Johnny Olson

WHAT’S MY LINE?-First Taped Episode (TAPE: 7/9/68, Aired 9/9)

Host: Wally Bruner
Announcer: Johnny Olson

Celebrity Panel:

  • Soupy Sales
  • Meredith MacRae (Petticoat Junction)
  • Gene Rayburn (Match Game)
  • Arlene Francis

FIRST GUEST: Perle Epstein (New York City)

She’s salaried, dealing in service

Arlene: Work for a profit-making organization?
Yes
Work indoors?
Usually
Do people come to you for your service?
They can
Available to both men and women?
Yes
Regular hours, 9 to 5?
It could be, but not too important
Do you move around in your job?
Yes
Are you in a form of vehicle?
No $5

Soupy: Do you wear a uniform, other than street clothes?
Yes
Is it for decoration or keeping from getting messed up?
Ah, not a yes or no question. “I just like to get a right answer”
Is there a product involved?
No $10

Meredith: Would I come out with a degree, are you instructing me?
One question at a time: The Instructing one
Yes
What about that degree, like judo for example?
No $15

Gene: Is the uniform all white?
No $20

Arlene: This instruction useful?
Yes
Is it athletic?
In a broad sense, Yes
Do you touch a person in any way?
In this case, No $25

Soupy: You would never come to my house for this service?
Perle doesn’t know, but more likely for a handsome gentleman like you
Would it make me physically better?
Yes
A type of exercise?
Could be
Would it help me from the waist up?
Yes, the whole body (“I don’t know what it is, but I need it”)
Would I use it to lose weight?
It might, Pass

Meredith: Would it take place in a gymnasium?
It could
Teach/instruct a personal fitness class?
No $30

Gene: Could the panel come as a group and work all at once?
Yes
Do you ever wear a tutu?
No $35 (You’ve never seen Gene in a tutu and you never will)

Arlene (who’s got a gleam in her eye): Do you ever work on or near water?
No $40 (Down to 30 seconds)

Soupy: Do you come in contact with the body?
Yes
Are you a masseuse?
No, Wally gives it up here

Meredith guesses wrong with fencing instructor. Perle is a YOGA INSTRUCTOR. (She did a demonstration, but it was clipped off by Buzzr)

SECOND GUEST: Henry Parcell (Manawon, NJ, near the shore in Central NJ)

He’s salaried and deals in a product

Soupy: Would I come to you?
Possibly
As opposed to coming to my house?
Yes, way to sneak two questions in and stay in control.
Would I feel better?
No $5

Meredith: Used by both men and women?
Yes
Does it come in contact with the body?
Yes
Above the waist?
No $10

Gene: Would it increase my physical well-being in any way? (uproar of laughter)
No $15

Arlene: Product for anything other than the human race?
No $20

Soupy: Stuck on not helping Gene, something I would use in the house?
Yes
In one particular room or floor?
No $25

Meredith: Is one is able to wear this product?
Yes
Is it an undergarment?
Yes, generally
Is it a girdle?
No $30

Gene: Must be something women wear more than men?
NO $35

Arlene: Breaking down who and what can wear it. Do we rule out the Animal Kingdom?
Yes
Also from the waist up?
Still No $40

Soupy: Something to help me walk or dance better?
No $45

Meredith: Worn more by children?
Yes, wants to pass to Arlene, but Gene’s in the way
He blurts out “It’s Diapers” And Henry SELLS THEM.

Mr. Parcell works for the National Account Executive for Chicopee Mills Incorporated, a division of Johnson & Johnson.. All kinds of diapers, as long as they’re white. Soupy has a new slogan “We never mangle your baby’s triangles”

MYSTERY GUEST:

Meredith: Are you in the entertainment field? Yes (sounds of country bumpkin with a hiccup)
Gene: Are you currently in New York? Yes
Arlene: Are you playing in a Broadway play? Yes
Soupy: Is there just one of you? Yes
Meredith: Are you known for comedy as opposed to drama? No
Gene: In your current appearance, do you sing? Yes
Arlene: Is your wife in the show with you? No
Soupy: Is there another male as your co-star? No
Meredith with a guess: Joel Grey…RIGHT!

From one hit play to another “Cabaret” to George M”, it’s been a good year. Grey’s been in the business for 25 years, since age 11.

Closing: A chat with Meredith after figuring out who the mystery guest was. This was her first time on a game show panel. Meredith has also recorded her first record with her “Petticoat Junction” sisters along with solo records and live performances. It all started with “My Three Sons”, then a soap opera before “Petticoat” now in her third year. And it’s only her fifth year in show business.

What’s my Line? is owned by Fremantle.

WHAT’S MY LINE?-Taped January 14, 1969

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olson

Celebrity Panel:

  • Gene Rayburn (Match Game)
  • Dr. Joyce Brothers (Famous Psychiatrist)
  • Jack Cassidy
  • Arlene Francis

FIRST GUEST: Paul Francis (London, England)

Mr. Francis has had a lot of careers before today: Chef, Hairdresser, Drummer. Today, he’s dealing with a product and salaried.

