Game shows are an institution of American television, as they’ve existed for almost as long as the medium itself. They’re also apparently where viewers can meet the future President of the United States. At least, that was the case in 1973. What’s My Line? was one of the earliest mainstream TV game shows. It featured a panel of celebrities attempting to guess the occupation of an average American citizen. One 1973 episode featured a contestant known only as “Mr. X” on the panel. The panel had no clue who this man was, and they took turns trying to deduce what he did for a living. Watching the clip back, it’s clear that Mr. X is none other than a young Jimmy Carter, years before he ever ascended to the Oval Office.
But watching celebrities try and fail to recognize the then-Georgia governor was a strange mix of comical and deeply jarring. Of course, it seems like politicians are all over our screens in the media landscape of 2024. But it was a different story 50 years ago. Was this introduction on What’s My Line? the catalyst for Carter’s national recognition? And how have our politics and pop culture continued to intersect in the decades since?
What’s the Premise of What’s My Line?
What’s My Line? followed a relatively simple premise. A “regular person” contestant would introduce themselves to a panel of celebrities seated across from them. The celebs would ask yes or no questions related to what they believe the contestant’s occupation is. If they received a yes answer, they continued questioning. If the reply was no, the next celebrity in line would take over questioning. The celebrities have a cumulative total of 10 questions to decide the occupation, with a whopping $5 added to the prize pot for each “yes” response. The prize pot was kept purposefully small so that winning cash prizes would not be the main objective of the game.
The final round of each episode featured a special celebrity guest, with the panel blindfolded so as not to recognize the guest. Instead of occupation, the panel would instead guess who the celebrity was. Think something similar to The Masked Singer but with the celebrity panel blindfolded rather than the guest disguised. However, if it was believed that the panel would not recognize the celebrity, they were allowed to guess without blindfolds and follow the rules of the regular rounds.
Future President Jimmy Carter’s Television Debut
This was the case for a 1973 episode featuring then-Governor Jimmy Carter. He had begun to explore the possibility of running for president and was looking for ways to increase his national profile. Since it was believed that no one outside of Georgia knew Carter, the celebrity panel was not blindfolded, and Carter was addressed as Mr. X.
The panel, consisting of 1970s celebrities Arlene Francis, Dana Valery, Soupy Sales, and Gene Shalit, began to question the unknown future POTUS. They deduced that his career involved providing a service to people, which was then narrowed down to women specifically. Remember, Carter could only respond with yes or no. After bonkers guesses of fashion designer and something related to nuns, the panel zeroed in on government work. Finally, it was Shalit who correctly guessed governor after identifying that Carter worked at the state level. But while they guessed his occupation, they still didn’t know his name or what state he led. The host introduced Carter, who then ran through some of his legislative accomplishments in Georgia.
A year later, Carter would launch his bid for the presidency. By the time of the election, he was still relatively unknown on the national stage. But he was helped out by the unpopularity of incumbent POTUS Gerald Ford, narrowly winning the 1976 election against Ford. While we can’t say for sure if the What’s My Line? appearance gave Carter any kind of boost, it was one of the first times a politician used an entertainment show to introduce themselves. As president, Carter was soon struck with his own unpopularity against the backdrop of multiple international crises. He lost reelection in 1980 in a landslide loss to Ronald Reagan. Since leaving office in 1981, Carter has dedicated himself to various humanitarian causes, particularly with Habitat for Humanity. He even became the first POTUS to reach 100 years of age on October 1, 2024.
The Blurred Lines Between Politics and Entertainment
It is jarring for modern audiences to watch a panel of celebrities not recognize the future President of the United States. But it only seems so strange when we watch it back in hindsight because everyone knows Jimmy Carter today. That wasn’t the case 50 years ago. People would have no need to know a governor from a state where they don’t live. And that’s still true today. If the governor of a state like Idaho or Utah appeared on a game show today, would the majority of viewers recognize them? Probably not.
In the five decades since that appearance, American culture hasn’t lost its love for integrating politicians into entertainment. Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin did The Masked Singer and former Trump officials appeared on Dancing with the Stars and Big Brother. Additionally, at least one presidential candidate typically drops by Saturday Night Live every four years. There was Nikki Haley in 2024, Elizabeth Warren in 2020, and both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016.
Some politicians receive a less than stellar welcome, with the more controversial ones accused of receiving an image rehabilitation through pop culture appearances. But controversy drives engagement, and hate-watching is still watching. As long as people talk about politicians on entertainment shows, they’ll continue to be booked. However, the world has changed significantly since no one knew who Jimmy Carter was 50 years ago. Episodes of What’s My Line? can be streamed on Prime Video.
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