What's my Line? Peter Ustinov

[TheDepsey]

Such warm eyes. I love him. One of my few top favorite actors. <3

[cleancab]

The original choice to play the laed in The Pink Panther.

[Cool2BCeltic]

A marvellous guy. According to him, I speak German "quite skillfully". I met him in Waterstone's in Princes Street in 1993.

[anton1990]

Poirot! Good ol Peter Ustinov.

[binaway]

Apparently he was the first choice for Inspector Clouseau in the original Pink Panther film. Fortunately he wasn't available and Peter Sellers brilliant performance, as Clouseau, stole the film from the star David Niven.

[arbutus27]

It is almost shocking to observe the calm, the intelligence, the wit, the politeness, the superb light touch that was the norm in public entertainment fifty years ago - and, yes, I am aware how we thrilled to the anarchy of the Tom Lehrers, the Marx Bros, etc etc as a very necessary antidote. How did we get from there to today's seemingly endless diet of crude insults hurled by braying non-entities in front of a screaming audience of idiots?

Harrumph.

[jhr459]

@arbutus27 - I think it is a complicated question; but I think that in no small part is the evolution of the way children are viewed in American culture. We have gone from the obedient child of my grandparents era, to the 'I want my children to have it better than I did' of my parents era; to the revered child era we find ourselves in. For example, when I was a kid, parents usually sided with a teacher, but now the teacher is wrong and 'I want him fired for questioning/failing my kid'.

[jhr459]

@jhr459 -I have watched in airports and restaurants, parents negotiate good behavior with their screaming kids. That would not have happened in my youth and not because I was afraid my father was going to hit me-we just had more respect for parents/society/etc. I'm not saying that kids should be blindly obedient, but neither should they be blindly rebellious and blindly disrespectful. I am convinced that a big part of the problem is the absolute reverence for the 'CHILD'. Adults take 2nd place.

[khi590]

..so brilliant ..and indeed he is no better receiver than giver: his foundation gives so much particularly to the children of this world (NOMA children hospital in Niger, disfigured children in India, education centres) - great man!!!!!

[MsGnorts]

Gee, these actors of the past were indeed God-like figures! unlike the clowns we have today in the music and movie business who have to tell us their personal miseries or their sexuial orientation in order to becomes someones.

ustinov was a true talent.

[jhr459]

Was he in The Scarlet Pimpernel? I remember him playing some English king (more than one, I know) but I cannot remember the movie I'm seeing in my head. He was a spoiled, whiny, insecure king and the leading man sort of controlled him.

[CatMoves1]

@jhr459 You might be thinking of "Beau Brummel". He played the part of The Prince Regent (who later became George IV of England) and from what I've read he walked off with the movie; acted circles around everyone else. Beau was played by Stewart Granger and Elizabeth Taylor played the part of Lady Patricia. I guess it bombed at the box office. I'd love to see it some day. I adore bad Elizabeth Taylor movies.

[jhr459]

@CatMoves1 - that is exactly what it was - thanks.

[mf2101]

Face foliage! LOL

[bobby28091]

hey brad kinda looks like you

[727100bear]

what a big, handsome bear of a man!

[TheBevanbevanbevan]

yes that Hugh hefner dorothy looks odd.

[Melpomena27]

Peter Ustinov is probably the greatest actor geniu that has ever walked the Earth!

[FriendofRamblinJack]

Agree with amirtoma: This wonderful actor and all of his time, including Mr. Daly, is why we never watch TV or listen to the radio: mostly just Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes just to hear our wonderful language...how it once was articulated, prized to achieve, and lovingly delivered....

[FriendofRamblinJack]

"The sun is over THERE!...tsk tsk we PAY these people..." (Spartacus)... Highly recommend all of you to buy the wonderful interview Peter did with Pavarotti at his Italian Riviera home not too long ago.... watch while cooking Italian from scratch...with box of tissues handy....God I miss all these people............Thank you, Norbert..

[anton1990]

Dr. Snuggles!

[MagikalKraker]

holy crap it wasn't until the end i realized it was hugh hefner

[IAmMySpatula]

I really like Peter Ustinov and he's very, very funny. My brother looks like him.

[ipmoic]

I think the entire panel may have been slightly uncomfortable having Heffner there. Does anyone know why he was chosen? Was this his only appearance on the panel? I'll bet the audiences of the day didn't take kindly to him either. Just surmising.

He asks good questions!

[ipmoic]

What a wit and talent. He was such an ass kisser in Spartacus--a great performance!

And what's with Hugh Hefner's teeth? He gives the most god-awful leer at 3:36. Couldn't he afford to get his teeth fixed?

[DanielNievlas]

@ipmoic vat the hell is Hugh Hefner doing on a family show like this?0___0

[Georgie1954]

he used that funny voice in the movie logan's run.

[MrsDwightFrye]

I love that voice, so lovely!. Peter Ustinov's voice is one of my favorites.Orson Welles, and Charlton Heston's are too but because there voices are deep. Ustionv's voice is somthing else. Love it!

[amirtoma]

Just put your attention to the English language Ustinov is articulating here,this is the real beautiful English language that every body in the world wants to learn,use and teach,even an animal can understand it..

this is English,,, real English,,,not the trashy thing broadcasters ,men and women use today,2009,on t.v.screens,in u.s. and Canada t.v `s.

