Radio daily (Feb-Mar 1937)

6 RADIO DAILY Monday. March 22, 1937 OWEN CRUMP, who returned to KFWB last week after several years away, will start producing a new show to be sponsored by Harris and Frank (men's furnishings), to start next week. Show will be called "Riddle Me This," a question and answer type, with orchestra (Bert Fiske). Weekly, Fridays, 8:30 to 9 p.m. PST. Placed direct. When Burns and Allen do the leads in "Dulcy" for Lux Radio Theater March 29, they will be supported by four players from the original cast of the New York stage production—Howard Lindsay, Elliot Nugent, Norma Lee and Wallis Clark. Recording firm of MacGregor and Sollie last week became C. P. MacGregor company, with the withdrawal of S. A. Sollie. Year ago company moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Los Angeles, opened an up to date transcription plant occupying its own building at 720 S. Western. Firm will continue headquarters here, with branch in San Francisco. Following the lead of Silverwoods, Los Angeles department store which recently broke the ice by going in for expensive production shows for a one-station outlet (Short Story Playhouse, starring Lila Lee, on KFI) , Bullocks last week started auditioning a variety show to use Felix Mills ork, well known vocalists, in KNX studios. Larry White, CBS Columbia Artists Inc. head on the Coast will make a Friday to Wednesday New York flight, returning with Lawrence Lowman, vp. in charge of Station Operations, who is to spend some time here in connection with new studio details. Ben McGlashen's KGFJ is adding a second short wave experimental transmitter, to use the ultra high frequencies, working with 500 watts output on 120,000 kc, with call letters W6XRE8. This, as well as W6XKG (25.950 KG.), will operate 24 hours a day. carrying KGFJ's programs. New transmitter goes into operation immediately. Radio Recorders disking Salvatore Santaella's KMTR orchestra and vocalists for a new series to be titled Music Masters. 17 18 1 19 20 21 '}, I 25 1 26 | 27 ! 28 22 23 29 130 March 22 Greetings from Radio Daily to Chico Marx Parks Johnson Bernice Claire Adrian lames Flanter O • • What did they do in B. R. (before radio?). . . . CBSlinger David Ross was the supt. of an orphanage and did a bit of writing as a sideline .... Abe Lyman's financial wizard, Harry Weingarten, used to beat the daylight out of the trap drums, while Bandleader Russ Morgan had the toughest time meeting his quota of coal from the mines where his father was a foreman. . . .George Olsen, on the other hand, was in a more refined business— sawing lumber. . . .Rubey Cowan, formerly with NBC artist's bureau and now with Paramount Pictures, had his share of troubles getting bands to play his firm's songs. . . Music publishing tycoon Bobby Crawford rode atop horses, more concerned with bringing in a winner at the post than making "Hit Parade" next week ... Singer Morton Bowe went to town throwing the keys on a linotype machine, many times spelling his own name just for the heck of it ... Jerry Cooper gained his spurs pushing the darn trombone slide around in a New Orleans cafe. .. That divinity of songs, Frances Hunt, was an usherette in Buffalo's Erlanger Theater. « • • NBC's prexy Lenox Lohr was head-man of Chi's World's Fair, while William Hedges was a member of the Fourth Estate and WOR's Al McCosker was a newspaperman too. .. .Singer Joey Nash had two try-outs with the St. Louis ball club and flunked because he knocked a finger out of commission, whereas Donald Novis was a darn good leather-pusher ... .Dorothy Lamour was the pretty girl you'd encounter taking the elevator up and asking "floor, please?". . . .Dramactress Mitzi Gould sang hotcha songs with a band, while mimic Arthur Boran played leading man opposite Mae West on the stage.... A. L. Alexander was a thespian like Jean Paul King, while WaUie Butterworth sold phonograph records and Bettie Glenn was a hoofer with a sister act in vaudeville under the name of Peggy O'Neil. . . .Ralph Kirbery