Hilarious 😂😂😂 but trust Hal to think she's a fan dancer or wears scanty clothes ; I loved the way Bonnie Baker smiles , her expressive eyes and the way she led Hal on. I'm not bagging Hal but st times I wished he would cut down on moving his hands over his hair , mouth ...the others Bennett Cerf, Arlene , Dorothy don't so one-tenth of his actions , the TV produces should have instructed Hal (if they did he must have ignored them to his own detriment) ...such a shame

Same... 34 years old, but I guess I'm an "old soul" at heart

And for many of us it’s such a great reminder of when people were respectful, talked decently and didn’t dress like slobs! And for me it’s so fascinating to see famous people whose name I know but have never seen their face! Many times if they were never on TV we wouldn’t recognize them at all!

This show takes me right back to our family room, watching TV in the 1950's, while I was growing up. Sometimes, the panel really shows the era they were in, as when Arlene asks the guest if she is a "lady veterinarian."

Thank you for the link.

Same goes for Some of Steve Allen's line of questions!

I was dying at that! 😂😂

I am the opposite. To me, he's crude and unrefined which had a lot to do with his firing. I mean how intelligent does one have to be to know that you don't scratch an itch on public tv? Arlene looks especially beautiful tonite.

@@jerrylee8261 he was a completely different style than the rest of the WML cast. Definitely not classy but he does make me laugh... sometimes while cringing lol and yes, Arlene is always lovely

A whole different breed. Even the way they educated their children…

I suspect that Mr. Block was fed those questions by the producers. I heard that they used to do that, though not revealing the contestant's "line". Is that true, Mr. WhatsMyLine?

Hal was hysterical. Similar to Steve Allen. What a panel if there was also Fred Allen & Martin Gable. Ah.. ah..ah..Arlene & Dorothy could've had the night off.

No proof of any wrongdoing was ever found. It's to be prusumed it was just another case of Hal being Hal, as in the previous episode, the gas station attendant, and numerous other instances.

@@krystonjones Hal Block? Hysterical?? Similar to Steve Allen??? Nope. Not by a long shot!

@@tdell-jv7wwI think Hal is more astute than he appears, but I had the very same hunch. He got on track, so to speak, awfully fast… 🤔 But it was quite funny.

BadMoviesRock That's what they say, anyway... www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bonnie_Baker

and a Canadian! Anne, Cdn living in England

john gave it away when he made it clear it was a sport

Geena Davis' name in the movie was Dottie Hinson. The character was based on Dottie Kamenshek. I looked it up in a few places.

@@sandwichman100 Yes, I agree. John really reduced the guest's chances (and money) by his remarks! BTW, that film was great! (A League of Their Own)

Yes we did with bated breath😂

Time didn't fly as quick as today.

12 times more for today dollar around billion.

Actually the neckline of her dress, while quite low, was the same all the way through. What you probably noticed was her shawl slipping off of her bare left shoulder. A shawl slipping off a shoulder is quite common.

Musical comedy fans know of Perle Mesta as the inspiration for the lead character in Irving Berlin's CALL ME MADAM, in which Mrs. Sally Adams (Ethel Merman), a Washington hostess, is US ambassador to the fictional "Lichtenburg."

@z Have read in articles about her...the inherited Monies would put her in the range of $ 500, to $ 750 Million...and given her business acumen and Washington insider knowledge...probably would wind-up a Billionaire....LoL..

How many of today's "celebs" will be remembered mere years from now ? Many WmL MGs stood the test of time and will keep doing so for decades to come

Doug Mangum Yeah. Mickey Mantle homered in that game. I remember it well.

She reminds me of Temple Grandin, maybe in looks a bit and mannerisms (eye rolling about wild guesses she thinks are stupid). Does anything about her bio indicate that she was on the spectrum?

And it seems he doesnt have the intelligence to realize he is on the wrong tack.

@@kgs4826 Those were his gambits from the lines of questioning provided him. They were played for laughs. I didn't like his way of scratching his head all the time.

@@kgs4826 people are a bit harsh on Hal. He also died under tragic circumstances (fire) so I always feel kinda sad seeing him here.

