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'Do you want to be Queen for a Day?' For over 20 years, this question could be heard in American households five days a week, as it introduced one of the most popular television shows during the 1950s and 60s.
Queen for a Day was a daytime television program that served as a precursor for reality television today. Hosted by Jack Bailey, the show first aired as a radio program in 1945. It began airing on local Los Angeles television in 1947, until it was picked up by NBC in 1956. The Show remained with NBC until1960 before moving to ABC, where it remained until 1964. At the time, Queen for a Day served as a modern day rags-to-riches reality show.
Broadcasting live from the historic theatre-restaurant, Moulin Rouge, in Hollywood, each episode would consist of three to four women competing to become Queen for a Day. The women revealed their most personal stories to the American public. Audience members then decided which woman's story was most heart-wrenching (by use of the applause-o-meter) and the winner was crowned Queen for a Day. The selected queen was dramatically adorned with a crown, robe, and roses. They received gifts such as appliances, fully paid nights out, and many many other prizes, known today as 'product integration.' Viewers tuned in to watch these Cinderella stories in the making.
Through the revelations of these women's trials and burdens, the show was able to reach its audience on a more personal level, and allowed it the opportunity to help better someone's life. This concept made the show such a huge success that its running time was increased from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Although the show ended in 1964, its impact went beyond the women it helped. The show was the inspiration for the 1951 movie, Queen for a Day, and was the basis for many other televised programs.Furthermore, this concept of ordinary Americans opening up their personal lives in front of millions of people has become the basis of reality television today. Spanning over three decades, Queen for a Day enhanced the lives of women and joined American's on an emotional level. As Jack Bailey would say in his trademark signoff, 'Make every woman a queen, for every single day.' Today, 'Queen For A Day' is owned by Michael Wortsman, a media executive with over thirty years' experience in television, radio and print media.
Seize The Day Radio Program
Psp anime games. The show recently aired in Puerto Rico with excellent ratings and is now being developed for U.S. The original format has been revised and the show is now a celebration of women making a difference. Only a few complete episodes remain of this classic television program. They can be viewed in their entirety at the Paley Center for Media (Museum of Television& Radio) in Beverly Hills or you can see clips here on our.
Host Jack Bailey poses for a promotional photo. Created by John Masterson Presented by (1945) (1945–1964) Dick Curtis (1969–1970) (2004) Narrated by Gene Baker Country of origin United States Original language(s) English Production Executive producer(s) John Masterson Running time 30 minutes, later 45 Production company(s) John Masterson Productions (1945-1964) The Raymond R. Morgan Company (1956-1958) Queen for a Day, Inc. (1958-1964) (1969-1970) The Gurin Company (2004) Distributor (1969-1970) Release Original network (radio) (1956–1960) (1960–1964) (1969–1970) (2004 Special) Picture format (original NBC run) (Syndicated) (Lifetime) Audio format Original release April 30, 1945 – May 27, 2004 Queen for a Day was an American radio and television that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the on April 30, 1945, in before moving to 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. Contents. Format The show opened with host 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. Using the classic, as did many game and hit parade-style shows of the time, Queen for a Day had its own special twist: Each contestant had to talk publicly about the recent financial and emotional hard times she had been through. The applause meter had also been used on earlier series, including 's, a variety and game show which aired on NBC from 1953 to 1954. Bailey began each interview gently, asking the contestant first about her life and family and maintaining a positive and upbeat response no matter what she told him. For instance, when a woman said she had a crippled child, he would ask if her second child was 'Okay.' On learning that the second child was not crippled, he might say, 'Well, that's good, you have one healthy child.'
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, but sometimes it was as simple as the need for a hearing aid, a new washing machine, or a refrigerator.
Many women broke down sobbing as they described their plights, and Bailey was always quick to comfort them and offer a clean white handkerchief to dry their eyes. The harsher the circumstances under which the contestant labored, the likelier the studio audience was to ring the applause meter's highest level. The winner, to the musical accompaniment of ', 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 as she wept, often uncontrollably, while her list of prizes was announced. The prizes, many of which were donated by sponsoring companies, began with the necessary help the woman had requested but built from there. They might include a variety of extras, 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; no one went away from the show without a meaningful gift. Bailey's trademark sign-off was: 'This is Jack Bailey, wishing we could make every woman a queen, for every single day!' Broadcast history Radio hosted the original radio version of the show on the –. 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, a former musician and, 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. Titled, 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, and, 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.
Kc O'day Radio Program
Other visual stunts, such as a circus-themed episode featuring ponies and clowns from, 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. Live and unscripted interviews added to the show's believability. One of the show's telecast locations was the on in, 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 on radio and television. Both versions aired locally in the Los Angeles market on the network. Picked up the show for national broadcast from January 3, 1956 to September 2, 1960, and aired it live across the nation (1:30 PST in Los Angeles and 4:30 EST in New York). It proved to be very popular and Bailey and the program were featured on the cover of for the week of June 22–28, 1957. Broadcast the series nationally from September 5, 1960, until the end of the run on October 2, 1964.
