Before American Idol: How Other Shows Influenced America's Popular Talent Show

Like millions of other Americans, I'm hooked on American Idol despite knowing better and hating myself for it. Here's the stuff I really can't stand: the judges' cheap audience manipulations, contestants' often meandering vocals, the cruel ridicule of the mentally defective, the resurrection of tepid pop stars of the past, the lame middle-of-the-road song selections, the fake feuds, and the celebration of all that's whorish and commercial. With all that said, I still can't stop watching this show.

After avoiding Idol for several seasons, I started watching last year and wound up hooked on Elliot Yamin, a homely guy with a better than average singing voice, bad teeth and the telltale look of someone who's been kicked around for years. Watching him go from Joe Shmendrick to a status of fame beyond Warhol's 15 minutes hooked me hard. And this season I came back for more.

I'm now hooked on Melinda, a homely young lady who knows how to take typical mediocre Idol fare and turn it into jazz improvisation near-genius. (Billie Holiday was a genius)

But, American Idol is hardly a television breakthrough. It's the latest in a long line of notable predecessors from Major Bowes' Amateur Hour to The Gong Show.

Major Bowes

In the 30s and 40s, Major Bowes' Amateur Hour was one of the most popular shows on radio. On this talent show, there was only one judge, Edward Bowes, a self-important personality who suffered no fools, much like Idol's resident "villain", sneering Englishman Simon Cowell. A trademark of Mark Goodson's classic panel game shows, also preceding American Idol, were the regular panel "villains" such as Dorothy Kilgallen on "What's My Line" and Brett Somers on "The Match Game." And, like Idol, the audience would always come back to the see the panelists that they loved to hate. Also like Idol, Major Bowes was a starmaker, discovering the likes of Frank Sinatra.

Ted Mack

After Major Bowes' death in 1946, Ted Mack took over The Amateur Hour and it became one of the early television hits of the 1950s. The show's discoveries included Ann-Margret, Pat Boone, and opera diva Marie Callas.

A trivia sidenote: 16-year-old Louis Walcot was a contestant who played classical violin. He went on to become Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour lasted until 1970.

Arthur Godfrey

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was another early television talent show hit. In Godfrey's version, contestants were judged by an audience "applause-meter", much like Idol's dial-in polling.

Gong Show

Chuck Barris's "Gong Show" was a hit seventies show that was mostly a parody of a talent show, except it added a Mark Goodson-type panel that was frequently cruel to the stranger contestants, much like Idol.

Star Search

Star Search was an eighties talent show hosted by late night host Johnny Carson's sidekick Ed McMahon.

Pop Idol

This is a hit English talent show produced by Simon Fuller, Idol's creator. American Idol is the British show imported to the U.S.

Yes, there's nothing different about American Idol, but I'm hooked and they really need to create a twelve-step program for all us addicts.

SOURCES:

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138/post/760006476.html

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,836173,00.html?promoid=googlep

"Talent Show Fever", Anne Oldenburg, USA Today, URL: (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-06-15-talent-shows_x.htm)

"Amateur, the original American Idol", Elaine Dutka, LA Times, URL: (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=362605)

http://www.originalamateurhour.com/documents/latimes_oct2005.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Bowes_Amateur_Hour

http://www.events-in-music.com/american-idol-and-the-evolution-of-talent-shows.html