Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

March, 1931 RADIO DOINGS Page Fifteen Robert Olsen soul when he clowns daily on the HappyGo-Lucky Hour. The young ladies like hnn because of his good looks, the old ladies because they would like to mother him, and both because of his voice. Charles Bulotti is president of the Machinery Dealers' Association and his magnificent voice is just a side line with him. We only use him on the Sunday night Cadillac-La Salle and on the General Paint program on Tuesday nights. Elbert Bellows was on four sectors of the Western front during the war with the light artillery and was initiated into the show business with one of the American army shows that entertained the soldiers in France after the Armistice. He has been studying and working hard ever since. He worked as a blacksmith for a year and a half to build up his physique. Altbough he is new to the KFRC staff his well trained and splendid voice is rapidly gaining him a following. The two Ednas! Edna O'Keefe and Edna Fischer! We wrote about these two talented young ladies for RADIO DOINGS a couple of months ago so we shall pass over them at present. The Pearce Brothers are next. Al and Cal aren't at all alike. Al is blonde, inclined to be a bit stout, has boundless energy and likes to be at the head of things. Cal is dark complexioned, slender, enjoys taking it easy and doesn't care at all about being at the tiller. The Happy-Go-Lucky-Hour is a testimonial to the powers of Al. He has raised it from a tenor solo. Speaking of Happy-Go-Lucky, there is Tommy Harris and Charles Cartier, a couple of lads who have come a long way in radio in a comparatively short time. Tommy has that something it takes to make the ladies feel sentimental, Charley intrigues their fancy. Tommy is the senior of the two, he's nineteen. The age of Charley has been variously estimated at from 15 to 17. Just a couple of kids who have made good in a big way — along with Happy-Go-Lucky. I find I have neglected our announcers. Walter Bunker, Jr., is the chief. Walter is a "good guy" raised to the 10th power. Nothing ever bothers him very much. Life is a sort of a casual proposition to him. He is one of the few persons who can have a good time while having a good time. His announcing is popular because he is natural, he doesn't try to say more than he feels like he was "speaking a piece." However, he isn't our only popular announcer. There's Lin Church and Fred Lane. Lin attended Harvard, likes to collect old books, and is a student with an appreciation of the artistic aspects of existence. He was sc lected from a large group of candidates for the job. Fred Lane belongs to the school Cecil Wright a great many of us graduated from — the cafeteria system of education. We took what we could get — and afford as we went along. He followed the sea for a good many years as a radio operator — a life conducive to contemplation. Fred is a writer, too. William H. Wright is the man of many names on KFRC. His versatility has made him the victim of many incognitos. Professor Hamburg is, perhaps, the best known — though he is also, at the present time, Zeb, of Eb and Zeb (Al Pearce is Eb), Reginald Cheerily and Steamboat Bill. At Christmas time he is Santa Claus. Bill is married, lives in Burlingame, and has a cute little daughter who says "mizzable" for miserable. (Something which his wife never is.) He smokes Al and Cal Pearce huge black dirigible-like cigars and is a swell fellow, on a party or off. Walter Kclscy is our Assistant Musical Director, and he runs the music on Feminine Fancies. He plays as many instruments as he has fingers and sings besides, but the violin is his favorite. Walter is still a young man, has always had equal amounts of ambition and energy and has come a long way since his care-free boyhood days in Monterey. He is married, and little Walter, Jr., shows healthy signs of following in the musi cal foot-steps of his father — he can sing the popular tunes he has heard over the radio. There was a story and a picture about Pedro last month, so I'll let him off this time. Eleanor Allen provides our organ programs. She is a big-hearted girl who refuses to take life too seriously — not seriously enough to get married. She'll go on a party with you with practically no urging at all. The Clarke Sisters are a pair of swell blondes who began their radio career over KFI, in Los Angeles several years ago, and since that time have played vaudeville all over the country. They're always on their toes, musically, and off the air they smile a good deal, which be theni e ry John Moss comes much. Billy Cowles is our master accompanist. If you can't sing when Bill plays for you there is no hope for you. He is also a youth, someplace around 23 or 24, unmarried, attended University of Southern California, was with the Hollywood Music Box Revue, helped make some pictures and was accompanist for the Rounders. We will close with John Moss and Ronald Graham, basso and baritone respectively. John is a very tall, good-looking, dignified Englishman, who didn't like "toting up accounts," went in for fruit farming, which landed him in Canada, and then drifted down to the U.S.A. He had studied music for several years in England, both voice and piano, and he began to study again after coming to Canada. Ronald Graham comes from London also, of Scotch parentage, but he came while still a small lad (he was in kilts when he arrived) shortly after the war. His father was an army officer in France and the family lived in London. Ronald is 19, and although he is also a talented artist with the brush has chosen music as his career. What ho! Darned if I didn't almost leave out Doakes and Doakes of Jamboree fame. Doakes and Doakes are really man and wife, or Hardy and Betty Gibson. They have played every vaudeville circuit in the country and a few in Canada and Australia. Real troopers, arc Doakes and Doakes. And now they've settled down in San Francisco to raise their family. Editor's Note — Since Mr. Upton didn't quite fill the space we have to jump into the breach with our trusty typewriter. What do you think of this department, fans? Do you find it interesting reading? Who would you like to write the next "On Tour Right Ladies and Gentlemen" or would you just as soon not have a next one? Personally, we think it is grand reading (but maybe that's because we don't have to work so hard when others do it.) Ho