I know, right? I like Hal.

i only know the town from a Zappa song - it's a great name for a town

Zac M. That *is* interesting -- wow! Here's some more information: www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bonnie_Baker. This WML appearance was apparently very late in her baseball career, and looking at her stats for that time period, you can understand why she and John both preferred *not* to answer Bennett's question about her batting average! ;)

+SaveThe TPC High averages were not typical in the professional women's baseball league that was the subject of the movie "A League of Their Own". If I recall correctly, there was at least one season where the highest qualifying batting average was less than .300. A bit of personal testimony: I played baseball against boys as late as HS and found hitting to be the most difficult. I ran well, fielded well, threw well for distance (I once threw out a runner at the plate from right field and another runner stealing third the one game where I was put in at catcher) and even pitched pretty well, winning one game as a starting pitcher but mostly with good breaking pitches and control. A highlight was the time I struck out the other team's cleanup hitter who was a good foot taller than me and at least a 100 pounds taller than me. It was at their field and a number of fans were present. They were hooting and hollering as he strode to the plate. Three straight curve balls that he missed by a foot later, the crowd was silent and they removed him from the game. But I could never hit with any power. I drew my share of walks, and I was a good bunter, but I never had more than a single, even in my best year.

Gravydog316 Tough season for the Roughriders, eh?

It helps to b tall for a hitter? No?

Carol V No, no demonstrable relationship. Think of the Yankees Yogi Berra - short but great. Best qualities for an excellent all around baseball hitter are excellent eyesight, great reflexes and just the natural ability to recognize particular pitches. The HOF player Ted Williams said that he could see and follow the red stitches on the ball after its' release by a pitcher.

Well guess more men then women just worked in those days.

Which episodes are you referring to? I haven't noticed any episodes without female guests yet (though I've only watched about 40ish episodes)

@@Amcsae 18 Mar 1951, 3 Jun 1951, 26 Aug 1951, 30 Sep 1951, 28 Oct 1951, 6 Jul 1952. I’ve counted three more men’s nights, so far, after this ladies’ night: 24 Aug 1952, 30 Nov 1952, and 7 Dec 1952.

@@Tconl true

@@dutchtea8354 I didn't see most of those episodes on this channel (just 18 March 1951), so I didn't notice a trend. It's interesting, but I also agree with the other comment (that there were generally less women in the workforce than men). I am not one to demand equal representation in all things, but I have definitely been struck by the wide variety of stereotype-busting 'lines' of many of the female contestants in several episodes! This show definitely would have exposed viewers to the idea that women can do a lot of different types of jobs!

Dorthy used the term on 29 Apr 1951, episode 48.

@@dutchtea8354 Thanks for the correction. I had seen the episode but missed the use of the term.

Arlene Francis also uses it on a much later episode that I think was after Dorothy passed, it may have even been after the initial run on one of the 1970s airings with a different host possibly. I don’t remember exactly when but she definitely made a comment to the effect of, I just had what Dorothy would call a weenie

I am LOVING how hardcore you fans are! As an amateur linguist and a new fan myself.

@@janetaylorparris As an amateur linguist, I highly recommend you pay close attention to all that John Daly says over the years. There were few better linguists in the English language than he. And honestly, I hope you continue your path. We need people who understand and can comprehend the language.

I had that impression too. There's no way Dorothy hadn't figured it out!

In a speech that is available on youtube, Bennett Cerf says that when John Daly indicated an amount of time that the panel had left, this was done not to speed up the game but to slow it down. There were no other contestants and a strong desire to avoid "dead air."

Yes, they didn't show 5-minute blocs of 20 ea 15 second seemingly endless ads, to where you forgot what the hell you were watching in the first place.

@@kennethlatham3133 Unlike Branalyn I would never wish for more commercials. It seems tv has reached the saturation point. They usually have commercials before a show starts and then from seven to nine minutes later some more. This continues thruout the show. Sometimes with only a three minute segment of the show which is why you are watching. I have a remote and skip commercials but they still irritate me. Ad men deliberately make them loud and annoying. I think congress passed some law that supposedly outlawed making commercials too loud. Well.......So much for that.

@@jerrylee8261 youtube ruins monetized or ©claimed videos in exactly the same way - was watching 4 Last Songs ( Richard Strauss ) the other day and wham in the middle of the first delicate song : screeming ads i _hate_ that

Without ads we'd be paying a subscription fee 😢

Block, a gag writer, got fired for being sleazy. His career never recovered and he vanished from the biz a few years later.

I never heard of Block till watching WML on KZfaq. Don’t care much for him, and, he can’t keep his hands out of his hair.

