When they are young, pretty girls he jumps up and down on his chair.

My Mom looks very much like her - despite now being 20-25 years older than Jane Froman in this show, who is close to my current age here

I couldn't agree more!

100%.

Totally. Daly is a class act

This was the classiest "game show" in TV history. They called it the Tiffany network for a reason.

A real gentleman

Never found Allen amusing, claimed he wrote 3000 songs,how many can you name?

@@joeambrose3260 "I Got Rhythm," "After You've Gone," "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," Theme from "Picnic," "As Time Goes By," "My Melancholy Baby," so many other plus a lot of jazz numbers largely performed by jazz musicians, like himself. You would know so many of his songs, truly. He was a true polymath. He was witty on "The Tonight Show" and on the PBS series he did with great thinkers chatting. But everyone's taste in humor is different. I've never liked Bob Hope, Henny Youngman, Milton Berle, Benny Hill, George Jessel. Some folks disliked Ernie Kovacs on here and I loved him.

@@joeambrose3260 P.S. Just kidding. He recorded a lot because he was a jazz pianist and he sometimes arranged and rewrote lyrics. But you would recognize some of what he'd initiated as an artist other than "This Could Be the Start of Something Big." He wrote many books, too.

@@joeambrose3260 Jack Paar would say that Steve Allen wrote 3000 songs and ask the audience to name two.

@@philippapay4352 Joe Ambrose is a troll. don't feed it.

Me too.

Diane Miller Watch Susan Hayward’s fantastic performance ( and Oscar nominated) of Froman in “ With A Song In My Heart”

Yes, watch With A Song In My Heart...an amazing portrayal of Jane Froman by Susan Hayward. ....Hayward's 3rd Oscar nomination.

@@stanmaxkolbe (6

Susan Hayward played Froman in a movie about her life

It was Jane Froman singing the songs in the film. Susan Hayward lip synced them.

I MAY HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD until later.

I'd much rather watch Hal than the super boring Bennett Cerf !!!

@@domenicv7962 Bennett is wonderful!

@@lukev7 Whatever floats your boat ....I can't stand him.

Totally disagree with your take on Bennett

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y859gqaqurq6hJc.html. Referred to in this show ‘I Believe’

There is an agenda in today's culture to demonize and vilify anything that came before the year 2000-to destroy it, actually! They paint everything that was good in this evil tone, while glorifying the disgusting and depraved culture of today. It is NO WONDER that those who love today's mores say that Mr. Cerf was a pervert. Isaiah 5:20 prophesied this would happen in these last days: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" We're seeing this in spades today.

Utube has a multitude of old shows., back to 1900s.😊

Classically trained!

He was a perv

Yeah.hes not creepy at all. Great guy. Never heard him say anything wrong and he's very mild

Arlene made many insinuations so does that make her a perv. To be clear I don't think so. Bennet was a product of his time.

Bennet was a good man

Bennet was a class act.

Katy Bauer From what I've read on Wikipedia she had years of painkillers then resorted to alcohol when they didn't work anymore. I get the feeling she never did fully recover.

She had a great career that was badly affected by her accident.

Hal was supposed to be on that plane with her. They were preforming together, and he missed it. That is why he gave her that kiss.

@@sandrageorge3488 That was the first I had ever heard that Hal was supposed to have been on that plane. That was a very sweet moment when he gave Jane a kiss...for all Hal's often inappropriate behavior....that moment was genuine.

*months

You can see a very young Robert Wagner in that film.

Hal Block missed his plane or he would have been on it with her. They were preforming together.

She later got a divorce and married Burn. They were married for 8 years.

@@MrTruckerf Thanks

@@MrTruckerf Than again get divorce and married third time.

In the intro, I said to myself-for once Hal isn't gonna scratch his head or stick a finger in his ear and that's when he did just that.

I remember when he kissed a Miss America and it was pretty creepy. A few shows later, he attempted to kiss Bette Davis and she wasn't having any of that. He was definitely a problem and pretty disgusting,

@@sbalman you must have preferred the super boring and vastly over rated Bennett Cerf !

He was a jerk!

