WHAT'S MY LINE?

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 3/17/57 (Live)
NETWORK: CBS
RUNNING TIME: 30 Minutes

The Cast
John Daly (moderator)
Arlene Francis (panelist)
Robert Preston (panelist)
Dorothy Kilgallen (panelist)
Bennett Cerf (panelist)
Judy Holliday (mystery guest)

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Game Show Overview

The four celebrity panelists are allowed to ask "yes" and "no" type questions of the contestant as they try to guess the person's occupation. For every "no" answer given, the contestant wins $5. Ten "no" answers and the game is over. Usually the first two segments of the show are comprised of non-celebrity contestants. The rules change slightly for the third segment. The panelists are blindfolded and a celebrity mystery guest is brought out on stage. Each panelist gets to ask just one question at a time, rotating clockwise, in an attempt to discover the mystery person's identity. The questioning continues until either 10 "no" answers have accumulated or the person's identity has been correctly guessed. The mystery guest will often disguise his or her voice to try to throw the panel off.

Episode Summary

Once the panelists were all blindfolded, Judy walked out onto the stage. She was greeted with much more applause this time than her last appearance almost four years earlier. Perhaps overwhelmed by the reception, she initially forgets to sign her name on the chalkboard, but quickly doubles back and signs in. She then walks across the stage and takes her seat beside the show's moderator, John Daly. The questioning begins with Arlene Francis. She asks, "Are you a star in one of the entertainment mediums?" Judy answers in a very soft voice, "Yes." Robert Preston asks, "Are you more a star of motion pictures than the other media?" Judy answers, "I don't know," in a sultry voice that's very close to her Marylin Monroe impersonation. The impression is so good that it causes audience, the panel and John Daly to all break-up with laughter. When Daly regains his composure he explains that the guest is also well-known for something other than motion pictures. Dorothy Kilgallen asks, "Do you have anything to do with music?" Judy closes her eyes, arches her eyebrows and breathlessly coos, "Sometimes," in the Monroe voice. Bennett Cerf asks, "Would you say that your personality was more like our second contestant tonight (a sexy Judo instructor who looked remarkably like Marilyn Monroe) than our first one (Minister/author Dr. Norman Vincent Peale)?" Judy laughs and the audience applauds. After the applause dies down, she whispers, "Quite often," into the microphone. Arlene Francis asks, "Are you appearing at the present time in a Broadway production?" Judy whispers "Yes." Robert Preston asks "Is it a musical production?" Judy responds, "Sometimes," laughing as she says it. Dorothy Kilgallen is sure she knows who it is. She says, "I think there's only one person who does such a wonderful impersonation of those glamour girls, or them glamour girls, like Marilyn Monroe. Are you a beautiful blonde..." The camera cuts to Judy who looks concerned that the panelist/Broadway columnist is on to her. Kilgallen continues "...who wears an abbreviated costume in a current musical?" - inferring that the mystery guest was Edie Adams who was currently appearing in the musical Lil' Abner. Judy's eyes light up upon hearing this. She winks at John Daly and playfully nudges him with her elbow. She leans close to the microphone an lets out a breathy, "No." Kilgallen squeals a high-pitched "What?!!!" in disbelief. After her initial outburst, the ultra-competitive Kilgallen hangs her head low, disappointed that she didn't get it right. Bennett Cerf asks, "Where you hang around, do bells ring a great deal?" Judy scowls and barks out a gruff "Yes!" John Daly urges Cerf to officially guess the identity. Cerf says sheepishly, "I think it's Judy Holliday." The audience applauds and the panelists remove their blindfolds. John Daly explains to non-New Yorkers watching at home that Judy is currently appearing in the Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing. Judy glares over at Cerf and sneers "You always guess me!" Robert Preston says, "John, my play closed last night just so I could go see Miss Holliday." Arlene inquires about the release of Judy's latest film, Full of Life. Judy explains to her that it opened 3 weeks ago. Judy does the Marilyn Monroe-esque voice one last time before leaving. She walks across the stage, shakes hands with all four panelists and departs. Her appearance lasted 4 minutes.

Show Credits

Producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman

Executive Producer Gil Fates

Director Franklin Heller

Production Coordinator Bob Bach

Program Manager Frances Trocaine

Technical Director Vernon Gamble

Lighting Director Hal Anderson