was a flour salesman, while Jack Miller was being knocked around plugging Feist tunes in Boston. . . . Harry Richman sold ladies' underwear, Saul Bornstein was peddling musical instruments to the boys and Phil Duey was a schoolmaster ....Millionaire Irving Mills was a songplugger in Philly and Jack Mills was a salesman, whereas Bob Miller sold shoes instead of songs. .. .Announcer Andre Baruch was the guy the girls went for during the summer months because of his tan acquired from being a life guard. • • • Jack Pearl was a songplugger and still admits that he can't carry a tune, while Cliff Hall was a chorus boy in "Hanky Panky" on account of his brother-in-law gave him the job!.... Jack Fraser was the kid you'd like to wring the neck off (if you had a 50-yard-line seat) because he'd be hopping up and down as cheer leader for Brown. . . .Alan Kent sold golf, basket, hand and foot balls before mimicking the page ads from Esquire .... Cities Service singer Ross Graham knew the correct amount of singles to give for a ten-spot as bank teller so he got a job as purchasing agent for a utility concern .... Col. Stoopnagle was in the lumber business, while Budd was a soda clerk and actor Charlie Cantor was in the shoe business. . . .Harry Von Zell was a prize fighter, while CBS's v. p. Lawrence Lowman was in the hardware store and Bill Lewis sold advertising. . . .The Kansas City Star's city editor was Leo (WJR) Fitzpafrick whose snappy office boy was John Patt, general manager of WGAR. while Beetle was an NBC engineer who tested the networks in the morning hours. . . .Tommy Dorsey and Isham Jones were coal miners while Alan Courtney sold vacuum cleaners and James Rich pumped the organ in movie houses during the melodramas . . . Jan Peerce sang with Cantor Rosenblatt and WMCA's Jack Combs yelled "whoops" because he was an Indian. Cfttcaqcr HANK WINSTON and Jesse Sutton, pisno team have been signed by WBBM and will make their radio debut in a sponsored series each Monday night, 9:45-10 CST. Winston was one time teammate of Harry Sosnick and member of Paul Ash's original stagehand. June Scheible, former CBS publicist and now Mrs. Christopher Matthison, handling publicity for Gertrude Neisen for the Bob Taplinger org. Everett Mitchell to Minneapolis to interview boys and girls from the "grass roots" for yesterday's Magic Key of RCA program. Hubert "Scotty" Carson of the Ranch Boys heard on Fitch programs will marry June Fosse. Fayette Krura, author of "Girl Alone," is back in the studios after a six week sojourn in Arizona. The "Story of Mary Marlin" popular dramatic serial, will be presented in a new series of broadcasts over ooth blue and red nets of NBC, across the board, beginning Monday! March 29, under sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. Jane Crusinberry who has authored show from first will continue to write it. Under new set-up it will be heard Monday through Friday at old time of 11:15 a.m. C.S.T. and also over the NBC blue at 4:00 C.S.T. Kay Kyser has completed his Norge Refrig recordings with Tony Wons. Bezak agency of Milwaukee set deal. Merwyn Bogue of Kay Kyser band a proud pappy of a boy. Hugh Studebaker, announcer, a St Patrick day casualty due to his fondness of Irish music and attempting to do a jig. Eighteen page boys at Chicago NBC studios being groomed for announcers by Everett Mitchell, senior mikeman. Hal Wagner, scripter for the Deep Rock Oil show, confined to bed with sinus trouble. Freddy Martin and his ork take a four-day vacation from the Aragon ballroom, March 23-26, with Art Kassel pinch-hitting at Aragon and on WGN-Mutual. More than 270,000 orders for copies of the book "Today's Children" have been received from listeners to the NBC program since the volume was first offered on the air the week of February 22. It is now in its second edition, the first running 200,000 copies. At the Rainbow Grill Emery Deutsch and His Orchestra Unusual, Romantic Music Management Rockwell-O'Keefe Radio City, New York and Hollywood