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What’s My Line? 3/18/56 (Tribute to Fred Allen) – 1 DVD
What’s My Line? 3/18/56 (Tribute to Fred Allen) – 1 DVD
3/18/56 ~ CBS-TV
“Tribute to Fred Allen”. Hosted by John Daly, with panelists Arlene Francis, Steve Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf. This episode was recorded less than 24 hours after the death of regular panelist Fred Allen. Fred was taking one of his regular late night strolls up New York’s West 57th Street Saturday night, March 17, 1956, when he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 61. During the following night’s regular Sunday broadcast of What’s My Line? at 10:30 PM, barely 24 hours following Allen’s death, host John Daly preceded the program with a special message to the viewing audience. He stated that earlier in the day the producers had considered replacing the regular game play with a special memorial episode, but Allen’s wife Portland Hoffa stated that she preferred the show be conducted as it always had been, indicating that this is what Allen would have wanted. The program then proceeded as normal, but with a noticeably subdued tone. Steve Allen took Fred’s chair on the panel. During the final ninety seconds of the program he, along with Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf (whose eyes began to water) gave brief but heartfelt tributes to Fred. A somber Dorothy Kilgallen thanked Steve Allen for stepping in and helping them to carry on at a difficult moment. In black and white. 24 minutes, with commercials edited out.
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