Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Encyclopedia
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (also known as Talent Scouts) is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS
from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea
, it stars Arthur Godfrey
, who was also hosting Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
at the same time.
. The radio series began July 2, 1946, and was heard on CBS Tuesday evenings at 9pm. The winner on October 1, 1946, was pianist José Melis
, who later became a familiar late night television personality as the orchestra leader on Jack Paar
's Tonight
show.
In the summer of 1947, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts moved to Fridays at 9:30pm. After August 1947 it aired on Mondays at 8:30pm. The radio show continued until October 1, 1956. With Archie Bleyer leading the orchestra, the show's announcer was George Bryan. The show's opening (to the tune of "Four and Twenty Blackbirds") featured Peggy Marshall and the Holidays singing:
At that point, the music would segue into trombonist Lou McGarity
and the orchestra playing Godfrey's familiar theme song, "Seems Like Old Times," sometimes with Godfrey singing or humming along.
Contestants on the show included Pat Boone
, The Chordettes
, The McGuire Sisters
and Carmel Quinn
, all of whom went on to perform on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends. Other contestants included Tony Bennett
, The Blackwood Brothers
, Lenny Bruce
, Roy Clark
, Rosemary Clooney
, Florian ZaBach
, Wally Cox
, Vic Damone
, The Diamonds
, Eddie Fisher
, Connie Francis
, Don Knotts
, Steve Lawrence
, Al Martino
, Barbara McNair
, Marian McPartland
, Johnny Nash
, Leslie Uggams
, Lorraine Donahue (who later appeared on The Voice of Firestone
) and Jonathan Winters
. Patsy Cline
's appearance on the show can be seen on the DVD Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still (2005). Among those who auditioned but were not chosen to appear on the broadcast were Buddy Holly
and Elvis Presley
.
, it was the highest rated television show for the 1951–1952 season. It remained a highly popular show through the decade. The show took a great drop in ratings after orchestra bandleader Archie Bleyer left in the 1954–1955 season, but rebounded as the scouts continued to discover more talent. However, by 1957, television audiences began to prefer adventure shows to variety shows and Godfrey‘s ratings dropped out of the top 30 Nielsen Chart. The show aired its final episode on January 1, 1958.
On December 24, 1956, the show became the first entertainment program to be videotape
d for broadcast, as the then-new technology was used for a time-delayed rebroadcast in the Pacific Time Zone
. An Ampex
Quadruplex videotape machine recorded the initial live broadcast to the Eastern part of the country, which was replayed three hours later.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1946 until 1958. Sponsored by Lipton Tea
Lipton
Lipton is a brand of tea currently owned by Unilever.-History of Lipton Tea:Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by a grocer, Sir Thomas Lipton, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1893, he established the Thomas J. Lipton Co., a tea packing company with its headquarters and factory in Hobo ken,...
, it stars Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, who was also hosting Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends is an American television variety show hosted by Arthur Godfrey. The hour-long series aired on CBS from January 1949, to June 1957 , then again as a half-hour show from September 1958, to April 1959.Many of Godfrey's musical acts were culled from Arthur Godfrey's...
at the same time.
Overview
The concept for the show was that Godfrey had several "talent scouts" who brought their discoveries onto the program to showcase their talents. The winner of each show was determined by a meter which judged the audience's applauseClap-o-meter
A clap-o-meter, clapometer or applause meter is a measurement instrument that purports to measure and display the volume of clapping or applause made by a studio audience or an audience at some other event. It is used to decide the result of competitions based on the popularity of the contestants,...
. The radio series began July 2, 1946, and was heard on CBS Tuesday evenings at 9pm. The winner on October 1, 1946, was pianist José Melis
Jose Melis
José Melis was born José Melis Guiu.Melis studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and a Cuban government scholarship enabled him to continue his education in Paris. When he was 16, he arrived in the United States, graduated from the Juilliard School of Music and worked as a lounge pianist...
, who later became a familiar late night television personality as the orchestra leader on Jack Paar
Jack Paar
Jack Harold Paar was an author, American radio and television comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962...
's Tonight
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
show.
