The Ford Sunday Evening Hour
Encyclopedia
The Ford Sunday Evening Hour was an hour-long concert music radio series, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company
, which was broadcast from 1934 to 1946, with a hiatus from 1942 to 1945. Later known as The Ford Symphony Hour, the program presented selections of classical music, hymns, popular ballads and well-known arias.
The series featured a rotation of different conductors, including Victor Kolar
, Fritz Reiner
and John Barbirolli
. Soloists included soprano Kirsten Flagstad
, Helen Jepson
, contralto Gladys Swarthout
, baritone John Charles Thomas
(a 1936-37 regular) and Lawrence Tibbett
.
was closely involved in the program, from choosing the theme (The Children's Prayer from Hansel and Gretel) to hiring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
.
On CBS, the series began October 7, 1934, on Sunday evenings at 9pm, continuing until March 1, 1942. It returned Sundays at 8pm on ABC September 30, 1945, airing until June 23, 1946. During the weekly intermission, William John Cameron (former editor of the Dearborn Independent and directly responsible for the publication in the 1920's of the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion) of the Ford Motor Company delivered brief talks on a variety of topics from sports to economics. These talks were collected into a several books published by Ford.
, Meredith Willson
, James Melton
, Francia White
and Jane Pickens.
When The Ford Sunday Evening Hour came to an end, the Ford Motor Company immediately launched one week later, The Ford Festival of American Music which offered the full spectrum of popular music, from swing to show tunes, along with folk and classical selections. Leigh Harline conducted the orchestra, and Alfred Drake
was the host of the show, produced by George Zachary. It aired from June 30 to September 22, 1946.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, which was broadcast from 1934 to 1946, with a hiatus from 1942 to 1945. Later known as The Ford Symphony Hour, the program presented selections of classical music, hymns, popular ballads and well-known arias.
The series featured a rotation of different conductors, including Victor Kolar
Victor Kolar
Victor Kolar was a Hungarian-born American composer and conductor. Kolar was born in Budapest and studied at the Prague Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Otakar Ševčík and Antonín Dvořák...
, Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
and John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
. Soloists included soprano Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Flagstad
Kirsten Målfrid Flagstad was a Norwegian opera singer and a highly regarded Wagnerian soprano...
, Helen Jepson
Helen Jepson
Helen Jepson was an American lyric soprano noted for being a "stunning blond beauty" as well as for her voice....
, contralto Gladys Swarthout
Gladys Swarthout
Gladys Swarthout was an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Career:...
, baritone John Charles Thomas
John Charles Thomas
John Charles Thomas was a popular American opera, operetta and concert baritone.-Birth, schooling and stage debut:...
(a 1936-37 regular) and Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
.
Background
William Reddick became producer of the program in 1936. Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
was closely involved in the program, from choosing the theme (The Children's Prayer from Hansel and Gretel) to hiring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
.
On CBS, the series began October 7, 1934, on Sunday evenings at 9pm, continuing until March 1, 1942. It returned Sundays at 8pm on ABC September 30, 1945, airing until June 23, 1946. During the weekly intermission, William John Cameron (former editor of the Dearborn Independent and directly responsible for the publication in the 1920's of the anti-Semitic Protocols of the Elders of Zion) of the Ford Motor Company delivered brief talks on a variety of topics from sports to economics. These talks were collected into a several books published by Ford.
Replacements
During the summer months, it was replaced by The Ford Summer Hour, featuring Donald VoorheesDonald Voorhees
Donald Voorhees was an American composer and conductor who received an Emmy Award nomination for "Individual Achievements in Music" for his work on the television series, The Bell Telephone Hour.-Career:Starting in 1926, Voorhees' orchestra recorded prolifically for Columbia,...
, Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
, James Melton
James Melton
James Melton , a popular singer in the 1920s and early 1930s, later began a career as an operatic singer when tenor voices went out of style in popular music around 1932-35...
, Francia White
Francia White
Francia White was an American soprano who had an active career in concerts, operas, operettas, radio, television, and film during the late 1920s through the 1940s. She began her career as a vaudeville performer in her late teens and then began singing in more serious classical music repertoire...
and Jane Pickens.
When The Ford Sunday Evening Hour came to an end, the Ford Motor Company immediately launched one week later, The Ford Festival of American Music which offered the full spectrum of popular music, from swing to show tunes, along with folk and classical selections. Leigh Harline conducted the orchestra, and Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake was an American actor and singer.-Biography:Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Brooklyn College...
was the host of the show, produced by George Zachary. It aired from June 30 to September 22, 1946.