I've always considered Irene Dunne a class act and very beautiful. She was 54 years old during this show and still looked great. Truly a golden lady from the golden era!!
"Listen, I implore you, This comes from the heart: I will always adore you, Till death do us part." The letter from "The Awful Truth".... I love that film, too!
Irene Dunne was one of those rare actresses who became lovelier with every passing year. She is that rare commodity--a happy person, one whose joie de vivre is always brimming just beneath the surface. I love the way she upstages the entire panel at every turn, especially Steve Allen. I loved her best in "The Awful Truth", especially the scene where she plays "Lola", Cary Grant's party-crashing floozy sister. She seems to be in some ways morphing the same character in this appearance. She is a good sport!
I love "The Awful Truth", too. The note! "Listen, I implore you, This comes from the heart. I will always adore you Till death do us part." I have never forgotten those beautiful words since seeing "The Awful Truth" on the TV, as a small child, at home with the Flu one rainy afternoon in England. I love "Penny Serenade" and "I Remember Mama", also. Irene Dunne simply radiates gentility and class in whatever she appears. Lovely.
I've been rewatching the 50s shows recently. As much as I love the 60s episodes as well, I think the earlier ones have a spirit and liveliness that the later years can't match. The panelist's personal lives and the country as a whole would be faced with difficulties and tragedies in the following decade that would put a damper on some of the innocent fun and lightness of the 50s.
One can be sure the fun and lightness of the then ongoing Korean War, the prior year's polio epidemic (a previous show indicated the 1952 polio epidemic had been very bad - note the mystery guest on this show was in NYC, in part, to work with a polio charity event), the Cold War with the Russians and the Chinese , the Mid-East War of the 1950s, and many more events permeated through everyone who lived through the 1950s - as someone pointed out, every decade of the 20th Century had serious problems, especially if one were caught up in that decade's difficulties.
Thanks for posting this wonderful episode. Frankly, I'm surprised (and somewhat dismayed) that the audience was so "subdued"...the beautiful Ms. Dunne was deserving of ten times the amount of applause the audience delivered. That was back then...
Yes, and after Arlene wittingly inserted Springtime, Hal STILL asked if she were under 40! He did not get the hint to not ask her age. There were indirect routes that Hal could have used. For one, he could have asked if her career had spanned more than 2 decades.
I agree, she is excellent in that. I had to look it up, though, and it was a year full of great performances: Jane Wyman for JOHNNY BELINDA (winner), Barbara Stanwyck for SORRY, WRONG NUMBER, Ingrid Berman for JOAN OF ARC, and Olivia de Havilland for THE SNAKE PIT. I would have trouble deciding between Irene, Olivia, and Jane.
Miss Dunne had a lovely soprano voice. I saw her song a bit when I watched, "Life with Father" with William Powell. She played a totally different role the next next year in "I Remember Mama". Wonderful actress.
That is amazing! Looking at her, I wasn't at all sure she _wasn't_ younger than 40, and when she said she wasn't, I'd thought she was probably in her early 40s. For 54, she looked "mah-velous!" ;)
Irene Dunne has become an all-time favorite of mine! With the "lockdown" I have had the opportunity to watch more classic movies, and Irene was so talented and funny! And, forever beautiful!!
+Locharald Johansson You were busy? Oh my, I feel so guilty now. I let my mom, the doctor and the rest of the assisting staff do all the work when I was born 2½ months earlier. And yes I agree with you that Miss Dunne indeed was very beautiful in her WML appearance. At age 54, she was aging very gracefully at a time when 54 was considered quite old. Reading about her life, I think it might have something to do with a general zest for life that she had, as well as a perspective that acting wasn't the be all and end all of her life. Her father was a steamboat inspector and until he died in an accident when Irene was 14, he would take her on boat rides on the Mississippi. She is quoted as saying, "No triumph of either my stage or screen career has ever rivalled the excitement of trips down the Mississippi on the river boats with my father." And she was someone whose career including five Best Actress Academy Award nominations (although no statuettes).
Ooh my I didn't know how gorgeous she was , not just looks but personality , and with her time taking up charitable causes. And she had a delightful laugh and voice ...truly a classy lady
Irene Dunne was a lovely and talented woman. Steve Allen was on fire with the 2nd guest. Arlene looked great even with an eye patch. Thanks for the video.
I remember the March of Dimes. I remember a card with slots for dimes and you would send it to the headquarters for the March of Dimes. I can also remember getting the three shots for polio.
