The Major Bowes Amateur Hour was an American radio talent show broadcast in the 1930s and 1940s, created and hosted by Edward Bowes (1874–1946). Selected performers from the program participated in touring vaudeville performances, under the "Major Bowes" name. The program later transitioned to television under host Ted Mack.
Major Bowes as his Amateur Hour became a national radio program, 1935.
Advertisement for The Original Amateur Hour, with Ted Mack
Major Edward Bowes and gong.
Edward Bowes, professionally known as Major Edward Bowes, was an American radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s whose Major Bowes Amateur Hour was the best-known amateur talent show on radio during its 18-year run (1935–1952) on NBC Radio and CBS Radio.
Major Bowes as his Amateur Hour became a national radio program in 1935
The grave of Major Edward Bowes and wife Margaret Illington in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery