Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour

397. MAJOR BOWES’ ORIGINAL AMATEUR HOUR (C. 1939-USA) Two theatrical one-reelers about Major Bowes and his Amateurs. Starting on CBS in 1935, the show soon became immensely popular, with as many as 10,000 people each week applying to perform on the show! 1. STARS OF TOMOR ROW. A medley of typical contestants that were heard on the show: an English butler who plays the “spoons;” a banjoist who plays Braham’s Fifth Hungarian Dance; a Crosby-imitating crooner; Doc Dawson and his Original Buckaroos (why would anybody want to imitate them?); and several other acts, including a girl who tap dances on her toes! 2. CHRYSLER CORPORATION PRESENTS MAJOR BOWES’ ORIGINAL AMATEUR HOUR. With an audience of 20 million listeners, a look behind the scenes as announcer RALPH EDWARDS and the Major present a fat colored blues singer, a Charles Laughton impersonator, a 13-year-old Irish tenor, a one-man band, and a giri singer who breaks into tears. 20 minutes total. Variety