Radio and television mirror (Nov 1939-Apr 1940)

Dick first made news when he was in Temple University, in Philadelphia, playing varsity football and baseball. In 1932, when he graduated, he joined the Phillies' baseball team, but quit after four months to bum his way around the country for a year and a half. On the road, he made a few dollars by writing a newspaper article or so, and in St. Louis he nearly starved to death, but he was only twenty and it didn't bother him. He finally ended up in New Orleans, where a poor family living on a flatboat fed him for three months. While he was still there a friend wrote him about a job on the Philadelphia Record, so he left New Orleans as he had come — under a freight car. Until 1937 he was a sports reporter for several newspapers; then he quit and came to New York. He'd never done any radio work, but he auditioned at WNEW and they put him on the air with one fifteen-minute program a day. His salary was ten dollars a week and room-rent alone cost him six, but he did his own laundry and managed to exist. His big break came when floods broke loose in Louisville, Ky. With only four dollars in his pocket, Dick decided to go see the floods himself. He persuaded an airline to give him a pass and managed to get to Louisville, take a row-boat, and catch a plane back to New York — arriving flat broke but with a great story. From then on, Dick's star was on its way up. One big story after big story he managed to get the inside track, and Governor Lehman chose him for his personal announcer. And ■ Aileen Pringle — remember her in the movies? — plays Anne Hill now in the CBS serial, Joyce Jordan, Girl Interne. now, despite his network commercial, he still devotes practically all his waking moments to WNEW where, incidentally, that original ten dollars has grown and grown. One way to get yourself started in radio, it seems, is to sing in a railroad station. That's what Parker Watkins, colored tenor, did, and it worked out pretty well for him. A pipe organ had been installed in New York's huge Pennsylvania Terminal for Christmas, and for some reason or other it was retained to send its musical message to weary commuters long after the holly wreaths had been cleared away. One evening the organist, Banks Kennedy, was at the console when he noticed Parker, a fat colored boy, watching him. Jokingly, Banks suggested, "Why don't you step up and sing a number?" To his amazement, Parker took him at his word, and for half an hour serenaded the commuters in a rich, powerful tenor that soared out through the great station, clear and true above the rumble of trains and the shuffling of the crowd. Parker was no specialist — from a popular song, he drifted into an operatic aria, then into a spiritual. And at the end of his concert he made a little speech, suggesting that if anyone present were connected with the music world, he'd appreciate a chance to put his voice to work. There weren't any impresarios in the crowd, but someone passed a hat, and Parker got $15 for his music. Every night after that for a week, he joined Kennedy and sang, until his audiences grew to 5,000 people and a whole row of ticket windows had to be closed to make room for the increasing crowds. About that time a newspaper front-paged the incident, and brought Parker to the attention of theater and radio men. He got a guest appearance on Benay Venuta's Mutual program, and was talking contract with Mutual when last heard from. BEAUTY as\cc. "DOES YOUR HUSBAND WANT TO ADVISOR ' SHOW OFF YOUR CHAPPED, RED HANDS?*1 HONEY, LISTEN ! FRANKS GOT A ") RAISE —LETS CELEBRATE ...yes, ru. ^ WEAR MY NEW ] EVENING PRESS / ...HE'D BETTER THIS IS THE THANKS I GETFOR DOING i <tfc PISHES AND CLEANING HOUSE A#~ — ALL FOR YOU ,—_— ^ L , CHEER UP, ANN-FRANK JUST WANTS N JVO BE PROUD Of YOUR , [LOOKS -AND HE WIU i BE, ONCE YOU GET \ YOUR HANDS LOOKING NICE WfTH HINDS HONEy AND ALMOND CRfAM i-£ *>: ^ % OH, HONEY -i /. ISN'T HINDS k? THE GRANDEST ' LOTION.' fT FEELS SO CREAMY, fTMUST 6E SOFTENING. GOOD AND SOOTHING, TOO WANT appealing, lovable hands? Don't let housework and chilly winds spoil the looks of your hands. Use Hinds Honey and Almond Cream regularly to help guard against harsh chapping. Hinds is extra -creamy, extra-softening. Helps tone down harsh redness. Coaxes back a softer look and feeL Hinds feels good, does good to tender hands! Contains Vitamins A and D. $1, 50f, 25<, and 10? sizes at toilet goods counters. NEW! Hinds Hand Cream in jarsquicksoftening! 10« and 39 c: sizes Copyright. 1940. Lehn & Pink Products Corp.. fjlooroneld. N.J. HINDS forHANDS APRIL, 1940