This is the best time I’ve had in along time. Absolutely funny and just wonderful time laughing all by myself. Such wonderful and talented guest. Thank you so much for this fabulous channel.
Ah Mel Torme. He wrote that great Christmas song "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ......" on the hottest day imagineable out there in Beverly Hills California.
Jeanne Parr ( actor Chris Noth's mother ), here a contestant, returned triumphantly to the show several years later ( see March 13th. 1966 episode ) as a panelist. She was introduced on that occasion by Tony Randall as "the toast of New York lady television correspondents...Channel 2's Jeanne Parr".
I looked up Jeanne Parr and she's the mother of the accomplished actor Chris Noth who has appeared in many TV shows, but was most notably "Mr. Big" in "Sex and the City".
Jeff Vaughn -- More notably to me, Chris Noth appeared for years as homicide detective Mike Logan on "Law & Order" -- and for at least some of that time, he was partnered with detective Lennie Briscoe, played by the accomplished actor Jerry Orbach (may he rest in peace). Also very notably, Chris Noth plays Peter Florrick on "The Good Wife" -- the husband of the title character Alicia Florrick played by Julianna Margulies. He's been on The Good Wife for seven seasons and was on Law & Order from 1990-1995 and Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2005-2008. Admittedly, I never saw Sex and the City since it was on HBO and I don't subscribe to any premium channels.
So I was going to look Mrs. Logan up, but I got diverted by John, at 14:45, sounding as if meter maids were a new thing, which, as it turns out, they were, having just been instituted earlier in 1960. The things I take for granted -- I assumed meter maids had come into being about when parking meters did.
Bennett asks if Jeanne Parr might be related to Jack Paar. The last names are homophones -- they sound the same but are spelled differently. Bennett guessed three contestants tonight! On fire!
i looked up info about Bobby Darin...here is what Wikipedia said (edited): He was born on May 14, 1936, and died on December 20, 1973. He was an American singer, songwriter, and actor of film and television. He performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock'n'roll, folk, and country. He discovered that he had been brought up by his grandparents, not his parents, and that the girl he had thought to be his sister was actually his mother. These events deeply affected Darin and sent him into a long period of seclusion. Although he made a successful television comeback, his health was beginning to fail, as he had always expected, following bouts of rheumatic fever in childhood. This knowledge of his vulnerability had always spurred him on to exploit his musical talent while still young. He died at age 37, following a heart operation in Los Angeles.
Aaron Hahn Daly has covered this at length in another episode when the item was made of wood. It was very tedious and counterproductive then so I think this time he just let it go. In any case surely Arlene's question is biased towards 'animal' life rather than vegetable or mineral life.
I've learned a lot watching this show, historical facts science, social and more. Also I see they use this platform for self promotion of each other as well as the different sponsors getting their products and services promoted. Some geniuses put this together.
It was nice to hear Mr. Daly welcome WTVR channel 6 out of Richmond Va. That was the station we saw it on. WTVR started broadcasting on April 22 1948 with a freestanding tower of 843 feet, 1,049 feet above sea level & was known as " The South's First Television Station." WTVR was an ABC affiliate until 1960 when it's owner & CBS made the change.
Bobby Daren was wonderful. There was a movie of his life including Sandra Dee . How accurate it was, who knows? Its horrible knowing you have a bad heart….esp at his age. RIP
Jeanne Parr was a familiar face in New York City for many years. She was not as well known as Barbara Walters, but had a similar career in that she broke through the ceiling of what was then women's roles in television news and broke into the area of hard news as a reporter/correspondent. In 1960, television was still relatively new and the average person (and my unscientific observation is women more than men) tended to be nervous to some extent in front of the camera. Even before my brain remembered where I had heard the name before, I could tell by Miss Parr's poise that she was either on television, an actress, a veteran of the beauty pageant circuit or something in that vein.
Those questions about her appearance were super cringe. Thank goodness we have moved forward. Imagine having to smile and put up with that nonsense day after day at your job while you are trying to construct a true professional career.
@@girlfromthebronxbywayofelb7288Are you kidding? Does the name Kardashian mean anything to you? Taylor Swift? Katy Perry? Man, it's ALL about looks today, and women jump all over it. Many don't, but since MTV and stupid videos, people cherish physical appearance and all other accomplishments gotta wait in line.
But many don't, even you admit, and that's the point. Women can choose not to put up with it, or can choose to be a Kardashian. I doubt Taylor Swift is putting up with nonsense. She knows that she is pretty, and she owns that. But she hardly built her professional career around waiting for guys to tell her that she is pretty. It's different for some cringe guy to talk to you about your appearance like he owns it. Time moves forward.
Bowling was very popular on television at this time. The bowlers were usually affiliated with Brunswick or AMF and most of them represented one of three cities: Chicago, Detroit or St. Louis. (The major exceptions at the time were Ned Day from West Allis (WI) and Andy Varipapa from Paterson (NJ).) Don Carter was the best of the best, perhaps the best of all time. It is a close contest between him and his Budweiser 5-man team teammate, Dick Weber. So when the first challenger announced that she was from St. Louis and having seen her sign in with a last name of Carter, I immediately associated the two. My guess would have been that she managed a bowling alley.
And in contrast, bowling is losing popularity these days. A bowling alley in Santa Clara, California, a couple of miles from my home, closed down a year or two ago (well before coronavirus) and the building itself has recently been demolished, so clearly the owners couldn't find anyone else to keep it running. A shame to have to tear up those maple lanes and other special installations.
@@neilmidkiff I know of one bowling alley near me that is part of a mega mall. My church had their Christmas party there one year so the children could have more to do. But it isn't strictly a bowling alley. It is part of a game center that has pool tables, table tennis, pinball, and other arcade games. As far as the place in Santa Clara, if the lanes were in good condition, I wonder how feasible it would be to take up the maple lanes and the mechanical equipment and move it to another establishment, maybe even to a wealthy person's home. (I can imagine Hearst moving it to San Simeon!)