@@MarkJohnson-ou6xz you say that because you like non funny nerds like Cerf. Block was edgy on an otherwise stiff show. He brought balance....Cerf was arrogant and boring..... plus his attempts to be funny were weak and embarrassing ..

@@domenicv7962 I say it because he was a JERK!

Not 50 decades. The show didnt end 500 years ago. Its been a little over 5 decades since its last run

What a nice thought!

@@bencheshire Yes, indeed, a nice thought. Quite a bit inaccurate in the passage of time, but "nice." (By the way, I happily voted your comment "thumb up!"

It's scary that over 25 people gave the comment a thumbs up....

@@wagonstation3709 haha

He is fab. So funny

The Mutual radio network was established in the mid-30s and went out of business in the late 90s.

It's a damn shame

YOU CAN GOOGLE UK WHATS MY LINE IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THAT

Wikipedia is nonsense and filled with bogus information. Use extreme caution when using such crowd sourced opinions moderated by a handful of leftwing activists.

Absolutely right. I looked Hal Block up and found that he was one of the most respected comedy writers for radio and TV. Bob Hope said he was a great writer, as did all the big-name performers from that period, including Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, for example. Apparently, he was originally an incredibly smart fellow who was going to be a lawyer before he found his true calling. Before Hal Block came on board, WML was floundering until he came on board to liven things up. And when you read the witticisms, cracks, and antics that he did for laughs that sponsors thought to be "too risqué," his material was well within normal family fare when compared to the 1960s material that had later come into vogue. He was just a bit ahead of his time. By the end of 1953, the same year that Hal was canned from WML, Playboy had its first issue published, which likely had a dramatic impact on entertainment and tastes at the time.

Hal had a full time job, writing for the most popular comedians. He did WML FOR FUN, NOT THE INCOME!!😊

Replying to myself! I've seen some newspaper pics of him in 1954 but nothing beyond that unfortunately. There's a picture of teenage Hal in a 1931 high school year book on Ancestry.com (he also appears to have written on the page!); his little bio reads: "Harold Block - "Hal" can entertain anybody anywhere and was probably the saviour of the soccer and track team in their respective seasons. As Captain of Indoor track, Harold has set a truly remarkable record, and it is a fitting climax to his two years of wisecracking at U. High. He's just one of the boys - Oh-uhoooa!" His WW2 draft card shows him living in Los Angeles and his employers as Burns & Allen; he has 'curly hair' recorded under his obvious physical characteristics. No mention of 'dimples' though!

I largely agree. Short version is the they all had foibles. If nothing else, Mr Block deserves a tip of the cap for transforming the show into the success it was.

A little Block went a long way; although as an old time New Yorker, I totally got him. More of a sweetheart than a shark, although he did sometimes make me squirm. (Though nothing like Jerry Lewis: who was mean.) Although I thought his departure was handled terribly, he ended up doing more than ok; he was a rich guy to begin with and then became richer with investing. In his heyday. he was quite famous and influential. Wrote for some of the biggest acts. I do prefer the Cerf, kilgallen, Francis + one line up. They had certain chemistry and the extremely intelligent Kilgallen was a master player. (I find it hard to watch the years after she died; I miss her terribly.) Personally, I love Cerf. He had a bashful boyishness that countered his cleverness and cheese. He was also the genius co-founder of Random House, extremely well-educated, and a fantastic writer (sensitive, funny, sharp). (I recommend both his memoir and published correspondence between him and RH cofounder Donald Klopfer.) Cerf (and Block) reminds me of relatives I knew growing up in the 60s. Loved both of their East Coast mid 20th century accents. Daly is my ideal host. Class acts all around.

When Steve asked if it could be worn outdoors as well as indoors, it should have gotten a "no," as we don't wear saddles indoors -- but I'm glad John missed that and let him continue! (But anyway, is it correct to say that saddles are WORN?)

Steve said "indoors" rather than "in the house." A saddle can be used in a barn or a stable, which by a strict definition would be considered "indoors." Even though the camera isn't on him, John clearing his throat seems to indicate he wasn't quite sure for a moment himself.

@@CamhiRichard They're worn by horses. :)

I was amazed, too, considering it seemed that the panel, especially Steve Allen, seemed to be led astray numerous times IMO. Made for hilarious viewing, though.

Goodson and Todman had already identified Allen as a replacement for Block.

here are my 2 cents^

hal did that to most female guests. check out how bette davis reacted to him in 1952 wml

he was pretty filthy minded. I'm not upset that he's leaving, but why is he leaving?

Krista Brewer He was fired. Their sponsor was, “Stopette”, and Hal made a comment none of us would think too much about these days, but back then it was an insult. He said, “Use Stopette and turn your armpits into charm pits.” It’s obvious their was no love lost between him and John, so I think it was just a matter of time regardless.

I personally enjoyed Mr. Block, but then I don't mind or give much credence to low humour, as for his suggestive comments to female contestants, I found more of Bennett Cerf's behaviour to make me feel uncomfortable. It was really a shame he as fired, it seemed to have a huge effect on his career afterward, even though he had quite the career before he joined the WML panel, and it was awful how he met his end.

@@kacym.118 Yep, this was the real reason Block was fired, mocking your sole sponsor is a big no no. Jules Montenier was paying through the nose to sponsor WML. Because the show became popular and played across the country the advertizing costs became enormous but Montenier refused to have a co sponsor because he was very proud of being the sponsor for WML. It broke his heart when he was finally forced to sell his company in 1956 because he couldn't sell enough Stopette to make up for the costs. But Block was very popular with the fans the whole time. CBS even had a deluge of letters from people demanding his return to the show during his suspension before his final 3 episodes

I was fascinated by her long, voluminous gowns she wore on her TV shows. I was much too young to understand the reason, but realized years later they were to disguise her braces. The dancers cleverly obscured her movements and the camera work (this was LIVE TV) camouflaged them as well. She was a very brave lady indeed.

She had 39 operations. Nearly lost her leg.

@@stevenjohnson7442 Wow!

She also had an automobile accident on December 1979.

And an even more beautiful singing voice.

We are members of the animal kingdom after all, and Hal was the equivalent of the "runt of the litter". Its unfortunate because I get the sense he was not a bad guy all in all

I don't know whether this actually happened, but in the movie, shortly before the plane crashed, the woman in the seat in front of Jane asked to trade seats with her and Jane agreed. Jane was severely injured but the other woman died.

Yes, this did happen.

Did he mention Hal Block preforming with her?

He was a breath of fresh air on a show that replaced him with a very boring Bennett Cerf

@@domenicv7962 I wish Kanye West was on it

@@Lelski I wish for world peace...but guess what?

@@domenicv7962 i wish we could all live in one world government, all races and cultures…except Somalians

@@Lelski You won, Lexi.

I think so too. It wasn't the same as the day he kissed Miss America. He was being lecherous that day.

@@jacquelinebell6201 I'd like to see that kiss! Was it the prior year Miss America for 1952 or before?

Chuck Turner min wage was $1.25. Afar distance from today. I read Congress is looking at $15.00 per hour

@@chuckendweiss4849 inflation.

$50.00 in 50s = $500.00 today.

@@donaldmanthei1224 wow!

The $5 to $50 is approximately what $60 to $600 would purchase today (Dec. 2022).

What about how Bennet & Daly, both married, often behaved with women half their age? At least Hal was funny. What’s special about a MINISTER?

I agree with you about Bennett and Daly. They were more powerful, that’s why they got away with it. Today, they would not be able to do that.

He was extremely funny but if he was warned repeatedly about his behaviour, then you just know how it's going too end. Such a shame.

I never liked Hal and I'm glad he's gone! he was sickening, disgusting and hit on everyone in a skirt. But still, in his defense, he didn't KNOW she was minister

@@kristabrewer9363 I don't know that this was established. The interaction appears to have occurred after her line was revealed, although he made comments earlier when she said she was single.

She was a singing and recording star in the 1930's and 1940's and had a tv show in the early 1950's. In 1951 they made a movie of her life called "With a Song in My Heart", which starred Susan Hayward.

