• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Arlene Francis and/or Dorothy Kilgallen's Radio Shows

Markxxx

Markxxx

I am a huge fan of "What's My Line," and have finished watching the whole series on YouTube but only now became aware that both "first ladies" of "What's My Line," had their own successful radio shows. Pretty much the only thing I can find regarding Arlene Francis is she hosted a midday chat show on WOR-AM (NYC) that ran from 1960 to 1984

And Dorothy Kilgallen hosted a radio show called, "Mornings with Dick and Dorothy" on WOR from their 16-room apartment at 640 Park Avenue.

Does anyone on these board remember these shows or know of ways to hear some old copies of them? I'd be interested in hearing about the radio aspect of these ladies, as I enjoyed them so much on "What's My Line."
 
I agree! "What's My Line?" was a great panel show. It was a fun game. And the personalities (Francis, Kilgallen, John Daly and Bennett Cerf) gave us a glimpse of the NYC entertainment industry of the 1950s and 60s, especially Broadway plays and musical shows in hotel lounges.

That's the sort of show Arlene Francis did on WOR each weekday afternoon. She'd begin by just talking about what was going on, on Broadway, in movies and in books and magazines. Sometimes it would just be about what she had seen or read recently. Then there'd be a guest, maybe someone pushing a new book or play. WOR did 15 minute newscasts at the beginning of each hour, so Francis would go from :15 to :57.

I was too young to remember Kilgallen's show. Even though WOR was on occasionally in my house, it wasn't until years after her death that I learned Kilgallen had a show on WOR 710 with her husband.
 
I remember it well from my very young days and am amazed they gave away only $10 per wrong answer. Even in the 1950's that wasn't big money (and certainly not to those guests).

Unless they were history buffs young people today wouldn't understand who most of those guests were and you'd have to know to appreciate the QandA part of the show.
 
The small money amounts given away were to emphasize that the show was not really about winning but about "playing the game." The same way "You Bet Your Life," was more about watching Groucho ad-lib and less about money, though the money on that show was much bigger. And with the game show scandals of the 50s it made sense to keep the money small on a show like this.

One thing I just found out is the celebrity guest panelists all got paid an "appearance fee" in addition to whatever money they won. Of the three regulars, Bennet, Dorothy and Arlene, Bennet said they got paid "Scandalous amounts of money" in one of his books.

I just love Dorothy on the show and it's sad you can see her decline staring in 1958 and on a few shows by the 60s she is really out of it in some episodes.

I often wondered if the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy and Ricky have a "Mr and Mrs show," was based off of Dorothy and her husband's radio show.
 
Arlene Francis regularly contributed features to NBC Radio's Monitor, mostly interviews and household tips. There are a number of examples from the mid-'60s on the excellent monitorbeacon.net site. They were prerecorded, so I would imagine they don't have the same personality factor of her WOR show, however.
 
Markxxx said:
I am a huge fan of "What's My Line," and have finished watching the whole series on YouTube but only now became aware that both "first ladies" of "What's My Line," had their own successful radio shows. Pretty much the only thing I can find regarding Arlene Francis is she hosted a midday chat show on WOR-AM (NYC) that ran from 1960 to 1984

And Dorothy Kilgallen hosted a radio show called, "Mornings with Dick and Dorothy" on WOR from their 16-room apartment at 640 Park Avenue.

Does anyone on these board remember these shows or know of ways to hear some old copies of them? I'd be interested in hearing about the radio aspect of these ladies, as I enjoyed them so much on "What's My Line."
Click to expand...
Well, I poked around, finding this Dorothy Killgallen collection that might interest you. Also there is Arlene collection too. Thanks for such an interesting post. Dorothy Kilgallen Collection | Old Time Radio
 
Want more fun with the older generation? Look up the mysteries surrounding Dorthy Killgallen's death and the tie-in with JFK's assassination.
 
Markxxx said:
I just love Dorothy on the show and it's sad you can see her decline staring in 1958 and on a few shows by the 60s she is really out of it in some episodes.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you bring this up. I did a very cursory look, from the 1950s and the mid 1960s on YouTube and only noticed that she aged. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary with that. If you can give us the dates of, at least, some of the shows from the 1960s where she is 'really-out-of-it", I'll definitely check them out on Youtube.
 
I don't know anything about these shows but I remember the Voice of America had a half-hour weekend show called "New York, New York" which delved into the happenings of the big town.....Broadway, whatever. It was hosted by Garry Moore. He left the show because it wasn't helping his career domestically. His replacement was Arlene Francis.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom