What’s My Line?  Dorothy Kilgallen Rarities - 1 DVD - TV GAME SHOW

This disc contains the following episodes:

1. (11/7/65) Hosted by John Daly, with panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Tony Randall, Arlene Francis, and Bennet Cerf. The “Mystery Guest” is Joey Heatherton. This was Dorothy Kilgallin’s last episode before being found dead the next day. It’s actually a little shocking to see Dorothy in this episode. The official cause of death was a heart attack due to alcohol and drug abuse. (But there are conspiracy theories she was murdered). She looks bloated and ravaged by alcohol. 

2. (11/18/56): Hosted by John Daly, with panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, William Bendix, Arlene Francis, and Bennet Cerf. There are two “Mystery Guests” for this episode. The first “Mystery Guest” is Dorothy’s father, Newspaperman James L. Kilgallen, and the second is Nannette Fabray.  

3. Hosted by John Daly, with panelists Bennet Cerf, Arlene Francis, Fred Allen, and Dorothy Kilgallen. The “Mystery Guest” is Garry Moore. 

4. (11/14/65): “Tribute To Dorothy Kilgallen”.  Hosted by John Daly, with panelists Arlene Francis, Steve Allen, Kitty Carlisle, Bennett Cerf.  Maureen O’Sullivan was the “Mystery Guest”.  Most of the episodes of What’s My Line were filmed Sunday afternoon for a Sunday evening broadcast.  This episode was recorded on Thursday of the week because the producers were unsure if they could get through a show, and there would be no time to edit it in time for airing if needed. 

John Daly announces at the start of the show that they originally intended to do a “proper” tribute, but after speaking with her family, it was decided that Dorothy would have preferred the show to go on as usual.  The panelists are very somber throughout the show, but try to carry on as usual.  In the final minutes of the show, each panelist says something about Dorothy.  You can tell it’s very difficult for them all.

On November 8, 1965, Kilgallen was found dead on the third floor of her five-story townhouse. It was determined she had succumbed to a fatal combination of alcohol and barbiturates, possibly concurrent with a heart attack, according to medical examiner James Luke.  There was a conspiracy theory that Dorothy was somehow murdered for her reporting of the assassination of President Kennedy.  Kilgallen was publicly skeptical of the conclusions of the Warren Commission's report into the assassination of President Kennedy and wrote a number of articles on the subject.

Whatever information Kilgallen learned and from whatever source, many researchers believe it brought about her strange death. She told attorney Mark Lane: "They've killed the President, [and] the government is not prepared to tell us the truth" and that she planned to "break the case." To other friends she said: "This has to be a conspiracy!  I'm going to break the real story and have the biggest scoop of the century." And in her last column item regarding the assassination, published on September 3, 1965, Kilgallen wrote: "This story isn't going to die as long as there's a real reporter alive — and there are a lot of them." But on November 8, 1965, there was one less reporter. That day Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead in her home. It was initially reported that she died of a heart attack, but quickly this was changed to an overdose of alcohol and pills.

TB465