Garry begins by noting that a lucky contestant wins only $80 on I've Got a Secret. "In quiz shows, this program is known as Strike It Poor."
Mr X: "I used to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers"
The Reverend George Jeffcoat is wearing his clerical collar. Garry says Rev Jeffcoat played for the Dodgers from 1936 to 1940, though in truth much of that was in the minor leagues. Jeffcoat had one more brief stint in the "bigs" in 1943 with the Boston Braves, but otherwise continued to play at the minor league level until 1946. He graduated from the seminary in 1955 and would serve for seventeen years as the pastor of the Old Lexington Baptist Church in Leesville, South Carolina. Three brothers (blood brothers, not "brothers in Christ") also played professional ball, one of them in the majors.
Will Kearsley from Mount Dora, Florida: "I invented the electric blanket" (1935)
Retired now, Kearsley spent his career tinkering around in the gigantic Schenectady research laboratory of the General Electric Company, once (and for decades) one of the largest corporations in the United States. Called "The World's Champion Gadget Man," Kearsley earned a reputation for being able to solve problems that others couldn't. Some of his gadgets were whimsical, such as a "cat sorter" that allowed his cat and his cat alone to use the cat door at his home. Others had wide-reaching military and industrial implications, such as a reflector device for jamming enemy radar and a device to keep anesthesia gas from exploding. His electric blanket, not too different from what we use today, is by far his best-known consumer product.
Special guest Adolphe Menjou changes into historically trendy clothing from different eras.
Menjou regularly tuns up on best-dressed lists and is famous for his sartorial tastes, so the bit here is to let him let loose in exaggerated versions of the outfits associated with various decades. He changes into a new one after each panelist has had their turn questioning. For the 1920s "Rah-Rah" era he wears a long fur coat, saddle oxfords and a boater hat. For the 1930s "Depression" era he wears a barrel held up by suspenders, a sleeveless tee, a garter, socks and shoes. For the 1940s "Jitterbug" era he wears a striped zoot suit and twirls a long watch fob. For the 1950s "Rock 'n' Roll" era, he wears blue jeans, long sideburns, a leather jacket and a biker's cap, and carries a guitar. Menjou is in the twilight of a career that included more than a hundred films, most of them from the 1920s and 1930s.
This episode has been viewed at the Library of Congress, but is not generally available to the public.
This episode has not been reviewed. Details come from alternate sources.