Great episode, as usual, but I've seen so many from this season now that one almost forgets (until you're reminded) what a remarkable, gracious, and bright man John Daly was. From respectfully speaking on behalf of Major General Briggs, to fielding sexual innuendo, to ribbing the panel, to making everyone (even those guests always rushed at the end) feel appreciated. He was the ultimate "class-act".

Wonderful how John truly enjoys each guest. What a pleasure to watch this show nightly.

As usual - Arlene and Dorothy look amazing.

I feel as though WML was at its peak right now. The show was "cooking", the pace brisk and the general feeling was up. This was a wonderful show, but seeing it now--with all the great artists who have left us, (many ONLY letting us see their true personalities on THIS show) it is an unsurpassed time capsule. Many thanks.

I love Victor Borge's presence! 😄 His disruptive participation is refreshing, 🌞

Dorothy was so cute when she said, "I know a girl who's in love with one of your cadets."

How lovely a lady is Anna Marie, and her singing equally so...

I commented a year ago and just got directed here....Strange to find all the petty bickering going on. I grew up with these shows, I Love Bennett...I can understand everything he says, I Love his Dumb Jokes, so endearing...I Appreciate this series and the work involved to put it here. Thank You W. Gary for All You Do LISTEN TO LOUIE PRIMA SING, ANGELINA THE WAITRESS AT THE "PITT-ZERIA", 1944

1958-59 was the year of the Air Force Academy's first graduation class. This class began as incoming cadets at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver as the permanent facility at Colorado Springs had not been completed yet. The Colorado Springs campus was officially opened three months before this program aired. Gen. James Briggs (West Point '28) was the second Superintendent of the Air Force Academy. He held the position from 1956-59. Even though I was only 6 years old at the time, I was precocious enough and had an older brother interested enough in college football to know that Air Force was a newcomer to the college football ranks. Their football stadium (Falcon Stadium) wasn't completed until 1962, so they played most of their home games at Denver University's stadium. They were not part of a conference at the time. The day before this episode aired, they defeated the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, 45-7. Previously, they beat the University of Detroit (road) 37-6, tied Iowa (road) 13-13 [Iowa was Big 10 champions and won the Rose Bowl that season], beat Colorado State (home) 36-6, beat Stanford (road) 16-0, beat Utah (home) 16-14, beat Oklahoma State (road) 33-29. beat Denver 10-7, and beat Wyoming (home) 21-6. They had one more regular season game after this, traveling up the road to Boulder to beat the University of Colorado, 20-14. Iowa was the only ranked team they played, but they played enough schools from big conferences and their performance against the Big 10 champs was enough for them to be ranked 8th at the end of the regular season and earn them the first bowl bid in their school's history. In the Cotton Bowl against TCU that year, they battled to a scoreless tie in a sloppy game under chilly conditions (it snowed two days earlier) and sunny skies. The Horned Frogs were 8-2 on the regular season, but received the nod to play on New Year's Day as Southwest Conference champs. They also played Iowa and had lost 17-0. Although I didn't remember the details, I remember the game because scoreless ties were rare and it was a novelty for Air Force to be there. There were 6 turnovers on fumbles (3 for each team and 13 fumbles total), Air Force passes were intercepted twice and five missed field goals. Air Force's kicker missed a 22 yard attempt and two others. There were also 16 punts during the game and only 22 first downs. Air Force football began play in 1955, playing other freshman teams as their initial year had only a freshman class. They were 4-4 that year. In 1956, their first year playing a varsity schedule, they won 6 games and tied 1 against smaller schools and lost their last 2 games of the year against larger schools (Idaho State and Brigham Young). In 1957, playing 9 of their 10 games against major colleges, they struggled to a 3-6-1 record. So their success in 1958 under first year coach Ben Martin was quite a surprise. He came over after two losing seasons at the University of Virginia. He went on to coach Air Force for 20 years. Army was actually higher ranked in 1958, given the #3 position in the polls with an 8-0-1 record, including victories over nationally ranked South Carolina and Notre Dame. But Army was declining bowl bids at that time.

