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| Marion Ross and Lyle Waggoner on Happy Days. |
I first learned of the notorious TV game show Queen for a Day (1956-1964) in a book called The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste (1990) by Jane and Michael Stern. The title of that book should give you some idea of the caliber of the show. In fact, I think I'll let the Sterns describe this truly bizarre and memorable program:
Like other game shows, Queen for a Day gave away prizes, but the twist was that the prizes went to a contestant selected by audience applause. To earn applause, contestants had to tell what they needed and why. Some wishes were frivolous, but the one who invariably received the loudest ovation was the woman who told the most heart-rending story about the suffering in her life.
Broadcast from Hollywood's Moulin Rouge theater-restaurant, Queen for a Day set standards of toe-curling tastelessness that have remained unequaled in game show history. In order to win, it was almost always necessary for the contestant to whimper and moan as she enumerated her miseries, and thereby made herself seem even more wretched than any of the other sad ladies hoping to be crowned. As she wailed her tale of woe, host Jack Bailey told jokes to keep the mood of the show light. (A contestant sobbed that her house was robbed on New Year's Eve. "Happy New Year," laughed Mr. Bailey.)
Adding to Queen for a Day's stunning tactlessness were the prizes. Women whose lives had collapsed around them were awarded trips to the hairdresser and lunch at a movie studio, plus prizes to fit their particular dilemma. A woman whose husband was paralyzed and lay dying in the hospital was given a new car to go visit him and a year's supply of men's deodorant to bring him as a present. One contestant whose husband had died in bed pleaded for a new mattress. The end of each program was a dazzling coronation scene, during which the chosen Queen, always crying hysterically, was swathed in ermine and crowned, given a bouquet of red roses, and led to her velvet-covered throne by scantily clad courtiers, as Jack Bailey showered her with gifts, which were always announced by their brand names.
In its eighth season in 1980, Happy Days gently satirized Queen for a Day with an episode called "Dreams Can Come True." The plot has Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross) competing on a Queen for a Day-type game show called Dreams Can Come True, hosted by the smarmy Bobby Burns (guest star Lyle Waggoner). She hopes to win $800 so she can send Lori Beth (Lynda Goodfriend), her future daughter-in-law, on a flight to Greenland to visit the absent Richie. Unfortunately, to win the game, Marion has to defeat two other downtrodden housewives whose problems make the Cunninghams' financial woes look trivial in comparison.
On this week's installment of These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, we talk about "Dreams Can Come True" and the legacy of Queen for a Day. Join us, won't you?