Amateur Night Competition
The highlight of the show was the Amateur Night competition, a singing contest. Upon entering the stage, contestants would rub a log placed on pedestal. Contestants' singing (or occasionally comic) ability was immediately judged by the audience. Talented singers or comedians were rewarded by vigorous applause, but those deemed lacking were harshly booed. When it was clear that the audience disapproved, a siren was sounded and the stage lights dimmed which prompted a hobo known as "Sandman" to remove the contestant from the stage with a cane.
Read more about this topic: It's Showtime At The Apollo
Famous quotes containing the words amateur, night and/or competition:
“The true gardener then brushes over the ground with slow and gentle hand, to liberate a space for breath round some favourite; but he is not thinking about destruction except incidentally. It is only the amateur like myself who becomes obsessed and rejoices with a sadistic pleasure in weeds that are big and bad enough to pull, and at last, almost forgetting the flowers altogether, turns into a Reformer.”
—Freya Stark (1893–1993)
“Chance does not speak essentially through words nor can it be seen in their convolution. It is the eruption of language, its sudden appearance.... It’s not a night atwinkle with stars, an illuminated sleep, nor a drowsy vigil. It is the very edge of consciousness.”
—Michel Foucault (1926–1984)
“The praise of ancient authors proceeds not from the reverence of the dead, but from the competition and mutual envy of the living.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679)