What's My Line? - Victor Borge (Jul 27, 1952)
Vložit
- čas přidán 24. 11. 2014
- MYSTERY GUEST: Victor Borge
PANEL: Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, Hal Block
Many thanks, as always, to epaddon for providing his copy of this episode!
--------------------------------
Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! / 728471287199862 - Zábava
![What's My Line? - Floyd Patterson; Victor Borge [panel] (Feb 7, 1965)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GDQMhItcKLw/mqdefault.jpg)
Anyone else binge watching these despite this being their grandparents era?
It's actually my parents era but I love them too. 😀😀
Oh absolutely! These are my go-to when I want something light and pleasant 💕
Indeed. I watched it with them at the time and it brings back fond memories.
It also makes one wonder what happened in the intervening years to both TV and US' collective IQ.
It was my childhood era.
I was only about 4 weeks old when this first aired.
Victor Borge was a great, generous man. He was booked to perform with the orchestra I was a member of in the early 90s. The orchestra went out of business at the end of March, just before his appearance with us. He graciously agreed to perform with us and donated his fee so that the musicians could have health care for one more month.
Thecatspajamas891 I also saw Victor years ago in person while in Tacoma, WA. Wonderful performer, so witty and a great musician! He put on a great show.
I love him even more now
WOW! IMPRESSIVE!😇😇😇
Victor Borge; now THAT’S talent! Love to see him every time I can! Thank you!
He died.
@@keymaninmusic No sh*t! Really?
@@MsAppassionata zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😙😉😉🤩🤩😉😋😉😙😋😋😋🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😙
@@keymaninmusic So, you can no longer view him on videos? SMH
These shows are delightful. I am amazed at the different jobs people have.
Majority of jobs are extinct 😢
@@robertholman8730 sadly yes.
Victor Borge will be truly missed. He disguised his voice so well.
Much better MG than panelist.
I loved the whispered confab between Borge and Daley and Borge's reply in character. It's been many years now, but I grew up in Atlantic City and remember seeing Mr. Borge in person--he was wonderful and I could be wrong, but I do believe he was the very first headliner to appear in Atlantic City's first casino, Resorts International. A class act, always. I am so grateful for these WML shows on CZcams--my applause to the people who have made this possible for us.
Used to love Victor Borge when I was a kid. He was an old man then. But I remember the whole family were glued to the television, hanging on his every move and word. That is a rarity today....sadly. But hey, I've been privileged to have enjoyed entertainment in a golden era.
Hal, at 19:06, suggests that the last contestant “sells aspirin to King Farouk”. Perhaps an explanation of his topical comment is in order.
Four days before this episode was recorded, King Farouk of Egypt was overthrown by the so called ‘Free Officers’ who were headed (at least in part) by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nassar, of course, was later to lead the Arab invasion of Israel during the “Six Day War” of June 1967.
Farouk was corrupt and ineffectual and his overthrow basically put an end to the Egyptian monarchy. He left his possessions behind when he abdicated and went into exile and his quick exit revealed to the world, among other things, his enormous collection of pornography. The pornography was the focus of ridicule around the world for quite some time after that.
He was also a voracious collector of coins, particularly American coins. Arlene claimed, at the beginning of the show, that she had just recently learned that the word for coin collector was ‘numismatist’. Farouk was, perhaps, the greatest numismatist of his time.
At this point, so early in his exile, Farouk probably needed a lot more than an aspirin, but isn’t it lovely that Hal was showing such empathy and concern?
Isn’t it interesting to see how things weave together?
Thank you for sharing. The thing about watching old comedy is that some of it is contemporary, and we have no idea what it is about. :)
Great background info there. On the subject of comedy of the past, being a collector and enthusiast of it I'm well aware when I watch what I own that so much material, use of contemporary figures' names and so forth will be a mystery to people under 40. Monty Python a chief example. Even Tom & Jerry has references that need checking.
In fact one day, old people will be having to explain to youngsters what The Simpsons is about!! The majority of that certainly needs contemporary knowledge to get the joke. Still.....it keeps us alert to do the research!!
