Radio varieties (Sept 1940-June 1941)

WHO ARE THE MEN BEHIND THE MEN BEHIND THE MIKE? RADIO VARIETIES herewith presents the second in series of articles designed to acquaint its readers with some of the directors of NBC By Dan Thompson WHAT DOES it take to he a radio director? Too often the work of a radio director is taken for granted, like sunshine, rain and electromagnetism — that sine qua non of radio. Essential ds the radio director is, he and his work ore almost equally myste NBC Director Frank Papp rious to the average radio listener. Yet there is glamor in the radio director's life — glamor and human interest. In an effort to find out what kind of men radio directors really are and what talents and aptitudes they must possess, we interviewed Harold Bean, a musical director in the NBC Central Division, and two of his dramatic colleagues — Frank Popp and Ted MacMurray. Bean, who directs some of the NBC Club Matinee and National Farm and Home Hour broadcasts, the Roy Shield Revue unO many of the broadcasts featuring such Page 22 singers as Wayne, Van Dyne, finds practical experience as a singer or with some musical instrument — preferrably professional — the number one requirement in a musical director. "I say 'preferrably professional,' " Bean explained, "because the professional is not quite as biased as the amateur who is likely to confuse his individual likes and dislikes with those of his audiences. "As an example of the importance of this experience, it is only necessary to point out," Bean continued, "that all our musical directors in the NBC Central Division have had practical experience. Albert Ulrich, director of the Hymns of All Churches, for instance, was a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Opera Company NBC Director Harold Bean. Orchestra for 14 years. Bob White was tenor soloist over a Detroit station before becoming an announcer, actor and producer in turn. George Voutsas and I have fiddled at one time or another. Arch Scott and L. G. Harris were musical comedy and minstrel men on the stage and Tom Hargis was a radio singer in Houston, Texas, before coming to Chicago. Jules Herbuveaux, former manager of the production department and now program manager of the NBC Central Division, was an orchestra leader at one time, and Rex Maupin, who now conducts an NBC orchestra, turned director several years ago and then reverted to conducting again two years ago. The value of experience on a local radio station was stressed by Mr. Bean, who compared such training to that a newspaperman gets on a small town paper. "Working on a small radio station gives a director a comprehensive idea of the problems that hove to be met in radio and makes him fully aware of the important place NBC Director Ted MacMurray radio now holds in community life." Granted then that a musical director for a network should have practical musical experience and a small station background, what else is needed? "He must have some record of originality in building programs, a sense of loyalty, an agreeable personality and polish enough to be able to meet all kinds of people." Turning to the dramatic side of radio, Frank Papp, director of the Story of Bud Barton and Cameos cf New Orleans, believes a good dramatic director must have had RADIO VARIETIES DECEMBER