@@lllowkee6533 Running his hands through his hair is mostly part of his “nervous, insecure guy” shtick, I think. I wince at Hal from time to time, but I’ve grown fond of him, and he deserves more credit for getting the audience engaged.

@@janetaylorparris I never knew of him until long after they were dead. I enjoyed watching WML on KZfaq, I learned a lot about the regulars that I didn’t know. When I was child we saw WML at my aunts house in NJ but not at home. Many TV channels didn’t come thru the mountains …

He didn't because he had more hair 😂

With children raised by nannies and babysitters.

@@lllowkee6533 - in fairness, men didn't get and still don't get scorned if they take a less-active part in their kids' upbringing in order to focus on their careers, whether they deferred to the mother or to a nanny.

Frank, I agree. With other guests, John did not so easily "direct" the panelists' thoughts. Foul Play, I say! 🤨

My guess is that the late time slot enabled people involved in broadway shows and concerts to take part as MGs.

@Ruff Luff +Ruff Luff The show aired live in all time zones, at least during the early 50s, so kids in earlier time zones could watch the show at an earlier time. I think that in later years prerecorded episodes were shown at 10:30 in the Pacific time zone, but I think it was still live at earlier times in the Central and Mountain time zones. I was not quite 6 years old when the CBS WML ended, and I have only one distinct memory of ever watching WML live during its CBS run, though I have the feeling that there may have been a handful of times that I was allowed to stay up late enough to see it, for one reason or another. The time I recall was toward the end of a family party at a cousin's house.

For many of us who lived in a different time zone, 10:30pm was 8:30pm in Arizona! Sometimes people forget about out West!!!

Strange time because most of people were going to work Monday morning.

Cute & graceful 👍

Her real fame came from two things: 1. Because of her efforts raising funds for the Democratic Party, President Truman appointed her ambassador to Luxembourg. 2. This is turn inspired Irving Berlin to create the musical CALL ME MADAM, where Ethel Merman played a character clearly modeled on Mesta.

Bingo! That's where I know Pearl Mesta from...Call Me Madam.

She was renowned for giving wonderful parties. Even famous people fought to be included in her parties, because in those days social columns generally listed all the people she invited, and people wanted to be included. When Truman was inaugurated she wasn't invited to the inaugural ball, so she showed up (uninvited) to a party given for Truman's friends and relatives, and apparently made the party a lot more fun.

She became a wealthy socialite as a result of her marriage to George Mesta whose company, Mesta Machine Co of Pittsburg, PA, manufactured huge equipment used in steel mills.

You may have not seen him do it yet, but Hal Block's naughty shtick crossed a certain line where his antics appeared crude and disrespectful toward female contestants. Arlene was never crude and disrespectful.

There were some episodes missing, which he didn't have. Now that he has obtained them they're being uploaded to fill the gaps.

I don't remember the segment well enough to comment on whether it was a gambit, and don't have time at the moment to rewatch it, but one clue that a gambit is being played out is when John started any round with Hal Block, or later, Steve Allen. Most often, it seems to me, the gambits were done in the second segment. As for the interaction with guests after the game was over, well, to be honest, this remained one of the few areas of weakness of the series, imo. There was probably a bit more talk between segments in later years, but not much. There was less of the silly practice of squeezing in a rushed fourth segment, but John still tended not to have much conversation with the contestants after the game, and when he did, he often gave essentially a monologue, with the contestant reduced to offering the same "yes" and "no" responses as they were limited to in the game! What did get looser, substantially, was the opening/introductions. As the series went along, the introductions got longer and longer, as did the banter before the first guest came onstage. But it remains surprising to me how infrequently John would allow for just a minute or so of casual conversation between rounds.

Agree completely. A few followup questions about an interesting profession, or a person’s history or experiences after his/her “line” is either guessed or comes to light would seem to flow naturally, but was unfortunately just now part of this show.

...just “ not” part of the show.

Nah, people bash Hal Block for being vulgar and, at times, engaging in thoroughly offensive behavior like making physical passes at the female contestants and mystery guests. Even aside from this stuff, his style of crude humor simply didn't fit the tone of the show at all. But you make a good point that he was actually pretty good at the legitimate part of the game.

I LIKE Hal.