+tomitstube In fact, I think Hal deserves credit for maintaining a professional attitude, and acting much like his usual self -- right down to grabbing a kiss from the MG. He was understandably bitter about being fired (although the decision to let him go was the right one), but he showed no signs of negative emotion during the broadcast. A classy performance from a guy whose behavior wouldn't always be described as classy!

dizzyology yeah, even hal knew burning this bridge would be a bad thing for his career, he didn't do much after this, hal wasn't really much of a socialite which is what this job required so he may have just made peace with it and moved on. the business can be cut throat and cold.

+dizzyology An extremely accurate and appropriate comment. Wish I could +5 it...

+Robert Melson Thanks, Robert. Hal continued to behave well toward the show that dumped him. I think it was on the show's 5th anniversary that John mentioned on the air the congratulatory telegrams they had received, including one "from our former colleague, Mr. Block." So little is known about Hal -- I see him as a tragic figure, a humane man who felt that the "funnyman" role he had been assigned required crude behavior from him. If so, he paid a heavy price for misunderstanding the role.

+dizzyology I do recall it, and I thought it was gracious of Hal to have done so. All I know of Hal outside the show is from the material that the leader of our cult has dug up and posted on FB. You bring to mind the one other time that I heard Hal's name mentioned on the program; I wish I could recall it better. If my memory serves (and it usually doesn't), it was on a show in the late 50's or early 60's. Steve Allen was a guest panelist, and the panel was having some difficulty with the mystery guest who was manifestly a male comedian. You can hear Steve Allen hazard the guess facetiously off camera that it might be Hal Block. It just might have been the show where MG Danny Kaye gave a false answer to every question and had the panel completely befuddled; I'll check.

Those particular terriers weren't a popular breed back then. I was born in '52 & never heard of Jack Russells till years after I was grown, & we had lots of dogs, many breeds.

Lucinda Sommer Hmm... I suppose that could explain it, if the panel had never even heard of them. Thanks for the info. :)

I hate dogs.

They hate you too.

Steve Allen’s wild guess: “I think he makes saddles for turtles.” Steve is a lot of fun.

SOOOOOOOOOO TRUE......

Really? Cannot imagine how anyone would think that.

@@sbalman Hal Block was a complete idiot.

Agreed. The dumbing down of America is tragic.

Errors, I got a laugh out of that and it's true. I'm glad he's gone but do feel a bit sorry for him.

And in a lot of episodes Bennett sets it up , asks the question that leads them in the right direction.

Tommy Smothers Yo-Yo Man.

I know, this show blows

Joe Ambrose, then why do you always show up on this channel to make non-funny/non-intelligent wisecracks? Do you really have no other way of showing the world you're a jackass?

@@joeambrose3260 You wish.

A game show, not talent show.😂

Probably cause they all just wanted him gone, especially Daly, who never liked his antics.

I noticed that too

I find it very interesting that Mr. Cerf was absent from Hal's return from suspension to his final show went to air? Just co-incidence or more to it? He definitely appeared to dislike Hal and on occasions struggled to hide the fact.

You might find this interesting. There are five parts: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f7hka5Z9qqfWhZc.html

GOOD! I'm GLAD he's gone! Who did the firing? could John do the firing or would it have had to be a producer?

Sal Bazaz he probably knew he was leaving..

☹️

This was a time when women were publicly referred to as *BROADS* or 'girls' by men. This was also a time when almost EVERY FAMOUS WOMAN ACTRESS (whether they admit it or not) had sex with studio brass at one time or another to get a significant part or a leading part in high budget movie or Broadway play. Men and women would act sophisticated and proper in public but whored around in private, cheated on their spouses, and looked down on each other. Dorothy Kilgallen was cheating on her husband while filming the show and her husband had numerous sexual flings while married to her. Dorothy would drink heavily and used various drugs for depression and to rest. This was also a time of EXTREME racism in the entire nation (including New York) Nat King Cole stated in an interview, when asked about being on WML, that he had to come into the theater at the back entrance and remain in a dirty room the size of a small closet until his guest appearance at the end of the show. ALL the famous African American guests had to stay in a small, dirty dressing room until called to the show at the end.

But he was friends with her. Missed the plane she was on or would have been dead or injured also.

He also kissed Bette Davis.