@@loissimmons6558 I have no evidence that the bowling lanes and equipment weren't salvaged in this case. But judging by the scrap heaps I see outside home renovations, it seems as if builders are more concerned to save their workers' time than to assign any value to older materials, even ones that are harder to get these days. I picked up a plank of solid mahogany, 2x12 by 8 feet long, which had apparently been a bar counter in a home, as it had circular watermarks on it -- this was on a trash pile to be taken to the dump. Don't know what I'll do with it, but you don't find that on the lumber aisle at Home Depot. To keep this on topic, I should mention that the houses in that neighborhood were built around 1960.
Does Dorothy remind anyone else of a doe? She's so graceful and tiny and delicate, the way she moves and walks, like a China doll,...and in her little tiny strappy heels,...she walks like a fragile little doe.
Lily Bean Not really. I'm always of the belief that all her moves, expressions and quirks stem from a self-consciousness rather than a true grace and delicate manner (as a doe has). I like her a lot and don't mean that as criticism of her at all, I hasten to add. She has alluring quality rather than a beauty and she dresses magnificently....but as well as that I feel for her dealing with the number of odd quirks appearance-wise as well as behaviour-wise. Poor lass.
Rheumatic fever as a child. John Garfield has a similar situation. Is there a vaccine now for rheumatic fever? This push against vaccines makes me scared when I think of the wonderful people we lost to diseases that now don't seem to trouble children. 💙
I can't find out when Mrs. Carter died, but she was 92 in 1987 (and, obviously, alive at that point). She had two kids, and then her husband left her, so she ground it out in poverty until Don (who was a knock 'em dead bowler, and helped found the PBA) hit it big-time. (For a long time, she kept all his trophies for him.)
I have watched almost all of the WML videos posted, and I've noted, in general, that the guests who are the most comfortable being on the show, almost invariable work in TV or Radio and are used to the "lights", remembering that back then it was intimidating for most people to appear on TV. Miss Parr is a perfect example of what I mean.
dannydoc1969 Absolutely. I always notice it. It's not just how they hold or present themselves but also they have professional etiquette from being in front of the caneras....much like the panel, knowing when to move and when not to move, when to shut up, when to speak, when to smile, etc. I've presented a show on TV myself so I'm aware of it ALL the time, whatever anyone does.
When Dorothy introduces Mel Torme, she appears to experience that "mini-stroke" or whatever weird reaction that was so pronounced in a later episode when she introduced Bennett, and it was very obvious something bad was happening. I noticed the same thing here but just for a brief moment.
Galileocan g Well spotted. You're right. It's a precursor to that horrible instance in a later episode, as you say. One could say it's brought on by acute nerves, she strikes me as a perfectionist and those intros are probably where she's most on the spot. But it comes on inadvertantly with a will of its own, suddenly. Poor Dorothy.
swampzoid I love the way us WML viewers don't miss a thing! Probably why we all love it so much. The deduction process is infectious. Course on other episodes we've also heard police sirens!! I notice them on Dick Cavett shows too....same town, same studio maybe?
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign at a Chinese restaurant and the first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign in a Chinese restaurant window. The first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign in the window of a Chinese restaurant. The first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
@@alanwhite9389 I can't be positive that what I read was accurate, but I read this in what I believed to be a reliable source. Perhaps yours is correct.
@MrYfrank14. When I was a kid following around after my grandfather, who chewed King Bee twist tobacco, he used to carry with him the long roll of Tootsie Roll that was pre-formed. When my grandfather would cut himself a "plug" of tobacco, he would cut me off a "plug" of Tootsie Roll.
OMG JEANNE PARR oh it's all coming back to me when I was a very very young kid she was on local weather forecasting program in New York City they should recognize her from with no problem
Mel Torme co-wrote (co-written in 1944 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé) "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire). As far as i know, it is rare for a modern Christmas song to be come a classic within the lifetime of the song writer. The song is wonderfully sang by Nat King Cole, one of my favorite singers of Christmas songs, along with Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby.
***** duh! too bad i can't make a simple nice comment about a great Christmas song i particularly love without being blasted by you. it seems to me with hind sight we can now see that some or many or all of the songs you listed were notable when written and first performed, but i for one do not know when people viewed them as "classics." i listen to both modern and old carols, Christmas and secular songs. older carols tend to be "Christmas" songs and more modern songs are often categorized as "secular." Most or all of the songs you listed are secular. Silent Night was written in 1818. Hndel’s Messiah dates back to 1170. According to information on the internet, one of the earliest known Christmas songs is from the 4th Century, Jesus refulsit omnium, composed by St. Hilary of Poitiers. so please don't be mean spirited about how old the songs i listen to are, or my opinion of a modern classic whose creator was still alive when the song was recognized as a classic. . . thanks!
nowvoyagerNE Please continue making all the comments you want to-- I appreciate them. And you're 100% right-- many, many Christmas carols are traditional tunes dating back long before the modern era. ***** your comment would have been just fine, despite the fact that you missed the point here, if you had just not started out with the totally unnecessary and insulting "duh". Songs become "classics" when they've stuck around for a long time. I think you're confusing the concept of "hit" songs with the concept of "classic" songs.
They seem to be going through a period where plants are not considered to have been alive. 5:23 Dorothy asks, "Is it or has it ever been alive?" She gets a 'no' answer (the product is tobacco), and I remember another one recently (within the recent sequence) that was equally as unambiguous. I seem to recall Tony Randall forcing a ruling that plants were/had been alive. Do they EVER decide (learn) on a permanent basis that plants are alive? Eamonn Andrews would have set them right!
