What's my Line? Jesse Owens

[ShawDAMAN]

Classy guy and tremendous athlete.

[corydora2012]

What a wonderful, gracious man!

[carterfrvr]

He had lovely handwriting.

[edmilan1]

Jesse was a real class act.

[MDBellamy]

Dignity + fortitude = class!

[purpleshamrock17]

why the hell didn't they ask the "is a ball used in this sport?" question right from the beginning! Would've saved them a lot of questions!

Still, i cracked up at the "tiddlywinks" bit :)

[SatchmoSings]

Jesse Owens was a thoroughly decent man and while the Nazis may not have liked him, he was at least able to stay in hotels and ride in the regular, not the freight elevators.

[pyrofella]

What a great host John was

[BigTex541]

Jessie wins again!

[FateUnderground]

Isnt it true that Nazi Germany treated Jesse Owens better than he would have been treated in the USA at the time, and that according to Jesse Owens Hitler waved at him after the race? I find that shocking.

[SOLE2SOUL]

Jesse has lovely handwriting.

[taffy3321]

Hitler considered blacks to be sub-human, not human beings at all. He considered Jews to be the lowest form of humanity. He stopped attending the Olympics when Jessie won because he was so upset. It was Paul Robeson who celebrated Soviet Communism in Russian culture and thought that IT taught true equality, not Jessie Owens in Nazi Germany. (And toward the end of his life, Paul changed his mind.)

[ajlee35]

what's actually beautiful about this clip is when the blindfolds come off and you can see they're honestly delighted to see him.

[Wazztheweasel]

Nazi's were only against Jews not black...!

[CaptainOvious123]

@Wazztheweasel No, they saw them as inferior and subhuman, similarly to how they viewed eastern Europeans.

[Wazztheweasel]

@CaptainOvious123 Well he would not light them....Hitler

I see other non Euroepans also as inferior...look what they do with there country's look at there culture compared to Europeans....they suck at life...and the more there are in Europe the more life sucks for White Europeans..

[Wazztheweasel]

@CaptainOvious123 Jews kill Arabs for there land called Israel...they may see Arabs Inferior and not the chosen people ...should we hate the Jews now....i do think so...

Hilter shook the hand of this Jesse Person..Hitler Congratulated him...then he had allot of pictures with him and hitler...he could sit anywhere in the bus and he told in the USA he felt like a actuall human in Germany compared how they treat them in the US.

[CaptainOvious123]

@Wazztheweasel ??? Why are you bringing Israel into this? Completely unrelated.

I don't know where you got that information from, but it's completely inaccurate. Hitler was very annoyed by him winning, particularly because he wanted to show the rest of the world the dominance of the Aryan race.

Also, if you want to continue this discussion please Inbox me. Don't want to ruin this video.

[Wazztheweasel]

@CaptainOvious123 What thats totaly US bullshit...propagannda these are fact the pictures are there to see for everybody...

[CaptainOvious123]

@Wazztheweasel I'm not American nor have ever lived in the West. If you want to continue this discussion, please Inbox me and not talk here.

[Nigelxman1]

A truly great human being.

[MrCappy4]

Let's not lose the experience of viewing these very literate and classy WML people -all of whom (outside of Killgallan's diatribe against country music and mean gossip) were noted for open-handedness and acceptance. If Owens experience was better in Germany in 1936 than the racism back home-Germany WANTED the Olympics to be their positive showcase. Nazi real attitudes about race and their mass murders of 'inferiors' are notorious.This show treats Jesse Owen with respect and color blindness.

[phr34kyy]

Funny how they spew propaganda even though they shunn out of the history books that jesse owens said himself when he went to Nazi Germany he was treated very well and felt more comfortable there then when he went back to America, no one stared at him or treated him like a common nigger

Welcome to real history, to want to exist and be the controlers of ones own peoples and nations and future posterity, and for ones own people alone, does not mean one needs to hate others.

[phr34kyy]

@phr34kyy

Forced Multi-CULT-uralism creates conflict and it as long as it continues will very soon create civil/race war

Can thank the Liberal and kosher conservative Marxists for that, why do you think they all talk virtually the same but govern the same.....Marxists radicals.

