Eveready Hour

Eveready batteries. Those blue objects used to excite me as a kid as they powered my treasured 3” reel mini tape recorder. I’d peer over the counter of my greasy local cycle shop, and plead with Mr Caulton to sell me PP9s at a knockdown price.

The brand also lent its name to what is seen as the first commercially sponsored variety show in broadcasting history. WEAK was its home from February 1924 (some say December the year before). As is now permitted in the UK, at last, the Eveready name was able to be credited throughout the programme, whilst its audience were enthralled by the performance.

The concept was staged thanks to J M Mathes’s advertising agency, who had the foresight both to embed the brand and recognise the value in networking the show across several stations.

Wendell Hall presented the programme. He was known as ‘The Red Headed Music Maker’ for reasons we can surmise, in spite of the black and white photos. He actually got married on his own show. Now there’s a stunt.

Recordings are rare, for obvious reasons. But here's a snippet from the Eveready group, recorded in 1927.