Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

PERFORMERS AT THE "WHAT'S NEW?" PREMIERE INCLUDED (LEFT), LOLl BRING, ANNE BAXTER, CASS DALEY, JOSE ITURBI, ED GARDNER, DINAH SHORE, AND DON AMECHE. THE RCA VICTOR CHORUS (ABOVE) CONTRIBUTES SKILLFULLY TO THE MUSICAL PORTION OF EVERY "WHAT'S NEW?" BROADCAST. see many important things, other- wise entirely invisible. For exam- ple, the influenza virus, at last can be seen. This should help to find a way to conquer it, and thus to bene- fit mankind. "This microscope is only one of a thousand electronic wonders that can open a new world for all of us. Within the limits necessarily im- posed by the requirements of mili- tary secrecy, we plan to tell you about them from week to week, on this program." Typical of press and public reac- tion to the first performance of "What's New?" was the comment of The New York Times. " "What's New?' is a good show. . . . There are music, drama, com- edy and some serious talk, and, all in all, it is an omnibus on which every passenger should find some- thing to please him. . . ." Variety, trade paper of screen, radio, music, and stage, said: ". . . The Blue Network becomes the beneficiary of an hour of upper- crust popular entertainment. . . . That opening program seemed to have the answ-ers to what consti- tutes mass appeal entertainment. The ingredients were consistently know-how, the runoflf was oily- smooth, and the commercials were astutely tied in. . . ." The second performance of "What's New?", like the first, brought an impressive guest list of new or well-known voices to the mi- crophone. Headlined were Captain Clark Gable who spoke via short- wave from "somewhere in Eng- land"; Lena Home who sang the title song from her latest film- musicale, "Stormy Weather"; the popular comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney; Monty Woolley whose newest movie ven- ture is "Holy Matrimony"; and Katrina Paxinou, the Greek actress who made her American screen debut as Pilar in "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Major Alexander de Seversky, one of the gi-eatest aeronautical en- gineers of all time and author of "Victory Through Air Power" prophesied a new era of interna- tional peace for the post-war world. "There is a lot of discussion these days about the post-war relations between the countries of this plan- et," he said. "The plain fact is that science and technological prog- ress will force the whole world to become, in eff"ect, one neighborhood. People in any part of the world will be able to see each other through television, to hear each other through radio, regardless of dis- tances. And space, when measured in the time of flight through the air, will be so contracted that any spot on the face of the globe can be reached in a few hours. The science of destruction is making war more and more horrible. Ulti- mately, we may be sure, war will become unthinkable because it would be tantamount to suicide." Major de Seversky also foretold a tremendous post-war expansion of aviation made possible by the use of electronics. The airplane's uni- versal use by average people he no longer considers an engineering question but rather a problem of effective communications. "Electronics will ultimately make it possible for anyone to get into his private aircraft, turn a knob and time in on his point of destination anywhere, and get there automati- cally and safely . . . aircraft will travel on invisible rails and high- ways of radio ... or they will be able, at will, to abandon the char- tered highways to soar through all space. The automobile turned na- tions into neighborhoods. Aviation and electronics will turn the world into a neighborhood. Life will be lifted into new dimensions, and will acquire new horizons." The first two performances of "What's New?" set the pace for the new show and revealed that the program makers had aimed well in pointing to new horizons and glimpses of the future. For any- thing can happen on "What's New?". Next week's program may- bring a dramatic eyewitness ac- count of a battle between American and enemy forces, the announce- ment of an important new discovery in science, or a new love song des- tined to wing its way around the world. [RADIO AGE 29]