Jacques Cousteau--What's My Line

[manwithouthat44]

the woman on the far left has a gorgeous smile

[observer9670]

Captain Cousteau hosted and/or starred in a series of documentary specials  (on ABC in the U.S.) from 1968-75. There were usually 4 or 5 specials per season. These were some of the highest rated shows on TV at the time.

[OPJacket]

Naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author, sea researcher... Hard to fit in one lifetime, impossible to fit in a WML show. This Jacket misses the Calypso, Jacques.

[tomitstube]

jacques would become much more famous in subsequent years. the next generation would literally grow up with his amazing work. his adventures in oceanic exploration was not only dangerous, but fascinating as well. an environmental pioneer.

[dbmrhi]

Cousteau, What fantastic entertainment of our passed. I never missed an episode. It's a shame that we don't have these kinds of educational programs on any longer.

[franklindavid]

Incredable man!

he has left a mark in the world of under discoveries today.

[ragemanchoo82]

Remington Rand typewriters rock my socks!

[ragemanchoo82]

So this was before they wore eyemasks? When/why did that start?

[iamintheburg]

@ragemanchoo82 They wore masks only once per show, at the last sequence when a famous person would be their Secret Guest. Cousteau was not really a celebrity when this was taped - his work was known, but not his face or personality......

[maxreger100]

@iamintheburg You are correct about no recognition of Cousteau's face. (That would change, would it not) ! But quite often there were TWO mystery guests on WML, where the panel was blindfolded.

[mozoxz]

Such natural facial expressions by everyone on the show.

[LosAngeleno1959]

"Notice the little puffer fish" Sacre blu! The Calypso is out of gas!

[arlichar11]

wow.. surprised they didnt have him speak...his voice is very familiar now adays, was this before he was famous or what?

[MaGaCoMa]

@arlichar11 - yes, his answers were mostly short, and this was before he was famous. he didn't have his own show until 1968. "what's my line" had non-celebrities when the panel was not blindfolded, but had to guess what the guest did for a living, and mystery guests who were celebrities (the panel was blindfolded while asking questions).

[cacaorocks]

cousteau was born old!

[tsuikjoshiomatsu]

wow, he looked old even on the '50s

[cumulo25]

No Blindfolds?

[dsepul74]

jacques custeau es una de las personas mas importantes del siglo 20. Lo que hizo antecede a todo. Es el padre de la investigacion. Grande jacques.

[92af]

I wish that Jacques Cousteau still lived

[MPL029]

Doea anyone know why youtube took off the timestamps when a comment was posted?

[WintersWar]

stumped!

[92af]

Jacques Cousteau was an awesome man

[senoramariposa]

Compare this to game shows of today...The Price is Right, anyone?!

[patclaudowen]

Are you kidding me ??? Cousteau was very well known over the world.And still is

[ShawDAMAN]

Wow. even I knew the name of Cousteau. Why wasn't he better known, sheesh

[schusterlehrling]

How come they dont know Jaques Costeau?

Americans...

[senoramariposa]

@schusterlehrling This is a very old film. Ultimately Americans became keenly aware of Monsieur Cousteau. I am fifty years old, and I've known about him all my life. So, kindly reserve your narrowminded judgements. I wager you've never met an American in your life.

[schusterlehrling]

Do you know that most "Americans" I met in the USA (not those that travelled to Europe. These were well educated) did not know that Canada is part of America and thought that Egypt is in Asia ("must be near East" was a common phrase)

You really have to fix the media and education system if that is the general standard.

[senoramariposa]

Admittedly, our educational standards have fallen to frightenly low levels. I've read about teachers not being allowed to fail students who deserve failing grades,  forced to pass students who turn in substandard work. Young college graduates submit resumés or cover letters with misspelled words, or incorrect homonyms. Text speak doesn't help, either. Yes, we have a lot to answer for. Still it's no great pleasure to be criticized over the web. We KNOW how flawed we are.

[maxsmouha]

@schusterlehrling Egypt is in Africa

[jgbennie]

@senoramariposa The Cousteau TV specials were in the 60s, so he wouldn't have been known by sight at this point.

[senoramariposa]

@jgbennie That's very true.

[Ciada91]

Cousteau created the demand regulator in 1943 which is a necessary piece of equipment for SCUBA. I'm surprised he wasn't a mystery guest and better known in the 50's.

[oceangirl1612]

Wow........ She DID say weenie.

[rentatrip1]

???...? ...you got a Wennie ...????

[dukebielak]

WTF?

[rentatrip1]

I don't Know either ... Dorothy K. loves to use this expression ...I have never heard of this slang term used other than by her on this WML program..

It is very "inside" Dorothy seems to use it to mean did you get some idea of who this may be?

but she always says Did you get a wennie .... It may refer to a --TEENIE WEENIE hit of the guest identity -

Weenie - short for teenie weenie - or a very small subtle clue from something that the guest said ..

Did You Get a Weenie ? how crude_

[selatik1]

I think that the average person was smarter in the 1950s than the average person today.

