Radio and television mirror (Jan-June 1941)

What's New from Coast to Coast (Continued from page 37) program, was married to John Lagemann, a radio writer who has contributed several plays to the Columbia Workshop. * * * Charlotte, N. C. — One of the most beloved people in the South is station WBT's "Aunt Sally," who for years has won her way into the hearts of both children and grown-ups. Her bubbling good humor and vivacity make her a delightful mistress of ceremonies for the children's halfhour quiz, What's the Answer, every Saturday morning at 9:15. "Aunt Sally" is really Mrs. Pasco Powell, a dyed-in-the-wool Southerner. She was born and raised in Georgia, and as a child lived next door to Joel Chandler Harris, creator of the famous "Uncle Remus" stories. Many a time she used to sit on his knee and listen to his tales of Uncle Remus and his friends, many of which were never written down and printed. Mrs. Powell's first experience as a narrator was in Atlanta, where she was employed by the public schools to visit classrooms and tell stories to the children. She is also an accomplished musician, and has toured the United States as a concert pianist. In 1928 she and her husband and son moved to Charlotte, and "Aunt Sally" originated there. She was on the WBT staff as a fill-in artist, and one day when a scheduled program had to be cancelled, she was called at a moment's notice. Usually, for these hurried programs, Mrs. Powell sang and played the piano, but this time, without any warning, she told the announcer, "I've sung 'Mighty Lak a Rose' twice today and I don't intend to do it again. I'll tell a story instead. Announce me as ... as Aunt somebody. Aunt Sally will do." Thus for the first time "Aunt Sally" was heard telling one of Uncle Remus' stories. After three years at WBT, Mrs. Powell returned to Atlanta, where for two and a half years she was Program Director and conductor of children's programs for WGST. During those Nelson Mclninch, expert sportscaster for station KDYL, loves to watch all games but plays only tennis himself. JANUARY. 1941 years she helped to launch the careers of Jane Withers and Dixie Dunbar by insisting that talent scouts give them screen tests. Announcer Bert Parks and sportscaster Red Barber are also grateful for her help and encouragement when they were just getting started. Mrs. Powell then moved back to WBT, where she is now and probably will remain for some time to come. Everyone, close friends and business acquaintances alike, calls her "Aunt Sally." She's a small, plump lady with laughing eyes and an infectious chuckle. Besides What's the Answer, she's heard on another program known as Blackie Bear, which consists of animal stories. She never uses a script, and enjoys telling stories as she remembers them, adding just a little typical "Aunt Sally" originality. "Aunt Sally" is prominent in the social life of Charlotte, and is the city's official Hostess, in which capacity she entertains important visitors and newcomers to town. In the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra she is concertmaster for the second violin section. * * * Salt Lake City — -A sports announcer with an unfailing sense of comedy is Nelson Mclninch, station KDYL's specialist in athletics. He doesn't play any sport himself except tennis, but his enthusiasm for watching football, baseball, track, or any other sport, and telling what he sees in graphic, exciting terms, has made him unendingly popular with KDYL listeners. In Kansas City, where the light of day first fell on his flaxen hair, Nelson was a boy choir singer in the Linwood Christian Church, and rose to be the soloist with a voice that could hit high C. A sudden interest in the slide trombone, and a sliding tendency in his own vocal chords, combined to bring his singing days to an end. His voice kept on sliding, and now he's a basso profundo. He started playing tennis when he was twelve years old. At that time he was the smallest boy on the team and rated the last in ability. Undaunted, he went on playing, and won the Missouri State High School championship before he was through. After a year at the University of Illinois, Nelson went to the Pacific Coast and enrolled in the University of California at Los Angeles. There he met Alta Lyon, who is now Mrs. Mclninch, and continued his occupation playing tennis and winning trophies. It was tennis that led him to radio. His first job on the air was describing matches at the Pacific Southwest Tennis Tournament at Los Angeles, and he liked it so much he decided to make announcing his career, with emphasis on sports. His apprenticeship was served at station KVOD in Denver. An offer from the famous Racquet Club in Palm Springs to act as the club's tennis professional made him forget, for a while, his resolve to stick to radio. He played tennis and chummed with Hollywood stars for a couple of years, until 1939, when a chance came to join the KDYL staff, and he moved to Salt Lake. Besides his sports broadcasts, Nelson is master of ceremonies on a comedy program or two every week. I cheated myself until I learned how to REDUCE «•». "wo „ot REQUCF < ««* • Pounds ,„ 30 days -""h°>" 'tenuous Jl ^!L»'«COST y0u NL.... DON'T let yourself get on the plump side of "the social line." Don't let 10 to 50 pounds of unneeded weight make you unpopular! Take the famous Macfadden Institute Course, HOW TO REDUCE— prove to yourself that you can reduce at least 8 pounds in 30 days without the risk of "starvation" diets, strenuous exercise or unsafe drugs! A COMPLETE REDUCING COURSE Thousands have paid as high as $10 for this Course — now it's yours for only $1. 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