Radio and television mirror (Jan-June 1950)

NOW.' PROOF THAT BRUSHING TEETH RiGHT AFTER EATING WITH COLGATE DENTALCREAM HELPS STOP TOOTH DECAY! Exhaustive Research by Eminent Dental Authorities Proves How Using Colgate Dental Cream Helps Stop Tooth Decay Before It Starts! Now, the toothpaste you use to clean your breath while you clean your teeth, offers a proved way to help stop tooth decay before it starts! 2 years' continuous research at leading universities — hundreds of case histories— makes this the most conclusive proof in all dentifrice research on tooth decay! Colgate's contains all the necessary ingredients, including an exclusive patented ingredient, for effective daily dental care. No risk of irritation to tissues and gums ! And no change in flavor, foam, or cleansing action! No Other Dentifrice Offers Proof of Such Results! Modern research shows tooth decay is caused by mouth acids which are at their worst right after eating. Brushing teeth' with Colgate's as directed helps remove acids before they harm enamel. And Colgate's penetrating foam reaches crevices between teeth where food particles often lodge. No dentifrice can stop all tooth decay, or help cavities already started. But brushing teeth with Colgate Dental Cream as directed is a safe, proved way to help stop tooth decay! ALWAYS USE COLGATE'S TO CLEAN YOUR BREATH WHILE you CLEAN YOUR TEETH -AND HELP STOP TOOTH DECAY! RIBBON DEI £to/?oto/S/ze 59* fy Guaranteed by *i\ Good Housekeeping , ALSO 43< AND 25« SIZES What's New From Coast to Coast (Continued from page 7) New York's smart East Side. It is a small club designed for an intimate type of entertainment — and is too small for the maestro's band. Recently a rehearsal for Mr. District Attorney was held up forty-five minutes. Although the show has been at the same old NBC stand for ten years, someone delivered the scripts to the wrong place . . . adding insult to injury, to the wrong network! An unknown songwriter has put Hildegarde on the spot. One of the songs of her present repertoire, "In The Park," arrived by mail without a signature. Hildegarde would like to give the composer the full credit he deserves, but thus far has been unable to locate him. Evelyn Varden, heard as Mother Malone on the daytimer, Young Dr. Malone, recently received a unique distinction. In order to enable her to make a film for them, one movie company paid for the radio time Evelyn already had under contract. Ever wonder what actors and theatrical people dream about? After a discussion with performers and crew of NBC's Screen Guild Theater, it became obvious that worry dreams rate tops. Director Bill Lawrence has nightmares in which he's trying to direct a cast of thousands and can't get anyone to listen to him. Writer Harry Kronman has recurrent dreams of having to finish a script after the program's already on the air. Actor Griff Barnett often dreams of being late for a program and rushing to his dressing room, only to find there are fifty dressing rooms all alike, and he can't tell which is his. Dan Seymour, Sing It Again emcee, has come up with a new adult game which is due to be marketed this month. The game is based on improvisation of parodies of popular songs similar to Sing It Again's technique. However, the game requires no piano or musical instrument. Bob Hope has been chosen "Sportsman of The Year" in a poll conducted by Harry Wismer, sports director of the American Broadcasting Company. The distinction was awarded "as much for his sportsmanship as for his actual sports participation." Hope, an ardent golfer and frequent participant in golf tournaments for worthy charities, is also a backer of the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Rams. However, the prime reason for the citation was Hope's "countless contributions of public service in support of all sports." Pert vocalist Doris Day will be completely deglamorized when she appears with Ronald Reagan and Ginger Rogers in the film, "Storm Center." The highest-priced dress she'll wear is three dollars and nineteen cents. Cathy Lewis has been turning down TV offers right and left. "When I appear," she says, "I want to be seen first as Irma's friend, Jane Stacey, so I prefer to wait until My Friend Irma becomes a television show." HUMOR TECHNIQUES. A stitch in time may save nine, but a laugh in time is what saves a comic. What it (the laugh or the comic) does to the listener is strictly a personal matter, which we won't go into here. But let's take a moment off to look behind the scenes at the serious side of radio comedy. For it is a serious business— witness the balding pates of your favorite comedians. VP Hubbell Robinson, Jr., CBS Director of Programs, takes the bull by the horns and throws comedy into four general classifications: (1) "stand-up joke," (2) "situation" comedy, (3) "premise" comedy, and (4) "personality" comedian. The Stand-Up Joke style is the routine calling for a string of unrelated gags, a stooge, and an orchestra or its equivalent. It is the grandfather of all comedy shows, but is now struggling against the tide. There just aren't enough new jokes, and the old ones have been dished up in every conceivable form-. Currently, the "standup" joke is being served as hash — and, as every cook knows, that's the last word. The Situation Comedy, a comedy story with a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end, is well represented on the air waves today. Amos 'n' Andy, Burns and Allen, and Fibber McGee and Molly might be called pioneers in this field. Successful followers of the technique are Our Miss Brooks, My Favorite Husband, Red Skelton and Joan Davis. Joan Davis and Burns and Allen, whose vaudeville training made them masters of timing, started out in radio as "stand-up joke" comics. But when the handwriting on the wall presented itself, both switched to "situation" comedy. From where we sit, an enviable situation! The Premise Comedy is exactly what its title implies. Probably the noblest exponents of them all are Jack Benny and Fred Allen. Their shows are not based on plots. For example, Benny takes a premise, such as what he and his cast did on Ground Hog Day. Most of the fun on his half -hour show will be related to and spring from that basic premise or theme. Allen is apt to select some topic of current events, such as "Do you think teachers are underpaid?" or "What do you think of the new Parisian fiat-chested look?" Whether the premise be serious or ridiculous, the result is a barrel of fun. The Personality Comedian is a rarity, and there have probably been more casualties in this branch of the comedy field than in any other. Arthur Godfrey is an outstanding example of the "personality" comic, as is Bing Crosby. Neither has plot nor premise, and although they do tell jokes, neither relies on them exclusively. The success of a "personality" comedian is hard to explain. It seems to add up to the fact that, "well, he's just Godfrey, that's all." There is one point the "situation,"