A Whole Litter of Kitty

Miss Kitty Carlisle of To Tell the Truth fame was one of our earliest recipients of a tribute in The Underworld. We always did admire her and enjoy her contributions to the show (and to the arts in general), but as of late we've really been immersing ourselves in vintage eps of TTTT because two 25-minutes episodes can be viewed on our phone over these cold lunch hours spent in the office break area. (We've been experiencing zero and sub-zero temps as of late and only want to curl up in a chair and chillax rather than venture out unless it's necessary!)

Watching so many of these early installments of the show, we've come to love our Kitty even more than before; something we didn't think was possible. Carlisle had something I always adore in a person which is a "thirst for knowledge." She enjoyed learning as much about, well, everything that she could and though there were occasionally topics she admittedly knew nothing about, she surely grew as a player and a person during her long tenure on the venerable game show.

Carlisle was remarkably generous of spirit, though she did have a point of view. She was also keenly intent on figuring out which of the show's contestants was the real person in question and could be quite pointed in her examination. But she also possessed a rich and delightful sense of humor and often could be seen tossing back that mane of black hair with a full-bodied guffaw.

This post is really all about her many looks over the years. Yes, she always had the sweeping dark hair, though it was augmented more than you might realize during the decades, and had a clear affinity for pearls and dark gowns. But she worked hard to create a TV-ready look from the waist up (in the early years), using all her own clothing, jewelry and doing her own hair and makeup. You'll see repeats of the baubles in this post. Later, she would be seen in full length, which required an even more detailed look from head to toe.

So here comes Kitty! I'll comment only when I get the urge or if explanation seems necessary.

This particular shot is from Kitty Carlisle's very first appearance on To Tell the Truth. Even then she was forty-six years of age.

You'll grow to recognize these pearls.

This fabulous necklace also turned up many times on the show.

This is another lovely necklace that she wore frequently.

Shown here casting her vote on the day episode as the photo above, we see here hairstyle from another angle.

This is a highly uncharacteristic appearance thanks to the chignon.

Strangely, the elegant 'do which looked good on many ladies somehow didn't suit Ms. Carlisle particularly well. It aged her and gave her a somewhat haughty look (and was rarely, if ever, seen again!)

This was another departure, a combo of necklaces worn in an almost Bohemian style with a boldly patterned dress.

Perfecting the "brown football helmet" look!

The neckline and shoulders are beginning to become more and more elaborate as the 1960s dawn.

Occasionally, she would go a tad too far even for me, which seems impossible, but this flower petal creation seems a bit over-watered by my assessment! Still, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A demonstration of her dogged determination, which could still be tempered by a raucous laugh if something amusing came along. I consider the ability to be able to laugh at oneself to be a life gift. Some people don't get it...

That intensity in the questioning is coming through here.

Channeling Rose Kennedy a bit in this look?

Often we'd be treated to an open, pleasant smile.

These last several photos are from an era in which the show was broadcast in color yet, to my eternal misery, the episodes themselves only exist in black & white copies except for a scant few! When I show you the color renditions, you will understand what a substantial difference it makes!

Not such a big deal here since she's seen in earth tones.

There is a touch of flower-power this time out. (Note the same necklace she wore so often in the early episodes.)

This is quite an eye-catching necklace (and who can beat that smile, one of her greatest accessories?!)

How about this hot pink get-up?

Or this classic, soft pink suit.

Now we're cooking. Look at the delirious colors of this print dress which could only be from the mid-1960s! (And dig that crazy costume jewelry necklace!)

One of Kitty's signatures was using a Roman numeral "one" whenever voting for that contestant.

The keyword here if bouffant.

Another angle of the previous style.

With the introduction of as new set, the celebrity panelists were shown entering the stage, so we were able to see the figure and entire ensemble of the stars. By now, Ms. C. was pushing sixty and still a knockout.

A daily daytime show afforded colorful, but simpler styles versus ostrich, marabou and the like.

On one highly-rare occasion, Miss Carlisle hosted a segment rather than appearing as a panelist. Female game show hosts were practically unheard of at the time.

A syndicated version, which often aired in the evenings, afforded a return to more elegant looks. I LOVE this necklace.

Sweet Jeebus! Even Joan Crawford might have hesitated to put this one on!

By now a black dress with pearls was a reliable, go-to look.

I loved it when she'd comb out a few ostriches and gussy up for the camera!

Another new set, but the pearls are still her faves.

Not that she didn't still occasionally dazzle in a less conventional piece of jewelry.

This was the day that host Garry Moore played a cruel trick on the panel and it gave us an indelible Kitty Carlisle moment.

The panel was given succulent and delicious Beef Stroganoff, prepared by a penny-pinching consumer/author. But just after most of them (the others being Bill Cullen, Peggy Cass and Gene Rayburn) had tasted it, they were informed that it had been made with dog food!

Kitty immediately spit hers back onto the fork and began to scream, though they were later informed that the whole thing had been a prank and that it was regular beef all along.

Glitzy in an embroidered caftan.

The video quality was so shitty, but I couldn't pass up this piece of neckwear!

Likewise I loved this glamorous look.

With the passing of host Garry Moore came a new one, Joe Garagiola (and perhaps a new face to go with?)

Yes, I do think there was some work done. By now, she was pushing seventy, but still killing it.

At last we got to see in color the necklace that she'd sported back in the mid-1950s! This was what she wore on Garry Moore's final show.

To Tell the Truth was forever being cancelled and then brought back in a new rendition. On the short-lived 1980-81 version, she was back for another go.

A decade later, there was another version that wasn't particularly long-lived, but which she took part in semi-regularly. Descending a large staircase, she was now introduced as "To Tell the Truth's very own Kitty Carlisle."

Now eighty, Carlisle looked smashing and had lost none of her skill or charm when it came to playing the game.

On the heels of the glamor-driven '80s, Carlisle was still eager to bring glitz to a TV landscape that had pretty much abandoned it.

That trademark laugh was still in place. And, look, there's one of her long ago necklaces making yet another glittering appearance!

What was really great was when her old costar from the show "actor and raconteur" Orson Bean would join in and escort her down the stairs. He'd been making her roar with laughter for decades and nothing much had changed in that regard.

A true LADY in a time when such things were diminishing rapidly, she, along with TTTT guest-starring veterans Betty White, Peggy Cass and Polly Bergen were a treat for longtime viewers of the show.

The show was trucked out again in 2000 and Miss C. with it for a final appearance on the program. She was then ninety years of age! This incarnation actually lasted a tad longer than some of the previous ones, but had definitely lost some of its luster and was off the air by 2002. Thankfully, dear Kitty was gone before the horrendous recent update hit the airwaves in 2016! Any semblance of taste was significantly absent by then.

If you're still with me now after all these pics, I give you a real treat. The video at this link gives me life. Some amazing person has gone and linked together a long line of Kitty Carlisle's entrances on the color rendition of To Tell the Truth. If you're a person who enjoyed Loretta Young's swirling entrances on her old anthology show, this is a must-see. Same goes for anyone who loves Ms. C. or any parade of vintage get-ups! She is gracefulness and panache personified in it and sports a tremendous figure for a woman in her late-fifties through her sixties. And don't miss the quote at the end! Enjoy, and I'll be back again soon.

To tell the truth... I adored you, KC!