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Category: Special Collections

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Dear Major Bowes: Letters from the Amateur Hour Collection

Posted by: Cait Miller

Are you a fan of American Idol? Remember the Gong Show? Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour was the granddaddy of today’s top amateur talent shows. During its radio heyday in the mid-1930s, thousands of hopefuls traveled to New York City to audition, competing for a handful of slots on the weekly broadcast. Along with the …