The Fall and Decline of Civilized Television

We're primarily interested in the falls. Here, four lovely lasses duke it out for the highest ratings and the highest hair on What's My Line? For your consideration:

Miss Jayne Mansfield



Miss Raquel Welch



Miss Jayne Meadows



Miss Joan Crawford

Panel Princesses

Jayne and Audrey

In the 1950's, you had to be more specific.

The Other Jayne M.

The more sophisticated of the fabulous, glamorous Meadows sisters, Jayne Meadows (September 27, 1920) made her screen debut as an MGM starlet in Undercurrent (1946). The film is notable less as Meadows' debut than as perhaps the least-known picture in the entire filmographies of its director (Vincente Minnelli) and stars (Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum).

Meadows' career at MGM never progressed past featured roles, but she found her true calling in the fledgling television medium, becoming a frequent guest star on nearly every variety show, comedy series and dramatic showcase of the day, as well as a regular panelist on the popular I've Got a Secret game show. Along with such soignee types as Kitty Carlisle Hart and Arlene Francis, Jayne Meadows epitomized high-style New York sophistication for millions of TV viewers. She also became Mrs. Steve Allen, appearing with her husband many times on both his show, and others'.

Sadly, Meadows has survived her younger sister, Audrey (who passed in 1996), and lost her beloved Steve Allen in 2000. Since then, she's kept a lower profile, although she'd been appearing steadily on television right through the end of the 1990's (earning a final Emmy nomination in 1995 for the series High Society). Ms. Meadows runs her own wonderfully designed website, and we hope that she makes a return to the screen or stage soon. Happy Birthday, Jayne Meadows!