Scientifically speaking, plants are NOT alive. Breath must be present for correct use of the word live to be used. Another similar example--to be a fruit the seed must be on the inside Tomatoes and cucumbers etc are fruit. Public school then used to produce a reasonably knowledgeable person. Today--never!
@@oksills When I studied biology (the science of life), as part of the curriculum we studied plants (botany) and animals (zoology). Plants grow, they move (very slowly), and they have a form of respiration -- they take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. So yes, plants are a form of life.
They got in a right mess on a previous episode where Daly did indeed confront the issue of a wooden product having been once 'alive'. You can get into all sorts of a mess as several millenia ago many inanimate things now were presumably constituted from things that were 'alive'. Clearly the question is biased towards 'animal' so I think they were right to avoid the same tedious and unproductive discussion they had on that previous occasion.
Only animals are alive. And only mammals are animals. Unless you try to make a broad comparison to vegetables and minerals. Please do not even think of mentioning whales or worms. Thank you. ;)
It's probably true but if it is real , i think that Torme was wrong because B.D. was more than a rock'n roll singer ; surely the best Big Band singer of all times.
Boris Spassky runs into Bobby Fischer in the lobby of a hotel. Soon they are arguing over which one is the better chess player. It was the first known case of chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.
It's funny that you tell a chess related joke on an episode where Bobby Darin is the MG. Darin loved chess and was disappointed in the lack of major international tournaments in the US. At the time of his death, he was in the process of organizing a super strong tournament with many of the top grandmasters in the world. The event was going to have the largest prize fund ever for a chess tournament. It was canceled after Darin's untimely death.
Excellent! I adore twists and turns on sayings I've heard my entire life. Thank you, Ms. Simmons, for the laugh, I badly needed a lighthearted moment today.
It seems that the stars who give the most drawn-out answers, or try to do an accent of some kind, rather than a quick 'yes or no', tend to get found out more frequently.
certainly the more they talk, the more they can give away. But when the guest is known for his impressions and offers multiple impressions, the panel can very quickly discover who is appearing.
There's been a lot of commentary here about the short, curt handshake between Bobby Darren and Mel Tormé--well, why would Mel like Bobby? Mel was in a number of movies when he was younger, with Hollywood trying to sell him as a heartthrob to the "Bobby-Soxers" of the era (1940's). It didn't work, not because Tormé lacked talent--way far from it--but he lacked what Bobby had--sex appeal. And that, in 2 words, is the name of that tune. Two great talents imho, Darren's career cut miserably short.
Wikipedia says his heart got messed up by rheumatic fever when he was a kid, and had artificial valves put in, which in turn got messed up and infected. He died after surgery to fix them, from sepsis, without ever waking.
For any other Brits reading the comments, six years on from this Mel Torme married Jannette Scott, and so Thora Hird was his mother-in-law! (At any reference to Mel Torme I always have to mention that Thora Hird was once his mother-in-law)
My grandmother chewed tobacco and when she visited us she slept in my room. Well, she had a coffee can and well you know who had to empty the can sometimes. I loved my grandma but I was glad when the visit was over, Lol!🙂
12:16 Mrs Logan was a NYC meter maid. Wonder if a young John Lennon watched this program and she was the original inspiration for his song......"Lovely Logan, meter maid...." before he revised the title? No? lol
Mel Torme was a relative rarity among the easy-listening white male singers of the 50s & 60s - he wasn't of Italian descent....as were Sinatra, Bennett, Vale, Como, Martino, Dean Martin, Vic Damone, Loius Prima, Frankie Laine, Bobby Darrin..... and then there were all the Italo-American pop singers coming thru' in the 1960s
A teenage idol? He was crooner, not a rock n roller (outside of is first hit - "Splash-Splash"). He would be lumped in with Buddy Greco, Vic Damone, Steve Lawrence, etc, not Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, or Ricky Nelson.
If you read James Kaplan's bio of Frank Sinatra, you will find that Mel Torme was one of the two singers that Frank was jealous of for their talent (the other being Dean Martin, mostly for his comedic ability and personality). Frank thought that Mel was the only artist around who intimidated him because of his superior singing talent. Kaplan writes that Sinatra refused to go to Torme's shows because he felt belittled as a singer in his presence.
SINATRA WAS COMPETENT AT BEST, HE WANTED TO BE A STAR AND HAD THE DRIVE. JUST AS MANY PEOPLE WHO AREN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST IN THIER FIELD BECOME GREAT "STARS". TORME HAS AN INCREDIBLE SINGING VOICE AND OF COARSE WROTE AND ARRANGED MUSIC..
2 thoughts on this episode. First , in the "times sure have changed" department, am I the only one who noticed Mel Torme's ethnic slur at 22:16, when he said "rotsa ruck" (as opposed to lotsa luck)??? That wouldn't be allowed now. And, unrelated, Bobby Darin playing himself off, singing Mack The Knife was very neatly done.
Lana Del Slay Did you know that the word Bae was currently a joke on the ones who use it? Most think it is short for Babe or baby but it actually never was but means POOP! It was one of those/- let’s see how many people we can get to believe and use this crude made up word. It was to be a big joke is on the public. Sooooo many fell for the joke that it is actually, in 2019 , considered a real urban slang word. Thought you might want to know. I’ve never actually heard or seen anyone really use it! Haaa!
For reasons I'll never understand, on WML, John never considered plant life to be alive. "Is it alive" only got a yes for animal life. It makes absolutely no sense, but. . . at least John was consistent about it, and everyone (generally) went along with this nonsense without protest.
very odd for such a learned man...maybe it was agreed amongst them beforehand? seems to me ive seen him ponder the question occasionally? btw thanks so much for all these WMLs!! im an addict...i needs my daily fix!