[TheCinemaization]

D'you think?

[dukebielak]

damn straight!

[StillAware]

@selatik1 That's what I've gathered from a few of these videos.

[jeffhardyRATM360]

@selatik1 mentally yes but look at the present day we have MUCH better technology Why? because of better huuman minds over the years

[selatik1]

@jeffhardyRATM360 Technology we have today comes through the diligent and thankless efforts made by countless forgotten generations of earlier scientists who advanced our understanding and technological ability with much less at their disposal than scientists today. We stand on the backs of giants

[circusboy90210]

@selatik1 education was not screwed up by teachers unions. they should abolish this union & fail teachers who fail their students by not assuring they learn.

[alienhuman]

@selatik1 I will agree with more roundly educated rather than smarter.

[selfidentity1]

@alienhuman i would say they were better selected for tv.

[Chameleonardodavinci]

@selatik1 Don't you wish you live in a time where you could be grounded by your mother for saying obsceneties such as "Damn" or "Heck", as opposed to a time where 12 year olds smoke and swear like sailors?

[selatik1]

@Chameleonardodavinci Perhaps. But what I really long for is the feeling of pure exhilaration & wonder I experienced as a child watching Cousteau's amazing TV program on marine biodiversity, "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau." I recall being enthralled weekly by the program, which aired from '68 - '75. I began playing guitar in '70, at age 7. When I was a bit older, I'd take my guitar to the nearby beach, & try to summon the same feeling by playing songs such as John Denver's "Calypso."

[waffledude114]

@selatik1 Smarter than some, but not me.

[selatik1]

@waffledude114 :-)

[DeathToAllReligions]

Say what you like: People today are morons.

[selatik1]

One thing's'for sure -- people had MUCH longer attention spans back then!

[MisterEvasion]

You aren't kidding. The series Danger Man is a good example. You actually have to watch the show and concentrate. It calls for very resolute viewing to enjoy the plots and stories. So I imagine that this was a typical posture for TV viewers in the early decades.

Perhaps this may be a reason why complicated, but popular card games like Piquet and Bezique gradually went out of fashion after WW2.

[SOLE2SOUL]

@selatik1 True, but there was also much less stuff to look at back then, only 3 networks back then.

[Factnotfictionpeople]

@selatik1 What ARE you trying to s.....

[TheTubePortal]

@selatik1 Well, I disagree. Back then things were .... oooh look a bunny!

[selatik1]

@TheTubePortal Were you even around back then? And how many celebrities nowadays could keep track of such a game, while consistently forming complete and grammatically correct sentences?

[TheTubePortal]

@selatik1 I think you missed the joke :oP

[selatik1]

@TheTubePortal What do you mean? I could never miss you at all.

[TheTubePortal]

@selatik1 Of course I agree with you, I was only making a joke. "Well, I disagree. Back then things were ... oooh look a bunny!" shows the beginning of a discussion quickly interrupted by a diversion of attention. This is a really strange conversation. A person doesn't "explain" their jokes to people who don't understand them, but I figured it wouldn't hurt because you obviously are too serious and need to lighten up a little bit. Enjoy life. Have a laugh.

[lowryallen]

Phil Rizzuto, nicknamed the Scooter, was the very first Mystery Guest on the very first WML in 1950. The segment is available on YouTube. It's wonderful

[Jade808]

Cousteau! He's great. I knew they weren't going to get it right haha

~Jade808~

[Findulidas]

To be fair it was a very rare and exotic job he had.

[Jade808]

That's very true.

~Jade8

[mathteacher1729]

"I don't think very often we turn to serious things for entertainment."

My goodness times have changed...

[soundzok]

I had no idea they took it all so seriously back then! I used to watch the guy's TV series on the BBC in the early seventies. This clip is really fascinating!

[dookykins]

Holy Cow! Look who is on the panel--Yankee hall of famer, Phil Rizzuto!

[soulierinvestments]

I second Fenhall's praise. Amen. Thanx for posting these interesting clips.

This clip interest me not only because we get to see Cousteau way back in my birth year 1956, but because the panel is so completely and so unhumorously out to sea. NPI. What WAS their problem?

[Fenhalls]

I suppose it was the same problem any panel would have had back in 1956: Cousteau had not achieved the level of fame that he would receive later on in his career.

Reading up about Cousteau, I was pleased to see that he was, as a member of the resistance (he was a saboteur and spy), on the right side of history and morality during World War II. His brother, on the other hand, was a Nazi collaborator who was sentenced to death at war's end (he ended up serving 10 years in prison).

[e148]

The year of my birth too, 1956. I watched Cousteau Specials in the 70s and I thought I might actually like to join him. I took High School French and scuba diving lessons in my 20s. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist, never did anything with this though.

I am still love the sea, and went into the US Coast Guard.

I am not on the coast now but I am trying to get back there.

He probably influenced my life more than I know.

[Fenhalls]

Wow, an embarrassment of WML riches today thanks to you and NorbertR33. My grateful thanks to you both!