Queen for a Day
Queen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months later and ran until 1957. The show then ran on NBC Television from 1956 to 1960 and on ABC Television from 1960 to 1964.
The show became popular enough that NBC increased its running time from 30 to 45 minutes to sell more commercials, at a then-premium rate of $4,000 per minute.
Format
The show opened with host Jack Bailey asking the audience—mostly women—"Would YOU like to be Queen for a day?" After this, the contestants were introduced and interviewed, one at a time, with commercials and fashion commentary interspersed in between.Each contestant was asked to talk about the recent financial and emotional hard times she had been through. The interview would climax with Bailey asking the contestant what she needed most and why she wanted to win the title of Queen for a Day. Often the request was for medical care or therapeutic equipment to help a chronically ill child, or might be for a hearing aid, a new washing machine, or a refrigerator. Many women broke down sobbing as they described their plights.
The winning contestant was selected by the audience using an applause meter; the harsher the contestant's situation, the likelier the studio audience was to ring the applause meter's highest level. The winner, to the musical accompaniment of "Pomp and Circumstance", would be draped in a sable-trimmed red velvet robe, given a glittering jeweled crown to wear, placed on a velvet-upholstered throne, and handed a dozen long-stemmed roses to hold while her list of prizes was announced.
The prizes began with the help the woman had requested, and included a variety of extras, many of which were donated by sponsoring companies, such as a vacation trip, a night on the town with her husband, silver-plated flatware, an array of kitchen appliances, or a selection of fashion clothing. The losing contestants were each given smaller prizes.
Bailey's trademark sign-off was: "This is Jack Bailey, wishing we could make every woman a queen, for every single day!"
Cast
- Jack Bailey as Himself
- Jeanne Cagney as Herself
- Gene Baker as Announcer
- Fort Pearson as Announcer
- John Harlan as Announcer
- Maxine Reeves as Head Model
- Carol Silversparre as Model
- Jann Darlyn as Model
- Suzanne Alexander as Model
- Jolene Brand as Model
- Pat Sheehan as Model
- Dorene Georgeson as Model
- Beverly Adams as Model
- Beverly Christensen as Model
- Doris Gildart as Model
- Naida Curtis as Model
- Barbara Luke as Model
- Suzanne Ames as Model
- Beverly Lyon as Model
- Millicent Deming as Model
- Patricia Nanton as Model
- Virginia Bingman as Model
- Darlene Stuart as Model
- Jackie Kenley as Model
- Mary Ellen Gleason as Model
- Josephine Burris as Model
- Dolores Fuller as Model
- Marilyn Burtis as Model
- Jewell Glasser as Model
- Mary Lou Morgan as Model
- Lois Schaumburg as Model
- Gloria Moore as Model
- Eunice Hadley as Model
- Rosenell "Revell" Krech as Model
- Nicole De Meyer as Model
- Katherine "Kathy" Taylor as Head Model
- Marilyn Hare as Model
- Mary Tobin as Model
- Cathie Righter as Model
- Jean Spangler as Model
- Wendy Waldron as Model
- Marie Gray as Model
- Lisa Davis as Model
- Lesley Alexander as Model
- Jo Anne Saravolatz as Model
- Lois Rayman as Model
- Diane Mills as Model
- Marilyn Crooker as Model
- Barbara Lyon as Model
- Sharon Overman as Model
- Paulette Lollar as Model
- Crystal Reeves as Head Model
- June Lyden as Model
- June Blanchard as Model
- Lee Whitney as Model
- Anna-Lisa as Model
- Linda Waddle as Model
- Barbara Stagge as Model
- Sally Sublette as Model
- Joan Foellger as Model
- Mary Beth Hempfling as Model
- Dee Sandvig as Model
- June Kirby as Model
- Eve Bernhardt as Model
- Wendy Wilde as Model
- Marilyn Hanold as Model
Past winners
- Roberta Joann Siewert
- Rosemary Deegan
- Sophia Costarella
- Helen Largent
- Mary Sue Wells
- Juanita DeLee Parent
- Margaret Pond
- Erma Baker
- Peggy Ann McKay
- Viola Layne
- Eva Jean Wilcox
- Marianne Hogue
- Shirley Dykema
- Mary Bartley
