Music Talents Dominated Radio's Early Days
Popular Music Shows of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s
Back in the day music was live and well on the radio.
All it took was time, talent, money and likable music.
All it took was time, talent, money and likable music.
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© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved
Back
in the early days of radio, live music dominated the airwaves. Music
shows on the radio offered live symphonic ensembles, jazz combos, small orchestras
and song-and-comedy duos. Listeners heard clever tunes, memorable melodies, engaging
banter, entertainment.
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| Harry Horlick - host and bandleader of A&P Gypsies |
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| Sheet music from the Clicquot Club Eskimos |
As the
number of licensed stations grew from 5 in 1921 to about 500 in 1924, Americans were rapidly installing radios in their homes — consoles in the living room, portables
in the kitchen or bedroom. Radios at the time were not cheap.
Prices on consoles — essentially a radio appliance installed in a bulky piece of furniture — ranged from $125 to $236. Smaller units meant for tables, desks or night stands cost $20 to $80. For comparison, the average house in 1928 cost $4,000, while a modest car was priced $800 to $1,000.
Prices on consoles — essentially a radio appliance installed in a bulky piece of furniture — ranged from $125 to $236. Smaller units meant for tables, desks or night stands cost $20 to $80. For comparison, the average house in 1928 cost $4,000, while a modest car was priced $800 to $1,000.
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| Period publicity photos: Wikipedia Montgomery Ward's Radio Catalog - 1924 |
Radios got cheaper by 1930. That year an Emmerson five-tube bedroom radio cost $10 and 40 percent of households owned a radio. By 1940 that portion grew to
83 percent, according to American Public Media.
Early
on, household radio ownership was highest in the Northeast and on the West
Coast. Broadcast stations and radio sets were rare in the South, Midwest and
Great Plains until the New Deal rural electrification program wired remote towns
and farms. Then, with a single purchase, households acquired a constant, free
stream of entertainment.
Broadcasters
built coast-to-coast networks to indulge the growing number and diversity of radio shows, soap operas during the day or music and variety at night. Dramas,
comedy, talk and educational programs followed. Newspapers continued to
dominate news coverage until World War II, APM said.
Music
shows proliferated in 15-, 30- or 60-minute formats. Audiences could dial in a
show to hear live music and familiar hosts. Often, they’d hear guest spots by their
favorite band, popular vocalist or hot combo.
Radio
provided free entertainment to millions, but broadcasting didn’t come without cost. To
attract audiences, sponsors competed for the most popular shows, the best time
slots and the biggest stars.
For example, in the late 1920s Rudy Vallée was probably the country's star attraction in pop culture. Between 1929 and 1939 he also hosted one the most popular radio programs with a national audience.
To reach a national audience with a big show in the 1930s meant commercial sponsors were subject to the creative wiles of the largest advertising agencies in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. The ad shops produced the shows, wrangled the sponsors and controlled access to the airwaves.
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| Entertainer & radio host Rudy Vallée - late 1920s |
To reach a national audience with a big show in the 1930s meant commercial sponsors were subject to the creative wiles of the largest advertising agencies in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. The ad shops produced the shows, wrangled the sponsors and controlled access to the airwaves.
By
1940 network radio shows commanded big staffs, big production budgets and big sponsorship fees.
It required well-paid talent, many of whom capitalized on what popular music shows afforded them. We're talking about talented amateurs who figured how to monetize their talent in order to entertain people with music.
Good examples abound, including these popular radio stars:
Good examples abound, including these popular radio stars:
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| Kate Smith - 1940 |
In mid-April 1931 she introduced her newest recorded hit song, “Dream A Little Dream Of Me,” at the Metropolitan Theater in Boston. By the end of that same month she began hosting the first of several radio shows, Kate Smith
Bandwagon, which ran two, then three
times a week.
She’d
open with her theme song, "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain."
Within two years she was a major radio star and her show ran five times a week.
