Radio varieties (Sept 1940-June 1941)

RADIO VARIETIES GOLD CUP AWARD Presented to Meet Mr. Meek ^ Though "Meet Mr. Meek" has been on the air only since July, its audience rating is higher than many programs on the air much longer. ^ The pathos and humor of the scripts are typically American — the situations ones that could happen nowhere but here. The Meeks might be the Joneses or the Smiths or even the listener's own family. -^ It brings the public some of the finest acting on the air in the persons of ingenue Doris Dudley, whose flair for the spectacular is unequalled; Adelaide Klein, one of radio's best character actresses; Frank Readick, veteran of screen, stage and radio and Jack Smart, a Bob Hope alumni whose work is well known to radio listeners from coast to coast. pADIO VARIETIES herewith presents Meet Mr. Meek with the Radio Varieties Gold Cup Award . Each episode is complete in itself, peppered with situations that point up the good character qualities of the persons involved. Even Mr. Meek's wife, Agatha, thought somewhat a nagger, is absolved at the end of every script so that ■ a class all its own. In casting the program, foresighted Dick Marvin, radio head of the agency bankrolling the show, took television into consideration so that today, each individual in the Meet Mr. Meek cast is prepared for visual radio by looking his part as well as sounding it. Doris Dudley is one of radio's Frank" Readick who the listener is left with sympathetic reactions toward her and her lazy brother, Louie. Excellence of writing combined with excellence of acting and directing lift the Meek program from the ranks of the banal into Page 12 portrays Mr. Meek most brilliant young actresses. After finishing a year's run with John Barrymore in "My Dear Children," Doris came to New York and landed her first big night time radio role in Meet Mr. Meek. She plays the Meek's daughter, Pegy. Tall, dynamic, blonde, she is now preparing for the legit' season and by the time this appears in print, may be rehearsing a Theatre Guild ploy. Jack Smart, who ploys Louie, Mr. Meek's lazy brother-in-law, almost needs no introduction. He was on the Bob Hope show all last year and made about eight pictures with Hope. Now, in Manhattan, he divides his time between the Meek program and appearances on most of the big variety shows. This gesture toward the radio progress of tomorrow, he believes, will not only safeguard the show's future, but the actor's futi;ire as well. If actors look their ports, they con't lose out when television becomes a reolity. The title role is played by smoll, lithe, goodnotured Frank Readick. He has been in radio for twelve years and it was he who created the original Shadow. His experience OS on actor dotes back to the days when his father toured the for west in a covered wagon show and allowed Frank to breok into show business with o song and dance when he was borely out of rompers. Adeloide Klein, who ploys Mr. Meek's wife, Agotho, storted out to be o concert singer but switched to straight dramatic octing when radio started going places. She AATfote monologues where she played five different women, so Rudy Vollee put her on his show five consecutive weeks and offer that, Addie was a stor. Todoy, in oddition to her work on Meet Mr. Meek, she oppeors as one of the leads in "We the Abotts" and is heard weekly on such shows os Gongbuster, Kate Smith, Helen Hayes ond other major network shows. RADIO VARIETIES — JANUARY