Radio and television mirror (July-Dec 1948)

V IN PACKAGES FOR HOME POPPING Get hot, fresh, delicious Hi Pop Popcorn anywhere — the Nation's popular food confection. Served from sparkling Manley Popcorn Machines at your movie theatre and variety store or wherever good popcorn is sold. Ask your food store for Hi Pop in the red and white candy cane package. Make your own popcorn at home. Remember — Hi Pop is the same fine corn movie shows feature. 74 INSIST ON CANDY STRIPIO PAC R. F. D. America (Continued from page 41) general information to have something to say. Finally, I had the advantage of a little radio experience, gained through interviewing on WAUX, Waukesha, the boys and girls who are outstanding in dairy club work. With the other winners of our local elimination — Bill Wright and Helen Swartz — I made the trip to Chicago a family affair. My Mary Jean, Bill's wife, and Helen's husband joined the party. The Louis G. Cowan office, producers of the show, gave us full-scale visiting firemen treatment. By the time we faced the microphones, we had lunched at the Sheraton, toured the Museum of Science and Industry, dined at Matt Schulien's, visited Don McNeill's Breakfast Club, seen the Board of Trade, and laughed through the stage performance of "Annie Get Your Gun." Night clubbing at the Panther Room, a tour of the stock yards, Natural History Museum and the Aquarium added to our feeling that Chicago was a gigantic show, staged just for us. Sometime, in the midst of this, we had rehearsals, where they peppered us with questions similar to the ones which would be used in the broadcast. Bill, Helen and I were to be pitted against Michigan's Doris Handy, Farm Champion of the previous week. The rehearsals gave us the idea. By the time we faced the studio audience, we knew this was no walk-away. Today, replaying the transcription I received of the show, I remember the way I felt when Joe Kelly, then M.C., began hurling questions. He started out easy. Are men more forgetful than women? Prove it. What's your wife's birthday? How do you identify apples by their shape and size? If you milked a cow three times a day instead of twice, would you get more milk? I had an answer for that. "Yes, about 20 per cent more." I knew. Two years before, I had milked General's Myrtle three times a day for a record and she had hit it. In ten months, she produced 17,743 pounds of milk with 770 pounds of butter fat. Joe Kelly whistled — whistled songs which should suggest kinds of cheese. "God Bless America" brought Bill's answer of American cheese; "My Blue Heaven" prompted a reply of Bleu cheese. Claiming he was tired, Joe handed me a flute. "I hear you played in your high school band. Will you help me out?" He called the notes. I responded with solitary toots. My playing was rusty. It was a long time since a football coach had turned me into a musician to improve my wind. "A; D; C. Now go back to E." I caught on. I dropped my flute and raised my hand. The cheese questions had been bait. The number was "Three Blind Mice." "Play it," commanded Joe. The audience survived, but I think the mice ran back into their holes. I was into the semi-finals. I used my stockjudging experience to enumerate characteristics of a good milk cow, then drew on college chemistry to explain that "trace elements" were minute quantities of such elements as boron and cobalt. Lacking them, seemingly rich land produces crops which fail to provide adequate nourishment for either livestock or humans. As finalists, Doris Handy, who already had won three times, and I tussled over a couple. The showdown question was announced. This was it. I shot a glance at Mary Jean in the audience. I would have given anything to be able to change places with her. This was worse than a University of Wisconsin exam. I got set, expecting a tough one. It was tough all right, but not the way I anticipated. Said Kelly, "Thomas Quincy, Washington, D. C. wants us to imagine a fireman quits chasing fires and settles down to a quiet, peaceful life on a farm. He wants to surround himself with his favorite color — red. Take turns. Name the items. You have five seconds each." Mentally, I took a color inventory of our farm. The only trouble was, Doris thought of the same things I did. She got barn, tractor, Devon cows, handles on farm tools, spaniel dog. I named Duroc hogs, Guernsey cattle, short horn cattle, red poled cattle. What else was red? This showdown was getting rugged. Doris was reaching too. "Red suspenders." The audience howled. *?t fa&ct*tate4> me 5 mwuti*ty& a cvee& Every morning, Monday through Friday, you "meet new people" on "My True Story" Radio Program. Every morning you follow a complete, true-life drama prepared in cooperation with the editors of True Story Magazine. On "My True Story" no long drawn-out episodes . . . no rehash of yesterday's story. That's why so many thousands of women listen every day, vote it their favorite morning program. "Here's real life" many of them write in appreciation. ftt *7u*te in "MY TRUE STORY AMERICAN BROADCASTING STATIONS