The March of Dimes was one of the most successfully funded efforts for combating a specific disease, which has since been essentially eradicated after the development of the Salk vaccine followed by improvements upon it.
Just reading the top few comments, everyone got it right. Selective hightlights: One husband, one house, one child. Oh and that house? LA's Holmby Hills. LA native's personal opinion of WLA's finest neighborhood. Hole-In-One golfer, more than once, without even trying - World class operatic voice, so beautiful, United Nations Ambassador... The woman did it all and was adored -
Apparently, according to her obituary, Miss Heckman's father was not a fan of women in higher education. But she graduated with honors from her high school and went to UCLA anyway, despite him. She graduated Summa Cum Laude, and then got employed by Jantzen in Portland, and was apparently an Important Designer there. She met her husband Chuck (Corgan) in 1954, they married in 1955, and became mainstays in some parts of Portland. (Particularly some of the museums.) They had 3 kids, and a bunch of grand-kids. He died in January of this year, she died in July. Obit: obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=peggy-corgan-margaret&pid=196536352 An interview with her in 2020 (down at the bottom of the page): www.sutori.com/story/peggy-corgan--ucMuFGpHMbsLZfh9yi9qrMAE
After being married so long, they were once again reunited after a short spell. A lot of times when long marrieds lose one it takes a horrible toll on the surviving spouse.
Dr. Lamson is kind of a cold fish on WML, but he was actually fairly eminent in the sociology field at this point, and was teaching what amounted to the practical applications of marriage, as well as statistics, theory, and history. Also, he did marriage counseling. (Again, cold fish, but probably he was better in person.) From an article about him in about 1950, he basically advocated for people to get to know each other (and their expectations of relationships and marriage) before leaping into things. Taught in China, the University of Maine, and Boston University; married an English professor from Philadelphia, and died in 1954.
Not sure about being a cold fish, but it seemed he fell asleep with his eyes open a couple of times, staring straight ahead, not answering or looking to John Daly for assistance with his answer.
She's 54 here and gorgeous. Aged with the class! I just saw her in The Awful Truth and Penny Serenade. She was a wonderful actress who could play both dramatic and comedic roles with consummate skill.
Irene Dunne was beautiful, charming, sang like a bird and boy, she was FUNNY! If I was on that panel I would prob let have got her straight away when it was determined that she was a dramatic actress, who did comedy and could sing. Plus her disguised voice was exactly the same as the voice she used in the Awful Truth when she was at the society party trying to Break up Cary Grant’s relationship with the other girl. Delightful lady.
Irene was so talented in drama and comedy. I remember Mana, Penny Serenade, with Cary Grant and It Grows In Trees were amazing movies. She was so classy. 💜
This episode includes Steve Allen's second mention of a breadbox as a term of reference for size comparison. His first reference to a breadbox occurred a few weeks earlier on the Jan. 18, 1953 episode (ruclips.net/video/fyAcgQF5O-I/видео.html beginning @ the 23:57 mark of that video) and was apparently neither meant as a joke nor taken as one by the audience, which belies his later statements that he never intended it to be a joke in the first place but that it got a laugh immediately. In this episode, I think Steve clearly _is_ trying to get a laugh with the breadbox reference -- and he gets it! A couple of years ago I took the following notes on the whole breadbox exchange/evolution from this episode: 1) Steve Allen (to ladies' bathing suit designer) @ about 11:44 : "Is it as large as a breadbox?" -- with laugh -- probably remembering the last time he made a breadbox reference. Audience, John, and panel clearly got the reference and laughed too. 2) Steve Allen again @12:05 : "Is it ever smaller than a breadbox?" (This got only a small chuckle from the audience, but the contestant's affirmative answer and John's reaction to it drew a big laugh.) 3) At about 13:15, Arlene rehashed the size comparisons; "if sometimes it's as big as a breadbox and sometimes it's a little smaller than a breadbox, would it be anything that might belong to the sweater family?" I would think that this episode, with its multiple repetitions of the word breadbox as a form of size comparison, is what began to cement the connection between Steve Allen and the breadbox reference in the minds of the other panelists as well as the audience. Since the panel picked up on it in future episodes and Steve did as well, the association continued to grow.
+J Dano I hadn't really thought about it before, but for some reason that resemblance struck me in this episode too. Maybe it was the shape of his glasses here. I'm not sure whether or not he always wore the same shaped glasses in the 50s.
