One of TV's longest lasting quiz shows, 1950-1967, which does surprise me somewhat. After all, there's a lot of sophisticated banter among New York panelists Kilgallen, Francis, and Cerf along with host Daly. The question is whether that learned humor would play well enough for popular ratings across the country. But apparently it did and for 17 seasons.
But then the real draw, I think, was the often wacky occupations of the guests that the panelists would try to track down by asking 'yes' or 'no' queries of the guest. For example, the guest might be an old lady who swallows swords in a carnival, or a demure young woman who guards sunken treasures; or, then again, the occupation might be a perfectly ordinary one, like a shoe salesman or a store cashier. Actually, you never knew what was coming with the next guest, unless, of course, it was the 'mystery guest' who was usually a well known show-biz celebrity. And over the years just about every Hollywood high-flyer showed up, making the show a real delight for nostalgic re-runs.
Anyway, kudoes to the quick-witted and quick-thinking panelists, and especially host Daly. He may never have mastered the short explanatory sentence, but he certainly knew how to coordinate the often roving byplay into the program's limited time frame. Then too, he was quite good at taking care of logical distinctions often contained in questions and answers, so as not to put panelists on the wrong track. Now if could only frame his distinctions in 200 ordinary words or less, it would help!
No doubt another big draw was the laughable innuendo that often occured with panelists' probing queries, such as whether a fertilizer salesman's product could be held in the hand or eaten. The audience would roar at the antic while panelists would look stumped at the reaction. Anyway, be sure to catch up with the series on You Tube. It's an entertaining treat for both new viewers and old.
But then the real draw, I think, was the often wacky occupations of the guests that the panelists would try to track down by asking 'yes' or 'no' queries of the guest. For example, the guest might be an old lady who swallows swords in a carnival, or a demure young woman who guards sunken treasures; or, then again, the occupation might be a perfectly ordinary one, like a shoe salesman or a store cashier. Actually, you never knew what was coming with the next guest, unless, of course, it was the 'mystery guest' who was usually a well known show-biz celebrity. And over the years just about every Hollywood high-flyer showed up, making the show a real delight for nostalgic re-runs.
Anyway, kudoes to the quick-witted and quick-thinking panelists, and especially host Daly. He may never have mastered the short explanatory sentence, but he certainly knew how to coordinate the often roving byplay into the program's limited time frame. Then too, he was quite good at taking care of logical distinctions often contained in questions and answers, so as not to put panelists on the wrong track. Now if could only frame his distinctions in 200 ordinary words or less, it would help!
No doubt another big draw was the laughable innuendo that often occured with panelists' probing queries, such as whether a fertilizer salesman's product could be held in the hand or eaten. The audience would roar at the antic while panelists would look stumped at the reaction. Anyway, be sure to catch up with the series on You Tube. It's an entertaining treat for both new viewers and old.