Hey, Bennett guessed him!

Now and then I run across an item from a political site when I search for "game show" on Google News. These items usually denounce Donald Trump as a former game show host (not strictly accurate), or they denounce the people who denounce Donald Trump as a former game show host.

This bit from a political site is a little different. The writer comments on a What's My Line episode from July, 1962. The panel faced a professional soccer player from Sweden...

One contestant was a Jens Söderberg from Sweden. He had a very exotic line: “Professional Soccer Player.” The panelists had a hard time getting it. It was just so alien, the idea of a professional soccer player.

The writer is quite unfair to the panel. Once they zeroed in on the sporting world, Bennett Cerf guessed the secret pretty quickly. No doubt the Swedish origin of the contestant was a giveaway. In fact, soccer was the first team sport that the panel tried. It wasn't "alien" to them at all.

But my main point is that the writer actually gives a link to the episode. He can do that, of course, thanks to the terrific What's My Line channel on YouTube. The channel still exists, despite misguided attempts to shut it down.

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