Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948–1970)

A direct descendant of radio's "Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour" (1934-1946), hosted by Major Edward Bowes until his death. After a one-year hiatus, Ted Mack, who had directed Bowes' ... See full summary »

Stars:

Ted Mack, Bob Shepard, Dennis James

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ted Mack	...	Himself - Host (5 episodes, 1949-1968)

Storyline

A direct descendant of radio's "Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour" (1934-1946), hosted by Major Edward Bowes until his death. After a one-year hiatus, Ted Mack, who had directed Bowes' auditions, revived the show (which lasted into 1952) and brought the concept to the DuMont Television Network. The at-home audience voted by postcard for the favorite, winning performer(s) each week.

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Plot Keywords:

talent show | talent | variety | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Music

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour

Filming Locations:

Adelphi Theatre, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ted Mack Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1948-1956 and 1957-1966) Color (1956 and 1966-1970)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Acrobat, Coach Russell Nesbit (born Charles James Russell Nesbit) performed on this TV show. Mr. Nesbit was the leader of the Flying Nesbits acrobatic troupe in the 1950s.

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Quotes

Himself - Host: [Recurring phrase] Round and round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows."

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Connections

Spoofed in The Monkees: Too Many Girls (1966)

User Reviews

A 1961-born who remembered Ted Mack

Every Sunday afternoon, I remembered that theme song from the program that was sponsored by Geritol. Back then, little did I know that it had the format of programs during the early days of television, where a single company had all the rights to the advertising. Also, back then I did not know that Ted Mack was an icon of television. What I also loved about this program was at the end, Ted Mack had all of the afternoon's guests parade to the audience. Interestingly enough, he was born in Greeley, Colorado, in which his original name was William Edward Maguinness. Interestingly enough, so many of those who were guests became famous such as Gladys Knight and Raul Julia. This was a program that was to have something for everybody. Indeed, this program that originated from radio's Major Bowes' Amateur Hour so many decades ago evolved into a program that should not be a forgotten part of television history.