Inside facts of stage and screen (Jan 11 1930)

SATURDAY, JAN. 11, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE ELEVEN Pickups & Viewpoint If First National expects to build up respect for its film prod- ucts among radio listeners it will do well to give more serious at- tention to the Sunday night broad- cast offered under its name over KFVVB. The program of Jan. 5 presented nothing worthy of at- tention aside from the orchestra of Louis Forbstein. Innumerable and monotonous ad plugs for picture openings, a poorly tutored pop singer (Louis Lynch), and a swooping baritone (Alexander Gray), comprised alleged entertain- ment offered under the brand of a leading picture producer. The effect on a group of listeners, com- pelled to stay the full hour by the insistence of your observer, was far from complimentary to Vita- phone productions. ♦ ♦ * The football broadcast from Pasadena on New Year's Day showed that not only does L. A. own one of the best teams in the country but also possesses, in the person of Carl Haverlin, a sports announcer without superior. Yoder, San Francisco man, seemed to be so excited by the game that he was tongue-tied. McNamee spoke only between scenes, and it was only while Haverlin was at the mike that the full color and action of the game was translated. Carl has been a champion sport as well as actor and broadcaster and so is exceptionally well equipped for •the job. He is also husband of Virginia Flohri, radio songbird. ♦ * * Now that stores are displaying modes of Spring, Robert Hurd, at KFI, has grabbed time by the forelock and posted a notice in his studio, asking sopranos to please refrain from singing joyous or exuberant songs or odes to Spring. ♦ 4e * Here is a suggestion for any station that would like to draw a lot of attention to itself: Broadcast a series of singing lessons! Every other kind of lesson is offered on the air, from soling shoes to sweeping ceilings. Most of the subjects are non-contro- versial, but is singing? O Yea, O Yea! Four hundred teachers have four hundred different methods. Each one thinks, privately or pub- licly, and sometimes both, that the other 399 are anywhere from in- competent to impossible. In about 300 cases they are right. Prob- ably there are more fakers in the vocal instruction business than any other. Yes, sir. Broadcast singing les- sons and you'll have an audience for sure. ♦ * * A frequent complaint from radio stations is that the program pub- licity given them by newspapers IS generally careless, inaccurate and incomplete. As a rule a daily sponsors one station as its own and features it at. the expense of the others. A station without a newspaper tie-up is completely out of luck. A theatre gets publicity in ratio RADIO LAUGHS! I write them and sell them over the air^ Recently fin- ished twelve successful weeks on Station KPLA with a nightly change of program. I have a number of novelty ideas that are "different" and yet within the range of what radio fans will enjoy and chuckle over. JAMES MADISON (Author for Al Jolson. ^ophie Tucker, Howard and Howard, Jack Pearl and Ben Bard and scores of other comedy bright lights.) Address Me Care of INSIDE FACTS 801 Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg., Los Angeles Back to school for KFI and KECA announcersi A new lay-out for the two Earle C. Anthony stations, with both studios in the same building and a consolidation of staffs, more modern equipment and more oner- ous duties for the mike masters of ceremony, is going to require technical training as well as a pleasing voice from Harry Hall, Jerry Kay, Ray Winters, Don Wilson, et al. Consequently these announcers are preparing to go to technical school under the eagle eyes of the station operators in order to equip themselves with the knowledge necessary to chauffeur the new mixing boards now being installed in announcers' booths. These boards present an alarming view of red and green lights, keys, plug sockets and mysterious gadgets which it will be necessary to oper- ate to direct the air traffic that will go out over the wave bands of these two stations. Meanwhile all social engage- ments have been cancelled while the boys pour over their text- books in preparation for their en- larged responsibilities. GRIDLEY ON PHILCO Program Reviews F. & M. THEATRjfi OF AIR KMTR, LOS ANGELES (Jan. 2, 8:30 P. M.) Remote control from Egyptian Theatre, in view of public in the forecourt. Hall Bates announc- ing, described stage setting of "Inernational Idea." Program con- sisted of orchestra numbers from the act and a few vocal numbers which showed in each case un- familiarity with the mike. Maurice Friedman at piano made the best showing. Ensemble numbers de- scribed by the announcer. Markel and Fawn, "laugh brokers," an- nounced, but somebody sang, a very pleasing tenor with mike pos- sibilities. No comedy dialogue, and some badly needed. As color- ful costumes and stage settings cannot be seen, these progdams need more "Idea." Sponsored by a clothing store. Dan Gridley, a Los Angeles tenor developed on local radio, has crashed the Big Time of the