20th Century-Fox Dynamo (June 3, 1939)

6A NEW DYNAMO “Young Mr. Lincoln Special” WORLD-WIDE BROADCAST JURE 26 INTRODUCINQ SECOND FIDDLE" Will Hook Up New York and Movietone City With Stockholm, London, Paris, Buenos Aires and Mexico City—Stars, Zanuck, Berlin Will Par- ticipate—First Airing Of Its Kind In History. With the nation ringing with praise for “Young Mr. Lincoln” and with the trade and newspaper men and women characteriz- ing the world premiere at Springfield, 111., the greatest event of its kind sponsored by this industry, official announcement was made this week of a world-wide radio exploitation arrangement made by Publicity Director Charles E. McCarthy and Irving Berlin. This radio broadcast will officially introduce Darryl Zanuck’s second Irving Berlin 1938-39 musical special, “Second Fiddle,” to millions not only in every nook and corner of the United States, Canada and the Hawaiian Islands, but also in England, the Scandinavian countries, France, Germany, Italy, Africa, South America and Mexico. It positively casts into oblivion any broadcast of its kind. The date for the broadcast, which will embrace the NBC network of some 140 stations in this and other countries, is June 26. The Magic Key program, comprising 60 minutes, will be devoted entirely to the introduction of music and personalities from ‘Second Fiddle.” Messrs. Zanuck and Berlin will personally appear in the broadcast as will Tyrone Power, Sonja Henie, Mary Healy, Rudy Vallee, Edna May Oliver and many other stars. The tieup was made with John Royal, Vice-President of National Broadcasting Corporation, who was formerly an executive of RKO theatres in the Ohio territory. Announcement of the broadcast was made following a conference among Messrs. Berlin, Royal and McCarthy. Executives of NBC’s international organization also were consulted along with the sponsors of the Magic Key program, which is a weekly Sunday feature. However, on June 26 it changes to a weekly Monday night program. The “Second Fiddle” broadcast will start at 8 o’clock, eastern daylight time, and terminate at 9 o’clock. Mr. Royal this week dispatched production directors to Movietone City to confer with Production Chief Darryl Zanuck and Studio Publicity Manager Harry Brand for mobilization of the personalities who will participate in the broadcast from there. “Second Fiddle,” which features original music by Berlin, co-stars Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power and features Rudy Vallee. It introduces the “find” of the season, Mary Healy, formerly secretary to New Orleans Branch Manager E. V. Landaiche. Miss Healy is reported to have scored a sen- sational, personal triumph in this spectacular musical. She introduces several of the Berlin songs. FAMOUS BANDS FROM TWO CONTINENTS WILL PARTICIPATE Rudy Vallee is personally interested in this broadcast and giving remarkable co-operation in lining up the best known orchestras in this coun- try, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Buenos Aires, Rio, Havana and Mexico City. Never have so many outstanding bands appeared on a single program. Not only Rudy’s own Connecticut Yankees, but other popular American bands will participate in the broadcast. Some seven nationalizedly different arrangements of the Berlin tunes will be introduced. Arrangements also have been made for various versions of Berlin’s new number, “Back to Back,” which is expected to set a new dance craze. Copies of Berlin’s tunes were flown to leading European orchestras via the Pan-American’s Atlantic Clipper last week-end. Other copies were flown to Mexico City, Havana, Buenos Aires, Rio and Santiago. These orchestras will make their own orchestrations, characteristic of them and to be broadcast. The broadcast will originate at NBC’s studios in New York with Rudy Vallee acting as master of ceremonies and introducing several of the songs. Then he will “pick up” popular orchestras in various parts of the nation. At the end of the first 15-minute period, the broadcast will switch to Stockholm, Sweden, where Sonja Henie, who will be vacationing there, will be heard, with a Swedish orchestra furnishing background music. From Stockholm the program will switch back to New York. There Irving Berlin will take personal charge and lead an orchestral presenta- tion of his ballad. Then the program will transfer to Movietone City where Darryl Zanuck will be heard from and introduce stars and players in “Second Fiddle.” Mary Healy will positively be heard from Hollywood. She will sing two songs. Tyrone Power, if he is not here, will be switched in from Buenos Aires or wherever he may happen to be on June 26, for he and Annabella (Mrs. Tyrone Power) will leave on a belated honeymoon in the nature of a flying trip through South America. Back to New York will continue the program and from there to London, Paris, Berlin and Mexico City. There will be a return to Movietone City with the windup in New York. It is expected that some 12 of the world’s most famous orchestras and vocalists will be heard. NBC’s Mr. Royal characterizes this as the most elaborate world-wide broadcast ever attempted by radio organizations. There will be advance radio announcements of the broadcast, not only over the U. S. NBC stations, but those in the participating cities.