Arlene: We’re not related, are me?
No, Just Checking
A product I might use?
Yes, men too!
I can hold it in my hand?
No $5

Gene: Does it come in contact with the body?
Yes, but not beyond the hand so No $10

Joyce: When used, do you move it around?
In a loose way
Large enough to be taller than a person?
Sometimes
Large enough for someone to get into?
No $15

Jack: Is the product mobile?
Wally asks again, does he mean place to place? Yes
It’s possible
Outdoors instead of indoors?
No $20

Arlene: Found in a home?
Possibly, but not likely $25

Gene: Anything therapeutic?
No $30

Joyce: Used in the World of Sports?
No $35

Jack: Sold to the consumer market?
In a sense
Would I have to come to you?
Yes
Do you demonstrate the product?
Possibly but No $35

Clue: Paul works in Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Arlene (Ha, Ha, Ha!): Does it have to do with gambling?
Yes
Do it have to do with the tables?
No $45

Gene: By table, does that include roulette?
Yes (Arlene goes Oh!)
Gene: Do it have to do with the ocean?
The Last No

Arlene wants a guess: SLOT MACHINES! Again, Arlene is too little, too late. Paul specifically repairs them at the Paradise Island Casino in the Bahamas. He originally came to the island as a croupier, then took a six-week course in Chicago, before taking the job. Then the important question: Can you change the odds? Yes! Joyce asks how often the Big Jackpots come along. Well, there’s no rhyme or reason. It depends on the number of symbols on each machine. Jack thinks it’s set by the owners! Wally tries to equate it to how many ways a toothpick fall. In a 24-hour span, Paul figures you’ll lose about 20¢ on every dollar. Some machines can range from $500-$1,000. Back-to-Back Jackpots have happened.

SECOND GUEST: Alice Schiller (Hollywood, CA)

She’s self-employed and deals with a service.

Gene: Do both men and women use this service?
No $5

Joyce: Performed for animals?
No $10

Jack: Service confined to male?
No $15

Arlene: “What else is there?” Women use it?
Yes
Any relation to the entertainment world?
Yes
For women in the entertainment world?
Yes
Either do something for someone or how to someone?
Yes
Show them how to do it?
Yes
Do anything with the way they look?
In the sense, but it’s not the basic part
Do you operate something?
Alice said yes, but when indicating a product, Wally says No $20

Gene: Is this a physical thing?
Yes
Would they get a little “dewy”? What he means is perspiring.
Yes
Would they eventually do it in front of a movie camera?
Yes
Anything to do with losing weight?
No $25

Joyce: Do it have to do with movement?
Yes
In walking or exercise?
No $30

Jack: Looking for a specific area, is it part of the water?
No $35

Arlene, The Art of Self-Defense?
No $40

Gene (who Wally thought would get it in the first try): Do it have to do with love making?
No $45

Joyce: Do you touch the person in any way?
Takes a second before…The Last No

Jack has a thought, does it help women with a relationship? No! Gene is off with stunt driving. Alice TEACHES STRIP TEASE DANCING. Dr. Joyce is curious how Alice can teach that without movement. One black mark for Wally. Mrs. Schiller is the “Dean” of Pink Pussycat College Dancing in Hollywood, California. Requirements include being over 21, fine moral character, and be very serious about strip tease. And, of course, a voluptuous body. At graduation, instead of a degree, they get a stripper’s kit and a T-Shirt. Inscribed is the slogan “The Navel Academy of the West”. Dr. Joyce asks if they take the shirts on or off at graduation. The answer “Both”. For the lady panelists, the kit for one and the shirt for the other.

MYSTERY GUEST:

A great applause

Dr. Joyce: Would I know you from the movies?
Perhaps

Jack: Do you presently have a TV series?
No

Arlene: Are you known for TV apperances?
Yes

Gene: Have you ever appeared in Broadway?
Stumbles out a “Yes, ever” (Not his primary fame)

Joyce: Are you a singer?
Yes

Jack: Have you ever done a Disney film?
Yes

Arlene: Are you appearing presently at a hotel/club in NY?
Almost (to clarify, it will open soon)

Gene:
Do you have a current hit record?
No, I wish I did (15 seconds left)

Joyce: Is the Disney picture a recent one?
Fairly

Jack: Are you that Big, Tall, Handsome, Smashing Baritone John Davidson?
YES

Backstage, John told Wally that Jack Cassidy was his idol and kinda expected “Ol’ Jack” would catch me. That’s “Ol” no “Old”, it’s a term of endearment. John was concerned about sitting down and reading the requirements: “Admission requirements, Over 21, High Moral Character, voluptuous body.” Dr. Joyce will give him the Rhinestone from the Stripper’s Kit for his navel. Psychology of inhibitions, controlling the structural components of the anatomy. Anyway, John is saddened by the end of “Maggie Smith” on Broadway, starring Cassidy. And that night club that John’s is almost performing at the Diversion Room (open now on airdate). Live performances are better than taped for John.

What’s My Line? is owned by Fremantle.

WHAT’S MY LINE?-Taped November 7, 1968

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olson

Celebrity Panel:

FIRST GUEST: James Proco (NYC)

We already learn he’s an usher right in this theatre and a college student. In between that, he’s salaried and working in a service.

Soupy (After a bit of rambling…) Does it have to do with show biz?

In the broadest sense, on the fringe (“He Makes Fringes”) It’s a Yes

Does it have to do with other people in showbiz?

No $5

Anita: Would I like to use your service?

Indirectly, same for Orson

It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or woman?