air and will be a featured artist on the Philco hour, a national broadcast over the Columbia chain, beginning January 9. CHANGE IN HANDLING Judson's Agency, which has been handling the material for the Brownbilt hour, a Columbia chain program originating in KHJ stu- dios, has been relieved of this duty, according to eastern reports. Continuity will be worked up in the N, Y. offices of Columbia and forwarded here for KHJ to pro- duce and staff. GETS MOVIE CONTRACT Jean Lang, radio entertainer, has been signed to a long-term con- tract by Universal. Her first work at U was in "King of Jazz." It was also her first appearance in pictures. with the display space it buys. A radio station very rarely buys advertiisng space. Somebody has to pay the printer. * * 4^ Radio is show business, but the technique of program arranging for the air should be entirely dif- ferent to that of the theatre. The opener for a stage bill is usually a junior in point of quality but on a broadcast it ought to be top- notch. Billy Jones and Ernie Hare on the NBC come in hot and hold 'em, so does Hank Sim- mons on the CBS, but a lot of local program builders fail to heed these object lessons, coming in weak and expecting their audience to stay with them while they warm up. Our observation is that nine out of ten listeners judge a program from its first number and act accordingly. * * * Qualifications of a radio an- nouncer become more exacting and complicated every day; he acts as salesman for the sponsor before an audience numbering sometimes in the millions, yet he remains per- haps the most poorly paid man on a station staff. It has been a surprise to us, in scoring the local announcers, to find them rating as high as they do. A good announcer must be an educated man, a musician, a lin- guist, a writer, a technician, and always well poised. He must be responsible for a large measure of a station's goodwill. Yet the average announcer commands the salary of about forty a week. The results of this scoring will be published in our special Radio number, slated for early February * ♦ * ^' The departure of announcer Dick Rtckard from KHJ has left a trail of wailing women fans. Ken- neth Niles, a classmate of Rick- ards, will probably fall heir to this retinue. OPTIMISTIC DO-NUTS KNX, LOS ANGELES (Jan. 3, 8 P. M.) Bert Butterworth m. c.'ing a variety frolic hour whose very speed grips and holds its audi- ence. Full of snappy repartee, live musical offerings and hilarious merrymaking, a hodge-podge of pep and personality, all boosting in a clever way ithe products of a bakery. Weekly feature ace-high in entertainment value. Only weak spot is "Widow O'Brien," whose humor is pointless and whose chief draw is the ability of a colored entertainer to speak Irish brogue. PARAMOUNT-PUBLIX HOUR COLUMBIA BROADCAST KNX, LOS ANGELES December 28 The attempt to hook-in Paris and London artists on this weekly broadcast was not a howling suc- cess, but was a beginning. With full power turned on the highest grade sets, Sascha Guitry, talking briefly from Paris, was an almost indistinguishable mumble. Stanley Lupino, talking in London, came over more distinctly, and his "pair of very ancient Cockney jokes were quite recognizable. But it was a stunt that no doubt at- tracted a large audience. John Carlisle announced it as an international program, first in- troducing Mendoza's orchestra in an Auld Lange Syne symposium, played in the idioms of various countries, with a vocal refrain by Paul Small; all very nicely done. Jess Crawford followed on the Paramount (N. Y.) organ with Salute to the New Year, I'll Close My Eyes to the Rest of the World, and Through. This was not Crawford's best broad- cast, lacking color. A "scenic" was next offered, A Day in Hawaii, a word pic- ture against a baJckground of guitar music, very brief. Then Paul Ash and entertainers in Re- flections of 1929, offering orches- tral medley of Paramount theme songs and a nice tenor crooner. In the next spot came the Paris and London hook-ups, followed by Paul Ash presenting the or- chestra in special arrangement of Here Am I, and Veronica Wig- gins and Fred Vettel, two very good voices, in numbers from the Love Parade. Next, the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago was hooked in, offering Keller Sisters and Lynch in a harmony rendition of Hello Swanee. A peppy and lusty trio. Back to N. Y., where Paul Small and Dorothy Adams duetted on Cross Your Fingers and Make a Wish. A New Year message from the news cameramen with the Byrd Expedition was read. Hollywood next was cut in, Neil Hamilton acting as m. c, func- tioning not badly as a wise- cracker. James Hall sang Never Say Die and handled it humor- ously in pop style; voice good. James and Neil chattered about New Year resolutions, then James sang Walking With My Sugar. Mary Brian offered a few con- ventional words of greeting. Back to N. Y., where Paul Ash offered more New Year greetings via orchestra and vocalist. As entertainment value the draw was the international hook-up and the names offered. The material was radio average. Nothing lin- That