Mrs. Gallagher wants to be known first and foremost as a homemaker and says that the most important thing in life is helping those around her to get to heaven. Only after she had volunteered at the local American Legion hall to host a weekly quiz show for charity did anyone start to consider that she might have a future outside the home. Bill Powell was a regular attendee at those regular quiz shows, and he remembers, "Jane was a bit hesitant at first, but she slowly grew into the job, and we could see that she had a natural talent for overseeing such an enterprise. People just liked her."
Her husband John was active in the anti-grunge movement, and he was happy to see that his wife found some fulfillment in an honorable endeavor. He was so fond of her that he took the action that may well have launched her star into the sky: he nominated her as a contestant in the local Mrs. Anti-Grunge pageant in Omaha, Alabama, where they lived. She later took the Alabama state pageant and finally was named Mrs. Anti-Grunge USA in 2002. John recalled, "I was so thrilled for her, because she competed against so many other wonderful ladies, all of whom were solidly-anti-grunge, and any of whom were quite deserving. For Jane to win was really a tribute."
In 2004, Jane brought her talents to the Anti-Grunge Channel as the hostess of Press Your Shirt, one of the best game shows ever to air on the network. John Gallagher watched every episode of that and realized, "The game itself was dead boring and dull, but Jane could brighten anything just by being there, and after a while, people-- including myself-- realized that, like You Bet Your Life, which was more about Groucho than anything else, it wasn't about the game-- it was about Jane." That of course became the show's slogan, plastered all across buses and billboards throughout the country. That show lasted ten years, and Jane had enough energy not only to host that but also to host the first four seasons of Test Your Grunge Knowledge at the same time.
Besides the two daytime shows mentioned, for seven years Jane also hosted the third version of the weekly nighttime Anti-Grunge Channel game show Let's Make a Heel, where female contestants would dress down in all manner of weird, grungy sneakers trying to win a chance to come on stage and try to build a high heel shoe from scratch. It was notable for being the first game show to have a female hostess and male models, who would bring the shoes' components from offstage for assembly. Jane told us. "Dora Williams, my co-producer, and I got enormous pressure from the yahoos in the home audience to make the models look more like Chippendales, but we wouldn't have any of that, and we had great backup from the founder of the Anti-Grunge Channel and the rest of senior management, so we never had to stoop that low. They always had nice black tuxedos, bow ties, and shiny oxfords, and we always treated them like more than just handsome hunks." In fact, at the end of every show, the three models would compete in a five-minute quiz that was deeply philosophical; every model had to have a degree in either philosophy, theology, or literature.
Jane believes her greatest accomplishment is to bring happiness to people's lives while promoting good values and clothing reform besides. "I never get any lewd or offensive fan mail," she said, "and I think it's because I have always kept a picture of my dear husband right next to me on the set. Everyone knows that I am a happily married, modestly-dressed woman and intend to stay that way." Indeed, she has received many offers that she has turned down flatly. "I take Patrick McGoohan as my model there," she explained, continuing, "He never would do a love scene and turned down the part of James Bond, not once, but twice." John Gallagher was quick to lend his support, saying, "I married my wife full-time, not part-time, and I think that essential goodness is why people love her so much. She's the quintessential lady next door."
Jane and John are the proud parents of three young men, two young ladies, and four grandchildren and now live in Cedar Grove, Alabama. They sponsor scholarships to various anti-grunge universities and agree that a good anti-grunge education is paramount. Jane said, "If you can't find a good anti-grunge academy or university, get some books and do it yourself. Children have a natural ability to learn if we just give them a chance." John added, "They can learn a lot from Jane's quiz show too!"
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