Allen used to tell a story where he addressed a bunch of school children who thought he was Superman. Not wanting to disappoint them, he attempted to "fly" by running up the auditorium steps, turning around, running down the other aisle and taking a flying leap onto his stage. He hurt his ankle but it was convincing enough to keep the kids happy.
I already put a note about the missing opening in the description, but you probably missed it because you have to click the "Show more" button to see it.
I get Irene Dunne and Irene Ryan mixed up. The latter played " Granny " in the Beverly Hillbillies. But both were gorgeous women in their prime...and Ms. Dunne was gorgeous at 54 here.
something small i found quite interesting: at 8:30 you can see john daly perhaps motioning to the panel that they should be quick in their questioning of the contestant? or perhaps the motion is directed to producers/crew offstage. hmm.
Nice catch, @Potatohead827! I hadn't noticed that before. I think the gesture was more likely directed to the crew than the panel, and I doubt that Mr. Daly realized it would be seen on camera. Perhaps they hadn't replaced the chalkboard from the previous contestant yet when he started the gesture, and he was urging them to do so? Miss Heckman is shown signing in very shortly afterward, though, so I'm not sure.
“Can I look at your hands?” Jesus, that was an annoying part of the first couple years of the show. I’m pretty sure Arlene complained about it, and I give her credit for speaking her mind.
Today's RUclips Rerun for 8/12/15: Watch along and join the discussion! ----------------------------- Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/ Please click here to subscribe to the WML channel if you haven't already-- you'll find the complete CBS series already posted, and you'll be able to follow along the discussions on the weekday "rerun" videos: ruclips.net/channel/UChPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w
What's My Line? this is one of my favorites. Irene Dunne is one of my favorite actresses. She was such a charming person a good actress and singer and she funny too: "Are you in New York"... "Yes!" Perfect Timing ! Not only Theodora Irene also can go wild ;-)
What's My Line? I've only seen "My favorite Wife" yet, but the other are waiting on my hard disk. But there are also many old time radio Gems with Irene, some of them enjoy my heart on long car drive times.
Sabine Beyer One thing that's interesting about the three films she did with Cary is how different they are from each other. "The Awful Truth" was an all-out screwball comedy, largely improvised on set; "Penny Serenade" was a pure melodrama; "My Favorite Wife" was a sophisticated romantic comedy (some consider it a screwball comedy, but I don't at all). There are a few radio versions of "My Favorite Wife", some with Irene Dunn and some not.
Yes, i know that, and that's the reason why I haven't seen Penny Serenade yet. There must be a good mood for such a tearjerker. The Awful Truth, i think is different, more the Enjoyment before the real Enjoyment. But next Week starts our vacation and there is some time on the train i could see this movie or i start reeding Random Harvest or booth, 5 hours give a lot of possibilities ;-)
Back in 1953,when i was only 17,my parents didnt let me stay up late enough to watch this program.BUT,they did record it on our VCR and I watched it later......:>)
John Daly's hair comb-over style has intrigued me from the beginning. Seeing it occasionally at different angles, it seems to go all different directions.
Somebody should have told Hal Block that, when seen in close-up, it's annoying to the viewers for him to cup his face or cover half his mouth. Today every politician and business leader take media training, so they would keep their hands off-screen. John Daly puts one finger to his mouth but not when he does his signing-off at the end of the show - when he knows he will be seen in close-up. The other panel members seem to have natural self-control. Hal Block apparently got fired for smutty talk when young women were contestants, but his crouching low down close to the desk and face-cradling didn't help.
He had very unattractive mannerisms. It's too bad as it seems a little common sense would have told him not to do those things on tv. If not for his smutty mind and lewd comments and with a degree from a Charm School, he would have been enjoyable.
Another episode where Allen has been given a question to ask before the show - "Do some of these hold more than others ?" - re the ladies bathing suits
In her 1978 autobiography, Arlene explains her eyepatch: "A second accident happened when I was reading a telegram while cradling a phone between my shoulder and cheek. The phone slipped and the hand holding the wire [Western Union telegram] automatically went up to catch it while my head went forward, giving me a paper cut across the iris, so painful that I passed out."
I'm actually feeling bad for him. Yes, I find him awkward and leery by this point, but I think he had good intentions. And a lot of the flack the Daley and the rest give him isn't deserved. Feel they were barely hiding their dislike of him by this point, and frankly, while he took them with a laugh, I think Hal's barely hiding his hurt feelings, especially since I'm sure he knew his time on the show was almost up.
