Kefauver’s Moment of Game-Show Fame

As mentioned in my post on the subject, the televised Senate hearings on organized crime were a nationwide sensation and made Estes Kefauver into a national celebrity. As an example of Kefauver’s newfound fame, he was the mystery guest on the game show “What’s My Line?” on March 18, 1951.

For those unfamiliar, “What’s My Line?” featured contestants with interesting occupations. A panel of celebrities, by asking a series of yes/no questions, would attempt to figure out the contestant’s profession. Each episode featured a celebrity mystery guest; the panel put on blindfolds for this round, as the guest would be instantly recognizable on sight. Mystery guests included such luminaries as Mickey Mantle, Eleanor Roosevelt, Louis Armstrong, and Judy Garland.

At the time of Kefauver’s appearance, the crime hearings were at their zenith of popularity. The committee’s traveling road show was in the middle of its stay in New York (where “What’s My Line?” was produced). Kefauver and his committee were fresh off their televised showdown with Frank Costello, with an estimated audience of 10 million people tuning in nightly.

Some highlights from Kefauver’s segment here:

• The first question comes from actress Arlene Francis, who asks, “Are you in the entertainment business?” The question draws a big laugh from the audience and a smile from Kefauver, who answers in the negative.
• The next questioner, comedy writer Hal Block, asks Kefauver: “Are you in the public eye?” The Senator dryly answers, “Slightly.”
• The third panelist, journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, asks a variation of Block’s question: “Are you in what is loosely called public life?” After a reluctant pause, with a coy smile, Kefauver agrees.
• The fourth panelist – who ultimately identifies Kefauver – is publisher Bennett Cerf. When Cerf asks whether the mystery guest is “at present mixed up in a very famous investigation,” the crowd whoops in response. Cerf then asks if he is “on the right side of this investigation,” to which Kefauver responds, “I hope so.” (His Southern drawl on the “I” appears to tip off Kilgallen, who exclaims, “Oh, that voice!”)
• Cerf proceeds to delay the inevitable by asking a couple more questions, until host John Daly admonishes him, “Stop pulling the wings off flies, Mr. Cerf.” There’s a certain irony here, as in later years Cerf would claim that Kilgallen used the same tactic in order to maximize her time on camera.
• Once Kefauver’s identity is revealed, Block quips, “I just wanted to tell the Senator I love his new show, ‘What’s My Crime?’” He also asks Kefauver, “Are you sure you want to be shown on television, or just your hands?”, a reference to Costello’s testimony.
• Block later refers to the tremendous popularity of the hearings, noting that “while you’re on, half the cafes and the shows and everything are empty. So you’re doing a mighty fine rating, in addition to being a Senator.” (Kilgallen adds, “We would like to have your rating!”)
• Daly announces that Kefauver will donate his winnings on the show to the student fund at Hiwassee College, located in the Senator’s hometown of Madisonville, Tennessee. Hiwassee was a Methodist college that opened in 1849. The school’s name was said to be taken from the Cherokee word “ayuwasi,” which means “meadow place at the foot of the hills” (an accurate description of Madisonville, located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains). It was primarily a two-year college aimed at the local population. Sadly, declining enrollment and the loss of accreditation led Hiwassee to close its doors in 2019.

Enjoy the whole thing for yourself here: