Ladies and gentlemen, have some Charlotte Whitton
I'm still ridiculously addicted to YouTube clips of "What's My Line", and I've found that the non-mystery contestants are almost more fun to watch than the mystery contestants. For one thing, their lines of work are so varied, and it's so much fun trying to see the panel figure out jobs like "referee for kangaroo boxing matches," "makes false teeth for cows," or "sews blankets for elephants." (They actually figured out the elephants, and completely failed to figure out "garbage men". It's all about getting on the right track!) It's also nice to see the great variation in jobs for women on the show; obviously it's a side-effect of the "hard to guess" factor, but in 1950s it can't have been that common with female rocket scientists or night club bouncers (who looked like Miss America, no less.)
And I might be a little bit in love with Arlene Francis. Or more accurately, I can't decide if I'm in love with her, want her to be my mother, or want to be her. She's just so pretty with that ladylike style and the way her eyes look when she smiles.
The way the panel and John Daly (judge) interact is great, too. I wouldn't have wanted to live in the 50s, but boy did they have fun television.
The most delightful moment, though, next to asking Yul Brynner if he had blonde, curly hair, was when the mayor of Ottawa, Charlotte Whitton, was a guest. I had never heard of her before (which I think can be excused), but according to wikipedia, she was the source of the well-known quote: "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult." She also lived in a Boston marriage (i.e. the jury is still out on whether she was a lesbian). She was also a social conservative, but hey, nobody's perfect.
And she's freaking ace in this clip:
And I might be a little bit in love with Arlene Francis. Or more accurately, I can't decide if I'm in love with her, want her to be my mother, or want to be her. She's just so pretty with that ladylike style and the way her eyes look when she smiles.
The way the panel and John Daly (judge) interact is great, too. I wouldn't have wanted to live in the 50s, but boy did they have fun television.
The most delightful moment, though, next to asking Yul Brynner if he had blonde, curly hair, was when the mayor of Ottawa, Charlotte Whitton, was a guest. I had never heard of her before (which I think can be excused), but according to wikipedia, she was the source of the well-known quote: "Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult." She also lived in a Boston marriage (i.e. the jury is still out on whether she was a lesbian). She was also a social conservative, but hey, nobody's perfect.
And she's freaking ace in this clip:
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