By then, she was earning $3,000 a week.
Fred Allen hosted Town Hall
Tonight, a variety program that cost
national advertiser Bristol-Myers $20,000-25,000 an episode in 1934 to sponsor, according to the acerbic comedian's Wikipedia page. Even though promotion costs dropped to $10,000 by 1938, it was still $4,500 less
than the average production cost of other top-ten rated radio programs.
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| Fred Allen - host of Allen's Alley - 1940 |
In
1949 Standard Brands dropped its sponsorship of Allen’s show due to high production
and talent costs. Fortunately for Allen and his crew of comedians and live
music acts, Ford Motor picked up the $22,000 weekly tab to continue production
of the program.
Arthur Godfrey was said to earn $400,000 a year working at CBS two radio shows at the same time. In the late 1940s he hosted Arthur Godfrey Time, an hour-long, Monday-to-Friday morning music and talk show. Tuesday night of each week he would host Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, a half-hour, prime-time variety show.
Gene Autry was a clever man. He figured how to make money from his paid guest appearances on the radio in the late 1930s. He got more than money on these guest spots. They lent promotional support to his films, rodeos, records, songbooks and merchandise (known as product “tie-ups”). Autry worked hard, but as his celebrity increased, his income grew.
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| Arthur Godfrey on CBS - 1938 |
Gene Autry was a clever man. He figured how to make money from his paid guest appearances on the radio in the late 1930s. He got more than money on these guest spots. They lent promotional support to his films, rodeos, records, songbooks and merchandise (known as product “tie-ups”). Autry worked hard, but as his celebrity increased, his income grew.
For
instance, Autry’s income in 1935 was $10,000 — a tidy sum during the Depression.
This came from $3,200 in record sales, $2,500 on songbook sales, $1,679 in personal
performance fees and $2,300 from movies (one serial, four features), according
to Holly George-Warren, author of Public Cowboy No. 1
(Oxford Univ. Press, 2007).
By
1938 Autry was earning serious money as a guest on national radio shows. He earned
$17,588 on guest spots, $5,000 in record and song royalties, $5,000
per movie (six films) and $15,458 in fees from merchandising. His total income that
year was nearly $70,000.
In
1939 Autry was busier than ever. Though earnings on personal appearances on
radio fell to $5,000, his contract with Republic called for eight films and more
money per movie. Thus, his annual income is said to have totaled $131,000.
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| Gene Autry - host of Melody Ranch - 1940 |
In
1940 Autry’s income hit $205,000, according to George-Warren. He made
$67,450 for movies (six films), $65,000 from Wrigley, $29,941 in royalties
and $42,000 from personal appearance.
Radio,
as well records, songbooks, movies, merchandising, personal spots and
promotion, made Gene Autry a big star. No wonder Saturday Evening Post (Sept 2, 1939) saddled him with the
moniker “Bing Crosby on horseback.”
Bing Crosby had humble beginnings, but rose to fame and fortune like no other musical talent on the radio.
In 1933 he snagged a $1,750-a-week contract for 13 weeks of a one-hour radio program on CBS, Bing Crosby Entertains. Made with an ad agency that managed his sponsor (Woodbury soap), the show helped developed his radio persona and national popularity. Two years later Crosby rejected an offer of $3,000 a week from a competing sponsor.
By 1936, Crosby was hosting a top-tier radio show, Kraft Music Hall. Between 1940 and 1943 he earned $200,000 a year, according to Gary Giddins, author of Bing Crosby: Swinging On A Star — The War Years (Little Brown, 2018).
From today's perspective Kraft's attitude on commercials and Crosby's casual style of hosting music programs is refreshing. It's also an ironic counterpoint to the smokey smudge of commercialism that links advertisers and content makers in contemporary media.
It is a pimple on the hide of American media. It extends from radio's micro-thin musical genres to food, fashion and home renovation shows on television. You see it in YouTube channels, info podcasts and feature movies. And you see it in controlled-circ financial and lifestyle magazines, neighbor-to-neighbor freebies and free iPhone apps.