Please remove this complete and utter troll from the comments section. Unfortunately today's awful society is full of pathetic losers intent on ruining other people's enjoyment of social media.
Boy you can tell how long ago this was, the questions they asked & the statements they made to Ms. Parr were very sexist. Bet they never asked a guy if his looks played a part in him getting a job. Not saying anything wrong, just pointing out how times have changed.
LOL - beautiful women still get hired on news stations all the freaking time for their looks. Actually, here in L.A., the news anchors, etc., all look very Hollywood - men and women. However, if you watch other episodes of this show, they ask the same question of men if they’re extraordinarily handsome. It’s not a sexist question, especially if they don’t know what she does.
@@shirleyrombough8173 My mother and her friends (born in the Twenties and Thirties mostly) called themselves and each other "girls" in this era; these were well-educated, upper middle class women. On one of these WML episodes Arlene says "I'm a girl." It wasn't always considered to be a belittling remark, or intended to be one; just an informal term. The phrase "girls' night out" is about the only survival of that concept in modern speech, and I'm not even sure it is still acceptable.
![What's My Line? - Van Johnson; Joey Bishop [panel] (Jun 12, 1960)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tJqXuzejV2k/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Van Johnson; Joey Bishop [panel] (Jun 12, 1960)](/img/tr.png)
![What's My Line? - Bobby Darin; Joey Bishop [panel] (Feb 26, 1961)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d6KkPN3VAbQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Gertrude Berg; Martin Gabel [panel] (Oct 1, 1961)](/img/1.gif)
I love Bobby Darin. He was very talented and cute. Tragic he left this world so young.
Mel Torme and Bobbie Darin, two of the all-time greatest male vocalists together on the same stage at the same time... a rare occurrence...!
So true, I had hoped they might chat a bit afterward, but Bobby just waltzed off. Oh well.
Bobby Darin was so talented! So sad he’s no longer with us 😢
Died from heart damage caused by childhood rheumatic fever.
I love Arlene's smile, the way her eyes sparkle in little quarter-moons!
Bobby Darin was a unique talent! A great singer, who moved from pop music to easy listening and jazz. But Bobby was also a brilliant mimic and actor!
Mr. Bobby Darin another all time greats
I was born in 1963....what a classic era ! Bobby D' was hip and talented 4 sure !! Bobby was just 37 when he died on 12/20/73...
I was born in Oct of this year. Love Bobby Darin!
This is the best time I’ve had in along time. Absolutely funny and just wonderful time laughing all by myself. Such wonderful and talented guest. Thank you so much for this fabulous channel.
You said it all. I wish tv still had such class and good hearted humor.
@@karenkurmey7294 👍👍👍
Ditto here. Not an evening goes by without a smile on my face now.
Bobby's version of Mack the Knife is the ONLY version.
I also like the Louis Armstrong version.🤩🤩🤩❤❤❤
don't be ignorant of it's original context, sweetie
Lotte Lenya’s version is the definitive one.
Mr. Mel Torme one of the greatest big band singers that ever lived GOD surely BLESSED this man with a tremendous voice WOW AMEN
Agreed. The Velvet Fog. Cramer's buddy.
Ah Mel Torme. He wrote that great Christmas song "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ......" on the hottest day imagineable out there in Beverly Hills California.
Jeanne Parr ( actor Chris Noth's mother ), here a contestant, returned triumphantly to the show several years later ( see March 13th. 1966 episode ) as a panelist. She was introduced on that occasion by Tony Randall as "the toast of New York lady television correspondents...Channel 2's Jeanne Parr".
Thanks for that info. I didn’t know that was his mother.
Wow that's awesome; I had no idea!
Bobby Darin is as cute as ever, such a sexy young man who sent all the girls crazy. Bobby Darin and Mel Torme were mills apart.
Dorothy is so bright... when she clues in it's like a hound dog honing in on a scent. She died years before I was born but I have a huge crush on her.
Dorothy was unfortunately murdered in November 1965, under the guise of drug overdose.
That Jeanne Parr lived until the "ripe old age" of 92 years old. She didn't pass away until May 20, 2016 out in Hawaii. She was a CBS news reporter.
Bobby Darin and Mel Torme two of the best ❤
WTVR in Richmond VA - my home area. I was 3 months old when this aired!
I looked up Jeanne Parr and she's the mother of the accomplished actor Chris Noth who has appeared in many TV shows, but was most notably "Mr. Big" in "Sex and the City".
And she herself will be a guest panelist on WML in a less than 6 years: 3/16/66, having moved up a bit in the weatherworld.
Jeff Vaughn -- More notably to me, Chris Noth appeared for years as homicide detective Mike Logan on "Law & Order" -- and for at least some of that time, he was partnered with detective Lennie Briscoe, played by the accomplished actor Jerry Orbach (may he rest in peace). Also very notably, Chris Noth plays Peter Florrick on "The Good Wife" -- the husband of the title character Alicia Florrick played by Julianna Margulies. He's been on The Good Wife for seven seasons and was on Law & Order from 1990-1995 and Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2005-2008. Admittedly, I never saw Sex and the City since it was on HBO and I don't subscribe to any premium channels.
Mr.Noth has his mother's eyes...
Jeff Vaughn I like Chris Noth, I remember him mainly from the early episodes of Law & Order.
I wonder why she said she was a Miss when she was married from 1946 - 1966 to the father of Chris Noth and remarried when he died!
So I was going to look Mrs. Logan up, but I got diverted by John, at 14:45, sounding as if meter maids were a new thing, which, as it turns out, they were, having just been instituted earlier in 1960. The things I take for granted -- I assumed meter maids had come into being about when parking meters did.
Bennett asks if Jeanne Parr might be related to Jack Paar. The last names are homophones -- they sound the same but are spelled differently. Bennett guessed three contestants tonight! On fire!
