Nostalgic Rambler: Bennett Cerf

Welcome to the Nostalgic Ramber

Hans Jeff Borger is heard on WRGE 97.9 FM in Ocala, FL featuring Christian programming.

"The Nostalgic Rambler" radio show can be heard on Youtube. Just search for Hans Jeff Borger Nostalgic Rambler.

Why a blog? I wrote a book "The Little Grownup: a nostalgic Michigan boyhood" which should appeal to most baby boomers. A mass market book? Well, not yet...but the potential is there! (Be sure to buy it at "finer on line bookstores" everywhere!)

The comments presented in "The Nostalgic Rambler" probably won't be of interest to the masses...anymore. If grandma and grandpa and their friends were still alive, then it would be a different story.

I live in the past. My time warp is a comfortable cocoon even if it sometimes drives my wife crazy. The music of the 1940s and 50s, the stars of those days were big stuff in their day, but are now almost forgotten. Oddly enough, I was born in '64 so those iconic years were for the most part over by that time.

Through "The Nostalgic Rambler" I maybe can help share my love and knowledge for those times and things...all at one time important pieces of Americana but now a bit faded in memory.

The woman who did the blog about cooking all of Julia Childs' French Cuisine Cookbook in a year got a sweet movie deal out of her blog experience. I wouldn't mind that but would be happy to know that you are reading this....and maybe enjoying my time warp, too.

Hans Jeff Borger

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Spending the summer with "What's My Line?"

As I get more out of touch with modern pop culture and retreat into my comfortable cocoon of the past, I am very much enthralled this summer with the 1950s/60s game show "What's My Line?" starring John Daly, Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, one of my favorite personalities Bennett Cerf, and a slew of guests.

The show ran from 1950 to 1967 (!) on CBS and featured practically every famous person through the years coming through as a mystery guest.

Being on for so many years, the audience felt that they knew the panelists. Dorothy Kilgallen was a gossip columnist, Arlene Francis hosted and appeared on many other tv shows, and Bennett Cerf was the guy who started the publishing gianthouse Random House (see a previous Nostalgic Rambler entry about him by clicking here.) John Daly was an ABC newsman but did his What's My Line? stint for all those years on CBS.

The panelists try to guess the occupations of regular folk but the mystery guest ("for which as always my friends on the panel on blindfolded...blindfolds in place panel???...Enter mystery guest and sign in please!" was always a highlight. Everyone from Salvadore Dali to Barbra Streisand came on the show.

Why am I watching all of these shows? Years ago they were on Game Show Network but have long vanished again from over the air TV. With the advent of the Roku and Youtube, I can see them anytime I want. Don't have to wait for Sunday night at 10:30pm on CBS as they did back in the 1950s. That's one good thing about living today instead of then, but I do wish I had met Bennett Cerf. Maybe he would have published my book "The Little Grownup"!

You can easily do a search on Youtube for What's My Line? but here are a few links. Click here or here to watch.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Fascinating Life of Bennett Cerf

As you can see, this man was on the cover of Time magazine. He was on television almost every week in the 50s/60s. He has a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Does anyone recall Bennett Cerf? On my Facebook page, I list his book "At Random" as once of my favorites. Why? His life was fascinating.

Born in 1898, he was raised in New York City and hobnobbed with famous people from his school days. He started a publishing company with his friend in the 1920s which became the hugely successful Random House. He worked with Faulkner, Capote, Michener,and even Dr. Seuss.

His wit and use of puns was legendary and he published several books on humor.

He married Ginger Roger's cousin.

He appeared on the popular "What's my line?" TV show as panelist back in the days when wit and genius were seen on tv.

His biography "At Random" is a fascinating look into the life of this man and even though I am not that well acquainted with many of the famous authors and people that Cerf dealt with through the years, the many characters and personalities are an interesting read. You might have trouble finding this book as it is quite old now, but definitely worth looking for.

Cerf died in 1971 but when the Game Show Network started running old "What's My Line" shows, I wondered who this man Bennett Cerf was. They don't come much more interesting than this. Click here for an interview with Cerf.