When I was growing up, daytime tv consisted of game shows and soap operas. One of the most popular shows was Queen for a Day. It aired around midday, so when we kids were home, we often watched it. On this program, host Jack Bailey interviewed four women who told their individual tales of woe.  Whoever got the most applause (measured by the Applause-O-Meter) would receive her request and much, much more.

A woman with seven kids asked for diaper service so she could keep up with the needs of her baby triplets.  Another asked for a wheelchair for her paralyzed son.  Another wanted a voice test to see if she could have made it as a singer, a career she had to abandon when she became a mom. (Those were the days!)

Usually, it was the woman with the saddest story who won the day. It would be a mother of twelve who didn’t have a washing machine or a single mom who was struggling to raise a large family. Depending on the sponsors du jour, the losers were sent home with cartons of Old Gold cigarettes and hairspray. The Queen would be given a crown, a robe, and roses along with whatever she had wished for.

Jack Bailey’s interviews were all the same. “So your name is Mary Smith.” “That’s right,” the shyly smiling housewife would answer. “Where are you from, Mary?”  “I’m from San Jose.” “And what does your husband do?”

Jack never had to ask Mary what she did because Mary’s occupation was the same as every other contestant on the show. She was a housewife. She didn’t have a job, did she?

He continued, “And how many children do you have?”  On a YouTube video of the show, one contestant named Jules was childless…so far, but she had only been married for two years. She also mentioned that she had been elected District President of the Future Business Leaders of America for Orange County (CA) when she was in school. Guess what she asked for? She wanted to help out with the household finances, so she wanted an “automatic washing machine” so she could take in laundry. Wow! Weren’t the 1950’s awesome for women?

The lady who won that episode of “Queen for a Day” asked for a wheelchair for her brother and got that and much, much more. She got a new washer and dryer, a canopy bed, a dinette set, silverware, a tape recorder, and a trip back to see her brother. The others went home with a meat slicer (handy!), a Hamilton Beach hand mixer, a bottle of the “exotic” Fame perfume from Corday (imported from Paris!), and a Dormyer electric hair dryer.  I reiterate--those were the days!

There is talk of bringing back the show, but one can only wonder what a new version would look like.  I’m sure that at least the interview questions will be changed. They might even ask women what they do for a living. Think of that!