Round and Round

"Round and round she goes and where she stops nobody knows." I've used this line a lot in conversation, especially when the game of chance is involved. Long before Star Search, American Idol and The Voice, there was The Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. Although it had roots on radio in the mid-40's with its spinning wheel, when televisions began to light livingrooms around 1950, it became a huge hit with Ted Mack at the wheel. Our family all gathered around the big floor-model Philco on Sunday nights and watched various contestant take their chances at winning the big prize of the night. Pat Boone, Ann Margaret, Gladys Knight, Frank Sinatra and even Louis Farrakhan made stops on it. It was one of the precursors to what was to become the Golden Age of Television. And it wasn't all New York and Hollywood either. Around these parts in the 50s there was a talent  show called Youth Cavalcade, which showcased high school talent on Monday nights. It was only 15 minutes long when it started, and as I remember was hosted by Clif Reynolds and a home economics teacher at Portland High School. Fifteen minutes! That was probably one of the reasons why I never made the cut. I'd wager there might have been other reasons too though. Haha!