Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1946)

and, Czechoslovakia, and Portugal, for China, and George J. Rony, Russian writer and lecturer, for the Soviet. Larry Keating continued as Rainier's master of ceremonies. He soon discovered that refereeing the weekly free-forall was no snap. The commentators put their hearts into the discussions; sparks Hew; Rainier's listeners were treated to some of the most stimulating talk and rapier-like wit of the entire war period. We continued to back up the various government programs on United Nations Forum. Response to the new show was immediate, and came from the alert, discriminating people Rainier wanted to reach. The United Nations Forum was kept on the air for ten weeks. A lot happened during that ten weeks. Roosevelt was reelected; Germany made its last bid in the Battle of the Bulge and was hurled back; the Russians started their final great drive on Berlin; MacArthur invaded the Philippines. We felt that public interest in news commentators was beginning to peter out. Clearly it was time again to give Rainier a new program. WHAT'S POPULAR? We got together with the Rainier people, talked over the different types of programs, and decided that quiz and mystery shows were two of the most popiUar. We hashed over a lot of ideas without hitting on something luiique. Then Jack Gale suggested that we combine the quiz and mystery types into one show. That struck all of us as a rather fresh idea. After several weeks of development, we presented the new show to Mr, Goldie. rie liked it, and OK'd it. lo Rainier's listeners on January 2:^, 1945, came the ominous warning: "Though it hath no tongue— Ml^liDFli WILL OUT!" Forthwith they were plunged into a spine-tingling murder mystery. At the end of the story, loin (onleslanls from the studio audience weie asked Cjuestions about essentia] (lues. C^orrect answers won war stamjjs. Each contestant wrote on a slip of paper the name of the killer and the one clue that led to his discovery. A $25 260 • war bond was awarded for the name ol the killer, a |50 war bond for both killei and clue. Another bit of showmanshi}; was the framed gold detective's certifi cate, which admitted successful guesscr^ '7o the ranks of expert a^nateur detet tives." Murder Will Out has been on the Cali fornia Network for over 15 months. It is a favorite of studio audiences. Each Tucs day night finds a block-long crowd wait ing outside the American Broadcasting Company's Hollywood studio. Current Hooperating is 9.8. L EW X. Lansworth, who writes and directs Murder Will Out, packs each script with suspense, action, mystery. He plays fair with listeners by presenting all clues exactly as the police find them. II you're a good detective, you can guess the killer. Lansworth has a passion for accuracy, studies police methods firsthand. Unlike the exotic amateur sleuths on many mystery shows. Inspector Biuke, Lansworth's lead character, is an experienced law-enforcing officer. William Gargan, popular film star, makes the role alive and believable. Detective Nolan, the inspector's assistant, is played b^ Eddie Marr, one of Hollywood's bestknown radio actors. Larry Keating quizzes the contestants. Jack Gale procluces the show, PUBLIC SERVICE HELPS Active support of government bond drives has been continued on Murder Will Out. In 1945, the San Francisco Advertising Club awarded the Rainier Brewing Company a special citation for outstanding achievement in war advertising. Since the war's end, Murder Will Out commercials arc putting more stress on Rainier beer and ale, but publicinterest announcements still are used. Sinnming it up, we have held to four simple principles in handling Rainier's radio advertising: 1) find out what people want to hear; 2) give it to them, but in a form tliat's refreshingly different; ■\) slant the program toward the people the client wants for customers, and 4) build solid good will for the client. RADIO SHOWMANSHIP'