Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

4 RADIO DAILY Friday, February 26, 1937 WITH THE & WOMEN # By ADELE ALLERHAND — \A/HEN Margaret Sullavan failed to show for one-shot appearance on commercial the other day .... gal called in to sub was Elizabeth Love .... who did a swell job.... Four years ago La Sullavan was her understudy ... ."Jane" ol the recent Astaire broadcasts has Nancy Leach for her behind-the -mike moniker . . . .she's so good she's expected to adorn the show for keeps. .. .Charlotte Buchwald, "The Playgoer." is working on script that has nothing to do with playgoing. .. .When Evelyn Laye sailed on Wednesday. Martin Starr gave her and husband Frank Lawton "Bon Voyage" via one of his "Gangplank Interviews" "Roving Reporter" Frankie Basch attended the "Ladies' Home Journal'' tea fight t'other afternoon, determined to probe rumors anent possibility of the First Lady's entering next Presidential Sweepstakes .... Frankie's still mum on the subject. . . . Gretchen Davidson and Carlton Young both of "Trouble House" ..have gone roller-skate currazy Songstress Benay Venuta will guestar jor "Hammer stein's Music Hall" March 9 25 girl scouts go choral on the same program Pretty Kitty Kelly," premiering March 8 in place of Continental Baking Company's "Renfrew of the Mounted" will have Arline Blackburn who debuted at three in Barrymore's "The Copperhead" in the name part Authoring of script on "Kitchen Cavalcade"... .sponsored by Mueller.... is chore of Dorothy Neff ... .she's with the Jean V. Grombach radio outfit. .. .Crosby Gaige's second featured drahma guest will be Irene Purcell. .. .March 1. Niela Goodelle, vocalist and Alan Kent, announcer, sounding romantic note on radio row. Marguerite Sedgewick, KONO Fashion Reporter, has the distinction of being sole femme announcer on that station.... Medico Dafoe resumes his tri-weekly broadcasts from his study in Callender March 1 . . . . with demon "flu" defeated .... Elsie Hitz's characterization of "Jean Page" in "Follow the Moon" caused an interesting reaction. . . .According to recent fan letters to Elsie three new girlbabies have been named for "Jean".... • • • Changes anticipated in style of the "Show Boat" feature shortly .... Sonny Kendis and his Stork Club ork replaces Stuff Smith on WMCA's Lucidin show .... Arthur Godfrey, the Washington word-slinger who created the recording-ad lib shows, called to N. Y. to be the announcer of Professor Quiz's Kelvinator airing March 6. .. .Ralph Wonders went to Miami from St. Petersburg to discuss another deal .... Betty Finley goes with him to either job .... Alexander Gray opens at the Miami-Biltmore Monday for 4 weeks .... Arthur Kass of Kass-Tohrner jumps to Chi to interest auto sponsor in people .... Benton & Bowles Agency and Young & Rubicam say production men and directors are scarce .... Andre Baruch, the CBSlinger of commercial talk, weds Gertrude Aaronson, radio dramactress, next week .... "When I Grow Up" a kiddie take-off of "We, The People" to be auditioned for a shoe sponsor .... Small-Landau, Hollywood office, peddling Sid Gary to the talkies .... Cal Tinney, the hillbilly columnist, talking over deal to write Zeke Manners' scripts. . . .Prexy Paley of CBS has his name on one door, while Walter Pierson of the Sound Dept. has the distinction of having his on three doors. • • • Col. Jay C. Flippen will be toasted at a midnight party Sunday at Leon & Eddie's ... .Those expected to honor the Colonel are Jimmy Durante, Billy Gaxton, Ethel Merman, Bert Lahr, Wini Shaw, Jack Pearl, Frank Parker, Henny Youngman, James Barton, Bea Lillie, Eddie Dowling and others. . . . J. C. will introduce a game called "Kiss The Donkey" ... .Abe Lyman will try getting away from his farewell party at the New Yorker to attend .... J erry Lester follows Youngman into the Yacht Club. . . .Publicity Associates signed Harlan Eugene Read, the aircaster to an exploitation and management