I love Victor Borge he’s not clueless he’s there for comic relief

The Air Force Academy fielded it's first football team in 1957, already at the major college level. In their second year, 1958 they went 9-0-1 in the regular season, being tied by second-ranked Iowa. the went to the Cotton Bowl where they suffered another tie, 0-0 no less to finish 9-0-2. they've never had a record that good since, although they've had many fine teams.

The complaints about Victor Borge are a helpful reminder that a significant portion of the population lacks a sense of humor.

Victor Borge as a panelist; how fun. I saw him live.

Victor asks if the General is in education, then the panel skirts all around tbat & takes a long road back..

Victors schtick is always great, "clueless" or not lol

I am struck by how much a young Anna Maria Alberghetti and Madonna looked alike.

Victoria Borge. What a treat. Brilliant man

The term Pizza pie is not used very often anymore, like Cellular phone.

I had no idea the purple people eater song happened in 1958; I thought it was later. Wow. (Sorry; Victor Borge mentions it at 25:08 or so, and I had to check and see if there was some purple people eater antecedent I was unaware of. Nope!) Song: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jp94ksZ6xL2nnnmW.html

It is not clear to me whether it was the case in 1958, but for much of the 1950s, the Latin Quarter, where Miss Alberghetti was performing at the time (but not that night) was owned by Lou Walters, the father of Barbara Walters. The Latin Quarter was located on Times Square and the famous Coca-Cola neon sign was located above the club. Walters had financial difficulties operating the club at different times, and nearly killed himself over them.

When Bennett said the Airforce was part of the Army, I thought that general was gonna strangle him lol

Victor Borge was not a good panelist, but he was brilliant and hilarious in his own performances.

When I see Miss FRANCIS' NECKLACE, I CRY SOMETIMES.

Oh, wow, and Johnnie Ray is mentioned here, Dorothy's newspaper item about him, so this must have been during that time when she was chasing after him. I read so many disparaging comments about Dorothy on these message boards, but I remember when her father appeared on the show and she was like an adoring little girl in his presence, and I think she did struggle with the idea that she wasn't terribly attractive, and I like to watch her mind at work; you really get a sense of that bloodhound reporter instinct. Also, I like to watch her watch after the mystery guest week after week, always that head turn as the guest passes her, and even Bennett said that while she wrote "that awful column," she was personally "very nice." It was her conservative politics he didn't like, and her camera hogging, and as has been pointed out many times here, that he and Arlene and John were wary of speaking candidly around her for fear that it would end up in the awful column. But I don't think he *hated* Dorothy; he just had these misgivings about her. It's the chemistry of the show that ultimately makes it for me, and Dorothy and Bennett and Arlene and John had it together, and occasionally they had it with a fourth panelist. When one of the regulars is absent on a show, I watch with less interest than I do when the true panel is intact.

Mrs Harding the pizza maker reminds me somewhat of Elizabeth Montgomery.

It's February 8, 2023, and Anna Maria Alberghetti is 86 years old. She'll be 87 on May 15th.

If Bennett pronounces it "pitza"one more time I'm going to find a time machine and go back to the late fifties of slap him.

I wonder how Dorothy knew Johnny Ray had only 10 minutes to gather his things to substitute for Ms. Alberghetti. lol

It's hard to believe that Bennett thought that the U.S. Air Force was still a division of the U.S. Army. The U.S. Air Force became a separate branch of the military in its own right in 1947, having been the U.S. Army Air Forces immediately prior to that. After 11 years as its own independent branch of the military, alongside the Army and the Navy (the Marines being a branch of the Navy), I would have thought everyone would have known that by 1958. The U.S. Air Force Academy began in 1954. I'm surprised none of the panelists could figure out the name -- there was and is the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, so the U.S. Air Force Academy as a name shouldn't have been so hard to figure out.

Pitza? Was Bennett related to Ricky Ricardo?

It's the GOOD SEASONS lady herself--the wonderful Anna Maria Alberghetti!!! BRAVA!!! :) :) :) :)

Another example of Bennett mangling the English language to either get a joke or that's the way he really does pronounce the word pizza

Pizza for Christmas? Victor, bless your heart.

