Burl Ives--What's My Line

[Gnillob802]

Surprisingly bad at disguising his voice.

[shoredude2]

@Gnillob802 I would have gotten the voice first thing.

[TehJew22]

@Gnillob802 I'm surprised he got 3 "No's".

[leahblashful]

I loved Burl Ives. He was in an episode on Little House on the Prairie in the 70s and was wonderful. He was up in years but did great! When did he pass?

[MrCocho69]

IT WASN'T EASY LOL

[CoachProc]

I can never decied whether Arlene Francis is the sweetest, most sincere lady ever or if they paid her extra to gush over every single mystery guest and whatever show or movie they were in.

[iamintheburg]

@CoachProc NO......Miss Francis was the true and real deal : a lady, a broad, a dame in the best sense. In her later years, she was mugged and the famous heart necklace was stolen off her neck. New York City was distraught for her.

[Steve7508]

Looks like he swallowed a horse.

[capnhawkins]

It's so nice to just see a video of people in this time just in a day-to-day way, rather than a movie or clips in a documentary. Makes the time period feel much more real.

[NintendoBmaN]

Burl Ives has such a distinctive voice that if he spoke normally, the person would guess him in a second.

[perlster]

Go back to your mommy's basement, all you loser comment trolls!

[cricketrecords]

But was Garfield a communist or not? That's my question. And if he wasn't, how do we know for sure? Did he say he wasn't? Then why didn't people believe him? It seems to me there is a difference between smearing someone by falsely accusing them of being something they are not, and exposing them as something they are.

[cricketrecords]

Why did he think John Garfield was a communist then? What gave him that idea?

[FrankClanton]

Ives named names.

[cricketrecords]

The names of whom?

[FrankClanton]

Pete Seegar was one.

[cricketrecords]

No, I mean what did he name them for? In response to what questions?

[07Nick07]

A little bitty tear let me down as I watched this

[DavePI2]

I still love Burl best in The Big Country

[franklindavid]

Great Burl Ives! His pearly shells rendition will live on.

[planetahead]

priceless . thanks for posting!

[9esther09]

LOVE BURL!!! Snowman!!! <3333333333 & a talented dramatic actor too!!

[Cris43130]

According to Bennett Cerf, it was the voice that usually gave away the guest's ID, even if they disguised it. Speaking of Bennett, it is amusing to see him with a relatively full head of dark hair. I'm so used to seeing the balding, greying Bennett Cerf of the later years.

[yedon68]

Cerf seemed to be such a 'snob'...or maybe not..?

[diddymuck]

how did they guess with so little info?

[yedon68]

..bennet cerf cought it right a~way...!

[cricketrecords]

I think it was fixed. Are you in a Broadway show right now? Oh, you must be Burl Ives! Kind of far fetched.

[JubalCalif]

I'm a HUGE fan of the late great Burl Ives. Not many entertainers were as good a singer as an actor as he was. How I wish I could have seen him on Broadway in the original stage version of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'". At least the producers of the film version were smart enough to have him recreate his role as "Big Daddy' Pollitt. A world of thanks for posting this for us to enjoy! :)

[jflash214]

love his voice, even when hes not singing

[FunnyCanadian]

Thank you.

[Steve7508]

I knew an old lady who swallowed a fly.

No, really.

[HAZIDEAD]

I love this man so much. If only we had people like Burl Ives today.

[hemming57]

I heard the guy was a royal asshole. A mean bastard.

[ObamaRules4Ever]

I know, he named names.

[mrright911]

He named names so that means...? He told us all that there were communist and we should all be aware. I guess if he named NAZIS he be a bigggggg hero but mention the word Communist and watch out folks.

[PeterFirthFan]

Ives only named names to prevent himself from being blacklisted.

[rickram1961]

I think Burl Ives was one hell of an actor and singer!

