An article the following week charged that one amateur had been cruelly set up for national ridicule. Barely had his song begun when Bowes gave him the gong. The audience roared with laughter: the major smiled, not unkindly. But when the defeated amateur was ushered backstage, he stole a peek at the program log. He had been scheduled for one minute only, confirming his sudden realization that he'd been made a goat. "I knew I couldn't do my song in just one minute." The article also repeated the charge that vaudeville professionals were sneaking in, people "willing to work for the major's ten dollars in order to keep from starving." Bowes continued to insist that every effort was made to keep professionals out.
( John Dunning )
[ On the Air: The Encyclopedia ]
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