6. Rhapsody in Blue in Whiteman’s Old Gold Hour.
Paul Whiteman had misgivings about regular radio broadcasts. According to Don Rayno, Whiteman feared overexposure “and a cheapening of his musical offerings.” [3] After hesitating for several years, Whiteman decided to go on the Columbia network with a one-hour weekly program, the Old Gold Hour, sponsored by the P. Lorillard Tobacco Company. Whiteman viewed a weekly coast to coast radio broadcast as another experiment and was not deterred by the $5,000 fee per program. Each broadcast featured about a dozen numbers and it was necessary for Whiteman to add two members of his orchestra, pianists Roy Bargy and Lennie Hayton, to the regular Whiteman arrangers Ferde Grofé and Bill Challis. In addition, Whiteman hired the distinguished African American composer Wiliam Grant Still to produce two arrangements per week at $100 each. The Old Gold Hour premiere took place on Tuesday, February 5, 1929 from WABC in New York City and was relayed over 43 radio stations. The weekly broadcast continued until May 6, 1930. Rhapsody in Blue was used as the signature of the program, as well as in musical interludes and station breaks. The complete Rhapsody was played in the programs of February 19, 1929 and April 15, 1930.
The program was heavily advertised in newspapers and magazines.
Figure 16. Ad for the Old Gold Hour.
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