Maggi McNellis
Encyclopedia
Maggi McNellis was an American radio and television personality and talk show hostess from the 1940s through the 1960s. In the latter part of her life, she became a New York City society hostess.
, Pennsylvania, in the mid 1930s. In the late 1930s, she began her show business career as a supper club singer, appearing at the Pump Room in Chicago, and at the Rainbow Room in New York City. She also married Richard V. McNellis sometime in the late 1930s (1938?), and took her married name as her professional name. She married New York City art gallery owner Clyde Mortimer Newhouse in 1946.
She often appeared as a panelist on the late 1940s national radio show Leave It to the Girls
.
She hosted a half-hour celebrity gossip show in New York City, on WABC-Radio, called Maggi's Magazine, starting in late fall 1953 and continuing on locally for several years in the 1950s.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, she was the interviewer in many five-minute interview segments (with such titles as Celebrity Talks), for insertion in radio news and other radio shows nationwide.
Carl Reiner
remembered the show:
creator Martha Rountree
, had premiered in 1945) moved to television as a weekly primetime show on the NBC network on April 27, 1949, Maggi McNellis became the host and moderator, replacing radio show hostess Paula Stone
. The show had begun as a serious-minded discussion of the problems of career women, but it soon became a comedic commentary on love, romance, and marriage from an almost-all female panel — one man was always on the panel to provide the male viewpoint. The last NBC show was in 1951; ABC took control in 1953; 1954 was the last year for ABC's national nighttime version. Maggi also hosted a syndicated daytime version that came on the air for a short time in 1961-1962.
was the other team captain), with actors and actresses from various Broadway productions as team members; Ben Grauer
was the host. The first national show was broadcast on NBC January 6, 1951, and was broadcast Saturday nights 6:30–7 PM (EST) through May 1951. The show then moved to ABC, premiering there in August 1951, and continuing through February 1952, shown on Friday nights in the 7:30–8 PM (EST) timeslot.
In the late 1950s, she also hosted The Maggi McNellis Show and Maggi's Magazine, local television shows patterned after her radio shows, and aired in New York City.
, the Parrish Art Museum
, Guideposts for Children, the Police Athletic League
, and United Cerebral Palsy
of New York.
Early life
Maggi McNellis, the daughter of George J. and Maude Roche, was born Margaret Eleanor Roche in Chicago, Illinois, June 1, 1917. She attended Rosemont CollegeRosemont College
Rosemont College is a coeducational college located in Rosemont in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It was originally founded as a women's college. A Catholic college, it is operated by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus...
, Pennsylvania, in the mid 1930s. In the late 1930s, she began her show business career as a supper club singer, appearing at the Pump Room in Chicago, and at the Rainbow Room in New York City. She also married Richard V. McNellis sometime in the late 1930s (1938?), and took her married name as her professional name. She married New York City art gallery owner Clyde Mortimer Newhouse in 1946.
Radio career
In 1943, Maggi McNellis became the hostess of a radio talk show that focused on show business and celebrity gossip, The Maggi McNellis Show which ran for many years, and, soon after, another, Maggi's Private Wire, on the air 1944 through 1948.She often appeared as a panelist on the late 1940s national radio show Leave It to the Girls
Leave It to the Girls
Leave It to the Girls is an American radio and television talk show, created by Martha Rountree, and broadcast, in various forms, from the 1940s through the 1980s.- Radio version :...
.
She hosted a half-hour celebrity gossip show in New York City, on WABC-Radio, called Maggi's Magazine, starting in late fall 1953 and continuing on locally for several years in the 1950s.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, she was the interviewer in many five-minute interview segments (with such titles as Celebrity Talks), for insertion in radio news and other radio shows nationwide.
Television career
Maggi McNellis was a "ubiquitous personality in the early days of American television", and was often described as "one of the ten best-dressed women in America". Touted as a famous radio and television star (and often as "best-dressed"), she was seen in many print testimonial ads in the 1940s and 1950s, for such varied sponsors as Tintair Hair Coloring, Blatz Beer, and Cafe DeLaPaix.Crystal Room
She hosted a short-lived variety show, Crystal Room, broadcast weekly on the ABC network from August 15, 1948 through September 12, 1948. The television show was set in an imaginary nightclub, and was broadcast on Sunday nights, 8:30–9 PM (EST).Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner is an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during this career...
remembered the show:
- The room was set up like a nightclub. There were people sitting at a table, and she would come over and talk to you. It was half an interview show and then you would get up and do something. There was no nightclub like that in the world. They paid you $125, which seems like a lot for five minutes' work, but it really wasn't because a lot of people were seeing it, and you were ruining your act for club dates.