Not on fire....he's a CHEATER!!!!
i looked up info about Bobby Darin...here is what Wikipedia said (edited):
He was born on May 14, 1936, and died on December 20, 1973. He was an American singer, songwriter, and actor of film and television. He performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock'n'roll, folk, and country. He discovered that he had been brought up by his grandparents, not his parents, and that the girl he had thought to be his sister was actually his mother. These events deeply affected Darin and sent him into a long period of seclusion. Although he made a successful television comeback, his health was beginning to fail, as he had always expected, following bouts of rheumatic fever in childhood. This knowledge of his vulnerability had always spurred him on to exploit his musical talent while still young. He died at age 37, following a heart operation in Los Angeles.
5:21 in, "is it or ever has been Alive" The answer was YES.
Aaron Hahn Daly has covered this at length in another episode when the item was made of wood. It was very tedious and counterproductive then so I think this time he just let it go. In any case surely Arlene's question is biased towards 'animal' life rather than vegetable or mineral life.
@@davidsanderson5918 dc
Yes, it was growing vegetation. Usually John and the panel only considered animal life as being alive.
I've learned a lot watching this show, historical facts science, social and more. Also I see they use this platform for self promotion of each other as well as the different sponsors getting their products and services promoted. Some geniuses put this together.
It was nice to hear Mr. Daly welcome WTVR channel 6 out of Richmond Va. That was the station we saw it on. WTVR started broadcasting on April 22 1948 with a freestanding tower of 843 feet, 1,049 feet above sea level & was known as " The South's First Television Station." WTVR was an ABC affiliate until 1960 when it's owner & CBS made the change.
Bobby Darin; gone too soon. : {
Bobby Daren was wonderful. There was a movie of his life including Sandra Dee .
How accurate it was, who knows?
Its horrible knowing you have a bad heart….esp at his age. RIP
Well, for starters it never mentioned the fact that he married someone else after his and Dee's divorce.
Jeanne Parr was a familiar face in New York City for many years. She was not as well known as Barbara Walters, but had a similar career in that she broke through the ceiling of what was then women's roles in television news and broke into the area of hard news as a reporter/correspondent.
In 1960, television was still relatively new and the average person (and my unscientific observation is women more than men) tended to be nervous to some extent in front of the camera. Even before my brain remembered where I had heard the name before, I could tell by Miss Parr's poise that she was either on television, an actress, a veteran of the beauty pageant circuit or something in that vein.
Some people are poised, most are not…. It used to be TAUGHT in finishing schools.
Fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess weather girls were super sexy even back in 1960. Time marches on, but sex appeal never dies.
Those questions about her appearance were super cringe. Thank goodness we have moved forward. Imagine having to smile and put up with that nonsense day after day at your job while you are trying to construct a true professional career.
@@girlfromthebronxbywayofelb7288Are you kidding? Does the name Kardashian mean anything to you? Taylor Swift? Katy Perry? Man, it's ALL about looks today, and women jump all over it. Many don't, but since MTV and stupid videos, people cherish physical appearance and all other accomplishments gotta wait in line.
But many don't, even you admit, and that's the point. Women can choose not to put up with it, or can choose to be a Kardashian. I doubt Taylor Swift is putting up with nonsense. She knows that she is pretty, and she owns that. But she hardly built her professional career around waiting for guys to tell her that she is pretty. It's different for some cringe guy to talk to you about your appearance like he owns it. Time moves forward.
Bowling was very popular on television at this time. The bowlers were usually affiliated with Brunswick or AMF and most of them represented one of three cities: Chicago, Detroit or St. Louis. (The major exceptions at the time were Ned Day from West Allis (WI) and Andy Varipapa from Paterson (NJ).) Don Carter was the best of the best, perhaps the best of all time. It is a close contest between him and his Budweiser 5-man team teammate, Dick Weber.
So when the first challenger announced that she was from St. Louis and having seen her sign in with a last name of Carter, I immediately associated the two. My guess would have been that she managed a bowling alley.
And in contrast, bowling is losing popularity these days. A bowling alley in Santa Clara, California, a couple of miles from my home, closed down a year or two ago (well before coronavirus) and the building itself has recently been demolished, so clearly the owners couldn't find anyone else to keep it running. A shame to have to tear up those maple lanes and other special installations.
@@neilmidkiff I know of one bowling alley near me that is part of a mega mall. My church had their Christmas party there one year so the children could have more to do. But it isn't strictly a bowling alley. It is part of a game center that has pool tables, table tennis, pinball, and other arcade games.
As far as the place in Santa Clara, if the lanes were in good condition, I wonder how feasible it would be to take up the maple lanes and the mechanical equipment and move it to another establishment, maybe even to a wealthy person's home. (I can imagine Hearst moving it to San Simeon!)
@@loissimmons6558 I have no evidence that the bowling lanes and equipment weren't salvaged in this case. But judging by the scrap heaps I see outside home renovations, it seems as if builders are more concerned to save their workers' time than to assign any value to older materials, even ones that are harder to get these days. I picked up a plank of solid mahogany, 2x12 by 8 feet long, which had apparently been a bar counter in a home, as it had circular watermarks on it -- this was on a trash pile to be taken to the dump. Don't know what I'll do with it, but you don't find that on the lumber aisle at Home Depot. To keep this on topic, I should mention that the houses in that neighborhood were built around 1960.
@@neilmidkiff I agree. Demolition teams demolish. The alleys would have needed to be salvaged before the wreckers came in.
Does Dorothy remind anyone else of a doe? She's so graceful and tiny and delicate, the way she moves and walks, like a China doll,...and in her little tiny strappy heels,...she walks like a fragile little doe.
