Variety (Aug 1932)

Tuesday, August 30, 1932 r;4iii VARIETY 49 MajoF Radio Advertise Lay Low Till Political Etiier Bhirbs Fade IiOB Angeles, Aug, 29. Coast radio etatloha are having tough time signing commercial ac- counts for fall. Large advertisers fear political ' ether ballyhoo ■will take precedent over commercial, and are hanging back until after No- yember. , ! Stations selling time to candidates are forced by Federal law to give equal amount of time to opponents. ' Statute also makes It necessary for commercial programs to be side- tracked or set back to accommo- date vote seekers. Already several large air adver- tisers have set back fall contracts for continuity programs released at eame hour and same date weekly in favor of spot booked time and pro- grams. They claim they do riot ■wish to have continuity prbgrama disrupted by political blurbis, there- by losing listener interest through flwitchlng. SANDERS OUT THRU CBS cm OFFICE'S FLOPPO Chicago, Aug. 29. Bob Sanders, Chicago representa- tive for the Columbia network band department for the past year, was given notice by Raliph Wonderis during the latter's visit here last week. Neal Conklln of the New York office may temporarily handle the assignment until Wonders nom- inates Sanders' successor. In the interim it is understood that CBS will have the LaSalle ho- tel and Vanity Fair cafe. Columbia, which has heretofore refused to ■give free wires to dance spots, will be iriore liberal- In the future In order to meet NBC's competition In this respect. AB reported, Columbia's Chicago band department will be on proba- tion for the next six' months, the penalty of an unsatisfactory show- ing being abolishment. 100% TENOR HOPE Burns Cigar Signatures Phil Regan —Also Extends 13 Wka ilobert Emms cigar believes It has found the distinctive, arresting ;-voice that -will get its program 100% listener concentration beCvireeh the Burns arid Allen patter Interludes. .It's that of Phil Regan, tenorw Any- .way, theporiimercial has conttactcd lor yoifiig slriger to join the-show : Sept/l4, with the contract calling lor a. minimum of .13 weeks. '., Same time the account renewed Its facilftles contact with CBS for another 13 weeks arid handed out similar extensions to the Guy Liom- ' bardo unit and the Burns-Allen duo. Feinine Crooner Changes I Mind and Returns to. Air Chicago, Aug. 29. Juanitia, Rae is returning to radio over NBC. In 1927-28 she was part of a pioneer radio team of girl crooners that rated among Chi- cago's '10 best' in those far-oft ra- dio beginnings of five years ajgo. Known as May and June, the other member of the team w6nt to New York and is now known in .^astern radiO; as Harriet Lee. Miss .Rae disliked New York and dropped out of radio, splitting the duo. : East-Dumke Switch? Armour & Co; may be the next signatures on East and Duirike's radio checks; jpackers out 'in ^Chi- cago have given the pair (Sisters of Jhe Skillet) a hearing, the act be- ing piped from Boston where the boys were playing a stage date. ; Same time tho commercial lis- tftned to a Chi NBC studio combo, with the Idea in mind of using an orchestra for the team's back- ground. ■ ■ ; *Tarzan ■ Air-Waxed San Francisco, Aug. 29. Second transcriptions to' be ac- cepted by NBC since letting down the bars on recorded programs are platters for Signal Oil Co. Discs-are "Tarzari of the Apes' and go on..!flve- nights .weekly, .13 weeks, beginning Sept. 12 over KPQ. Chess Broadcast lioe Angeles, Aug. 29. Add freak press stunts: Billy Sharpies broadcasted over KNX, Hollywood, play-by-play ; moves of a world's champion- ship chess match by short wave frorii the Goodyear blimp, where, the brain battle took place. MYSTERY AND DRAMA AIR AVALANCHE Click of the Lucky iStrike crime adventure stories Is held mainly re.