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Queen for a Day
- 123 statements
- 23 feature instances
- 10 referencing feature instances
| Queen for a Day | type |
TVTItem | |
| Queen for a Day | label |
Queen for a Day | |
| Queen for a Day | page |
QueenForADay | |
| Queen for a Day | comment |
Game Show where four (sometimes five) women shared their stories of woe in front of an audience and emcee, such stories ranging from a dearly-departed husband to a son crippled with polio. After all the ladies finished, the audience would applaud for the woman they wanted to see become "Queen for a Day". The winner (determined by the famous Applause Meter) received not only what she had originally asked for, but a slew of other prizes furnished by the show's sponsors. The show was created and executive produced by John Masterson, who would later enjoy greater success as the creator of The People's Court.Debuting on the radio on April 30, 1945 as Queen for Today on the Mutual Broadcasting System with Ken Murray as host and with Masterson producing the show through his production company, John Masterson Productions, the show was originally broadcast from New York. A few months into the run, the show moved to Los Angeles and was given its more familiar title; Murray was replaced by Jack Bailey, and beginning in 1948 the show was simulcast on television in the local Los Angeles market through DuMont affiliate KTSL-TVnote Later to be purchased by CBS and renamed KNXT-TV, and later still, KCBS-TV., whose owner, the Don Lee Network, also owned KHJ-AM, Mutual's Los Angeles affiliate.The show proved to be so popular that it got national television exposure on NBC from January 1956 to September 1960, then over the weekend moved to American Broadcasting Company and continued until October 1964. When the show moved to NBC, the Raymond R. Morgan Company also signed on as a production company and co-produced the first two seasons until 1958, after which John Masterson resumed sole production and formed the dummy company Queen for a Day, Inc. to hold the show's copyright. Two Revival attempts, a 1969-70 syndicated run helmed by Dick Curtis and produced and distributed by Metromedia Producers Corporation, and a 2004 Lifetime one-off hosted by Mo'Nique and produced by the Gurin Company, both ended in failure.While some praised Queen for helping the unfortunate and showcasing the generosity of America, both contemporary and modern critics bashed it for exploiting the contestants for ratings. | |
| Queen for a Day | fetched |
2024-02-24T05:00:13Z | |
| Queen for a Day | parsed |
2024-02-24T05:00:13Z | |
| Queen for a Day | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Queen for a Day / int_18d15922 | type |
Title Drop | |
| Queen for a Day / int_18d15922 | comment |
Title Drop: Jack's opening sentence. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_18d15922 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_18d15922 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1bf94a24 | type |
The Movie | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1bf94a24 | comment |
The Movie: Yes, it had a movie, which was released in 1951 when the TV version was still a local Los Angeles program. The plot was divided in three vignettes, each telling the story of a fictional contestant. Leonard Nimoy made his film debut here in a bit role. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1bf94a24 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_1bf94a24 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1f250372 | type |
I Need a Freaking Drink | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1f250372 | comment |
I Need a Freaking Drink: In most of the circulating episodes, Jack Bailey looks and sounds like a man who had a few shots beforehand. Bailey was actually a member of Alcoholics Anonymous while the show was in production. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_1f250372 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_1f250372 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_20ebabe3 | type |
Thing-O-Meter | |
| Queen for a Day / int_20ebabe3 | comment |
Thing-O-Meter: The winner was determined by an Applause Meter. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_20ebabe3 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_20ebabe3 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2319aa2e | type |
All or Nothing | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2319aa2e | comment |
All or Nothing: Only the lady crowned Queen actually got anything to help her situation. The rest got what was said to be "nothing" on-air, but was actually a small Consolation Prize such as a toaster oven or a camera. This measure was in place to prevent con artists from appearing on the show — there were a small number of contestants who lied about their troubles, and were found out after their shows aired. Having rightly felt cheated, production reasoned that by stating that only the winner gets any prizes, the ladies had better not think about anything but playing it completely straight. This actually turned out to be very crucial, as sometime later on, the nation became wrapped up in the frenzy that was the 1950s quiz show scandals, which ravaged, among others, fellow NBC game shows Dotto, Tic-Tac-Dough, and, most notoriously, 21. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2319aa2e | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_2319aa2e | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2a491c3c | type |
Trust Me, I'm an X | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2a491c3c | comment |
Trust Me, I'm an X: There was a vet who would regularly appear in order to explain why your pet needs branded pet merchandise. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_2a491c3c | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_2a491c3c | |
| Queen for a Day / int_377bd97c | type |
False Widow | |
| Queen for a Day / int_377bd97c | comment |
False Widow: Contestants never talk about running away from abusive husbands to live with their family, or falling pregnant out of wedlock, or getting abandoned by (or abandoning) their husbands because the relationship wasn't emotionally or sexually satisfying. But there are a lot of very brave widows. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_377bd97c | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_377bd97c | |
| Queen for a Day / int_40d6724 | type |
Sound-to-Screen Adaptation | |
| Queen for a Day / int_40d6724 | comment |
Sound-to-Screen Adaptation: 1948 for the Los Angeles area, 1956 for the nation. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_40d6724 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_40d6724 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_53b39668 | type |
Reality Show | |
| Queen for a Day / int_53b39668 | comment |
Reality Show: Probably the Ur-Example for competitive variants. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_53b39668 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day / int_53b39668 | featureConfidence |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_53b39668 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68a171b6 | type |
Sadist Show | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68a171b6 | comment |
Sadist Show: The losers got absolutely nothing as compensation for being on the show, at least from the viewers' standpoint. They actually got a decent consolation gift, but as detailed above this wasn't mentioned on-air to avoid getting liars as candidates. The audience (and Bailey) would sometimes laugh at some stories, with Bailey throwing out insults and sarcastic remarks. They may have been meant in fun (as it were) back then, perhaps even an attempt by Bailey to soothe the contestants who were (very understandably) not only wracked by their personal problems but nervous due to the natural pressures of a TV show, but they certainly don't seem so innocent these days... Not even the show's assistants (also female) were safe, as Bailey openly insulted them as well. One existing episode even has him saying "Let's give a big hand to Mary Ann for finally doing something right." | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68a171b6 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_68a171b6 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68d43ebc | type |
Game Show Host | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68d43ebc | comment |
Game Show Host: Ken Murray, Jack Bailey, Dick Curtis, and Mo'Nique. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_68d43ebc | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_68d43ebc | |
| Queen for a Day / int_83a903f6 | type |
Stepford Smiler | |
| Queen for a Day / int_83a903f6 | comment |
Stepford Smiler and Stepford Suburbia: Played straight in the commercial hosting sections, averted like crazy in the sections with the contestants, to the point that - if it wasn't a game show featuring real people - you'd consider it a deconstruction. The women are very polite, sweet and well-groomed 50s suburban housewife-types who spend a lot of time smiling out of politeness. But they are also clearly real human beings with complex inner lives and mixed emotional reactions to being on the show. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_83a903f6 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_83a903f6 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_95496a1d | type |
The Announcer | |
| Queen for a Day / int_95496a1d | comment |
The Announcer: Gene Baker on Mutual and NBC, John Harlan on ABC, and Carl King in syndication. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_95496a1d | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_95496a1d | |
| Queen for a Day / int_9d3b4703 | type |
This Is Reality | |
| Queen for a Day / int_9d3b4703 | comment |
This Is Reality: The contestants tend to be extremely sweet, but are a lot shyer and more awkward than you'd expect them to be, if you grew up associating 50s and 60s housewives with Mad Men-style advertising. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_9d3b4703 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_9d3b4703 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a4c37cbe | type |
Mood Whiplash | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a4c37cbe | comment |
Mood Whiplash: Lots and lots, as you'd expect given that it is continuously juxtaposing tales of personal tragedy with advertisements for holidays and dog food. | |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_a4c37cbe | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a7f4710f | type |
Mood Dissonance | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a7f4710f | comment |
Mood Dissonance: After being crowned Queen for a Day, the contestant was expected to sit on a throne and listen to a five minute in-show commercial about all the consumer items that she'd just won, while pretending to be really excited and thankful about the benefits of things like aluminum cookware and dog treats. You'd expect the queen to feel really excited and happy about winning, except they have usually just suffered significant personal tragedies and usually only appear on the show because they are in desperate need of help for their family, and they've just been put through this grueling and humiliating ordeal on the vague hope they'd get the desired item. A lot of the time, the Queens are fighting off tears while sitting on the throne, and not tears of joy. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a7f4710f | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_a7f4710f | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a939d96a | type |
Adults Are Useless | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a939d96a | comment |
Adults Are Useless: The contestants of ill and disabled children clearly care about them, but are often in such a financially vulnerable position that they see appearing on a sadistic game show to be a legitimate solution to their problems. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_a939d96a | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_a939d96a | |
| Queen for a Day / int_ce6555f0 | type |
Lighter and Softer | |
| Queen for a Day / int_ce6555f0 | comment |
Lighter and Softer: Could be seen as a lighter and softer version of a reality show. The premise might be pretty unsettling in itself, but the audience (if not the host) seemed to genuinely want to see the contestants happy, and the show is very subtle and indirect when it subjects its participants to public humiliation. Nobody is putting anybody's head in a fish tank full of spiders. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_ce6555f0 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_ce6555f0 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_d2aa7d09 | type |
Littlest Cancer Patient | |
| Queen for a Day / int_d2aa7d09 | comment |
Littlest Cancer Patient: Not in a literal sense, of course, but contestants with very sick children in need of financing usually won. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_d2aa7d09 | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_d2aa7d09 | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e59ad7c | type |
Stigmatic Pregnancy Euphemism | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e59ad7c | comment |
Stigmatic Pregnancy Euphemism: Very likely, given that there were a surprising number of young widows with a single child on the show. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e59ad7c | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_e59ad7c | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e90b789a | type |
Lovely Assistant | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e90b789a | comment |
Lovely Assistant: Several models handed the Queen her prizes. Among them were Barbara Lyon, Beverly Sassoon, Maxine Reeves, Darlene Stuart, and Dorene Georgeson. In addition, during the televised versions, there was the position of fashion commentator added. During the network runs, it was Jeanne Cagney, while in the syndicated run, it was Nancy Myers. | |
| Queen for a Day / int_e90b789a | featureApplicability |
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| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Queen for a Day / int_e90b789a | |
| Queen for a Day / int_f511ea9b | type |
Product Placement | |
| Queen for a Day / int_f511ea9b | comment |
Product Placement: The show spent about 15 minutes focusing on the contestants and 25 minutes selling various products. | |
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| Queen for a Day / int_name | type |
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Queen for a Day |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Consolation Prize / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Game Show / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Game Show Host / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Misery Poker / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
One-Episode Wonder / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Princess for a Day / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen For A Day | seeAlso |
Queen for a Day | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
The '40s / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
The Announcer / int_a9dbb401 | |
| Queen for a Day | hasFeature |
Thing-O-Meter / int_a9dbb401 |
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