It doesn’t matter, Yes

When you perform, do people come to you?

Yes

Do you perform in a building? 

Yes

Do you require a uniform?

Yes     

Anita gets lost finding the next question: Do you use any equipment?

No $10

Orson (who thought Anita was talking instruments of torture): Would people come to you all alone?

No, which means your turn is over, Orson. $15

Arlene: You deal with groups of people?

More Than One

Do you instruct in any way?

James leans to No, but Wally needs a conference.  There may be advice given, but there’s no degree of instruction.  It’s still No $20

Soupy: Do you deal with groups other than people?

No $25

Anita: Do people hire you to take them around a building?

No $30

Orson: Is it a small group/number of people?

Yes

Would it be two?

Not necessarily

Would it help to know what you’re wearing?

Yes

Are you fully clad?

Yes

Wearing a suit like the suit and tie he’s wearing now?

No $35

Arlene: Anything athletic?

No, two to go and 15 seconds left

Soupy: Do you move around?

Another conference after James jumps with a No.  Allegedly, he may have ups and downs.

Soupy: Do you have to touch anything to go up and down?

Wally brings this game to an end

If there’s anything James touches, it might be his nose going up and down the chimney.  Mr. Proco is a DEPARTMENT STORE SANTA CLAUS.  Specifically, at Lord & Taylor’s in NY, and it’s his second year.  It took a while to learn how to get the voice down.  We see some great looking pictures with a wide-eyed kid.  Soupy asks if Jim every got a smack in the face. “Almost!”

Christmas is another story for the panel not figuring this out.  In Soupy’s building, the elevator operator for 18 years is fired because the regular one came back.

SECOND GUEST: Charlotte Drury (Jackson Heights, NY)

After some applause from friends, we learn Charlotte is salaried, in services AND deals with a product

Arlene: A service I might use?

Yes

Requires some dexterity, for her to give it to me?

For the service itself, but let’s focus on the product

Is it a product you can hold it your hand?

No $5

Soupy with the age old Question:  Is it bigger than a bread box?

Yes

A product used by men and women?

Yes

Does it touch the human body?

A quick no, then a conference changes it to Yes

Is it used in the home?

Definite No $10

Anita: Is it used in or near water?

Yes

Is it MUCH larger than a bread box?

Yes

Some sort of boat?

Yes

Do you operate this boat?

The boat is the product, she’s not involved in the operation.  No leeway!  $15 “It’s all yours, Orson”

Orson: Do you instruct in some way?

No $20

Arlene: Boats large enough for three or more passengers?

Yes

Are these decorated by you?

No $25

Soupy: Is it a dinghy?

Too small, “I’m pretty dinghy myself”, We’ll move on

Do you sell boats?

No $30

Anita: Arranging trips on boats?

Yes

Are you a travel agent?

Yes

Is it the liner around Manhattan?

Wally’s had enough!  Charlotte RENTS YACHTS.

Mrs. Drury works for Wakefield Fortune Incorporated arranging cruises.  A new service at the time, Charlotte has become a specialist in this field.  Yachts all have their own crews.  As you’d know from game show history, popular spots include the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Greek Isles.  If Wally and the panel wanted a boat to rent, the smallest they could get would be about 54 ft.  About $206 per person for one week including three meals a day.  A larger, 200ft. power yacht on Mediterranean would take the whole studio.  Total $12,000 a week per person.  The interior is as fancy as any local hotel around here.

MYSTERY GUEST

A strong applause marks his/her arrival

Orson: May I assume that you’re in show business?

Yes

Arlene: Are you known for your work in the theater?

No

Wally says there are some you’d know this guest from theater, but primarily for something else.

Soupy: Would this activity be in motion pictures?

Yes

Anita: Do you live in this city, most of the time?

Wally doesn’t know for sure.  In her business, she would be found in NYC sometimes.

Orson (30 sec. to go): Are you also in TV?

No, not at this moment

Arlene: Are you a singer?

Yes

Soupy: Did you earn your reputation in movies for musicals?

Yes

Anita: Are you in a musical picture right now?

No

Orson: A non-musical picture?

No, 15 seconds

Arlene: Are you appearing in a club or hotel in NYC?

No, TIME’S UP!

It’s Historic Maggie Flynn, SHIRLEY JONES

Honest Answers:

Mark Rafferty (Staten Island, NY) for Anita:  How tall are you?  You seem so little, how do you get into mini-skirts?

Answer: 5’1” in stocking feet, but she often says 5’3”.  And she buys clothes in the Junior Department.  Not many mini-skirts, though

Larry Schmidt (Potsdam, PA) for Orson: “Where did you get the name Orson Bean?”

Answer: He made it up.  His real name is Dallas Burrows which he said “Sounds Like a name a nut like Orson Bean would make Up” One last letter for “Souper Sales” but not enough time.

What’s my Line? is owned by Fremantle

WHAT’S MY LINE-Taped October 1, 1968

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olsen

The “Bright and Alert” Celebrity Panel:

FIRST GUEST: John Garrity (Kenoshia, Brooklyn, NY)

John makes an edible product and is self-employed

Pia: Does it comes from some animal?

No $5

Gawn: In the line of sweeties (as we call candy?)

Yes

Would I lick it rather than chew it?

No $10

Arlene: Would other than human beings enjoy it? 

