Kilgallen Dorothy - Denial of justice: Dorothy Kilgallen, abuse of power, and the most compelling JFK assassination investigation in history

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

Denial of Justice:

Dorothy Kilgallen, Abuse of Power, and the Most Compelling JFK Assassination Investigation in History

2018 by Mark Shaw

All Rights Reserved

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ISBN: 978-1-64293-058-0

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-64293-059-7

Cover design by Cody Corcoran

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C HAPTER 5

In mid-1946, Variety dubbed Dorothy Kilgallen as the First Lady of Broadway, quite the compliment for a woman who had not yet reached her thirty-third birthday. Nineteen years remained until the day she died, seventeen until she met Jack Ruby at his Dallas trial.

One indication of Kilgallens fame during this time was being invited to the White House, where she frolicked with other noted personalities as President Harry S. Truman looked on. The star-studded event was held on January 28, 1946 and Kilgallen joined celebrities such as actresses Angela Lansbury and Alexis Smith, actors Cesar Romero, Zachary Scott, and William Bendix, and singer Jo Stafford. In a photo, Kilgallen is positioned to the right of the president in the front row.

Later, in 1950, Kilgallens anxiety grew as she waited to learn whether she had been chosen to become a panelist on the new CBS television game show Whats My Line? The concept was that each week, four panelists, three regulars and a celebrity guest would question contestants in order to determine their unusual occupations. According to producer Gil Fates, the program evolved from an idea from a program called Stop the Camera... the brainchild of Bob Bach, formally a disc jockey and producer at New York radio station WNEW, with an assist from Martin Stone, the developer of TVs Howdy Doody . Another version of the story stated that the idea for the show, originally titled, Unknown Occupation was strictly Bachs based on his obsession with asking strangers on the subway or in bars their oc cupations.

Whats My Line? starsArlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen, and moderator John Charles Daly.

Finally, the news came forward. Kilgallen would join American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor Louis Untermeyer and actress Arlene Francis as the regular panelists. A year later, Bennett Cerf replaced Untermeyer when questions about his Communist leanings surfaced. Upset with being displaced, Untermeyer told reporters, No one connected with [the program] attempted to do anything in my behalf. I cant say Dorothy behaved worse than any one else.

Former radio personality John Charles Daly moderated as program host. A seven-story theater on Manhattans West 54th Street became the production site. Years later, the infamous Studio 54 disco, where Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Gina Lollobrigida, and Calvin Klein watched pop performers such as Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran perform, occupied the building.

During one seasons programs, Johnny Olson, the deep-throated announcer who later became best known as the voice on The Price is Right , said, Time now for everybodys favorite guessing game, Whats My Line? Olson then introduced Kilgallen and she appeared from curtains center stage, acknowledged vigorous applause by a live audience, and then introduced the celebrity panelist. He or she, in turn, introduced Arlene Francis, who then introduced Bennett Cerf, who then introduced John Daly. A bit of banter followed before Daly explained the rules of the game and the first contestant entered. Daly then stated, Would you please sign in, whereupon the contestant wrote his or her full name on a b lackboard.

Cartoon depicting the Whats My Line? cast.

The formality of the show along with its liveliness led to its becoming an Emmy Award winner airing on CBS on Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. for the next seventeen years. At its height of popularity, the show had a weekly audience of twenty-five million people. Kilgallen and Francis wore fancy gowns and expensive jewelry, with their hair always perfectly coifed, Kilgallens by Marc Sinclaire. The men dressed in dark suits and bow ties.

When a celebrity appeared on each program attempting to stump the panel, each panelist wore a blindfold to keep from identifying the mystery guests. They included Donald Duck, Elizabeth Taylor, Joe DiMaggio, and Walt Disney. Many of the programs are available on YouTube, including one where comedian Groucho Marx was the celebrity guest. To date, more than one million viewers have enjoyed tha t episode.

To call Kilgallen a fashion plate regarding the wardrobe she wore on the program is certainly an understatement. A lavish string of pearls nearly always accentuated an expensive dress flattering her ample bustline. At one point, she told a friend, Those 5th Avenue boutiques are going to ban krupt me.

Asked to comment about the shows success, Kilgallen said, Whats My Line? s almost like a license to steal. I love to play games and its all fun. I get to the studio about 9:30 [p.m.] for makeup because my skin is so light they have to put on a darker base and draw some eyebrows or something, and I have to use darker lipstick. We all take it seriously, though Bennett has his puns and Arlene is very witty and has the personality that goes with it.

As the series continued to terrific reviews, Kilgallen stood out since she was the tough questioner, although some thought she was bitchy, or snarky, even rude. Female viewers certainly admired her never backing down, her willingness to challenge male panel members and Daly. Friend and CBS producer Marlon Swing, who knew of Kilgallens prowess at charades, recalled, Dorothy played to win but she was also a little girl playin g games.

A New York Post Daily Magazine article foreshadowed the tenacity Kilgallen would display when she investigated the JFK assassination: Dorothy played the game like a relentless prosecutor. Comedian Steve Allen, husband of actress Jayne Meadows, who often appeared as a guest panelist, said of her, Dorothys job on the panel was to ask impertinent questions. She probably guessed more peoples jobs than anyo ne else.

If one watches several of the program episodes, Kilgallen impresses with her ability to listen carefully and digest contestant clues in an instant. The woman who made just above average grades as a girl had certainly broadened her horizons, become sharper, more intelligent perhaps as a result of covering so many criminal trials. Good attorneys, she knew, were good listeners, and she used a courtroom-type acumen on the program, along with what her producers called spunk, to guess unusual oc cupations.