Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 today, was governor of Georgia in 1973, but nationally he was still Jimmy who?

As he prepared for a long shot at the presidency in 1976, he and his advisers were already laying the groundwork that year, including developing a national profile in nontraditional ways, which meant a game show.

What’s my line? was on the air for almost 25 years as one of producer Goodson Todman’s most popular panel game shows, in which a panel of celebrities attempted to guess a guest’s profession. Typical programs were highlighted by a celebrity ‘mystery guest’, with the panel required to wear a blindfold to avoid immediate recognition.

But when Carter’s office called the show and introduced him as a guest, the casting director agreed to the condition that he appear as “an unmasked panel Mr.

“That was fine with the good old boys at Mr. Carter, so we booked him for the December 13, 1973 recording session,” Fates wrote. “Few people realized it at the time, but James Earl Carter was already in full mourning after the Democratic nomination.”

In other words, Carter was so unknown that the show was confident the panel would have no idea who he was when he first walked onstage.

They were right. In the episode – which is available on YouTube – Carter appeared up close with a toothy grin, and the “JIMMY CARTER GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA” sign was placed on the screen for viewers. He took his seat and host Larry Blyden told the panel that “the only thing I can tell you about X is that he provides a service.”

Panelist Arlene Francis kicked things off by asking, “Is it a service that has to do with women?”

“Yes, it definitely is,” Carter said, as the audience laughed.

“He looks like singer Don Cherry with her,” says panelist Soupy Sales.

He then asked if Carter’s profession had “anything to do with the fashion world.”

“No,” Carter replied.

Panelist Dana Valery noted that Carter’s appearance “has a very spiritual aspect to it.”

“Does he recruit nuns?”

Carter laughed.

Ultimately, after seven rounds of questions, the panel narrowed Carter’s appeal to something in government.

‘Are you a state official? Are you governor?” asked Gene Shalit.

“Yes,” Carter said, beaming, though Shalit still couldn’t quite place the state.

When the game was over, Blyden gave Carter a chance to explain his governorship achievements, which included streamlining state government and serving as chairman of the Democratic party’s campaign committee.

Decades before the state would become a production center, Carter also spoke of a “good film recruiting program for Georgia,” noting that the state had good weather and that “we’ve never had a movie that came in the budget or schedule was met. .” Salvation was the first major motion picture, and The longest garden had recently completed production. In the coming years Smokey and the bandit would also kick off in the state and help usher in a Southern-centric Carter-era pop culture legacy.

As Jonathan Alter noted in his biography His very bestCarter did other stunts to boost his profile, including “high kicking in a chorus line with the Rockettes.”

A year later, in December 1974, Carter announced his presidential bid, the first Democratic candidate in the race.

Carter was certainly not the first presidential candidate to draw attention to popular culture, but when he launched his campaign, he formed a close bond with artists such as Gregg Allman, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. As shown in the documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock ‘n’ Roll Presidentthey helped boost his name recognition when Carter surprised much of the DC political establishment by winning the Democratic nomination.