Ep 21. What's My Line? - 1955 - Episode 21

What's My Line? was a popular television game show that aired from 1950 to 1967. Hosted by John Charles Daly, the show featured a panel of celebrity guests who would try to guess the occupation of a mystery guest through a series of yes-or-no questions.

In the 55th season, episode 21, which aired in 1955, the panel consisted of regulars Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, and Dorothy Kilgallen, joined by guest panelist Robert Q. Lewis.

The mystery guest for this episode was a "well-known performer," and the panel wasted no time in trying to narrow down their identity. Through a series of questions, they were able to determine that the guest was a female performer who had been on Broadway and in Hollywood, and had won an Academy Award for her work.

The panelists were able to make some shrewd guesses, with Kilgallen suggesting that the guest was "not as well known for her singing as she is for her acting," and Francis speculating that she was "probably renowned for her beauty." Lewis, meanwhile, wondered if the guest might be a "blonde bombshell."

As the questions continued, the panel was able to further narrow down the guest's identity, with Cerf speculating that she was from the mid-Atlantic region. They also guessed that she had been born in the 1920s and had starred in some classic films from the 1940s and 1950s.

Finally, with only a few questions left, the panel was able to correctly guess that the mystery guest was none other than Joan Fontaine, the acclaimed actress who had won an Oscar for her work in the Alfred Hitchcock film "Suspicion."

Fontaine graciously greeted the panel and spoke about her career, revealing that she was currently starring in a play on Broadway. Daly also announced that Fontaine would be a guest on the show again in the near future, to the delight of the panel and the studio audience.

Overall, this episode of What's My Line? was a prime example of the show at its best, with a star-studded mystery guest, clever panelists, and an entertaining guessing game that kept viewers at home on the edge of their seats.