The Original Amateur Hour comes to DVD

[bpatrick]

Since I talk about Ted Mack's classic talent
show quite a bit, it's only fitting that
I should mention that a DVD of the show is
coming out October 18. With Pat Boone (a
three-time winner on the show) as host, half
of the two-DVD set will focus on performers who
became famous: Boone, Frank Sinatra, Ann-Margret
(when she was Ann Margaret Olsson), Gladys Knight,
Raul Julia (who tried his hand as a singer),
and even Louis Farrakhan (who played the
violin), among others. The other half will
showcase some of the more bizarre acts that
appeared (wonder if they have the woman who
used her false teeth as castanets?)

I know, Frank Sinatra appeared on radio with
Major Bowes, but Bowes filmed the radio show
for release as a series of shorts with MGM pictures
(he was on their board of directors).

Those of you whose major exposure to talent shows
has been American Idol may be shocked. Ted Mack
and Simon Cowell are worlds apart in every way.
But I'll bet American Idol won't last as long as
Amateur Hour did.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Frank Sinatra appeared on the radio version with a singing quartet called the Hoboken Four (after their New Jersey hometown).

Perhaps the Hoboken Four segment may be audio and still photos.

Other than some of the talent that B. Patrick mentioned in his post opening this thread, I would not be surprised if much of the rest of the DVD material comes from the final five years (1965-1970) of the television version, for the final five years of the TV version were broadcast in color.

I think comedian Robert Klein was probably the only notable winner from the color-TV era of "Original Amateur Hour" to become a major star.

There also was (either in syndication or cable?) a revival in the early 1990's (or thereabouts) with Willard Scott as host. If any alumni from that version have gone on to become stars, they may also be included in that DVD box set.

During the radio version of the show, Major Bowes had a bell or gong on his podium which he would strike if he thought a performer was terrible. While this bell or gong remained on the podium through Ted Mack's tenure as host of the show, by the mid 1960's, he never used the bell/gong. I think that by time, the producers probably worked hard to insure that only very good talent would appear on the show.

I would sort of agree with B. Patrick that "American Idol" will not run as long as "Original Amateur Hour" did. "Amateur Hour", combining radio and TV, ran for 35 years (1935-1970). It's quite possible that "Idol" will be around for some years to come and may end up becoming the second longest-running talent show in network broadcasting history.

I believe a "three-time winner" was someone who was a weekly winner, a seasonal winner (something they'd do five or six times a year), and a annual winner. I know that as late as the late 1960's, they still were doing this.

 

[rugrats1]

> During the radio version of the show, Major Bowes had a bell
> or gong on his podium which he would strike if he thought a
> performer was terrible.

No doubt this is a similar concept used later on on "The Gong Show", where panelists gong terrible acts off the stage.

 

[bpatrick]

> > During the radio version of the show, Major Bowes had a
> bell
> > or gong on his podium which he would strike if he thought
> a
> > performer was terrible.
>
> No doubt this is a similar concept used later on on "The
> Gong Show", where panelists gong terrible acts off the
> stage.
>
Which may very well be where Chuck Barris got the idea.
BTW, in answer to Joseph Gallant, Robert Klein is on the
DVD. I'm not sure if any talent from the 1992 Willard
Scott version is on there.

"American Idol" may well become the second-longest-running
talent show but it still has to pass "Star Search" and
"Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts."

Interestingly, I have a recording of Major Bowes' show from
September 21, 1939 (WJSV's Day From the Golden Age of Radio).
Not one contestant got gonged!