The Girl In My Life Question

[Kurt Toy]

Was this 1973 ABC daytime show-which replaced The Dating Game in July of that year and ended, ironically, nine years to the day DG premiered and also the day DG's sister show The Newlywed Game ended, Dec. 20, 1974-a game show or a testimonial? Jefferson Graham's 1988 TV Game Show Book lists it as a game show, but Wesley Hyatt's Encyclopedia Of Daytime TV says it was a testimonial.

 

[cd637299]

I have not seen this show since its run, but I will say that IIRC, categorizing it into ANY "pigeonhole" would be difficult!

I have the Hyatt book too. I think that it was close in nature to the presentation of "This Is Your Life," with maybe a touch of "It Could Be You" (which, although is listed as a game show, is ALSO very iffy) & "Queen for a Day" (ditto!).

Certainly not a game show in the roughest sense. I do not remember any contests in this show, although I do believe prizes were given to deserving ladies, after "testimonials" were given by husbands/boyfriends/neighbors et al.

I cannot even find it on YouTube....seems that this show got a quick burial!

I don't even know whatever happened to its host, Fred Holliday; IIRC he looked like game show host Jim Peck.

cd

 

[Mike Stroud]

Man, we are really getting to the bottom of the barrel here! I cannot believe anybody would bother to remember trash like that (no offense intended). ABC cooked up that revival of Queen for a Day to have cheap sked filler against NBC's The Doctors, on the top of the heap at 2:30/1:30 Central then (and, albeit less so, CBS' fading Edge of Night, which would, coincidentally move to the Eyeball Channel in '75). The net would have done better running reruns of sitcoms like maybe Odd Couple or Partridge Family in that slot instead. Stations were probably embarrassed about it but would have looked awkward pre-empting it, since it ran smack dab in the middle of the afternoon lineup. Looks like older women were the target demo for that show, with a strong undercurrent of nostalgia for the Fifties (beginnings of the backlash against the Sixties and "relevance"--think Happy Days' premiere in January '74 as another instance).

I'll tell you one thing, though: you can bet your you-know-what that it was surely more tasteful and dignified than 85-90% of all programming on the tube these days. It's too bad we can't see a YouTube clip to see for ourselves, but I'm sure as shooting my opinion on that is true.

 

[Mike Stroud]

ABC cooked up that revival of Queen for a Day to have cheap sked filler against NBC's The Doctors, on the top of the heap at 2:30/1:30 Central then (and, albeit less so, CBS' fading Edge of Night, which would, coincidentally move to the Eyeball Channel in '75).

Boy, I'm really something when it comes to mental agility, ain't I? If the "Eyeball" Channel took over Edge, nothing would have happened, since CBS IS the "Eyeball" Channel. I meant, of course, the "Alphabet" Channel for ABC. Sorry times twelve for all that.

 

[Ultimajock]

I don't even know whatever happened to its host, Fred Holliday

...Holliday was one of Johnny's Mighty Carson Art Players on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for a dozen years or so, popped up on Days of Our Lives and Santa Barbara, played John Atherton on Dallas and served on both the National Board and the local Los Angeles Board of AFTRA (and was active in SAG as well). He died of a heart attack in 1995...

 

[bpatrick]

This show apparently did so poorly that in Atlanta
(I can't resist a tidbit about Atlanta, can I?) WXIA
dropped it in September 1974 and ran "Truth Or
Consequences" (picked up when WSB dropped it)
until "The Big Showdown" debuted in December.

Funny someone would say Fred Holliday and Jim Peck
looked alike, especially since Peck's show replaced
Holliday's, but there was a resemblance.

 

[bpatrick]

I should add that "Queen For A Day" ranked 13th on TV Guide's
list of the 50 greatest game shows of all time, and that "This Is
Your Life" is included in the chapter on game shows in Shulman
and Youman's 1966 picture book "How Sweet It Was." (TV Guide
even referred to "You Asked For It" as a game show on one occasion,
even though I've never seen anything resembling a game on that show.)
Perhaps because nobody was using the term "reality show" when these
shows were on the air (and that includes "The Girl In My Life"), there was
no other way to classify them. But in modern parlance, and at least in my
opinion, they are all reality shows, not game shows. And sorry, TV Guide,
but that includes "Queen For A Day."

 

[Corky Marlowe]

...Holliday was one of Johnny's Mighty Carson Art Players on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for a dozen years or so

He played the White House aide who briefed Ronald Reagan (Carson)..."No, Mr. President, Not Yessir, Yasser!"