^ sponsible for the flood of bankrolled naystery drama programs scheduled toi hit the networks thifs fall. Com- mercials at the tail end of last sea- ion had become leery of the dial appeal of the horror and who- killed-cock-robiri type of yarn, and the trend was decidedly away from them. "The ciggie roller, however, uncorked a, different way of dress- ing them up and returned the mys-, •tery drama cycle to th6 air waves successfully. That this type of entertainment had spent its attention socking force was Indicated the past spring when George Washington coffee called oft Its Sherlock Holmes versions and substituted a musical show. Sev- eral other chain commercials whose contributions to the ether came, un- der the same category soon followed suit. Among the latter was the .Tennessee Pi'oducts Corp., confec- tioner of Breatherii, with its 'Witch- ing Hour' series. Exoduis of these sponsored thrill- ers left the major airlanes prac- tically alone to the broadcasts of the Eno Crime Club, which has been running all summer. Spotted around the couritry there has also been the recorded 'Chandu, the Magician' tales, angeled by Beechnut Packing But these programs never assumed standout proportions as attention pullers, at least -nothing as^ com- pared to the. regular Tuesday night following rung up by Lucky Strike, as attested, by recent listener per- centage surveys. 40% Dramatic Among the commercials, already set-to cliriib aboard the networks with mystery scripts are Blue Coal Company, with a revival of 'The Shadow' menace; Bourjois, Inc., 'Evening in Paris Mysteries'; Dia- mond Crystal Salt, 'Capt. Diamond's Adventures'; Hills Brothers' 'Dro- medary Caravan,' and Campagna Italian Balm, 'Fu Manchu.' Scanning the lists of new shows conti-acted by NBC and Columbia for early fall debuts reveals that close to 40% of them are dramatic scripts, the highest percetage yet scored in the commercial history of the networits. Included in the NBC column is the Raymond Knight 'Wheatenville' series'; Western Clock Co.'s 'Big Ben Dream Dramas'; Hills Bros.* 'Dromedary Caravan'; Ralston Purina Co.'s 'Sekatary Hawking'; Diamond; Crystal Salt Co.'s 'Captain Diamond's Adven- tures' ; Pacific Coast Boiax Co.'s 'Death Valley Days'; U. S. Indus- trial Alcohol with a yet untitled script, and A. C. Gilbert with a kid story yet to be picked. Columbia's slated script entries Include Wrlgley Gum's 'Myrt and Marjge'; the same firm's 'Lone Wold Tribe'; the mag 'Time's* 'March of Time'; Bourjois' 'Evening in Paris Mysteries'; Lavorls' 'Easy Aces'; Campagna Italian Balm's 'Fu Man- chu,' and Hecker-HO Co.'s 'H-bar-O Rangers.* Mary Pickford Etherins: On Radio's 'Air' Program . Hollywood, Aug. 29. Mary Pickford will be star at- traction on Radio's 'Hollywood on the Air* program, Sept. 8, which will also contain a heavy plug for UA's 'Rain.' Mis^ Pickford will be ether Inter- viewed by Adela Rogers Hyland. NEW RADIO PROOAM'S TRADE SHOW PREVIEW Auditiohing Waring With a commercial that's looking for a name band in mind, the NBC program board is slated to give the Fred M'aring combo the double ear tlie latter part of the current week. Waring, now on a swing, of the RKO_clrcuif, ispid^^ ^^^^ the Palace Saturday (3).~ ~- -- -- Introducing the trade showing idea to radio, Jimmy Gillespie, former Paul Whltemari manager, uriveiled at Carnegie Hall to pro- gram impresarios from the ad agen- cies something novel In the way of a musical show* Principal iterii on the' 45-minute bill-was the original instrumentation of 47-pIeie orches- tra under the direction of Albert Cassaday. Strings were entirely eliminated from the organization, with wood- winds taking their place. Effect was not only unique but deeply impres- sive upon th^ critical audience gath- ered for the occasion. Also given an airing for dial' attention were John L. Fogarty, tenor, Wilfred Glenn, basiso,' Jeannle Lang, singing come- dienne, a inale choir led by Arthur Judson Phillips, a.nci Harry Srey/er, xylophonist. WILL HYPO PROGRAM Lucky Strikes After Varied Fea- tuers, IncludiriB News