@@davidsanderson5918 Rocky and Bullwinkle would be another example. Even the Boris and Natasha segments would make little sense to generations who did not live through the era of tension with the Soviet Union. And even Boris's name being a twist on a Russian historical figure requires a bit of a leap to appreciate.
Very interesting facts thank you. While king farouk may have been corrupt he didn't invade Israel so I'm not sure it was a good trade-off.
They weave together like cloth for diapers.
I had almost forgotten how funny this episode was. All seemed to be in a good mood, and it was a joy to watch Dorothy laughing. Hal Block's mimic and remarks, in particular, caused some hilarious moments. :)
He made the crowd laugh, I think he was a cornball idiot.
@@TheBigMclargehuge
The rest of the panel found Block to be an idiot too. However creepy Hal was to watch, I think they did him dirty. After reading interviews of Cerf's for the Oral History Archives, it's much more interesting to watch knowing what other people thought of this one and that one. For instance, Dorothy wasn't liked as much as I thought, and they usually knew the mystery guests early on, but played it up for the audience and to give the celebrity more air time.
@@davidadams2395 interesting. I thought Dorothy was a snob and Block an idiot. I think a lot was played for television.
Block was an idiot
OCCUPATION (SPOILER): Since the short clip, showing the occupation of the first contestant (male) on the screen, was deleted or skipped in this video, I thought I would include it here for those who noticed this and want to be told. But don't read further if you want to guess yourself. He is In law, in police work, in fact a Chief of Police who appeared at the political convention in Chicago the week previously. END OF SPOILER.
Specifically, he was the Traffic Commissioner, which was a branch of the police department. I wonder what you had to do to get that job in Chicago in that era.
Thank you. Have you noticed how in the second aired episode, they tried one segment without telling the audience the occupation? It was tragic to watch, almost no laughter. The whole appeal of the show really comes from watching the panelists struggle to get at the answer.
oh that's true. I never thought of that, but you're right...by the audience knowing the occupation is 1/2 the show... wow...
Well here’s some more info:
Apparently this chief, L A (Louis) Capparelli wasn’t the last Capparelli to work in the Chicago Police Traffic Division; but not every Capparelli had a stellar career in the force.
articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-01-16/news/8501030873_1_indictments-charge-policemen-bribes
Thomas Capparelli (who was five when this episode aired) was indicted by a grand jury in 1985 for accepting bribes from motorists who’d been accused of leaving the scene of an accident. He took the money and then made the incident “go away”. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
I wonder if the two are related.
I’ll channel my inner Hal Block and suggest that the younger Capparelli appeared on “What’s My Crime?” after he completed his sentence.
BTW, the Capparelli who we see in the show died on 16 December 1975, but I️ haven’t gotten my hands on an obituary.
Thank you.
For better or worse, Hal Block gave WML some personality after a pedestrian beginning that could easily have cost the show it's renewal after a few months. It started out a little stodgy; then Arlene Francis was added which loosened things up a bit; Kilgallen's addition full-time stepped up the panel's game a little; and then Hal Block got the audience engaged. Unfortunately Block wasn't confined by the sensibilities of the time and it ultimately cost him his job.
Well phrased. I wince at some of his jokes, but Hal is undeniably fun in the episodes I’ve seen so far.
I love WML. It's so much fun to watch clean comedy, and almost innocent comedy. The times are so different, and I'm only 61.
victor rocks
Compared to his coming appearances on WML this was a very subtle and quiet performance by Victor Borge.
Mr. Capparelli never got to be Chief of Police, but he did a lot in the Department. Born in Italy (Calabria, to be specific), he joined the force when he was 35, which makes me wonder what he was doing before that. Anyway, he was commander of a couple of districts -- Sheffield Street and also Monroe Street, and (apparently) *deputy* chief of traffic. He got suspended twice, once for reassigning someone he shouldn’t have, and once for openly criticizing the department. I was very confused about this briefly, since the obit on FindAGrave doesn’t say what he criticized them *for*, but a different obit explains he was criticizing the department’s recent practice of wiretapping officer’s phones in order to clean up corruption.