Paul LaD I like Hal too. Larry Teren I think Hal was an excellent game player most of the time, but he was way off base going with taxidermist after he'd already asked the veterinarian if she worked with animals and if what she did had anything to do with health. And then Dorothy determining that animals "came to her," along with humans, "under their own power," I thought sure she was going to get it, but instead she *passed* of all things! I thought once they'd figured out that the contestant had something to do with animals' health they would guess veterinarian right away. I almost wonder if they all felt sort of guilty about getting on the right track so quickly, and so they deliberately pretended to be off track? Or could it be that a "lady veterinarian" was so unusual in those days that it really didn't occur to them?

Larry Teren the producers didnt agree as he was gone after 1953

Apparently, Block's behavior got worse as time progressed through 1952 and 1953 until Goodson-Todman refused to put up with any more of it. Steve Allen replaced him -- or so I've read -- and I've seen enough of him as a guest panelist in some later episodes to like him. Steve Allen was witty, smart and talented -- he originated "The Tonight Show" both as its first host and as a writer. You'll never see him behaving inappropriately with good-looking female contestants (including Miss America). People criticize Bennett Cerf for his complimenting beautiful women who appeared on the show, but Bennett never touched them or made physical passes at them.

soulierinvestments Don't you mean baseball league?

SaveThe TPC Yes. thanx. I corrected it.

She should have hurled a baseball at his head!

@@bookwoman53 HIS head was so hard it would have bounced off!

Have you have the opportunity to see the Regency fashion? 1800 to 1820 were years of pretty daring décolletage.

Until today with evening dresses showing of half boobies and buttocks haha,

Steve Allen came first-- Fred replaced Steve when he went off to start the Tonight Show in the fall of 1954. But no doubt you still prefer Steve to Hal Block. :)

Me too...

soulierinvestments I've been trying to keep track of when panelists stand up or not during this rerun watch, and unless I'm forgetting something, I think this may be the first of all the available episodes in which the entire panel stands up for any guest.

John F Kennedy said:" Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern hospitality."

I wonder if being an ambassador at the time of the show was the reason for all panelists standing to greet Ms. Pesta (I am not sure of the social conventions of the 1950s, separate from not wanting to alienate a well-known and connected hostess...regardless, Dorothy and Arlene would have known the then acceptable social norms). Every panelist stood to greet Ethel Barrymore and also Eleanor Roosevelt in later shows.

I assume you're joking, but FTR, that was Bonnie Parker. :)

+Kate Luxor I thought the very same thing when John felt the need to clarify which state. Yes, there are some major cities like Cleveland that have smaller counterparts in other states, but New Orleans is the one and only. Besides, when people are from the "other Cleveland" or whatever, they usually say the state with the city so people will know up front. (Now it is true that when I meet someone from the West Indies, especially the British connected portion, I will tell them I was born in Jamaica because I was born in Jamaica, Queens in NYC. But I reveal the punch line after they say, "Really?") Regarding the skimpy baseball uniforms that the women were required to wear in that league (it went by a number of different names over the years), the players were kept on a very short leash in a number of areas, including any criticism of the league. But the movie revealed how much the players hated having to play in those short skirts with much of their legs bare. I remember Maury Wills, the first major league player to steal over 100 bases in a season, would have legs covered with bruises and contusions (what they used to call "strawberries") by the end of the season. And he had long loose pants that covered most of his legs, a pair of sanitary hose up to his knees and heavier stirrup socks that the players wore up to the bottom of their pants leg (usually mid-calf length in those days). Bonnie Baker and the other female players had to slide without any protection on most of their legs, from the top of sock-covered calves to the top of the thighs, as a skirt many inches above the knee is likely to ride up the rest of the way on a slide. And Bonnie was one of the best base stealers in the league, with 504 for her career in 930 games. Twice she stole over 90 bases in a season, including a top 94 steals in 94 games. Furthermore, before she was moved to second base, she was a catcher (as was the fictional Dottie Hinson in the movie), so she was putting on shin guards over bare legs. At either position, she had to endure a number of collisions from runners sliding in. I can imagine a makeup artist needing to put makeup on her legs as well as her face for publicity photos. This isn't Bonnie Baker, but it shows a picture of another of the female players getting tended to for a nasty strawberry on her thigh. I can well imagine what it would look like in color! And yes, each team had a chaperone! s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/26/4e/94/264e946b0c93d600ae0f52f290e94771.jpg

Krista Brewer I don’t care for him much either

Krista Brewer Most everyone agrees with you.

Regina? No reason not to say that.

@@bettygoodwin4445 Have you ever BEEN to Regina? Mosquitoes or freezing cold. I spent a month there one night. And it is actually the nicest part of Saskatchewan.