READERS POLL 1953!

January 20, 1953

A good natured, talented redhead from Butte, Mont.(**), has achieved greatness in the motion picture world, and greater stature in the world of television, walked off high awards in the Third Annual San Mateo Times TV Poll. By this time there should be little doubt as to referring. She is Lucille Ball, “Lucy” of “I Love Lucy,” won a resounding victory in the Favorite Female (network) division, and walked off with the top honors you viewers chose her as “Star of the Year.” On the tally sheets Lucille had so many votes that it was not even necessary to count the total number to see that she had won. 

NETWORK MOST OUTSTANDING SHOW 

(1) YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS (NBC-TV)
(2) I Love Lucy (CBS-TV)
(3) Victory at Sea (NBC-TV)
(4) Jackie Gleason Show (CBS-TV) 
(5) Your Hit Parade (XBC-TV)

Rest in the order of finish: What’s My Line, This Is Your Life, Dragnet, Arthur Godfrey and his Friends, Toast of the Town. All-Star Revue, Omnibus, Super Circus, Harry Owens, Robert Montgomery Presents, Studio One, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Mr. Peepers, Burns and Allen, I Married Joan, Lone Ranger, Milton Berle Show, Ozzie and Harriet and Our Miss Brooks. 

FAVORITE FEMALE PERSONALITY 

(1) LUCILLE BALL 
(2) Imogene Coca
(3) Kate Smith
(4) Joan Davis
(5) Eve Arden

Rest in the order of finish: Gracie Allen, Dorothy Collins, Arlene Francis, Tallulah Bankhead, Jane Froman, Marie Wilson, Peggy Lee, Betty Furness, Martha Raye, Irene Dunne, Rosalind Russell, Bess Myerson, Dorothy Killgallen, Faye Emerson, Laraine Day, Joan Alexander, Peggy Wood, Marian Marlowe, June Vallie, Fran Allison, Gale Storm, Julie Bishop and Margaret Piazza. 

FAVORITE MALE PERSONALITY

(1) JACKIE GLEASON 
(2) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
(3) Sid Caesar 
(4) Arthur Godfrey, 
(5) Jack Webb

Rest in the order of finish: Groucho Marx, Wally Cox, Desi Arnaz, Herb Shriner, Ralph Edwards, Jimmy Durante, Jerry Lewis, Donald O’Connor, Art Linkletter, Gary Moore, Julius La Rosa, Bob Hope, John Daly, Victor Borge, Robert Cummings, Tommy Bartlett, Edward R. Murrow and Eddie Cantor. 

STAR OF THE YEAR 

(1) LUCILLE BALL
(2) Jackie Gleason
(3) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
(4) Sid Caesar
(5) Rusty Draper 
(6) Arthur Godfrey
(7) Groucho Marx
(8) Wally Cox, Lou Hurley, and Larry Storch 

There they are: you picked and did a pretty good job at that. 

In addition to the above lists names there were a number of votes cast for President Eisenhower, Adlai Stevenson, Mr. Roman! (GOP convention), the Puerto Rican delegate, and the mayor Oakland, Cliff Rashell. 

Tomorrow and during the week we’ll go into an analysis of the poll and some of your kindly presented comments on shows.

(**) = Interestingly, Lucille Ball is still said to hale from Butte, Montana, instead of Jamestown, New York. Lucy began fibbing about her birthplace early in her career and it took many years to correct the record. 

This announcement was made on Tuesday, January 20, 1953, just one day after Lucille Ball and Lucy Ricardo gave birth to sons, making television history and setting viewing records. Perhaps the timing was coincidental, but unlikely. 

Such reader polls were not uncommon. In fact, during January 1953, the San Francisco Examiner, just 30 miles from San Mateo, also ran a TV / Radio readers poll. 

The results, announced January 29, 1953, were unsurprising. “I Love Lucy” was best-loved – even above “Your Show of Shows” which had placed tops in San Mateo, but here only came in third, behind Groucho Marx.