Radio Digest (May 1931-May 1932)

62 kind of fun we enjoy among ourselves on the ranch." That the true spirit of their entertainment efforts is carried to radio listeners is evident from the great response they have received from members of the WJR audience. The personnel includes Otto himself; Mrs. Otto "Mommie" Gray; "Zeb" Gray, the Uke Buster; "Zeke" Allen, who plays the fiddle ; "Hy" Allen, who plays the banjo; and Chief Sanders, half-breed Cherokee Indian, 'cellist. "Rex," a well-trained police dog also plays a prominent part in the radio programs with his barking. The Oklahoma Cowboys are expected to spend a month or more in and around Detroit, making appearances in theatres in this vicinity. In the intervals between their theatre engagements, they will be heard on the air onlv through WJR, The Goodwill Station. the broadcast is an original march written by Erwin Glucksman, BBC arranger, who directs the 18 piece orchestra during the broadcast. Listeners were asked to suggest a name for the march and hundreds of letters were received. "The Buffalo Centennial March" was chosen by a Chamber of Commerce committee as the most fitting title. Another interesting feature of this Wednesday evening WGR production is the invitation which is extended to leading Buffalo industrialists to visit the studios. Three minutes are reserved at the conclusion of each broadcast for one of Buffalo's important industries. The speaker of the evening is usually president or vice-president of the company represented, and invariably the broadcast brings forth comment from his business associates. "Stamps Is Stamps" TTNCLE SAM'S Eagle Eye must *^ have fallen asleep in the Detroit Post Office last week. WJR received a fan letter from one of its youthful listeners with a home made stamp on it! The child apparently took a piece of paper the size of a stamp, colored it with a red crayon, and then precociously dreiv a vague picture of the Father of Our Country on it. The letter ivas delivered— the improvised stamp cancelled and postmarked. "After all, Uncle Sam — two cents is two cents!" WXYZ-Detroit, Sunshine Express FREDDIE (Whoops) Miller engineers a daily thirty minute trip of the Sunshine Express over this station. Nothing is sacred to him once he's been given the air — not even his sponsors' commercial announcements. Miller is backed up with a first class studio ensemble who aid and abet him in the half-hour steeplechase. Reports show his type of advertising talk is not only entertaining to the listeners, but is doing a good job for the people paying his salary. Incidentally the time is 5 :00 P. M., E. S. T. every day until further notice. WGR-Buffalo, Making History B UFFALO MAKES HISTORY" . . . The Chamber of Commerce broadcast, which has become one of the most popular local features, is on the air. Early settlers, dead long since, live again for the evening and their deeds in the winning of the Queen City of the lakes from the wilderness re-live with them. Co-operating with the Chamber of Commerce the Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation has presented the Buffalo Makes History broadcasts over WGR each Wednesday evening for the past several months. Interest in the program has been evinced by business and professional men by letter and telephone after each broadcast. The script, which is written by Herbert Rice, BBC dramatic head, is the result of many hours of research work in the archives of the local library and the incidents are historically correct. One of the outstanding features of PACIFIC COAST ECHOES By W. L. Gleeson The MJB Demi-Tasse revue, plugging MJB coffee over the coast NBC network twice weekly, features John P. Medbury, Hearst humorist and outstanding wisecracker on the western air. Medbury and Ray Perkins are the favorite radio humorists with western listeners, with Winchell trailing. Al Pearce and his KFRC Happy-GoLucky crew played to $8,000 in two shows in Los Angeles and the KFRC Jamboree cast of 22 jammed the Oakland Fox Paramount, playing to a $5,000 midnight show. The Jamboree is playing one city in Northern California each week. J. E. Doyle, radio editor of The Oakland Post-Enquirer and leading critic on the coast, inaugurated a new NBC series with a talk on "Newspapers and Newspaper Men," sent over the Pacific network. The series will bring San Francisco and Oakland newsmen before the mikes. Phil Harris of the Lofner-Harris dance band, playing in the St. Francis hotel, San Francisco, is headlining at the Oakland Orpheum after doing two weeks at the San Francisco Warfield. Nearly 3,000 people have signed a petition asking that Tom Coakley and his Athens Athletic club band (Oakland) ride on the magic carpet with Winchell in the Lucky Strike hour. The band is composed of California, Stanford and St. Mary's graduates. NBC Artists Bureau is seeking a band to take the place of Mahlon Merrick and his Vagabonds at the Palace Hotel. Tom Gerun left the Bal Tabarin, San Francisco, March 24 for New Orleans will later go to Chicago where he will follow Ben Bernie at the College Inn. Gerun then transfers to the William Penn in Pittsburgh. Gerun is featuring Jean Wakefield, blues singer, who has been on NBC and Columbia networks on the coast. Cecil and Sally make one of the most successful coast serials and are heard on transcriptions in other parts of the country. The parts are taken by John Patrick Grogan and Helen Troy. Donald Grey has replaced George Taylor as conductor of the KYA Sunshine program. The program is broadcast every morning and features studio talent. Grey is one of the popular coast ballad singers. Henry Starr, "The Hot Spot of Radio" is pleasing KYA listeners with his unusual style of playing the piano and singing of popular tunes. Starr has a voice that doesn't need a megaphone to get over the second row. Helen Parmelee, KLX staff artist, has been given a nightly spot for her classical piano playing. The veteran Frank Wright has inaugurated a new feature over KTAB called the billboard. The program is put on the air twice a week and consists of reviews of the theatre, with no favorites shown. Partners on the stage for 30 years, Clarence Kolb and Max Dill have teamed as the Dinglebenders, a serial, for the Gilmore Oil Company, broad (Continued on page 70) \ I