- Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt (
May 21 ,1901 -December 1 ,1986 ) was an American pianist,big band leader and radio-TV personality.Born in Alameda,
California , he attendedCulver Academies . He is best known for his band "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights" which touredvaudeville and performed on radio and television for a number of years. SingerMatt Dennis got his start with Heidt's band andArt Carney was the band's singing comedian. The Heidt band musical recordings were highly successful, with "Gone with the Wind" going to No. 1 in 1937, "Ti-Pi-Tin" No. 1 in 1938. In 1939 "The Man with the Mandolin" reached No. 2.Heidt lived in the then-new "Brentwood" (Brentwood, California) neighborhood in
West Los Angeles at what was the address of 1525San Vicente Boulevard at the time. Heidt bought the mansion from the widow of a retired dentist, and it offered stunning views of Santa Monica Canyon, overlooking theRiviera Country Club , andCatalina Island on a clear day. The expansive hacienda-style residence, featured in 1927 on the cover of the then-popular magazine "Pictorial California inRotogravure ", has long since been razed and the property subdivided.His "Pot O' Gold" radio show became the basis for a 1941
motion picture of the same title produced byJames Roosevelt (son of the U.S. president) and directed byGeorge Marshall . The film featured Heidt as himself with his band, and starredJimmy Stewart andPaulette Goddard . Art Carney can be glimpsed in some of the film's musical numbers. The movie gives a fairly accurate depiction of Heidt's radio show but features staged sequences, such as a scene in which a Minnesota farmer (allegedly phoned at random by Heidt during his radio show) is played by well-known character actorJohn Qualen .His "Original Youth Opportunity Program" on both radio and TV went directly from radio to TV in 1950. It was one of the first talent shows on TV. Among the winners of the show were
Dick Contino (Accordion ), Ralph Sigwald (Vocals) and Al Hirt (Trumpet). Richard Melari, a talented young vocal impressionist from Cleveland, Ohio was also on the show.Horace Heidt died in 1986 and was interred in the
Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. For his contribution to radio, Horace Heidt has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1631 Vine Street and a second star for his contribution to television at 6628 Hollywood Boulevard.References
External links
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