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- 2005 marked the 70th Anniversary of the broadcast debut
of "The Original Amateur Hour" on radio in 1935.
- "The Original Amateur Hour" is an American Institution.
The archives from this national treasure are now stored in
Washington D.C. at the Library Of Congress.
- It was the longest-lived variety program in the history
of broadcasting...airing from March, 1935 through September,
1970 and with a new series in 1992 for 1 season.
- On radio with Major Edward Bowes as host and on
television with Ted Mack at the helm, "The Original Amateur
Hour" was consistently one of the highest-rated programs
on-the-air.
- "The Original Amateur Hour" introduced the famous "Wheel
Of Fortune" and the phrase: " 'round and 'round she
goes...and where she stops...nobody knows"...as well as the
infamous "gong".
- More than a million acts----featuring more than
three-and-a-half million performers---- auditioned for "The
Original Amateur Hour".
- More than 25,000 acts have appeared on "The Original
Amateur Hour".
- More than 50 amateurs who first appeared on the show
went on to become top international stars.
- "The Original Amateur Hour" originated from every major
city in the United States as well as from Korea, Ireland,
Israel, Austria, Guatemala, Mexico and Yugoslavia.
- The final program of "The Original Amateur Hour", with
Ted Mack as host, aired on September 27, 1970. It was show
number 1,651.
- 13 more episodes titled: "The New Original Amateur Hour"
with Willard Scott as host in 1992 on The Family Channel.
They were show #'s 1,652 through 1,665. On one of those
shows, a new act discovered was Nick Carter, now of The
Backstreet Boys.
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