Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1952)

4 Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, January 23, 1952 1951RadioPoU {Continued from page 1) Olid to the ever-popular Bing Crosby in the Best "Master" of Ceremonies division. The editor-critics' vote acclaimed Benny radio's Best Comedian of 1951, an award they have voted him for the fourth consecutive year now. The Most Promising Star of Tomorrow award was voted to NBC's indefatigable duo, Bob (Elliott) and Ray (Goulding). Giselle McKenzie was a closerunning second, with Margaret Truman of Washington and Independence, Mo., finishing third in that category. Miss Truman's guest appearances have been mostly on "The Big Show" and with Jimmy Durante. Tlie popular comics of radio, television, screen and film-theatre stage, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, were voted the Best Comedy Team of 1951 on radio, displacing the habitual winners in that division, Fibber McGee & Molly. The latter were close sec onds, followed by Bob & Ray. Crosby Repeats Bing Crosby, always a front-runner in the 16-year old poll, showed no diminution of popularity with the editor-critics, being voted two firsts Best Popular Male Vocalist and Best Master of Ceremonies. In another close race, Crosby finished second to Ronald Colman as Film Personality Most Effective in Radio, and his show finished third in the Championship division. Also maintaining a firm grasp on critical approval, apparently, was Groucho Marx, whose You Bet Your Life program was again voted Best Quiz Show and Best Audience Participation Program. Dinah Shore proved herself another perennial favorite with the writers, again being voted Best Popular Female Vocalist. Lombardo Back Guy Lombardo's orchestra, after being displaced by Ralph Flanagan's band last year in one of the few times in the 16 years of the poll that he was not voted Best Dance Band on radio, was returned to the top spot again this year. However, Bill Stern who, year after year, has captured the Best Sportscaster award, was almost completely overlooked by the editor-critics in the 1951 voting. Stern failed to finish among the first three. Mel Allen, one of the top baseball announcers and heard on a variety of sports programs in other seasons of the year, was given the first place vote, followed by Red Barber and Harry Wismer. In the News Commentator-Analyst division, CBS's popular Edward R Murrow came through again in critical favor, followed, but not closely, by Lowell Thomas and Frank Edwards. Ezio Pinza was another repeater in 1951, again being voted Best Classical Male Vocalist on radio. In the female division, Marian Anderson, always a contender in polls of recent years, was given the first place position by the balloters for 19.51. Miss Anderson has made several appearances on the Telephone Hour and other good musical programs in the year past. Theatre Guild on the Air was again voted the critics' Best Dramatic Pro Radio Champions for 1 931 Jack Benny Eve Arden Dean Martin Jerry Lewis Bing Crosl)y Bonald Colman Dinah Shore £zio Pinza Marian Anderson Don Wilson Edward B. Murrow Bob (Elliott) and Bay (Goulding) Mel Allen Arthur Godfrey Groucho Marx Don Voorhees, Conductor, The Telephone Hour Armina Marshall, Producer, Theatre Guild on the Air gram, with Lux Radio Theatre finiishing second, as it did in the preceding poll. Arthur Godfrey retained his hold on the Best Daytime Program award but failed to finish among the top three in the Best Master of Ceremonies division, where he usually was to be found in earlier polls. America's Town Meeting of the Air retained its claim to Best Educational Program but was forced to share the first place award with Invitation to Learning, which gained a tie with it. NBC programs sweiJt the Best Musical Show division, with the Telephone Hour again being voted first, and with the Railroad Hour and Voice of Firestone, all heard over the network on Monday evenings, finishing in a tie for second place. Radio Editors {Continued from page 1) sameness, asserts an Ohio critic, who says new shows, new talent, particularly in the comedy field, are urgently needed. This critic commends "the different type of humor" introduced by Bob (Elliott) and Ray (Goulding) and ventures the opinion that radio audiences are "fed up" with the slapstick comedy and familiar jokes of the radio-typed comedian. "The natural, relaxed humor of Fibber McGee and Molly, Dave Garroway, Herb Shriner and a few others are due for a revival in popularity among listeners," he predicts. The anticipated expansion of television in the next year or so, with the lifting of the Federal Communications Commission "freeze" on construction of new stations, another critic says, will force radio to decide whether it will be content with a future limited to broadcasting of "canned music and news bulletins" or whether it is to bestir itself and again become a leading medium of entertainment. "However," he adds, "it is to be doubted whether radio can succeed in recapturing the enthusiastic audience it once had and didn't know what to do with." The editor-critics persevere in their standard laments over what they regard as radio's offenses, laments that have been present, most of them, at least, in every year of the 16-year old Motion Picture DAihY-Fame poll.