No, or at least never find out $15

Soupy: Is it sold outdoors (like football games or parks)

Yes

Is it larger than an ice cream cone?

Yes

Is it like cotton candy?

No, no like cotton candy…IT IS COTTON CANDY!

1 out of 47 isn’t bad

Soupy

Mr. Garrity goes by the name “Johnny Cotton Candy”, same as Soupy’s Mother.  It got started by a friend to pay tuition, he’s now a graduate student at St. John’s in American History.  Soupy’s not done, he asks about the sugar base that’s put into the spinner.  It’s PURE SUGAR!  We get a full demonstration on stage.  With a twist of the hand, BING! A Whip of pink magic!  The panel walks over to try it out making “Q-Tips for the Jolly Green Giant” Soupy’s words again who gives himself a Santa Beard.

Note:  Gawn calls it “Candy Floss”.  Also, “Sweetie” doesn’t mean girls.  The Brits call them Broads.

SECOND GUEST: Catherine W. Stone (Madisonville, KY)

She’s salaried and deals with a product.

Soupy: Is it a product I might use?

Yes

Would women use it more than men?

No $5

Pia: Likely found in the home?

No $10

Gawn: Am I assuming it has nothing to do with the derby?

Yes, nothing to do with horses

Might find it outside the home?

Yes

Anything to do with open air?

Tricky, considering the last question.  Try another question, Gawn.

Anything to do with the elements?

No $15

Arlene: Any moving parts?

Gets an Ooh, then a No $20

Soupy: Something run by electricity?

No $25

Pia: Something I could hold in my hand?

Yes

Is it a useful product?

Yes

Would I have to buy it to use it?

Yes

Would I WANT to buy it?

If for some strange reason, Yes

Would it make me look better using it?

Nothing could $30

Gawn: More to do with children?

No $35

Arlene: Made of wood?

No $40

Soupy: Used in building or excavation?

Yes

It’s not a shovel, is it?

No (That wasn’t Soupy, that was the producer trying a ventriloquist act)

Soupy Passes

Pia: Used in my garden?

No $45, one to go

Gawn: Would it help hold things together?

Just the opposite, Soupy said the correct answer right after the last card flips:  SHE SELLS DYNAMITE $50

Employed by the Atlas Powder Company in Knoxville, we see a GIANT stick of commercial dynamite used for coal mines.  Wally’s only used to the small type for fence post holes.  Catherine says the type on stage could blow up the theatre, though it’s not the biggest bomb the theatre’s seen.  HA! HA! HA! Our guest used to be a contractor who drilled those coal mines, and it took a lot of convincing for Atlas to hire her.  Wally concludes that this is a business with many ups and downs.

MYSTERY GUEST

Arlene: Are you a name we’d find in the entertainment pages?

Yes (Light Falsetto)

Soupy: Are you on television?

Yes

Pia: Are you an actor?

Sometimes

Gawn: Comedian?

Mm-hmmm

Arlene: Do you sing?

Nhh-nhh

Soupy: Under 40 years old?

No

Pia: Deal with ethnic humor?

Yes

Gawn: Do you play an instrument?

Yes, Soupy thinks he’s got it

Arlene: Are you also a writer?

Yes

Soupy: Is it a violin?  Are you Henny Youngman?

NO!

Pia: Jack Benny?

NO!

Gawn: Do you dance?

No

Arlene: Do you have a TV program?

No

Soupy: You don’t use the violin in your act?

That’s correct

Pia passes, Gawn: You write your own material?

Yes

Arlene: Are you humorous in one line or endeavor? (Irish, Jewish, etc.)

Not necessarily

Clue: His autobiography is a smash best-seller

Soupy jumps in with Sam Levenson

YES!

Sam did play violin on TV, which he called “A great failure”.  He never lived up to his mother’s dream.  His autobiography is titled “Everything but Money”, which was a title Wally wanted for his book.  “Everything but Money” meant Sam grew up with lots of love, books and music, but no money.  Soupy points out Sam was a teacher before going into show biz.  If he were a teacher today with a class of long hairs and wild clothes, would have sneakers on to leave in a hurry.  But seriously, every generation has great potential, and the older people have the responsibility to keep them on the straight and narrow.  We can all help each other and understand each other, regardless of ethnicity.  As for music, Sam calls himself a “Long Hair of the Old School”.  “You can become a howling success by just howling” The best he can do is find the roots of it all.

You can’t come to every idea with an open mouth. An open mind requires a little education.

One of Sam’s sayings during his teaching days

For more to know about our mystery guest: imdb

Closing: Wally speaks with Pia, his former ABC news colleague.  She was doing evening news in San Francisco, proving she’s more than just Ingrid Bergman’s daughter.  They were recently in France visiting their own townhouse which is falling apart.  Soupy Sales, meanwhile, has been going around in circles from what Wally’s heard.  Actually, Soupy has circles around his eyes, while Arlene is going around the best circles.

What’s My Line is owned by Fremantle

WHAT’S MY LINE?-Taped August 20, 1968

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olson

Celebrity Panel:

  • Soupy Sales
  • Joanna Barnes
  • Nipsey Russell
  • Arlene Francis

FIRST GUEST: Gene Beane (Chattanooga, TN)

Wally clues the panel in that Gene’s in Show Business. He’s also self-employed and deals with a service.

