On the Road from
Coast to Coast
The Original Amateur Hour
"Round and round she goes, and where she
stops nobody knows" signaled the
beginning of the show, the wheel
of fortune was spun, determining
who would be the first guest of
the evening to perform. The
wheel was spun 1651 times.
On January 18, 1948, the Original Amateur Hour debuted with Ted Mack as the host. The show traveled from city to city, searching for talented acts, went to Europe twice for the USO, and even went to Washington, D.C. for a memorable benefit featuring contestants from Congress and the Truman administration.
From singers, musicians, vaudeville jugglers, tap dancers to baton twirlers and more would perform. The audience was asked to vote for their favorite act, by phone or sending in a postcard. The winners were then asked to appear on the next week's show. Three-time winners were invited back for the annual championship with the prize being a $2000 scholarship.
The show was actually only a half hour long, until March of 1956 to June of 1957, when it was expanded to an hour. Star that had their start on the show include Gladys Knight who performed at the age of seven; Pat Boone who eventually was dismissed from the show because it was found out he had already appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scots--making him a pro instead of amateur; and Ann-Margaret who appeared at the age of 16. Frank Sinatra appeared on the show when it was still a radio show, as part of the group called "The Hoboken Four."
The Original Amateur Hour was broadcast weekly, on early Sunday evenings, until September 1960. From 1960 to 1970 the show ran as a Sunday afternoon feature until it closed of it's own volition with the final show number being 1,664. The main sponsor was Geritol, a tonic for the elderly and it is possible that the show was the inspiration behind similar programs like Star Search and American Idol.
Have a look at the video selection, one thing you will find is that the acts are surprisingly good--the hair and clothing styles are amusing, and it is a fast paced show. Fortunately, unlike American Idol, we are spared the audition phase of the acts that can sometimes be brutal to the ears.... I'm just saying...
