Inside facts of stage and screen (March 29, 1930)

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SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE NINE UNSPONSORED RADIO IN OFFING MOVE STARTED FOR j NON-HD PROGRAMS The first definite move towards eliminating the so-called “taint” of advertising from radio entertain- ment was made during the past week by a group of Los Angeles people, who are organizing what is expected to be a nationwide movement to determine from ac- tual experience just how badly the listening public wants unsponsored broadcast amusement. This group has adopted the title of General Broadcasting Associa- tion, with Jack Parker as presi- dent, Dr. Harrorer as executive vice president, Scott Donaldson as treasurer and Charles E. Sanborn, secretary. It is not the intention, accord- ing to members, to endeavor to get talent to give free performances, as this course would not solve any problems. What the members of the General Broadcasting Associa- tion are doing is to subscribe real money to its treasury, and with these funds purchase feature hours on important stations and employ the best available talent for its programs. Many stations, dependent upon the sale of advertising time for income ,are necessarily limited in the quality of talent and material offered and are a drag on the cul- tural cause. The daily offerings of even the best of stations are still “spotty,” with hours of the day filled in with stop-gap mate- rial, and as the majority of radio station operators are losing money on them there is always the dan- ger that sufficiently potent induce- ments might swing some of them to the service of some interest contrary to the public good. These are the thoughts that are actuating the minds of the spon- sors of this new movement, and they are putting up their money in an effort to prove that the public eagerly awaits the simon-pure broadcast and will rally to the cause when it is demonstrated that non-advertising programs are fea- sible. They expect to attract many followers to their cause with a consequent increase in scope until, perhaps, the whole radio field will be covered and the support of ra- dio assumed entirely by the pub- lic itself by means which will de- velop as time goes on. Details of the scheme are now being evolved, and the associa- tion hopes to be in a position to make definite announcements in the very near future. NITA AT SOUND CRAFT After completing a vocal assign- ment at the M-G-M studios, Nita Mitchell, blues singer, signed a contract for recordings with the Sound Craft Studios. Miss Mit- chell is at present preparing a ra- dio program in conjunction with Cotton Bond, and the duo will be on the air within the next two weeks as featured artists of a pro- gram sponsored by the Richfield Oil Company. KIMMIS PROMOTED SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Herman Kersken, Fox Theatre manager, this week promoted John B. Kimmis from head usher to service manager of the big 5000- seat house. Kimmis will have 50 employes under him. Frank Maun takes the head usher job. — RADIO ARTISTS — Here’s a New Tune for You! “AM I THE ONLY ONE FOR YOU” A Tuneful Fox-Trot Song Adv. Song Copies Free Stamps Appreciated MANAOIS MUSIC PUB. 1619 J. St. San Diego, Calif. F. and M. to Join in Candy Men’s Battle To fight cigaret advertising, the associated candy manufacturers of the entire country are preparing to sponsor a national advertising tie- up with Fanchon and Marco that should prove a nifty for the re- vue producers, provided it works out as it should. As the gong sounds for the first round in the now national F. & M. circuit, that is, at Pasadena, the girls are to be weighed in pub- licly. They will be permitted to eat all the candy they want at any time, or may not, smoke cig- arets. At each stand on the cir- cuit they will be weighed again and the figures made public, prov- ing, it is hoped, that one may enjoy candy and a slender figure at the same time. There will probably be local tie- ups with candy stores at each stand, and the idea sounds like a winner. If the girls should by any chance put on weight an extra show a day would no doubt bal- ance things up. is Imm STUNT FOR CANADA VANCOUVER, March 27.— A new development in radio broadcasting in Canada was re- cently announced when E. W. Bet- ty, president of the Canadian Pa- cific Railway, stated his company had arranged with the National Broadcasting Company for them to accept the C. P. R. hours of music. This is the first time on which the N. B. C. has accepted regu- lar programs from outside the United States. The programs to be broadcast will be of two kinds, one a series of ballet operas pro- duced by Albert Heather of Beg- gers’ Opera fame and a former member of the D’Ofley Co., sup- ported by Rex Battle’s Royal York Hotel, Toronto, string quartette augmented in certain of the op- eras by Rex Battle’s light sym- phony orchestra. Alfred Heather has organized a light opera com- pany for three C. P. R. programs which will be supplemented by guest artists for special roles. The network of the N. B. C. will carry them on Sunday even- ings from 9:15 to 9:45, commenc- ing April 6. The second series which will be run concurrently will be a pro- gram of dance music played by Fred Culley’s Royal York dance orchestra, commencing at midnight eastern standard time, on Wed- nesday, April 9. Fred Culley’s Orchestra has set Toronto dancing as it has never danced before, and has recently been recording for the Victor Com- pany. WIVES TAKE TO TAPS Wives of film directors and pro- ducers have taken up the vogue of tap dancing, and Bud Murray reports the addition to his student role of Mrs. Ralph Block, Mrs. Norman Taurog, Mrs. Wm. Seiter (Laura La Plante), Mrs. Law- rence Schwab (Mildren Brown) and Mrs. Oliver Morosco (Corinne Griffith). SPELLING BEE ON AIR Members of the press, the Sen- ate and House of Representatives are indulging in a spelling bee in Washington March 29. The fun is to be nationally broadcast over the CBS. BREAK FOR OMERON Carl Omeron, KHJ tenor, has been asked to sing with Lawrence Tibbett and Alice Gentle in “Eli- jah,” to be presented in Los An- geles June 5. RADIO PROGRAMS COMPANY OPENS SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Radioart Features, a company that is making and distributing elec- trical transcription programs for radio stations, has opened offices in the Kress building. Three dia- logue features, somewhat similar to Amos ’n’ Andy, are being re- corded on Columbia process rec- ords by the MacGregor-Ingraham laboratories, and beginning April 27, will be featured on approxi- mately 50 stations throughout the United States and Canada. The features are Lund and Lindy in “Down at Kozy Kor- ners,” a hick act; Cohen and O’Brien, Ltd., a Jewish and Irish act, and a third untitled series, all of which are now being canned in preparation for their general release. While the act is being electrically transcribed on other stations it will be given in per- son over a local station. Proposition of the Radioart Fea- tures is to sell the canned pro- gram for six programs weekly over a specified period of time. The episodes are in serial form, running about 15 minutes, and each has a musical introduction and sign-off. “Valley of Broken Dreams,” written by Baron Keyes and Leigh Harline and published by Lloyd Campbell will be the song of the series. Campbell, local music publisher, is in charge of production for the firm, while Charles S. Cohen is handling exploitation. Maurice L. Rapheld and Harold F. Klinger complete the company’s directors. SHIFTS ARE MADE IN NBC PERSONAL LINEUP SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— In a shifting of personnel of the New York studios of the Na- tional Broadcasting Co., William Burke Miller, former assistant manager of the N. B. C. publicity department, has been placed in charge of a new division super- vising broadcasts of current events and special features. Norman Sweet- ser was named program represen- tative in charge of the new Times Square studio. William Lynch was named representative of sponsored programs. Curt Peterson, former supervisor of announcers, is now assistant to the eastern program manager, and Edward Thorgersen is promoted to supervision of an- nouncers. Thomas McAvity was ap- pointed assistant production man- ager. ROGERS IS SIGNED Will Rogers has been signed for 13 weekly broadcasts over the Co- lumbia network, originating at KHJ, Los Angeles. He is to wise- crack at 7 p. m. each Sunday even- ing upon daily news events, and the first appearance is scheduled for April 6. This is his first regu- lar microphone performance. SAM MINTZ TEACHING The Earle Wallace studios have placed their acrobatic dancing in- struction under the charge of Sam Mintz, of the former vaudeville team of Mintz and Wertz, and Wallace believes his is the only school in the West which has an acrobatic department under the di- rection of a professional acrobat. In their 16 dancer units for pic- ture work Wallace is now giving all types of dancers a course of acrobatics. SMITH AT ST. FRANCIS SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Craig Smith has been made direc- tor of advertising and publicity for the Hotel St. Francis, a link of the United Hotel chain. Be- fore coming to the St. Francis about eight months ago, Smith was at the Ambassador and the Roosevelt hotels, Los Angeles. F. and M. Plan Only Tip-Top , Air Material Fanchon and Marco’s national broadcasting scheme is still on the fire. The idea at present under consideration is to split the broad- cast, making one program for Pa- cific Coast release and one for the East, put on at times best suited for each territory. On the Coast, the different “Ideas” then playing in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle would be cut in for a share of the bill, all handled by an ace m. c. and specially prepared for the mike. Marco declares that the pro- grams must be tip-top from the start, realizing that a poor pro- gram can result only in loss of prestige for his revues, and rather than go on the air with indifferent material they would give up the broadcast idea altogether. There- fore they are moving slowly and with great care, he says. SONG WRITERS ON AIR A new feature for Thursday evenings on KHJ, beginning this week, will be Paramount Song Writers’ half hour. Paramount studios is to send contingents from its battalion of song writers and they will present new and old tunes and comedy gags of their own composition. Time is from 6 to 6:30. FOSS BACK ON JOB Roland Foss is back at his du- ties as office manager for the An- thony stations in Los Angeles, fol- lowing a ten-day siege at a local sanitarium. VOICE IMCl! TO 1 IMiCEUS SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Because she believes that radio will inspire a pure American tongue, Virginia Sanderson, head of the speech art department of the California State Teachers’ Col- lege in San Jose, has signed as a part-time voice instructor at the National Broadcasting Company’s Pacific Division headquarters in San Francisco. Miss Sanderson will give her attention first to the NBC an- nouncers, offering a course espe- cially in diction, pronunciation and tone. “Radio is shaping the speech of Americans,” says Miss Sanderson. "It is the medium which will give •us a universal American tongue re- placing the colloquial English which we find especially in the remote sections of our country.” Miss Sanderson’s interest in ra- dio as a medium for education in language, dates back many years, to her presentation originally of radio plays in San Jose. “I discovered then that the voice of the announcer makes or ruins a program,” the instructor explains. “He must bring convic- tion and enthusiasm to his pro- gram and he also must project an atmosphere of culture but free of patrimony. Voice culture is essen- tial to insure this and though throughout the United States there are many announcers whose voices are splendid oftentimes there is op- portunity to improve the native talent.” CHIC and HIS BAND L. V. CHIQUET, Director E. E. CHIQUET, Manager FEATURED AT THE NEW PARIS INN MOST UNIQUE CAFE IN THE SOUTHLAND Dining — Dancing — Entertainment Real Italian Dinner $1.50 (No Cover Charge) OPENING CELEBRATION ALL THIS WEEK Broadcast by Remote Control Nightly Over KMTR JOHN MOSS HAS JOINED KFRC — SAN FRANCISCO AS FEATURED BASS SOLOIST