Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|American radio and television program}}

{{Infobox radio show

| show_name = ''Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge''

| image = Kay Kyser 1942.jpg

| imagesize = 200 px

| caption = [[Kay Kyser]] in cap and gown (1942)

| other_names = ''Kay Kyser's Kampus Klass''

| format = Musical quiz

| runtime =

| country = United States

| language = English

| home_station = [[WGN (AM)|WGN]]

| syndicates = [[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]]<br>[[NBC]]<br>[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]

| television = ''Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge''<br>''College of Musical Knowledge''

| presenter =

| starring = [[Kay Kyser]]

| announcer = [[Ken Niles]]<br>Bud Hiestand<br>Vern Smith<br>[[Bill Forman (radio)|Bill Forman]]<br>Jack McCoy

| creator =

| writer = Fran Coughlin

| director = Ed Cashman<br>John Cleary<br>William Warwick<br>Harry Sax

| senior_editor =

| editor =

| producer = Frank O'Connor

| exec_producer =

| narrated =

| rec_location =

| rem_location =

| oth_location =

| first_aired = {{Start date|1939|02|01}}

| last_aired = {{End date|1949|07|02}}

| num_series =

| num_episodes =

| audio_format =

| opentheme =

| othertheme =

| endtheme =

| sponsor = [[American Tobacco Company]]<br>[[Colgate-Palmolive]]<br>[[Pillsbury Company|Pillsbury]]

| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->

| podcast = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->

}}

'''''Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge''''' is an American [[old-time radio]] musical quiz program starring [[Kay Kyser]]. It was broadcast on [[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]], [[NBC]], and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] beginning on February 1, 1938, and ending on July 29, 1949.<ref name="dunningota">{{cite book|last1=Dunning|first1=John|title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio|url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn|url-access=registration|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-19-507678-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/384 384-385]|edition=Revised}}</ref>

==Background==

In the latter half of the 1930s, leaders of [[Big band|big bands]] sought ways to differentiate their groups from others who played similar music. Successful variations on the standard format of just playing one song after another could quickly move bands from "being merely late-hour fillers" without sponsors to having sponsored broadcasts in better time slots. [[Tommy Dorsey]] began featuring amateur musicians, [[Benny Goodman]] moved his trio and quartet into the spotlight, and [[Kay Kyser]] added a quiz component. Some of the changes were less innovation than adaptation. An article in the trade publication ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' noted that Dorsey's airing of amateurs followed the example of [[Major Bowes]], and Kyser's contest was a variation on the ''[[Professor Quiz]]'' program.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Evening Dance Hours Improved By Orks' Showmanship Measures |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Billboard-IDX/IDX/30s/1938/BB-1938-02-19-OCR-Page-0008.pdf#search=%22kollege%22 |magazine=Billboard |date=February 19, 1938 |page=8}}</ref>

In October 1937,<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Wolters |first1=Larry |title=Our Listening to Radio Cost Billion in '37 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25163742/chicago_tribune/ |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 13, 1938 |location=Illinois, Chicago |page=15|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = November 6, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref> Kyser began including the ''Kollege'' as a segment in his Monday night broadcasts from the [[Blackhawk (restaurant)|Blackhawk]] restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, via radio station [[WGN (AM)|WGN]].<ref name=rmt/>

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==Personnel==

Besides Kyser, the show's personnel included singers [[Trudy Erwin]], Julie Conway, [[Gloria Wood]], [[Lucy Ann Polk]], [[Mike Douglas]], Sully Mason, the [[The King Sisters|King Sisters]],<ref name="dunningota" /> [[Georgia Carroll]] (Kyser's wife),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reinehr |first1=Robert C. |last2=Swartz |first2=Jon D. |title=The A to Z of Old Time Radio |date=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9781461672074 |page=148 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5uzfQjhlUXoC&q=%22Kollege+of+Musical+Knowledge%22&pg=PA148 |accessdate=9 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref> [[Harry Babbitt]] and [[Ginny Simms]]. Other regulars were pianist Lyman Gandee, trumpeter Bobby Guy, and Merwyn Bogue (better known as [[Ish Kabibble]]).<ref name=":1" /> Fran Coughlin was the writer.<ref name=":2" /> Announcers were [[Ken Niles]], Bud Hiestand, Vern Smith, [[Bill Forman (radio)|Bill Forman]], and Jack McCoy. Rex Koury was the organist, and Frank O'Connor was the producer. Directors included Ed Cashman, John Cleary, William Warwick, and Harry Sax.<ref name=dunningota/>

A review in ''Billboard'' in 1947 attributed the program's success more to Kyser than to its format. Paul Ackerman wrote: "In fact, the Old Professor's most noteworthy characteristic is ebullience. He's got it to a degree that makes other facets of the program secondary."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Ackerman |first1=Paul |title=Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Billboard-IDX/IDX/40s/1947/BB-1947-11-15-OCR-Page-0014.pdf |accessdate=8 November 2018 |magazine=Billboard |date=November 15, 1947 |page=14}}</ref>

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==Television==

Kyser took the program to television on December 1, 1949, on NBC, where it ran weekly until December 28, 1950. The format was essentially the same as that of the radio program, including Kyser's wearing a cap and gown.<ref name=tt>{{cite book|last1=McNeil|first1=Alex|title=Total Television|date=1996|publisher=Penguin Books USA, Inc.|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-14-02-4916-8|page= 172|edition=4th}}</ref> Kyser, Douglas, and Kabibble were the only entertainers carried over from the radio version. Other regulars were Liza Palmer, [[Sue Bennett]], [[Diane Sinclair]], and Ken Spaulding. [[Ben Grauer]] and Roy Marshall were the announcers.<ref name="brooks">{{cite book|last1=Books|first1=Tim|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows : 1946 - Present|url=https://archive.org/details/completedirector1st00bro|url-access=registration|date=1979|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York|isbn=0-345-25525-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/completedirector1st00bro/page/321 321]}}</ref> The program was sponsored by Ford.<ref>{{cite news |title=Debuts, Highlights, Futures |url=https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Ross%2C+Wallace+A.%22&sort=-date |access-date=January 27, 2023 |work=Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index |date=November 27, 1949 |page=3}}</ref> It originated from [[WNBC|WNBT]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite news |title=Last Week's Arrivals |url=https://archive.org/details/rossreportstele04ross/page/n144/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=February 28, 2023 |work=Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index |date=December 4, 1949 |page=2}}</ref>

The program returned to TV on July 4, 1954, again on NBC, and ran until September 12, 1954. [[Tennessee Ernie Ford]] was the host, and the title used the traditional spelling, '''''College of Musical Knowledge'''''.<ref name=tt/> [[Frank De Vol]]'s orchestra provided instrumental music, and the Cheerleaders Quintet sang. [[Jack Narz]] was the announcer.<ref name=brooks/>

== References ==

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<!--- Categories --->

[[Category:NBC game shows]]

[[Category:American Broadcasting Company game shows]]

[[Category:Musical game shows]]

[[Category:1939 radio programme debuts]]

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[[Category:1940s American game shows]]

[[Category:1950s American game shows]]

[[Category:1949 American gametelevision series showsdebuts]]

[[Category:1950 American television series endings]]

[[Category:American radio game shows]]

[[Category:ABC radio programs]]