Lily Bean Not really. I'm always of the belief that all her moves, expressions and quirks stem from a self-consciousness rather than a true grace and delicate manner (as a doe has). I like her a lot and don't mean that as criticism of her at all, I hasten to add. She has alluring quality rather than a beauty and she dresses magnificently....but as well as that I feel for her dealing with the number of odd quirks appearance-wise as well as behaviour-wise. Poor lass.
@@davidsanderson5918 Sinatra called her "The chinless wonder"
Dorothy was a brilliant writer and I am sorry she died so tragically, trying to present the public the truth concerning Kennedy’s death.
@@scotnick59 But he hated her because she was a superb investigative journalist and had the power to expose him.
And the gloves!! OMG
Bobby Darin did okay with the accents!❤
Poor guy died at the young age of 37 from congestive heart failure. What a tragedy.
Rheumatic fever as a child. John Garfield has a similar situation. Is there a vaccine now for rheumatic fever? This push against vaccines makes me scared when I think of the wonderful people we lost to diseases that now don't seem to trouble children. 💙
I can't find out when Mrs. Carter died, but she was 92 in 1987 (and, obviously, alive at that point). She had two kids, and then her husband left her, so she ground it out in poverty until Don (who was a knock 'em dead bowler, and helped found the PBA) hit it big-time. (For a long time, she kept all his trophies for him.)
I have watched almost all of the WML videos posted, and I've noted, in general, that the guests who are the most comfortable being on the show, almost invariable work in TV or Radio and are used to the "lights", remembering that back then it was intimidating for most people to appear on TV. Miss Parr is a perfect example of what I mean.
dannydoc1969 Absolutely. I always notice it. It's not just how they hold or present themselves but also they have professional etiquette from being in front of the caneras....much like the panel, knowing when to move and when not to move, when to shut up, when to speak, when to smile, etc. I've presented a show on TV myself so I'm aware of it ALL the time, whatever anyone does.
Good observation, but have you seen when Dorothy Kilgallen was the mystery guest? She was very nervous.
Bobby Darren was an honorary pallbearers at Gracie Allen’s funeral in 1964.
Gracie died of heart attack after suffering several previously…
Geeeeeeeeeessss. John gives Bobby away with his mouth.
When Dorothy introduces Mel Torme, she appears to experience that "mini-stroke" or whatever weird reaction that was so pronounced in a later episode when she introduced Bennett, and it was very obvious something bad was happening. I noticed the same thing here but just for a brief moment.
Galileocan g Well spotted. You're right. It's a precursor to that horrible instance in a later episode, as you say. One could say it's brought on by acute nerves, she strikes me as a perfectionist and those intros are probably where she's most on the spot. But it comes on inadvertantly with a will of its own, suddenly. Poor Dorothy.
Or was it induced by alcohol? It is seen more and more as the years go by.
at 23:00 after John says "in a manner of speaking - yeah" - you can hear a car horn.
swampzoid I love the way us WML viewers don't miss a thing! Probably why we all love it so much. The deduction process is infectious.
Course on other episodes we've also heard police sirens!! I notice them on Dick Cavett shows too....same town, same studio maybe?
Bobby Darin, aka Walden Robert Cassotto, went to my High School.
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign at a Chinese restaurant and the first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign in a Chinese restaurant window. The first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
I have read that he obtained his stage name while seeing a neon sign in the window of a Chinese restaurant. The first three letters of "Mandarin" were burned out.
@@preppysocks209 No, he took the name Darin from Darren McGavin and just spelled it differently.
@@alanwhite9389 I can't be positive that what I read was accurate, but I read this in what I believed to be a reliable source. Perhaps yours is correct.
learn something new every day.
didn't know you could buy a twist of chewing tobacco.
@MrYfrank14.
When I was a kid following around after my grandfather, who chewed King Bee twist tobacco, he used to carry with him the long roll of Tootsie Roll that was pre-formed.
When my grandfather would cut himself a "plug" of tobacco, he would cut me off a "plug" of Tootsie Roll.
Wow, I watched the TV channel Miss Parr was on, in New Haven. And I watched the weather. Unfortunately, I don’t remember her.
OMG JEANNE PARR oh it's all coming back to me when I was a very very young kid she was on local weather forecasting program in New York City they should recognize her from with no problem
Mel Torme co-wrote (co-written in 1944 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé) "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire). As far as i know, it is rare for a modern Christmas song to be come a classic within the lifetime of the song writer. The song is wonderfully sang by Nat King Cole, one of my favorite singers of Christmas songs, along with Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby.
***** duh! too bad i can't make a simple nice comment about a great Christmas song i particularly love without being blasted by you. it seems to me with hind sight we can now see that some or many or all of the songs you listed were notable when written and first performed, but i for one do not know when people viewed them as "classics." i listen to both modern and old carols, Christmas and secular songs. older carols tend to be "Christmas" songs and more modern songs are often categorized as "secular." Most or all of the songs you listed are secular. Silent Night was written in 1818. Hndel’s Messiah dates back to 1170. According to information on the internet, one of the earliest known Christmas songs is from the 4th Century, Jesus refulsit omnium, composed by St. Hilary of Poitiers. so please don't be mean spirited about how old the songs i listen to are, or my opinion of a modern classic whose creator was still alive when the song was recognized as a classic. . . thanks!
nowvoyagerNE Please continue making all the comments you want to-- I appreciate them. And you're 100% right-- many, many Christmas carols are traditional tunes dating back long before the modern era.
***** your comment would have been just fine, despite the fact that you missed the point here, if you had just not started out with the totally unnecessary and insulting "duh". Songs become "classics" when they've stuck around for a long time. I think you're confusing the concept of "hit" songs with the concept of "classic" songs.
What's My Line? thank GOD for civility and clarity, sir! you've made my day! maybe even more than that...maybe my week! :D
nowvoyagerNE That makes me happy to read. Thanks. :)
***** reporting you for harassment, sir.
Interesting that things made from plants are not considered to "ever have been alive".
