Radio mirror (Nov 1938-Apr 1939)

RADIO MIRROR (.Continued from, page 51) Davis and Electra Ward, acts in turn as his alter ego, and goes where he goes. He averages two hours a day in taxicabs — and dictates on the way. He dictates on trains and ships, and though he says it is impossible on a camel, he has dictated in an elephant howdah. He uses the slack periods between movie-reels at the Fox studios in more dictation, or in reading proofs, or revising manuscripts, or reading (a book or two a week) . His eight-room suite of offices is in the R. C. A. building. There isn't any name on the door and the telephone isn't listed. Yet there are so many visitors and telephone calls that Thomas uses the office only as a parking place for his staff and his records. He ducks in, gathers up the mail requiring his personal attention, and ducks out again and over to the apartment he maintains in New York. THE mail is enormous — and vari' able. It may be a thousand letters, and it may be fifty thousand. Most of it can be answered by forms, but Lowell himself handles a tremendous amount. He says, "You can't organize the personal element out of your organization. If you do, you soon won't need any organization." With the correspondence pretty well cleared out by 12:30, Lowell and the stenographer hop a taxi for the Fox Film luncheon-conference. This usually lasts until 3:30. Another taxi to the Radio City office where he picks up more mail. Then to the apartment for more dictation and sundry whatnots. Or perhaps an hour or two at a commercial film studio where he sound tracks the ad that goes with the pictures. Then the daily broadcast. And so at seven, to dinner — and then to the Fox studios for an allnight shift which carries Monday over into Tuesday morning, around five. Tuesday Lowell practically loafs. There's the mail — there's always the mail — a few hours of dictation, and some rag tag and bobtail requiring four or five hours' work here and there — Thomas' idea of an idle lull. That Tuesday Dutch Treat Luncheon is the only one in the week which he doesn't consider as a business engagement. The Dutch Treat roster is that of a male Who's Who in the Arts, and the average attendance is around two hundred. Lowell figures the day practically lost if he doesn't get to talk to at least thirty of them. With those two days as a pattern, you can round out the rest of the outlined week for yourself, including another all night filmjob Wednesday. But you'll have to make it fuller and solider as it goes on. It works out to an average fifteen hour day — sixty golden — and golden is right — minutes to the hour, and every minute fun. The man enjoys himself. He gets the same lift out of this incredible intensity that a car-fan gets out of speed — speed for speed's sake when the highway's straight and no cop in sight. Coming next month — still more intimate sidelights upon the man who made adventure into a career: His earnings, his family, his corps of assistants— and much more that you must know before you can explain Lowell Thomas, modern phenomenon. i m? ^ u? "VTF THE TEXACO STAR THEATRE ADOLPHE MFNJOU JANE FROMAN UNA MtRKEL KENNY BAKiR CHARLIE MGGUS JIM/AY WAll/NGTON DAVID MOEKNlAN's ORCHESTRA TEXACO "AR CHORUS and MAX RHNHARDT EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT COAST TO COAST CBS NETWORK 9:30 E.S.T. 8:30C.S.T. 7:30 M.S.T. 6:30 P.S.T. OIXTY MINUTES of comedy, music, drama provided by the brightest stars of stage, screen, and radio. Laugh with Charlie Ruggles and Una Merkel . . . expect a new high in dramatic values in the series of sketches directed by the internationally famous Max Reinhardt, with a celebrated guest star each week . . . enjoy the polished performance of Adolphe Menjou as Master of Ceremonies . . . the singing of Kenny Baker and Jane Froman ...the music of the great Texaco Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of David Broekman. Tune in The Texaco Star Theatre every Wednesday night . . . presented on the CBS Network with the compliments of your Texaco Dealer. is w. 53