- June Stauffer
- Lesley Spurgeon
- Virginia Hunt Newman
- Marie Lanthripe
- Sue Witt
- Doris Brockelbank
- Wilhelmina Van Son
- Margaret Smith
- Gurtrude Pagne
- Margaret Duval
- Mary Wilks
- John Martin
- Edith Manvell
- Harvey Spittell
- Josephine Keefe
- Gloria Mackson
- Mary Lou Wentworth
- Mary Lay
- Marilyn Dawson
- Marjorie DeSmet
- Norma Jean Kowalik
- Constance Millinowski
- Fannie Baskett
- Thelma Chaves
Reception
Broadcast history
Radio
hosted the original radio version of the show on the Mutual–Don Lee Radio Network. When the series began, in New York City on April 30, 1945, it was titled Queen for Today. A few months later, the show moved to Hollywood and acquired the more familiar title Queen for a Day with Jack Bailey, a former vaudeville musician and World's Fair barker, as host. The show aired five days a week during the daytime.Film
In 1951, a fictional comedy-drama film adaptation of the show was released by United Artists. Titled Queen for a Day, it purported to be a behind-the-scenes look at the show while at the same time spoofing the show's basic premise. The movie starred Bailey as the host and featured Darren McGavin, Phyllis Avery, and Leonard Nimoy, among others.Television
Bailey stayed on as host as Queen for a Day jumped from radio to television. With the addition of a visual component, the fashion aspect of the show expanded and each episode featured three to five young women modelling the upscale apparel that would be given away to contestants. Other visual stunts, such as a circus-themed episode featuring ponies and clowns from Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, helped bring the show into the television era. Through all of these changes, however, Bailey remained the interviewer who, over and over again, brought the contestants—and the live female audience—to tears. The first televised episode, a rebroadcast of an earlier radio episode, featured Pearl Stevens of Claremont, California. Models on the series included Maxine Reeves, Carol Silversparre, Jann Darlyn, Suzanne Alexander, Pat Sheehan, Patricia Nanton, and Jolene Brand.Live remote broadcasts and unscripted interviews added to the show's believability. One of the show's telecast locations was the Earl Carroll Theatre on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, renamed the Moulin Rouge in 1953. During each episode, the cameras panned over the audience as the women waved and cheered.
From 1948 through 1955, the show was simulcast on radio. It began airing on Los Angeles television on January 7, 1952, although TV listings reveal that the show was seen as early as 1947 on the local Don Lee station channel 2.
NBC picked up the show for national broadcast from January 3, 1956 to September 2, 1960, and aired it live across the nation. It proved to be popular and Bailey and the program were featured on the cover of TV Guide for the week of June 22–28, 1957.
ABC broadcast the series nationally from September 5, 1960, until the end of the run on October 2, 1964.
Revivals
On September 8, 1969, after a five-year hiatus, a new version of the show debuted in syndication with Dick Curtis as host. The premise remained largely the same; however, this version only ran until September 18, 1970. Viewers turned away from the format when it was revealed that, unlike the radio and earlier television versions, the new show was rigged and the "winners" were apparently paid actresses chosen to "win" the prizes prior to the start of each taping.In 1987, Barry & Enright Productionsin conjunction with Fries Distribution attempted to revive Queen for a Day with Monty Hall as host for the fall of 1988 but with no success.
On May 27, 2004, after being off the air for more than 34 years, it was revived as a one-time special airing on cable network Lifetime with actress and comedian Mo'Nique as host. Judges for this version were Joely Fisher, Meshach Taylor, and Dayna Devon. The only difference between this version and the original was that the winner was not determined by audience applause.