The Ipana Troubadors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ipana Troubadors was a musical variety radio program which began in New York on WEAF in 1923. In actuality, the Troubadors were the Sam Lanin Orchestra, which recorded under several different pseudonyms.
With a mix of hot swing music and novelty tunes, the show moved from WEAF to the NBC Red Network (1926-28) for a 30-minute series on Wednesday evenings at 9pm. It then aired on the Blue Network (1929-31) Mondays at 8:30pm, continuing on the Red Network (1933-34), Wednesdays at 9pm. Helen Hayes was a guest on the show of October 4, 1933, appearing in a scene with John Beal. In 1934, The Ipana Troubadors merged with Fred Allen's The Hour of Smiles.
The show was sponsored by Bristol Myers' Ipana Toothpaste, although the station's policy in the early 1920s dictated that no commercial messages intrude on a program. However, once the program moved to NBC, the attitude toward advertising accelerated, as noted by Timothy D. Taylor in "Music and Advertising in Early Radio":
- Spot and national advertisements frequently had a tie-in, 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 Iapana 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!). [1]
Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were heard on the show during the 1920s, along with Red Nichols and others. Musicians during the 1930s included Jack Teagarden and Joe Venuti, with vocalists Chick Bullock and Dick Robertson.
[edit] References
[edit] Listen to
- Dismuke's: Bing Crosby and the Ipana Troubadors: "I'll Get By" (1929)
- Red Hot Jazz: Sam Lanin's Troubadors: "Singin' in the Bathtub"