Wont be long, Marxism will always devour itself and Zionism always exposes itself as it has today

[baked4211]

@phr34kyy (this is what I hear coming out of your mouth) blame it on all the communist radical socialist facist marxist propagandist zionist imperialist pigs out there RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE. there all to blame for all the worlds problems today. quit acting like you know shit. And please accept that you have a small penis and quit blaming others for it. PLEASE STOP WATCHING GLEEN BECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[calihartley2010]

why the heck whenever there is a black person, there is always the word racism. Have we all come to view these people associated with racism. If that is true, then we cannot move ahead. Both sides black and white must forget the past and move ahead.

[tomitstube]

@calihartley2010 ~ there were many black guests on wml where race doesn't become an issue in the comment section. it's an issue with jesse owens for two reasons. 1) jesse, a black american, made a mockery of hitler and nazi germany's white supremacist ideology. 2) when jesse owens came back to his home country in 1936, he still wasn't a free or full citizen in his own country, even while being called a hero by many.

[calihartley2010]

@tomitstube yeah that was thsoe days. Move ahead.

[tomitstube]

@calihartley2010 ~ i have "moved ahead". i was never behind. logically, one has to come to grips with the past to "move ahead", lest they be doomed to make the same mistakes over and over and over. can you say 1980 and 2010? so why so indignant? you perplexed why racism is generally synonymous with black people, (who else would it be?) i simply explained jesse owens impact on that subject.

[1949man]

One of the greatest guys ever..THE Ohio State Univ.

[nerdflanders8710]

who taught him octogon??

[Meashayshay2]

He has some nice cursive handwriting!

I love their excitement for finding out it was Jesse! lol.

[gtlfb]

The look on Cerf's face when Daly announces Owen's name is priceless - like a kid meeting the real Santa Claus. "Charlie Chan at the Olympics" has a few moments of Owen's performance.

[nerdflanders8710]

He speaks pretty eloquently for an athlete.

[nerdflanders8710]

they should have said question one "are you a jigaboo?'

[RealDefentertainment]

@nerdflanders8710 If that was you they wouldnt ask you a damn question but simply state that "YOU ARE A VERY IGNORANT MARTIAN"

[DiscoverPeace]

Man oh man, things were classy back then.

[JAVMAN83]

A real gentleman. Class act.

[berezin99]

Jesse Owens talks as impeccibley as John Daly and the rest of the panel.

Nothing racist intended here but you see these rappers and gangstas today trying to put together two words to a sentence and you wonder what the hell went wrong?

[zoobalac]

@berezin99 About the modern crap we call music- Hip-Hop wasn't always as it is today, at first it gave a message. But then the people at the top of the industry, mostly white men (no secret) don't think the music with a message will sell. Or don't want it to sell... This crap that's playing is a disgrace. I used to have similar views on rap until I listened to the original MC's!

[berezin99]

@zoobalac So you're saying they speak so incoherently on purpose?

[zoobalac]

@berezin99 What I'm saying is what I wrote. Old Hip-Hop is great. New rap is not (with a couple exeptions). What's there to ask?

[berezin99]

@zoobalac I think we're talking about two totally different things.

[zoobalac]

@berezin99 -_-

[calihartley2010]

@berezin99 yeah, they cannot even say words or pronounce them properly. They always say bro, hoe, sista and brotha. Not to mention the N word. So when will these so called free blacks learn from their elders that to be free does not mean to be trashy and crass. If MLK were to come back from the dead, he would be stunned and wondered why he ever fought for their civil rights. He must be rolling in his grave.

[hawkeyepierce123]

Nice video!

[Scoclamor]

They should have said, "And if you are a British Lord...than I am Jesse Owens", from this Harrison Ford movie in 1989.

[revolver04]

What a handsome and elegant man!

[MrCombat1965]

Mr. Owens seems like a nice man. A great American hero. As John Daly stated, "He rammed each of his gold medals right down Adolph Hitler's throat". Well stated. Amen.

[Paladin1649]

The broad-jump record (see my note, below) was set by Mr. Ralph Boston on 12 Aug 60. Mr. Daly refers to the record as having happened "last Friday night." We can safely deduce this episode was filmed in mid-August 1960.

Mr. Owens was PURE CLASS.

[Paladin1649]

Mr. Daly makes reference to Mr. Owens' record broad-jump, 26' 8-1/4". Mr. Owens did that at the Big Ten Conference Championship Meet of 1935. Mr. Daly mentions that the record stood for twenty-five years. Nineteen-thirty-five plus 25 equals 1960. Mr. Owens' appearance on "What's My Line" was filmed in 1960, shortly before the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.

