Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

Friday, March 26, 1937 RADIO DAILY 5 WITH THE * WCMEN * W By ADELE ALLERHAND — HEN radio stars shoot across the firmament they make wishes themselves. .. instead of leaving it to the earthbound contingent. . . .Which gives us .... Mildred Bailey, who'd like nothing better than to star in a musical comedy .... Peggy Allenby, whose ambition it is to make her ether characterizations as complete and llawless as possible. . . . Georgia Backus, who dreams of writing the best play .... Durelle Alexander, who longs to be a musical comedy and maybe a flicker star.... Ida Bailey Allen, who would alternate work on the air with travel, when she might contact the public and equip herself with more knowledge . . . .Frances Adair's ambition borders on the altruistic .... She wants to build a beautiful home for her mother. . . Countess Olga Albani yearns to move people by her singing so they'll never forget her. . and Grace Albert, with superb practicality, wants to be a radio success (sic), £ave a lot of money and travel the seven seas in leisurely fashion. . . . V T Songbird Helen Gleason to be heard on Sunday's "Variety" show at 3 o'clock ... .she's still uncertain about Hollywood ... .Lucille Manners knee-deep in responses to fashion contest requests She's less sure than ever what clothes are preferred ... Maria Theresa, who calls herself last of the first-formed Isadora Duncan group, will make terpsichorean talk on Ethel Peyser's "Music in Gotham" program Elsa Maxwell has elected not to act on the tallmillinery transmitter suggestion anent her commentating on the Easter Parade. . . . ▼ T Pulchritudinous Viola Weller, once of the Follies and Anatole Friedland line-up. is now projecting voice, not face, over WBIG, Greensboro, N. C When the First Lady presents the Women's Achievement Award to Katharine Cornell, on March 30, Eunice Howard, NBC thespian, will represent the New York Chapter of Chi Omega .... WINS' Sylvia Press is the lass who'll enthuse, microphonically. over Easter furbelows on their Easter Parade broadcast, with corner cops, supercilious chauffeurs, and doggy doormen contributing personal impressions. . . .Dee Collins, widow of Jimmy Collins, the aviator, will become the featured vocalist with the Emery Deutsch Orchestra March 30 ... . Although Collins himself was auditioning for WOR at the time of his demise, Mrs. Collins is new to radio. CADI© PER/CNALIEIEE • No. 18 /// the Series of Who's Who in the Industry * MARK WOODS, the man who holds the purse-strings at NBC is the net's youngest executive; has been an olficer of the company since its formation in 1926. Born in Louisville, Ky., Dec. 27, 1901, he got his Flare for figures at Massey Business College and the Walton School of Commerce. Biz experience working in a naval supply store during summer vacation. Tried for the U. S. Navy during Big Fracas; rejected because of age. After the war he came to New York and took job as bookkeeper with !he New York Telephone Company. Job too small, squawked to the powers-that-were. Promoted to contract clerk and then lifted to head of personnel training. From here came the big jump to the radio broadcast department of A. T. & T. Mark then came on to NBC, where he was elected to the position of assistant treasurer, assistant secretary and office manager. Pronto concerned himself with the financial and operating policies of NBC. Later he established offices in Washington, Frisco, Chi, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Boston. Pay-off Man Red and Blue for ORCHESTRAS MUSIC jQAUL WHITEMAN and his aggreE gation of 30 artists will be heard over the Mutual coast-to-coast net lor the first time April 9, from the Drake Hotel, Chicago, via WGN, when the Whiteman contingent succeeds the Lucas band at that hostelry. It will be the first time since 1931 that Whiteman has been heard in the "Windy City." Roy Bargy, pianist, the King's Men, vocalists, Bob Lawrence, baritone, Durelle Alexander, and Ramona and her piano will be part of the entourage. Claude