Nostalgia

In recent months I have been watching old reruns of “What’s My Line?”  The show started broadcasting in February, 1950. It ran until October, 1968, for a total of 17.5 years. That is 869 programs. A game show, a panel questioned contestants to learn their occupation. The challenges were interesting and fun. The panelists involved became a strong feature of the program.

The emcee was John Daly, a news analyst for radio and television. Arlene Francis, an actress on stage and film, Dorothy Kilgallen, a newspaper journalist, and Bennett Cerf, the founder and CEO of Random House Publishers, were the primary panel members with guest panelists keeping the panel at four persons. Chief among those were Steve Allen, Tony Randall, Joey Bishop, and Robert Q. Lewis. Comedian Fred Allen was also a frequent panelist.

A secret guest contestant was presented with the panelists blindfolded. Those guests were usually show business personalities or famous people from some other walk of life.

The program was interesting then. Watching it today, however, is downright riveting. It provides a look back over 60 years ago. Memories leap to mind. Social customs are seen before they changed much. We see all kinds of built-in discrimination of which we were totally unaware. Misogyny is one of them. Many women doing men’s occupations were featured. You get the idea.

Who was a major star at that time, who was big in the news, or just a social icon, was on full display. Such a walk down memory lane.

What we were doing at that time is a common recall. What phase of our own personal life and its development is another pull of nostalgia. Powerful, these memories. Powerful. A student of social order would have a delight.

There were other popular shows of that time and I looked for them on YouTube. Found them. Watched them. But they were much less a draw than “What’s My Line.” Interesting. I wonder why?

Perhaps you could do the same and share my puzzlement? I wonder what you will find along the way?

February 7, 2024

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