begun to supplant radio as the main form of entertainment in American homes. In her column of October 11, 1945, Hedda Hopper wrote that Block had "mastered" radio, would likely do the same with movies, and "he'll be in a perfect position for television." Although Block attempted performing as early as 1939, it was not until the early 1950s that he began in earnest. In 1951, Block was disk jockey for his own twice-a-week radio program Around the Clock on WJZ in New York City, was moderator for the short-lived television game show, Tag the Gag, and hosted the show Four to Go on WGN in Chicago. However, it was as one of the original panelists on the television game show What's My Line? from 1950–53 which gave Block national fame. What's My Line?, a guessing game in which the show's panel tried to discover the unusual profession of guests, became one of the most popular shows on television in the 1950s and ran for 17 seasons, making it the longest-running game show in the history of prime-time American television. What's My Line? On February 2, 1950, What's My Line? premiered on CBS with a panel consisting of journalist Dorothy Kilgallen; poet, anthologist, critic, and editor Louis Untermeyer; psychiatrist Richard H. Hoffmann; and politician Harold G. Hoffman. Journalist John Daly was host. Some reviews of the first show criticized it as bland and colorless. Even Mark Goodson, one of the show's producers, said the early shows were "as dull as dishwater [sic]" and, years later, confessed to feeling at the time that the show wouldn't last more than six weeks. The producers quickly realized the problems lay with the casting and that the show needed some lighter elements. Actress Arlene Francis was first brought onto the panel, and then on March 16, 1950, on the fourth show, Block replaced former New Jersey governor Harold Hoffman. Block continued as a regular panelist for the next three years. Block brought humor to What's My Line? On one show, upon a contestant being revealed to be a skunk breeder, Block was surprised they hadn't been able to guess his occupation because, "After all, the fellow had a certain air about him." Block was able to bring levity to what may otherwise have been serious, dry topics, such as with the appearance of Estes Kefauver, a U.S. Senator who was leading an investigation into