What's my Line? Jackie Gleason

[observer9670]

I believe this wasn't long after Jackie left DuMont for a show on CBS. That's why Daly hesitated about the "rival network" claim, he was thinking if Gleason's CBS show had debuted by then.

[tryithere]

He did impersonate a pinball machine as The Spaceman for the costume contest. Maybe this was before that and he got the idea here but I doubt it.

[skippy0319]

He answers a question that he's under 40 in this clip. Honestly, he was SO good looking! Without the weight he could have been a "leading man" in Hollywood. I'll always love Jackie! He was the best!

[chuckbuckbobuck]

@calialiagirl--thank you--that looks about right

[lovefornylonfeet]

What do ya say there Ralphie boy!!!

[gordogreat74]

How is Jackie not laughing out loud! lol!

[journeymanwriter]

"Are you an excellent dialectician?" Was she thinking of Sid Caesar?

[tpir1972]

Jackie Gleason never did any G-T game show.

[MrGirliebird]

Totally. I get that. Also, isn't it interesting that this is so early in his career, that they couldn't quite get him? A few years later, and they would have guessed on the 3rd or 4th question. Gleason was just the greatest.

[blupouncch]

Anyone know who he is impersonating right after being asked if he did impersonations and was on a radio program?

[scrapstampcreate]

@blupouncch Clark Gable

[blupouncch]

I wish I had been born in a different decade!!! A child of the 80's I missed out on so many great comics. Hackett, Gleason, Rickles (still goin), Stooges, Marx Bros', etc. Don't get me wrong, I love Chapelle, Louie CK, Z, Galifinakis, would have adored this era in person. I love Gleason when asked if he's a "funny actor?" The response of all "humble" comics who, in earnest, feel they're the best. Wish a "Gleason-esque" figure was still 'sexy' (as someone posted) these days, I'd be doing fine :)

[GhostOfBugsy]

They said 'Are you over 40?" He said no? He sure looked old for his age.

[gmaureen]

"Are you Jimmie Gleason?" I just about fell off my chair.

[ivegotalongdong]

the panel almost was never stumped....wonder if it was all staged and written?

[srw6666]

Earlier days when "the honeymooners" was just one segment of jackie gleason's show. he was also very talented with physical comedy, i once saw him do a skit based on "beat the clock" on ed sullivan that was incredible.

[supermanfan62]

how sweet it is

[cunttaster]

Everything was different then(50s) I was born 1956 , but it was a innocence then. Even doing naughty things was better. Per my dad it was the best time. I know we will never go back but thank God for those days.

[MissLori]

The Great One was so talented and sexy...*sighs* I wish I could have lived then!!

[gyrene1966]

To the moon, Alice

[DiamondSoul]

Send me back to the 50s. Please?

[RImusclebear]

And away we go!!!!!!!

[charliepoveromo]

A legend forever, rest easy Jackie.

[RED1111111111]

STILL AND ALWAYS "THE GREAT ONE"!!!

[cheeriosinabowl]

It's good to see Jackie having fun, he's really enjoying the moment here.

[guyinfl99]

And away we go !!!!!!

[MrDAVIDEO84]

Wow ! that's very cool to see the Man Himself ! ( Mr . JACKIE GLEASON ) on " What's My Line ? " . and as a Tribute to " JACKIE GLEASON " ;

[theJordanabides]

I'M GUNNA BARBECUE YOUR ASS IN MOLASSES!!!!!!!!!

[mrspivvy]

pow! right in the kisser

[Onlymusical]

Yeah, if he'd come on a few years later the studio audience would've gone insane.

[HoboGus]

Jackie Gleason was so cool!! . What a great entertainer. The Honeymooners was such a killer Show.

[owling9]

hahahaha....... haven`t seen this since I was a kid. Thanks for posting !

[jerzeytpke]

LOL@"do you work with a STRAIGHT man at times" LMFAO!

[guyfroml]

Hey Ralph!

[bobszvetics1]

@guyfroml hey ralphie boy

[serpentisma]

@bobszvetics1 hellooo baaall.....

[Seston]

what type of chalk do they use, it looks like paint

[chuckbuckbobuck]

He looked a lot slimmer here then later in life. When was this? Mid-50's or late 50's does anyone know?

[saxyweed]

@chuckbuckbobuck It was either 53 or 55

[grabit1]

@saxyweed

Had to be around then since he wasn't 40 yet and didn't turn 40 until 1956.

[calalilygirl]

@chuckbuckbobuck 1953

[katinaanimator]

Even though he's kind of a "husky guy", Jackie Gleason DID have a certain grace and charm to him.

[BARRIEMOREBARLOW]

More talent than all of them conbined times a million. Jimmy Gleason.  What a moron.

