EDWARD BOWES
Name: Edward Bowes
Born: 14 June 1874
Died: 14 June 1946
Edward Bowes (b. 14 June 1874, San Francisco; d. 14 June 1946, Rumson, New
Jersey) was an American radio personality of the 1930s and 40s whose Major Bowes'
Amateur Hour was the best-known amateur talent show in radio during its eighteen-year
(1934-1952) run on NBC and CBS.
Bowes made his first business success in real estate, until the cataclysmic San
Francisco earthquake (and resulting fire) of 1906 wiped out his fortune. He then
went to New York City, in search of other opportunities. He soon realized that
the theatrical world was lucrative, and he worked busily in New York as a
musical conductor, composer, and arranger. He also produced Broadway shows, such
as Kindling in 1911-12 and The Bridal Path in 1913. He was married to Kindling
star Margaret Illington, from 1910 until her death in 1934; her portrait by
Adolfo Müller-Ury had been painted in 1906 for her first husband, the theatre
manager, Daniel Frohman.
He became managing director of New York's imposing Capitol Theatre, which he ran
with military efficiency and bearing. He insisted on being addressed as "Major
Bowes"; his nickname sprang from his earlier military rank, though historians
are divided on whether he was an active-duty officer in World War I or held the
rank as a member of the Officer Reserve Corps.
In 1934 Bowes brought his best-known creation to New York station WHN in 1934.
He had actually hosted scattered amateur nights on smaller stations while
manager of the Capitol. Within a year of its WHN premiere, The Original Amateur
Hour (its original name, according to historian Gerald Nachman, was Major Bowes
and His Capitol Family), began earning its creator and host as much as $1
million a year, according to Variety.
The rapid popularity of The Original Amateur Hour made him better known than
most of the talent he featured. Some of his discoveries did become stars,
including opera stars Lily Pons, Robert Merrill, and Beverly Sills; comedian
Jack Carter; pop singer Teresa Brewer; and, Frank Sinatra (fronting a quartet
known as the Hoboken Four when they appeared on the show in 1937).
The show consistently ranked among radio's top ten programs throughout its
entire run. Bowes's familiar catchphrase, "...around and around she goes and
where she stops nobody knows", spoken in the familiar avuncular tones for which
he was so renowned, whenever it was time to spin its "wheel of fortune," the
device by which some contestants were called to perform. In the early days of
the show, whenever a performer was simply too terrible to continue, Bowes would
stop the act by striking a gong (a device that would be revived in the 1970s by
Chuck Barris's infamous The Gong Show). Bowes heard from thousands of listeners
who objected to his terminating these acts prematurely, so he abandoned the gong
in 1936.
Nachman recorded that Bowes, "a businesslike fellow with a mirthless chuckle who,
unlike most emcees, had a gift for nongab," went out of his way to make
contestants feel at ease, habitually taking them out to dinner before their
appearances. Nachman also credits Bowes for featuring more black entertainers
than many network shows of the time.
The grave of Major Edward Bowes in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Major Bowes died on the eve of his 72nd birthday at his home in the New York
suburb of Rumson, New Jersey. The following week, his talent coordinator Ted
Mack took over the hosting chores, first as the interim, and later as permanent
host until Mack ended the series 24 years later, on September 27, 1970. As a
measure of the affection attached to Bowes' name, the show continued to be
called Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour until the 1950-51 season, when it
became simply Original Amateur Hour and in 1955 became Ted Mack and The Original
Amateur Hour.
Major Bowes was referred to in Cab Calloway's "I Love to Singa" from the movie "The
Singing Kid" (1936), and in the Dorothy Fields lyrics for "Never Gonna Dance"
from the Astaire/Rogers film "Swing Time" (1936).
Nineteen months after Bowes's death, on January 18, 1948, the program, with Ted
Mack as host, debuted on the DuMont Television Network, ultimately running on
all four major networks until 1970. The radio version, also with Mack, ran until
1952.