Also, he got 20 gazillion medals, one from the Pope!
He was married, had a kid, and a couple of grandchildren. At some point, he was also Executive Secretary of the Illinois Athletic Commission.
Also, he had a dog. (Apparently, he got the dog for his daughter, the dog wouldn’t get housebroken, he took it to the station to cope with this, and the dog liked the station.) Dog picture:
facebook.com/ChicagoPoliceDepartment/posts/throwbackthursday-cpd-captain-louis-capparelli-of-maxwell-street-police-stations/10153826074196534/
Obit: www.newspapers.com/clip/14910288/chicago-tribune/, or www.findagrave.com/memorial/197990808/louis-anthony-capparelli
One April day Victor Borge was coming out of his building, and the doorman said "Spring in the air, Mr. Borge". And Borge jumped up.
I’m no Hal Block fan, but I think he got off a fairly clever pun at 18:53. He referred to the two men at the desk, the host and the guest, as “Knight and Daly”. Always nice to get a Cole Porter reference in!
He pretty much got no response at all! :-(
@Paul Bradford +Paul Bradford I caught that "Knight and Daly" pun and thought it was good, too! I was also disappointed that it got no reaction. I"m glad at least you and I liked it -- and hopefully hundreds of others who have seen the show over the years!
How can you not be a fan? He's pretty funny. :D
@@hypolyxa7207 - many fans wrote In protesting to bring Hal back but his humour was too racy for some of the prudes
That was rather something for John to suggest that Hal Block may still wear diapers! Of course the idea of an adult wearing diapers in 1952 would probably refer more to his emotional infancy than anything else, where today we all know about adult diapers.
I think "still" was a clue which Dorothy picked up.
Adult diapers were not what we think of today. At that time plastic was not used in homes as it didn't come our homes until the early 60's. Even then it wasn't until the late 60's that we saw ziploc bags. Diapers were cloth and covered with "rubber pants" the size of granny panties. You are correct in saying the reference was directed at the level of maturity.
A very special show
Puts me in a good mood.
Victor Borge lived about a mile from my families house in Southbury,Ct and raised cornish game hens on his farm.
"A copilot in a flying saucer" 😂😂😂
I love Victor Borge's comedy, but I've always longed to have him occasionally just shut up and play something all the way through seriously, so I could simply enjoy hearing him play the piano without interruption.
czcams.com/video/1mPJ3hm6M5I/video.htmlsi=dueR09uPr2ibIEJk
Arlene saying numismatist (sp) made me happy, as I am a numanist.
The convention in 1967. Also, Hal Block was a riot.
I think this is possibly the first instance of a thing that happened a lot later, that is, getting a mystery guest who had had some specific interaction with a panelist. (In this case, fining Hal Block for something unspecified.)
The Chicago police may well have been courteous during the 1952 conventions but the certainly weren’t in 1968!😉
This is good,,,,
Beginning at 15:54 Victor Borge denies being an actor and a singer. But he appeared in several movies, and in the 1943 film Higher and Higher, in one scene he dances and sings while the character played by Mel Tormé plays the accompaniment (or at least seems to -- I don't remember seeing his hands on the keyboard). One of the oddest bits of casting against type that I can recall.
well, not a professional actor or singer, perhaps.
At 7:50 that's about the best look at John's chair I've ever gotten.
And the cushion is there! :)
You can tell Cerf has a problem with Hal Block - I enjoyed Bennett on the program , but he was a bit of a stuffed shirt
Bennett called him a clod, and I agree.
Did I miss something? I think the video cut out at around 1:38 with the first Guest and Mr. Capparelli's occupation was not shown on the screen!
Today's CZcams Rerun for 5/4/15: Watch along and join the discussion!