[zlonxman]

Gleason was such a class act. And so funny too. The Great One indeed.

[gooshala]

What a pleasure seeing the "Great One" laughing at Steve Allen's come-backs. These guys were the absolute greatest comics and they did it without profanity and vulgarity. Irreplacable talents.

[onirannam]

Stopette. Was that a popular deodorant in the fifties? Jackie wasn't even forty here. Definitely early is is stellar career. Love this show!

[dolly244]

Jack Gleason? I will have you know my name is sherrif Buford T Justice! The best!

[STU676]

kilgallon is bombed as usual

[americanGTA]

its a man.

LMAO!!!!!!!!

[steve4nlanguage]

"Well I knew he wasn't hanging in the Louvre." -- Gotta love Arlene Francis' classy wit.

[tuxguys]

Steve Allen was a genius, even then...

[tuxguys]

@tuxguys

I'm going to reply to myself, not having seen this for a year:

Watch Gleason's face, everytime Allen says something: Gleason gets it, too, in a way no one else in the room could... It takes one Genius to recognize another Genius.

[ZZstaff]

The "What's My Line?" series that you have posted is outstanding, as is this one of Jackie Gleason.

Thank you for sharing!

[SOLE2SOUL]

Why do Dorothy's masks always look like some kind of underwear?

[zeroisland7]

@SOLE2SOUL -- Maybe it came from underwear, hers or other locations. :)

[arkyron1947]

"Your not a product of my loins" Sheriff Buford T. Justice- Mr. Jackie Gleason,Smokey and the Bandit.

[franklindavid]

Great comedian, actor and musician, best known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on the"Honeymooners".

[wmlfan9]

The Great One. That's all I have to say.

[63utuber]

So, what was the Jackie Gleason radio program?

[wheresmylife]

Bennett Cerf was absolutely right about Dorothy Kilgallen. While the rest of the panel was always interested in having fun and entertaining the audience with their questions, Dorothy was more interested in trying to guess who the guest was. He said she often asked questions that she already knew the answers to to get more air time. I've been watching loads of these videos and he's absolutely right. She has her moments but she's not much fun.

[doc1917]

@wheresmylife i strongly disagree with both you and bennett i think he was being very petty i too have watch many of these clips. bennett said that dorothy asked alot questions during the mystery guest appearances even when most of the years of the show a panelist got one questions. i found bennett could be long winded himself and very corny. dorothy could also laugh when she was the butt of a joke. well that my opinion.

[wheresmylife]

@doc1917 You have to remember, doc1917, that what you're watching on YouTube are mostly just clips of mystery guests. Bennett's comment that Dorothy would ask questions she already knew the answer to (for more camera time) happened throughout the show, with all the guests. Not just the mystery guests. That's where they're able to ask questions until they get a "No" answer.

[doc1917]

@wheresmylife there are youtube clips from bennett cerf inertview on noted new yorkers where he talks about dorothy. some complains if true were valid. the comments he made about the show i think is rubbish. he talked about knowing bob hope was on the show and the panel drag it out so hope didn't have time to plug his latest movie which cerf thought was a turkey. about dorothy hogging time, arlene and cerf wanted to be on camera since he stated that she was actess and he was a ham. so true

[xander7ful]

He said yes to "a delinquent but not juvenile". How funny.

[BitterBosh]

Love his laugh. He seems rather jolly.

[hotrod347]

boy is gleason young there, this has got to be during or shortly after the honeymooners.

[serpentisma]

@hotrod347 i know you wrote your post here about a month abo here about jackie gleason's appearance on "what's my line?" but i felt compelled to respond to your post. this was actually recorded in 1953, a couple of years before the honeymooners aired on tv. at this time he was famous for his vaudeville performances with art carney and the like, and had actually performed sketches at that time that would later on become the tv show.

[Nationsnotregimes]

@hotrod347

He had guts and spoke his mind and promoted Richard M. Nixon !

Read the 1991 book "Silent Coupe"

[FriendofRamblinJack]

mmmmmmmmm how sweet he was....Gosh we miss him and his class and talent

[NYVoice]

At 4:20, "making sounds like a pinball machine..."-HILARIOUS! He would eventually enter the costume ball at the Racoon Lodge as a pinball machine. "La PLUME!!"

[AzureHvn]

I loved watching him in reruns when I was little! Still have a fondness for him.

Much too bad we rarely see such graciousness!

[sugarlipz96]

He was great :)

[skybart]

Is this from 1961?

[TomBarristerX]

Gleason said he wasn't over 40, and he would have been in 1961 (he was born in 1916).

Gleason appeared twice on WML: in 1953 and 1955. In the 1955 show, Gleason appeared (as a mystery guest) as "Bus Driver Ralph Kramden". This episode has been lost (no kinescope exists). Copies of the (March 8) 1953 show do exist, and this must be it.

