Ted Mack

February 12, 1904 (age 72)

Greeley, Colorado

In the late 1920s, clarinetist Mack formed a dance band, under his real name. A nightclub owner didn"t like how "Edward Maguiness" looked on his marquee, so he changed the bandleader"s name to the shorter and snappier "Ted Mack." The name stuck. The Original Amateur Hour began on radio in 1934 as Major Bowes" Amateur Hour, and ran until the 1946 death of its creator, Major Bowes. Mack, a talent scout who had directed the show under Bowes, revived it in 1948 for American Broadcasting Company Radio and the DuMont Television Network. The show lasted on radio until 1952 and until 1970 on television, where it ran on all four major networks, ending as a Sunday afternoon Columbia Broadcasting System staple. A success in the early days of television, the program set the stage for numerous programs seeking talented stars, from The Gong Show to Star Search to American Idol to America"s Got Talent. Auditions for the show were generally held in New York"s Radio City Music Hall. Those who passed the initial screening were invited to compete on the program, featuring amateurs whose performance were judged by viewers, voting via letters and phone calls. Winners who went on to show business careers included singers Gladys Knight, Ann-Margret, Pat Boone, Raul Julia, Teresa Brewer, Irene Cara, The Rock and Roll Trio and Los Concertinos from Puerto Rico. Ted Mack and producer Lewis Graham (the former Lou Goldberg) programmed something for everybody. Mack"s pleasant manner and unflappable calm put many nervous contestants at ease, and he used the same down-to-earth tone for commercials and public-service announcements. He died in North Tarrytown, New York at the age of 72.

Ted Mack

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bandleader host

Background

Mack was born in Greeley, Colorado.

Career

In the late 1920s, clarinetist Mack formed a dance band, under his real name. A nightclub owner didn"t like how "Edward Maguiness" looked on his marquee, so he changed the bandleader"s name to the shorter and snappier "Ted Mack." The name stuck. The Original Amateur Hour began on radio in 1934 as Major Bowes" Amateur Hour, and ran until the 1946 death of its creator, Major Bowes.

Mack, a talent scout who had directed the show under Bowes, revived it in 1948 for American Broadcasting Company Radio and the DuMont Television Network.

The show lasted on radio until 1952 and until 1970 on television, where it ran on all four major networks, ending as a Sunday afternoon Columbia Broadcasting System staple. A success in the early days of television, the program set the stage for numerous programs seeking talented stars, from The Gong Show to Star Search to American Idol to America"s Got Talent.

Auditions for the show were generally held in New York"s Radio City Music Hall. Those who passed the initial screening were invited to compete on the program, featuring amateurs whose performance were judged by viewers, voting via letters and phone calls.

Winners who went on to show business careers included singers Gladys Knight, Ann-Margret, Pat Boone, Raul Julia, Teresa Brewer, Irene Cara, The Rock and Roll Trio and Los Concertinos from Puerto Rico.

Ted Mack and producer Lewis Graham (the former Lou Goldberg) programmed something for everybody. Mack"s pleasant manner and unflappable calm put many nervous contestants at ease, and he used the same down-to-earth tone for commercials and public-service announcements. He died in North Tarrytown, New York at the age of 72.

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Ted Mack

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