@@TheCinematicPackrat1 and Hal was hard-working writing for other comedians , just as Steve Allen was busy with shows , Dorothy with her journalism etc ...Hal block just didn't fit in and tried toooo hard to be funny and liked , maybe he just wasn't right for WML (with its conservative church going tv audience)
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I've always considered Irene Dunne a class act and very beautiful. She was 54 years old during this show and still looked great. Truly a golden lady from the golden era!!
Wow! For 54 she sure looked great!
"Listen, I implore you,
This comes from the heart:
I will always adore you,
Till death do us part."
The letter from "The Awful Truth".... I love that film, too!
Irene Dunne was one of those rare actresses who became lovelier with every passing year. She is that rare commodity--a happy person, one whose joie de vivre is always brimming just beneath the surface. I love the way she upstages the entire panel at every turn, especially Steve Allen. I loved her best in "The Awful Truth", especially the scene where she plays "Lola", Cary Grant's party-crashing floozy sister. She seems to be in some ways morphing the same character in this appearance. She is a good sport!
I love "The Awful Truth", too.
The note!
"Listen, I implore you,
This comes from the heart.
I will always adore you
Till death do us part."
I have never forgotten those beautiful words since seeing "The Awful Truth" on the TV, as a small child, at home with the Flu one rainy afternoon in England.
I love "Penny Serenade" and "I Remember Mama", also.
Irene Dunne simply radiates gentility and class in whatever she appears.
Lovely.
Irene Dunne was just sublime. Gorgeous and both a wonderfully gifted actor and singer.
What a gorgeous (and witty!) woman Irene Dunne was!
Miss Dunne was a National treasure. See her in the films with Cary Grant, "The Awful Truth" and "My Favorite Wife"...priceless.
tallpaul521 I remember Mama was a good runnerup to those two
...and how about "Show Boat"?
Penny Serenade
She's fabulous top 5 actresses. In hwood history. And none if others was lyric soprano!!!!
Love Affair
I bet Irene Dunne was an angel to know.
I've been rewatching the 50s shows recently. As much as I love the 60s episodes as well, I think the earlier ones have a spirit and liveliness that the later years can't match. The panelist's personal lives and the country as a whole would be faced with difficulties and tragedies in the following decade that would put a damper on some of the innocent fun and lightness of the 50s.
Dorothy is also noticeably sharper in the older episodes.
One can be sure the fun and lightness of the then ongoing Korean War, the prior year's polio epidemic (a previous show indicated the 1952 polio epidemic had been very bad - note the mystery guest on this show was in NYC, in part, to work with a polio charity event), the Cold War with the Russians and the Chinese , the Mid-East War of the 1950s, and many more events permeated through everyone who lived through the 1950s - as someone pointed out, every decade of the 20th Century had serious problems, especially if one were caught up in that decade's difficulties.
Older the better.
I know what you mean, I think it's because they aren't as polished. By the 60s the panelists knew the drill by heart.
@@ernestbrown9660 The word is sober
Thanks for posting this wonderful episode. Frankly, I'm surprised (and somewhat dismayed) that the audience was so "subdued"...the beautiful Ms. Dunne was deserving of ten times the amount of applause the audience delivered. That was back then...
Our Miss Francis makes a lovely pirate :)
BLOCK: "Are you younger than-"
FRANCIS: "Springtime??"
DUNNE: (pause) "Uh, uh!!" A brilliant, witty exchange, perfectly punch-lined by Irene Dunne.
That was hilarious--and, of course, Block was crass enough to ask if she were under 40. No wonder he was canned!
She was all class.
But John gave Hal another question despite the "no" answer.
Of course Hal doesn't get the hint that it's rude to ask that question and proceeds anyways...
Yes, and after Arlene wittingly inserted Springtime, Hal STILL asked if she were under 40! He did not get the hint to not ask her age. There were indirect routes that Hal could have used. For one, he could have asked if her career had spanned more than 2 decades.
Ever so lovely in so many major film appearances...one of the greats...
Robbed of an Oscar for I Remember Mama, which she very much deserved.
I agree, she is excellent in that. I had to look it up, though, and it was a year full of great performances: Jane Wyman for JOHNNY BELINDA (winner), Barbara Stanwyck for SORRY, WRONG NUMBER, Ingrid Berman for JOAN OF ARC, and Olivia de Havilland for THE SNAKE PIT. I would have trouble deciding between Irene, Olivia, and Jane.
Miss Dunne had a lovely soprano voice. I saw her song a bit when I watched, "Life with Father" with William Powell. She played a totally different role the next next year in "I Remember Mama". Wonderful actress.
