And today we celebrate mr Wouk's 101st birthday! :)

And his 102nd Birthday!! :-))

That is awesome, Johan! :) (I see that I clicked "like" on this comment before -- probably when you first posted it. I'm not sure why I never replied before, but anyway, I hope you're doing well!) According to Wikipedia, Mr. Wouk is still with us!

He made it to his 104th, but sadly passed this year.

Johan Bengtsson ~ I’m so glad you wrote him and he responded. I always find your WML comments very interesting and informative.

Olivia De Havilland wore that crown just over a month, having passed away July 2020 at 104 years, 25 days. She made 4 WML appearances as well as Password, I've Got A Secret, and Play Your Hunch..

Thanks for this info. She was a hoot.

Thanks, I couldn't figure that bit out.

Interesting. I did not know that. Thanks!

He has a most genial personality. Probably his secret recipe for long life.

I dislike him. It's funny how you can dislike someone without knowing them. I skipped a Joan Crawford movie, whom I like very much, because he was in it.

@@jerrylee8261 "Possessed" is a favorite Crawford picture of mine - with Van Heflin and Raymond Massey (along with others in a great cast). It earned Crawford another Oscar nomination (well deserved). You might want to reconsider seeing it, especially if you enjoy Joan Crawford. I haven't seen many Van Heflin films, but I thought he was quite believable, as Joan's ex-lover, as she descends into madness. In any event, cheers to all!

@@rivaridge7211 Tks, will take a look on your recommendation the next time I spot the movie on TCM.

He was so good ❤

@@rivaridge7211’Possessed’ 1947 is one of my favorite movies. Excellent acting by ALL including of course Van Heflin

I first became acquainted with "What's My Line" by watching it (in the mid-to-late 1950s) with my mother, in front of our 21-inch, black-and- white console TV, with the "rabbit ears" (antenna) on top to bring in reception. (And those were in the days of there being only three network channels, ABC, CBS and NBC.) Now, in 2024, I've been binge-watching 'WML"; that is to say, I will watch a number of these episodes at one time, and just "ahead" of tiring of them a bit, I will watch other programs/ KZfaq channels. Now "refreshed," I'll return for more watching. And the point I wish to make here is, I want to pay a similar tribute as you have through your comments. ~ This program was completely delightful! I have laughed more times--(and) more consistently, when watching "What's My Line" than I have with any other program on television that I've been introduced to over the decades that have followed. The humor still holds up today, because the wit of the panelists so often served as subtle tributes to the subject(s)/theme(s) being addressed in their opened conversations, along with a complimentary display of Appreciation and Respect (as in, "all around good humor"); it was also (often) topically "reactionary," but in a polite way. Their humor was also free of this "present need" to include a long thread of profane words, condemnations, sexual innuendos and other vitriol. Let's just call it "clean-cut humor," with maybe an occasional unintentional(?) innuendo that might creep into the "fray." But, overall, their light-hearted banter would often evolve into a delightful silliness, making the whole experience beautiful--and one that provides us a taste of humility. Also, the panelists, collectively, brought humor up to a respectable pinnacle of honor, thus "showing us" a universal appreciation for Humor. There is something to be said about the simple innocence that is embodied in the good ol'-fashion "quick wit!" ~drs (08/04/24)

I consider Bennett, Arlene, and all of the other regulars good friends as well! They are always such a joy to watch.

I totally agree, Laura. John, Arlene, and Bennett all come across as very likable people, and their camaraderie makes me feel like a welcome guest at the show. They were also close friends off camera. How wonderful it would have been to spend an evening with those three. This show is the closest we'll ever get to such an experience, and I'm grateful for it.

You should pick you friends more carefully, Cerf was an exposed scam artist of 50 million$ for his :famous writer’s school” fraud and Arlene was an admitted gold digger who cheated on her first husband with Martin Gabel. Martin’s parents owned a jewelry store in Philadelphia and he was a producer who could help get her acting parts.

@@mikejschin read the over 1000 page transcript from Cerf’s Columbia oral history interviews and you will find him to be someone that hated Dorothy and doesn’t mind speaking ill of the dead, especially if they are a gentile. He never missed an opportunity to toot his own horn at the expense of others sometimes by making up stories. I suspect the truth is most of his so-called friends were interested in getting books published. He was a bit like the Harvey Weinstein of his day,

The perils of live television in full view. But at least there was still a picture and some activity. It's even worse if the transmission is lost, or on radio when you suddenly have dead air, leaving the audience with nothing.

Johan Bengtsson I can't help wondering if she was on the ladies room.

@@teriannebeauchamp254 She was probably trying to fix her hair....she seemed to have run out of time.. ha

Why automatically blame the crew or The Director or Producer when things like this were extremely rare. I’m pretty sure if it was a man instructing her on what to do she would’ve done the opposite.

@@teriannebeauchamp254 More likely the men’s

I expected her to pull/tug on his ear.. . 🤣😂😂😂

She was delightful! Her response: "I have made enough mistakes." Great lady!

Van Heflin Is One Of My Favorite Actors.

Johan Bengtsson I love him as Guerrero in Airport. My all time favorite movie. If they ever make a remake of Airport, Liam Neeson should be Guerrero because he would be just PERFECT.

Or maybe Paul Giamatti.

***** Thank You So Much!

May I ask why?

Agree!

Agreed. I think "The Winds of War" are equally fantastic in a movie version... Cheers !

