What's My Line?, thread 2

Would I get strange looks if I was carrying your product in my hands, walking down 5th Ave.?

Victor Borge is right up there with Wally Cox as most dreaded guest panelist of all time.

Mystery guest won't you sign in please!

Would you be characterized as a glamour gal?

Somebody already started thread 2

My big question is if you could do this show today and still make it fun.

Are you appearing in a PIK-cha currently playing on Broadway?

Are blindfolds all in place panel?

John Chahles Daly.

Since she was discussed on the previous thread, Barbara Feldon recently published her memoir.

At least Barbara got I Dream of Jeannie. Probably better than the new Dorothy on WML.

Just watched two Paul Winchell episodes. How on earth were ventriloquists considered top-flight entertainers?

Well you see, R12, they barely move their lips.

It worked even better on radio!

R11......uh........

the trolley car operator that got both Arlene and Dorothy a little wet down there. "what would we do together outdoors?" In their defense he's ridiculously good looking.

Not a chance, R6. Our world of celebrity is much to diffuse, making the mystery guest very hard to pull off now. And so many of the lines the contestants had were “unusual” because we used to have a very strict view of gender-appropriate work.

Yeah if the lady came out looking gorgeous, sophisticated, and dressed in high fashion you knew she was going to be a pig farmer or drive a garbage truck.

I don't know about that, R16. There are so many new fields today that didn't exist even ten years ago...

I could imagine a reboot on a cable channel -limited number of episodes and everybody dressed up and very correct. Replicating the original show, right down to signing in with chalk and having a cardboard flip chart for scoring. Comb through Hollywood and Broadway for erudite, intelligent stars to be on the panel. Maintain most of the strict codes for language so the stars have to demonstrate creativity and wit, rather that crude language and sex. Because of these quirks and the limited-run nature of the show (and the flattery that you'd likely be guessed) you could probably get some superstar names for mystery guests. Sadly, it would probably be for a very select audience -But it would be a wonderful accompaniment to a biography of Arlene Francis or Bennett Cerf, or a documentary history of What's My Line?

[quote] Comb through Hollywood and Broadway for erudite, intelligent stars to be on the panel.

Are you producing the show for DLers or the general public? The latter's not interested in erudition & intelligence.

DOROTHY: "Is it fair to say by the sound of your entrance that men find you particularly attractive?"

100% RED-BLOODED HE-MAN JOHN CHARLES DALY: "Let me be the first to say: Holy moley! Do they ever!"

Have we established that he's not in the armed services?

The respect for elected officials from both parties certainly sounds foreign to modern ears.

R22, and the amazing ability to have members of the armed forces and employees of the Federal government, including politicians, on the show without a single panelist feeling the need to air their own opinions and lecture the audience on some hot topic or other.

R18, the key would be the limited run because R16 is right. At least in the world of entertainment, everything is so niche-marketed today that only top Hollywood stars would be familiar to a wide enough audience. We no longer have the national popular culture we had in those days.

But, if they did try to make a new show that was close to the original, who should be on the panel? Unfortunately, at the moment I can only think of big stars, who of course would never take such a small job, but one who comes to mind is Julianne Moore. She'd be perfect. Tom Hanks would also probably be good. Not that either of them would ever consider something like this.

The original panel were not big stars, though. Who could be on a panel like this today - someone who could conduct him or herself with restraint, like (as they would have said in the '50s) a lady or gentleman and be or at least sound smart and worldly?

Fran Lebowitz would be a great panelist on a rebooted show.

Joanna Lumley would bring class, style, wit, and the right touch of bawdy.

I wouldn't try to go with stars for the panel. I'd go for well-spoken people who are generally known in their fields. Here are some:

Mika Brzezinski

Anderson Cooper (or another gay newscaster)

Leonard Maltin

Jodie Foster

John Legend

Mayim Bialik

I think Foster would get into it, even though she's A-list.