Radio mirror (Nov 1934-Apr 1935)

RADIO MIRROR long enough to get acquainted — there arc arguments about headline honors. * * * Dave Freedman is one of the more adroit of the radio gag writers. His experience creating comedy for Eddie Cantor, George Givot, Fannie Brice and Al Jolson among many others, is the inspiration for a series of radio stories now running in a national magazine. 1 le is also the compiler of a glossary of terms used by gagmen. Here are some of them: A "technocrat" is a great gag which cannot be fitted into a script; a "dragola" is an off-color joke; a "buffaroo" is a powerful quip almost certain to cause a bell}' laugh; a "weakie" is a feeble jest retained in a script until a better one is substituted: "ti ti mi tita" means a sophisticated Park avenue crack: "dynamite" is material that can't miss or possibly is dangerous; and a "hup cha de bup cha" is a sure-fire laugh provoker. * * * Richard Himber. who has plenty of avoirdupois, finds himself from three to five pounds lighter after a broadcast. But don't you worry, dear listener, that Dick will waste awav to a skeleton if he continues as a conductor. The pounds that pass away as he performs on the podium are always restored by a good night's sleep. It is all very mysterious. Less mysterious are the 80 pounds Jacques Renard, another weighty maestro, has lost in five months by dieting. You can see they are gone permanently by merely counting his chins. * * * "Lazy Bill" Huggins was a life guard at Virginia Beach for three years. Between times when bathing beauties got into distress. Bill used to strum a ukulele and sing. Discovering one day that the mermaids were more interested in his songs than in being saved from the Huggins decided on a career as an entertainer Incidentally, he likes being called lazy; indeed, he holds it as a distinction. 'Some of the greatest men in history were lazy," languidly observe" Bill, "but I'm too lazy to look up their names'" Which is Mercury's idea of keeping strictly in character. THE MONITOR MAN SAYS Sponsors despair of ever luring to a microphone 0. 0. Mclntyre, widely syndicated newspaper columnist. In the last two months he has turned down a .mall fortune in offei . . Edward Melvin, Jr.. juvenile "Dixie Circus" performer, has an interesting sideline — he i lothing . . Roger Wolfe Kahn, youthful millionaire maestro, is experimenting with television programs Ruth Etting has two whippets which in con itent wimi. i .it ( ,;ili fornia dog tracks . . [immie Grier plays piano, violin, banjo, flute hi i I le ( .hi also play the sax but n't Nize mans! nighl club engagemi nts I larrv Ri hm.in llew in I loll) wood lor a short holiday. And back came a fan58 Hot and Airy (Continued from page 15) tastic story of what happened when he went acalling on Clara Bow, once a flame of his, as you may recall. Either the night club sheik is losing his grip or the California sunshine is too much for him. Anyway when he knocked on the door of Clara's bungalow one of the "It" girl's girl friends responded. Then, according to the story, Harry rushed through the doorway and gathered her in his arms in a bear-like hug. "Oh, Clara, you are more marvelous than ever!" he is supposed to have exclaimed as he planted right where it did the most good a great big kiss. "Sir," shouted the lady, breaking away from his embrace, "how dare you!" And it was only then — still according to Mercury's Hollywood scout — that Richman discovered his error. Whereupon he is reported to have become so upset and mortified that he beat a hasty retreat. . But not before mistaking Clara, appearing to see what all the commotion was about, for her maid! Relief from financial troubles via the bankruptcy courts — a method popular with film folks — isn't sought much in radio circles. Perhaps it is because ether entertainers are more provident and don't find it necessary to go in for extravagant display. So when one does file a petition in bankruptcy it becomes a real item of, news. All of which is introductory to recording here that Irene Taylor, under her real name of Irene Martin, acknowledges debts of $5,938 with no assets. Of this amount $5,450 represents commissions a firm of booking agents is trying to collect for getting engagements for Irene. The $488 liability remaining is listed as payments due on a car. * * * Just because he left strict injunctions not to be disturbed under any pretext while occupied with his radio rehearsal, Al Jolson is $30,000 poorer. His broker tried to get him on the phone at the studio to warn him certain stocks were dropping. A page boy, standing sentinel at the door, wouldn't allow the message to be delivered. A $30,000 loss, however, doesn't spell bankruptcy to Jolson — he has got plenty. Of course, you've noticed that Jolson doesn't remain on the air more than five or six broadcasts in a row. Here's the reason as Al explained it to A4ercury: "No matter how big you are, if you try to stay on week after week, year after year, people get tired of you and you go the way of all flesh. How can any one go on for 40 weeks in a row anil find a good script every week ':" + * * STARS ARE STYLISTS Radio stars all possess a certain ial Hiii known colloquially as "It." I a< h is distinguished by an original style, developed under various en nments ami influences, Smith, lor instance, gives the majority of her songs a ballad treatment. She sings each song "straight", hitting every note as it was written, never ad-libbing or improvising. Her hearty, direct style was developed during her first experiences before an audience, when she sang war time ballads to entertain soldiers in camps around Washington. Bing Crosby, on the other hand, rarely sings a song "straight". He treats each number with different variations "swinging" a song while his accompanying orchestra carries the melody. His special style of syncopation was developed when he was one of Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys, where he had valuable training in ad-libbing and harmony. Fray and Braggiotti, whose twopiano programs are distinguished from the way they "kid" the old masters, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, by playing "Yankee Doodle" as they would play it, and by mixing classics with sophisticated arrangements of popular tunes, fell accidentally upon their amusing style. Both were serious music students in Paris, and both were a little bored with highbrowism. So they began to burlesque the highbrows, and were so successful commercially that they haven't stopped since. Vera Van's "intimate" style of singing blues was developed when she was soloist with Gus Arnheim's band, aiming her voice softly at the ears of dancers who gathered around the bandstand. Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians reached fame partly on the strength of college medleys and glee club specialties first developed by Fred in his campus days at Penn State University. Nino Martini, one of the few opera stars who perfectly understands microphone technique, owes his flawless tenor voice, with its depth of feeling, its lack of strain and pretention, to a life lived for music. He denies himself late hours, smoking, drinking, or anything which might be injurious to his voice. His style is youthful, unspoiled and executed with perfect technique. * * * Walter Winchell revived the rumor that Lanny Ross is married and contributed the additional information that he is a daddy. The bride wasn't named, so Radio Row assigned that role to Lanny's business manager, the personable Olive White. All parties concerned emphatically deny the story. But Olive and Lanny are terribly devoted. She even accompanies him to Hollywood where he is making a picture. * * * There is a new racket being played on radio celebs. A mysterious voice over the phone warns that a gang of kidnappers are plotting to do their stufl'. Ihe next day's mail brings a letter from a man offering his services as bodyguard lor $25 per diem. Few radio slars have fallen lor the dodge; those frightened into hiring protection usually apply to a reliable detective agency, ^