"Are you younger than 40?" asks Block. Dunne was 54 and gorgeous at the time.
That is amazing! Looking at her, I wasn't at all sure she _wasn't_ younger than 40, and when she said she wasn't, I'd thought she was probably in her early 40s. For 54, she looked "mah-velous!" ;)
Just google her name, and you'd see her birth year!@@savethetpc6406
Irene Dunne has become an all-time favorite of mine! With the "lockdown" I have had the opportunity to watch more classic movies, and Irene was so talented and funny! And, forever beautiful!!
The Awful Truth 🥰
The 1939 "Love Affair," with Miss Dunne, Charles Boyer, and Maria Ospenskya is the very best of that often made story.
Ms. Dunne is delightful.
Irene was beautiful on this first of February show, at the time she was appearing on this show I was busy being born.
+Locharald Johansson
You were busy? Oh my, I feel so guilty now. I let my mom, the doctor and the rest of the assisting staff do all the work when I was born 2½ months earlier.
And yes I agree with you that Miss Dunne indeed was very beautiful in her WML appearance. At age 54, she was aging very gracefully at a time when 54 was considered quite old. Reading about her life, I think it might have something to do with a general zest for life that she had, as well as a perspective that acting wasn't the be all and end all of her life. Her father was a steamboat inspector and until he died in an accident when Irene was 14, he would take her on boat rides on the Mississippi. She is quoted as saying, "No triumph of either my stage or screen career has ever rivalled the excitement of trips down the Mississippi on the river boats with my father." And she was someone whose career including five Best Actress Academy Award nominations (although no statuettes).
I loved this show and loved the re-runs.
I’m not the least surprised to see the lovely and charismatic Irene Dunne being absolutely and hilariously delightful.
Ooh my I didn't know how gorgeous she was , not just looks but personality , and with her time taking up charitable causes. And she had a delightful laugh and voice ...truly a classy lady
Irene Dunne - so elegant!
Irene Dunne is my favorite actress, I am so glad to have finally seen this!!! She's lovely!!! ❤️
Steve Allen is funny. Funny with class.
9:52 This whole Steve Allen segment is hilarious. This is his second mention of a breadbox by the way.
Ben Cheshire Agreed.....and if he wasn't privy to information beforehand then it's also genius.
“Behold! The ultimate Pog!”
She's with the angels now. An angelic talent. One of our greatest.
Irene Dunne was a lovely and talented woman. Steve Allen was on fire with the 2nd guest. Arlene looked great even with an eye patch. Thanks for the video.
I remember the March of Dimes. I remember a card with slots for dimes and you would send it to the headquarters for the March of Dimes. I can also remember getting the three shots for polio.
The March of Dimes was one of the most successfully funded efforts for combating a specific disease, which has since been essentially eradicated after the development of the Salk vaccine followed by improvements upon it.
The majority of migrants coming here, haven't had any shots and are a threat to our health! 😢
Just reading the top few comments, everyone got it right. Selective hightlights: One husband, one house, one child. Oh and that house? LA's Holmby Hills. LA native's personal opinion of WLA's finest neighborhood. Hole-In-One golfer, more than once, without even trying - World class operatic voice, so beautiful, United Nations Ambassador... The woman did it all and was adored -
So happy to see this actress live on TV for the firs time. One of my favorite actresses ever! "Life With Father".
Apparently, according to her obituary, Miss Heckman's father was not a fan of women in higher education. But she graduated with honors from her high school and went to UCLA anyway, despite him. She graduated Summa Cum Laude, and then got employed by Jantzen in Portland, and was apparently an Important Designer there. She met her husband Chuck (Corgan) in 1954, they married in 1955, and became mainstays in some parts of Portland. (Particularly some of the museums.) They had 3 kids, and a bunch of grand-kids. He died in January of this year, she died in July.
Obit: obits.oregonlive.com/obituaries/oregon/obituary.aspx?n=peggy-corgan-margaret&pid=196536352
An interview with her in 2020 (down at the bottom of the page): www.sutori.com/story/peggy-corgan--ucMuFGpHMbsLZfh9yi9qrMAE
After being married so long, they were once again reunited after a short spell. A lot of times when long marrieds lose one it takes a horrible toll on the surviving spouse.
I'm glad Hal is back; everything needs someone to shake things up.
😝
I liked him too.
Hal was back but only for three more episodes before being terminated.
One more month to go!