*_Superintendent of U.S. Air Force Academy_* *_Makes Pizza Pies_* *_7th Grade School Teacher_* (he could have been Victor Buono's brother)

There were two people who had no business as panelists on this show. Victor Borge was one of them and the other one was Groucho Marx. While I liked each of their individual comedy talent, all they did on this show was waste air time by constantly joking and interrupting when they should have been quiet. One of the things they should have never started on this show was these conferences among the panelists when they got stuck. All in all, it was a great show and nobody could emcee a show better than John Daly. And as usual, Bennett could not keep his mouth shut when someone else was questioning the contestant.

@What's My Line? - Aha, this is the first time I've noticed this, so must ask if you have, too? I have often been convinced that Arlene had a diamond pendant that she wore around her neck on rare occasions that was slightly larger than the one she usually wore that had the diamond drop dangling within it from time to time. Then I noticed she sometimes had the heart on a bracelet instead of around her neck and it looked larger on the bracelet. Now I see in this episode that my poor eyesight is not failing me. She has the diamond pendant with the dangle in it around her neck and a somewhat larger diamond heart hanging from the diamond tennis bracelet on her right arm that I have other times noted on her left arm. So she does have two diamond hearts and the one presently on the bracelet is a bit larger than the one on the necklace, but sometimes I believe she wears it on the chain around her neck depending upon how it suits her outfit. I do not pay a lot of attention to the jewels and clothes on this show, but I do notice them and felt like a nutjob all this time for "imagining" that I saw a different, larger diamond heart sometimes on her necklace. Have others noted it?

Victor is really funny.

Bennett must have just come from the dentist. His brain was not with his body this night.

Barbara Harding resembles Elizabeth Montgomery.

"I Didn't Call for the Conference.. ,!😃😄🤠😌😌😌" 😂🤣🤣😂😂😂🤣🤣😂

I chiefly remember Ms. Alberghetti for her recordings of two carols by Alfred S. Burt for the Goodyear/Columbia Special Products album "The Great Songs of Christmas, Album 5". She did a great job singing those carols.

Did I miss something? I thought that the pizza woman said her product could be sent by mail?

Facially, Anna Maria Alberghetti reminds me a lot of Madonna twenty or thirty years ago, though of course she seems much sweeter and more demure.

Once again Bennett Cerf shows his general ignorance. The Air Force hasn't been a part of the Army since the 40s, after WWII.

"pit-zuhs" --Bennett Cerf

I have mixed feelings of this episode. I really enjoyed the first guest. I do feel that Bennett Cerif, who is one of my favorite panelists, made a rude comment to the pizza maker.

I would have honestly loved to see both Victor & Groucho Marx on the panel at the same time.

why did john allow bennett to get away with a question that did not require a 'yes-no' answer- 'would you take out an ad about yourself in variety or wall street journal?' and she answered 'variety'. how did he get away with that? john always reminded others that it has to be a 'yes-no' question.

born in 1936, Anna Maria Alberghetti is 87 years old now.

I'm guessing pizza was not all that common in America and universally popular in 1958 as it is now? (Who calls them pies now--except when you say let's go out and get some pie people assume you mean pizza often as not.) Were there even any national pizza 🍕 chains then?

Here is what I will try to always remember about Bennett Cerf (thanks to Wiki) because it is directly connected to the roots, if not all of modern literature and much of culture in the 20th century: "In 1933, Cerf won United States v. One Book Called Ulysses, a landmark court case against government censorship, and thereafter he published James Joyce's unabridged Ulysses for the first time in the United States." [Note: Ulysses had been ruled "a work of obscenity" and banned in the US after just one chapter was published in a magazine.] "In 1933, Random House had the rights to publish the book in the United States, and they arranged for a test case to challenge the implicit ban so as to publish the work without fear of prosecution. The publisher therefore made an arrangement to import the French edition of the book and to have a copy seized by the United States Customs Service when the ship arrived carrying the work. Despite advance warning to Customs of the anticipated arrival of the book, the local official declined to confiscate it, stating that "everybody brings that in." He and his superior were finally convinced to seize the work. The United States Attorney then took seven months before deciding whether to proceed further. The Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to assess the work's obscenity felt that it was a "literary masterpiece"-yet he also found it obscene within the meaning of the law. The office, therefore, decided to take action against the work under the provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930, which allowed a district attorney to bring action." And apparently Cerf won a ruling against the government. It was 13 years since Ulysses was first published, but still, kind of a landmark and a coup to get the English version sales in the US. As far as "waste of beauty" - "pretty as a pizza" sort of remarks by Cerf and Daly, ick.! Patronizing and sexist or not, it's creepy.

