Marion Ladewig (1914 -2010), the first contestant to appear, was an American ten-pin bowler and named 'Female Bowler of the Year' a record nine times between 1950 and 1963. She retired from competitive bowling in 1964 and became a local TV sportscaster during the 1970s and 1980s.
Noël Coward had written the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical 'The Girl Who Came to Supper' (based on the play "The Sleeping Prince") that had just premiered at the Broadway Theatre the previous month. Coward was also about to direct the successful Broadway musical 'High Spirits' which opened on April 07, 1964 and ran for 375 performances and 14 previews.