A bit about Madame (in case you didn’t know): Madame was created by the legendary Wayland Flowers in the mid-1960s. Flowers's first big break was an appearance on the The Andy Williams Show. The character of Madame is an "outrageous old broad" who entertains with double entendres and witty comebacks. Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson. Madame's many TV appearances included Laugh-In; a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares (replacing Paul Lynde in The Centre Square); a recurring comedy skit on Solid Gold; a regular on ABC's short-lived summer replacement show called Keep on Truckin', various TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, Madame's Place, which in itself was the precursor to every reality TV show out there!
Flowers and Madame were in the centre square on the final NBC episode of Hollywood Squares in June 1980; host Peter Marshallasked Madame the final game question of the daytime series, which was: "Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss lived in the same place. Where did they all live?" Madame's "comic" answer: "At the YMCA!" Then her "serious" answer: Germany. (The correct answer: Austria.)
Five weeks after collapsing during a performance in 1988, Wayland Flowers died in his hometown of Dawson of AIDS-related cancer, at the age of 48. Flowers's estate was left to Wayland's then-manager, Marlena Shell.
Ten years after Flowers's death, Madame returned to the stage with entertainer Rick Skye. After appearances on several television shows, performances of "It's Madame with an E" began November 15, 2008 at Resorts Atlantic City. During 2010, the show also toured the US.
More detailed info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_Flowers
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