Inside facts of stage and screen (May 3, 1930)

PAGE EIGHT REVIEWS COMMENT INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN RADIOL, AW D By FRED YEATES SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1930 CHATTER NEWS Retailers of phonograph records are feeling more than ever the competition of radio. However, it is not the class sta- tion or the fixed program that cuts into record sales, they say. In- troduction of new numbers through such means, and their occasional repetition, do no 'harm, in fact, 'build up a taste for the numbers with the owners of phongraphs. The heavy damage is done by the “request” record stations, who make it possible for anyone to call by telephone and have a given number played almost at will, thus taking away the chief sales argu- ment of the record makers, who are now using the slogan, “Hear it when you want to hear it.” SHAW NOW AT STATION KTAB Arthur G. Shaw is featured or- ganist of KTM, having been im- ported from KTAB, San Fran- cisco. Mr. Shaw is a graduate of Trinity College and the Royal Academy of Music of London, England, and has appeared in New York, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco. He was for two and one-half years organist at Neve’s Melody Lane Cafe in Los Angeles. SMART GIRLS NEEDED FOR RADIO STATIONS Pickups and Viewpoints News And Opinion Of And About Radio There is a genuine demand for office girls and stenographers who have some knowledge of musical subjects, according to KFI and KECA officials. They report great difficulty in filling positions in their office forces with satisfactory help, and would welcome applications from girls with commercial train- ing who have also studied some department of music or other, and would ‘ berefore have a better un- derstanding of the needs of radio offices. ABOUT FRANK GAGE Frank Gage, program director at KTM, was formerly assistant pro- gram director of the N. B. C. be- fore assuming his duties at KTM. Gage had charge of the Electrical Engineering Research Laboratories at Boston Tech for one year, be- fore entering the radio field. KECA ON DAILY Effective at once, KECA goes on the air daily at 7:30 a. m. ex- cept Saturday and Sunday, instead of at 3 p. m. as was its former habit. Excuse given is that there is increasing demand for domestic programs. ment = i f? 1 ? pi 5.y D up b 7 k 'FWB last Saturday came over like a wow. Not a little amuse- by h Ray , at i h , e mlke > who was so spellbound by the first numbers that he t descnbe them, but he surely did a good job for the coffee manufacturers who sponsored the broadcast, never missing a plug and smearing many an Eddie Cantor wisecrack. Here is how it sounded: . . . (its marvellous coffee. We shall next hear the voice of Eddie Cantor) . . . Ladies an’ Gennermum, I wanna mterdoose . . . (the finest coffee on the market) ... a marvellous li’l en ertamer . . . (with exquisite aroma) . . . w ho comes to you this evening ... (in a green and white can) . to sing that little ballad about love . . . (Get It At Your Grocers).” virrt>' WeVer ,' ,■ dld 3 good enou &h job under all the difficulties. By the way we hear he is to go to KEGR as station manager. ” * * * Gentlemen of the Press are ex pected to hold each other up, but we have to hang a cabbage on the performance of Columnist Will Wing over KFI last Saturday. He is supposed to broadcast a Holly- wood column.” The IS minutes started with a song from Marion Wing, which was amateurish and got off to a poor start, and then while Wing was speaking the pi- ano was thumping an attempt at background music that was most disconcerting. Wing’s stuff was poor, consisting of the material that comes to every newspaper from studio publicity offices, and his voice was not of the best Outside of that, OK. * * * Getting back to the NVA broad- ast; while A1 Jolson was singing his heartiest we heard a lady re- mark: “Why, that man is imitat- ing Charlie Wellman!” * * * On KECA, around the Saturday evening dinner hour, we heard “There’s Danger In Your Eyes” sung with the most elaborate pain by what the announcer charming- ly described as “some young la- dies.” * * * Walter Damrosch says that hereafter he will eliminate his oral notes from his NBC orchestral programs. Unless we are the world’s worst guessers there will be a flood of protest over this. The genial Damrosch’s comments have been a most interesting part SAN FRANCISCO, May 1.