Radio Digest (June 1932-Mar 1933)

"I'd like to tell you about the campaign for the eight hour day for the New York firemen. It started about the same time that Katy began singin' on the radio for the Columbia Broadcasting System — and it was a hard time she had getting started just the same as anybody else, if you must know — and Jimmy Chambers, excuse me, I mean Mr. James F. Chambers, Executive Secretary of the Uniformed Firemen's Association of Greater New York (please put all that in the story) he was head over heels in the campaign when of a sudden one night his boss, Vinny, I mean Vincent J. Kane, president of the organization, turned the dial, and whist, he heard a voice that made him think 'twas sure enough an angel singin' down to the earth from the pearly gates of heaven. Well, Miss, who should it be that he heard but Katy, I mean Kate Smith, the Songbird of the South. sound of their shouts and applause as Kate received the badge." Pat submitted something written by one of his newspaper friends which was about as follows : Through her association with the smoke eaters Kate was brought to hospitals where were quartered former buddies of these firemen when they were in service. Would Kate sing for the "S o MR. Mr. Kane, calls up Chambers and says he to Mr. Chambers 'Did you hear that girl, Kate Smith singin' on the rad-dio?' And Mr. Chambers says, 'No, who ?' and betwixt them it happens to Mr. Chambers to try and make a call to Miss Smith by telephone, and he asks would she be singin' a song for the firemen in their campaign for the eight hour day. And what do you suppose she says ? She says 'Sure, she'd be glad to.' And in less than a week it was every single one of those 573,000 fire fighters knew that Kate Smith was a friend. And they lost no time adopting her into their organization as a regular buddy. "Well it was grand. Kate was all for them and they could not do enough for her. Then came the grand ball at Madison Square Garden and the largest dance ever held there — 26,000 tickets were sold — and Kate was the guest of honor. There was plenty of grand speech makin' and Kate was presented with a gold fireman's badge. The rafters of the great hall trembled with the 17 dience its every wish. She developed the idea of Service, and she gave Service. This she maintained when she attained the heights of a salary and carried it to the stage of the houses on Broadway. The letter again appeared as the beginning of Success and it also begins her name as well as her billing "Songbird of the South." Kate's greatest failing is acknowledged in her inability to pronounce a monosyllable, the shortest in the English language. Many others have the same difficulty to utter that identical word, NO. Will you appear for a benefit at our church? Sure. Will you sing for our Legion Post? Sure. Will you come over to the crippled children hospital? Sure. Thus Kate, because of her inability to pronounce two letters became the world's greatest benefit artist. E^ Kate Smith before the camera wounded men ? Certainly. The first arrangements for Kate's appearance in hospital was planned by the firemen, members of the American Legion. Then Kate acquired another batch of friends making her own personal audience more than a million. Nurses, doctors, Red Cross, hospital superintendents numbered themselves amongst her friends and along came her sponsor on the air. Kate has continued with this one program for almost two years, her contract runs that long. The nineteenth letter in the alphabet means much to Kate, for it begins the words that have been much in her life. She always believed in giving the au VERYwhere the call was for Kate Smith for any and every benefit, and there is an average of one a night and some times five. Most are worthy but the benefit game has resulted into one of Broadway's finest rackets. Many interesting occurrences arise in the course of these transactions. The invited artists have but little time to learn the worthiness of some of the benefits. Many times the artists are called on to do the promoter or manager a favor. Kate recalls one such affair. It seems that a certain newspaper man made a reputation for himself with the boss by turning benefits promoted by the paper into success. He would put it up to Miss Smith as "one Irishman to another" to help put the dinner over. Kate came and sang. Then, one day, a call came for her help. She was too ill to go. The writer chap said he'd get her. But he didn't. Then he circulated the yarn that she was insincere. Did that burn the firemen up ? It did. That's why Pat visited the Radio Digest. He wants all you listeners to know that Kate Smith is always "Sincerely Yours."