Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

8 _ . _ . Monday. March 8, 19 KADIU DAILY & Wffi IN if VIEW "CHICAGO SYMPHONIC HOUR" Sustaining NBC-Blue network. Fridays, 11 p.m.-12 mid. CLASS MUSICAL PROGRAM OF UNUSUAL EXCELLENCE SHOULD CLICK STRONG. Originating from the Chicago studios of National Broadcasting Co., this program took a departure from the regular fare heard during these hours usually, and with commendable success. The excellently rendered program was in sharp contrast to the dance music to be found on every other available spot of the dial. Vivian Delia Chiesa's rendition of the main aria from "Madame Butterfly" was easily the high spot of the hour. Charles Sears and Edward Davies were the male soloists with Noble Cain's A Capella choir, the Mundelein College Verse Speaking choir and Roy Shields directing an NBC symphonic orchestra rounding out the balance of the cast. Carleton Smith, music critic and writer, offered a critic's viewpoint of the musical offerings. The program, an experiment by NBC. should prove to be one of the week's highspots, and will probably snare a sponsor before long. commEDTS On Current Programs "Gang Busters" Dramatizations by Phillips Lord, and which he emceed, are temporarily in the hands of Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, former head of the New Jersey state police. Schwarzkopf does an excellent job as pinchhitter in handling his end of the continuity and in interviewing visiting police officials. Wednesday's program, on CBS 10-10.30 p.m., revealed the dramatizations around criminals brought to justice as highly interesting fare for those who go in for detective and thriller drama. Visiting police official from Denver had a fast moving story built around a desperado whose forte was jail-breaking. Comparatively late hour, and Palmolive shaving cream as the product, is presumed to preclude (in the East at any rate) the youngsters from getting unduly wrought up over the thrillers. AH yarns are of the "you can't win" variety of course. "Community Sing" Now on the coast, this CBS 10-10:45 p.m. song and comedy fest headed by Milton Berle et al, for Gillette safety razor blades, appears to maintain its breezy tempo; in fact, it is continuing to improve if anything. One comic that should not be left out of sight of the program director is Tommy Mack, the hare-lip laugh getter. Mack's phrase "Who's excited? who's excited?", in high pitched frenzied voice, is one surefire proposition. "Morning Matinee" This WOR-Mutual 45-minute show, in its farewell performance of the season last Thursday, offered an exceptionally fine revue program, embracing talent and material of a quality not usually found on the air at 9 a.m. With Lawrence Gray as the affable m.c, the bill included Lennie Hay ton and His Orchestra, Ethel Barrymore Colt, Edith Dick. Paul Barry, the Rhythm Kings and others. There was much variety in the program, running from music, singing, comedy patter, several talks on women's fashions by authorities like Claire Whitney, Fay Jarnell and others; a piano specialty by Hayton, a batch of Hollywood news and other ONE MINUTE INTERVIEW MARIO COZZI "Let's stop the general practice of teaching young artists (hat they will command fabulous fees and fame as soon as they are ready for radio. Actually they ought to be prepared for years of hard work at little pay and with less glory. Our teachers and publications rarely tell of this side of the picture." B. B. B. & O. to Handle Coronet Air Program (Continued from Page 1) 8:30, through WOR. The series will be known as "Coronet of the Air." Program will be a counterpart of the magazine. Deems Taylor, music critic and composer, Orson Wells, Fred Uttal, and Robert Armbuster's orchestra complete the talent lineup. For the present the program will be aired only over WOR, pending the clearance of time by other MBS stations. BBDO has also been appointed to handle the white space advertising for the publication, which has announced it does not intend to accept advertising prior to its June issue. bits of entertainment. R. H. Macy is the sponsor at the WOR end. The series is to resume in September. Zeke Manners and Gang Zeke Manners and his gang of hillbillies, who always provide a merry program via WMCA, had a very talented newcomer to the big city on Friday night's half-hour. She was 12-year-old Marjorie Knapp, who has been on the air out of Evansville, Ind. Little Miss Knapp, as a "flood refugee," fell right in with the hillbilly spirit and did a brief skit with "Uncle Zeke." Then she stopped the show with her singing of "Mr. Paganini." Walter Winchell Winchell of late seems to be injecting more live news into his broadcasts, despite the handicap of broadcasting from the coast. While not all of his stuff ever pretended to be red hot, the three-hour time differential between New York and the Coast does make a difference in the way of a late bulletin or two. This probably proved an added spur to obtaining and using newsier items on the Sunday 9-9.15 stanza on the NBC Blue. Forest Lawn Will Give Time to Welfare Work West Coast Bureau of THE RADIO DAILY Los Angeles — America's real "forgotten man", the white-collar worker who has passed the peak of productivity, finds it difficult to land a job, and is too proud to go on relief, will be remembered by Forest Lawn, leader among all American memorial parks, when it goes on Station KEHE for 52 weeks with The Sunday Players next Sunday. Forest Lawn has arranged to contribute half the time reserved for announcements on its Sunday Players programs to the Federation of Protestant Churches of Los Angeles, representing 700 congregations and 250,000 communicants in the metropolitan area, for the furtherance of its vocational placement work. This time is completely at the disposal of the Federation, and it will be used both to develop jobs for the unemployed and to solicit funds for the financing of this important activity, which is attracting widespread attention in Los Angeles because it serves a crying need that has generally been overlooked. Forest Lawn, since the beginning of commercial broadcasting, has been a consistent and continuous user of radio on a large scale. Its "Tapestries of Life" was a feature on KHJ for several years, and for the last year Forest Lawn has been represented by "Reunion of the States" on 50,000-watt KNX. This full-hour feature dedicates a program each week to one of the state societies by which expatriate residents of Los Angeles from every commonwealth in the union are represented. "Reunion of the States" will continue on KNX. Both The Sunday Players and "Reunion of the States" are handled through the Forest Lawn advertising agency, Dan B. Miner Co. Mertens and Price, Inc., produce The Sunday Players and cooperate in servicing the program for The Federation of Churches. Coming Events Today: Spring Fair of radio and televisic Leipzig. March 15-22: North American Ra< Conference, Havana, Cuba. March 18-20: Hotel Business Promoti Conference, French Lick Springs Hot' French Lick, Ind. March 24: Columbia Broadcasting Syste stockholders' meeting, New York. April 6: Radio Corp. of America annu stockholders meeting. April 9: Press Photographers' Ass'n New York Eighth Annual Dance and Ente tainment, Hotel Commodore, New York. May 2-8: National Music Week; Dav Sarnoff, chairman. June 1-10: Radio-television expositioi Moscow. June 14: American Federation of Mus cians annual convention, Louisville, Ky. June 20-23: Advertising Federation c America's 33rd annual convention, Hoti Pennsylvania. New York. June 21-24: American Institute of Ele< trical Engineers' convention, Milwaukee. June 21-24: Summer Convention of th Canadian Electrical Convention, Banff, A berta. Lowell Blanchard Promoted Knoxville, Tenn. — Lowell Blanch ard, former Chief Announcer a WNOX, has been named progran director. Blanchard was formerl;, connected with K Y W, Chicago WIND, Gary, the Iowa network KSO-KRNT, Des Moines, and WXY1 in Detroit. He came to WNOX ; years ago to conduct a jamboree noon program and a sponsored man on-the-street show. Himber for Movies Richard Himber, well-known maes , tro, is about to make several movie ' in conjunction with Gogo Delys an< Fred Uttal. Not a cent was spent by the amusement business (radio not included) for advertising over the national networks last year. In the non-network, regional and local fields it amounted to only .6 per cent.