Radio daily (Oct-Dec 1949)

4 RADIO DAILY Wednesday, December 14, 1949 SOUTHWEST TED NABORS, program director of KTHT, MBS and TSN outlet in Houston, has again been appointed of radio publicity for the annual Goodfellows Christmas Drive. Feature of this year's radio campaign is a request for listeners to write a letter to Nabor's "Top-o-the-Morning" program on KTHT, telling their own opinion of "what it means to be a Goodfellow." Letters need not include donations, but past experience proves most will contain a contribution. Harold Hough, director of WBAPTV, Fort Worth, has announced the results of the latest tabulation of teevee sets in the Fort Worth-Dallas area, as a whopping 26,225 receivers. This figure is indicated by the number of names on the WBAP-TV free program mailing list to set owners and information from dealers and distributors in the area. Latest total is up 5,425 sets during the past month. WOIA-TV program director, Justin R. Duncan, opened San Antonio's first live television program surprise package with the words "anything may happen tonite," and then proved his statement with the completely unrehearsed "Family Affair" which spotlighted WOAI-TV personnel. The informal WOAI-TV preview, which began regular programming on December 11th, drew a prompt telephone response that indicates an anxiously enthusiastic TV audience awaits the day when the regular schedule will get onto their screens. Dick Perry, WOAI-TV production manager alternated with Duncan in the emcee post and all departments were represented in the "cast" that included Dallas Wyant, promotion manager, Hull Youngblood, film manager, Bud Vinson, ventriloquist, Eddie Hyman, sports director, Margaret Weinheimer, vocalist, Eugene Jenkins, engineering, and Betty Cochrane, secretary to WOAI-TV's greatest booster, Hugh A. L. Halff, sometimes referred to as President of WOAI-TV. Disc Jockey To Interview Baseball Stars In Flight (Continued from Page 1) York City in behalf of the Christmas seal drive. While the flight is in progress, Ellis will interview the celebrities for later broadcast. The show will be carried by Ellis on his Giant Jottings program over WMCA from 6:45 to 7:00 p.m. between now and Christmas. The flight is being conducted in cooperation with the New York Tuberculosis and Health Association, The New York Giants, The National Airlines and WMCA. To be heard on the programs are Robert Merrill, bandleader Wingy Manone, Rex Barney and Ralph Branca of the Dodgers, Sid Gordon of the Giants, Primo Camera, Carl Braun, Joe Falcaro, Lee Omo, and Lee Savold. Man About Manhattan. . . • • • AROUND TOWN: Helbros Watch Co., has picked up the tab on NBC's "Richard Diamond" series with Dick Powell. . . . Local Ford dealers have bought an hour on ABC-TV Christmas Eve plus an hour Christmas Day to present the British film, Chas. Dickens' "Christmas Carol." . . . His intimates insist that Fred Allen is quietly readying a television series for next season, . . . Xavier Cugat due in town next week to hire some new musicians for his March tour of Europe. . . . Look-alikes: Mel Allen and the Shah of Iran. . . . Jimmy Fidler building a TV show with format slanted toward the kiddie trade. . . . Roberta Quinlan being set for a recording deal with Decca. ... Sir Stork winging toward the Chuck (WABD) Tranums. . . . When Gene Williams was asked "what happened to vaudeville's comeback," he cracked: "It only came back for revenge, so it's killing television." . . . Dorothy Lamour opening her own dress manufacturing outlets which will be affiliated with 20th Century Frocks, of L. A, . . . Jack Gilford's description of a conservative: A guy who can wait to see the film version of "So. Pacific" when it comes to television. . . . Allen Flint's Candid Camera gets a citation from the U. S. Camera mag for having been "the television show to make the most outstanding new contribution to photography in 1949." ■sir -fr ft ft • • • The alleged oracles with the muscular typewriters have been saying for a long time now that video will have to create its own talent. Maybe so, but from what we've observed, most of the really great work in TV is being done by lads Who cut their eyeteeth on radio and took the newer medium in stride. John Tillman, WIPX's chief announcer and night program