Thursday, August 9, 2012

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!

29 comments:

  1. This is a very poignant picture. I know you've led me in circles many times! :-)

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  2. What, pray tell, would you have done???

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  3. Neat photo -- like the tones -- barbara

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  4. The swirl of rope is beautiful . . . the swirl of your mind is . . . yeah, okay, it's beautiful, too. Strange, but in a good way.
    (Elenka's comment made me laff.)

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  5. From what you're speaking , I only know Sinatra , Margaret and Farakan. But the (beautyful )picture makes me think of the serie Twilight Zone ! :o)

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  6. Love your photo today. You are talking about a subject I have a special affection for. My dad sold and repaired the beloved TV's and we had in our house every new model that came out. So, I saw first hand the progression from black and white to colorized film to full color picture tubes that were round and very small. I remember seeing all the people you mentioned and even more. There was after all Howdy Doody, the Today Show with Dave Garrison and The Hit Parade to watch also.

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  7. I cannot imagine a TV show lasting only 15 minutes. I CAN imagine a commercial being that long, though!

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  8. Super cool! I'm a little dizzy now... :-)

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  9. I like your commentary as well as the photo. Don't I remember correctly that John Cameron Swayze did the world news in 15 minutes? I don't recall that he smoked while reporting, but a few years later Chet Huntley did. Even Andy Griffith had a smoke on his Mayberry porch once in awhile. (I think your photo WOUND me around to all that stuff).

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  10. Elenka and Annie-
    I could have demonstrated playing mumbly peg with my jackknife... maybe sing, do a little dance 'get down tonight'!

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  11. une nouvelle version de vertigo...

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  12. What a story, I guess we have similar idiom, but can't remember it just now...

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  13. Back when radio was live, around 1950, I was a kid from the studio audience who answered a question correctly and won a balsa wood and paper airplane kit. Big excitement back then. Fine rope coil photo.

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  14. Keep those cards and letters coming, folks.

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  15. Nice image and post. They don't make shows like they used too.

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  16. Moi aussi j'ai le tournis... :-)

    (Gotcha!)

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  17. I love the story:)peg

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  18. great post! and I love the picture!

    If you like it, follow my new up and coming blog on Bloglovin'. Let me know in the comments, so that I can follow you back ;)

    LA By Diana Live Magazine

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  19. That is a tidy coil. Takes me back to my merchant navy training days.

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  20. Your photo of the rope coil today is really good.

    Ted Mack? I barely remember him. You must be VERY old!

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  21. Trying to get back to normal here at home. This is one fine photograph. You can think of it as a symbol of all sorts of things, even the vortex of a black hole.

    Louis Farrakhan?? Odd that the American Black Muslim leader was named for a French king and Christian saint.

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  22. Round and round it goes!



    Aloha from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    <(-'.'-)>

    > < } } ( ° >

    > < } } (°>

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  23. Your picture makes me dizzy . . .

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