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“I'll check immediately.” He called back in about ten minutes and said, “You're righti They've decided that all the game shows are going out.” This was February. “We'll run through to Labor Day. They're going to throw out all of the games. They've decided that they're not prime time shows any more. They will have some on in the daytime.” We probably could have done it as a daytime show, but John and I at least couldn't fit that into our schedules. We both have business of our own. So The Times had the story of What's My Line's demise before Goodson, Toddman or any of the people who had been on the show for seventeen years.

Who made the decision really?

I think it was Mike Dann, one of the big shots at CBS, who decided, maybe rightly, that these shows had had it. After seventeen years, it was time for a change.

But it was a fine way of telling us! They claimed the news had leaked out. They had meant to make the announcement. They were going to tell us in good time, you know; but somebody at The Times found out about it first.

I thought it was interesting when you told me that they gave you this plaque.

Oh, they gave us all great big beautiful silver cigarette boxes and great bombastic speeches. We have no