Judy Garland on What's My Line? I have a question and it's NOT about Judy. Really!

Forgot the link.

That woud be Sue Oakland, who was a "TV personality" and NY socialite who WML producer Mark Goodson was somewhat obsessed with and often employed on his game shows in the 1960s. In spite of what you see here, Sue was actually quite bright and vivacious. Not sure WEHT.

Regular panelist Dorothy Kilgallen was still alive at the time of the taping so she must have been in one of her periodic sanitarium visits drying out that week.

Judy was clearly quite hopped up in this performance and apparently arrived so late and bleary-eyed to the taping that Mark Goodson was all ready to substitute himself as The Mystery Guest.

Christ, what a fucking train wreck, she could barely write her name. Oh, I'm sorry, she could barely PRINT her name.

Thanks R2. I read somewhere that in Arlene's book she mentions the 'drama' Judy caused and that they found out she almost didn't go on that night.

[quote]That woud be Sue Oakland, who was a "TV personality" and NY socialite who WML producer Mark Goodson was somewhat obsessed with and often employed on his game shows in the 1960s. In spite of what you see here, Sue was actually quite bright and vivacious. Not sure WEHT.

Sue Oakland was only on a very few episodes of WML?, and on a couple of them you can see the other panelists (particularly Arlene) completely freeze her out. Thanks for filling me in on who she was, r2.

(Yes, I miss the days before GSN turned into the All-Family-Feud-Network.)

So sad!

Before exiting, Judy mentions how happy she is about daughter LIza's marriage to Peter Allen ("I love the groom!") and leaving for Hollywood to start shooting Valley of the Dolls ("And I'm the only character who doesn't take pills!").

Neither of those episodes went very well.

This was 1967. Dorothy K. was two years in her grave at that point, r2.

According to an oral history by Benett Cerf, just seconds before they were struggling with an undressed, drunk Garland and didn't think she'd get out on the stage.

Did she loudly exclaim, "Ha, ha, ha! I'll say!"

A little googling led me to discover that Sue Oakland eventualy became an editorial onscreen reporter for WCBS TV in the 1970s and she has been married for many years to Lester Wunderman whose company founded the idea of the 800 business number, the Columbia Records Club and helped to develop the zip code system in the US!

Judy appeared because she needed the $500 bucks they offered, no doubt. She bought Peter and Liza a linen tablecloth for their wedding gift. Kind of sad.

Did Bennett Cerf ever do an anal history?

Love Bennett's expression after Garland's remark to Tony Randall "And I'll sweep up the stage in the morning."

Bennett Cerf's son, Christopher, is head of New Jersey's Department of Education.

For the Kilgallen fans, at link, what passed for a hunky chorus boy in the 1950s.

Were guys like this really called boys back then?

He was only a boy when I needed him to be.

In her memoir, Arlene rather hilariously recounts the ordeal of Garland's appearance, which, of all the mystery guests, was "the most traumatic in the memories of the producers."

Arlene writes Garland arrived late, a mess, and made a staff member cry. She was totally uncooperative and plainly wasn't going to be ready in time.

So producer Mark Goodson had to fill as mystery guest because hot mess Judy Garland remained in the dressing room.

Goodson picked up the chalk back stage as John Daly was making the announcement. And here's where it gets good...

"And at exactly that point Judy came out of her dressing room. "'How much time do I have?' she asked. "'Five seconds,' Mark replied. "'Well then,' she said taking the chalk out of his hand, what the fuck was the rush?' and out she strode to deafening applause."

Grandma liked blue, too.

Sorry. I meant to say, "Mama liked blues, too. She said that when she mixed them with the reds she felt all purple inside."

That tired me out. I'm sleepy, Lorny.

R17, I found that line of Garland's hysterical! Even in her worst days the broad had a fabulous sense of humor.

She's so amazing, even when she's out of it!

I miss Dorothy K's nasal whine: ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN ANY PHASE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS?

Too bad Judy didn't do more game shows. It would have been great to see get on "Beat The Clock".

Imagine how long it would have taken her to "COME ON DOWN" on the The Price is Right.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, R20. I picked up Arlene's memoirs from the library to thumb through and that story was the highlight. I figured DL would get a kick out of it.

All the shit that Judy went through, she still had a sense of humor throughout.

OP, THANK YOU for creating this thread!

You and R2, aka "The WML Troll" now have me happily hooked on watching Youtube excerpts of WHAT'S MY LINE before I go to bed each night!

They are frigging TO DIE FOR!!!!!!

- Vintage stars, all "on their own" at a different stage of their career (Tyrone, Errol, Ava, Judy, Hedy, Lucy, Joan, Merle, Fred, Ginger, Gene, Cyd, Lena, Kim, etc)

- Still-active current superstars (Woody, Liza, Jane, Mia, etc.)

- The BEYOND-Fabulous clothes.

- The old-fashioned manners combined with politically incorrect comments (Are you a glamour girl?)

THANKS!!!!

- Plus they are HYSTERICALLY funny! (Who would have thought the funniest lines would have emerged from the Bishop Sheen episode?!)

You're welcome r27!

WML? is a treasure trove of info of manners and mores of Broadway and Café Society of the 1950s/60s.

What I especially love is that it's all spontaneous and uncensored, juxtapositioned against the stuffiness and formality of the times.

Tip for tonight's viewing: check out Irene Dunne's 1st of 2 appearances as The Mystery Guest. One of the funniest ever. A couple of other favorites are Esther Williams and Robert Wagner, believe it or not.

Mr. Romero looks quite interested in that big, beefy "chorus boy."

Some of these would be impossible for the panel to guess unless they were given info of who was in town, or reminded of current Broadway shows/stars beforehand.

Dorothy Kilgallen NEVER had to be reminded of who was in town or what was opening on Broadway. It was her business to know things like that.

And back in the day, press agents were paid to provide such lists to all the columnists.

So many great episodes. This one is in a class by itself.

Did Dolores Gray ever do What's My Line?

Juhhh-dy! Juhhh-dy Juhhh-dy!

Thanks R31, I just watched it - SURREALISM in every way!

I loved Dorothy Lamour's charming appearance.

Fred Astaire's appearance made me realize the gossip of him being a bit of a pain may have been very true.

Ginger Rogers was always a great guest.

I've spent so many late hours watching those clips when I should have been in bed. Love them.

Here's a post of when Liza Minelli was the 'mystery guest' on

WHAT'S MY LINE ...... ?

Sue was going places where as Arlene was not, add to the fact her son was uglier than that girl who played Blossom and her husband was spending all his time away from the theatre making out with Bennett Cerf and there's your answer fish-bulb

Sad: Garland looks drunk.

Garland came off bad in Arlene's book because she said, "At least I never killed two people," to Arlene.