He did 2 appearances.

He did another appearance as a panelist in 1960. Special guest was Red Skelton.

Neither did I expect him to be so charming. I never found him all that attractive as an actor in either movies or TV.

Loved watching him in my youth. Now I love watching him even more 😍

Totally with you, especially about the early 60s.

They don’t need to have as many commercials since we stare at the brand name of the sponsor for the whole show. It says it on on the panelists desk, on the chalkboard, and a picture of the product is on the cards John flips. I don’t imagine you’re saying you’d prefer the product name or item be visible throughout every show.

This was actually cut down to air on modern TV, gameshow network I believe, so there were actually even less commercials in the 30 minutes, I read somewhere that at least for a while they only had 1 or 2 minute spots for commercials.

@@KristopherBel Correct. As I recall, in this time frame (late 1950's) in prime time there was typically 1 minute of advertising at beginning of a half-hour show, one minute in the middle, and generally one minute at the end which segued into the following program.

retrosexual2 A touch of Ginger Rogers in tne notorious 'Let's Face The Music And Dance.' I don't think Fred Astaire was a fan of duck feathers though.

Don't talk about Dorothy she's mine! Beautiful, brilliant, and probably died exposing JFK. All mine!

Yes Dorothy looks lovely!😍

+ToddSF 94109 By watching these I can tell that Arlene is quite knowledgeable about baseball. Ask anybody, male or female, today who the baseball commissioner is.

+Dick Wilson -- True. I think Arlene was one of those people who thoroughly read the paper and took note of people and situations. Branch Rickey definitely was in the newspapers when it came to his attempt to establish a third major league in baseball. But you're right, I don't know who the baseball commissioner is. Then again, I have little interest in baseball today.

But contrary to the rules of the game.

No. It was the audience's applause that led Arlene to shout it out.

@@sagarsaxena6318 If you replay about 9:05, the audience did not applaud until after Arlene guessed that it was Branch Rickey because the new league he led had recently been begun, so it was likely he would be on after all the publicity.

+Will Drucker Absolutely right Will. Though Jackie Robinson gets the credit as the man that integrated baseball, the man that really took the risk was Branch Rickey.

Jack and Rachel Robinson always considered it a partnership between Robinson and Rickey. One of the things they appreciated was that Rickey never acted paternalistic towards Robinson and admitted that it was a learning experience for him as well. For Rickey's part, he was never one to trumpet his role in re-integrating baseball. He would often say he would be ashamed to take any extra credit merely for signing a player of superior talent to play on his team. And remember that he didn't compensate the Kansas City Monarchs (Robinson's team in the Negro League) one penny. Even so, Rickey's interest in the plight of black players stemmed from an incident in 1907 or 1908 when Rickey was the coach of the Ohio Wesleyan baseball team and one of his players, a black catcher who Rickey described as a fine young man, was not allowed to register at the hotel in South Bend (IN) when their team was in town to play Notre Dame. He saw first hand just how hurt this young man was, and justifiably so.

@@loissimmons6558 "re-integrating ?" I didn't realize it was integrated before !

@@Walterwhiterocks The Walker Brothers (Moses and Welday) played in the major leagues in 1884. There were also about two dozen black players who played on integrated teams in the minor leagues in the late 19th century. Some of those players also played for all black teams that competed against all white teams in the minor leagues during the 19th century. Until Jackie Robinson's debut with the Montreal Royals in 1946, the last instance of blacks playing against whites in either the major or minor leagues occurred in 1898. This SABR article gives more details for those interested: research.sabr.org/journals/blacks-in-19th-c-baseball#:~:text=Blacks%20in%2019th%20Century%20Organized%20Baseball&text=Moses%20and%20Welday%20Walker%20played,Robinson%20did%20it%20in%201947.

@@loissimmons6558 Thanks but the "two dozen black players" who played on integrated teams in the minors in the late 19th century as well as other blacks playing in the MINORS are just that. Minor league players. They really aren't pertinent to the discussion of the advent of true integration of the majors of which Rickey and Robinson are rightfully credited. I was unaware of the Walker brothers, however, so in that case, if true, your use of the term "re-integrated" would be technically correct. Thanks for the additional input.

I'll see your Arlene Francis and raise you a Dorothy Kilgallen. She had the most beautiful eyes.

Galileocan g And he was a pretty good panelist too!

He was delightful on this show and showed he had a good sense of humor.

Chuck grew up as Kevin Connors in Brooklyn. He got the nickname "Chuck" because when he played baseball in college at Seton Hall in NJersey, he would chatter to the pitcher to "chuck it over to first base, baby." or would tell his pitcher to "Chuck it in there(strikezone)." Fans in the stands loved it and started calling him 'Chuck'. He hated Kevin, so he adopted it.

my brother and me had his rifle in 1959

@@robertsprouse9282 He was from the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Parkside Avenue, near Bedford Avenue, from what I recall.

