Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

Page Fourteen RADIO DOINGS March, 1931 Cn yeur Eight, Ladies and Gentlemen By MONROE UPTON . . . Publicity Director . . . KFRC HAVING received from Miss Dorothy Hummel an invitation to write something about the KFRC artists in the same manner that Dick Creedon wrote about the KHf artists in last month's RADIO DOINGS it has taken me three days to make up my mind — not because I don't like to write about the KFRC artists, but because it's a tough assignment to write like Dick Creedon. How can I so felicitously mix delightful humor with unstinted praise and convincing revelations of virtue and artistry? How can I make people laugh and at the same time see the halo around the artists' heads? How CAN I write like Dick Creedon. Well, anyway, I can write like Monroe Upton, which will have to do until Dick comes along again. Not being equal to the "pick-em-out-ofthe-hat" gag I'll have to give you as many of our artists as space permits and then try and survive the hard looks of the rest as best I can. My practical sense moves me to start off with the man to whom I go for a raise every three months (once I got one), Mr. Harrison Holliway. He is five feet eight inches in height, has a blonde mustache which he wears au natural, a boyishly engaging smile, a clean cut profile, smokes a pipe, and he never misses a thing that goes out over KFRC when he is at home evenings. He watches the steady stream of programs like a hawk. After KFRC shuts down he breaks out his short wave receiver and listens to the "hams" over in Japan, Australia, South Africa and Turkestan. He was a "ham" himself back in 1911, when he was ten years old, and since that time traveled all over the world as a radio operator. He has been K F R C ' s manager over five years ag< is tired of the "ha that Harrison the III rector, also has a very beautiful wife, Peggy Willson. All Meredith does is direct the station's music and conduct the orchestra Harrison Holl'.wav nee it s inception Well, after he it's about time iged seven months, requires some attention. And 9 o'clock finds him at his KFRC desk again. We can't leave Harrison without mentioning his pretty wife, fuliette, who was a idio i ken ind : before her Now she jp being a lother in a large way and the unemployment situation hasn't bothered her at all. You hear Harrison Holliway announcing the Golden State Blue Monday Jamboree each Monday night. Meredith Willson. ]uanita Tennyson KFRC's Musical Di The Clar\e Sisters for the most important programs, but Peggy drops in occasionally looking very sweet and lovely, which is a lot more important to us around here. They were married back in Iowa before Meredith found fame as flute soloist with the New York Philharmonic, as director of the Seattle Symphony at the age of 27, as scorer of pictures in Hollywood and as Musical Director of KFRC. His favorite magazine is the New Yorker, which is Peggy's favorite also, and he is well liked by the alleged comedians because he laughs at their gags. I don't know whether he laughs at the blue notes of the alleged musicians or not — anyway they like it when he praises them for any exceptional musicianship. Oh yes, I forgot to say (as Dick did about KHJ), we're all just one big happy family up here and to know us is to love us. (Wait a minute until I throw three people out of my office who are kicking because they haven't been getting enough publicity lately. One of them has a knife.) Now, who's next? You don't hear very much about Merle Matthews, but she is one of the powers behind the programs from the KFRC studios. She is our production manager. She is both demure and active. She's the one person KFRC couldn't get along without, not only because she write-, plenty of romantic continuity and provides a lot of ideas and sees that the studios function in good shape, but because she's the only one around the shop who is always ready to go to lunch with you. The world could be turned upside down without finding another as agreeable about going to lunch. She's a sweet girl, Merle, and if she doesn't break Don Lee buying oil to burn at midnight KFRC will be kept on its feet. Juanita Tennyson and Margaret O'Dea. our staff soprano and contralto respectively. belong to the traditions of Bay radio. "Dinty" Doyle of the Oakland Post Enquirer recently gave them first string positions on his Bay radio team. Miss Tennyson on the air is Mrs. Tennyson at home — her husband is Dr. Tennyson, dentist. Miss O'Dea is still Miss O'Dea when she is at home. She lives with her mother and drives around in her car for recreation. Both Juanita and Margaret are native daughters. I've written so much about "Mac," Harry McClintock, it just isn't funny any more. Mac is just Mac. He's amusing off the air or on. . He and his bunch of alleged cowboys are now playing country dances over the week-ends and getting away with it handsomely. The little kids and the old folks come to see Mac while the young ladies come to see Cecil Wright, who plays vhe guitar, harmonica, sings and has a profile like a Greek God. They're all good clean boys — which is the worst I can say about them. Mac ran away from his Tennessee home at the age of 14 with Gentry's Dog and Pony show. He soldiered in the Philippines, sailored all over the world, railroaded on two continents, mined on three and made a musical vagabond of himself for a good many years before he settled down with radio. Dick Rickard is now mastering the ceremonies on Feminine Fancies and reports m everything under con &k trol. Dick was turned out on an unsuspect^^^^^^^H ing world by the University of WashingI ,7"J% IrviJ ton — he is the epitome of agreeableness, fl and his eagerness to A .... ™ see life from all an gles and positions has led him to barge around the world as a sailor and to pursue other and less dignified pursuits. Young, honest, good-looking, intelligent and recently married. That's all I can say about HIM. look at the tenor department. Robert Olsen, Norman Nielsen. Charles Bulotti and Elbert Bellows are occupying the pedestals. The first two provide the ballads and popular songs, the last two the classics and semi classics. Robert Olsen is our prize recording artist. He is also our prize Nordic. Tall and slender, blonde and serious, he only melts when he approaches a microphone. He is a proud and devoted family man, with two interesting children and a lovely wife. He was married long before radio came along and was in the wholesale grocery business. Norman reveals the innermost secrecies of his Margaret O'Dea Now let's ha