Dorothy Kilgallen was What's My Line's tortured soul. She had her emotional ups and downs, to put it mildly, worsened by drug abuse which finally led to her early death. Fiercely competitive at the silly little game, she once cried to fellow panelist Bennett Cerf that she hadn't guessed an occupation for three whole weeks.
So it's a pleasant change to see this November 18, 1956 episode where Dorothy's father, then-famous reporter James Kilgallen, appeared as a mystery guest. After a lot of stumbling around by the panel, the blindfolded Dorothy finally identified her daddy. A nice moment for all concerned.
If you want to know more about James Kilgallen, this newspaper story is worth a look. He sounds like a Ben Hecht character (yes, I'm dating myself) fresh out of The Front Page. Raffish, funny, wisecracking, almost a stereotypical old-time newspaperman. That was back when they printed newspapers on dead trees. Boy, I'm really dating myself.
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