FIRST SPONSORED RADIO SHOW ON THIS DAY IN 1924

Eveready_Hour_11-4-1924_WEAF

Standing from right: Will Rogers, Art Gillham, Wendell Hall, Eveready Quartet The orchestra is the Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra. Violinist Ben Posner
is standing behind the microphone.

The Eveready Hour was the first sponsored network variety program in the history
history of broadcasting. It debuted on WEAF Radio in New York. It was paid for by
the National Carbon Company, which at the time owned Eveready Battery.The long-running host of the show was Wendell Hall, a banjo-playing singer who wrote the
popular “Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo””. Hall, who was called “The Red Headed Music
Maker”, was married on the show in 1924 (pictured below).



wendellwedding
The Wendell Hall wedding ceremony

wendallhall1923 sheet music 

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,DEBUT,HISTORY,MUSIC,RADIO,VARIETY SHOW and have Comments (4)

4 Responses to “FIRST SPONSORED RADIO SHOW ON THIS DAY IN 1924”

  1. Shelley Thompson says:

    My sister in law is the granddaughter of Wendell Hall. Her father is Wendell Hall Jr. Is there any way I could purchase a copy of their wedding picture that is posted here? She has very few pics of her grandmother at that young of age. Thank you for any assistance!! Shelley Thompson

  2. […] Stars of the Eveready Hour, broadcast on WEAF, featuring Will Rogers and the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. (Courtesy PDX Retro) […]

  3. […] Stars of the Eveready Hour, broadcast on WEAF, featuring Will Rogers and the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. (Courtesy PDX Retro) […]

  4. George Blau says:

    The photo of the Eveready Hour came from Art Gillham’s scrapbook.

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