

how is Brussels in Europe and Asia? isn't Germany and Russia in the way of Asia? I know many people argue over Russa being in Europe or Asia, but even if you put all of Russia in Asia, Germany is still in the way.

Dorothy looked very good here, those dangly hoop earrings suited her. Also liked Althea's dress but it would look better with the scarf tied loosely going down her back instead of sewn into the back. Or not on it at all. She looked very pretty in it, still, nice shoulders.

Althea Gibson looked pretty

Beautiful African American Queen Althea Gibson.. Didn't know about her. They keep things quiet. She was awesome.

Well Florence was very very charming.

I wonder if “Miss Darn It” became Mrs. So and So after this appearance on television?

*_Architect (Designed U.S. Pavilion Brussel's World's Fair_* *_Pajama Model_* *_Harness Race Horse Driver_*

p.s. - George Sanders: what is going ON with him? Did he actually think he was in a movie while he was filming this?! I'm now a few months on from this episode, and just watched two lovely episodes with David Niven, who was no less stereotypically British but so warm, witty, and charming. Among this unique group of bright talents, Sanders' stiffness and discomfort with the form was distracting.

Bennett Cerf is dubious, not clairvoyant

I have a real soft spot for architects because my late husband was an architect. I really wish they would stop using the term architect when describing a politician. They are not architects.

I guess Arlene didn't have time to do her usual flirting with the handsome young man at the end.

The sexual innuendo was thick in the questions to the pajama model from the male panelist (not cerf). Also Dorothy seemed pissed when John Daly cut her off from her questions of the model.

Oh Dorothy was mad.... 15:41

20:41 "Will the real John Da(i)l(e)y please stand up?" haha

Dorothy K. Can be a pain sometimes.

How come Mr. DALEY never asked if the men were married?

4-syllable or bombasticated vocabulary!!!

How interesting that Bennett asked this women’s champion about how she would fare against a male competitor. And she replied that “wouldn’t be fair”, then that she “might be able to get a few licks in.” Rather prophetic when you consider the nonsensical denial of reality that’s going on with biological men competing in women’s sports today.

15:35 Dorothy Kilgallen took this game so seriously that it became downright irritating.

2:05 "Panel mawdahwaydah." John Daly gets the award for *_Television's Biggest Forehead_* . 18:15 Arlene had her head turned that way to peek through the space between her nose and her mask. She admitted in an interview on Canadian television that she peeked in that manner.

Althea Gibson was so beautiful. I'm so sad that people of color were shut out of so many opportunities. They still are, although we as a nation still haven't figured out how to be color blind. Breaks my heart.

The panel HAD to have been given the heads-up about the mystery celebrity guests--clues that is. How else would they have been able to guess the identity of Althea Gibson so quickly?

3:45- how rude.

Finally a POC

How ridiculous a pajama model!!

Now how in the word did Arlene guess THAT?!

how the fuck did she guess that ?

Even if Miss Martin WAS a Mrs the panel would still call her Miss Martin anyway! It irritates me every time, that pointless opening question but hey I know, it's 1958.

No female in any sport can contend with the top males.