[conceka]

was that hugh hefner in the panel?

[MerleOberon]

Bennett was a jerk..."You were better in Sundowners".....what an a**

[marty177]

Most amazing accent. I could listen to him endlessly!

[uforodena]

How great old times, with a classical speech...

[rentatrip1]

classical speach...?.... better stated ...proper english... or an educated tongue... articulate ...

[uforodena]

I agree rentatrip1, I'm not good enought at english yed, but yes, is what I meant about - and, compared to "contemporary speach" you find no such shows, speach, except the obligatory use in university, politics, law etc.

Cheers!

R.

[GEVMM]

1:54 so funny!

[semretmu]

HIS great-grandfather WAS ETHIPIAN. OR WAS IT HIS GREAT-GRANDMATHER.

[BayareaGuy06]

@semretmu His Great Grandmother.



[MrPeterMichael]

What a talent!!!

[wolfgangle]

ustinov was simply an immense genius, and a man with a big heart

[DerAdventurer]

Was air-conditioning broken? lol

Ustinov was a remarkable representant of British Artists Class!

[oldmoviemusic]

Does anyone else find that Mr. Ustinov is quite attractive, in an unconventional way? i know I do.

[kcarter619]

Yes! I love his looks, I think he is so handsome. Gerard Butler reminds me a little of him, what do you think?

[oldmoviemusic]

Oh good, someone else thinks he's good looking...and I can see where you get the Gerard Butler bit, but he does not have near the charsima that Peter does, I think.

[harwetopa]

Has anyone else noticed: Hugh Hefner is wearing a tux and not his customary silk PJs?

[oldmoviemusic]

Ha ha.

[olegschramm]

Peter Ustinov, one of-a-kind, a rare breed. Brilliant, witty, and up to the point, with no hesitation. And back then, they didn't do much editing... It was all live, just the way he said it... Thank you for posting it!

[grizzlybear019]

all hail king richard the lionheart!!

[NonStopRocker]

I totaly disagree with you...Hefners views on sexuality were open and much more healthy than the suppresion and censorship that was standard in the 50,s. And because the pious churchgoers {a lot of them phony hypocrites} were offended by the human body, they instantly branded Hef a dirty ,evil person. When in fact Mr. Hefner has done innumerable charity works and made countless donations to very worthwhile causes ,while being endorsed by many "highbrow"people and organizations.

[rmm413c]

Actually, there already was a great deal of popular focus on sex in the 1950s. It was nothing like the Victorian era or even earlier in the 20th century. In my opinion, Hefner did more to promote the objectification and exploitation of women than to loosen sexual mores, which had already been loosening at the time.

[bigred997]

Why would you have this low-life Hugh Hefner on such a highbrow show?

It's amazing how Bennett picked up on a lilt in his voice so quickly.

[NonStopRocker]

why is Hugh Hefner a low life??...If you dont like Playboy...then thats your thing...but Im sure everyone on that "highbrow" panel...including John Daly..greatly respected Hef and everything he achieved...

[bigred997]

you are judging by today's shallow standards of propriety. at the time, hefner was a pariah but the highbrows tolerated him, especially the producers who decide who gets exposure. but the guy is still a demented person bad for anyone's concept of family stability.

[143AC]

One of my favorite performers.God Bless

You Sir Pete Ustinov

[JTPolo101]

Great actor........the BEST Hercule Poirot

[velma8714]

"But I do wanna mislead them!" - wasn't that great!

[videocrash]

good stuff

[almadora]

god, he's sexy. and witty. sigh.

[htuomnom]

How sad that he is no longer with us

[bhamdodger]

It seems like the celebrity guests always show more affection to Arlene than they do to Dorothy. After his kissed Arlene's hand he looked back at Dorothy as if he should have kissed hers too.

[Fenhalls]

Surely the hand-kiss is far more suggestive of respect rather than affection? It's not even a very English thing ("A Kiss On The Hand May Be Quite Continental"), but of course Ustinov was the ultimate cosmopolitan.

[26mae1987]

i prefer arlene i didnt really like dorothy that much, i no alot of celebs didnt really get on with dorothy on what ive read!

[1Th1617]

Dorothy Kilgalen supposedly wrote regular scathing columns about Sinatra. He, in turn, called her "the chinless wonder."

[26mae1987]

lmao omg thats too funny i didnt like her as i said i loved arlene she had this down to earth and funny attitude were as dorothy always seemed idk stcuk up and to good for it! i love frank sinatra i read ava gardners book and sooo funny the parts with her and frank i was laughing so hard! but the worst that hedda and louella sorry dont no there names but they were horrible! x catt

[ashy0314]

I agree, I really prefer Arlene. She seems so sweet and kinda. However, I don't dislike Dorothy

[soulierinvestments]

I have speculated how WML might have evolved if G-T had hired Robert Q Lewis to replace Fred Allen. However, leaving the 4th seat open did allow for unusual guest panelists: here book publisher Bennett Cerf sits with Hugh Hefner, who published magazines--among other things. Ustinov was one of the smartest writer/actors in showbiznia: that is obvious from the humor he employed in this classic clip. Ustinov transcended both politics and showbiz and performed brilliantly in drama and comedy.