When Archbishop Fulton Sheen is beatified on Sept. 24, it will put him one step closer to possibly becoming the first canonized saint ever to have appeared on a game show.
That isn’t how most people nowadays view the author, theologian, and radio and television broadcaster who in his prime was the most famous American Catholic.
But that’s how many Americans viewed him on Sunday, Oct. 21, 1956, when the then-bishop walked on the set of CBS’ What’s My Line? as a mystery guest. An estimated 11 million households watched the program live that night at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The popular game show, which still draws references 59 years after it went off the air, centered on the line of work of non-famous contestants, each of whom appeared before a panel of celebrities who tried to puzzle out what the person did for a living by asking yes-or-no questions. Contestants earned money for each question the panelists asked without correctly guessing the person’s occupation.
The show also featured at least one mystery guest who was well-known in America at the time (often an actor). In this segment, the panelists were supposed to guess not the line of work but the name of the person. The panelists were blindfolded when the guest appeared because they would have recognized the person right away.
Bishop Sheen qualified as a celebrity because of his unexpectedly successful one-man national television show Life Is Worth Living, in which he appeared before a live studio audience and gave an unscripted (though painstakingly prepared) talk on some moral or religious or political or philosophical or social matter for 28 minutes, often with the aid of a blackboard behind him.
If expecting millions of people to willingly and regularly tune in to a lecture by a cleric in religious garb is unthinkable in 2026, it was only slightly more plausible in the early 1950s. The show wasn’t expected to attract much attention when it debuted in February 1952 on the second-tier DuMont Television Network.
But Sheen’s forceful presentations, practical advice, vivid turns of phrase, and sense of humor won an unexpected following. He connected with viewers while earning their admiration and affection, even when he was telling at least some of them things they didn’t want to hear.
Ratings data wasn’t as precise at the time as it is thought to be now, so it’s hard to say how many people watched. But estimates range from 10 to 30 million.
Sheen’s show rivaled comedian Milton Berle’s popular Tuesday night variety show on NBC in the ratings and may have driven Frank Sinatra’s singing and comedy show on CBS off the air. (All three aired at the same time during the early 1950s.)
Time magazine in April 1952 called Sheen a “telegenic cleric” who made a “spectacular showing” on television and whose “influence as a preacher is incalculably great.”
Appearing on a game show offered Bishop Sheen the ability to promote his own show and raise money for charity while having some fun.
Big Reaction
Bishop Sheen had been on national television about four and a half years when he walked onto the set of What’s My Line in October 1956 and got a thunderous reaction from the audience.
“Well, that is the most solid round of applause I’ve heard in a long time,” said Bennett Cerf, one of the four blindfolded panelists, and an author, humorist and co-founder of Random House.
Mystery guests sometimes tried to disguise their voice when answering questions from the panel. (Ronald Reagan, then known only as an actor, impersonated the cartoon character Goofy when he appeared in July 1953.)
Sheen, whose voice at the time was among the most recognizable in America, answered questions in French, using a staccato cadence and as few words as possible.
The mystery guest’s Frenchisms and accent led to some cultural allusions that seem obscure 70 years later but that hit the mark at the time, including a discussion among the panelists about whether the mystery guest might be a then-prominent French politician, which drew laughter from the audience.
Sheen interjected with the words “Charles Boyer,” apparently floating the idea that he might be the French actor. The reference didn’t attract attention from the audience, but host John Charles Daly burst out in a high-pitched laugh and touched the back of the bishop’s shoulder with delight.
“Do you by any chance work for any non-profit-making organization?” columnist Dorothy Kilgallen asked, which elicited a “Oui” from Sheen.
Actor David Niven asked if he was seen weekly on television. “Oui,” said Sheen.
“Weekly on television and nonprofit?” actress Arlene Francis said incredulously, drawing 11 seconds of laughter and applause from the audience.
“Oh, boy, have you got a crazy sponsor,” she said when the din subsided, drawing more laughter and applause.
The reaction triggered something in Francis, who suddenly had an idea of who could possibly fit the description. She asked if he was a religious figure.
“J’espère,” Sheen replied, which is French for “I hope.”
That ended the suspense, as Cerf, who had the next question, skipped it and simply said, “Bishop Sheen,” to more applause.
Not Trying to Prove Anything
Sheen’s major biographer told the Register that appearing on a game show likely appealed to his love for attention and performing and said it’s no surprise his appearance was a success.
“He was very good. I’ve never seen any clergyman of that caliber since,” said Thomas Reeves, historian and author of America’s Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen (2001).
“Remember, Sheen was really multifaceted. He was a great scholar and a magnificent speaker and a celebrity all at once. And that surely is unique, certainly in American history,” Reeves said.
Msgr. Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria, Illinois, said Sheen’s confidence in his intelligence and achievements prevented any worries a major churchman might have about appearing on a game show.
“Sheen wasn’t concerned about trying to prove anything to anyone,” Msgr. Gray told the Register.
He might also have seen it as yet another way to reach people, Msgr. Gray said, alluding to 1 Corinthians 4:9-14.
“It was maybe a little bit like St. Paul: ‘I’ll be a fool for Christ, if only I can win more souls for Christ,’” Msgr. Gray said.
Sheen’s appearance also says something about his mindset, he said.
“He was not only somebody who could tell jokes, but he could tell jokes about himself,” Msgr. Gray said.
“There’s something saintly about not taking oneself so seriously.”
