What's My Line?
| What's My Line? | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | John Charles Daly (1950–1967) Wally Bruner (1968–1972) Larry Blyden (1972–1975) |
| Starring | Arlene Francis Dorothy Kilgallen (1950–1965) Louis Untermeyer (1950–1951) Hal Block (1950–1953) Bennett Cerf (1951–1971) Steve Allen (1953–1954) Fred Allen (1954–1956) Soupy Sales (1968–1975) |
| Narrated by | Lee Vines (1950–1955) Hal Simms (1955–1961) Ralph Paul (1961) Johnny Olson (1961–1972) Chet Gould (1973–1975) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 25 |
| No. of episodes | CBS: 876 Syndicated: 1,315 Total: 2,191 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Gil Fates |
| Producers | Mark Goodson Bill Todman |
| Running time | 22–25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1950–1967) Syndication (1968–1975) |
| Release | February 2, 1950 – September 3, 1975 |
| Related | |
| I've Got a Secret | |
What's My Line? is a panel game show. It ran weekly in the United States. The show aired on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. EST on CBS from 1 October 1950 to 3 September 1967. Lady panelists wore floor-length dresses and jewelry. Gentleman panelists wore tuxedos. They tried to guess the jobs of everyday people by asking "yes" or "no" questions. Repartee between panelists and host John Charles Daly was witty, tasteful, and sophisticated. Regular panelists included Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf. A chair was open for a guest panelist. The high point of the program was the Mystery Guest. This guest was usually a well-known celebrity such as a Broadway or movie star. Sometimes the Mystery Guest was a little known person in the news such as an astronaut. Panelists wore blindfolds and tried to guess who the Mystery Guest was by asking "yes" or "no" questions. Mystery Guests changed their voices to make it hard for the panelists to know who they were. Baseball great Mickey Mantle, movie star Zsa Zsa Gabor, and future President of the United States Ronald Reagan were three of the many Mystery Guests. What's My Line?' won three Emmy Awards for "Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show", in 1952, 1953, and 1958. The show won a Golden Globe for "Best TV Show" in 1962. CBS stopped broadcasting the program in 1967. It returned in syndication as a daily program. This program was shown from 1968 until 1975. There have been several international versions, radio versions, and a live stage version. It is the longest-running U.S. primetime network television game program (51st).