Soupy, who knows his brother “Boston Baked”:

Do you work with someone else?:

No $5

Joanne: Is this service performed before the show?

No $10

Nipsey: Does coming from Tennessee have anything to do with your performance?

No $15

Arlene: Are you on the ground?

Yes, but he could get off the ground

Do you use anything besides yourself?

Yes

If I knew the equipment, would I know the act?

Perhaps

Is it attached to you?

No $20

Soupy: During your act, are you hit, like a cannonball?

For that, it’s No $25

Joanna: Is the object not particular to showbiz?

Yes

Might I have one?

No $30

Nipsey: Is it a performance?

Yes

Are you a hillbilly singer?

No $35         

Arlene: Is the equipment quite long, like in the stilt family?

No $40

Soupy: Is the act outdoors instead of indoors?

Yes

It doesn’t have anything to do with animals?

No means Yes

Something you perform at a grandstand?

Yes (30 seconds left)

Is it a high dive?

No $45

Joanna: Any physical danger?

Yes

Does it have to do with explosives or charges?

Yes

She’s almost there, “Are you shot out of anything”

The Last No!

Gene BLOWS HIMSELF UP WITH DYNAMITE!

As a matter of fact, he had performed at the point of this taping, 1,040 TIMES!  In the act, Gene puts himself in a box, pushes the detonator and

Joanna says it probably accounts for the short hair.  To quote the performer, “I literally get a bang out of my job”  He’s played all over North and South America with no mistakes.  And it’s all on film.  Gene’s putting on his helmet, gets into the box, the box goes Boom!!!  Gene flys out and stumbles around to the right, only inches away.  There is occasionally a blackout from the G-force from the lungs.  Nipsey calls it “Excedrin Headache #10.”  In truth, Gene is less afraid of the act than he is driving the highway from show to show.

“Better Luck Next Time” and Next Time is now.

SECOND GUEST: Lana Barrett (Mamaroneck, NY)

Miss Barrett is salaried, dealing with a product.

Nipsey: Based on the audience reaction, a profession not usually attached to a pretty young girl?

Yes

Do you come in contact with other people

Yes

Is it necessary to converse with other people?

A Little Bit

It’s not the central essence of your job?

No means Yes

Does the product touch the human body?

Yes

Between the waistline and the top of the head?

Yes

Would Nipsey’s social presence be enhanced?

YEAH!

Between the chin line and the top of the head?

Yes

Consumed or eaten or drunken in any way?

Yes

Attached with an outdoor activity, like a carnival?

Mostly No $5

Arlene: Solid rather than liquid?

Yes

Buy in a store?

Yes

Something to have at meal time?

Not to leave you astray but No $10 (30 sec.)

Soupy: Is it chewable?

Yes

You wouldn’t swallow it necessarily?

No, not bubble gum we’re talking about $15

Joanna: Under a dollar?

Yes

Grocery Store as opposed to a drug store?

No, and that’s time!

Arlene guesses that Lana’s a good humor man!  If only we’d had another minute.

Wally calls Lana the best-looking Good Humor man in West Chester County.  And what’s so shocking about her driving a truck?  Her customers include a few dogs that come for Vanilla every day.  And now, because a little good humor never hurt anyone, there’s ice cream for Wally and all the panel.

MYSTERY GUEST

A Big Applause and a strawberry shortcake stick for our guest

Arlene: Is there more than one person?

Just one, said meekly

Soupy: Must be in show business?

Could be, Wally says No

Joanna: Are you in the Sports Field?

Sometimes, Wally clarifies Yes

Nipsey: Involved in Politics in New York State?

Both agree, No

Arlene: Are you a baseball hero?

Yes

Soupy: Must be Mickey Mantle?

No

Joanna: National League Player?

Yes

Nipsey: Team once based in New York City?

Yes

Arlene: Are you “Say Hey”?

Yep, it’s WILLIE MAYS

And Willie is upset about Wally saying baseball is NOT show business.  As Nipsey knows, that’s what they call “Batman” in Harlem.  Looking back at an article Wally read, we hear about whether Willie could break his career home run record of 714.  Mays was at 569 at the day of taping.  Experts say he could’ve done it.  Ever humble, he’d be happy just reaching 600 against today’s “modern” pitchers.  Maybe these longer games could help, but Willie’s not interested.  As for any other current hitter, 34-year-old Hank Aaron might be too old.  Willie guesses that the Babe got home runs from ground rule doubles.  Wally says either way, Willie has made his mark in baseball. 

Are you saying I’m through?”

Closing: Wally gives an introduction: “We are delighted this week to have a handsome, charming, gracious, intelligent, resourceful, funny (Not you, Soupy) Nipsey Russell with us.”  He can’t deny it, it’s all true.  Russell started in show business early, dancing in a kids’ chorus. This grew into a tap-dancing trio and moved into comedy.  Highlights this year include performing on the Red Skelton Show and a new variety program “Soul”.  Many rock bands and entertainers like Redd Foxx and George Kirby are set to appear.  Meanwhile, the panel is doing fairly well for a Monday.  

What’s My Line? is owned by Fremantle.

WHAT’S MY LINE?-Taped July 30, 1968

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olsen

Celebrity Panel:

  • Gene Rayburn (Match Game)
  • Patti Deutsch (Laugh-in)
  • Alan Alda
  • Arlene Francis

FIRST GUEST: James Weeman (New York City)

He’s self-employed and deals in a product.

