''The $1.98 Beauty Show'' is an American game show that aired in syndication from September 1978 to September 1980. Hosted by

Rip Taylor Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor Jr. (January 13, 1931 – October 6, 2019) was an American actor and comedian, known for his exuberance and flamboyant personality, including his wild moustache, toupee, and his habit of showering himself (and others) ...

, the series is a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of beauty contests, and featured six female contestants (including the occasional overweight ones), as well as celebrities

Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is also well kn ...

Rhonda Shear Rhonda Honey Shear (born November 12, 1954) is an American television personality, comedienne, actress, and entrepreneur. She is known for her role as a host in the 1990s USA Network's weekend B movie show, '' USA Up All Night''. In 2001, she st ...

, and actress

Teresa Ganzel Teresa Ganzel is an American actress and comedian. Career Ganzel was a recurring cast member of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' as the Matinee Lady in the "Tea Time Movie" sketches. She has often played stereotypical ditzy blonde ...

, and on at least one occasion a male dressed in drag) competing for the title of "$1.98 Beauty Queen".

Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host, author, and songwriter. A key crew member of several hugely successful game shows, he was the creator of ''The Dating Game'' (1965– ...

created the series and was executive producer.

Johnny Jacobs John Byron Jacobs (June 22, 1916 – February 8, 1982) was an American television announcer, often for Chuck Barris productions—namely, ''The Newlywed Game'' and ''The Dating Game''. Early life He was born in Wisconsin. Early career Radi ...

was the announcer.

Format

Although ''The $1.98 Beauty Show'' was staged and played broadly, the format was really a subtle satire where the traditional roles were reversed. The comedian did the announcing, and the announcer told the jokes. The celebrity judges, introduced with great ceremony, contributed nothing during the proceedings and did not speak, even when it came time to announce the winner. The judge seated nearest Rip Taylor would silently hand Taylor an envelope containing the (prearranged) winner's name. The show consisted of three rounds, during which each contestant was judged by three celebrity panelists. These included Jaye P. Morgan,

Jamie Farr Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Corporal Maxwell Klinger, a soldier who tried getting discharged from the army by cross-dressing, on the CBS sitcom '' M*A*S*H'' ...

Steve Garvey Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948) is an American former professional Major League Baseball player who played first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1987. Garvey began his major league career wit ...

Rosey Grier Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier (born July 14, 1932) is an American former football player, bodyguard, actor, singer, Protestant minister, and motivational speaker. He played professionally as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) ...

Patty Andrews The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo- ...

Louis Nye Louis Nye (May 1, 1913 – October 9, 2005) was an American comedic actor. He was an entertainer to the troops during World War II and is best known for his work on multiple television, film and radio programs. Radio and television Nye met Car ...

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford (né Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the "Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president Jo ...

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the ''Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing C ...

Marty Allen Morton David Alpern (March 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018), better known as Marty Allen, was an American comedian, actor, and philanthropist. He worked as a comedy headliner in nightclubs, as a dramatic actor in television roles, and was once c ...

Trini Lopez Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020), known as Trini Lopez, was an American singer and guitarist. His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's " If I Had a Hammer", which earned a gold disc for him. His other ...

, and

the Unknown Comic Murray Langston (born June 27, 1944), who frequently performed using the stage name "The Unknown Comic," is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian best known for his performances on ''The Gong Show'', where he usually appeared with a paper bag ov ...

(all of whom had also served as panelists on ''

The Gong Show ''The Gong Show'' is an American amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976 to ...

''). Emcee Taylor introduced the contestants one at a time. Round 2 featured each contestant showcasing their "abilities". Round 3 was a

swimsuit A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn ...

competition, in which Taylor ushered the contestants on stage and announcer Jacobs cracked jokes about their vital statistics and hobbies. At the end of each show, Taylor announced the "$1.98 Beauty of The Week". That contestant was presented with a tacky plastic crown, a bouquet of rotten vegetables, and the titular cash prize of $1.98, which Taylor dispensed from a coin holder on his belt. The outcome was previously arranged, as was noted in the introductory monologue by the announcer and the fine print of the closing credits of each episode. Rip Taylor reported that the show was doing well in syndication, but was abruptly canceled by Chuck Barris. "Chuck was at a party one night," recalled Taylor, "and someone said, 'Gee, he has a lot of trash on the air.' He had 17 hours a week of trash, and he got mad and said, 'I'll take it all off the air.' 'The $1.98 Beauty Show''was number three in the country before he took it off the air."Rip Taylor, interviewed by

Skip E. Lowe Sammy Labella (June 6, 1929 – September 22, 2014), better known by his stage name Skip E. Lowe, was an American stand-up comedian, talk show host and actor. Career Before adopting his now familiar stage name, LaBella worked as a stand-up co ...

, 1990.

Music

Music cues used on this show include "

Happy Days Are Here Again "Happy Days Are Here Again" is a 1929 song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was originally published by Ager, Yellen, and Bornstein. The song is a standard that has been interpreted by various artists. It appeared in t ...

" (Taylor's theme song), "Oh You Beautiful Doll", and "

Ain't She Sweet "Ain't She Sweet" is a song composed by Milton Ager, with lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was published in 1927 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc. It became popular in the first half of the 20th century and typified the Roaring Twenties. Like "Happy D ...

". In addition, Taylor serenades the winning contestant as a parody of

Bert Parks Bert Parks (born Bertram Jacobson; December 30, 1914 – February 2, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979. Early life Parks was bor ...

having done the same on the ''

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

Pageant''. The show's bandleader,

Milton DeLugg Milton Delugg (December 2, 1918 – April 6, 2015) was an American musician, composer and arranger. Early years Milton Delugg was born in Los Angeles, California. He said, "There aren't any Deluggs. It's not a real name." He believed the family' ...

, used all the same musicians from the band heard on ''

'', plus two additional saxophone players for the first season only.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1.98 Beauty Show, The 1978 American television series debuts 1980 American television series endings 1970s American comedy game shows 1980s American comedy game shows 1970s American parody television series 1980s American parody television series 1970s American satirical television series 1980s American satirical television series American English-language television shows Fashion-themed television series First-run syndicated game shows Beauty pageant parodies Television series by Barris Industries Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series created by Chuck Barris Television series about beauty pageants