Name: Edward Bowes
Born: 14 June 1874
Died: 14 June 1946
Edward Bowes (b. 14 June 1874, San Francisco; d. 14 June 1946, Rumson, New
Jersey) was an American radio personality of the 1930s and 40s whose Major Bowes'
Amateur Hour was the best-known amateur talent show in radio during its eighteen-year
(1934-1952) run on NBC and CBS.
Bowes made his first business success in real estate, until the cataclysmic San
Francisco earthquake (and resulting fire) of 1906 wiped out his fortune. He then
went to New York City, in search of other opportunities. He soon realized that
the theatrical world was lucrative, and he worked busily in New York as a
musical conductor, composer, and arranger. He also produced Broadway shows, such
as Kindling in 1911-12 and The Bridal Path in 1913. He was married to Kindling
star Margaret Illington, from 1910 until her death in 1934; her portrait by
Adolfo Müller-Ury had been painted in 1906 for her first husband, the theatre
manager, Daniel Frohman.
He became managing director of New York's imposing Capitol Theatre, which he ran
with military efficiency and bearing. He insisted on being addressed as "Major
Bowes"; his nickname sprang from his earlier military rank, though historians
are divided on whether he was an active-duty officer in World War I or held the
rank as a member of the Officer Reserve Corps.
In 1934 Bowes brought his best-known creation to New York station WHN in 1934.
He had actually hosted scattered amateur nights on smaller stations while
manager of the Capitol. Within a year of its WHN premiere, The Original Amateur
Hour (its original name, according to historian Gerald Nachman, was Major Bowes
and His Capitol Family), began earning its creator and host as much as $1
million a year, according to Variety.
The rapid popularity of The Original Amateur Hour made him better known than
most of the talent he featured. Some of his discoveries did become stars,
including opera stars Lily Pons, Robert Merrill, and Beverly Sills; comedian
Jack Carter; pop singer Teresa Brewer; and, Frank Sinatra (fronting a quartet
known as the Hoboken Four when they appeared on the show in 1937).
The show consistently ranked among radio's top ten programs throughout its
entire run. Bowes's familiar catchphrase, "...around and around she goes and
where she stops nobody knows", spoken in the familiar avuncular tones for which
he was so renowned, whenever it was time to spin its "wheel of fortune," the
device by which some contestants were called to perform. In the early days of
the show, whenever a performer was simply too terrible to continue, Bowes would
stop the act by striking a gong (a device that would be revived in the 1970s by
Chuck Barris's infamous The Gong Show). Bowes heard from thousands of listeners
who objected to his terminating these acts prematurely, so he abandoned the gong
in 1936.
Nachman recorded that Bowes, "a businesslike fellow with a mirthless chuckle who,
unlike most emcees, had a gift for nongab," went out of his way to make
contestants feel at ease, habitually taking them out to dinner before their
appearances. Nachman also credits Bowes for featuring more black entertainers
than many network shows of the time.
The grave of Major Edward Bowes in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Major Bowes died on the eve of his 72nd birthday at his home in the New York
suburb of Rumson, New Jersey. The following week, his talent coordinator Ted
Mack took over the hosting chores, first as the interim, and later as permanent
host until Mack ended the series 24 years later, on September 27, 1970. As a
measure of the affection attached to Bowes' name, the show continued to be
called Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour until the 1950-51 season, when it
became simply Original Amateur Hour and in 1955 became Ted Mack and The Original
Amateur Hour.
Major Bowes was referred to in Cab Calloway's "I Love to Singa" from the movie "The
Singing Kid" (1936), and in the Dorothy Fields lyrics for "Never Gonna Dance"
from the Astaire/Rogers film "Swing Time" (1936).
Nineteen months after Bowes's death, on January 18, 1948, the program, with Ted
Mack as host, debuted on the DuMont Television Network, ultimately running on
all four major networks until 1970. The radio version, also with Mack, ran until
1952.