The 7th Day Radio Program
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. On May 27, 2004, (originally May 24, 2004) after being off the air for more than 34 years, it was revived as a one-time special airing on cable network with actress and comedian Mo'Nique as host. Judges for this version were, and. The only difference between this version and the original was that the winner was not determined by audience applause. International versions Australia An aired in Melbourne on station from 1960 to 1962. Brazil The Brazilian version was hosted by and aired on The Globo in 1972 under the title Boa Noite Cinderella (Good Night, Cinderella). This version awarded gifts for children (mainly little girls) instead of housewives.
Years later, when the channel changed from to, it aired the program in the afternoons, dropping 'Good Night' in its title and renaming it Cinderella, until it was cancelled in 1987. Spanish In the winter of 2011, a Spanish-language revival hosted by Thomas Ramos (better known as The Red Shadow animator) aired on in under the name Reina Por Un Dia (Queen for a Day). In, an Aztec TV version was produced. It was originally hosted by Ingrid Coranado and then by Raquel Bigorra. Ownership rights The format is currently owned by television executive Michael Worstman, who shopped the format around for a revival in 2011 without success. Similar shows Queen for a Day shared much in common with two other shows of its era, (on radio and television from 1947 to 1958) and (on television from 1956 to 1961). A third similar show was (on the and ABC from 1953 to 1954), which also used contestants with unfortunate stories, giving them transportation tickets as a reward for correct answers to quiz questions.
The major difference between Queen for a Day and these other 'sympathy shows' was that they asked their poverty-stricken contestants to win prizes within a conventional format, with the winner essentially earning the prizes through his or her cleverness. Queen for a Day, on the other hand, dispensed with the quiz-show format entirely: All the contestants were women, and the only way a woman could win was by sincerely touching the heart-strings of the live female audience, who would then award her the greatest volume on the 'applause meter.' Prizes were sponsored by industry leaders in appliances, home goods and apparel; such as the famed, who offered each guest a credit allowance to spend from their catalog of more than 30,000 items. Episode status Recordings of the series are believed to have been, as per network practices of the era. Eight episodes are held at the, including two from the Don Lee network era: the August 21, 1953, radio episode simulcast on television in Los Angeles and the July 4, 1955, show with guest-hosting to crown a king instead of a queen (as was done about once or twice a year). The latest episode held at the archive is from July 13, 1964, near the end of the show's run on ABC.
Two episodes from 1956 exist in the J. Fred & Leslie W. MacDonald Collection of the. These include a 45-minute installment from February 2, 1956, and a half-hour installment from October 25, 1956.
In 2005, released a three-disc DVD set of seven episodes transferred from their original kinescope elements plus rare footage of an additional five episodes; the total runtime is 210 minutes. See also. References Notes.
This is the greatest old show. The basic premise was that all the contestants were women with sob stories trying to outdo each other with how sad their plight was. Usually these women were asking for something relatively small, but the point was the story- it had to be the saddest hard-luck story you ever heard.
If the contestant was a widow, married to a military man or had many children, all the better. At the end, the most pathetic seeming contestant got to be Queen For A Day. They would not only get what they were asking for, but gifts and prizes. Some won trips to Hawaii. The show ran on radio for years before television, and was widely parodied.
TV seemed to add something to the proceedings, though, since all the contestants look uniformly terrified. This is something you really have to see to believe.
The film was based on the popular daytime Mutual Broadcasting Company radio program that originated from New York on April 30, 1945 as 'Queen For Today' and moved to Hollywood a few months later as 'Queen For A Day', with Jack Bailey, former vaudeville music man and World's Fair barker, as the emcee host. The five-times-a-week, thirty minute doses spun over to television and lasted into the 70's. Bailey, in pre-airing interviews with audience members, would select 3-4 contestants who would pour out their (mostly pitiful) hearts explaining why they deserved to be Queen For A Day, and the audience selected the winner. The movie version was comprised of three short story segments which led some character to the television program. This is a film about a television show. At least a television show is the starting point for the trilogy of stories that comprise the narrative.
It was a television show that was originally a radio show that was very popular on radio in the forties and then moved into TV. The American public loved it.
Ordinary people got the chance at a brief moment of celebrity with a chance of winning their heart's desire. A small group of women would be selected from the audience and each would describe her life and ask for something she needed.
In a sense, the show was a precursor for reality shows like Jerry Springer's, although not nearly as crass. The stories were written by three of the top American writers working at the time: Dorothy Parker, John Ashworth and Faith Baldwin. They were all excellent snapshots of contemporary American life. Baldwin's story concerned a man and wife and their small son. Their lives seem idyllic until tragedy strikes. Ashworth's story is about a young man willing to place himself in extreme danger in order to make his way in the world. Parker's pen was always dipped in acid and she was never happier that when she was ridiculing the class of people she knew too well.
Parker's story was entitled, 'Horsie'. It concerned a nurse hired as a nanny for a newborn. The family was too rich and stylish to ever attend to the mundane details of taking care of the child themselves. They poke malicious fun at their sweet, innocent, unsuspecting nanny, simply because she is unattractive and unsophisticated. She doesn't know she is the butt of their jokes and thinks they are wonderful. The story does not make fun of poor 'Horsie' as they call her.
It is not 'Horsie' who is depicted as being pathetic. The film is perhaps sentimental to a fault but it is so well done, that doesn't matter.
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