''The Atwater Kent Hour'' (aka ''The Atwater Kent Radio Hour'') was a top-rated radio concert music program heard on NBC and CBS from October 4, 1925, to December 17, 1934,
with stars of the Metropolitan Opera often making appearances. Classical music was performed by a large symphony orchestra under the direction of
Josef Pasternack. Soprano
Frances Alda
Frances Davis Alda (31 May 1879 – 18 September 1952) was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic lyric soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique ...
was often the featured vocalist, and soprano Mary Eastman also performed. The opening theme music was "Now the Day Is Over," by
Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,2 ...
(words) and Sir
Joseph Barnby
Sir Joseph Barnby (12 August 183828 January 1896) was an English composer and conductor.
Life
Barnby was born at York, as a son of Thomas Barnby, who was an organist. Joseph was a chorister at York Minster from the age of seven, was educated ...
(music).
The series was sponsored by the manufacturer of radio receivers,
Atwater Kent
Arthur Atwater Kent Sr. (December 3, 1873 – March 4, 1949) was an American inventor and prominent radio manufacturer based in Philadelphia. In 1921, he patented the modern form of the automobile ignition coil.
Biography
Arthur Kent was born ...
. The company's factory was located at 4745 Wissahickon Avenue in North Philadelphia. The radio program paralleled the rise of the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company, as noted in the history provided by the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia:
:In 1922 Kent produced his first radio components and in 1923 his first complete radios. By 1924 the company had outgrown its Stenton Avenue campus and moved to a new $2 million plant on Wissahickon Avenue. This plant, constructed in sections, would eventually cover 32 acres. In 1925 the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company became the largest maker of radios in the nation. Supporting the manufacture of radios was ''The Atwater Kent Hour'', a program broadcast throughout the country in the mid-1920s. The show featured top entertainment and became one of the most popular and acclaimed regular radio programs of the era. In 1929 the company reached its peak performance with over 12,000 employees manufacturing nearly one million radio sets. The plant itself was an architectural sensation and received hundreds of visitors annually.
Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia: "AKMP History"
Produced and directed by William Spier
William Hannan Spier (October 16, 1906 – May 30, 1973) was an American writer, producer, and director for television and radio. He is best known for his radio work, notably ''Suspense'' and ''The Adventures of Sam Spade''.
Early life
Wil ...
, the program was one of the highest rated evening shows. During the 1930–31 season, ''The Atwater Kent Hour'' ranked third (after ''Amos 'n' Andy
''Amos 'n' Andy'' is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago and later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio show ...
'' and Rudy Vallee
Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
).
References
Listen to
Atwater Kent radio commercial
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atwater Kent Hour, The
1920s American radio programs
1930s American radio programs
American classical music radio programs
1926 radio programme debuts
1934 radio programme endings
NBC radio programs
CBS Radio programs