[soulierinvestments]

Both times Burl Ives appeared on WML in the 1950s, he appeared close to the time of a set change. Apparently everyone involved must have thought the tight checkerboard too busy for TV screens, for soon came the background that looked a lot like wood paneling.

[JohnRogersly]

Ives was SCUM.

[Bountybeard]

I think what I like most about these Mystery Guests is that we get to see the human side of all these great stars. They all seem to have a great time on the show. Thanks much for the posts.

[dolphinluv2413]

I love Burl Ives. Especially when he's the Snowman in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

[PatinPDXOR]

I must admit, when watching "WML" when it ran in the 1960's (I was a child then), my favorite part of the show was when the Mystery Guests were on and they did those funny and wonderful vocal disguises. However, I do remember once Michele Lee was a panelist and she was waving her pencil around to the hilarity of the audience. Turned out the contestant "Sharpens Pencils" for his line. It was Henry Morgan who tipped Michele off, who promptly guessed the contestant put the lead in the pencil.

[htuomnom]

Burl Ives Big Daddy and a GREAT man

[Lava1964]

The Ty Cobb appearance is lost forever?  That's a shame. I would have loved to see him on this show.

[soulierinvestments]

Gil Fates devotes 3 paragraphs to this episode in his 1978 WML book (p125). Before Ives' sequence, an elephant trainer contestant who called himself "Jim Mitchell" appeared. WML's persuasive talent spotter saw him performing and invited him to WML. A Detroit man watching WML recognized "Jim Mitchell" (despite fake?? glasses) as a former friend who stole the man's car and drove it to NYC for fun. When "Jim" appeared at Goodson-Todman office next day to collect his $50, FBI agents arrested him.

[Fenhalls]

"an elephant trainer contestant who called himself "Jim Mitchell" appeared."

I enjoy the non-celebrity guests as well. How come more of these aren't posted? Is it because posters don't think anyone will be interested, or is there some other reason?

[soulierinvestments]

I appreciate YouTubers who post sequences featuring regular contestants. These contestants made WML educational and entertaining: we see again captivating fascinating "walkin-around" people who do interesting, amusing jobs.

"Manages embalmed whale on tour" "Runs nudist resort." "Governor of Michigan." "President's pilot."

Posters don't give us more such clips, I guess, because {most?} viewers like to see favorite celebrities as themselves, not acting in roles. That, too, is also fun.

[Fenhalls]

I also think that much of the enjoyment comes from the interaction between the panel members themselves and between the panel members and Daly. Beyond that, I think for many of us they have become like old friends, people we just like listening to and hanging out with. Bearing all that in mind, at least as far as I am concerned, it often doesn't matter who the guest is.

BTW, thanks for your interesting comments on many of these posts. They make viewing much more interesting.

[44032]

That's the thing about these old clips. The panelists and guests have almost all left us, some of them decades ago. But they haven't really left us: they are right here. As you watch these clips, you quickly become 'friends' with them, (moreso than if they were playing characters), and find yourself having imaginary conversations with them.

[MisterEvasion]

Well said about these old clips. These deceased people are virtually alive. We actually get to know them they way they were. It's also the setting of WML that enhances this somehow.

[crepehanger47]

In my case, I only have time to upload just so many clips. Unless a non-celebrity game is especially funny or memorable, I don't upload them.

[Fenhalls]

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks very much for the clips you do upload; they are greatly appreciated.

[rdoister]

what? car thief? what is this all about?

[soulierinvestments]

Gil Fates devotes 3 paragraphs to this episode in his 1978 WML book (p125). Before Ives' sequence, an elephant trainer contestant who called himself "Jim Mitchell" appeared. WML's persuasive talent spotter saw him perform and invited him to WML. A Detroit man watching WML recognized "Jim Mitchell" (despite fake?? glasses) as a former friend who stole the man's car and drove it to NYC for fun. When "Jim" appeared at Goodson-Todman office next day to collect his $50, FBI agents arrested him.