Poor Hal,he knew the end was nigh...but didn't let it show🎩
Irene Dunne was a class act.
Amen!
I HATE when the audience gives it away by applauding before they can even answer the question
Dr. Lamson is kind of a cold fish on WML, but he was actually fairly eminent in the sociology field at this point, and was teaching what amounted to the practical applications of marriage, as well as statistics, theory, and history. Also, he did marriage counseling. (Again, cold fish, but probably he was better in person.) From an article about him in about 1950, he basically advocated for people to get to know each other (and their expectations of relationships and marriage) before leaping into things. Taught in China, the University of Maine, and Boston University; married an English professor from Philadelphia, and died in 1954.
Not sure about being a cold fish, but it seemed he fell asleep with his eyes open a couple of times, staring straight ahead, not answering or looking to John Daly for assistance with his answer.
Nonsense! In what way was he a cold fish when he was continuouly smiling?
@@loissimmons6558 maybe he was hard of hearing , and with the studio applause ...?
She's 54 here and gorgeous. Aged with the class! I just saw her in The Awful Truth and Penny Serenade. She was a wonderful actress who could play both dramatic and comedic roles with consummate skill.
Irene Dunne was beautiful, charming, sang like a bird and boy, she was FUNNY! If I was on that panel I would prob let have got her straight away when it was determined that she was a dramatic actress, who did comedy and could sing. Plus her disguised voice was exactly the same as the voice she used in the Awful Truth when she was at the society party trying to Break up Cary Grant’s relationship with the other girl. Delightful lady.
Amen. One of the best
Jusf love Irene Dunne!!!
I loved Irene Dunne. So enjoy her movies especially with Cary Grant, what a great team they were.
Funny. Witty. Classy. What a show
It's the best! Getting me thru the covid!!!!
Irene a good sense of humor.
Irene was so talented in drama and comedy. I remember Mana, Penny Serenade, with Cary Grant and It Grows In Trees were amazing movies. She was so classy. 💜
Irene was the definition of "charming".
I truly love her hat!
She is wonderful. Witty and pretty and smart. Where is this today?
I dont know you-so how could i comment?
Ive seen Irene Dunn many times.
Gene Corrado I think Ry was quoting a line from the show, wasn't he? I haven't watched this one in a long time, but I'm pretty sure.
Dorothy's dress is just stunning!
Unusual look for her. Usually it is Arlene who exposed her shoulders, but I thought this was a very flattering look for Dorothy that seems singular.
Beautiful Irene, what a lady.
Stunning , clever and kind hearted.
She helped so many people .
I did not know Irene Dunne before this episode. She seems like a great lady.
Irene Dunne 🌹😊❤️😘🤓
he gets too much joy from flipping over the cards.
😂😅😇
Steve Allen does look sooo young here! What a genius.
This episode includes Steve Allen's second mention of a breadbox as a term of reference for size comparison. His first reference to a breadbox occurred a few weeks earlier on the Jan. 18, 1953 episode (ruclips.net/video/fyAcgQF5O-I/видео.html beginning @ the 23:57 mark of that video) and was apparently neither meant as a joke nor taken as one by the audience, which belies his later statements that he never intended it to be a joke in the first place but that it got a laugh immediately. In this episode, I think Steve clearly _is_ trying to get a laugh with the breadbox reference -- and he gets it! A couple of years ago I took the following notes on the whole breadbox exchange/evolution from this episode:
1) Steve Allen (to ladies' bathing suit designer) @ about 11:44 : "Is it as large as a breadbox?" -- with laugh -- probably remembering the last time he made a breadbox reference. Audience, John, and panel clearly got the reference and laughed too.
2) Steve Allen again @12:05 : "Is it ever smaller than a breadbox?" (This got only a small chuckle from the audience, but the contestant's affirmative answer and John's reaction to it drew a big laugh.)
3) At about 13:15, Arlene rehashed the size comparisons; "if sometimes it's as big as a breadbox and sometimes it's a little smaller than a breadbox, would it be anything that might belong to the sweater family?"
I would think that this episode, with its multiple repetitions of the word breadbox as a form of size comparison, is what began to cement the connection between Steve Allen and the breadbox reference in the minds of the other panelists as well as the audience. Since the panel picked up on it in future episodes and Steve did as well, the association continued to grow.
This is kinda off topic, but I always thought Steve Allen looked like Superman's alter ego Clark Kent.