— Syndication of all acts recording for electrical transcription via radio stations is the certain trend in that field,is the belief of C. P. MacGregor, head of the Mac- Gregor-Ingram recording studios here. The MacGregor- Ingram studios record regularly for Cecil and Sally, . Frank Watanabe, Hugh Dobbsie and Radioart Features— all of them local radio people who have sold their electrically tran- scribed programs to other stations for broadcasting purposes. It is MacGregor’s idea that all such acts eventually will be handled by one syndicate, instead of the radio artist or his agent doing this work. ARTY MAIL BATTLE The “Two Arts” (Schwartz and Mehlinger), members of the “Masked Minstrels,” broadcasting over KFI, are personal contenders as fan mail champs. They are now receiving 15 or more letter week- ly. Their future radio activities will be over KFWB. Schwartz and Mehlinger both leave on a two-weeks’ trip in the north this week. MISS DEE AT KTM Dorothy Dee is the newest mem- ber to be added to the staff of KTM. Miss Dee was program di- rector and organist at KFSD in San Diego for three years. She has also been guest artist at lead- ing radio stations in the east and abroad. SEQUOIANS MALE QUARTETTE Held Over—Third Week Paramount, San Francisco Also Broadcasting Over KPO YOUNG WITH KFI Charles Young has been added to the technical staff of KFI. This is his first radio station work, he formerly having been a ship’s radio operator. NEW DEPARTMENT Another reminder that East may be East, but Hollywood is now the center of the world, is to go out upon the ether beginning May 31, when the song writers of filmland are to be launched on a weekly na- tionwide broadcast originating at KHJ. This Saturday night period from 7:15 to 8 p. m. is to be in the na- ture of a musical preview, present- ing the newest products of the stu- dio song foundries, hot off the manuscripts. The newest songland vogues and novelties will in thuswise be tipped off to the nation and to Broadway, tantalizing the latter with the ghosts of an erstwhile pre-emi- nence, and giving it warning of the tunes to which the White Way must dance in the new tomorrow. However, the numbers will have been spotted in new shows or pic- tures, and copyrights applied for before broadcasting, to prevent pil- fering of ideas. RADIO EDUCATION SAN FRANCISCO, May 1.— A department for the training of _ talent in preparatory radio work of his programs for the past three b f en f ldded to tbe Bob Allen vears. and will bn School of Music in the Kress The second production of the Adohr-KFI series of super-radio broadcasts, presenting Eva Oli- votti and James Burroughs in a full production of “The Mikado,” met with tremendous success Tuesday night, bringing a great flood of telegrams and phone calls to the Anthony station. Dialogue as well as the musical numbers featured the presentation, and met with an enthusiastic response from the radio audience. The next program in the series, for Tuesday, May 6, features an Italian night, and will star Lisa Roma, famous soprano, who was assisting artist with Maurice Ravel on a recent world tour. She will sing the role of Santuzza in a version of “Cavaleria Rusticana” which will be a part of the two- hour program. ‘THUMB’ GOLF COURSES FAD “Tom Thumb” golf courses are blossoming out on Los Angeles and Hollywood vacant lots and have instantly taken hold of the public fancy. They are mostly 18- hole putting courses, with trick traps, bunkers, water hazards and bridges, and the tariff is 35 cents for the round. Business is par- ticularly good at night, when they are brightly illuminated, and park- ing space within the block is at a premium. ABOUT SEEKING THE MISSING OVER RADIO SAN FRANCISCO, May 1. Electrical Research Products, Inc., has instituted a department to handle the academic educational business. The department, with three men, will interest schools in the visual and oral possibilities of the talking film and then will at- tempt to sell them Western Elec- tric equipment. YOU’LL READ IT FIRST IN INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN 800-801 Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg. Lo* Angeles, Calif. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Kindly enter my Subscription for One Year, for whicb I enclose $4.00 in Payment for Same Name.. Addres Town and State.. years, and will be missed * * * Lenore Killian, contralto heard on KECA last week, has a voice of lovely texture and wide range. * * * We listened to Will Rogers as long as possible last Sunday night and were not impressed. Some so called humor, always at the ex pense of someone, and a lot of subtle bragging about big shots he “knowed personal,” comprised the half hour of fun. Well, even a republic must maintain a court jester, it seems. * * * The Hill-iBilly vogue continues. A gasoline company, featuring a rural act on its own station, is reputed to credit a 100 per cent increase in gasoline sales over a six weeks’ period to this particu- lar program. * * * Charlie Hamp finished up on his coffee-ad program this week, and an orchestra will fill his place. Paul Whiteman also finishes his broadcast contract this week. * * * KHJ has acquired one of these Theremins, the jigger you plug into.. a light socket and play by waving your hand, but so far none of the animal trainers around the station have been able to tame it. This ought to be a break for some “at liberty” traffic cop. * * * Something ought to be done about this. Politicians are crowd- ing entertainers off the air. Herb Hoover appeared this week for the twentieth time, and if one dozes at the dial a cabinet mem- ber or a senator is liable to sneak up on one anytime. We’d like to know what Equity elected a vice- president in charge of Radio for. * * * The Sarah Padden Players inaug- urated a weekly series of Shake- speare over . KFI last Sunday night, presenting a cut version of “Romeo and Juliet,” and it was a pleasing event. Next Sunday brings “Hamlet.” Hollywood might tune in and get an idea for another ghost story. * * * Here’s some insjde dope. Word went out that Universal needed an Building. Allen has for the 'past five years been featured over num- erous local stations and will also continue in that line. Bonnie Carol Jacks, formerly with KTAB, is head of the new department. operetta for John Boles, and need- ed it in a hurry. Gene Byrnes stayed up eight nights and wrote a complete operetta, words and music. ’Tis said it met with favor in the conference room and is now en route to New York for further consideration.. And Gene is still the cheery little demorcat around KHJ. * * * Floyd Marion is a new announc- er at KFI. He was formerly a flute player with the Indianapolis Symphony, and in vaudeville. We have been requested to state also that he is married. * * * Ted White, tried out for a while at KHJ as an announcer, is now to spend all his time crooning. It is said his crooning is as good as his announcing was bad. That makes him a pretty good croneor. * * * Barks From the Office Dog: Dick Creedon crashing a national mag with six stories . . . after he’d quit trying . . . Van New- kirk juggling a deef and doom program . . . June Parker am- bling down Seventh Avenue . . . the lucky Seventh ... he who would not prefer a blonde is no gentleman . . . Hum and Strum, humming and strumming . . . That makes KHJ nearly fifty per ce nl Paul Bunyan . . . Ray Paige enjoying the mountain scenery . . .. even waterfalls for him . . . Marillah. Olney disappointed . . . never mind, Mari, the ads squeezed it out . . . it’s a durn good yarn Bill Sharpies heard from . . . and contents noted . . . thanx a lot . . . Jose Rodriguez giving out his opinion . . . and studying How To Make Art Dear To Peo- ple .. . Carl Haverlin looking for n»w words to conquer . . . Roland Foss wondering where the coffee went . . . and the Two Shades of Blue going out into the black night . . . Ho, hum, it’s a dog’s life. Radio stations appear to be gen- erally regarded as a Missing Per- sons Bureau 'by people who want news of absent friends or relatives. Broadcast officials would like it widely known that they cannot heed the appeals from individuals which pour into them daily, but that such requests should be taken to the sheriff or chief of police. If these officials then desire the co- operation of radio stations, the lat- ter will be only too glad to co- operate,. but cannot do so without an official request. SAIL ON MATSONIA SAN FRANCISCO, May 1.— Mr. and Mrs. Louis Greenfield and M. S. Vidaver sail May 7 on the S. S. Matsonia for Honolulu where they will remain for four weeks. Greenfield is head of the theatre circuit bearing his name and Vi- daver is publicity man for the firm. ARMANDA CHIROT SIGNED Coming from the San Francisco Civic Opera Company, Madame Armanda Chirot has been signed by Fanchon and Marco. During the past season Madame Chirot starred in two San Francisco op- eratic productions. A classical “Idea” will be built around her. The singer has been featured by F. and M. several times before. ALWAYS anxious to please George Nickson TENOR SOLOIST KYA - SAN FRANCISCO RADIO’S PERSONALITY GIRL JEANE COWAN Dally At KFWB Over the Air From KYA SAN FRANCISCO Comes the Voice of Greta Gahler The English Comedian Wm. DON CHARACTER IMPRESSIONIST National Broadcasting Co. SAN FRANCISCO