Garry points out in the introductions that this is the first time that Arlene Dahl has been on a panel for a show such as this. Jayne's on vacation.
Frank Charlton of Lakeland, Florida: “I was Henry Morgan’s drill sergeant during World War II”
Interestingly, Henry is not blindfolded for the segment. The real point of Sgt Charlton's appearance is to put Henry through his drills, to comic effect, some fourteen years after his service. Sgt Charlton sells the bit, hurling insults at Henry as if he was a raw recruit. (Also see
E120)
Helen Putnam of Memphis, Tennessee: “I went on a reducing diet and gained 15 pounds”
Ironically, Mrs Putnam is the founder of a support group called Fat Girls Anonymous. She started the group in Memphis in 1953 with plans to expand nationally. Not only did those plans never fully materialize, but even by the time of this appearance, the Memphis chapter she founded had become inactive. Mrs Putnam was also a blues singer in Memphis and New Orleans nightclubs (there exists a photograph of her with Elvis), and here she performs what she says is the club's theme song. In 1959 she would be the first to take part in an experimental liquid diet through the University of Tennessee-Memphis, and would drop from 318 pounds to 164 pounds in ten months.
Special guest Sam Levenson has the panel play with children’s toys while they’re psychologically assessed
With the panelists sent away, the stage is reconfigured as an elaborate kids’ playroom. Each panelist returns to the stage one at a time and Levenson encourages them to play with whatever they want. Most of them figure out they're being analyzed, and are thrown off by the fact that there’s no traditional Secret gaming going on. (Henry: “Am I supposed to be guessing something?”) The analysis is provided by Dr. Simon S. Silverman, a New York school psychologist who’s been watching from the audience: Henry perseveres when perseverance isn’t called for. Faye likes to play with boys. Arlene is the feminine type. (Henry: “For this, you don’t have to be a psychologist!”) Bill is intellectually curious and makes up for his shortcomings by being verbal. Levenson, himself a former teacher, is currently the host of Two For The Money for the Goodson-Todman empire.
This episode has been reviewed at the Library of Congress, but is not generally available to the public.