Sadly, this slick nexus has seeped into other national media as well. But that's a story for another day.
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Popular musical programs on the radio
These popular musical shows aired on radio in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
By the late 1940s many modified their formats to enable broadcast on TV.
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Bing Crosby had humble beginnings, but rose to fame and fortune like no other musical talent on the radio.
In 1933 he snagged a $1,750-a-week contract for 13 weeks of a one-hour radio program on CBS, Bing Crosby Entertains. Made with an ad agency that managed his sponsor (Woodbury soap), the show helped developed his radio persona and national popularity. Two years later Crosby rejected an offer of $3,000 a week from a competing sponsor.
By 1936, Crosby was hosting a top-tier radio show, Kraft Music Hall. Between 1940 and 1943 he earned $200,000 a year, according to Gary Giddins, author of Bing Crosby: Swinging On A Star — The War Years (Little Brown, 2018).
With Crosby hosting Kraft Music Hall, the program ranked seventh among the top 12 radio shows on the air across the country in January 1940. It peaked at #3 in 1945.
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| Artist Joe Sinnottkraft's caricature of Kraft Music Hall crew — band leader John Scott Trotter, actress Marilyn Maxwell, emcee Bing Crosby and announcer Ken Carpenter. |
The key to Bing’s success with Kraft Music Hall, according to Giddins, was the “extraordinary diversity” of Bing’s radio guests. They gave the show “a unique status, particularly with the press, generating more daily newspaper previews, reviews, news briefs, and best-picks than any other variety show ever had.”
No blurry line between advertising and content
In addition the high ratings for its show, Kraft's managers were unique among sponsors for keeping their advertising pitches separate from the show's content. They wanted announcers, not cast members, to read ads. Kraft execs believed quality entertainment led listeners to the commercials and good ads took them back to the show.
No blurry line between advertising and content
In addition the high ratings for its show, Kraft's managers were unique among sponsors for keeping their advertising pitches separate from the show's content. They wanted announcers, not cast members, to read ads. Kraft execs believed quality entertainment led listeners to the commercials and good ads took them back to the show.
From today's perspective Kraft's attitude on commercials and Crosby's casual style of hosting music programs is refreshing. It's also an ironic counterpoint to the smokey smudge of commercialism that links advertisers and content makers in contemporary media.
It is a pimple on the hide of American media. It extends from radio's micro-thin musical genres to food, fashion and home renovation shows on television. You see it in YouTube channels, info podcasts and feature movies. And you see it in controlled-circ financial and lifestyle magazines, neighbor-to-neighbor freebies and free iPhone apps.
Sadly, this slick nexus has seeped into other national media as well. But that's a story for another day.
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| World War II-era propaganda poster |
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© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved
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Resources
Bing Crosby: Swinging On A Star – The War Years by Gary Giddins - Little Brown © 2018
Public Cowboy No. 1 by Holly George-Warren - Oxford Univ Press © 2007
On the Air: Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning - Oxford Univ Press © 1988
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Popular musical programs on the radio
These popular musical shows aired on radio in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
By the late 1940s many modified their formats to enable broadcast on TV.
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Eveready Hour 1923-1930 - host: Wendall Hall
Eveready Hour 1923-1930 - host: Wendall Hall
WEAF - announcer: Helen Hahn
New York NY - format: musical variety
- sponsor: National Carbon Co.
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Clicquot Club 1923-1933, 1935-1936 - host:
Harry Reser
Eskimos WEAF, NBC, CBS - format:
musical variety
New York NY - sponsor:
Clicquot Club (“klee-ko”)
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A & P Gypsies 1924 - 1936 - creator:
Harry Horlick
WEAF, NBC - hosts:
Phillips Carlin + Milton Cross
New York NY - format:banjo
orchestra, exotic musical variety
-
sponsor: Great Atlantic &
Pacific Tea Co.
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Nati’l Barn Dance 1924 - 1968 - founder: Edgar Bill
WLS, NBC, ABC, WGN - format: country
music + down-home tunes
Chicago IL - sponsor:
Alka-Seltzer
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Grand Ole Opry 1925 - today - founder:
George Hay
WSM, NBC - format:
country, bluegrass, gospel, folk, comedy
Nashville TN - sponsor:
National Life & Accident Insurance Co.
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| Phillips Carlin - announcer Atwater Ken Hour |
Atwater Kent Hour
1925 - 1934
NBC, CBS
New York NY
announcer: Phillips Carlin
format: opera + concert music
sponsor: Atwater Kent
opening theme: “Now The Day Is Over”
1925 - 1934
NBC, CBS
New York NY
announcer: Phillips Carlin
format: opera + concert music
sponsor: Atwater Kent
opening theme: “Now The Day Is Over”
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Voice of Firestone 1928 – 1957 -
host:
Richard Crooks
NBC, ABC - announcer:
Hugh James
New York NY - format:
classical music
- opening
theme: “In My Garden” – 1936 - 1941
- sponsor:
Firestone Rubber & Tire Co.
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Fleishman’s Yeast 1929 - 1939 - host:
Rudy Vallée — "Heigh-ho, everybody!"
Hour NBC - format:
musical variety
New
York NY - sponsor: Standard Brands
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Arthur Godfrey 1930 - 1945 - host, disc
jockey, monologues: Arthur Godfrey
WFBR – Baltimore MD - format:
variety show
WJSV, WTOP – Wash DC - sponsors:
various
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Arthur Godfrey’s 1946 – 1956 - announcer:
Arthur Godfrey
Talent
Scouts CBS - format:
amateur talent and variety show
New York NY - sponsor:
Lipton Tea
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American Album 1931 - 1951 - director: James Haupt
of Familiar Music NBC, ABC - format: vocals + instrumentals
New York NY - sponsor: Bayer Aspirin
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Jack Benny Program
1932 - 1955
NBC, CBS
New York NY
host: Jack Benny
announcer: Don Williams
format: comedy and variety
sponsors: Canada Dry, Chevy, General Tire, Jell-O, Grape Nuts, Lucky Strike
Bing Crosby 1933
- 1935 - host +
vocalist: Bing Crosby
Entertains CBS - announcer: Ken Niles
New York NY - format: music + variety
- opening theme: “When the Blue of the Night”
- sponsor: Woodbury Soap
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Kraft Music Hall 1935 - 1949 - host + vocalist: Bing Crosby
CBS - announcers: Don Wilson, Roger Krupp, Ken Carpenter
Hollywood CA - format: music + variety
- opening theme: “When the Blue of the Night”
- sponsor: Kraft Foods
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Major Bowes Amateur
Hour
1934 - 1945
WHN, NBC, CBS
New York NY
host: Edward Bowes
talent scout: Ted Mack
announcer: Norman Brokenshire
format: amateur talent + variety
sponsors: Chase and Sanborn, Chrysler, Old Gold
American Album 1931 - 1951 - director: James Haupt
of Familiar Music NBC, ABC - format: vocals + instrumentals
New York NY - sponsor: Bayer Aspirin
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| Jack Benny - 1933 |
1932 - 1955
NBC, CBS
New York NY
host: Jack Benny
announcer: Don Williams
format: comedy and variety
sponsors: Canada Dry, Chevy, General Tire, Jell-O, Grape Nuts, Lucky Strike
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Entertains CBS - announcer: Ken Niles
New York NY - format: music + variety
- opening theme: “When the Blue of the Night”
- sponsor: Woodbury Soap
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Kraft Music Hall 1935 - 1949 - host + vocalist: Bing Crosby
CBS - announcers: Don Wilson, Roger Krupp, Ken Carpenter
Hollywood CA - format: music + variety
- opening theme: “When the Blue of the Night”
- sponsor: Kraft Foods
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| Major Bowes - 1935 |
1934 - 1945
WHN, NBC, CBS
New York NY
host: Edward Bowes
talent scout: Ted Mack
announcer: Norman Brokenshire
format: amateur talent + variety
sponsors: Chase and Sanborn, Chrysler, Old Gold
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Kate Smith Sings 1931 – 1936 - host: Kate Smith
CBS, NBC, ABC - format: music variety
- sponsor: La Palina Cigars, A & P
- intro theme: “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain”
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Kate Smith Hour 1937 – 1945 - host: Kate Smith
New York NY - format: music, comedy, drama
- sponsor: A & P
- intro theme: “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain”
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Lucky Strike 1928 – 1934 - conductors: Benjamin Heard, Walter O’Keefe, Anson Weeks
Orchestra NBC - sponsor: Lucky Strike
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Your Hit Parade 1935 - 1953 - hosts: 19 orchestras, 52 singers & music groups
NBC, CBS, NBC - format: popular + bestselling songs
New York NY - sponsor: American Tobacco
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Fred Allen Show 1932 – 1949 - host: Fred Allen
CBS, NBC - announcers: Edmund Rufner and Harry Von Zell
New York NY - format: comedy + musical guests
- sponsors: Linit, Hellman’s, Bristol-Meyers, Sal Hepatica,
Tenderleaf, Texaco, Ford
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Melody Ranch 1940 - 1956 - host: Gene Autry
CBS - format: Western stories + songs + comedy
Hollywood CA - sponsor: Wm. Wrigley Co.
- opening theme: “Back in the Saddle Again”
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Original Amateur
1948 - 1952
ABC
New York NY
host: Ted Mack
format: amateur talent + variety show
Kate Smith Sings 1931 – 1936 - host: Kate Smith
CBS, NBC, ABC - format: music variety
- sponsor: La Palina Cigars, A & P
- intro theme: “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain”
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Kate Smith Hour 1937 – 1945 - host: Kate Smith
New York NY - format: music, comedy, drama
- sponsor: A & P
- intro theme: “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain”
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Lucky Strike 1928 – 1934 - conductors: Benjamin Heard, Walter O’Keefe, Anson Weeks
Orchestra NBC - sponsor: Lucky Strike
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Your Hit Parade 1935 - 1953 - hosts: 19 orchestras, 52 singers & music groups
NBC, CBS, NBC - format: popular + bestselling songs
New York NY - sponsor: American Tobacco
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Fred Allen Show 1932 – 1949 - host: Fred Allen
CBS, NBC - announcers: Edmund Rufner and Harry Von Zell
New York NY - format: comedy + musical guests
- sponsors: Linit, Hellman’s, Bristol-Meyers, Sal Hepatica,
Tenderleaf, Texaco, Ford
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Melody Ranch 1940 - 1956 - host: Gene Autry
CBS - format: Western stories + songs + comedy
Hollywood CA - sponsor: Wm. Wrigley Co.
- opening theme: “Back in the Saddle Again”
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| Ted Mack - 1949 |
1948 - 1952
ABC
New York NY
host: Ted Mack
format: amateur talent + variety show
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Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eveready_Hour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clicquot_Club_Eskimos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_A%26P_Gypsies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Barn_Dance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atwater_Kent_Hour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Firestone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fleischmann%27s_Yeast_Hour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Godfrey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Godfrey%27s_Talent_Scouts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Album_of_Familiar_Music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jack_Benny_Program
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby_Entertains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Music_Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Bowes_Amateur_Hour
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Smith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kate_Smith_Show
www.encyclopedia.com/women
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Hit_Parade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fred_Allen_Show#Texaco_Star_Theatre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Autry%27s_Melody_Ranch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Original_Amateur_Hour
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© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved
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