@karlakor I totally agree with you! In later years, they at least tried to make sure that the final contestant was usually someone who lived in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area so that if they didn't have time to fit them in at the end of the show, it would be fairly easy for them to come back another time, and if they ended up doing a rushed game with them, at least they hadn't had to travel a long way for such a brief amount of on-air time. In these early episodes, however, sometimes these final contestants have traveled a long distance to be on the show, so I guess that's why they feel obligated to put them on for at least a little while, but I do feel they've been shortchanged when they don't have time to play a full game. And some of these contestants have had particularly interesting occupations, too! The only good thing about these short games is that the contestant is usually assured of getting the full $50 prize by default.

Another user claimed Block was fired was, essentially, sexual harassment of female staff members, but I can't find any record of this. According to producer Gil Fates, he was replaced because he didn't fit in to the tone of the show, and it's a valid explanation based only on what we see onscreen. I'm not aware of Daly making cruel comments towards Block on the show (or anyone else for that matter), though the discomfort he caused the rest of the cast is sometimes all too visible. But it's been a while since I watched the episodes with Block. Do you have any examples?

What's My Line? Just a couple of episodes back, the panelists were having a conference and Dorothy mentioned a girdle, and Hal partially stood up and leaned over and John told him to "Sit down Mr Block". I thought it was a bit off.

What's My Line? i thought hal was hilarious. i hate that ppl found him so repulsive

Doug w. My LONG posts about his in response all seem to be getting lost and I'm tired of it, no fault of your own! Gist being, I like Hal Block on the WML panel, too.

Doug w. I agree I think he was funny and harmless. He added a different dimension to the show.

That's offensive.

Here’s Part One of the Bennet Cerf interview. An eye opener - especially his comments about Dorothy Kilgallen ... Rowby.

Bennett was always sour. I for one, prefer hal over him.

@@rowbygoren1830 Where?

@@davmax7751 oops I forgot to include the link Here it is kzfaq.info/get/bejne/od5xZ7iCmM3Hkqs.html

He wore a necktie on the tribute shows immediately following the deaths of Fred Allen and later Dorothy Kilgallen (as did Bennett).

What's My Line? Thanks. Don't know which of us is the bigger nerd - me for noticing or you for knowing. lol

juan galt Let's call it a tie. (Sorry, I was possessed by Bennett's spirit for a moment there.)

+What's My Line? I bow to your wit.

As you continue watching these, you'll find many episodes where the men wear long ties. I've been reviewing the earliest shows, and have seen long ties on Bennett and John from time to time.

Approximately what $600 would buy today. Penny candy (1 cent) was prevalent for kids, nickel soft drink (bottle), new cars for $1,600; average suburban house for $8,000-10,000. You get the picture now with only paper "money" instead of then-90% silver coins (dimes-quarters-halves, ending in 1964) and the 'dollar' was 100% redeemable into gold at a fixed weight of $35 per oz., ending on Aug. 15, 1971? End The Fed (central bank inflation machine) that depreciates the currency, on purpose!

519DJW He kind of looks like an older Errol Flynn with the pencil thin mustache

@@kevinsullivan136 On second viewing, I see what you mean--but I was thinking of some *character actor*, rather than someone who was once a leading man.

I hear You regarding leading vs character actor. He somewhat also resembles Noah Beery, Jr also. Maybe I'm too fixated on an actor with a mustache

I feel exactly the same way. Cerf was an elitist, Block was an average Joe. I wish he could have reigned his behavior in a bit, because he was so much funnier to watch than Cerf.

Definitely! I totally agree with you.

I agree, I found Bennett's pun annoying rather than funny, whereas I found Steve Allen's puns delightful.

Nicolas Good call. I've just read it. Well, well, well. Had I known earlier I would've looked out for Daly's pulling of the right earlobe! Probably too late now that Block's leaving here.

I've just started watching these WML videos but so far I've seen that same "preview guest" on the Oct. 12 1952, Nov. 23 1952, Nov. 30 1952 and Jan. 11 1953 shows. Also on at least 2 shows prior to the Oct. 12 show but I didn't note the dates.

I was just going to ask that, but then I saw your comment. Thank you perpieta for the count. Good to know!