Lois Simmons To me he's the leading man singing in several Busby Berkeley movies (of which I have all on DVD!).

@@davidsanderson5918 There have been very few actors who were able to successfully change their roles and their images and reimagine themselves. Powell was one -- by the 1940s he was playing detectives and never sang professionally again. June Allyson also postured herself as no longer being a musical performer by this time even though she had appeared in many MGM musicals.

@@preppysocks209 John Payne, who also appeared on WML as a panelist ,was another who changed from a singer in musicals to tough guy and western roles . Mr. Powell really impressive with his becoming a producer with Four Star , a major player in TV production in the fifties and sixties .

There's an introductory clip to the Rifleman's premiere where Chuck shows David Niven how the rifle works. Why David Niven? he was one of the Four Stars.

@@preppysocks209 I

Agreed

He is a favorite on WML and on his show. A true gentleman!🌞

He was brilliant on the game show Password (with Eve Arden) which used to be on KZfaq!

@@randysills4418 I loved that! Why'd they take it out?

That's a "neat" story?

Did Chuck like him at all?

No excuse for fighting. Pitcher should have been thrown out and fined. But striking another ballplayer is unnaceptable

@@johnsanborn2950 To me, it sure is.

I applaud him for defending Jackie Robinson. Considering the year and the terrible things that probably happened to him.

Namely better

Not just pro baseball, MAJOR LEAGUE PRO BASEBALL..

It provoked the major leagues to expand. it was Rickey's third sea change to baseball: farm systems, integration and expansion.

Absolutely, and far less important, his proposed, but never off the ground and never inevitable as the sun rising, CONTINENTAL LEAGUE, spurred the MLB owners to expand for the first time since the 1890's, adding the NY METS, HOUSTON COLT.45'S(NOW ASTROS), WASHINGTON SENATORS(NOW TEXAS RANGERS OF DFW/ARLINGTON), AND L.A. ANGELS(NOW L.A. ANGELS OF ANAHEIM), and to shut off the CONT. LEAGUE from grabbing MINNEAPOLIS- ST. PAUL, THE OLD WASHINGTON SENATORS MOVED TO MINNY AND BECAME THE TWINS.. CHUCK knew him well. He re-signed Chuck after the 1942 DODGER front office with Rickey as president, released him, and the war came and Chuck who had signed with the NY YANKEES and like his Brooklyn days was down in the lower minors, quit to fight in WW2. But, before Rickey did that re-signing, Chuck came out of the war and played for the BOSTON CELTICS in hoops, in the forerunner of the NBA, the B.A.A.. After Boston released him, Chuck went back to the Dodgers, and bigger, and stronger than 1942, shot up thru their farm system, made the Dodgers, didn't do well, went back to the minors, got released, went and played for the CHICUBS, where again, he did not hit much, and was sent to the CUBS PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE team in L.A., where doing off hours jobs, was spotted by a casting director..and.. guess what came next for Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors? Yep, he quit baseball. Still only one of 13 men ever to play two major league level sports. His performance in THE BIG COUNTRY was Oscar worthy. He had been acting for about five years at that point. I think he is the best ex-major league athlete to have performed as an actor. Yep..

@@robertsprouse9282 Thanks for that information. A pretty roundabout way to become the Rifleman. But that is how life works,

@@robertsprouse9282 Aloysius

@@jackkomisar458, thanks. I spelled it on the run without checking; I should have known better than to do that. I edited in the correct spelling after your notification on that, and the point on the rest of it remains the same credible one based on facts and knowledge which was not accrued on the run. Thanks again..Jack. I appreciate it.

And I'm surprised that John did not mention it after Mr. Rickey was identified by Arlene.

willminkorea2010 The Houston team started life as The Colt 45's.

Lois Simmons It was The Cubs

Lois Simmons - I wonder if Connors might have recognized a particular inflection after hearing a few fuller replies to questions. But also voices do age and he was used to hearing Rickey's younger voice, I think.

Lois Simmons - Thank you for this interesting history. How life depends on these quirks of fate sometimes. And I like baseball and enjoy reading these historical stories. My home being Southern California I always am thrilled to see the Dodgers win.

@@philippapay4352 Connors came to the Dodgers organization in the late 1940's and he would have negotiated with Rickey as late as the spring of 1950. By that time, Rickey was 68 years old. I doubt his voice would have aged that much more.

Wow!! That's a lot of detailed history on Chuck Connors' career!!

Not just pro level..MAJOR LEAGUE PRO LEVEL..

Also Football

@@sandrageorge3488, in high school, yes. He never played college or pro, or even minor league, Canadian, or semi pro football.

