Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1944)

Friday, December 8, 1944 Motion Picture Daily 7 Bob Hope Wins Radio Poll for 4thYearinRow (Continued from page 1) ond choice of the radio editors as an up and coming radio star, while third place went to singer Dick Brown on the Mutual web. Joan Davis was reelected "Best Comedienne" by a wide margin, to capture the crown for a second straight year. Fanny Brice was again second and Gracie Allen, third. Bing Crosby was runner-up this year in the "Champion of Champions" vote, rising from third place held in the previous year and displacing Jack Benny who dropped to fifth position. Cecil B. DeMille's "Lux Radio. Theatre" captured third place and Philco's "Radio Hall of Fame" program finished fourth. Crosby scored the highest rating in this year's poll as "Best Popular Male Vocalist," on a reelection, and also was reelected "Best Master of Ceremonies." Frank Sinatra was far behind Crosby in this year's voting as "Best Popular Male Vocalist," while Dick Haymes, voted "Most Promising Star of Tomorrow" in last year's poll, was a strong third in the vocalist balloting. Shore, Cross Poll High Clifton Fadiman and Phil Baker narrowed down Crosby's margin in the "Best Master of Ceremonies" voting. Fadiman, of "Information Please," just nosed out Phil Baker of "Take It Or Leave It" show for second place. They displaced Don Ameche and Milton J. Cross, who held second and third positions, respectively, in last year's poll. Cross scored a very close victory over Don Wilson in wresting leadership from the latter as the "Best Studio Announcer." Harry von Zell was close behind in third place. Fibber McGee and Molly were reelected "Best Comedy Team." Second and third positions again went to George Burns and Gracie Allen and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, respectively. Dinah Shore scored a wide margin of victory in being reelected "Best Popular Female Vocalist" for the fourth time. Ginny Simms nosed out Kate Smith for second place by a narrow margin. Lionel Barrymore was elected "Most Effective Film Player on the Air," on the basis of his weekly performances in Columbia Broadcasting's "Mayor of the Town" program. Orson Welles was second and Herbert Marshall was a close third. Barrymore was second in last year's voting, in which Don Ameche captured the title and Crosby was third. Swarthout Also 'Reelected' Also reelected were John Charles Thomas as "Best Classical Male Vocalist" ■ and Gladys Swarthout as "Best Classical Female Vocalist." Both were given comfortable margins over their runners-up in their classifications. Richard Crooks won second position by a close margin over Nelson Eddy in the "Best Classical The Radio Champions for 1944 Alan Young Joan Davis Bing: Crosby Lionel Barrymore John C. Thomas Dinah. Shore Gladys Swarthout Milton J. Cross Raymond G. Swing Tom Breneman Bill Stern Cecil B. DeMille Arturo Toscanini Guy Lombardo George Hicks Male Vocalist" class, and Lily Pons was second and Marian Anderson, third, on the distaff side. Swing, Stern 'Best' Raymond Gram Swing again was voted "Best News Commentator." Differentiation between commentators and newscasters was not made in this year's voting and Lowell Thomas, who won the newscasters' poll last year, scored second in the commentator class this year. H. V. Kaltenborn, second in the commentators' group last year, was third in the combined groups this year. Bill Stern was reelected "Best Sports Announcer" for the fifth straight year. Ted Husing was second and Harry Wismer, third. This is the first time that Wismer scored among the first three in the poll. Arturo Toscanini was again voted the "Best Symphonic Conductor" and the New York .Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra the "Best Symphony Orchestra." The wide appeal on the air of Serge Koussevitzsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra was clearly demonstrated in the voting this year; he was voted second in the "Best Symphonic Conductor" balloting and the Boston Symphony Orchestra was a strong second in the "Best Symphony Orchestra" voting. Artur Rodzinski, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Symphony, was voted third in the conductor class ; the NBC Symphony Orchestra was third in the orchestra class. Guy " Lombardo and his orchestra, who have scored "firsts" in radio polls for almost a decade, were voted "Best Dance Band" on the air. No differentiation was made this year between 'sweet' and 'swing' bands. Harry James and his band, winners of last year's designation as "Best Swing Band" scored second in this year's poll, on a very close margin over Tommy Dorsey and his boys. Breneman's 'Breakfast' Leads Tom Breneman's "Breakfast at Sardi's" program, on the Blue Network, featuring novel interviews with women, was voted the "Best Daytime Program" in radio in an unusual balloting in this year's poll. Eligibles in the voting included daytime serials as well as morning programs, which had been separately polled in previ ous years. Suitability of programs for children were also considered by the radio editors in casting their ballots. Golden Productions, Inc., has already announced that it plans to start production on a film based on the "Breakfast at Sardi's" program, about Feb. 1. "The Breakfast Club" scored second and Columbia Broadcasting's "American School of the Air" program was third. Lux Top Drama Show The Lux Radio theatre was reelected "Best Dramatic Program" on the air. In again scoring victory, in its 10th year in radio, this CBS program had competition this year from dramatic programs like "One Man's Family," in a combination polling. Second place in the "Best Dramatic Program" group went to "Screen Guild Players," by a narrow margin over the "Cavalcade of America" program. Nila Mack's "Let's Pretend" show was reelected the "Best Program for Children." "The Lone Ranger" again scored second, while third place went to CBS' "American School of the (Continued on page 8)