They seem to be going through a period where plants are not considered to have been alive. 5:23 Dorothy asks, "Is it or has it ever been alive?" She gets a 'no' answer (the product is tobacco), and I remember another one recently (within the recent sequence) that was equally as unambiguous. I seem to recall Tony Randall forcing a ruling that plants were/had been alive. Do they EVER decide (learn) on a permanent basis that plants are alive? Eamonn Andrews would have set them right!
+Robert Melson It annoys me every time they declare plants as not ever having been alive. Movement =/= life.
Scientifically speaking, plants are NOT alive. Breath must be present for correct use of the word live to be used. Another similar example--to be a fruit the seed must be on the inside Tomatoes and cucumbers etc are fruit. Public school then used to produce a reasonably knowledgeable person. Today--never!
@@oksills When I studied biology (the science of life), as part of the curriculum we studied plants (botany) and animals (zoology). Plants grow, they move (very slowly), and they have a form of respiration -- they take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. So yes, plants are a form of life.
They got in a right mess on a previous episode where Daly did indeed confront the issue of a wooden product having been once 'alive'. You can get into all sorts of a mess as several millenia ago many inanimate things now were presumably constituted from things that were 'alive'. Clearly the question is biased towards 'animal' so I think they were right to avoid the same tedious and unproductive discussion they had on that previous occasion.
Only animals are alive. And only mammals are animals. Unless you try to make a broad comparison to vegetables and minerals. Please do not even think of mentioning whales or worms. Thank you. ;)
So little interaction between Mel Torme and Bobby Darin!
That looked strange to me too. Just a passing handshake.
***** Of course, I'm sure Mel Torme was totally jealous of him and hated 'rock and roll', too! ;)
It's probably true but if it is real , i think that Torme was wrong because B.D. was more than a rock'n roll singer ; surely the best Big Band singer of all times.
I think most who know would say that Torme was one of the all-time great jazz singers. He even held his own quite well singing with Ella and others
EASILY IT COULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND AS TORME HAD AN EXCELLENT VOICE.
Really disappointed in Mel Torme. He should’ve said something about Bobby being such a young Fine Singer
From what I've read about him he was not what you'd call 'professionally generous.'
Before I read your comment I noticed myself the handshake and accompanyimng smile was 'cool' shall we say.
Boris Spassky runs into Bobby Fischer in the lobby of a hotel. Soon they are arguing over which one is the better chess player. It was the first known case of chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.
It's funny that you tell a chess related joke on an episode where Bobby Darin is the MG. Darin loved chess and was disappointed in the lack of major international tournaments in the US. At the time of his death, he was in the process of organizing a super strong tournament with many of the top grandmasters in the world. The event was going to have the largest prize fund ever for a chess tournament. It was canceled after Darin's untimely death.
Lois Simmons - Oh groan...(cute, actually.)
Excellent! I adore twists and turns on sayings I've heard my entire life. Thank you, Ms. Simmons, for the laugh, I badly needed a lighthearted moment today.
Tobacco was a LIVE plant.
It seems that the stars who give the most drawn-out answers, or try to do an accent of some kind, rather than a quick 'yes or no', tend to get found out more frequently.
Prince Harming I agree.
certainly the more they talk, the more they can give away. But when the guest is known for his impressions and offers multiple impressions, the panel can very quickly discover who is appearing.
Yes, because the panelists are experts at voice recognition
I didn't understand the Velvet Fog's question when he asked "Scoobie doobie doo dat dat dat"
Miss Parr is the mother of actor Chris Noth
Chicago you have been warned
Mel Torme wrote that ghastly book about Judy Garland ... her children call him Mr Poached Egg Eyes ...
Why did he write a nasty book about Judy Garland? That doesn't speak well for him.
Bobby Darrin had class....
There's been a lot of commentary here about the short, curt handshake between Bobby Darren and Mel Tormé--well, why would Mel like Bobby? Mel was in a number of movies when he was younger, with Hollywood trying to sell him as a heartthrob to the "Bobby-Soxers" of the era (1940's). It didn't work, not because Tormé lacked talent--way far from it--but he lacked what Bobby had--sex appeal. And that, in 2 words, is the name of that tune. Two great talents imho, Darren's career cut miserably short.
Mel Torme is my favourite male singer of all time.
Dorothy looks good tonight...
Stacked! LOL 😆
always is beautiful! :DDDD
0
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Bobby Darin was cool ... too bad he had a faulty ticker and died so young ...
Wikipedia says his heart got messed up by rheumatic fever when he was a kid, and had artificial valves put in, which in turn got messed up and infected. He died after surgery to fix them, from sepsis, without ever waking.
Tobacco has been alive.
It ain't surely been alive y'all
I was kinda hoping Bobby Darin would stop at Mel Torme and they'd sing together for a bit.
Wow - Bennett got Jeanette Parr’s line right at the 11th hour!
For any other Brits reading the comments, six years on from this Mel Torme married Jannette Scott, and so Thora Hird was his mother-in-law! (At any reference to Mel Torme I always have to mention that Thora Hird was once his mother-in-law)
Wow! Imagine having Thora as your mum-in-law! She was brilliant but I would not have wanted to cross her!
Lol...Arlene always asking the mystery guest to perform something!
And she got her way this time! A rare occurrence.
Daly hardly ever looks at the camera... Why...?
Classy
My grandmother chewed tobacco and when she visited us she slept in my room. Well, she had a coffee can and well you know who had to empty the can sometimes. I loved my grandma but I was glad when the visit was over, Lol!🙂
Lovely Rita meter maid. McCartney got that phrase on a visit to the U.S.