@@robertsprouse9282 Oh yes, and he never played for Association football, or Rugby union football, or Twenty20 cricket, and he never played for Nippon Professional Baseball, or the Chinese Football Association Super League, and he never played for Kontinental Hockey League, or the Turkish Süper Lig, or for Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or for the Korea Baseball Organization League, and he certainly didn't play for Championnat de France de rugby à XV, or Saudi Professional League, or the Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División nor the Scottish Premiership...there were a lot of places he didn't play.

@@justplainbrad7713, yep, but he did play what we U.S. FOLKS call football. Sort of like Euros calling bathrooms water closets, we have our own terminology, too. Or, do you think that international folks are the only ones allowed to have their own terminology? And, don't give me that you came up with "football" first. The fact is that our game is called football because its the only one of the original two in North America, baseball is the other, to allow the ball to be played with the feet over here. The term distinguishes it from the others. Got it, genius?

Tim Pertler Who hasn't heard or read that at least a million times.

Chuck Conners too, as he mentioned. Rickey was instrumental in signing him.

He was played by Harrison Ford in the movie about Jackie Robinson, "24."

@@lorihansen8674 not 24 -- 42!

​@@t4texastomjohnnycat978Why isn't it WORTH repeating _about a million times_ ?

+RaulRodriguez Verdad! Los artistas fueron exelentes, inteligentes, y clase. De dondes eres, por favor? Tambien, perdona mi espanol ya que no es bueno. :)

And recruited Dizzy Dean

For years and years I thought it was 2 birds on a seesaw.i was in my 30s when someone had to explain it to me.

+ToddSF 94109 I think the real objective of the Continental League was to get MLB NL back in some form to NY. After NY committed a team in the CL, Bill Shea disbanded the CL, because the objective was met. Then the team (Mets) became part of the NL and the CL was abandoned. Crafty legal work of Bill Shea/Joan Payson

True but most of it's teams are alive and well today.

Sounded to me like he said Oedipus complex…Bennett looked a bit appalled, embarrassed…which doesn’t make sense if Daly said Edifice complex.

Philip Howard The Glenn Miller Story is a massively popular movie of course. Surely June's most famous role.

In short Arlene's question about him being a manager deserved a Yes answer. It was the question that she first asked before asking if he were an owner. Dorothy then asked directly if he were a Manager. The answer should have been a qualified Yes.

But he was not a manager, general manager or owner at the time of this program. If they had asked "Are you or have you ever been ..." he would have needed to answer yes. Note that as soon as Chuck Connors answered Arlene's question as to "what else there is in baseball," she got the answer immediately.

ToddSF 94109 I never realized (about Chuck Connors' height); that really looks bizarre, his towering over the two women on either side as he stands behind his chair during the introductions! He looks to be big in other dimensions as well--look at the size of his hands as he rests them on the back of his chair standing next to Arlene 1:08. Maybe the fact that he's well proportioned (not gangling) is why I've never realized he was so tall. BTW, I've read that Dennis Weaver (6'2") was hired for Gunsmoke because he was tall enough to stand next to Arness, and I've suspected that Roger Ewing (6'4") was hired as deputy Thad Greenwood because of his height (and looks, 'cause Lord knows he couldn't act!). I've also seen it said that there was some concern about casting James Whitmore opposite Arness in the movie, "Them" because of the height difference. Obviously there can be technical problems associated with getting your actors into the same camera frame if the height difference is too much. Sorry to go off like this; I'm a BIG fan of B&W Gunsmoke...and of the movie "Them".

James Arness played the title role in the 1951 movie "The Thing [from Another World]", so cast because they wanted someone noticeably large to play the alien.

ToddSF 94109 Yes, a very disappointing movie to someone who had very much liked "Who Goes There", by Don A. Stuart (John W. Campbell), though Kenneth Tobey wasn't bad.

When Disney decided to make a mini-series about Davy Crockett they originally considered Arness for the role. They went to see one of his movies, and Walt Disney became enamored with another tall actor: Fess Parker, who was 6'6".

@@nancypine9952 I was enamored of Fess Parker when I was about 13. :D

One more time a year later: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oppiocyX05ayops.html

Dickie Wilson -Hmm...good point.

He cared very little for her, and they lived separate lives.

June Allyson was a fake in all ways. Don't be deceived by that apple pie face and smile of hers. She was as ruthless as they come as far as getting what she wanted. Poor Joan Blondell had no choice but to stand by as Allyson blatantly and without shame went after her husband Dick Powell...and eventually took him away from poor Joan Blondell and had him for herself.

@@jackanthony976 I don't think June is beautiful ,but being smart and manipulative helped her get what she wanted. It was just humorous the tone she used as a mystery guest, I wasn't admiring her at all.