contract. • • • "Kitty Kelly", which replaces "Renfrew of the Mounted" will switch time with My rt & Marge after build-up .... Last night Floyd Gibbons dramatized the story of a man who was believed dead and nearly embalmed. The sound effects man on the show was Jack Emerhine, who is an undertaker in his spare time .... Kate Smith's singing of Nick Kenny's "Carelessly" was tops .... Rudy Vallee manages the affairs of the Bernards and DuVals now at the Ritz-Carlton .... "Death Takes a Holiday" with Philip Merivale and Gladys Cooper will be the Bandwagon feature Thursday with George M. Cohan following the week after. • • • A. L. Alexander will do a repeat on Shell tomorrow with a human interest feature ... .Attempts are being made to spot the star permanently on this show. . . .Teddy Mack, formerly maestro of the Roxy and who gave up this job to study radio, will audition for CBS.... Ida Bailey Allen's recipe for chocolate layer cake was easy for Lester Lee .... Sunday he'll try her short cake concoction . . . .Jane Pickens is the first guestar on Thomas Atterbury McGinley's NBC show tonite. . . .He's the wealthy Pittsburgh steel man who's buying time so that he may play the organ. • • O His Forest Hill neighbors complained that the radio in the apartment was too noisy, so sound effects man Bob Prescott brought in his effects machine and one night ran a "thunder" recording which had everyone running to shut windows .... Another night he had a "plane crash" with the recording mimicking the sound of a plane going 400 m.p.h., crashing and then exploding. . . .The police were called and Bob decided to quit his pranks .... Along Radio Row they're calling Mark Plant the "lease breaker" because he broke two for friends with his dynamic warbling. * I D EAT * What Local Stations Are Doing THE series of Public Forum programs just inaugurated by KDYL in Salt Lake City is expected to prove y highlight in Intermountain radio history. The idea is to offer in discussion form an interesting program which will deal with all phases of questions of community interest. It will be in the nature of a friend] y argument referred by a well-known University of Utah professor. The program is broadcast at 7:45 p. m. on Wednesdays. A new type radio program designed exclusively for women will be heard over station WBIG at 10:30 a. m. starting Monday. The program, "The Woman's News Parade," will be broadcast five times each week, Monday through Friday. "The Woman's News Parade'' is sponsored by the Carolina Baking Co., bakers of O Boy Vitamin D Bread. New Tower for KOIL Omaha — Contracts are to be let immediately by Central States Broadcasting Co., which controls KOIL, KFAB and KFOR. for a new 300foot steel tower for KOIL. Located on the Missouri river bottom lands where the soil, engineers say, is the best in this vicinity for radio conductivity, the tower will increase the free-of -fading area for KOIL several fold. KOIL recently was granted permission by the federal radio commission to increase daytim power from 2.500 to 5,000 watts. Lions to See Ford Show N. W. Ayer & Son, in co-operation with the Danbury Motors, Inc., Danbury, Conn., have arranged for the Lions club of that city to attend, en masse, the Ford broadcast next Tuesday. Every seat in the Columbia playhouse will be reserved for the 1100 members who are making a special trip to see the Al Pearce performance. 7-Week Lyman Contract Abe Lyman, who replaces Bob Haring on the NBC Wednesday night American Tobacco (Lucky Strike cigarette) show, will have a sevenweek contract with his sponsor. Mark Warnow will take over the Hit Parade show on CBS for a one-shot March 6. Hoff's contract runs until March 20 and it is reported that Warnow will bow in the Saturday night spot the following week for a series of six broadcasts. WAAW Buys Building Omaha— Purchase for $25,000 of an apartment building here has been announced by Chief Engineer Walter F. Myers of WAAW.