@@WitoldBanasik Few men can write well about a woman, but Marjory Morningstar is an example from one who could. In 1952, I read the Caine Mutiny, and nagged my new husband who had never read a novel, or anything else for enjoyment before, into reading it. He became a bookworm by the end of the week. Wouk's writing was, and probably is still as addicting as Lucky Strikes.

Yes, you stated the problem to a tea.

The problem isn't the lack of panelists like this. The problem is the lack of audience for them.

@@JayTemple Well said.

@gcjerryusc plus the obnoxious commercials that interrupt every few sentences of a show, go on forever one after another, until you've forgotten what the hell you were looking at in the first place.

Hopefully guests like Mayor Whitton, who were racist and anti Semitic, would be “difficult to find,” but as others have written, the problem is finding the audience

I certainly don't hold her lesbianism against her - but she was a controversial figure, accused of racism and in particular antisemitism. She also argued for the retention of the Canadian ensign - a symbol of the British Empire - against the adoption of the maple leaf flag. Perhaps we should draw a veil over all that and charitably describe her as a character and an eccentric.

wchumphries She was funny but I don't like her

Stephen your point about the flag is so stilly to compare to today at the time it was very controversial to change the flag of Canada I think one ex PM when he died wouldn’t even have the new flag on his coffin.

I'd heard that quote, but I didn't know she was the source!

One of my favorite quotes, and I knew it was from Charlotte Whitton, but before now, I didn't know who Charlotte Whitton was.

It had been 14 years since Wouk had worked for Allen.

On Fred's previous turn (his first I think?), Wouk hadn't talked much. Not much to go on.

Sadly, we just lost him 10 days short of his 104th birthday.

I agree. I think that Bennett had an odd way of pronouncing common words in addition to mispronouncing some contestants' last names despite John Daly having stated them. I thought unusual for a literary man in publishing who often lectured on behalf of RH.

I think he will find that if he ever mention any competitors, it was couched in a self-serving way. If you want to know what he was really like using his own words read parts of his more than 1000 page oral history from Columbia University. You will hear him speak ill of Dorothy, Judy Garland, Errol Flynn and many other Gentiles and of course there’s always his famous writer’s school scam, which very few people know about for some strange reason.

I doubt that Fred and Cerf were friends since Fred was so much more clever than Cerf could ever dream of being and not one to kiss someone’s a$$ in hopes of getting a book deal

Why didn’t you give credit to Arlene for plugging plays that she’s not in?

As they say, Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm just happy to have these videos available.

I turned on CC and was able to read what they said. The last WML I watched had sound problems, too. I turned my speakers' volume all the way up and increased the volume for speakers using symbol for sound at bottom of screen. That solved the problem. I remembered to turn sound back down so didn't get hearing BLASTED with regular sound for other uses.

@@jerrylee8261 I have never found CC to really record what is actually being said, but you clearly have a better English to English translator on yours than do I. Thanks for the tip. I put my settings up to loudest, alas...

@@philippapay4352 Hmmm.... May be your speakers. I have a Realtek system with two external speakers which are about year old. Even with that there is a problem with sound, tho, but was able to hear everything with adjusted external speaker knob and internal volume control.

It depends on what your using to watch the show😊

@@robertjean5782 Interesting thought, thanks! I just tried listening again and now it works just fine. The only thing I can think of that I changed is that I am now using a newer set of headphones. But then the old set worked fine with some recordings and apparently not this one. Maybe they did fix the audio? Oh well, cheers! 😊

Mr. Wouk passed on May 17th, 2019 at the age of 103.

and what is even more amazing, Herman Wouk is still alive at 102 years old.

Plus Wouk published numerous books after this 1955 appearance, none of them with Random House. At least I can't find one, but I have not checked them all.

Unfortunately, he died on May 17, 2019 -- 10 days shy of his 104th birthday.

I actually find it odd she said third term. She assumed office in August of 51 as acting Mayor following the death of the Mayor, a month later she was elected to complete the term, was reelected in 1953 and served until 1956. She was elected again in 1960 and served until 1964. She returned, not as Mayor but as an Alderman (Alderwoman) in 1967 serving until 1972. She died early in 1975.

Use your caption control😊

Dorothy was a investigative reporter for years 😊

@Mark Richardson So glad you appreciate it.

Use close caption😊

I don't think they changed it until 1956.

He is allowed that

@@sandrageorge3488What changed?

​@@lorraineb.4698The 😊rules

Im guessing because they couldn't see him. They didn't need it and the audience already knew.

Use close caption 😊

Self deduction 😊

Use close caption 😊

Interesting! You can't see it though during the second mystery guest segment.

They are not her eyes. They are fake eyes between the fabric layers.

Those are fake and are part of the blindfold.

@@accomplice55I know and of all people Dorothy would never cheat.

Painted eyes on mask😅

There was no internet then, just newspapers and limited TV. Highly unlikely anybody had any idea about her

Do you know the current mayor of Ottawa?

@@RonGerstein Very good point

Why don't you call them up and tell them yourself.

​@@RonGerstein😅

Mayor Whitton was a racist who worked hard during WWII to keep Jewish refugees out of Canada. Ironic she should appear in the same episode as Herman Wouk

Of course, Gilbert Gottfied is a woman, like the mayor.

That is what all mayors are called in Canada.

Only a drunk would make a comment like yours, so stop with the beers.

@@RonGerstein a lie

It wasn't rude 70 years ago 😊

Within one month

Before tv, radio and reading was entertainment 😊

Fred Allen was loved by hundreds of millions of people and he was #1 on the radio😊