+J Dano
I hadn't really thought about it before, but for some reason that resemblance struck me in this episode too. Maybe it was the shape of his glasses here. I'm not sure whether or not he always wore the same shaped glasses in the 50s.
Allen used to tell a story where he addressed a bunch of school children who thought he was Superman. Not wanting to disappoint them, he attempted to "fly" by running up the auditorium steps, turning around, running down the other aisle and taking a flying leap onto his stage. He hurt his ankle but it was convincing enough to keep the kids happy.
Steven Chappell Great story!
I think especially like the George Reeves Clark Kent. I thought I was the only one thinking that.
This off topic of the off topic but I thought Robert Q Lewis looked very much like the young Gregory Peck.
I forgot how funny Steve Allen was.🤗
Irene was 54 years young here
I really like Hal.
Me too!!
Irene Dunne was one of those that could play any part on the screen and be brilliant and she could sing ..
the talent back then was unbelievable! Irene Dunne had everything
Irene Dunne No 1
I already put a note about the missing opening in the description, but you probably missed it because you have to click the "Show more" button to see it.
Do we know why Arlene is wearing the eye patch this time? I know it's not the first time!
I was looking through the comments to see if anyone had a reason. Yours is the only comment about it that I've seen.@@Amcsae
Allen: "Do some of these hold more than others?" Heckman (designer of ladies' bathing suits): "Yesss!"
I get Irene Dunne and Irene Ryan mixed up. The latter played " Granny " in the Beverly Hillbillies. But both were gorgeous women in their prime...and Ms. Dunne was gorgeous at 54 here.
$74.47 for the Gil Fates book, used! $119. new. I hope the library has it.
Wow... I lucked out last year.. I found the Gil Fates What's My Line? book at the Goodwill store for $2.50...
@@PepsiMama2 wow! Hold onto it!
Given the fact that she comes from Portland Oregon. I am guessing she worked for the Jantzen swimsuit company.
Yes, her obituary states she died in 2020 and worked for Jantzen.
I think they should bring marriage courses back to college s. In 1953, $50 was a lot of money.
Irene Dunne once received the highest award a regular citizen can get from the Catholic Church.
dennispaulsmith6728...... That's not saying much (???)😉🤔😜
@@wynnssecret888270 years ago it was!! 😊
something small i found quite interesting: at 8:30 you can see john daly perhaps motioning to the panel that they should be quick in their questioning of the contestant? or perhaps the motion is directed to producers/crew offstage. hmm.
Nice catch, @Potatohead827! I hadn't noticed that before. I think the gesture was more likely directed to the crew than the panel, and I doubt that Mr. Daly realized it would be seen on camera. Perhaps they hadn't replaced the chalkboard from the previous contestant yet when he started the gesture, and he was urging them to do so? Miss Heckman is shown signing in very shortly afterward, though, so I'm not sure.
Someone (not I), in another comment, seems to think that that twirling finger was meant to prompt the whistling. I don't think it was.
“Can I look at your hands?”
Jesus, that was an annoying part of the first couple years of the show.
I’m pretty sure Arlene complained about it, and I give her credit for speaking her mind.
Hal Block loved putting his hands on his hair
She's 55 there! Holy cow!
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What's My Line? this is one of my favorites. Irene Dunne is one of my favorite actresses. She was such a charming person a good actress and singer and she funny too: "Are you in New York"... "Yes!"
Perfect Timing ! Not only Theodora Irene also can go wild ;-)
Sabine Beyer I love her films with Cary Grant, all three of them.
What's My Line? I've only seen "My favorite Wife" yet, but the other are waiting on my hard disk. But there are also many old time radio Gems with Irene, some of them enjoy my heart on long car drive times.
Sabine Beyer One thing that's interesting about the three films she did with Cary is how different they are from each other. "The Awful Truth" was an all-out screwball comedy, largely improvised on set; "Penny Serenade" was a pure melodrama; "My Favorite Wife" was a sophisticated romantic comedy (some consider it a screwball comedy, but I don't at all). There are a few radio versions of "My Favorite Wife", some with Irene Dunn and some not.
Yes, i know that, and that's the reason why I haven't seen Penny Serenade yet. There must be a good mood for such a tearjerker. The Awful Truth, i think is different, more the Enjoyment before the real Enjoyment. But next Week starts our vacation and there is some time on the train i could see this movie or i start reeding Random Harvest or booth, 5 hours give a lot of possibilities ;-)
Block was a hoot. A riot. Livens up the show.