supervisor, is a case in point. This youthful TV pioneer, who's already got some 3000 TV hours under his belt, can look back on some 15 years in radio. In the course of his work now, John performs as an emcee, news commentator and straight spieler on some 25 stanzas a week. He'd be the first to admit the value of his training garnered in radio. Video has its own special requirements, of course, but don't minimize the importance of radio background. ft ft ft ft • • • Roger Kay just dropped in at our desk and made our eyes pop with the most impressive presentation for a TV show that we've yet glimpsed. (When we first broke into this business, our editor cautioned us against ever calling anything 'the most' — but there's gotta be an exception sometime). At any rate, this presentation he whipped up for "The Cheater," starring Paul Lukas (whom he has under exclusive contract for radio and TV, incidentally) is the MOST BEAUTIFUL we've ever seen. The art work alone on its nine pages took 32 man-hours per page, just to give you a slight idea. Roger also dropped the information that he's very close to a sale on the package for both radio and TV — but not a simulcast. This Roger Kay has cut himself quite a swath in the few years he's been in this country. Born in Cairo in 1920, he lived most of his life in Paris. Arriving in this country in 1942, he allowed himself a few months to learn the language and then entered network radio via a job as director at ABC. Leaving the web he served for a while with the OWI as a director of French and Italian shows and in 1946 trotted off to H'wood where he dashed off the screenplay for "Desperate Holiday." Back to N. Y. in '49, he created, perfected and produced "For Angels Only," a widely-publicized and imitated hour-long TV show. In August he formed Roger Kay Enterprises with six packages ready for action, including the aforementioned Paul Lukas starrer and "Everything for Angela," with Mady Christians. Quite a record for a lad who had to learn the language less than 10 years ago — and we thought you'd be a» impressed with It as we are. CHICAGO By HAL TATE CLAUDE KIRSCHNER will emcee the annual Off-the-Street Club party which will be televised by W E N R T V on December 24th. Kirschner, who is ring-master of ABC-TV's "Super Circus" show, will have among his guests Peggy Lee, Hildegarde, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and a host of others. It will be a full hour show. Nelson Bros. Furniture stores, one of Chicago's biggest radio advertisers, have extended the Tony Weitzell show into a nightly 10-minute series over WBBM. Weitzell is columnist for the Chicago Daily News. The George Hartman agency handles the Nelson Bros, account while Herby Bailey Associates handle the contract for Weitzell. Jack Brinkley, head of the recording firm bearing his name, happy to see his youngster who is home from aviation school for the holidays. Lucky Strike cigarettes reported just about ready to close a deal for Dave Garraway's TV show on NBC. Ethel Smith, former "Hit Parader," and queen of the Hammond organ, opened her first cafe engagement at Chicago's Blackstone Hotel Dec. 9 for four weeks. Ethel interrupted preparations of her own TV show to accept the engagement. Her TV show will originate in New York and present plans call for a daily show of music and comedy talk featuring herself and a "booking agent." The latter would be a puppet character. WBBM announcer Fahey Flynn acted as emcee of "Bond's Children's Christmas Party" from the lobby of the RKO-Palace Theater on December 10th. Santa Claus was "guest star." The annual ABC-NBC Christmas party will be held Saturday morning December 17th at ABC's Civic Studio. The entire cast of ABC's "Super Circus," plus several vaudeville acts, will furnish the entertainment. "Movies for Kids," new Saturday morning feature over WBKB, proved to be one of the greatest audience draws in recent years, according to John Mitchell, manager. Show is aired from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. when no other TV station is on the air. Johnny Desmond is starting a "G.I. Hit Parade" on the "Breakfast Club." 1906 1949 CONFISEUR FRENCH RESTAURANT LUNCHEON from $2.00 DINNER from $3.00 COCKTAIL BAR JamouA.ffienc/i CandieA 15 East 52 nd St. AIR CONDITIONED