What's My Line part of the quiz show scandal?

[Patrick S]

I got into WML a while back when GSN was airing the 1960+ episodes, where the panelists often struggled and seemed to genuinely have trouble figuring out the contestants' occupations.  But now I've begun watching these really early episodes and the panelists seem to be mysteriously better.  "Is this food a main course?" "No." "Is it garlic?" "YES!"  ... "Are your services mainly for women?" "Yes." "Are you a department store perfume buyer?" "YES!"  Or the most recent episode, when Bennett asked the female guest if the product she was affiliated with was used by both genders, then asked, "Is it ever used by both genders at the same time?"  That got a laugh out of the audience, and Mr. Cerf "acted" surprised by their reaction.  Now who asks that kind of question unless you know the product and are trying to get a funny question in there?  Was What's My Line ever brought into question during the scandal days?

[JasonA1]

I believe it was discussed here in the context of IGAS, but the early panel shows were known to do something called "gambiting." Sort of like giving the HS panelists information without giving them the question. Basically, the panelist would be furnished a funny question like the one you describe above, without knowing the secret.

But beyond that (and I'm not so sure WML did it), I would guess not. And with only $50 on the line, there's virtually no reason to rig the game in either direction. Keep in mind too, that WML started off very straightforward with its occupations, later making it more challenging/entertaining with more esoteric jobs.

-Jason

[Neumms]

It's been discussed in relation to What's My Line, too. It might be more useful there than IGAS, since IGAS was less about the game. I'd be surprised if The Name's the Same didn't do it, too. What others have reported is that they stopped it after the scandals to be on the safe side.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'181898\' date=\'Mar 19 2008, 10:21 AM\']
I believe it was discussed here in the context of IGAS, but the early panel shows were known to do something called "gambiting." Sort of like giving the HS panelists information without giving them the question. Basically, the panelist would be furnished a funny question like the one you describe above, without knowing the secret.

But beyond that (and I'm not so sure WML did it), I would guess not. And with only $50 on the line, there's virtually no reason to rig the game in either direction. Keep in mind too, that WML started off very straightforward with its occupations, later making it more challenging/entertaining with more esoteric jobs.[/quote]

In his book, Gil Fates states that it was done usually in only one game, never the Mystery Guest, and only one panelist was given the misinformation--someone who they knew when given the choice would rather go for the laughs than for the game.  Daly never knew about it, partly because the whole concept of "gambiting" rested on his literal responses.  Steve Allen had already been doing this on his own for most of his stint on the show.

Fates said that they stopped doing it when the quiz scandals hit because they figured that they'd get in more trouble for giving out disinformation than they would for information.  He said that some CBS exec said that "WML?" was dead in the water without gambiting.  It stayed on the air for nine more years on network and seven years in syndication.

[Patrick S]

Wow.  Very informative stuff; thanks for the enlightenment!

[DoorNumberFour]

In "The Box", a staffer tells about how, during the height of the network rigging, CBS wanted to up the ante of WML from $50 to $1,000.

The staff told CBS that if they do that to the show, they will quit and expose all the rigging to the press (apparently, they knew very well what was going on on other shows). The request was rescinded promptly thereafter.

[Eric Paddon]

The easiest way to spot the rigging in WML will come up when Steve Allen becomes a regular and usually on the second contestant, they would start the questioning with Steve, and he would start "going down the wrong track", asking questions that would get a Yes answer but were far afield or ended up conveying a double entendre in the process.    These questions would be given to the funnyman on the show to get laughs, though he would never know the actual occupation.

As a result of watching GSN repeats, I discovered that the G-T people would actually recycle a set of questions for another show if they could.    On one occasion on WML, there was a contestant with the line "Repairs Zippers" and Steve was given a set of "wrong track" questions designed to get laughs.    Some eight or nine months later on "Name's The Same", there was a contestant named "A. Zipper" and Gene Rayburn proceeded to ask a series of questions that were word-for-word identical to all of the questions Steve had asked in the WML spot right down to the punchline question that would get a "No" answer at long last.