What's My Line?
| What's My Line? | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Presented by |
John Daly (1950–67) Wally Bruner (1968–72) Larry Blyden (1972–75) |
| Starring |
Arlene Francis (1950–75) Dorothy Kilgallen (1950–65) Louis Untermeyer (1950–51) Hal Block (1950–53) Bennett Cerf (1951–71) Steve Allen (1953–54) Fred Allen (1954–56) Martin Gabel (semi-regular 1956–67) Soupy Sales (1968–75) |
| Narrated by |
Lee Vines (1950–55) Hal Simms (1955–61) Ralph Paul (1961) Johnny Olson (1961–72) Chet Gould (1973–75) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 25 |
| No. of episodes | CBS: 876 Syndication: 1,320 Total: 2,196 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Mark Goodson Bill Todman |
| Running time | 25–29 minutes (CBS) 22–23 minutes (syndication) |
| Distributor |
CBS Enterprises (1968–71) Viacom Enterprises (1971–75) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
CBS (1950–67) Syndication (1968–75) |
| Picture format |
Black-and-white (1950–66) Color (1966–75) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | February 2, 1950 – September 3, 1975 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
I've Got a Secret To Tell The Truth |
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasks celebrity panelists with questioning a contestant in order to determine his or her occupation, i.e., "line [of work]," with panelists occasionally being called on to identify a celebrity "mystery guest" with specificity. It is the longest-running U.S. primetime network television game-show. Moderated by John Daly and with panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, and Bennett Cerf, What's My Line? won three Emmy Awards for "Best Quiz or Audience Participation Show" in 1952, 1953, and 1958 and the Golden Globe for Best TV Show in 1962.
After its cancellation by CBS in 1967, it returned in syndication as a daily production, moderated originally by Wally Bruner and later by Larry Blyden, which ran from 1968 to 1975. There have been several international versions, radio versions, and a live stage version.
In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #9 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.
Produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS Television, the show was initially called Occupation Unknown before deciding on the name What's My Line? The original series, which was usually broadcast live, debuted on Thursday, February 2, 1950, at 8:00 p.m. ET. After airing alternate Wednesdays, then alternate Thursdays, finally on October 1, 1950, it had settled into its weekly Sunday 10:30 p.m. ET slot where it would remain until the end of its network run on September 3, 1967.
...
Wikipedia