''Talent Varieties'' is a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

talent show A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are p ...

on American television and radio in 1955 that featured performers hoping to achieve fame in the entertainment business. The weekly ABC-TV program was a live half-hour summer replacement series hosted by

Slim Wilson Clyde Carol Wilson (July 14, 1910 – July 15, 1990), better known as Slim Wilson, was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and radio and TV personality who was a cornerstone of country music in the Ozarks for more than 50 years beginning ...

. Wilson introduced the amateur and professional talent, including music and comedy acts (many from the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

); and his Tall Timber Trio, composed of

Speedy Haworth Herschel Haworth Jr. (May 16, 1922 – February 26, 2008), better known as Speedy Haworth, was an American guitarist and singer who was involved with the golden age of country music broadcasting in the Ozarks. He was a featured cast member ...

(guitar), Bob White (upright bass) and Bryan "Doc" Martin (

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

) provided

accompaniment Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles of m ...

. Auditions were handled by Bill Ring. The Westport Kids appeared July 12, and Buck Griffin appeared August 2. The show aired on Tuesday nights from June 28–November 1. Its original time slot was 7:30–8 p.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...

, replacing ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular Composer, composers. It was ...

'', but moved to 10–10:30 p.m. in September to briefly replace '' Break the Bank''. ABC Radio simulcast the program under the name ''Talent Round-Up'' from 7:30 p.m., as well as carrying an additional half-hour until 8:30. The program originated from the Jewell Theatre in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, home to ABC's ''

Ozark Jubilee ''Ozark Jubilee'' is a 1950s American television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed ''Country Mu ...

''; and was produced and directed by the ''Jubilee's'' Bryan Bisney, who took over from Ring in September.Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (July 23, 1955), ''The Billboard'', p. 93

Notes

References

* . * . *Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (May 28, 1955), ''

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. History It was discovered in November 193 ...

'', p. 56 *Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (July 23, 1955), ''The Billboard'', p. 93 *Sachs, Bill "Folk Talent & Tunes" (October 1, 1955), ''The Billboard'', p. 64

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0124263 1950s American music television series 1955 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Black-and-white American television shows Country music television series American English-language television shows Talent shows