Inside facts of stage and screen (August 23, 1930)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE NINE DOLBERG WITH RADIO EXPOSITION Pickups and Viewpoints Radio has taken the place of vaudeville in the affections of the amusement seeking public. Its success has been largely due not only to the vaude type of performance but to the vaudeville performer himself, who has gone into radio. It is a natural corollary that if the radio is to prosper as perma- nently as did vaudeville, it must adopt those practical fea- tures that made the variety theatre the outstanding theatri- cal fare for almost a half century. Early in its history, vaudeville recognized the importance of showmanship in its presentations. A bill might be com- posed of three headline singing acts, each a knockout on any man’s program, but placed following each other, the program was a flop. Too much of a good thing. The audience can leave a theatre and not come back but it takes courage to forsake a dollar bill that way, it takes neither courage nor a second’s consideration to tune out a tiresome radio bill. A program manager received a lot of complaints from his listeners and he can’t understand why. His program was composed of the best talent available but somehow he was accused of “cluttering up the air.” The trouble was that he didn’t know how to present his stuff. One thing that a pro- gram manager must learn is audience reaction. A theatre rpanager can study this at first hand. A radio audience is not so easy to analize. TALK MUST BE PEPPED UP It is a known fact that talk, regardless of by whom or how well done will not get over. The reason is that many tune in at the middle of a talking program and have missed the thread of the subject and so promptly tune out. Again, cheap sets are not built so as to receive talk clearly, but if speech is essential, it should be sandwiched in between two irresistable musical numbers and kept bright and witty. The epigram is one thing that is indispensible to radio con- versation. Every program should be stunted, that is, something should be on it to intrigue an audience. Something should be done to induce them to stay tuned in, or to get them to write in. Frank Gage, of KTM, recently remarked: “If you want to get a big fan mail, you’ve got to give something away.” Well, why not? Most of the programs are sponsored and two or three times during its broadcast, announcement could be made that those sending in the three last words uttered for the sponsor, would receive a sample of the goods adver- tised. This would hold the attention. If that is not practicable, a ticket to a miniature golf link or to a picture theatre or some other tie-up might be arranged by the sponsor. PROGRAM THE THING, ALWAYS However, a program is, like the play itself, the thing. No program should ever be started slowly. It should begin with a zip, a lilting fast song or number that is not too old but freshly popular, and keep building so that the last offer- ing is the best or star feature. No program should start with a new selection, regardless of how good, unless it has already been made familiar. Novelty should be on every bill in some form or other. Announcements should be kept bright and humorous, but not impertinent. The announcer can make or break a pro- gram depending upon his “It,” the warmth and genialty of his voice and the proper inflection of his enunciation. A dull program can be made entertaining when the an- nouncer adds a bit of interest by his pleasant comments. The reading of short jokes from current magazines of humor at each announcement would add a touch of pep. Try it. COMEDY PAIR SIGNED Irving Bacon and Harry Bow- en, character comedians, have been signed to play opposite Lou- ise Fazenda in a “Fall to Arms” two-reel talking play, second of a series that Larry Darmour is pro- ducing with Miss Fazenda as star. JEROME, GRAY HERE Jerome and Gray of RKO cir- cuit are spending their annual va- cation here. They will resume their route in September. DOROTHY LIBBY ILL Appendicitis kept Dorothy Lib- by, a member of Joe Daly’s RKO “Discoveries,” out of the bill at Oakland recently. She joined the act at Long Beach this week. FINAL “CIM” PICKED Four-year-old Douglas Scott is the third and final “Cim” to be cast in RKO Radio Pictures’ “Cimarron,” soon to go into pro .duction. GLENN DOLBERG PROGRAM HEAD OF RADIO SHOW Glenn R. Dolberg of KjHJ and known to professionals in the ra- dio entertainment world far and wide, has been named program manager for the eighth annual Na- tional Radio Show to be held at the Ambassador Auditorium, Sep- tember 1 to 6. Dolberg was elected to the job by broadcasters of Los Angeles and vicinity, who were given the privilege of choosing their own radio show program manager by the Radio Trades Association of Southern California. The show is expected to attract 175,000 radio fans, and millions will have the opportunity to listen in on pro- grams broadcast from the show each afternoon and evening. Due to the fact that radio en- tertainment is now on a much higher plane than ever before, and interest in the show has been built to a new high pitch, man- agers of the show are providing better facilities than ever for the cooperating artists. Some talk is heard of a plan to construct a crystal reception room in the auditorium so that artists, on arrival, may be greeted and welcomed by Dolberg in full view of the visiting public. Managers of the show are fully convinced that a large part of the “draw” to the radio show is due to public desire to see the radio entertainers, and to give a per- sonal hand to their favorites. Most top notch acts of the vicinity will lend their services, it generally is believed, for the show is looked upon as one of the big things in radio matters around Los Angeles. Some talk heard at a few of the stations about some of the stars planning to make up as for a the- atrical engagement, when they go into the crystal studio. All broad- casting will be done before a seated audience of fans. The crystal studio is an as- surity, and is different from the crystal manager’s office, which now is being discussed, but not confirmed. Variety, of course, will be one of the essentials to the success of the show broadcast. Personalities will be on display as well as talent. Snappy dresses, good per- formers and comedy entertainers will unquestionably be in demand. Dolberg plans to use all of the best talent available from each station and keep up a rapid fire of singers, orchestras, instrumental soloists and comedy dialogue to hold the crowd. Numbers will be short and .snappy, since show- manship dictates that acts be changed at high speed. The glass house idea will popu- larize the show broadcast and give some of the artists their first change to be seen as well as heard. COMEDY LAUNCHED Educational studios has launched the second Ideal comedy, which Stephen Roberts is directing, with Lee Moran and James Bradbury, Jr., in the featured roles. They are supported by Doris McMahon, Robert Graves and Thelma Parr. The story is by Roberts, Coogan and Moffat of the Educational scenario staff. San Francisco Radio Notes SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14.