12:16 Mrs Logan was a NYC meter maid. Wonder if a young John Lennon watched this program and she was the original inspiration for his song......"Lovely Logan, meter maid...." before he revised the title? No? lol
Mel Torme was a relative rarity among the easy-listening white male singers of the 50s & 60s - he wasn't of Italian descent....as were Sinatra, Bennett, Vale, Como, Martino, Dean Martin, Vic Damone, Loius Prima, Frankie Laine, Bobby Darrin..... and then there were all the Italo-American pop singers coming thru' in the 1960s
A teenage idol? He was crooner, not a rock n roller (outside of is first hit - "Splash-Splash"). He would be lumped in with Buddy Greco, Vic Damone, Steve Lawrence, etc, not Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, or Ricky Nelson.
How can they say that tobacco has never been alive?
If you read James Kaplan's bio of Frank Sinatra, you will find that Mel Torme was one of the two singers that Frank was jealous of for their talent (the other being Dean Martin, mostly for his comedic ability and personality). Frank thought that Mel was the only artist around who intimidated him because of his superior singing talent. Kaplan writes that Sinatra refused to go to Torme's shows because he felt belittled as a singer in his presence.
SINATRA WAS COMPETENT AT BEST, HE WANTED TO BE A STAR AND HAD THE DRIVE. JUST AS MANY PEOPLE WHO AREN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST IN THIER FIELD BECOME GREAT "STARS". TORME HAS AN INCREDIBLE SINGING VOICE AND OF COARSE WROTE AND ARRANGED MUSIC..
There was no reason for Sinatra to be so insecure. He was a great singer. So was Torme.
@@MICHGO1 Sinatra WAS the best.
He married Sandra Dee. I don’t think she was never the same after three marry him. She died an alcoholic
2 thoughts on this episode.
First , in the "times sure have changed" department, am I the only one who noticed Mel Torme's ethnic slur at 22:16, when he said "rotsa ruck" (as opposed to lotsa luck)??? That wouldn't be allowed now.
And, unrelated, Bobby Darin playing himself off, singing Mack The Knife was very neatly done.
That's not an ethnic slur; that's a snowflake-melter.
Hate the celebrity portion...never a challenge. They all, especially damn Cerf guess immediately. No fun
Tobacco was never alive???
bobby darin is bae
Lana Del Slay Did you know that the word Bae was currently a joke on the ones who use it? Most think it is short for Babe or baby but it actually never was but means
POOP! It was one of those/-
let’s see how many people we can get to believe and use this crude made up word. It was to be a big joke is on the public. Sooooo many fell for the joke that it is actually, in 2019 , considered a real urban slang word. Thought you might want to know. I’ve never actually heard or seen anyone really use it! Haaa!
@@oksills it's short for "Before anyone else", like your greatest crush or love.
tobacco has been alive.
For reasons I'll never understand, on WML, John never considered plant life to be alive. "Is it alive" only got a yes for animal life. It makes absolutely no sense, but. . . at least John was consistent about it, and everyone (generally) went along with this nonsense without protest.
very odd for such a learned man...maybe it was agreed amongst them beforehand? seems to me ive seen him ponder the question occasionally? btw thanks so much for all these WMLs!! im an addict...i needs my daily fix!
In the previous week's episode, hay was never alive. Not one peep of protest either time from the panel.
My grandmother used to chew tobacco and dip snuff. I don't think it is a big thing these days.
people just dont talk like this anymore
Weathergirl reminds me of June Cleaver
Yeah, I see it..
TWISTS CHEWING TOBACCO
GIVES OUT PARKING TICKETS (N.Y.C. METER MAID)
TELEVISION WEATHER GIRL (Jeanne Parr, mother of actor Chris Noth).
Please remove this complete and utter troll from the comments section. Unfortunately today's awful society is full of pathetic losers intent on ruining other people's enjoyment of social media.
The Velvet Fog.
Boy you can tell how long ago this was, the questions they asked & the statements they made to Ms. Parr were very sexist. Bet they never asked a guy if his looks played a part in him getting a job. Not saying anything wrong, just pointing out how times have changed.
They have changed for the worst, to say the perverted least.
LOL - beautiful women still get hired on news stations all the freaking time for their looks. Actually, here in L.A., the news anchors, etc., all look very Hollywood - men and women. However, if you watch other episodes of this show, they ask the same question of men if they’re extraordinarily handsome. It’s not a sexist question, especially if they don’t know what she does.
RancherBabe - They continue to refer to grown women as girls. "Television Weather Girl" case in point.
@@shirleyrombough8173 My mother and her friends (born in the Twenties and Thirties mostly) called themselves and each other "girls" in this era; these were well-educated, upper middle class women. On one of these WML episodes Arlene says "I'm a girl." It wasn't always considered to be a belittling remark, or intended to be one; just an informal term. The phrase "girls' night out" is about the only survival of that concept in modern speech, and I'm not even sure it is still acceptable.
Who asked if that's how John got his job? I'd think in his case it was his voice
No words for how much I hate hate hate cheating Cerf....so MUCH
There's no way he got Meter Maid so quickly without some knowledge ahead of time.
I just want to slap Arlene every time she asks the mystery guest to perform on the spot. They're not trained seals.
They both get 20 dollars, but yet he flip em over for the first lady (sigh, I was REALLY hoping he stopped doing that :()!!
I think Bill and Bob encouraged it. Good PR for the "everyman" audience, eh, what.
You do realize it happened in 1960 and there is no reason to be angry about it. It didn't affect YOUR life in any way.
Was Bennett Cerf tipped off once again when guessing the identity of the celebrity guest, Bobby Darin?
Of course.
And once again John Daly says "from whence". He should have known better than to be so ungrammatical.
Bobby should stuck with one voice. The multiple voices gave the game away.
Cerf got three of them. I call cheating.