Hopkins on April 2 and Fletcher Henderson on April 5 will aid charity by making music at Philly Charity Balls. Yesterday's reference to the song, "Carelessly," which was acquired by Irving Berlin, Inc., from the Norman Ellis Music Publishing Company, omitted mention of the fact that Norman Ellis himself penned and arranged the music. A new record is established when four pianos play "Tea for Two" on the Hal Kemp program, March 26, 8:30-9. Larry Broz, who with his band, dispenses a weekly musical offering over WTMV, East St. Louis, has been warbling his own vocal choruses. Gail Lee, local high school girl, does the torchy numbers. Maestro Ted Fio Rito and his music-making lads will head the bill at the opening of the Greater Texas and Pan-American Exposition's Theater Casino, Dallas, June 12. Lynn Murray's 24 voice male choral ensemble will make vocal music. Phil Harris, Rudy Vallee and Benny Goodman with their respective orchestras, have been signed for engagements. WPG, Atlantic City, will do an average of six dance remotes weekly to CBS during the dog days, with all the hotels and piers featuring name bands during the hot season. The piano upon which Wagner composed several operas will be heard over the Columbia network March 29, at 6-6:15 p.m., with Frederick Jagel, Met. Opera tenor vocalizing. Deems Taylor will be commentator. Barney Rapp and his New Engenders, with Edith Wright as featured songstress, have taken the musical helm# at the Hotel Chase, glitter spot in west-end St. Louis, following the Irving Rose Ork. Rapp and his outfit are heard nightly over KWK, 1111:15. The original Irving Rose Orchestra is staff band for KWK, replacing Roger Fox and his contingent. Since Rose's death, Rolla Coughlin, former biz manager of the organization, has batoned them. He's now musical director for KWK. Gardner Nurseries on WIP Philadelphia — Gardner Nurseries, of Osage, la., is back on WIP for three 5-minute ET shots weekly. Contract for an indefinite period, placed by the Northwest Radio advertising Corp. Flamm to Travel-Talk Donald Flamm, WMCA president, will be interviewed by James F. Clemenger on his "Highways and Speedways" program Tuesday, 5 p.m., over WMCA-Intercity. Flamm will describe "a tour from Naples to London by auto". CLEEE-ING MARIO CHAMLEE, on Marion Cole's "Hitching Your Hobby," March 30 (WMCA, 3:45 p.m.). GERTRUDE LAWRENCE and FORD FRICK, on Show Boat, April 1 (NBC-Red, 9 p.m.). LOIS BENNETT, on Frank Munn's program, March 29 (NBC-Blue, 8:30 p.m.) . DORIS RHODES, on "Johnnie Presents," tomorrow (CBS, 8:30 pm) BARRY McKINLEY and PATTI CHAPIN also signed for later programs. PAT O'BRIEN, on "Jack Oakie's College," March 30 (CBS, 9:30 p.m.). STANLEY WORTH, on Adam Miller's program, tomorrow (WINS, 11:45 a.m.). BOB PURCELL, on "Listen to This," March 30 (WGN-Mutual, 7:30 p.m. CST.). CLARK GABLE, ADOLPHE MENJOU and JOSEPHINE HUTCHINSON, in "Farewell to Arms" on Lux Theater, April 5 (CBS, 9 p.m.). PAULINE FREDERICK and SUGAR CAIN on Hammerstein Music Hall, March 30 (CBS, 8 p.m.). JOHN REDMOND and LEE DAVID, writers of Cotton Club Show, on "Three Little Funsters" program, Sunday (WMCA, 2:30 p.m.) ANNOUNCERS GEORGE HICKS, NBC announcer, has been selected to do the announcing for the quarter-hour sun's eclipse program that NBC will broadcast from Enderbury Island in mid-Pacific on June 8. Engineers Walter R. Brown of New York and Marvin S. Adams of NBC-San Francisco staff will handle the controls. Just for this one-quarter hour broadcast, the NBC personnel will have to travel 7.000 miles, which is some kind of a record. GEORGE FOSTER will announce the dance remotes pumped by WPG. Atlantic City, to the CBS, from Steel Pier. First assignment will be to handle the Shep Fields program tomorrow. CNE MINUTE INTERVIEW H. M. BESS "This year will be the biggest year in the history of radio. Conditions are better and the average advertiser is beginning to see radio as a certainty rather than a gamble. Programs are custom-built with one definite idea in mind, tying up the sponsor and his product."