Jimmy Carter was introduced to the country on a 1970s game show

Game shows are an institution of American television because they have been around almost as long as the medium itself. There, viewers can apparently also meet the future President of the United States. At least that was the case in 1973. What is my line? was one of the earliest mainstream television game shows. In it, a group of celebrities tried to guess the profession of an average American citizen. A 1973 episode featured a contestant on the panel known only as “Mr. X” was known. The panel had no idea who this man was, and they took turns trying to figure out what he did for a living. Watching the clip again, it becomes clear that Mr. X is none other than a young person Jimmy CarterYears before he ever ascended to the Oval Office.

But watching celebrities try not to recognize the then-governor of Georgia was a strange mix of funny and deeply unnerving. Of course, it seems as if politicians are omnipresent in the media landscape 2024. But 50 years ago it was a different story. Was this introduction on What is my line? the catalyst for Carter’s national recognition? And how have our politics and our popular culture continued to intersect in the decades that followed?

What is the premise of What’s My Line?

What is my line? followed a relatively simple premise. A “normal” participant introduced himself to a group of celebrities sitting across from him. The celebrities asked yes or no questions about what they thought the contestant’s job was. If they received a yes answer, they continued with the survey. If the answer was “no,” the next celebrity in line would take over the questioning. Celebrities will be given a total of 10 cast selection questions, with each “yes” answer adding a whopping $5 to the prize pot. The prize pot was deliberately kept small so that winning cash prizes was not the main goal of the game.

The final round of each episode featured a special celebrity guestblindfolded the panel so as not to recognize the guest. Instead of the profession, the panel would instead guess who the celebrity was. Think of something similar The Masked Singer but with the celebrity jury blindfolded and not with a disguised guest. However, if it was assumed that the jury would not recognize the celebrity, she was allowed to guess without a blindfold and follow the rules of the regular rounds.

Future President Jimmy Carter’s television debut

This was the case with a 1973 episode featuring then-Governor Jimmy Carter. He had begun exploring the possibility of a presidential run and was looking for ways to raise his national profile. Because it was believed that no one outside of Georgia knew Carter, the celebrity panel was not blindfolded, and Carter was addressed as Mr.

The panel, consisting of 1970s celebrities Arlene Francis, Dana Valery, Soupy Sales and Gene Shalit, began questioning the unknown future of POTUS. They concluded that his career consisted of providing a service to people, which was then restricted specifically to women. Remember, Carter could only answer yes or no. After making crazy guesses about fashion designers and something to do with nuns, the panel focused on government work. After all, it was Shalit who correctly suspected the governor after finding out that Carter was working at the state level. Although they guessed his profession, they still did not know what his name was or what state he headed. The moderator introduced Carter, who then presented some of his legislative accomplishments in Georgia.

A year later, Carter would launch his bid for the presidency. At the time of the election, he was still relatively unknown on the national stage. However, he benefited from the unpopularity of incumbent POTUS Gerald Ford, who narrowly won the 1976 election against Ford. Although we cannot say for sure whether What is my line? His looks gave Carter some kind of boost, It was one of the first times that a politician used an entertainment program to introduce himself. As president, Carter was soon affected by his own unpopularity against the backdrop of numerous international crises. He lost re-election in 1980 in a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. Since leaving office in 1981, Carter has been active in various humanitarian causes, particularly Habitat for Humanity. He was even the first POTUS to turn 100 on October 1, 2024.

The blurred lines between politics and entertainment

It is jarring for modern audiences to watch a group of celebrities not recognizing the future President of the United States. But in retrospect it only seems so strange because today everyone knows Jimmy Carter. That wasn’t the case 50 years ago. People wouldn’t have to know a governor from a state they don’t live in. And that still applies today. If the governor of a state like Idaho or Utah appeared on a game show today, would the majority of viewers recognize him? Probably not.

In the five decades since that performance, American culture has not lost its love of integrating politicians into the entertainment industry. Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin did it The Masked Singer And former Trump officials appeared Dancing with the stars And Big Brother. Additionally, Usually at least one presidential candidate stops 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 are received less positively, while the more controversial politicians are accused of having rehabilitated their image through appearances in popular culture. But controversy drives engagement, and hate observations are still an issue. As long as entertainment shows talk about politicians, they will continue to be booked. However, the world has changed significantly since 50 years ago, no one knew who Jimmy Carter was. Episodes of What is my line? can be streamed on Prime Video.