In the summer of 1947, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts moved to Fridays at 9:30pm. After August 1947 it aired on Mondays at 8:30pm. The radio show continued until October 1, 1956. With Archie Bleyer leading the orchestra, the show's announcer was George Bryan. The show's opening (to the tune of "Four and Twenty Blackbirds") featured Peggy Marshall and the Holidays singing:
- Here comes Arthur Godfrey
- Your talent scout emcee
- Brought to you by Lipton
- Brisk Lipton Tea
- You know it's Lipton Tea
- If it's B-R-I-S-K
- You know it's Arthur Godfrey
- When you hear them play...
At that point, the music would segue into trombonist Lou McGarity
Lou McGarity
Lou McGarity was an American jazz trombonist, violinist and vocalist born in Athens, GA, perhaps most noteworthy for his works with Benny Goodman throughout the 1940s. During this period and throughout his career McGarity also collaborated often with Eddie Condon...
and the orchestra playing Godfrey's familiar theme song, "Seems Like Old Times," sometimes with Godfrey singing or humming along.
Contestants on the show included Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
, The Chordettes
The Chordettes
The Chordettes were a female popular singing quartet, usually singing a cappella, and specializing in traditional popular music. The Chordettes were one of the longest lived vocal groups with beginnings in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early 1950s...
, The McGuire Sisters
The McGuire Sisters
The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters: Christine McGuire , Dorothy McGuire , and Phyllis McGuire...
and Carmel Quinn
Carmel Quinn
Carmel Quinn is an Irish entertainer who has appeared on Broadway, television and radio since coming to America in 1954.-Biography:...
, all of whom went on to perform on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends. Other contestants included Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, The Blackwood Brothers
The Blackwood Brothers
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet are an eight-time Grammy award-winning American Southern Gospel group. They have been around for 76 years, and were pioneers in the Christian music industry.-Musical career:...
, Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
, Roy Clark
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
, Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, Florian ZaBach
Florian ZaBach
Florian ZaBach was an American musician and TV personality.His recording of "The Hot Canary" sold a million copies and reached the top 15 on the Pop charts in 1951. "Believe It or Not" timed his violin performance of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" and wrote, "he plays 12.8 notes per second ......
, Wally Cox
Wally Cox
Wallace Maynard Cox was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. TV series Mr. Peepers , plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films...
, Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
, The Diamonds
The Diamonds
The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with sixteen Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville , Ted Kowalski , Phil Levitt , and Bill Reed .-1950s:...
, Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
, Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
, Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
, Steve Lawrence
Steve Lawrence
Steve Lawrence is an American singer and actor, perhaps best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as "Steve and Eydie"...
, Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
, Barbara McNair
Barbara McNair
Barbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
, Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
, Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
, Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, Lorraine Donahue (who later appeared on The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone, is a long-running radio and television program of classical music. The show featured leading singers in selections from opera and operetta. Originally titled The Firestone Hour, it was first broadcast on the NBC Radio network December 3, 1928 and was later also shown on...
) and Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Winters
-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio...
. Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
's appearance on the show can be seen on the DVD Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still (2005). Among those who auditioned but were not chosen to appear on the broadcast were Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
.
Television
On television, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts premiered December 6, 1948. According to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was the highest rated television show for the 1951–1952 season. It remained a highly popular show through the decade. The show took a great drop in ratings after orchestra bandleader Archie Bleyer left in the 1954–1955 season, but rebounded as the scouts continued to discover more talent. However, by 1957, television audiences began to prefer adventure shows to variety shows and Godfrey‘s ratings dropped out of the top 30 Nielsen Chart. The show aired its final episode on January 1, 1958.
On December 24, 1956, the show became the first entertainment program to be videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
d for broadcast, as the then-new technology was used for a time-delayed rebroadcast in the Pacific Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
. An Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
Quadruplex videotape machine recorded the initial live broadcast to the Eastern part of the country, which was replayed three hours later.
Ratings
- 1950–1951:#8 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1950.htm
- 1951–1952:#1 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1951.htm
- 1952–1953:#2 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1952.htm
- 1953–1954:#3 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1953.htm
- 1954–1955:#18 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1954.htm
- 1955–1956:#16 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1955.htm
- 1956–1957:#12 http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1956.htm