What's my Line? Johnny Olson (Announcer of "What's my Line?)

[2legit64]

This is absolutely delightful! Johnny Olson was one of the most recognizable voices in daytime television for decades. I loved when he'd say "A Neeew Carrrrr!" on "The Price is Right".

[romeman01]

At 4:10, Arlene asks: "Do you do impersonations?" Johnny responds, "Oooo, DO I," at which everyone laughs. The voice he did (and the dialogue he stole) was that of Frank Nelson, who achieved particular fame on radio on the Jack Benny program and later on TV with Jack Benny and other performers.

[Onlymusical]

Speaking of Kramdens, Gleason flew him down to Miami each week because he refused to go on without Olsen warming up the audience.

[Onlymusical]

Another Alice Kramden's on the panel, Sheila MacRae. Too bad Pert Kelton couldn't be on but the bastards had blacklisted her, of course.

[ChrisK529]

Truly the "Golden Age of Television".

[urangelofdeathawaits]

I wish they remade this show. I know it wouldn't be as good as this but I would like to see it.

[ShawDAMAN]

Hahaa. Great guy and one of the best bamboozlings of the panel that ever happened.

[4thekidsTV]

Mr.Olsen was also the host of two kids variety tv shows"Kids & Company" and"Johnny Olsen's Rumpus Room" and "The Red Goose Kids' Spectacular"kids tv specials.

[jedispaz2002]

thats awsome! he is really good with different voices!

[CarloQuinto]

Great segment! Always loved Johnny Olson, a true professional!

[Jazzanswer]

I can't believe that the commercial interests, combined with the government, took away the thrill and fun of live TV from us.

It is a crime.

[lttguys]

great video!

[soulierinvestments]

All those accents and all so funny on spontaneous live TV. Let's see Rich Little try and top that!

As I recall, Johnny Olsen annnounced other programs besides "Match Game" and "The Price is Right." I still hold in pleasant TV memory the way he used to open "The Jackie Gleason Show" --- "From the Sun and Fun Capitol of the World Miami Beach, we bring you the Jackie Gleason Show" followed by full orchestration of "Melancholy Serenade" thundering up behind the clouds.

[soulierinvestments]

Sheila McRae, who the next year started working with Johnny Olsen when Jackie Gleason hired her to portray Alice Kramden in the new color "Honeymooners," / Jackie Gleason Show, substituted for Dorothy Kilgallen. Dorothy broke her collarbone in March 1965 when she slipped on a throw rug.

[MegaObserver1]

Johnny was one of the nicest persons in the history of television. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY had great things to say about him.

[mxylpx]

Genuine affection from the panel to Olson and vica versa especially to Arlene!

[Kate8790]

Martin looks quite skinny here. You know I must say he looks better when he had a little weight on him.

[pixi2nv]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

[MrDasher01]

Johhny Olsen is the best. I love him.

[bobszvetics1]

COME ON DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNN

[OnCloudNine62]

The lovable Johnny Olson!

[BitterBosh]

Arlene's reaction is priceless!

[TehJew22]

Johnny is killing me. xD XD XD

I didn't know Johnny could voice act and he fooled the panel. xD

[UglySean]

This is so funny. He's a god. Even when he was alive.

Immortal. Pure immortality. He will live forever. At least on YouTube.

[SOLE2SOUL]

I never knew Johnny Olson was so versatile! And Martin Gabel looks decrepit here...

[UglySean]

@SOLE2SOUL Oh yeah he's the greatest. As for talking to the audience before the show.... I found a clip of him doing just that before an episode of The Price is Right encouraging everyone to all yell with enthusiasm etc. I miss him.

[tomservo56954]

@UglySean Yes...Johnny was so good as a warm-up man, Goodson-Todman would fly him to California when he was based in New York, and vice versa, just to do that. in fact, he passed on in his car in the parking lot of Los Angeles International Airport.

[bluebear1985]

Johnny O did good for every show that he worked on. Goodson & Todman were lucky to have him announcing their shows for so many years.

[Benyan1763]

My favorite episode!

[dandydonaldo]

5/22/10: Happy 100th birthday, Johnny Olson!

[UglySean]

@dandydonaldo Oh man I didn't know. Thanks for the tip-off.

[daffydoug]

His voices sounded like he must have taken lessons from Mel Blanc!!

[Benyan1763]

I have watched most all of the WML segments and Johnny Olson is my favorite!

[EarlyViewer]

What an absolutely marvelous segment! And Daly's kind and complimentary words about Johnny -- more than anything else -- reveal the level of civility that once existed in the industry and is now forever gone. I cherish the days when, as a child, I sat with my family and watched this and other classic shows.

[tedhobgood]

Oh, this made me laugh until I cried. Thanks for posting!

[wdm1219]

Johnny Olson, best there ever was, barnone. Hard to believe it's been 25 years since he passed, and that he would turn 100 this year.

[MrPolkajohn]

You know it was a great classic game show when Johnny Olson did the announcing. Those were the days when you had great emcees and announcers that were funny and very personable. How sad that we no longer have this in todays television or radio.

[sbutler0727]

This is yet another classic, classic episode of What's My Line? It is hilarious to watch Johnny pull so many funny voices that he completely stumps the panel!! That is an absolute riot!! They don't make them like Johnny anymore. Johnny was the greatest game show announcer ever - period.

[63utuber]

love that Frank Nelson, but how is an announcer on regularly schedule programs considered "self-employed"?

[serundipity]

@63utuber Because he does not work for the producers, but sells them a service. He may or may not sell such services to others. He decides how much and when he practices, what assistants he needs, if any, and so on.