@@jackanthony976 Blondell was also married to Mike Todd, who later married Elizabeth Taylor. In any event, according to anchors at TCM, Powell was not always faithful to Allyson.

@@preppysocks209 When Mike Todd's plane crashed, Joan Blondell reportedly said that she hoped he screamed in fear all the way down. No love lost there.

She talked like Ms Prissy, who says "yes" like that.

An ancestor of Jean Luc

I've often wondered the same thing. When the panel can see him, he tells them he's going to have a conference. But when they're blindfolded, he says nothing. Quite odd.

Is your "shift" key not working ?

@@Walterwhiterocks i only have 4 fingers on each hand.

@@tomitstube Nice try. Not quite an LOL, but you made me smile.

Respect for you replying four years later

Dick Wilson He did and in this setting it was seemingly crude and condescending, at least by todays standards. Imagine if this show and that comment were on tv today.

@@danielfronc4304 He's headed for cancel city. What a sorry bunch of snowflakes the US has become! Can't anyone have an open and forgiving mind anymore?

Which joke do you prefer though? Are you saying Chuck's is better?!?

@@davidsanderson5918 I don't remember this. I'll have to watch the show again.

Though it would eventually happen, it would take quite some time for a couple of the cities mentioned, Denver and Toronto, to finally land MLB franchises.

This is a widely believed misconception. Moses Walker was the first black baseball player in the majors in 1884. He played one season. Then the owners at the time voted to exclude blacks, and the "gentleman's agreement" was impregnable when Kennesaw Mountain Landis became commissioner after the 1919 Black Sox scandal. With Branch Rickey's help, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier soon after Landis left the job, but he was not actually the first black major leaguer.

@@preppysocks209 what about william white ?

@@washoe4827 Life can be complicated. Mr White played as a substitute in 1879 in one NL game. At a minimum he "passed" for being white and he was listed on census records as "white." Although he was mixed race, he appeared as white and faced no discrimination. It is not clear that the NL team for which he played that one game or anyone in the league actually realized he was not white. By contrast, Moses Walker and his brother identified as black, were clearly black in skin color, and faced serious racial prejudice. Whatever the case, the first black MLB player was not Jackie Robinson, as is commonly stated.

Silverstone L Nah just thoughtful. Going back over the deduction process.

Indirectly, yes. While Branch Rickey was serving as President of the proposed league, it was the brainchild of William A. Shea who founded the league. Shea, for whom Shea Stadium was named, had been named by NYC Mayor Wagner to head a committee to bring another major league team to NYC when the Dodgers and Giants left for the west coast. The first attempt was to induce an existing National League team to move there, but the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds all said no. Shea then turned his attention to the formation of a new league and he persuaded Rickey to come out of retirement (having left the Pirates front office) to run it. The threat of a new league forced the existing Major League owners to consider expansion for the first time in the 20th century. The original Washington Senators team moved to Minnesota to preempt the team that was going to play there in the Continental League. (Then the American League added an expansion team, the new Washington Senators.) The National League then announced that it was going to place a team in Houston. Another leg was cut out from the new league. Then the NL offered a National League franchise to the principal owners of the proposed Continental League team in NYC (headed by Joan Whitney Payson). When they accepted, that killed the Continental League without it ever playing a game. Bill Shea having achieved his original purpose of breaking a National League team to NYC left the Continental League behind. The final franchise in this first phase of expansion in the 20th century was awarded to Los Angeles, bringing the AL to the West Coast for the first time. It was not one of the cities that was to be part of the Continental League. Of the other cities that were granted franchises in the proposed league, Denver would not enter the major leagues until 1993 with an expansion team, Toronto in 1977 with an expansion team, and of the cities added after this WML episode, Atlanta in 1966 when the Braves moved there. Dallas-Ft. Worth in 1972 when the second Washington Senators team moved there and became the Texas Rangers and Buffalo, which has not had a major league baseball franchise since 1915 if one considers the Federal League to be a major league (Retrosheet does) or 1885 with the Buffalo Bisons of the National League if one doesn't consider the Federal League to be major league. Buffalo was in the running for expansion in 1969 but lost out to Montreal and again in the early 1990's with their new state of the art downtown stadium, but lost out to Denver and Miami.

Jakes G:. A filly is a young female horse, under the age of 4, and usually used to refer to thoroughbred race horses That term is occasionally used in a very colloquial and familiar sense to refer to a lively young lady, also to some frisky young lady in the social arena or in entertainment. It's not meant to be disrespectful but is definitely not used to refer to someone that you are not close with.

thomas thompson Oh I've seen a VERY frustrating one. An elderly gentleman with a long white beard. He couldn't hear a thing and just kept saying NO to every question prompting Daly to overrule throughout. Then he took ages getting off the stage....and as for signing in, interminable. Drove me nuts!!