Gene: A product used in the home?

Yes

Is it used by both men and women?

Sometimes

Make the person more attractive physically?

Yes

Certain part of the body?

Yes

Above the Waist?

Yes

Above the Shoulders?

Yes

Above the Neck?

Yes

Have to do with the hair?

Yes

Does it have to do with a dye?

No $5 (Hot Streak Over)

Patti: Does it change the length of the hair?

Yes (Gene’s got it)

Something to do with the styling?

No $10

Shorten the hair?

Maybe

Adds hair, maybe false Hair?

Yes, Pass to Arlene

“It’s not hair itself?”

Yes

Finally gets to “Is it Hair Pieces”

Designs Wigs for Men and Women

Gene thought it was a guy who matching hair coloring to your exact hair and ties it in.  James doesn’t. He just designs wigs for the Rainbow Hair Products of New York at the Empire State Building.  No, he’s not wearing one now.  There’s also a novelty line for Teeny Boppers and Vietnam soldiers buying wigs to cover up battle scars.  James says it “gives them back their non-conformity”.  Next, he presents his stretch wig with has a special patented ventilation to keep a cool head.  Maybe we should see what Gene and Alan look like with some of these wigs.  Alan gets a blonde wig, looking like Moe from the Three Stooges.  He can’t understand why they say “Blondes Have More Fun”.  Gene has a brown mod wig, feels like the poor man’s “Ed Ames”. 

With the wigs still on, the men join the women to meet our next guest.

SECOND GUEST: Judith Gray (Mount Vernon, IL, Wally’s been there and Gene grew up nearby in Christopher)

She’s salaried.

Arlene: Do you work indoors?

Yes

Is it a service she might use?

You Could, but Wally makes it a No $5

Gene: Would I use it?

Yes

Would I get the same answer if I take off the wig?

Yes

Does it have to do with enhancing one’s attractiveness?

Yes

Do you come in physical contact?

Yes

Above the waist?

Yes

Above the shoulders?

Yes “Got a feeling you’ve heard this someplace before?”

Above the Neck?

Yes

Are you a Lady’s Barber?

Men’s Barber

Judith work for the Universal Barber Shop in New York City, and Gene wants an appointment.  For about 3 years, she’s had other famous customers including the male members of the Horton’s Ballet, advertising people including actor Anthony Perkins. Seems Alan might want an appointment, too.  Never mind, the wigs just came off.

MYSTERY GUEST

Arlene: Are you a comedian?

Stumbles a little, but says he may

Gene: Are you wearing something unusual now?

My clothes

Patti: Have you been on Broadway?

No (In a light British Accent and stutters “Really”)

Alan: Work in the mountains a lot?

Not at all

Arlene: Nightclub performer?

Yes (stutters Sometimes)

Gene: Are you on Broadway now?

He’s laying off on Broadway

Patti: Appearing on a nightclub in town?

Laying off on a current one, too.

Alan: Appeared on a TV series?

No, laying off that, too

Arlene is thinking he’s having a stroke?

It’s either Don Rickles or Jack E. Leonard

It’s JACK, wearing a straw hair wig and smoking a cigarette. (It’s 1968, remember)

Jack starts with saying his friend Don Rickles has been stealing his act for so long, he’ll sue.  He also says Arlene is as pretty as her first appearance in 1903, Paul Revere sends his regards.  Wally Bruner is called the illegitimate son of John Daly.  Jack remembers Wally’s father from the German Army many years ago.  As least it’s better than sitting next to a clip-on bow tie.  Jack then talks about a new diet.

Eat 12 bowls of Jell-O, lay in bed, and just hake the damn stuff off.

Wally asks Gene if he could work at Cape Canaveral, push the button before takeoff is ready.  Earlier this week, there was a bank robber and the hottest little exotic dancer you’ve ever see works with fire.  Alan wants to learn to fire dance with the wig on. Patti is asked about a mini wedding gown worn by a bride this week.  Arlene says it’s for “Short marriages”.

In the credits, Jack E. Leonard dips Gene Rayburn, I don’t know if that embarrassed Gene to bulk up near the end.

What’s my Line? is owned by Fremantle.

THE NEW PRICE IS RIGHT NIGHTTIME-Taped September 4, 1972

Host: Dennis James

Announcer: Johnny Olson

Models: Janice Pennington, Anitra Ford and an African-American who will be referred to as “?”

NOTE: According to the slate, this is Episode #006N

BETTY DAVIS, COME ON DOWN!

JIM VAN LOU, COME ON DOWN!

SALLY GUNTHER, COME ON DOWN!

and CAROL FITTY, COME ON DOWN!

First Item Up for Bids!

O’Keefe and Merritt Contempo Space Range (Anitra)

  • BETTY 425
  • JIM 375
  • SALLY 410
  • CAROL 350

The actual retail price is…$550. Betty wins! And she shaking. Calm down Betty, this game is nothing to shake about.

GROCERY GAME

Notes:

  • Pricing games didn’t have names at the time
  • Janice is the standard cashier, just like the daytime version.

