Aladdin Lamp was a radio show that aired in the 1930s, featuring Smilin' Ed McConnell as "The Aladdin Lamp Man" on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Smilin' Ed promoted Aladdin Kerosene Lamps with great success, becoming a well-known radio personality. By 1948, the show was available on 145 ABC stations as a 15-minute or condensed 5-minute program designed for electric lamp dealers, likely originating after 1948.
The show targeted housewives, with Smilin' Ed using his friendly charm and folksy music to engage the audience before pitching Aladdin lamps. The show would include a song, entertainment, and a promotion for both kerosene and electric versions of Aladdin Lamps. Smilin' Ed was accompanied by an organ and piano played by Irma Allen and Del Owen.
Aladdin Lamps, produced by The Mantle Lamp Company of America based in Chicago, were an improvement on the traditional oil lamp, with a circular wick that heated a chemically treated mantle providing a bright white light. Smilin' Ed McConnell would later become the pitchman for Buster Brown Shoes and earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Aladdin Lamp radio show provided a unique approach to reaching housewives, intertwining entertainment and promotion in its four and a half minute spots.