[calalilygirl]

@TomBarristerX This is from early-mid 1950's.

[TomBarristerX]

I've researched it, and it's the March 8, 1953 show.

[calalilygirl]

@skybart No 1950's--early/mid

[rsummitt]

how sweet it is!!!!

thank you for these memories!!

[madamimadamimadam]

"Are you on the heavy side?"

"Yes."

"That's too bad."

HA!

[SoulCat59]

That was quite a BIG ovation

Not a pinky lee And he DID make motion pictures before 1961

[franklindavid]

Incredable! This video is timeless.

[Georgie1954]

He was the greatest and people back then didn't appreciate it. Too bad for them.

[RELubber]

I hated that uptight bitch Arlene Francis. She thought her shit didn't stink. WTF did she EVER do in show biz?? Oh I know, she married successful men!!!

[senoramariposa]

She performed on Broadway.  Does that count?

[RELubber]

And she was in a few movies too. She sucked in those as well.

[senoramariposa]

@RELubber Your opinion, to which you are entitled. Either way, she was anything but uptight. She was gracious, articulate, and carried herself with confidence and style; something sorely lacking in the stars of today.

[defundthewar]

Not a big round of applause for the Great One, surprisingly.

[excidedous]

That's because he was the one that called himself the "Great One" He was a prick and wasn't funny anyway unless someone else was there with him to give him the credit.

[defundthewar]

I think Orson Welles is usually credited with naming Gleason "The Great One" but I agree it was likely Jackie himself. I think he was enormously funny, and like most- maybe all- successful comedians, not so nice, to put it mildly.

[Gnillob802]

This was when The Jackie Gleason Show first started its run and before the Honeymooners became a regular fixture let alone the newer Honeymooners. His major film roles didn't begin until 1961 with The Hustler. Up to now he was a well known character actor who had a TV show, but had not become the well-known star he would later become. Notice how Arlene Francis didn't even know his first name and referred to non-Honeymoon characters on his show.

[TheTypicalGirl]

Pretty big. What do you expect? This show had all kinds of big stars.

[defundthewar]

Let's just say it was a Pinky Lee reception for the Great One. Needless to say, I'm a big fan... always have been.

[marlis44]

Miss Killgallen can as questions in a condescending manner.

[CarlyIsAGangster]

@marlis44 I know!! Her questions are either very irrelevant or just sound so arrogant.

Arlene is my favorite. Ha

[eheaven3]

Oops Inadvertently omitted the 90 after Playhouse. Apologies.

[eheaven3]

What's My Line, along with other shows of the 50s like Omnibus and Playhouse, should be shown in schools today. History 101. That comment aside, just look at Gleason. A brilliant star on the rise. A composer, as well. His eyes reveal a warmth and kindness. And more than just a liitle Jack Daniels. The Great One captured on kinescope as a budding star. Thanks a million!!!!!!

[tallpaul521]

I agree. Gleason was THE GREATEST, but his drink of choice was Scotch - J&B.

[eheaven3]

Thank you tallpaul521. I stand corrected.

Frank drank Jack.

In the novel UNDERWORLD by Don DeLillo about "the shot heard 'round the world" (Giants vs Dodgers pennant game in 1951) it tells the tale of Sinatra and Gleason (and, yes, J. Edgar Hoover, too) watching the game and getting so plastered that Jackie pukes all over Frank's shoes. I guess J&B and Bobby Thompson didn't mix well together.

[tallpaul521]

I'll have to check out that novel. I'm pretty up on Gleason and Sinatra, but I'd never heard of the puking on the shoes story. If you're a fan of Gleason and Sinatra, you should get the documentary on Toots Shor -- "TOOTS" - it was done by Toots' daughter -- great Gleason and Sinatra stories..and the history of the NYC bar, sports and entertainment scene.

[jsadecky22]

Geez, funny how he considered himself heavy so nonchalantly back then. He should see what's heavy today! If he was walking around EPCOT right now he would thin by comparison.

[smbok123]

@jsadecky22 lol how right that is.

[Cris43130]

I suspect that Dorothy thought it was Mel Blanc by her question about inanimate objects and John stumbled over the question about the network because Jackie Gleason's show began on DuMont and moved to CBS. This show may have been made during his first season at CBS.

[Commando303X]

"Jimmy Gleason" — sacrilege!

*Is this before or after "The Honeymooners"?

[operjxm]

Funny coincidence....when Art Carney was on , Bennett mistakenly guessed "AL Carney"

[MDAC1012]

The 39 episodes are the "classic 39" that only ran for one season. However, Gleason did the Honeymooners as a sketch on his variety show for years both before and after the "classic 39" were made.

[myhighlanddream]

So weird to think of him under 40 at that time...