[MagikalKraker]

Class act

[TriciaJustice]

Jesse owens stayed at a hotel at which I worked. When approached by one of my co-workers for an autograph, he was extraordinarily gracious. She asked if he'd write a brief message of encouragement on the back of a picture of her youngest son--a sophmore swimmer in High School. He looked at the picture, said "My! What a fine looking son you have there, ma'am.", wrote a brief message and signed his name. To her thank you, he responded "My pleasure" and meant it. What a man.

[WBensburg]

I was wondering what John's comment was (just clipped at the very end) -- he couldn't possibly be saying "very well", as this was one of the worst performances by the panel I've seen! Couldn't they use Dorothy's time-honored and most effective technique: is it OTHER than boxing? Is it OTHER than basketball?

Otherwise, what a joy to see Jesse Owens so warmly received.

[vonbaben]

Pleas date of this program

[dcbandnerd]

I'm guessing this is right before the '64 Toyko Games.

[JAVMAN83]

@dcbandnerd

No, this was just before the Rome 1960 Games

[1sababoy]

Jesse Owens = Courage

[ShawDAMAN]

"tiddlywinks" LOL

[MarkThompson01]

I had the pleasure of meeting Jesse Owens when I was in the (I think) 4th grade when he visited our school. He was extremely polite and soft-spoken. I'll never forget shaking his hand; I was absolutely in awe.

[MTPippin]

This was really something to watch. Horray for Jesse Owens!!!!

[Lennon4life1968]

props for "Front Page Challenge" being recognized. It was a fine Canadian program that ran for many years as well.

[ipmoic]

Well educated, distinguished and a gentleman. Wow--Jesse Owens--hero!

[rentatrip1]

Yes the signature of "most" high achievers is given with a "mark" of unique distinction- part of the study of handwriting "analysis" agrees a successful person is "proud" of their name so it is flourished proudly as to display traits of the individual-

[Bdaychick]

This is random - but he has a really great signature!!!!

[FergusMcDopey]

Jesse Owens was and forever will be a National Hero of the United States, a truly great man.

[woody2327]

National Hero of the United States.

That was awesome Fergus!

Said well.

[dcbandnerd]

That picture of him on the medal stand, saluting is probably the most iconic photos in Olympic History.

[nerdflanders8710]

@FergusMcDopey hmmm maybe a long time ago , today it's Michael Jackson. and OJ Simpson.

[fossilvivo]

@FergusMcDopey i think he became a planetary hero. you're nation should be proud

[TruthExistsNoMore]

Hitler waved to him to offer congratulations at the 1936 Berlin olympics. But when Ownes returned to America he wasn't even invited to the Wite House.

[sayward12]

That was dumb of the panel, they should have asked the general questions like "is a ball used in your sport" first.

[evfich]

:-)

[13loomisst]

Thanks very much for posting. Permit me to add -- I rarely comment on the remarks of others, but the notion of racism here is bizarre. John and the panel greet him warmly, as usual. However, we live in a land where free speech is, mercifully, the law of the land.

[nestleangel]

I would have to agree with you there. I have been watching the episodes with black guest not really looking for racism but wondering if it was there. I am happy to say that I have not seen one yet. I will say that short of Wilt Chamberlin and Lena Horne they don't talk very much if at all but that is not uncommon.

[cjs33139]

For the 1950s, I did NOT see any evident racism or ill treatment of Jesse by the guests or host, who was gracious to give credit to him for being an Olympic icon and mentioning how he disappointed HItler. I think you are reading too much into this and seeing things that are not there. Not everyone in the 50s was racist, you know.

[sordi4ever]

@cjs33139 after win; but before?! when you win so much ,you can be from other planet; but all NEGROs from USA can t be a Jessy Owens! the propaganda USA show in TV rich Black (correct is Negro if you want give a connotation; black is an object,no a people) people, but is a trick ! USA is a real NAZI country bec. made by AshkeNAZI; from the jew C.Colombo!

[cjs33139]

@sordi4ever yawwwwwwwwwn,... just another boring conspiracy theorist illuminati propagator.

[tomitstube]

@cjs33139 ~ gee, that's really going out on a limb saying "not everyone" was a racist in the 1950's. maybe you should ask a black person who lived in the 1950's how non-racist america was. many famous black people rather than face indignities forced on them by the "land of the free", moved to europe to escape institutionalized racism in america.