@@perpieta Wow! I've been re-watching the episodes from the beginning over the past few weeks, and I also noticed that they keep showing this same photo multiple times, but I didn't realize it was _that_ many times! I don't understand why they would do that. It's obviously just a complete lie when they say he will be on the following week. Have you or anyone else reading this ever noticed if the people pictured in any of the other photos shown ever really showed up the following week? For me, it's hard to tell. I've been thinking of saving screenshots of these photos to compare to contestants on the following weeks' shows, but that seems like a big time investment, and I haven't gotten around to doing it.

@@savethetpc6406 Hi TPC, I eventually found out that the photos shown were just "ringers"...and not actual photos of any forthcoming guests. It's fun binge-watching these old shows, isn't it? These are such a great look into American life and mores from decades ago.

@@perpieta So none of them ever actually appeared on the show? That's very disappointing. It upsets me that the producers and John would be that blatantly dishonest. Even if it's just that one guy they were dishonest about, I would still be upset, but if all the photos were fake, that's even worse! However, yes, I have been totally hooked on WML for the past 5 years! John and the panelists all seem like old friends to me now, and I've been enjoying watching all the episodes over again in order these last few weeks. :-)

There are a lot of episodes from the first two years that are lost today.

@Sdk ElMaruecan - By George, I think you've got it! A few of the very earliest panelists did not fit really, either. This show, thank goodness, hit its stride rather quickly with winning combinations of intelligence, verbal skill, wit, warmth, cultured and curious personalities from widely diverse fields in some respects. Our good luck!

I agree with you. But, I would put it this way. While "WML" tried so hard to be highbrow, Hal Block tried equally hard to be lowbrow. So, Block made himself the odd man out on the show. He just really needed to go. Personally, I thought he got really irritating. He really did need to go.

@@IPlayOneOnT.V. He was irritating because he did not present a happy juxtaposition. He was jarring and made people uncomfortable. I tend to think that most of the panelists who were on frequently were, in fact, cultured people who could be called highbrow, so they gave/lent the show its tone. Whereas, Block was actually, though a city boy, lowbrow and it did not work in this format and with contestants from all over the country who were not among those he played to in his comedy career. He was a talented writer, but he did not have wide appeal as a stand-up comedy performer. He had a niche constituency that included some other comics.

Perhaps it was only known to the producers. This is a March episode, well before the end of the season, which tells me it was an abrupt departure.

Under the circumstances, Mark Goodson and Bill Toddson couldn’t do that because they were giving him the heave ho.

right, and told everyone he was getting fired for being obnoxious

Hal Block would be diagnosed with ADHD today. High functioning, but difficult.

Her version of the Macarena haha just kidding

+Robert Melson She was either clapping along with the audience in a weird way, trying to get her nails dry, or washing her hands of Hal! :-) Seriously, I noticed that and couldn't figure out what she was doing.

Gravydog316 She's lousy at keeping the beat. :-)

@Robert Melson Maybe she had just put on some hand lotion and that was how she was rubbing it in and making sure her hands weren't wet?

Ha ha!! That's funny. I would have never noticed.

Calm down. I can't imagine a dumber reason to lash out at someone than the fact that he or she has never heard of Jane Froman. I have a news flash for you: I'd never heard of her either before seeing this episode, and I'm very, very, very well versed in vintage entertainment. We can't all have heard of-- or remember-- everyone who ever made a mark in show business.

+What's My Line? It is so great that you have posted all of these episodes. I love this show. Part of the fun of watching is looking up the then-famous guests and learning about them. There's nothing wrong with not knowing everything about everything!

dinkpass And these shows provide a great opportunity for people to LEARN about performers they weren't aware of before. Assuming, that is, people don't get stupidly YELLED AT for mentioning that they haven't heard of someone! :)

They had her name on the front of the desk so I think many people, back then, didn’t know her by appearance

@@billtinquery251 This was standard, no matter who the MG was.

You pre-suppose they guess.

Mar. 1950 - this episode on Mar. 1, 1953. "Th-that-that's all, folks!"

Many can be found here on KZfaq.

I agree in re-watching these older episodes. The dumb walk and the wild guesses only wasted valuable time in the real job of the panel getting important clues to get closer to guessing the line. And the questions-answers were so much of the fun and laughs for WML!