[BrooklynJackBlue]

Was JUST thinking that, too.

[EmilyGreene1984]

Wow, Jackie Gleason is kind of handsome. :)

[calalilygirl]

Yes he was, great face

[MissLori]

@EmilyGreene1984 Yes he was ;o)

[cliffwalkinfool]

@EmilyGreene1984 He was, in all respects, "The Great One"!

[sh4273]

@cliffwalkinfool He played Center for the Edmonton Oilers?

[e148]

It would be interesting to know if Art Carney's appearance was well after Jackie's. I mean Arlene called him Jimmy Gleason and Bennett Cerf called Art Carney, Al Carney.

Still got both first names wrong.

I have not seen that except for these two episodes. I have only seen some that are on youtube.

Was getting the first name wrong common? I would guess not.

If that is true (not common), what conclusion can be drawn from that?

[MIKESOWELL]

In 1953, Jackie was 37 years old. I say it looks to be about 1953 onward, Jackie began to gain a lot of weight. While in the past he yo-yoed a lot, he generally was fat from 1953 to his death. And in 1953 he was about 220 lbs, which he appears to be here, up from 180 in his Dumont days of 1950-51.

[MIKESOWELL]

From looking at Gleason, I would say this was about 1953

[e148]

well before the movie then . thank you.

[satisfaction2000]

He did say he was under 40

[e148]

Speaking of French accent. Jackie Gleason played in the movie Gigot, as Gigot a mute Frenchman, in 1962. I would not call this movie a comedy.

When was this episode of WML? Before or after the movie?

[StevesWifeCharlo]

Love this show and it reminds me so much of Sunday nites when I got to stay up and watch. The Mystery Guest was my favorite. Thanks for posting. LOVE Arlene Francis and Bennet Cerf, and Kitty Karlisle, Dorothy Kilgallen....all of them the best.

[Marckymarc71]

I got the impression watching this that Jackie hadn't really reached superstardom yet. Arlene calling him Jimmy Gleason and the audience not giving him a thunderous ovation was kind of strange, but I guess he didn't really reach the top until a few years later.

[videosoulbygregg]

Agree. At end, "You've very funny" as if he is relatively new.

[Tazal]

actually the honey mooners was a 50s show. I think it only play one or two seasons

[jesusranch34]

It was just 39 episodes

[YeahRight825]

Yeah, Jackie really didn't hit super stardom until his first season of his actual television SERIES of 'The Honeymooners' ended in 1956 (they ran from Oct. 1955 to Nov. 1956). There were only 39 total episodes... he was supposed to do another season and breached his contract with CBS, and decided not to for reasons he claimed, "we were running out of ideas"... however, I really believe there were other underlying reasons why he canceled, but that's the reason he went a long with for the public.

[tribcz]

@Marckymarc71 Jackie was very much a star at this time -- Arlene calling him Jimmy was simply her mispeaking. There was a famous actor named James Gleason. So she had Jackie on her mind, but with the last name Gleason also in her mind Jimmy just sort of came out.

[starr458]

My Grandmother, Ruth Cooper, was on this same show. I was wondering if you have the whole episode, if so, could you possibly post her section as well? My Grandfather is 83 years old and would be SO surprised to see this video, as well as I would love to.

[Muffy2314]

Love the entrance he made.

[Muffy2314]

One of my favorite mystery guest episodes.

[CK1223]

r.ip. the great one

[HowardOfOz3565]

the Great One....How Sweet it is!!!!

[Imthecuteone]

such a great disguised voice too!!

[cheyenne86]

just love this guy... he is talentl

[cheyenne86]

This man is so great, i love the honeymooners

[bigred997]

bennett didn't stand. he should have. he's better than that.

[soulierinvestments]

Agree. However in the early 1950s, the panel stood up for mystery guests half and half hit and miss.

[Muffy2314]

Were the panelists paid? I always assumed they were.

[soulierinvestments]

Yes. In the 1960s, the guest panelist received 750 dollars an appearance. The regular  panelists earned several thousand dollars an appearance. So did Daly.

[Muffy2314]

Wow, that's pretty impressive. That was a lot back then.

[Nationsnotregimes]

@Muffy2314

Yes it was real money, average workers made 35 dollars a week

[martinimerlin]

That's amazing. Most talk and panel show guests were, and still are paid scale -- even The Tonight Show, Letterman, etc. guests.

Several thousand dollars an appearance back then seems incredible. The Beverly Hillbillies main cast, when it was the number one show, only received $500 per show..with the exception of Buddy Ebsen who was paid the whopping salary of $1500 per show.

[proken58]

In a 1967 Time Magazine interview, Cerf said that Daled, Arlene Francis and he made six figures just for WML. He said it was the easiest money he ever made.