[cjs33139]

@tomitstube What I meant was that just as today not everyone is a homophobe, back then, I am sure some white folks were enlightened enough not to view blacks as inferior but as a whole, sure.... racism was an institution that was there to stay, and the majority of whites despised blacks, but its not fair to say ALL whites felt that way and some went out of their way to accomodate blacks at risk of their very own lives. Yes, Europeans have been way ahead of us on many issues unfortunately.

[tomitstube]

@cjs33139 ~ but i'm sure you knew all that, judging by your enlightened response. i was hoping i was wrong about you... there is so much revisionist denial going on today. i was. you were simply defending the idea that many whites were on the right side of history. harry truman for instance integrated the armed forces in 1948 by executive order, despite 80% of white enlisted men wanting to stay segregated.

that's why i like wml. it's a great show with historical context. : )

[cjs33139]

@tomitstube The European nations were a lot less racist, yes... and many moved there to escape racism in the states, but that isn't to say Europe was racism free, as Germany/Spain/Italy proved to be racist. Maybe post-war Europe was more enlightened, probably sadly as a result of the Holocaust, and the Soviet Union attracted a lot of blacks because of their anti-US (capitalism perpetuates racism) view (there are studies on the number of blacks who fled to Russia, not many know of this).

[tomitstube]

@cjs33139 ~ well yes, there was racism in europe as well, but many black, japanese, and other minority american soldiers were stunned by how much more progressive europe was compared to the oppressively violent hatred they faced at home. jesse owens came home to that in 1936, joe louis in 1938. they were called heroes in the papers, but called niggers in their home towns. even in 1947, jackie robinson, like many heroic soldiers of ww2 were humiliated by white people on a daily basis...

[KenfromDublin]

The 50's racism was so evident here and who's surprised? - the host Daly was visibly angry/irritated as he exclaimed for 'the first time in eleven years' there was a problem with one of the blindfolds, note too the monosyllabical disinterested questions and the fact that it was an almost unheard of 10 out of 10 negatives -all in succession with no carry overs, and Daly had to restrain himself from flipping the tenth negative prematurely such was his prior knowledge of the outcome.

[2sday55]

you must not watch the show often, because if you did you would notice how Mr. Daly's flips the cards when no answers come very quickly. This was a live show that how time restraints. You are reading too deeply. If you are looking for and want to find something badly you will convience yourself you see it.

[KenfromDublin]

I've watched dozens of the shows online 2sday55 and quite the opposite to what you erroneously state - in fact it would seem that YOU quite obviously haven't watched the show at all at all at ALL!

[evfich]

temper? im just stating a fact. if you cant understand it dont blame me.

[rhsjb]

well check out the What's my Line? Wilt Chamberlain.

[evfich]

we are all racist sir or madam. the trick is not to let it control the way you behave towards others. these people are not bigots. be less angry.

[LeanaHM76]

Track wasn't all that popular back in those days. So, it was kind of hard to guess.

[Meashayshay2]

@evfich Err no. i agree with the latter, but the former of your statement not so much.

[evfich]

@Meashayshay2 you cant agree with the latter and not the former. it would be oxymornic.

[Dani257]

I'm listening and the questions they ask use words of more than one syllable. Except for the question of "is your field golf?" but once they established he was in athletics, it was a valid question. So, I'm not hearing these monosyllabic disinterested questions.

Anyway, since they didn't know who the guest was (they got it wrong) how can their alleged disinterested questions be attributed to racism? As far as they knew during the questions, the mystery guest could easily have been white.

[redblackhockey]

Daly was ready to flip the last card because the panel was so far off base with their line of questioning.

Tony Randall looked like he'd never been happier to meet a person, and the way the audience greeted Owens was usually reserved for big-time movie stars. I didn't see any racism

[winkieandleah]

What year is this clip from?

[soulierinvestments]

I thought the explanatory title after his name was quite unnecessary -- but apparently the producers were right. Track and Field, I guess, is the least known sport in the American Athletic consciousness.

Despite all the high-minded rhetoric we sometimes hear about separation of sports and state, sport and state go hand in hand. We should worship our athletic heroes on their own terms, but inevitably nations will co-opt athletes' glory as symbols of the motherland or fatherland or homeland.

[rjvonbokern]

Thanks for posting. Jesse Owens was a true

American hero.