I absolutely adore Victor Borge. He was so funny and talented

There is no pizza pie. Pizza means pie.

Dorothy jumps out of turn a lot but a great player,

An unusual episode in tha Arlene is in the number one chair and Dotty is in the number three chair .

Victor Borge was one of those unrestrained comics like Groucho Marx, Milton Berle and Wally Cox who, quite painfully, simply could not control themselves and hurt the flow of the show. Funny maybe 20% of the time. They could have learned a thing or two about self-control from Joey Bishop.or Buddy Hackett.

The lovely blonde pizza pie cook looks to me like Sue Ane Langdon.

funny how Bennett pronounces it pitza not pizza

The mystery guest coughs on her hand then shook hands with the panelist

Why can’t Bennett say pizza!

pit- sa pies. where is Bennet's accent from?

Anna M Alberghetti looks like a young Madonna

Victor is fun but to suit his style of questioning he really needed just one contestant per half an hour.

Is it me or does Anna Maria Alberghetti look like a young Madonna?

_Are you in an active unit of the armed forces?_

Panel had class, the audience doesn’t!

15:32 Pizza can't be sent through the mail?

It's not that you know what's in them...... In my case my husband was manager in a pizza chain for a long time needless to say he brought home a pizza every night and after he quit i never ate a pizza ever again 😂

Bennet seemed a bit, uh... detached. Mrs. Harding was a doll.

Dorothy is really starting to be hyper competitive on this show. She is yelling at Bennett and pushing Arlene around in her quest to win. I noticed starting around mid 1958 she started taking the game way too seriously, really pushing to win every time.

G

Bennett?....pitza pie??

Bennett the publisher, who supposedly knows his words and pronunciations - says @ 17:17 - "Mrs. Harding I rather gather that you have got something to do with Pittsa Pies"…….. Pittsa Pies?? ROTFL…..and he says it at 3 different times. Did he honesty think a Pizza is a …..Pittsa?? And even later in the show he refers to Mr. "Tapper" as Mr. "Capper" not once…but twice! What was wrong with Bennett on this episode?

Cerf insisted in mispronouncing the word Pizza (PETSA)

Why was Victor Borge there?

The show was fixed.

"She's as pretty as a pizza" OUCH It sounds like he meant it as a compliment. . .but. . .people are called 'pizza face' and its *NOT* a compliment. lol Sort of funny how insulting they can come across watching it 50-60 years later. On the topic of pronunciations, I also find it hilarious how they say (not on this episode, but others) that the 'ro-DAY-oh' is in town, rather than the 'ro-dee-OH' that is more common. (At least I think its more common. I've never heard it the other way in all my life! :D)

WHAT is WRONG with Bennett Cerf? It can't be his speech impediment. But his pronunciations, here and in many other episodes is ATROCIOUS! e.g. PITZAS? oy gevalt! Horrible example for a book publisher to get so many words wrong!

I wish the audience wouldn't whistle like that at attractive women contestants.

Victor could be a real nuisance.

Victor Borge is hilarious but frankly the worst panelist in the history of What's My Line. He is absolutely clueless about what to ask. He is great for a laugh, however.

I love Victor Borge's humor but that doesn't make him a good panelist. He's very frustrating! 😖

Victor Borge is an unfunny time waster. Hate it when he's on the panel.

Both Bennett Cerf and John Daly enjoy a good laugh, but when it comes to their own jokes, they've got the sense of humor of a 3rd grader. They're just not funny. That's not a criticism, but rather an observation.

Victor tries too hard to be funny....and Miss Alberghetti was a cutie!!

I'm sooooooo embarrassed to be Danish... ..

Victor Borge was truly one of the most boring untalented performers ever to be a panelist.Always scene stealing and never listening to anyone else except himself.

Victor Borge - another "comic' who is boorish & unfunny, with or without a script.

Victor Borge is so annoying

Oscar looks and sounds like Victor Bueno.