Grocery Items:

  • Rath Hickory Smoked Sliced Bacon
  • Lolli-Pups Dog Treats
  • TV Time Popcorn
  • Kikkoman Soy Sauce
  • Taster’s Choice Coffee

Betty is playing for a Sohmer Provinicial Walnut Piano (?). Added is some Masonite Naturelle Wall Covering which add up to a total of $1,785.

The Winning Range is $6.75 to $7.

ProductQuantityPer UnitSubtotalTOTALWiggle Room
Bacon30.99$2.97-4.03
Coffee31.153.45$6.42-0.58
Dog Treats20.290.58$7.00EXACTA!
WINNER!

Dennis almost died when Betty said two. Betty does the shopping for herself and her daughter. It paid off!

KEVIN COLLINS, COME ON DOWN!

Second Item Up for Bids!

Tappan Side-by-Side 24 ft.3 Refrigerator/Freezer (Anitra)

  • KEVIN 650
  • Jim 425
  • Sally 750
  • Carol 500

The actual retail price is…$650. Kevin wins(no bonus for a perfect bid at this time)! The ushers get his name tag back on the way up stage.

ANY NUMBER

First Prize: Another Range? This one is a Hardwick 30″ Debutante Gas Range (?) OR…A NEW….BOAT! Yep, a Glastron 17″ Fiberglass Boat (Anitra) w/Johnson 50hp. Outboard (Janice) and Wallstrong Trailer. As luck will have it, Kevin’s been shopping for one of those. Will it be enough to win…or will he be stuck with the Range…or worse, the Piggy Bank.

There are four numbers in the price of the boat, three in the range and three for the piggy bank.

GuessBOATRANGE
33 _ _ _
9_ . _ 9
43 _ 4 _
66 _ _
55 . _ 9

Are you giving up the ship?

No pun intended
23 2 4 _6 _ _5 . _ 9

You’re going make an old man out of me?

06 0 _
86 0 8
ARP3 2 4 15 . 7 9

MARILYN COUNTRYMAN, COME ON DOWN!

Final Item Up for Bids!

Scheirich Kingswood Burner Bars (Janice)

  • MARILYN 400
  • Jim 350
  • Sally 525
  • Carol 334

The actual retail price is…$520 Marilyn wins (and completes a first bidder sweep)!

DOUBLE PRICES

Actually, it’s DOUBLE PRICES back-to-back. Marilyn plays for two prizes separately. There’s a Tappan Trash Compactor (?) and a Teledyne Packard Bell Del Prado 25″ TV/Stereo Console (Anitra)

First, the Trash Compactor

  • 239 (No Dollar Sign)
  • $150

Marilyn picks $239…RIGHT! (And they remembered the dollar sign this time). Now, the TV

  • $675
  • $950

Marilyn’s guess is $675…WRONG! The Compactor is still hers, though!

Pricing Games: 1 for 3

RECAP

BETTY$2,335 (Top Winner)
KEVIN$1,258 (Runner-Up)
MARILYN$799

SHOWCASE

First Showcase:

  • Amity Ladies’ French Clutch Purse (Anitra)
  • Chevrolet Vega Coupe (white stripe tires, AM radio) (Janice)
  • Union Super 76 Gasoline (300 gal.)
  • Turtle Wax Assortment
  • Samsonite 3pc. Silhouette Lady’s Luggage (?)

Betty will bid $2,000

Kevin’s Showcase:

  • Diet Shasta (200 gal.)
  • Chevrolet Kingsdown Estate Wagon (AM Radio, Bumper Guards, Custom Wheel Covers, Belted White Striped Tires, Luggage Carrier, Power Tailgate) (Anitra)
  • Yashica Electro 8LD6 Movie Camera
  • Mallory Tape Recorder, Dura Tape and Duracell Batteries (both Janice)

Kevin’s Bid: $3,000

BETTYKEVIN
Bid: $2,000Bid: $3,000
ARP: $2,685ARP: $5,442
Difference: $685Difference: $2,442
Betty’s our big winner: $5,020

Total Winnings: $7,017

The Price is Right is owned by Fremantle.

WHAT’S MY LINE?-TAPED JULY 23, 1968

Host: Wally Bruner

Announcer: Johnny Olson

Celebrity panel:

This group will attempt to figure out what job (or line) our contestants are. Each will go one at a time, only asking yes or no questions. If the answer’s Yes, they can continue asking. If they get a “No”, the contestant gets $5 and control goes to the next panelist. Guessing continues until:

  • A panelist guesses correctly
  • The panel gets 10 “No” answers
  • The host says “Times Up”

FIRST GUEST: Lynne Jordan (Orlando, FL)

It’s a part-time job between majoring law at Rollins College, but she’s salaried and working in services.

Alan: Do you perform services indoors?

No $5

Arlene: On or near water?

Yes

Are you wearing a bathing suit?

Yes

Anything instructive?

No $10

Soupy: Something performing wise?

Yes

Perform in underwater?

No $15

Joanna: Any other article you use?

Yes

Any sporting goods?

No $20

Alan: Are you supported on top of the water?

No $25

Arlene: Is there an animal associated with what you do?

Yes

Do you ride some animal in the water?

Yes

Do you dive off with an animal?

Yes

Is it a Horse?

