TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1956)

The Woolworth Hour (Continued from page 60) grin in the pianist's direction, he advised: "Relax. No one will hear you. No one ever listens to this show, anyway." Quite the opposite is true, as every radio listener knows. Under the leadership of Faith — the man who earned his first fame conducting the old Contented Hour and who continues to make a certain deep contentment the keynote of his daily life — The Woolworth Hour, CBS Radio's big musicale, scored the year's highest ratings. One of the secrets of its success was revealed by its producer, Bruno Zirato Jr., when he said, "On this show, all of us always have a ball." The program thus becomes a direct communication of enjoyment. Watching their rehearsal is a great show in itself. The thirty-six musicians are spread out across CBS's big Studio 22, strings at the front, brass divided and set at the center and rear, with the rhythm section sandwiched in between. Among them, there is an easy feeling of unity, mutual respect and good humor. At the drums, young Specs Powell and Marty Grupp gallop along like a pair of well-matched dressage riders. They pace each other and turn out a more brilliant performance because of their friendly rivalry. Tall Sammy Fiedel, who dangles a huge, briar pipe from the corner of his mouth as he strums or bows his bass fiddle, aims his comments at twinkly-eyed Mike Collicchio, the piano player, but they often carry across the studio. For example: As the chorus — Miriam Workman, Marjorie Miller, Kathleen Wallace, Bob Miller, Jimmy Polack, Artie Malvin and Michael Stewert — sang, producer Zirato was in the control room. Seeking the best balance of voices, he called out, "Let's have less men, more girls." Muttered Sammy, "That's the trouble with this place. Not enough girls." Percy Faith set the mood for this happy crew at the first rehearsal when, at a rest period, he called out the usual, "Take five" and — with a nod toward the Woolworth Company rep — added, "and ten." Even a fluff can turn into a little joke. The program's host, Donald Woods, remembers one of his own: "I worried because it is much too easy to say 'Fercy Paith' instead of 'Percy Faith' — so, of course, I did it. Then our announcer, Jack Brand, also tripped. So the two of us agreed that the next guy who did it had to pay the other a quarter. We've never done it again." Laughter, when it ripples across the orchestra, is uninhibited but brief. A moment later, everyone has returned to serious concentration, for Percy Faith is even more a hero to his orchestra than he is to his fans. Always, in complete command, he has his men's respect and affection. His authority sits easy on his shoulders. Up on his little box of a podium, he perches on the edge of a high stool, his music spread out in front of him. If a difficult passage has required him to make a memo on the score, he hits the downbeat with his yellow pencil — but he is just as likely to conduct with his cigarette. He takes his orchestra into his confidence. Halting one number, he indicated a passage ahead and confessed, "I'm stuck. Those half-notes are going to fall after the beat. Let's change it here." He is unfailingly courteous. At one typical rehearsal, he tapped for attention and carefully introduced his guest vocalist: "Fellows — Donald Dickson." As Dickson, a Metropolitan Opera baritone now winning new laurels as a tenor, went into the demanding aria, "Vesti la Giubba," a difference in interpretation brought an earpiercing big shriek from the strings. Faith merely grinned and remarked, "Well, well, well." He went into a huddle with Dickson and resolved the problem: "You'd better sort of 'grate' that C." Instantly, there was understanding. When Dickson, singing magnificently, had soared out to the climax, Faith and the whole orchestra stood up and applauded. At the edge of the set, Donald Woods remarked, "Every one who comes in seems to catch the spirit of this outfit. Usually, on a show, a guest star does his part and leaves. Here, they stay to the end of each rehearsal — simply because they, too, are enjoying it." Percy Faith believes that, of all the people who find The Woolworth Hour a delight, he himself derives the most enjoyment. "I'm doing exactly what I want most to do — creating music. It's a wonderful thing to be able to pick up a piece of 'raw' music, take it home, dream about it, orchestrate it and work it up to a full and perfect thing. "It is wonderful, too, to know that people are listening, for music belongs to those who hear it. 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