[JubalCalif]

Sheila was a REALLY hot babe in her day. Hubba hubba to the max, daddy-o! I read her autobiography recently. A very interesting book. The late great Johnny Olson used some AMAZING voices. What an extremely talented fellow...one of the immortals of the broadcasting industry. Delightful episode....THANK YOU very for sharing it with us! :)

[ClassicFilmFan]

"I like him, I don't care what he does!"

Haha, I agree Arlene!

This made me laugh sooo much - I love his voices, and he even pulls off a "Frank Nelson!"

[trevor40]

Johnny Olsen seemed to be a friendly talented cutie pie :-)

[PhoebeHelen]

Not only were the WML regulars sharp, witty, and entertaining every week .... but even the show's ANNOUNCER was also! There is not now, nor will there ever be again, game shows like WML. Those of us just old enough to remember it as one of our regular Sunday night favorites were fortunate to have it as part of entertainment enjoyment in our young lives. At least the generations who come after us can today get a glimpse into the truly golden age of television via YouTube. Thanks for sharing!

[WintersWar]

olson gave them a run for their money.

[flokatirug]

This was a real treat.  Thanks for sharing.

[satnitcboy]

One of the better WML episodes here.

[OldTimerGoGetter]

Wow, this guy is fabulous!

I wish he would've done the lines he does for WML in front of the camera...

[gymnastix]

This episode of "What's My Line?" aired April 4, 1965 on the CBS Television Network @ 10:30 p.m. EST.

Johnny Olson was the first Mystery Guest, Maurice Chevalier the second.

The panel for this broadcast was: Arlene Francis, Martin Gabel, Shelia MacRae, and Bennett Cerf.

Miss Dorothy Kilgallen was "on assignment" that evening, and did not appear on the panel.

[CoreyD1086]

Johnny Olson was the best announcer in the entire industry and he will be missed. Rod Roddy had big shoes to fill after his passing.

[Noveltooner]

Since the home game scored in 10s, Johnny has hastily taped hand-printed point amounts in 25s over the original numbers on the peg board. By that time, the show was being taped in color, not broadcast live, but it was still treated as a live show; all the flubs and foibles stayed,,,and it was a BLAST!

[Noveltooner]

I never attended "Match Game" or "The Price is Right" in L.A. (I did attend "Concentration" out there as well as at 30 Rock). For all the great on-camera stuff on the CBS "Match Game," nothing could have topped the great, spontaneous and hilarious antics of the original "Match Game." One of the best was when the "MATCH" signs and scoring counters broke down. Gene rang a school bell when there was a match, and Johnny was keeping score on-camera with a Milton Bradley "Match Game" peg counter.

[epgrove1961]

Johnny O was an amazing announcer! They don't make 'em like him anymore.

[hifithepanda]

What a great tribute to a great guy, and a great testiment to his vocal skills that he was able to stump them after so many years. Thanks for posting!

[proken58]

Johnny was also one of the nicest guys in the business. Both Bob Barker and Gene Rayburn couldn't say enough good things about him, and both were truly mournful when he unexpectly died.

[Noveltooner]

Johnny demonstrated all of the tremendous vocal skills he used in in his days as one of radio and TV's earliest variety show and game show hosts. During his hosting days, Johnny Olson was renowned for his incredible ear for dialects and his dead-on impressions of radio and movie stars of the 1940s.

[tomservo56954]

@Noveltooner In the early days Johnny worked alongside his wife Penny.

[leela145]

Is it just me who thinks that Johnny Olson looks a tad like Ian Hislop? (from Have I got new for you?)

[gottamatch]

ARLENE: "I like him, I don't care what he does!"

hahaa This is a GREAT WML segment!! Thanks so much for sharing this gem!

[davemock]

IIRC, Johnny did guest spots on both the network and syndicated versions of this show. What a great subject.

[staytunedfor]

Classic Arlene .... it was fun to watch her expression at the reveal. It's too bad this was in the post-Kilgallen era ... I'm sure Dorothy would have had a lot of fun with Johnny as well.

[gymnastix]

No, this wasn't yet in the "post-Kilgallen era," as this episode aired April 4, 1965, seven months prior to Dorothy's death.

Dorothy just happened to be off the panel for this episode.

Or, as TV shows say today to cover any & all on-air absences (excluding vacations) the top brass doesn't want explained, "Miss Dorothy was 'on assignment'."

I'll say this for Kilgallen, though--she worked right up to the day before she died, in fact, within hours.

[chrisgast]

@gottamatch I would love for a woman like Arlene to say that about me... :)

[rjvonbokern]

There was a lot of talent there. It's ashame

that most people just remember Mr. Olsen for

"come on down". Gene Rayburn said that Mr.

Olsen was the best announcer on TV & this spot

proves that. One forgotten fact on Mr. Olsen,

besides all the game shows, he was the

announcer for the "The Jackie Gleason Show"

which meant Mrs MacRae [who was the 3rd Alice in the Honeymooners] on saw Mr. Olsen for every week.

for the Gleaso

[baldy2006]

Actually, Sheila MacRae was the 4th Alice.

The original Alice was Pert Kelton (on the old DuMont Network). Audrey Meadows was the 2nd and most famous Alice. The 3rd Alice was Sue Ann Langdon, who played the role in the early sixties. However, Miss Langdon fell out of favor with Mr. Gleason and was replaced by MacRae.

[tomservo56954]

@baldy2006 I knew Sue Ann Langdon was Gleason's female foil on the 1962-66 version of the show (a.k.a. THE AMERICAN SCENE MAGAZINE) but I understood they didn't do HONEYMOONERS sketches on it, and bringing it back (with Art Carney) was meant as a ratings boost...by '66 Jackie was being beaten in the Nielsens by FLIPPER.

[SIMPFANN]

After doing all that, going back to announcing in his normal voice must have seemed pretty boring!