Dives 40 feet into tank on Horseback

Soupy says you’d have to be THAT HIGH to do something like that.  Lynne climbs the ladder while the horse gets to ride an elevator, FIVE SHOWS A DAY. Her sister used to do another water act, now she’s doing this in the summer.  Law school comes in the winter.  We go to the film of Lynne in action at the Steel Pier.  Amazing, she never falls off, even in just 10 feet deep.  The horse clearly likes it, too.  He even smiles right for the camera.  A new horse for every performance while the others get the royal treatment.  This act requires special training for the hoofed beasts.  Trainers have to use a long leaf rope by the neck to bring them up.  Very rarely do any of them chicken out. 

Arlene must’ve been on a good run this week. (She is the veteran, after all) Let’s see what she and the rest of the panel can do.

SECOND GUEST: Tim Slatery (Hyde Park, NY)

He’s salaried and deals with a service.

Arlene: Requires any physical dexterity?

No $5

Soupy: Product found in the home?

Yes, Hopefully

Is it wearable rather than eatable?

No, Soupy thought maybe it was chocolate-covered suspenders. $10

Joanna: Is the product non-consumable or not used up? A chair as against a candy bar.

In the normal sense, it’s a non-qualified No $15

Alan: Generally, in one part of the house than another?

No $20

Arlene: Does it come in contact with the person using it?

Yes

Do you have to touch it in some way?

Yes

Worn on the body?

No $25

Soupy: Can you hold it in your hand?

Yes

Does it leave your hand when you use it?

Yes “I’m hot today”

Would it be used in the kitchen?

In the bathroom?

Is it a solid object, as opposed to rubber on one end and wood on the other?

Yes

Do you make plungers?

No $30

Joanna: Any moving parts? 

No $35

Alan first tries to clear up about whether it can be used in one room of the house more than other.  He then has to stop Wally from counting that as a wrong answer.

Used by men and women?

Yes

Day and night?

Yes

Does it always leave your hand?

Yes

We get a 30 second warning, before Alan passes

Arlene: Anything Fun and Games?

No $40

Soupy: Use it over and over again?

Yes

Is it a toy?

No (GAME OVER!)

Tim Slatery works with money. More specifically, he BURNS IT for the federal reserve bank!  He’s the supervisor of this operation and there are tears involved.  Arlene asks Tim what’s the most money they’ve burned at once.  “About 20 million Dollars”.  The daily rate is about $6-7 Mil of old money.  That’s comes to a Billion and a half a year.  The bank delivers the old money to the bank; Joanna asks if there’s an opening.  One last note:  a single dollar bill lasts one month before, as Arlene speculates, gives birth to a new one.

MYSTERY GUEST

How well do you know people alive and famous in 1968?  The panel has two minutes going one question at a time?

Soupy: Are you in show business?

A deep Yes

Joanna: Most known for films?

Not exactly (Sounds like Bela Lugosi to me but he was long dead by this date. belalugosi.com/biography)

Alan: Do you sing?

Occasionally

Arlene: Appeared in a musical in New York?

No

Soupy: Appeared in a nightclub in the last year?

Yes

Joanna: Did you have a running part on TV?

Yes

Alan: Have you had hit recordings published?

“Only with my family”

Arlene: Do you record with your family?                               

No, but they’re the only one who buy the records.  The trouble is, they’re made without the holes.

Soupy: Are you Myron Cohen?

NO! “I Used to be” (30 second warning)

Joanna: In your series, did you play a detective?

No, several were looking for him.

Alan: Do you get paid for being a comedian?

Yes, still fooling the public

Arlene: Are you rounder than taller?

No (15 seconds left)

Soupy: Are you a comedian?

Only when people laugh (Time to Take off the Masks)

It’s MOREY AMSTERDAM!

Earlier in the year, Morey broke records at the Latin Quarter.  The quick-witted comedy mind now puts his improv skills to the test. 

Soupy: TV Producer

Runs a medium that’s very good for the artist.  He can get at so many people who can’t get at you.

Joanna: Boston Symphony Orchestra

My father was with the San Francisco Symphony.  He was the head Symp!

Alan: New York Subway

Well, the first time I came to New York, people said “Watch Out for the Subway.  They pack people in like sardines.”  That’s not true, there’s enough room for a sardine to lay down.

Arlene: Politics (This is a long one)

“There are so many jokes on politics, you really don’t have to write ‘em. Just read the Congressional Record.  But my favorite political story is about this group listening to a fellow running for (Charles) alderman (definition) and he’s talking about all the wonderful things he’s gonna do and everyone’s booing him and hissing him.  And finally, the whole crowd gets up to walk out of the place, except one little Jewish man sitting on the end and the last man and his group going out turns around and looks at him he says “You’re not gonna stay here and listen to that guy peddle all that junk, are ya?”  And he says, “What can I do, I’m the next speaker!”

HA! HA! HA! HA!

Morey also promotes his new movie, the Disney film “The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit” featuring Dean Jones. You’ll love it even it you don’t understand it. (Note: Not available on Disney+)

Finally, we chat with Joanna. She’s an actress, an author and as we find out, also an interior decorator.  Her column was in newspapers for many years, detailed in the new book “Starting from Scratch”.  Joanna believes people are taking interior decorating too seriously and blowing a hole in their budget as a result.  She also advises away from antique collecting, unless you’re going to take it seriously.  Just use what you have.  Soupy chimes in about his friend renovating his barn with new drunks!

What’s my Line? is owned by Fremantle.