''The Ipana Troubadors'' (aka ''The Ipana Troubadours'') was a musical variety radio program which began in New York on WEAF in 1923. In actuality, the Troubadors were the

Sam Lanin Samuel Charles Lanin (September 4, 1891 – May 5, 1977) was an American jazz bandleader. Lanin's brothers, Howard and Lester, were also bandleaders, and all of them had sustained careers in music. Lanin was one of ten children born to Benjamin ...

Orchestra. They opened the show with their theme, "Smiles." The show was sponsored by Bristol Myers' Ipana Toothpaste, and it was during this period that Bristol Myers introduced the slogan, "Ipana for the Smile of Beauty;

Sal Hepatica Sal Hepatica is the name of a mineral salt laxative that was produced and marketed by Bristol-Myers from its inception in 1887, becoming its first nationally recognized product in 1903, until 1958. When dissolved in water, it was said to reproduce ...

for the Smile of Health." With a mix of hot foxtrots, sweet waltzes and snappy novelty tunes, the show moved from WEAF to the

NBC Red Network The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...

(1926-28) for a 30-minute series on Wednesday evenings at 9pm. It then aired on the

Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...

(1929-31) Mondays at 8:30pm. Network radio exposure made the Ipana Troubadors one of the most well-known dance bands of the 1920s, resulting in a recording contract with Columbia and bookings at dance halls, such as the Casino at

Bemus Point, New York Bemus Point is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The village is within the town of Ellery and is located along the eastern shore of Chautauqua Lake. The population was 312 at the 2020 census. Geography Bemus Point is loc ...

. However, the recording contract covered only the Ipana Troubadors, so Lanin continued to recording on other labels under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms. After Bristol-Myers stopped radio advertising in 1931, the show returned for the 1933–34 season as a variety show, broadcast Wednesdays at 9pm on NBC Red.

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

was a guest on the show of October 4, 1933, appearing in a scene with John Beal. In 1934, ''The Ipana Troubadors'' was replaced by the first half of

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...

's ''

The Hour of Smiles ''The Fred Allen Show'' is a long-running American radio comedy program starring comedian Fred Allen and his wife Portland Hoffa. Over the course of the program's 17-year run, it was sponsored by Linit Bath Soaps, Hellmann's, Ipana, Sal Hepat ...

'', the Troubadours moniker being used to refer to the show's orchestra, led by Peter van Steeden. Radio station policies in the early 1920s dictated that no commercial messages intrude on a program. However, once the program moved to NBC, the attitude toward

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

accelerated, as noted by Timothy D. Taylor in "Music and Advertising in Early Radio": :Spot and national advertisements frequently had a

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...

, often simply a plain poster or print ad, and frequently more. A brochure about Ipana Toothpaste produced by NBC in 1928 included photos of the tie-ins that Ipana provided to customers who wrote in: a ''Magic Radio Time Table'' pad, so that listeners could write down their favorite programs; a bridge score card; a photo of the Ipana Troubadors, the program’s resident musicians; a card with a paean to the smile. All of these items had the Ipana name prominently displayed. Then there was the tie-in material made available to dealers: posters, brochures, a “radio applause card” that listeners could take to send in comments on the program, and more (National Broadcasting Company, ''Improving the Smiles of a Nation!'').

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

and

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People ...

were heard on the show during the 1920s, along with Red Nichols and others. Musicians during the 1930s included

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...

and

Joe Venuti Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie La ...

, with vocalists Chick Bullock and Dick Robertson. Another guest was vaudeville headliner

Marion Harris Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison; April 4, 1896 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the late 1910s and the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.Ward, Elija ...

, billed by NBC as "The Little Girl with the Big Voice."Gracyk, Tim. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895 -1925''. Routledge, 2000.
/ref>

References

Listen to

* ttp://www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/lanin/SinginIntheBathtub.ram Red Hot Jazz: Sam Lanin's Troubadors: "Singin' in the Bathtub"

External links

Timeline of American Literature, Popular Music, 1920-29Tim's Phonographs and Old Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ipana Troubadors, The 1920s American radio programs American music radio programs NBC radio programs NBC Blue Network radio programs