Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

are the Mounted's conveyances, although in the long patrols of the Arctic, clogteams are still used in conjunction with 'planes. The\ realize, now, that much ot the work of the Force is plain-clothes, and that the Mounties of today, every bit as grim and relentless on the trail as their colorful predecessors, are akin to the F.B.I, and Scotland Yard in their scientific approaches to the problems of crime. Men in Scarlet is exciting, but not unduly so. Indeed, many of the factual stories, each one complete in six to eight episodes, deal with the aforementioned long patrols and other law-preserving activities of the Force that are educational, as well as good radio fare. The success of the series may be judged from the fact that the Mounties themselves like to hear it, and reports have reached the program's producers of regular sessions around the radios in barracks. Here I must outline one of the most amazing coincidences I have ever run across in this coincidental world: there are two men on the Men in Scarlet program whose names are "Harry E. Foster!" They are not related, Mr. Ripley, and they come from separate parts of the country. They had not met until they began work on Men in Scarlet together. One "Harry E. Foster" is Harry E. (Red) Foster, a former star football player, one of Canada's ace sports and news commentators, and today head of the Harry E. Foster Agencies Limited. "Red" Foster handles the Lowney's Young Canada Club on the broadcasts. The other "Harry E. Foster" is the author of the Men in Scarlet series, who has since resigned himself to fate and taken his middle name, H. Ernest Foster. The Lowney's Young Canada Club is Red Foster's pride and joy, and his only microphone participation in radio today. This club has one of the largest youth iollowings in the country, and has been responsible for the formation of 32 Children's Safety Clubs. The motto of the club is "Safety First and Play the game." There are three kinds of clubs formed: School Safety Patrols, Children's Safety Clubs, and a Bicycle Safety Club. Great success has been achieved with all three. Government officials, mayors of cities and towns, police and fire chiefs, safety leagues have all endorsed the Lowney's Young Catiadn Club for its spirit of foster-ing (no pun intended) fair play and a recognition ol the need for safety. An outstanding feature of the Lowney's Young Canada Club is the weekly presentation of Honor Award Certificates. These certificates are given for heroism or for civic achievements and service on the part of Canadian boys and girls. Signed by Edmund Littler, president of the \Valter M. Lowney Company, these Honor Award Certificates are highly-prized by those courageous or service-minded boys and girls who win them. Teachers, policemen, officials and just plain citizens write in from all over Canada, suggesting some boy or girl for an Honor Award. "Since the W^alter M. Lowney Company first became interested in delving into the cause of the e\er-increasing rate of fatal accidents," said Mr. Littler, "especially among children from five to 20 years of age, we have come to the very definite conclusion that accidents can only be reduced by the immediate development of an educational youth safety campaign that will interest and influence the maximum number of Canadian boys and girls during the formative years." Ihat this youth-minded company has met with success through its Safety Clubs and School Safety patrols is attested by the enthusiastic Young Canada Club parades held in many cities, and the jampacked meetings that are always held whenever Red Foster and the Young Canada Club come to town. Mr. Littler never signs an Honor Award Certificate, he says, without a thrill of pride in Canadian youth. And do the chilch^en eat up these stories of the heroic and service doings of their fellows, along with the stories of their favorite Mounties! A\'hat about the giownups? AVell, teachers, parents and child psychologists alike rate Men in Scarlet, with its attendant Lowney's Young Canada Club, as far and aw^ay above the a\erage children's serial. MARCH, 1946 • 81 •