-----------------------------
Join our Facebook group for WML-- great discussions, photos, etc, and great people! facebook.com/groups/728471287199862/
To stay up to date with postings, please consider supporting the WML channel by subscribing. The WML channel already contains the complete CBS series, with new videos still being added on the weekends. czcams.com/channels/hPE75Fvvl1HmdAsO7Nzb8w.html
Just for my own info, I discovered that each card is the equivalent to $50 in 2021 dollars. Not bad for the time.
Yeah I just looked it up so the max prize would be just shy of 500$
Hal Block's questioning in the four contestant, looks very much like a gambit, except that I suspect he was doing all that ad-lib.
That last guest lived Five minutes from where I live in egg harbor township
Several mystery guests immediately left when identified - one would expect all might temporarily stay to answer questions or to briefly chat, if for no other reason than for the viewers' benefit.
time constraints to get another person scheduled to play
*Handshake Watch:* Nobody stood to shake hands with Victor Borge.
It's customary for men to stand when a lady enters a room, approaches them, or comes onto a platform that they are on.
Since respect for women was much more valued then than it is today, the men, and occasionally women, would stand to shake the women's hands. Every so often, they would stand to shake the men's hands as well, but that wasn't customary nor expected of them.
@@ifbpeanut If we had classy bombshells like in this show today, I, too would go the extra mile and stand up to shake for them.
@@ifbpeanut they were very respectful to women and yet I know there's a certain sector of people today who would claw their own eyes out in rage and despair when they call them a lady weatherman or something.
Gentlemen always stood to shake hands. Bennett could not because Hal didn’t. A gentleman doesn’t point out that another man is impolite.
Dorothy looks as if she is preparing to launch into flight with that dress.
There was almost 6 minutes left in the show when Victor Borge was finished. Yesterday, if I remember correctly (fading...fading...) John held on to Arthur Godfrey for a rather extended time. It would have been good fun to talk to VB for a minute or so. Was there a regular rule about this or was it left to John's discretion.
My observation is that some Mystery Guests were always in a great hurry to get of stage, some MG rose slowly in hope that John would persuade them to stay for a chat and some MG remained seated (the ladies in particular!) for the expected interview.
The first category puzzles me; were they in a hurry because the Panel hadn't guessed who they were fast enough? Or had they no reason to be on the show other than the fee and free PR? Or maybe John made it clear very discreet that "your contribution is over" so they had no option than walking of the stage?
Johan Bengtsson Joe Postove
Interesting questions, and I don't have a good answer either. I actually doubt that John himself ever rushed them off unless they were really short on time, but I also don't know why some guests did not choose to stick around. In these very early episodes, I think the schedule might have been tighter. Maybe they really wanted to get in that third regular contestant. But John did spend a nice, relaxed measure of time with Arthur Godfrey a few months earlier, as Joe noted, so it just comes back to... I don't know. Some MGs may have really had to get somewhere else soon afterward, I suppose, and some maybe didn't realize that it would be okay for them to stick around? Anyone else have any ideas? Gary? -- or any of you other WML mavens out there?
SaveThe TPC Other making a very late plane, where is a MG going at 11:00 on a Sunday night?
SaveThe TPC I can only offer my unsubstantiated notions. I think the lion's share of the blame for this belongs firmly on John's shoulders. Even in cases where there was a bit of talk after a segment ended, John generally hogged the conversation outrageously, reciting facts about the guests' life and career rather than simply letting the guests speak for themselves, essentially reducing them to the same "yes" and "no" answers they were limited to during the game. My feeling is that John, who is documented as having been very interested in maintaining control over the show, preferred to minimize the spontaneity of post-game interviews; if there was going to be an "interview", he was sure as heck going to control it to the greatest extent possible.
As for squeezing in a 4th guest-- and still, just theorizing-- I think if John had been more amenable to post-game interviews, the production staff wouldn't have pushed to always have a 4th contestant on hand. The 4th segments are almost always overly truncated and rushed, and I think the show would have been better off without them unless a program was really running short.
