Long string of amateur face-offs paved way for 'America's Got Talent'

NBC's "America's Got Talent" may be a contemporary smash hit, but its concept - a competition based on the presentation of unknown performers - is almost as old as commercial broadcasting itself. Here is a look at the program's predecessors.

"Major Bowes' Amateur Hour": Hosted by New York theater manager Edward "Major" Bowes (1874-1946), "Major Bowes' Amateur Hour" debuted on the New York airwaves in 1934 and introduced the talent-contest format. It went national a year later, first on the NBC radio network, then CBS. Its greatest show business legacy (besides the format itself) is arguably being the vehicle that introduced to the nation a vocal quartet called The Hoboken Four, which featured a young Frank Sinatra.

"Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour": Host Ted Mack was an audition coordinator for Bowes, and the one who brought the talent-show idea to television (in 1947 on the old Dumont Network). "The Original Amateur Hour" spent a decade in prime-time; in 1960, CBS began running it on Sunday afternoons, where it would stay until 1971, when the network purged its rural-audience-skewing series (e.g. "Green Acres," "Petticoat Junction") in favor of younger, more-sophisticated fare. Among the show's illustrious/notorious alumni are Ann-Margret, Gladys Knight, Pat Boone and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan (née Walcott), who appeared in 1949 as a 16-year-old violin prodigy.

"Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts": Premiering on both radio and TV in the late 1940s, "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts," starring the redheaded broadcaster who was one of the biggest media stars of his day, had a somewhat different concept from that of the amateur hours. Instead of performers auditioning cold for producers, this show's participants were recommended by "talent scouts" from around the country who would write letters to the show explaining why a particular young artist should be showcased on the program. The roster of then up-and-comers includes Tony Bennett, Al Martino, Vic Damone, Johnny Nash, Eddie Fisher, Don Knotts, Connie Francis, Steve Lawrence, Jonathan Winters, Patsy Cline and even Lenny Bruce, who was "discovered" for the show by his mother, Sally Marr.

"Star Search": The talent competition format got a glitzy '80s makeover with this syndicated series hosted originally by Ed McMahon, and then Arsenio Hall. Running from 1983-95 and again from 2004-05, "Star Search" featured competitions in 10 categories including the iconic "spokesmodel." Grand-prize winners included country act Sawyer Brown and Broadway's Linda Eder. Others who appeared include Adam Sandler, Beyoncé Knowles, Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, Martin Lawrence, Ray Romano, Rosie O'Donnell, Broadway queen Sutton Foster, Usher Raymond, Sharon Stone (as a spokesmodel), Brad Garrett, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Miller, Jessica Simpson, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, Justin Timberlake and LeAnn Rimes.

- Chuck Darrow