My mother was a contestant in November 1956 (I was 3 years old). She told the story of my Uncle who was legally blind (only see close to his face)from a poor farm family in Kansas with no resources. In fact everybody in the family had serious eye trouble except my mother.
She became Queen for a Day, and my Uncle was given everything my mother asked for and more: A complete piano tuning tool set and a scholarship to a piano tuning school in Seattle. My mom got a full set of living room furniture and an Amana freezer (which lasted until 1983!).
On the show when Jack Bailey introduced my mother he made a big deal about her being a long-lost cousin because her last name is Bailey. Since she was a farm girl he asked her if she milked cows, and she demonstrated on his fingers.
Though some may disparage the show for excessive emotionalism, that is what it was built on. Hundreds of needy families, like mine, received things like appliances and prizes that helped them.Without Queen for a Day, my Uncle might not have had the opportunity to develop a skilled livelyhood. For decades he was the preferred tuner for all the Steinways at Carnegie Hall (Carnegie Mellon University) Pittsburg.
She became Queen for a Day, and my Uncle was given everything my mother asked for and more: A complete piano tuning tool set and a scholarship to a piano tuning school in Seattle. My mom got a full set of living room furniture and an Amana freezer (which lasted until 1983!).
On the show when Jack Bailey introduced my mother he made a big deal about her being a long-lost cousin because her last name is Bailey. Since she was a farm girl he asked her if she milked cows, and she demonstrated on his fingers.
Though some may disparage the show for excessive emotionalism, that is what it was built on. Hundreds of needy families, like mine, received things like appliances and prizes that helped them.Without Queen for a Day, my Uncle might not have had the opportunity to develop a skilled livelyhood. For decades he was the preferred tuner for all the Steinways at Carnegie Hall (Carnegie Mellon University) Pittsburg.