615 September 13, 1965
Betsy, Bill, Bess, Henry
Mr. X: “I crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone in a 13 ½
foot sailboat”
Robert
Manry sailed his ship Tinkerbelle from Falmouth in
Massachusetts to Falmouth in Cornwall, England, from June 1 to August 15, a voyage lasting
78 days. The trip was such a sensation
in its day that even blindfolded, the panel immediately knows the Secret. Manry is a copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper. He would write about his adventure in the
appropriately named book Tinkerbelle (Harper & Row 1967).
William J Cobb from Augusta, Georgia: “I used to weigh 802
pounds…I lost 570 pounds in the past three years”
At his top
weight, Cobb wrestled professionally under the name Happy Humphrey until he had
a heart attack in the ring in 1962. The
facility had to tear the ring apart to get him out, and he was carried to the
hospital in a pickup truck because he could not fit in the ambulance. He later admitted himself into a weight loss
study at an Augusta hospital, and under supervision, weighed 232 pounds when he
was discharged. In time, Cobb would gain most of the weight back. At his death in 1989, he weighed over 600
pounds.
Special guest
Carol Burnett reads “Selena Mead” mystery stories to the panel to see if they
can solve the various puzzles. Mostly
forgotten today, Selina Mead was a recurring character in short stories written
by novelist Patricia McGerr. In
November 1964, CBS announced plans for a TV show based on the stories, which
would star Polly Bergen. A short pitch
film was produced, and the press reported that the show would be a sure thing. However, scheduling issues with Bergen and
the ouster of CBS president James Aubrey in February 1965 derailed the project.