Back in 1953,when i was only 17,my parents didnt let me stay up late enough to watch this program.BUT,they did record it on our VCR and I watched it later......:>)
TEACHES COURSE IN MARRIAGE
DESIGNS LADIES' BATHING SUITS
John Daly's hair comb-over style has intrigued me from the beginning. Seeing it occasionally at different angles, it seems to go all different directions.
If you think that's a comb-over, wait till you see an actual comb-over.
@@smadaf If it's not called a "comb-over," what is it called? It is indeed unique, whatever it's called.
They also put a mud type pack on his forehead to cover the wrinkles 😮
I think Hal Block knew better than to try to kiss a class act like Irene Dunne...
Wow Irene Dunne is beautiful :D
Wooooo Peggy from PDX 😄🍁🍂🌲🌲🌲
I suspect she might have worked for Jantzen, in inner NE PDX based on the product she designed.
I would have loved to have been a guest on this program. From 1990 to 2005 I operated a caterpillar farm.
Irene was a favorite of mine!
What a lovely funny beautiful woman.
The cat calls and wolf whistles were really bad in those days, and Mr Block was a real piece of work.
Steve Allen❤❤❤
Can't get the thumbs up to register, so I will give one here. Thumbs up.
Irene was so lovely and funny
Ah, breast humor. Always good for a big laugh in the 1950s.
We must always keep abreast of the times.
I know the first *mention* of a breadbox was a couple of episodes ago, but is this the first "Is it as large as a breadbox?".
I think the exact quote in this episode was: "Is it larger than a breadbox?" @ about 11:44.
Wow - wasn't Irene Dunn beautiful!
20:20 The audience response gave it away.
“Have you ever gotten a bigger laugh?” Irene Dunne, “Uh huh.” An absolute legend.
Somebody should have told Hal Block that, when seen in close-up, it's annoying to the viewers for him to cup his face or cover half his mouth. Today every politician and business leader take media training, so they would keep their hands off-screen. John Daly puts one finger to his mouth but not when he does his signing-off at the end of the show - when he knows he will be seen in close-up. The other panel members seem to have natural self-control. Hal Block apparently got fired for smutty talk when young women were contestants, but his crouching low down close to the desk and face-cradling didn't help.
Hal Block has more problems than this
He had very unattractive mannerisms. It's too bad as it seems a little common sense would have told him not to do those things on tv. If not for his smutty mind and lewd comments and with a degree from a Charm School, he would have been enjoyable.
Cary Grant's favorite leading lady👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Adore Irene Dunne!
Courses in marriage? That sounds like 1950's sex ed.
1953 was a great year for this show!
Another episode where Allen has been given a question to ask before the show - "Do some of these hold more than others ?" - re the ladies bathing suits
I think I have a crush on that bikini designer :-)
@drumstick74 I'm pretty sure she designed one-piece bathing suits, based on her answers to some of the questions.
Do we know why she has an eye patch on?
Pirate day.
In her 1978 autobiography, Arlene explains her eyepatch: "A second accident happened when I was reading a telegram while cradling a phone between my shoulder and cheek. The phone slipped and the hand holding the wire [Western Union telegram] automatically went up to catch it while my head went forward, giving me a paper cut across the iris, so painful that I passed out."
Johan Bengtsson Thanks, Johan!
What's My Line? Thank you! Always glad being able to make a contribution. :)
Johan Bengtsson i've seen her with a patch on her right eye & dark sunglasses she also had an optic problem though in this case it was a unique injury
I once met a lady who designed swimsuits.
Hal Block was strictly for contrast. Basically a jerk he made the others even classier than they already are.
As dislikeable Hal is, at least he takes the jestful putdowns really well.
I'm actually feeling bad for him. Yes, I find him awkward and leery by this point, but I think he had good intentions. And a lot of the flack the Daley and the rest give him isn't deserved. Feel they were barely hiding their dislike of him by this point, and frankly, while he took them with a laugh, I think Hal's barely hiding his hurt feelings, especially since I'm sure he knew his time on the show was almost up.
@@TheCinematicPackrat1 I didn't take to him but I did feel sorry for him then he'd make a smutty remark or leer
@@TheCinematicPackrat1 and Hal was hard-working writing for other comedians , just as Steve Allen was busy with shows , Dorothy with her journalism etc ...Hal block just didn't fit in and tried toooo hard to be funny and liked , maybe he just wasn't right for WML (with its conservative church going tv audience)
LOL. Swimsuit designer's face when Hal Block makes disgusting comments.
Priceless