broadcasting methods are due for a change is the unanimous opinion of executives of Los An- geles radio stations. Changes are not only due, but are earnestly desired, chiefly in the direction of program material. There should be more of a defi- nite appeal to a definite class of audience, in the opinion of some managers, instead of the present method of running the entire gamut from so-called "popular" drool to symphony and opera. In the same way that the the- atres of yesterday catered to a definite taste, as, for instance, to burlesque, to vaudeville, or to dra- matic fare, so the new medium of today should stabilize the nature of its offerings and thus enjoy its largest possible audience, is the growing feeling among students of radio entertainment. A listener should know that when he feels the desire for classic music all he has to do is tune in to ABCD to be satisfied. Similarly, when desiring to dance, he can tune in EFGH and have his feet rythmic- ally tickled. Under present condi- tions, listeners wander all over the dial seeking satisfaction for the mood of the moment and not always finding it. There are some who believe that by putting on a varied program, giving something of every kind of entertainment, they can hold their listeners throughout the day or evening. This is pre-supposing that the program arranger is cap- able of anticipating the varying moods of a large and unseen pub- lic, the great majority of whose reactions he never learns. It is a large order, requiring a large measure of optimism and self con- fidence. The present situation is com- plicated by advertisers who prefer certain kinds of programs. Now that managers have come to a recognition of what is good show- manship, the next step would seem to be the education of the sponsors of time as to the better audience value of specialized programs. Bull Market But No Supply Of Stations A brisk buyers' demand for radio stations in Los Angeles is reported, with no license holders anxious to sell except at a high premium. Several stations are losing money, it is claimed, but either are hoping for improved conditions with the growing popularity of radio or are hanging on hoping to land a big kale fish, in view of the curtailment of licenses by the Federal Radio Commission. IN AT DANCELAND SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9.— Al Stewart and his band of col- ored musicians have left the Golden Gate Ballroom here and are scheduled to open at Dance- land, Oakland, this week or next. Fred Skinner is pianist and fea- tured vocalist with the organiza- tion. The Golden Gate returns to its former policy of roller skating. TO OPEN OFFICES SAN FRANCISCO, Jan, 9.— The music publishing firm of S. L. Cross will open professional of- fices in the Kress building soon, according to Gene McCormick, prof, manager for the firm, who is in town from Seattle. COONIE VERSATILE Coonie Conrad, who opens at the El Patio this week for an in- definite engagement, was the fea- tured dancer with Ray Miller's Recording Orchestra, touring the East under the direction of the Music Corporation of America. Coonie taught Dorothy Mackaill how to dance, and is a piano player of ability, ON SPANISH DIALOGUE Francisca Maran, who played the prosecuting attorney in "Sombra De Gloria," the Span- ish version of Sono-Art's "Blaze of Glory," is working on the Spanish dialogue with Bess Meri- deth at M-G-M, for Greta Garbo's next picture as yet unnamed. pered as ad plug value, the fact that Paramount makes pictures not registering. THE MONKEY'S PAW RADIO PLAYLET KHJ, Los Angeles December 28 This marks a definite milestone in radio playlet production. The work of Director Stuart Buchanan in re-writing the story for the air is a conspicuous effort and proves that drama can be made powerful in its air presentation. The dialogue and short between- scene announcements built up a vivid picture of scene and action, engaging the interest with its humor and carrying it to consider- able heights of dramatic power. Lines were clearly delivered by the cast, Stuart Buchanan as Mr. White and Lenore Shanewise as Mrs. White demonstrating con- siderable professional talent. Some of the lines, particularly in the opening scene, and espe- cially those delivered by Leslie Brigham as the old sergeant, were delivered too unctuously to be natural to the character, the tech- nic of previous plays of the cos- tume era being apparently carried forward to a modern setting in which electrical machinery figured. The telling effect of the final scene could have been heightened by the use of a dramatic pause at the end of the speech describing the open door. The dramatic si- lence is one of the most power- ful tricks of the stage, and while they would have to be greatly shortened they could, and should,, be used on the air; judiciously, of oucrse. RADIO!!! COMING SOON An Issue of <«IjVSIDE FACTS'* Specially Dedicated to That Fatt Growing Entertainment Medium RADIO!! Get Your Name in Among the Other Big Ones Reserve Your Space TODAY Don't Be Among the Missing When Shrewd Executive Eyes Look Through For the Live Ones