Another part of the explanation may be the producer's interest in not wasting the expense of having brought the contestant to NYC to do the show. A while back someone (can't recall whom) noted that, at least in the latter years of the show, the 4th contestants were almost always from the NYC area, which makes sense since they could return the following week if they got bumped. I'm not clear on when the producers got the clever idea to do things this way, but my memory tells me (ha!) that it wasn't until at least the 1960s.
What's My Line?
What you're saying about John's post-game "chats" with mystery guests is largely true, but I don't think that would account for those guests who seemed to decide on their own to just get up and leave quickly. --Unless you think that they preferred not to sit through that type of chat with him.
15:32...What was THAT Mr. Borge?
I almost fell off my chair.
15:48 "It is a he, isn't it? It is a male?" Victor looks like he about to cry... priceless.
I think in this moment, Arlene asked, "Do you appear BEFORE people?" And Mr. Borge most certainly was thinking, "No, I appear beFIVE them!" But of course saying so would give him away as his inflated language joke was well known and would identify him.
Did anyone catch what the first person did at the beginning?
He can't say it and give it away, but at 15:31, I think Victor Borge would have made an inflation joke like he is known for, you know, "No, but I appear beFIVE them!"
I am since 2019
I used to watch re-runs in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Now that I've seen many of these on CZcams, I wonder if this show served as an inspiration for "Dirty Jobs".
They do write well
They for got to tell us what he does for his salaried job.? It's almost more fun this way.
Wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to reveal his occupation before the line of questioning? Got me all confused... lol
Jack Robinson Now we know how the panel felt! lol
I more I see of Hal Block, the more I think he could have reformed his act well enough as the show matured into the 60's. Although Steve Allen and Fred Allen were good for gags and repartee, after FA died in 1956, there was no regular funny person (though all of the panelists filled this function from time to time). Of course there were plenty of guest panelists who were comics, maybe, and I'm not sure about this, the show lost a certain quality when Block was fired. Perhaps for good, perhaps for ill. Fellas?
No, I don't miss Hal Block at all. He was rather good at questioning and making witty remarks but otherwise he was just coarse and loud. I liked the idea of Guest Panelists, it vitalized the other of the Panel.
SaveThe TPC wanted to give a "thumb up" for your comment here, but was denied. Twice (Reloaded, but it didn't help much). I think Hal Block was a very nice person. Naive, childish, AND nice! :)
SuperWinterborn Please extend my thumps up to her. Thanks :>)
SaveThe TPC Ps. Sending some *extended thumbs* for you from *Joe!* ;)
Toes too, though they don't move as well!
Such a hysterically funny man. Without every other sentence filled with profanities. So-called comedians today could take a page from his book. Vulgarity isn't funny.
If you're interested in clean comedy, check out Tim Hawkins. He has several videos on CZcams.
He had to be if on TV or he'd get canned.
Hal Block was ahead of his time. Funniest panel of the show for sure.
I know I am watching 👀!
Has anyone ever gotten the free guesses right?
There was a house detective and someone guessed "detective." They didn't say anything and the panel had to guess.
That was kind of unfair for the panelists. 1:11 Serf got the Police Chief almost right by guessing Sargeant at Arms at the convention. 8:07 Also Francis basically nailed the hair grower by guessing hairdresser.
She wasn't a hairdresser 😮
Hal seemed creepy and a little lecherous. The rest were okay people. Victor got a real kick out of being there! Loved it.
Bennett also was.
Bennett is the one who always creeped me out with his horny comments about Marilyn Monroe and others.
@@ChrisHansonCanada I’ve always felt that way, although he always criticized Hal for just that kind of behaviour. Hal was harmless, Bennett could never be described as such.
Oh, give it a break. Hal Block is just a rough-around-the-edges, unpretentious good-natured working class type comedian who lets us know he's got real blood in his veins.
Gee wiz. Contrast the quality of the announcer on this WML and the voice over man on the Game Show Network. Too bad. Announcing for radio and TV could be an art. Not too much anymore.
john is so shady towards hal block in this kdhskdjs i love it!!
I think they forgot to show the sign with his line.
