Credit Where Credit Is Due Okay, so Simon and American Idol get big ratings for Fox. The imitations do not so bad, either. And, back in the 70's, Chuck Barris' syndicated Gong Show were, as Archie would say, the big whoop-de-doo. But, come on. Ted Mack invented the Gong to kill really bad acts, but seldom had the heart to use it (hear that, Cowell?) Ted Mack had what was appropriately called The Original Amateur Hour on NBC from 1948 through the early 1960's. True, Ted took over for the ailing Major Bowes who started the show on radio in 1943, but let's be honest. Every TV talent competition thereafter, including Idol "borrowed" from Ted Mack. In Ted's time, there was no text messaging phone, e-mail, toll free number. Ted's mimic, CBS' Arthur Godfrey (who aped everybody, like Spanish TV's Don Francisco), used an audio level meter to supposedly measure applause (which was never accurate). Ted Mack used nonesuch. You had to mail your votes to "Box 191 Radio City Station" in New York. Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour gave starts to Ol' Blue Eyes Sinatra, Pat "White Bucks" Boone, ventriloquist Paul Winchell and dummy pal Jerry Mahoney (uh, who, exactly has become a true lasting celebrity from American Idol? Rubin who?). The top rated show died after NBC dumped it in a Sunday 5PM slot (kinda like what they did to Star Trek slushing it to Sundays at 10 as the final frontier...or so the network brass thought).