— Local radio stations are taking part in the beauty contest being conducted by the Radio World’s Fair in cooperation with the Na- tional Association of Broadcasters. Winning girl will reign as queen at the radio exposition in Madi- son Square Garden, New York. So far there are but four en- trants. They are Benay Venuta and Emily Hardy of KPO, and Dorothy Dukes Dimm and An- nette Hastings of NBC. Monroe Upton of KFRC says he’d like to get in the contest but he never did look well in short skirts. * * * Hazel Warner, KFRC pop vo- calist, will leave September 6 for South America, where she will remain for three months on a leave of absence. During this va- cational jaunt she will sing from several of the Latin stations, in- cluding the Sugar Loaf station of Rio de Janeiro. * * * Jean Campbell Crowe, program director of KPO, is vacationing. * * * John Moss and Gilbert Hyde Chick of KFRC are on the up and up when it comes to being international singers. Chick sings —and understands—Italian, Span- ish, German, French, Gaelic, and gets along fairly well in the Eng- lish tongue. Moss is righ behind Chick; he sings ’em all but Span- ish. Their best programs are the “Siesta Hour” and the dinner con- cert for Chick and the Home, Sweet Home program for Moss. * * * The Glide Memorial Church, a new religious institution soon to open in San Francisco, is flirting with KFWI and, providing pres- ent negotiations go through, will buy the station to use as a part of its system. A wealthy widow, builder of the church, is behind the deal. * * * “Three Shades of Blue,” painted by Helen Stone, Fred Heward and Frank Dubois, is a new Sunday musical feature added to KYA. * * And speaking of KYA musical features, there’s George Nickson, who, in addition to his other pro- grams, is vocalizing along with the new organ solos added to KYA’s programs. Nickson’s tenor sounds mighty nice on the ether waves. * * * Bob Bence, KPO announcer, has returned to the station after a si£ge of scarlet fever. * * * NBC this week shifted Madonna Todd from publicity to the con- tinuity department where she will operate a wicked Underwood for future NBC programs. Louise Landis, well-known newspaper woman, succeeds Miss Todd in publicity. t + ♦ ICJBS has one of the largest staff of announcers in the bay dis- trict, numbering 10 altogether. These include Ted Berlin, Shirley Dale, Harry Wickersham, Jack Gray, Charles Parker, Frank Cope, Hal McCracken, Freeman Lusk and Tom Gardner. $200,000 FIRE A fire broke out last Monday in Fanchon and Marco’s Boyle Heights scenic studio destroying about $200,000 worth of scenery and properties. It was partially covered by insurance. BRITISH RADIO TAX OUTLINED By RAY R. MORGAN In the British Isles, broadcast- ing is handled on a basis entirely different from that of American Broadcasting. Each owner of a ra- dio receiving set is taxed some ten shillings a year, the tax being collected by the postoffice depart- ment. One-third of this tax is retained by the British Government-—one- third is supposed to go for talent and maintenance of broadcasting stations and one-third to the pro- moter who went to England from America and “sold” the British Government on the idea. At any rate, the revenue ob- tained by the broadcasting stations comes from owners of receiving sets—not from the advertisers— for no time is sold to advertisers —the stations being supported upon the revenue that comes from the public. Here in America, the cost of ra- dio programs must be paid for by the advertiser who sponsors them. The American public gets the entire realm of radio entertainment by_ merely turning a dial. No cost is involved to the listener after the receiving set, and the slight amount of current necessary to operate it, is paid for. In return for this entertainment offered from hundreds of broad- casting stations, advertisers ask merely for the privilege of pre- senting their advertisements along with their programs. It seems to me that this is lit- tle enough to ask. If an adver- tiser is generous enough to supply an hour or two of entertainment, he surely is not making a request that is out of the way, when he uses a minute or two of the time that he pays for, to tells his own advertising story. Various methods have been tried, with the idea in mind of making the advertising in radio programs less obtrusive. The common method is to “gag” a song, tieing it up with the name of the product—or, in some other manner camouflaging the adver- tising intent of the program. Every thinking person realizes that the cost of radio programs must be paid by the advertiser. Every thinking person will agree that he should be willing to listen to a little advertising—-if he gets a Jot of entertainment. WATANABE WITH KNX Frank Watanabe, Japanese im- personator, has joined the staff of KNX. Watanabe is known in pri- vate life as Edie Holden. NEWS POLICY FOR PRESIDENT The President Theatre, Los An- geles, will open this week under the new name of Newsreel Thea- tre, to be operated for Mike Ro- senberg of Principal Theatres by the West Coast. The house will be devoted ex- clusively to the showing of news reels and current events upon a continuous policy. The President, originally the Morosco, has been the scene of many legitimate productions. Its last lessee was Henry Duffy. The policy of the house under its new management will be shorts and newsreels. WE. 6171 GENE DAVE WE. 6171 KLIEGL BROS. LARGEST PACIFIC COAST STOCK WESTMORE 6 17 1 PINEAU & HOWSE THEATRICAL STAGE LIGHTING CO. ROAD SHOWS COMPLETELY EQUIPPED COMPLETE RENTAL DEPARTMENT WRITE FOR GELATINE SAMPLE BOOK 1347-49 W. WASHINGTON ST. LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 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