''The Majestic Theater of the Air'', also known as ''The Majestic Hour'', is an American musical radio program that aired on the

CBS radio network CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. ...

between 1928–1932 on Sunday evenings. The series was produced and emcee'd by

Wendell Hall Wendell Woods Hall (August 23, 1896, St. George, Kansas – April 2, 1969, Fairhope, Alabama) was an American country singer, vaudeville artist, songwriter, pioneer radio performer, Victor recording artist and ukulele player. Biography Hall wa ...

and sponsored by Chicago's Grigsby-Grunow Company, manufacturers of

Majestic Radios Majestic Radios was an American radio brand from 1927 to 1955, trademarked as "The Mighty Monarchs of the Air". Noted for their high quality, they were initially manufactured by the Grigsby-Grunow Company of Chicago. After Grigsby-Grunow's demis ...

. It began on the CBS network in October, 1928, with a coast-to-coast hookup of 29 stations.

Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, and Harriet Lee

When Grigsby-Grunow expanded their broadcast to reach the full

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

network on January 6, 1929, the stars of the program were Eddie Cantor and

Ruth Etting Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tunes ...

. In April, 1929, singer Harriet Lee was introduced by Hall on the show as the "Chicago Nightingale", becoming a hit on the CBS network.

Songwriter showcase

In an August 1929 program, Hall presented the songwriters

J. Fred Coots John Frederick Coots (May 2, 1897 – April 8, 1985) was an American songwriter. He composed over 700 popular songs and over a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then chief collaborator, lyricist Haven Gillespie, for t ...

and

Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...

singing some of their past and present song hits. The tenor Redferne Hollinshead contributed five selections with an additional two songs by Edna Sedley. Orchestra music was by Arnold Johnson and His Majestic Orchestra. The series later moved to NBC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majestic Theater of the Air, The American music radio programs 1920s American radio programs 1930s American radio programs CBS Radio programs