Introduction
What’s My Line was a television game show in the early 1950s to the late 1960s. The show was a hit in the US and was aired in the CBS Television. The game consisted of celebrity panelists actively probing contestant to establish their occupations. The show has the record of having been the longest running primetime television program during the two decades of its existence. The show is credited for having won more than two Emmy Awards.
In the resent years, in the year 2013, the show was ranked in the 7th position among the sixty greatest television shows. This paper will review the general outlay of the game show and fashion sense during the period between 1950s and early 1970s. In addition, the paper will offer a comparative analysis between the What is My Line show and the modern television game shows1.
Outlay of the show
The What’s My Line show was aired in the NBC Television Network and quickly caught the attention of the Americans since they found it easy to relate its theme. The primary theme of the show was to establish the career or identity of contents through guess work. Each episode was characterized by two rounds and presence of a mysterious guest.
As the game progressed, the panelist would question the next contestant when the previous contestant gave a ‘no’ answer to any of the questions. The top prize of $50 was won when the contestants who survive elimination until the end of the second round2. This reward was meant to keep the game interesting. Generally, the game was very popular besides showing the unique fashion sense in the US at that time.
Why the show was popular
The show was very popular due to several reasons. To begin with, the panelists were renowned American celebrities who are loved by many people. For instance, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf were very popular personalities in the US, during the period when the show was aired3. In fact, until her death, Dorothy Kilgallen won many hearts by her light tone and commanding personality as one of the host of the game show4.
Besides, the game organizers were in a position to appeal to the ‘who and who’ in the then the US society. The participants were draws from politics, business, social service, sports, and entertainment industry.
Reflectively, “Movie stars, senators, film makers, generals, opera singers, governors, writers, comedians, Supreme Court justices, composers, athletes-all gathered to chitchat, exchange compliments and play games with peer notables on Sunday evenings”5. Thus, the presence and participation of many glittering personalities gave the game show its life line among the Americans.
The audiences at home and in the studio were always expecting a surprise contestant or guest. Every week, there was new and higher expectation from the audience, in terms of the personality who would entertain them as a guest. Fortunately, the game show producer, Gil Fates, took advantage of this expectation to create very entertaining and though provoking episodes6.
Each episode has a different approach. Despite being aired late in the night, “at an hour that audience researchers had solemnly proclaimed too late for the nation’s television watchers”7, the show had an average of thirty million viewers who were eager to listen to the views of Bishop Fulton Sheen, John Daly, and Chief Justice Earl Warren among other guest, who would feature in the show every week8.
In addition, the contestant would consist of ordinary Americans and celebrities such as “Carol Channing, Jimmy Durante, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, and Steve Allen among others”9. These celebrities formed the ‘de la crème’ of the ideal persons that the Americans generally wanted to associate with.
Characteristic of most game shows, the What’s My Line television series was filled with juicy entertainment gossips that were narrated with humor, style and verve of the panelists such as Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf. The show was very nostalgic, unique, and provided an insider perspective of the society. As a result, the audience was always supportive and inspired to participate and associate with the show. It was a common thing to find a group of Americans discussion the previous night show in their workplaces10.
The show was also made popular by the fact that it was aired during the prime viewer time. At the beginning of the first season, the show was aired by the CBS Television Network every Thursday at 8.00 p.m. The airing alternated between Wednesdays and Thursdays at this prime time.
During the period when the saw was active, 8.00 p.m. was an ideal television entertainment time for most Americans since other forms of entertainment were not very popular11. Thus, through watching the show for more than two weeks at prime time made the show part of television entertainment among families. Despite the later relocation of airing time to 10.00 p.m. the show had become popular and the fans simply changed their viewing time12.
Fashion sense
The game show, What’s My Line, was well known for its fashion awareness sense among the hosts and guests. During the first season of the show, street dresses and well cut business suits were the main dressing code of the panelists. Most of the men wore bow ties and black suits, and sometimes even tuxedos.
On the other hand the female panelists were associated with gloves and formal gowns as their official game show dressing code. The only exceptions were during the untimely demise of Dorothy Kilgellen and Fred Allen. During the death of these two panelists, the male cast spotted straight ties while the female cast wore ordinary dresses13.
Reflectively, well cut business suit was a common trend among male panelists in game shows, new anchoring, and other television programs. On the other hand, the women presenters wore a flowing formal gown and sometimes cupped the outfit with conservative gloves. Since this show was aired during the period when tuxedos and formal suits became the official formal outfit, the panelists of the show adapted this dressing code to appeal to their audience.
As one of the female panelists, Dorothy Kilgellen become a fashion icon among the female Americans since her taste for flowing gowns and gloves quickly became a sensation14. The tuxedo attire was also made popular by the male panelists in the US during the period between early 1950s and late 1970s. As a result of the influence from the male panelists of the What’s My Line, many of the male American show enthusiasts attended the studio episodes dressed in tuxedos and black business suits.
Comparative analysis with modern games shows
The What’s My Line was very nostalgic, unique, and provided an insider perspective of the society, since the audience would easily relate to the contestants, guests, and panelists. Besides, the show was hosted by celebrities who were loved by the targeted audience. Moreover, the show had clear fashion sense among the panelists besides revolving around a single theme. Most the modern game shows hosted in television networks have borrowed heavily from the What’s My Line series.
For instance, the current game shows such as The Pyramid, The Cube, The Game of Life, and Million Dollar Money Drop have specific audience and themes that provide an insider perspective as perceived by the viewers. Besides, there is deep sense of fashion that appeals to the audience. In addition, these shows are hosted by celebrities such as
Kevin Pollak, Neil Patrick, Frank Nicotero. These celebrities have made the shows popular as was the case with the What’s My Line show15.
Bibliography
Bounanno, Milly. The Age of Television: Experiences and Theories. New York: Intellect Books, 2008.
Douglas, Pamela. Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV. Alabama: Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.
Edgerton, Gary, and Gary Edgerton. The Columbia History of American Television. Colombia: Columbia University Press, 2009.
Hammond, Michael, and Lucy Mazdon. The Contemporary Television Series. London: Edinburg University Press, 2005.
Holmes, Su, and Deborah Jermyn. Understanding Reality Television. Alabama: Psychology Press, 2004.
Holmes, Su. The Quiz Show. London: Edinburgh University Press, 2008.
Lotz, Amanda. The Television will be Revolutionized. New York: NYU Press, 2007.
McCabe, Janet. Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond. New York: I.B.Tauris, 2007.
Murray, Susan, and Laurie Ouellette. Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. New York: NYU Press, 2008.
Popova, Maria. “Everyone’s Favorite Guessing Game: 7 Must-See ‘What’s My Line’ Episodes.” Brain Liking. Web.
Snauffer, Douglas. The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. New York: McFarland, 2008.
What’s My Line. Directed by Bill Todman. 1951. New York, NY: CBS Television Network, 1973. Television.
Footnotes
1 Maria Popova, “Everyone’s Favorite Guessing Game: 7 Must-See ‘What’s My Line’ Episodes,” Brain Liking.
2 Michael Hammond and Lucy Mazdon, The Contemporary Television Series (London: Edinburg University Press, 2005), 21-29.
3 What’s My Line, directed by Bill Todman (1951; New York. NY: CBS Television Network, 1973, Television.
4 Susan Murray and Laurie Ouellette, Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture (New York: NYU Press, 2008), 17-23.
5 Douglas Snauffer, The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series (New York: McFarland, 2008), 14-29.
6 Amanda Lotz, The Television will be Revolutionized (New York: NYU Press, 2007), 11-19.
7 Janet McCabe, Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond (New York: I.B.Tauris, 2007), 6-19.
8 Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn, Understanding Reality Television (Alabama: Psychology Press, 2004), 7-15.
9 Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV (Alabama: Michael Wiese Productions, 2011), 21-32.
10 Gary Edgerton and Gary Edgerton, The Columbia History of American Television (Colombia: Columbia University Press, 2009), 19-33.
11 What’s My Line, directed by Bill Todman (1951; New York. NY: CBS Television Network, 1973, Television.
12 Milly Bounanno, The Age of Television: Experiences and Theories (New York: Intellect Books, 2008), 28-41.
13 What’s My Line, directed by Bill Todman (1951; New York. NY: CBS Television Network, 1973, Television.
14
15 Su Holmes, The Quiz Show (London: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), 15-25.