# Big stars and VIPs on "What's My Line?," back in the day **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728 "2010-02-28T05:50:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/1 "2010-02-28T05:50:53Z")
There are a lot of them on [YouTube.com](http://YouTube.com). Good nostalgic fun. Jesse Owens: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAf-v2CVAtg&feature=PlayList&p=C36B65D1B697DF9E&playnext=1&playnext\_from=PL&index=8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAf-v2CVAtg&feature=PlayList&p=C36B65D1B697DF9E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8) Henry Fonda: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21T0o4j4ahk&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21T0o4j4ahk&feature=related) An amazingly young James Garner, in 1964: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfiuHHXwIw&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfiuHHXwIw&feature=related) Frank Lloyd Wright, of all people: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbZliXx8kIQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbZliXx8kIQ) Bert “Cowardly Lion” Lahr: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOJJRNsd0Hs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOJJRNsd0Hs) ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/2 "2010-02-28T07:09:38Z")
I’ve watched lots of them but my favorite is [Salvador Dali](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT2E9Ccc8A)’s. The panelists were pretty good as a rule though a certain [Colonel Harlan Sanders](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk4Eq8IcQMk) of Shelbyville, Kentucky had them stumped. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/3 "2010-02-28T10:40:32Z")
Ah man! Couldn’t y’all have used spoilers? Now I can’t play along at home. ☹ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/4 "2010-02-28T12:58:35Z")
Well, they usually “sign in, please” right at the beginning, so… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/5 "2010-02-28T15:27:01Z")
I was fairly young in the 60s, but I do remember What’s My Line, and the tail end of This Is Your Life in reruns, and up until the mid 70s talk shows that were more or less Hollywood studios advertising opportunities like Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas. I really liked them, even though they were more or less sanitized unlike Geraldo and Maury and the ilk that are more for sensationalism. Anybody remember You Were There? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/6 "2010-02-28T15:48:13Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > I’ve watched lots of them but my favorite is [Salvador Dali](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT2E9Ccc8A)’s. That was wonderful. “Are you a human being??” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/7 "2010-02-28T15:58:51Z")
John Daly was a mystery guest on the last episode. He had some fame as a game show host and a newscaster, he made first radio report of attack on Pearl Harbor on 12/07/41 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/8 "2010-02-28T16:09:41Z")
A lot of guests on that show carry canes. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-stars-and-vips-on-whats-my-line-back-in-the-day/530728/9 "2010-02-28T16:15:55Z")
[The Wiki version of it all](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_My_Line%3F) And perhaps [A “complete” Episode Guide](http://www.tv.com/whats-my-line/show/5501/episode.html?tag=prev_episode;more) I’ve watched a good number of the YouTube clips at various times and just now tried to find one where the celebrity’s voice was so well known that he (maybe she) did a great job of disguising it. No luck.