Radio daily (Jan-Mar 1938)

6 Monday, February 7, 1938 PROGRAM REVIEWS Kate Smith Hour Abbott and Costello, new comedy team which made its debut last Thursday night on the Kate Smith program over CBS, has a good style ; of delivery for radio effectiveness. It's the old vaudeville cross-fire formula, which always is good when the material is, and in this instance the comedy stuff was half fresh and half vintage. With the right break | in the way of gags, the new combina j tion ought to click well. Another swell item on the program was the “Affairs of Anatol” skit with Miriam Hopkins and James Rennie. Tom Richley, vibraphone artist, and Mrs. Hortense Odium, head of Bonwit-Teller store, also provided entertaining and interesting bits. Jack Miller’s band and the Ted Straeter singing group rounded out the Ted Collins production. Cities Service Hour Dr. Frank Black took over from Rosario Bourdon the baton on the veteran Cities Service last Friday night over NBC-Red, with soprano Lucille Manners continuing as star vocalist and Robert Simmons of The Revellers coming in for a featured vocal spot. Program in general does not deviate from the previous successful pattern. Dr. Black handled the orchestral end with plenty of sweep and color, equally efficient in semiclassics and in more popular renditions. Miss Manners did beautifully in “La Habanera,” “Blue Room” and other numbers, while Simmons made nice work of his numbers, including “I Still Love to Kiss You Goodnight,” and in duets with Miss Manners, such as “They Didn’t Believe Me” and “Can I Forget You,” and there was added vocal effectiveness by the chorus. All in all, a fine program. “ Streets of New York ” These dramatizations by the New York City WPA radio unit, aired over WINS at 3:30-4 p.m. on Fridays, revive incidents in the early history of the big town and its development along metropolitan lines to the present day. First episode, “Fifth Avenue,” gave glimpses of famous old hostelries such as the Fifth Avenue and the Albert, also noted School Days Seattle — KVI of Seattle-Tacoma always has at least one member of its staff going to college and working a shift. Jerry Geehan, sports announcer, is finishing up at College of Puget Sound. Nick Porozoff, announcer, is a junior at the U. of Wash. Jim Wallace, chief engineer, is taking graduate work for a M.S. degree. Betty Kuhl and Dorothy Ann Simpson of business office also were taking about 12 hours each for their degrees when they started in at KVI. RADIO DAILY RACIC PECXCNALITIEI • One of a Series of Who’s Who in the Industry • HERB HOLLISTER OUT in Wichita, the folks consider Herb Hollister, general manager of KANS, just about tops as a live-wire, aggressive young man with the ability to do things. Word to the same effect also has spread around the country, for Herb's 100-watter made news last year when, at the age of six months, it went NBC — and Herb personally made news by being elected to the NAB board ol directors. Bom Sept. 11. 1899, in St. Louis, Herb began tinkering with radio some 15 years ago when he started a radio shop in Emporia, Kan. Later he moved back to Kansas City, where he spent his youth, and owned and managed WLBF for five years before going to Wichita. The record he established in building up KANS is one of the success stories of that region. Hollister also is a partner with Don Searle, newly appointed general manager of Central States Broadcasting System, Omaha, in the ownership of KMMJ, Clay Center, Neb. Did big buildup job on He married Elizabeth Atteberry in 1923 100-icatter and there is a Herb Hollister III. Inter-Office Survey Philadelphia — Following out an idea of Benedict Gimble Jr., WIP president, who believes that the families of station employees constitute a fair cross-section of the radio audience, WIP is now conducting an extensive survey of the 68 employees on its staff to ascertain their likes and dislikes. personages of the day as well as the shanty folk who were ousted to make way for progress, and finally down to the modern thoroughfare and more recent events and celebrations that took place on it. Production and acting are good. Briefly Maurice Spitalny, new musical head at KDKA, Pittsburgh, went over the NBC-Blue network Friday after the news period at 6 p.m. in a program of dinner music that had plenty of unobtrusive enjoyment in it. Though hardly a fair opportunity for Maurice