What's My Line?

  Several weeks ago I stumbled onto an old TV show called "What's My Line?" It is a game show where a panel of four experts/celebrities try to guess the occupations of the guests brought before them. They can dig for information by asking questions that can only be answered yes or no. For every no answer the guest gets five dollars. Once a total of $50 dollars is reached the game is over and the guest wins. (Sometimes the guest wins if the panel runs out of time and has not guessed the occupation.) On every show there is a mystery guest who is a public figure of some kind. The panel is blindfolded and has the guess who the mystery guest is using the same yes and no questions. This show ran from 1950 to 1967.
  One of the things that struck me is the manners of the panel and the host John Charles Daly. The women on the panel are always introduced at the beginning of the show as Miss. During the show first names are used. The cards in front of the panel say Mr. or Miss depending on the person. I found it interesting that at that time panelists Dorothy Kilgallen and Arlene Francis were both married but used their maiden names. Both were referred to as "Miss". These days a married woman using her maiden name is "Ms.". I also noticed that when a female guest was on the show John Charles Daly  would ask, "Is it Mrs. or Miss?" and then address them by title. He would also hold their chair for them when they would take their seat beside him to start the game. At the end of the show, when the guest would go to the panel to shake hands, the men would stand to shake hands while the women would remain seated.
  The clothes are interesting to me. The men usually wear suits of some type. Many times men would wear a bow tie. I also noticed that the suit jackets were much longer than on suits these days and I don't think I've seen any of the men wear French cuffs or a pocket square. The women's clothes are even more interesting to me. Naturally all of them are wearing dresses, skirts or dress suits. Many of the skirts are full. The length is what I would call tea length, although sometimes the women on the panel would wear full length evening dresses. Even the heavier women looked nice. Obviously at that time clothing manufacturers believed that women should look good no matter what their size. (Unlike now where only thin women are allowed to look good.)
  I had always heard about how conservative the culture in the 1950s was. I was surprised to see that many times the women of the panel had rather low necklines. Not like today where the neckline could be found somewhere in the middle of the torso, but much lower than I would expect. The was also more shoulder baring styles than I would have expected. I have seen several stoles and decorative shawls to cover those shoulders if needed.
  In those days television shows were broadcast in black and white so designers focused on the cut of clothes worn on the air. It would have been interesting to see what colours some of those lovely dresses and gowns were.
  The occupations are interesting too. Some of them are things I've never heard of like diaper inspector. What does a diaper inspector do? I've seen a man who sells snuff, a woman who makes cigars and several women who drive garbage trucks. There have been people who make false teeth, braces for teeth and wedding rings. One guest was an elderly woman who embroidered blankets for elephants. One thing that is interesting is when a women comes on who is in a field that is mostly male. If the panel guesses her profession it is usually a lady veterinarian, a lady doctor or a lady truck driver.
  The questions are interesting too. Here are some of the most common ones. Do you work for a profit making organization? Do you deal in a service? Is there a product connected with what you do? Are you in one of the professions? Is it bigger than a breadbox? One of the questions I find interesting is one that gets asked when the panel is trying to guess the identity of the mystery guest. Have you appeared in the legitimate theatre? Is there an illegitimate one?
   Sometimes things get a little racy. For instance, if a female guest is asked if her service or product is used mostly by men and she answers yes a little titter of laughter can be heard. On the show that I watched this morning a woman said that she performed before men, wore a costume that would be considered small, did something physical and held something in front of her. One of the panelists asked her if she was a fan dancer. (For those of you who don't know what that is it is a dance usually performed by women and is sometimes considered erotic) By the way the guest was actually a baseball player.
  There are some things that I have seen in that show that I still see today. Men still ogle the women who are better looking. The women guests have been known to flirt lightly with the handsome men.
  The main reason why I like the show is because everyone for the most part looks like they are having a good time. It is especially funny to watch John Charles Daly react when the panel has gone off on a wild goose chase. Sometimes in an effort to prevent the panel from being misled he will give an explanation of an answer that sometimes muddies the waters.
  I like it because it is light hearted and fun. It is not mean spirited. It's a refreshing change from "reality" shows, graphic crime shows and talent contests of various types that pass for entertainment on TV these days. I'm glad that someone put these shows on You Tube for us to enjoy.