Was there any real legitimate hair restoration in the 50's?
Joe Postove
Check out the link from nandofigueira2005 regarding Patricia Stenz, somewhere on this comments page. (It has moved from where it originally was when I first typed this reply in the wrong place.) She's mentioned in an article all about supposed cures for baldness and how they were received by the general public and the medical community -- quite fascinating!
I do not know if I can blame the assembling of "What's My Line at 25", as the reason for the missing overlay during the first contestant. Maybe the recording process to film during the original live broadcast got messed up?
Seems too clean to be an error... But we get to play along for a change!
Nicholas Todor
It looked to me like there could have been some damage to either the tape or the original kinescope, but I agree that it was fun to be kind of "forced" to play along with the panel this time -- especially since I guessed his line fairly early on -- largely based on John Daly's quips at Hal Block's expense!
If you read Hal Blocks wiki it states he basically wasn't "good enough" for his fellow intellectual progressive panelists, mainly Bennet Cerf, and apparently he had too much testosterone for their liking as well. Hal Block asking women for their phone numbers was more like the average 1950's American male then a Bennet Cerf commenting that Americans had too much access to fire arms, and since tv progressives then as now, despised the public they served. Hal had to go.
Poor Arlene looks like she has white clown make up on her face. I would have thought it was the lighting, but none of the other panelist have this same look so it would appear whoever applied her make up just got a little carried away.
The makeup artist would have tried to darken faces, not lighten then. The lights were harsh enough in the early days of television. Bill Cullen despised makeup. That is why he spent so much time fostering his tan.
ME! I should've been born in that era.
The "baldheaded lady" looked a little like the wrestler "The Fabulous Moolah", huh?
The Great Dane
CHIEF OF POLICE
RAISES HAIR ON BALD HEADS
WEAVES CLOTH FOR DIAPERS
Arlene’s “Wild Guess” about the first contestant’s occupation 1:19 is that he’s a numismatist (coin collector). I half expected Hal to follow that up with a guess that he was a philatelist (stamp collector). Perhaps he didn’t think of it, or perhaps even the classless Block realized that it would be too risky to be quite that risqué.
Most people know what a philatelist is - it is hardly risque, and quite a stretch from what you may be thinking that word sounds like - you are way off base.
which episode s it where Hal Block gets terminated from WML ?
I believe his last episode was March 1, 1953
At 3:00 minutes I'm guessing a police detective or hotel "house dick".
I thought he was a judge or a prosecutor.
Bennett was only 50 here. Was his hair blonde or grey?
In 1952, Bennett was 54 years old. My guess would be he was already grey.
Photos of him when he was younger show him to have had dark hair, so I think we can assume he went gray.
Most people go at least partly grey by the time they're 50.
I'm 55 and completely grey now.. I started going grey at 26...
The panelists & John Daly show a clear insulting attitude towards Hal Block.
I like watching The Name's The Same more than this show because of the absence of dumb, egotistical people there.
Hair is a vegetable? lol
Ola
Seems like in the case of guess number two, it's a little unfair to expect the panel to guess what is essentially a fake job. I mean to my knowledge, there was no such thing as _real_ hair restoration at the time.
Anyone else prefer Arlene as a brunette?? I mean, she’s awesome either way but so striking as a brunette!
Victor Borge was actually very funny under a very narrow set of circumstances. If he was doing an act he controlled he was funny. But when he wasn't? For instance he was on the panel here and he was totally out of his element, it was embarrassing for him.
Pig
I wish, Daly, tho eloquent, would not answer for the contestant so much.
I am indubitably indebted to the poster of these videos. Block was great - if offending a nun with sexual innuendo helped got him fired, I would say this: religious zealots need people like Hal, for a reality check, (they are not special, and purveyors of nonsense) and, to introduce fun & humour to one usually devoid of it. And I would say this: Surely I am not the only person who found Daly irritating and annoying, with his continual repetition of vacuous phrases such as “I would say this”, and, in the case of the hair rejuvenator, in answering all of the questions presented to her.