# What's My Line? (1950)

> Four celebrity panelists try to guess a guest's occupation or identity by asking only yes or no questions.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/24559

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 876
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: reality, comedy
- Network: CBS
- Cast: John Charles Daly, Richard Hoffmann, Harold G. Hoffman, Wendy Barrie, Phil Rizzuto, Elliott Roosevelt, Artie Shaw, Elsa Maxwell
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042168/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: subtle
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, playful, wholesome, urbane, breezy

## Synopsis

What's My Line? (1950-1967) is a United States broadcast game show created for CBS, a live studio panel format built on celebrity guessing. Moderator John Charles Daly leads a rotating roster of panelists, including Phil Rizzuto, Elsa Maxwell and Clifton Fadiman, who must determine a guest's occupation by asking only yes or no questions. When the guest is famous, the panelist is blindfolded and must identify the person purely through careful questioning. The engine of each episode is the sharp, deductive chase: panelists probe for clues, guests keep their secrets, and the clock of the questions builds suspense in a bare studio. The show runs as a long-running episodic format with a fresh guest slate each week, offering a mannerly, wholesome viewing experience. Its tone is light, witty and gently playful, with an urbane, postwar sensibility. Fans of To Tell the Truth and I've Got a Secret will find the same appeal in its clever deduction and celebrity banter. Its setting is the broadcast present of its era rather than any fictional world, with a cast of real public figures appearing as themselves across its run.

## Shows like What's My Line?

- [To Tell the Truth (1956)](https://ember.film/tv/4911)
- [Celebrity Name Game (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/57561)
- [Ellery Queen (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/12974)
- [Knightmare (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/2382)
- [Match Game (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/8)
- [Only Connect (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/7820)
- [America Says (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/75908)
- [Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/3110)
- [Jeopardy! (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/2770)
- [Would I Lie to You? (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/4540)

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