Syma Cohen

Syma Cohen-Busiel (*1891 +1990) with Wayne King (*1901 +1985). Together with her other siblings, namely Esther, Syma had founded the brand. Shortly after Esther was paid out and she run the business with her brother Alfred, who was 10 years younger.

Wayne King helped to promote the company and is responsible for the enormous success and degree of popularity which was achieved with the new media radio broadcast. King was known as the “King of Waltz” and millions were listening to his melodies on CBS and NBC networks. On Sept 1st, 1932 at 12 pm, from Ogden, the Lady Esther Show wast the first nationwide radioshow for Utah. King’s Lady Esther Serenade and The Waltz You Saved For Me became evergreens, and were reproduced as disk records years later.

The radio shows were sponsored with Lady Esther commercials. The announcer was Bess Johnson and she was the first female announcer on radio. With her voice Lady Esther became the most famous commercial on air. It was a resourceful partnership and made multimillioairs of the owners. The mid 1930ies photo shows King in his private plane at Pal-Waukee airfield, north of Chicago.

Disk reproductions of the 1970ies

Left: “Lady Esther Serenade”, Waltz records with Wayne King and his Orchestra. From radio-shows of the 30ies, sponsored by Lady Esther.

Right: radio-play “Casablanca”. Speakers are the original actors of the film, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Ingrid Bergman speaks three, quite extensive commercials of sponsors Lady Esther Inc. Recorded from the original broadcast on CBS from April 26, 1943.