Maggi's Private Wire
In this television show named after her radio show, Maggi interviewed show business stars and other celebrities. It was broadcast weekly on NBC from April 12, 1949 until July 2, 1949. For the first month, it was on the air in the Tuesday night 7:30–7:45 PM (EST) timeslot; then, from May 1949 onward, it was broadcast Saturday nights in the same timeslot.Leave It to the Girls
When the Leave It to the Girls radio show (which, produced by Meet the PressMeet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
creator Martha Rountree
Martha Rountree
Martha Rountree was a pioneering broadcast journalist and an energetic entrepreneur. She was the creator and first moderator of a public-affairs program, first on radio as The American Mercury from June 24, 1945, and as Meet the Press on the NBC television network from November 6, 1947...
, had premiered in 1945) moved to television as a weekly primetime show on the NBC network on April 27, 1949, Maggi McNellis became the host and moderator, replacing radio show hostess Paula Stone
Paula Stone
Paula Stone was an actress in theater and motion pictures from New York City.-Birth:She was the daughter of Fred Stone, a stage actor, dancing comedian, and owner of the Fred Stone theatrical stock company. Her mother, Allene Crater Stone, acted with her father and was a singer...
. The show had begun as a serious-minded discussion of the problems of career women, but it soon became a comedic commentary on love, romance, and marriage from an almost-all female panel — one man was always on the panel to provide the male viewpoint. The last NBC show was in 1951; ABC took control in 1953; 1954 was the last year for ABC's national nighttime version. Maggi also hosted a syndicated daytime version that came on the air for a short time in 1961-1962.
Say It With Acting
A game of celebrity charades, originally broadcast locally on television in New York City, starting in January 1949 and called Look Ma, I'm Acting, became the weekly national NBC show Act It Out in 1951 — the show's name later changed to Say It With Acting. It featured Maggi McNellis as a permanent team captain (Bud CollyerBud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
was the other team captain), with actors and actresses from various Broadway productions as team members; Ben Grauer
Ben Grauer
Benjamin Franklin Grauer was an US radio and TV personality, following a career during the 1920s as a child actor in films and on Broadway. He began his career as a child in David Warfield's production of The Return of Peter Grimm. Among his early credits were roles in films directed by D.W....
was the host. The first national show was broadcast on NBC January 6, 1951, and was broadcast Saturday nights 6:30–7 PM (EST) through May 1951. The show then moved to ABC, premiering there in August 1951, and continuing through February 1952, shown on Friday nights in the 7:30–8 PM (EST) timeslot.
Other Television Appearances
Maggi McNellis appeared as herself in the not-well-received Betty Hutton television special Satins and Spurs in 1954.In the late 1950s, she also hosted The Maggi McNellis Show and Maggi's Magazine, local television shows patterned after her radio shows, and aired in New York City.
Writing career
Maggi McNellis co-wrote two books about party games, Party Games (1949), and How to Run a Successful Party: the Complete Handbook of Party Games, Quizzes, and Stunts (1950), the first with Hubi Boscowitz and, the second, with Hubi Boscowitz and Louise Price Bell.Society Life
Maggi McNellis, as Mrs. Clyde Newhouse, maintained an active high-society social life throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as a hostess of charity fashion shows and as chairwoman of society balls. She was active in fundraising for the Southampton HospitalSouthampton Hospital
Southampton Hospital is a 168-bed hospital located in Southampton, New York. It is the only hospital located in the Hamptons. Southampton Hospital is a member of the Stony Brook University Medical Center. It was a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System from January 2005 to July 1, 2008...
, the Parrish Art Museum
Parrish Art Museum
The Parrish Art Museum is the oldest cultural institution on the East End of Long Island, uniquely situated within one of the most concentrated creative communities in the United States...
, Guideposts for Children, the Police Athletic League
Police Athletic League
The Police Athletic League is an organization in many American police departments in which members of the police force coach young people, both boys and girls, in sports, and help with homework and other school-related activities. The purpose is to build character, help strengthen police-community...
, and United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities, including cerebral palsy...
of New York.
Personal life
Maggie McNellis died May 24, 1989 in New York City, at the age of 71 (her husband, Clyde Newhouse, had died in 1986 at the age of 66). Surviving her were her daughter, Meg Kirkpatrick, a brother, George Roche (both of Manhattan), and a grandson.Sources
- "Maggie McNellis, 71, TV Hostess" (Obituary) New York Times, May 25, 1989 at the New York Times online article archive
- "Current Biography Yearbook" (Volume 63; Volume 2002), Publisher H. W. Wilson Co. (1956) pages 400-401 (entry for Maggi McNellis)