- [last lines]
- John Daly: Until next week, this is John Daly saying, "Goodnight, Miss Arlene."
- Arlene Francis: John, uh, at this point I would just like to express the feeling that I feel sure must be shared by millions of Americans. Fred Allen was not only a great talent but a great gentleman, and he shall be sorely missed. Goodnight, Fred.
- [turns to Steve Allen]
- Arlene Francis: Steve.
- Steve Allen: Just a few months ago, sitting in this chair I believe, Fred read a postcard a viewer had sent to "What's My Line?" asking, "Is Fred Allen Steve Allen's Father?", and Fred laughed at it. The answer, of course, was "no". But last night when I heard the sad news, I couldn't have been any more depressed if the answer had been "yes."
- [turns to Dorothy Kilgallen]
- Steve Allen: Dorothy.
- Dorothy Kilgallen: Thank you, Steve. And thank you for being here. I think your being here has helped all of us to carry on.
- [turns to Bennett Cerf]
- Dorothy Kilgallen: Bennett.
- Bennett Cerf: The half-hours that I spent with Fred Allen in the dressing room before "What's My Line?" every Sunday night meant a great deal to me. Goodbye, Fred. Like so many others who loved and appreciated you, I'll never forget you. John.
- [turns to John Daly]
- John Daly: And, Mrs. Allen, we hope that this is a "What's My Line?" that Steve would have - or rather Fred would have liked very much. We tried to make it that way. Good night, ladies and gentlemen, and thanks for being with us on "What's My Line?"
- [first lines]
- [Before the standard opening that identifies the episode's sponsor, John Daly looks directly into the camera and delivers these remarks]
- John Daly - Moderator: This is a melancholy time for us, as I'm sure it is for you. I'm sure most of you know that during last night, Fred Allen passed away. It was our thought that tonight we would invite some of Fred's old friends here, and we'd talk about Fred, his contributions to American humor and American culture. Or perhaps we would go into the library of film which we have, excerpt it, and tell something of the story of Fred Allen and the great contributions that he made to our industry. Mrs. Allen, the beloved Portland, specifically has asked us not to do that. It was her feeling that if we wish to pay tribute to Fred, the best tribute we could pay him would be to do this program just as if he were here with us. Fred was a professional performer, and he did a great many shows, I'm sure, when he didn't feel like laughing. But he did them, and we're going to try to do them in that same tradition. And so, for Arlene Francis and Steve Allen, an old friend who was kind enough to come and help us tonight, and Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennet Cerf, we are going to do "What's My Line?" the way Fred would have liked to have had it done.