Radio doings (Dec 1930-Jun1932)

DOPE ON DOBBS By CARL T. NUNAN DOBBSIE started his radio career with his Health Exercise period, interspersed with "applesauce" and every morning at 6:45 KPO dialers found him laughing, joking and instructing; a no mean accomplishment for such an early hour of the morning. And in the confines of their rooms — the fat — the thin — all swayed to the rhythm of his singing together with that of his musical partner, William H. "Wee Willie" Hancock. Then one day E. H. Sanders, advertising and sales promotion manager of the Shell Oil Company, twisting his dial for good early morning entertainment, stopped on the KPO air wave and was instantly certain that he had found the right man for a Shell Happytime broadcast. So "Dobbsie" was engaged by him to conduct the program and "Dobbsie" became the Captain of the "Shell Ship of Joy," which "puts off" every morning from KPO at 8 o'clock on a mythical cruise to the ports of the weary — and as he cruises he radios his messages of cheer — his words of consolation— his harbingers of hope. "Dobbsie" estimates, that to date, he has received over two million letters. The letters contain words of approval Dobbsie Himself and an avalanche of "ammunition" as he calls it — a verse — a motto — a personal note — a window swap in which the writer of the letter tells a humanly intimate, interest story which "Dobbsie" reads over the air. When he selects an artist in whom he sees possibilities his instructions to them are to "be yourself." He has brought the renowned Walt Rosener and his wonderful Fox Theatre Grand Concert Orchestra as a regular Monday morning feature of his KPO Happytime; he discovered Horace Heidt and his orchestra, when it was a struggling and unknown aggregation of University of California students and built them up until they won the signal honor of being engaged for a season at Monte Carlo; he remembered Dick Jose and brought him back to popularity after a quarter of a century of discard, so that the older generation could again dream sweet dreams of long ago by tuning in on his programs and once again hear Jose sing those favorites of yesteryear, "Silver Threads Among the Gold," and "When You and I Were Young, Maggie." "Dobbsie" cannot be credited with discovering Lee S. Roberts, famous composer of "Smiles," nor Carrie Jacobs-Bond, California's beloved composer of such immortal melodies as "I Love You Truly," "Just a Wearying for You," and "Perfect Day," but he must be given due credit for foreseeing their possibilities as radio performers and securing them as feature artists of his programs. An idea of how the radio audience of KPO welcomed the appearance of Carrie Jacobs-Bond can best be understood by a glance at the accompanying picture of the noted composer taken with Dobbs in the KPO studio, immediately following her first broadcast. Over two thousand letters are piled up on the microphone table. Sam P. Moore, of the "Follies" came west as a member of the team of Edmund Evans and Sam Moore. Evans also was formerly a star of "Broadway." Dobbs heard them in an audition and promptly advised them that henceforth they would be known as "Sambo and Ed, the Beloved Vagabonds of the Air." Their portrayal of the Southern darky is unique in the annals of broadcasting and has brought them remarkable sucf Continued on Page 44) "Sambo" and "Ed" with "Mandy" — Some of Dobsie's Gang . . . above Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Composer, with Dobbsie ... at right Page Thirty-fiva