 

[Mike Stroud]

I should add that "Queen For A Day" ranked 13th on TV Guide's
list of the 50 greatest game shows of all time, and that "This Is
Your Life" is included in the chapter on game shows in Shulman
and Youman's 1966 picture book "How Sweet It Was." (TV Guide
even referred to "You Asked For It" as a game show on one occasion,
even though I've never seen anything resembling a game on that show.)
Perhaps because nobody was using the term "reality show" when these
shows were on the air (and that includes "The Girl In My Life"), there was
no other way to classify them. But in modern parlance, and at least in my
opinion, they are all reality shows, not game shows. And sorry, TV Guide,
but that includes "Queen For A Day."

Amen and amen, bp.

 

[hipman2]

In San Diego, Girl in My Life was up against the just premiered Match Game '73/'74 on CBS and Somerset on NBC from 2:30-3pm. I'll bet that with GIML, ABC's west coast stations did poorly opposite the other shows. In March of 1974, ABC shifted GIML to 11am (West coast only, still aired at 2:30/1:30 e/c) and slid One Life to Live, clearly for the better, into the 2:30 slot (was on at 3:30pm). When I first heard about it, I thought, WTH were they thinking. As some other people suggested, it was more of a reality show and nothing like a game show. Another one said it was aimed at older women, like 50 to death, suggesting that younger women wouldn't care for it. Nowadays, it's 18-49 women in the daytime that advertisers want, and I guess it's from past experience that GIML didn't deliver much of an audience younger than 50.

 

[cd637299]

Reality show!! <facepalm!> Why didn't I say that in the 1st place?

In 1996 when the Hyatt book was published, I don't think the phrase "reality show" was coined yet....I thought "Survivor" ushered that phrase in.

BTW....somebody referred to "Candid Camera" as "the original reality show" (maybe Peter Funt himself). I wonder how CC was categorized in its TV heyday in the 50s & 60s.

Glad to know I was not the only one who thought Fred H looked a bit like Jim Peck....Also, interesting that Holliday worked w/ Carson.

cd

 

[Ultimajock]

BTW....somebody referred to "Candid Camera" as "the original reality show" (maybe Peter Funt himself). I wonder how CC was categorized in its TV heyday in the 50s & 60s.

...Candid Camera, Truth or Consequences and People are Funny were pretty much considered "Audience Participation" shows...

 

[onairb]

ABC cooked up that revival of Queen for a Day to have cheap sked filler against NBC's The Doctors, on the top of the heap at 2:30/1:30 Central then (and, albeit less so, CBS' fading Edge of Night, which would, coincidentally move to the Eyeball Channel in '75).

Boy, I'm really something when it comes to mental agility, ain't I? If the "Eyeball" Channel took over Edge, nothing would have happened, since CBS IS the "Eyeball" Channel. I meant, of course, the "Alphabet" Channel for ABC. Sorry times twelve for all that.

I figured you meant to call ABC the 'Meatball Channel', or perhaps '8-Ball Channel', since their logo has been described thusly, by different sources.

 

[Ultimajock]

ABC cooked up that revival of Queen for a Day to have cheap sked filler against NBC's The Doctors, on the top of the heap at 2:30/1:30 Central then (and, albeit less so, CBS' fading Edge of Night, which would, coincidentally move to the Eyeball Channel in '75).

Boy, I'm really something when it comes to mental agility, ain't I? If the "Eyeball" Channel took over Edge, nothing would have happened, since CBS IS the "Eyeball" Channel. I meant, of course, the "Alphabet" Channel for ABC. Sorry times twelve for all that.

I figured you meant to call ABC the 'Meatball Channel', or perhaps '8-Ball Channel', since their logo has been described thusly, by different sources.

...or the "Bowling Ball Channel," which was what I heard it called in Wisconsin a few times -- after all, ABC did introduce The Professional Bowlers' Tour and that "rolling" network logo "color presentation" animation almost simultaneously with the current logo design...

 

[cd637299]

I should add that "Queen For A Day" ranked 13th on TV Guide's
list of the 50 greatest game shows of all time, and that "This Is
Your Life" is included in the chapter on game shows in Shulman
and Youman's 1966 picture book "How Sweet It Was." (TV Guide
even referred to "You Asked For It" as a game show on one occasion,
even though I've never seen anything resembling a game on that show.)
Perhaps because nobody was using the term "reality show" when these
shows were on the air (and that includes "The Girl In My Life"), there was
no other way to classify them. But in modern parlance, and at least in my
opinion, they are all reality shows, not game shows. And sorry, TV Guide,
but that includes "Queen For A Day."

Bump.....You gotta remember, TV Guide also listed Guy Smiley among the top 10 game show hosts. Caveat emptor with TV Guide.

cd