Radio Digest (May 1931-May 1932)

Listener LOMBARDOS FEATURED LAST FEBRUARY f HAVE just read your September issue ■* and am a little disappointed. I should like to see more pictures of some of my favorites. For instance, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. And some pictures of Julia Sanderson and Frank Crummit on NBC's network. Here's hoping to see some of these pictures in the very near future. — W. Z., Shaft, Pa. MANY TIMES WE'VE BOOSTED HIM [ HARDLY agree with L. C. Braddock -* about Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. Let's have more articles and pictures concerning these artists. There are many good orchestras, including Rudy Vallee's, but Guy Lombardo is unique. Come on and boost Lombardo before I lose my good opinion of Radio Digest. — Baltimore Admirer. TUT! TUT! CHRISTINE f HAVE received your notice of the ex■* piration of my subscription to Radio Digest. I have no wish to renew it and pay for a magazine that is full of everlasting blah about Rudy Vallee. Who is this Vallee anyhow? When he some day appears in television I expect we will be able to see his organ grinder as well. You steadfastly refuse to give space to one who deserves it most of all. One who did not receive his great success through cheap publicity and silly women, but through a superior understanding of the public's likes. His vocalists are beyond compare, and his music sweet, hot, and dulcet, possessing an exquisite beauty, and celestial purity found only in the syncopation of the sweetest band this side of heaven. Yes, I speak of the King of the Air, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians orchestra. — Christine Hass, 7320 25th Ave., Kenosha, Wis. HEY! HEY! KMCS? WE ARE writing to thank you for those splendid articles and pictures of our Southern California artists which appeared in the September issue of Radio Digest. We want you to know how much we enjoyed reading your October issue also. In fact we think the magazine is always great and enjoy it even though we don't hear many of the artists whom you write about. Would appreciate it very much if you could arrange to have some pictures of the "Family Album Gang" at KMCS in Inglewood, California. — S. and A. Kovacevich, Inglewood, Cal. BETTY UPS AND SAYS IF SLANG of a mild type is permitted let me say that Jean Anderson "Hit it on the nose" with too mild a wallop in the November V.O.L. Months ago someone wrote about Guy Lombardo; still another wrote about some other stellar radio star, but, — well, I'll "ah-but." Ben Bcrnie fans got their little write-up of about 2,000 words. Now we have just had 900 words on Lew Conrad to pacify his fans. Kate Smith, I am glad to see, got a bigger hand. I think some people need a bump somewhere to wake them up. Talk about Radio Hogs ! If I want to know about my radio favorites I don't push, or elbow, or infringe upon others. What I am trying to say is, that judging from the tone of voice employed by some writers to the V.O.L. they are under the impression that Radio Digest is the exclusive property of their favorites and a sort of "Holy of Holies" into which no other artist can show his face. Nothing spoils my esteem of an artist so much as to have his fans write nasty letters about other artists, such as those that have appeared in this column before. Rudy Vallee, I think that it is time for you to step in and give your fans a friendly pat on the back and tell them there are other programs on the air besides your two hours of broadcasting. The Vallee fans seem to be the most consistent critics of the other artists. — Betty Jamieson, 635 Stibbs St., Wooster, Ohio. IF WE ONLY COULD! T WANT to thank you for the invaluable -*■ service you are rendering the radio fans all over the country through the many splendid features of your magazine. I should like to make two suggestions that I think would be of real benefit to your readers. First of all would it not be possible sometime in the near future to print the street addresses of the various radio stations. I have had occasion to write to station WOR, and as I did not know their address, I was forced to send it simply to Newark, N. J. I am sure that the post office department would be greatly pleased if such letters could be addressed more fully as it would save them time and trouble. There are several hundred letters being mailed to radio stations each day and it would help a great deal if we all knew their exact address. My other request has to deal with the publication of Radio Digest. We have to wait until after the 20th of the month to get the issue for the current month. Can it not be issued earlier ? Perhaps it would be better to skip a month and on the 20th of November issue the December issue and extend all subscriptions one month. The psychological effect would be better. When all the other magazines are in our hands before the date imprinted on the cover, and yours comes so late it gives the impression of poor business methods. Before the summer months we received the publication at an earlier date. — Leslie Earl Catlin, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. MARCELLA, DO YOUR DUTY ClNCE I am now a regular reader of ^ Radio Digest I have a request to make. In one of your future issues will you please try to include a picture of Edward Reese the CBS dramatic actor, lie is the leading man in the Crime Club broadcasts every Monday and Wednesday, and I should like very much to see a picture of him. — Jack Yost, 80 Jackson Ave., Bellevue, Pa. 55 HE'S OFF TO THE WARS TN THE Voice of the Listener it seems *■ that everyone is telling who is their radio favorite; so I'm going to tell who is my favorite. It is Floyd Gibbons. He adds life to the radio. Won't you please give us a story about him? Tell us about the things he likes and does. How tall is he? What's the color of his hair? What are his favorite sports and what does he like to eat? Give us some of all the interesting things that go to make up an interesting Radio Digest story. By the way, has Floyd Gibbons gone off the air? I never hear him any more. Now let me put in a word for Radio Digest. It's a wonderful magazine, but please please don't spoil it by adding gossip. I am not in the least interested in the scandal of the studios, and I don't think many folks are. — A. R., Hope Valley, R. I. WHO CAN TELL HER? A/fAYBE some of you Russ Columbo 1V-1 fans will help me out. Night after night I sit by the radio and listen to the gentleman. I have heard him called the greatest sensation ever to appear before the microphone, and other terms meant to describe this new artist. Yet I sit unimpressed by the whole thing. The only feeling I have ever experienced was a keen desire to stick a pin into him to see if he would sing a little faster than the eight-times-slowerthan-normal method he uses. I have nothing against Russ Columbo or his voice, and I would be glad to be one of his fans if some one would take the trouble to tell me just what I should look for in his program.— Mildred Curnow, 2698 Doris Ave., Detroit, Mich. HER LUCKY DAY T PURCHASED my copy of the Radio ■* Digest on a Friday the 13th, but I think that from now on that is going to be my lucky date and day because I was certainly in luck to find such a fine magazine. My favorite radio stars are the organists. Lew White, Jesse Crawford and Ann Leaf are at the top of the pile as far as I am concerned. Read in your last issue where a Radio Fan wanted to start a contest to see who was the most popular ; — Phil Cook or the Tastyeast Jesters. My vote goes for the Jesters. — Organ Fan, Downer's Grove, 111. TWO IN 58,642 ! I'M ONE of those 58,642 admirers of Muriel Wilson, mentioned by Esther on the V. O. L. page for October. I heartily endorse her request for pictures and articles. I even stretch this request to include Fred Hufsmith, Ivy Scott, Harold Sanford and Henry M. Neely, the "Old Stager." Everyone of them has done such splendid work on the air that she is entitled to plenty of space between the covers of Radio Digest. Let me emphasize that point for the Old Stager. During the year that I have taken your magazine it has contained no material about Mr. Neely, Save a scanty two-line reference. I can*t understand this neglect, but I think it is shameful. Mr. Neely's genial personality has won him thousands of friends in the radio audience, although he'd be the last person to boast about it. I don't see why you haven't listed the Old Stager's memYics in your Blue Ribbon Features, It's one of the treats of the week. I think I've had my say and I'd better sign off, I hope you get a response from the other 58,640. (Watch for Mr. Neely. We'll have somethin' about him soon.) — Robert Carver, Jr., West Hartford, Conn.