to spread himself, the program was very pleasing. Mitzi Green scored on Paul Whiteman’s show over CBS last Friday night, singing “Thanks for the Memory” and later doing some of her clever impersonations. Miss Green has matured considerably in professional adeptness and talent, and sounds mighty good. Alice Remsen added some vocal enjoyment to the “Death Valley Days” serial on NBC-Blue last Friday night. Cast as a saloon singer in the western pioneer days, she brought back memories with a rousing rendition of “Tarara-boom-deay.” Those Rexall transcriptions, “Coast to Coast Frolic,” with Walter Cassel, Willie Morris, the Don Voorhees orchestra, Don Ross as emcee and Jean Paul King commentating pack a lot of stuff into 15 minutes. News While It's Hot Pittsburg, Kan. — It happened just across the street from the offices of KOAM. Two members of the staff were eye witnesses. There was a shot, screams. A man pursuing a woman across the sidewalk. More shots. A man fell, fatally wounded. Woman collapsed under a hail of blows from the killer’s gun. Four bystanders pinned the murderer to the pavement. Five minutes later, KOAM was on the air with a news flash. Within 50 minutes, the special events and news departments had a 15-minute program on the air, with an eye-witness account of the shooting and a report on killer’s confession in police headquarters. "Waiting for Lefty" on WQXR “Waiting for Lefty,” the Clifford Odets one-acter that attracted considerable attention on the New York stage a few seasons back, will be presented in the WPA Federal Theater Radio Division’s “Contemporary Theater” series tomorrow night at 9:15 over WQXR. Arun Foxman is directing. Leo Fischer Four A's Treasurer At a meeting of the international board of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, held Friday afternoon, Leo Fischer, was elected international treasurer, to succeed Otto Steinert, who resigned. Fischer is executive secretary of the American Guild of Musical Artists. Atlas-KFWB Deal West Coast Bureau, RADIO DAILY Los Angeles — Herbert R. Ebenstein, president of Atlas Radio Corp., now in Hollywood, announces a deal has been consummated with KFWB as local outlet for release of Atlas programs and exclusive franchise holder for the Los Angeles territory. PC CMCTICN Sales Boosts on Bible Dramas Sunday Players Bible dramas, Mertens & Price production now heard on about fifty American, Canadian Hawaiian and Australian outlets, is supported by elaborate sales plan, including announcement copy, gift booklets, miniature Bibles, Catholic prayer books, newspaper publicity, photo and mat service, show-print posters, and portable reproducing units which are made available for churches and other organizations desiring play-backs of the programs. Sponsors in many cases rate the portable unit on a par with the broadcasts because of personal contacts made possible through presentation of the disks to special groups. First Federal Savings & Loan has four playbacks in constant service. Cellophane Dollars Dollars wrapped in cellophane are finding their way around Longview, Texas, in a promotion by KFRO. Idea is a “buy-here” variation, with the wrappers bearing such notation over station’s imprint and slogan. Distribution, says station president James R. Curtis, is designed to make “citizens of East Texas more conscious that the radio station is a part of the community and that the money earned by the radio station is spent in the home territory.” WLBC, Muncie, Ind. E. Pierre deMiller, news editor, has his eyes on facsimile news transmission. DeMiller has added to his department a complete photo outfit. Donald Burton, owner, has inaugurated new era of programs. Station has undergone a complete revision of scheduling with many new programs to be added as others fade from the airlanes. Ottis Rousch, chief announcer and Carl Noble, musical director, collaborating on many of the new programs to be on the airwaves this week. Francis “Jake” Higgins, special events announcer, finally has revealed his new wrinkle for his “Sports of Today” program, daily feature. Higgins has studio crammed once-aweek with members of the Magic City Rifle League for discussion on the fine points of shooting. Higgins says he’s going to stage a William Tell exhibition for his air listeners soon. Greetings from Radio Daily Feb. 6 Johnny Allen Wolf February 7 Alan Devitt Lewis Charles