and Names RecogRizIng that Its programs are becoming to formula, Lucky Strike Is intent on - giving its ether routines a hypo by jazzing them up with a variety of features. The Capt. James A. MoIIlsori talk was the forerunner of this sort of thing. L.S. Is auditioning a flock of vari-i ety stage talent including Milton Berle, among others, and will also Introduce 'big neWs* and other name features In between the dance stuff. Groucho and Cblco Marx have been approaclied, according to re- port, and other screen and . stage celebs may be utilized. . A free mixing. of m.c's Is also planned. Walter O'Keefe Is the present ceremonial master. Walter Wlncheirs absence from the ether Is said to be only temporary by L.S. Agencies Favor Both Nets for New] Programs to Secure II Schnoz Advice Hollywood, Aug. 29, Depths to which radio an-, nouncing ori suburban statlona can descend illustrated by the signing oft coriiment of a KMPC announcer, following a used-car company program: ! 'Adios until this time next week,' the speaker said., 'Rer member folks, keep your head up and your nose clean.' EXPOSTMYRT AND MARGE Radio Plug for Rinsrling^ Big Show of Little Help Minneapolis, Aug. 29. Rlrigling Brothers, Bamum & Bailey's circus broadcast from the circus lot over WCCO, Columbia chain station, for 16 minutes at the supper hour on Mondiay, Tuesday arid 'Wednesday nights during its Twin City engagement. A member of the publicity staff took listeners in on a tour of the lot, describing the various sights, and the band played several numbers.' The show did a dlsappolritlng buslhess its two days here and one day In St. Paul. The big tent wias only half or less filled ait the isix performances. It /tvaa the second circus to visit the Twin Cities this season, the other having bieen an- other Rlngllng show, th^ Al G. Barnes circus, which also played three days. WiicMi Off Air Walter Wlnchell Is off the air for Lucky Strikes or anybody else. Wlnchell 'side lines' were what undermined his health and A. J. Kbbler, publisher of the N. T. 'Mir- ror,* has expressed himself pleased that Wlnchell Is laying off the ex- tras and sticking to straight col- uninlzlng. Chicago, Aug. 29. After much discussion and con- sideration Wrlgley Gum will spill the beans to the public about 'Myrt arid Marge' being In private life mother arid daughter. It Is figured that a, large volume" of publicity will result: ^ 'fan stuff' the dis- closure is rated as the new sea- son*s first breath-taker, as if Greta Garbo were to confesi^ she was Ra- mon Novarro's aunt! . Trade has, of course, known auite generally that Myrtle Vail was the mother of Donna Damerel who plays Marge in the skit of backstage life written by' Miss Vail." Faiher, George Damerel, is also an ex- vaudevillian. , Case of 'Myrt' and Marge' has become a classic In Chicago radio circles. One of the most popular program!? originating in Chicago and one of America's 12 leading radio attractions 'Myrt and Marge' a year ago was but an idea of Miss Vall's who didn't know an advertis- ing agency from a reception clerkl Orie day Miss "Vail, script In hand, accomplished. the impossible. She . got through three outer oflnces and Into the private sanctorum of P. K. Wrlgley. Then she used her vaude- ville personality to turn a 'cold' gate-crashing Into an Informal au- dition across a desk with herself playing all the, parts. -She sold her- self, her ficrlptSi her daughter and became in a few months a radio big timer. . Read3ing for Cantor's Chase & Sanborn Return George Price goes on the Chase & Sanborn Sunday hour with Harry RIchman for the Sept 4 and 11th sessions, with the program scheduled to be held down exclu- sively by the former for the fol- lowing four weeks. Coffee account figures that Eddie Cantor will be free to step back Into the old spot by the middle of October. This Sunday's (4) progtam will be the first bringing RIchman and Price together. Following the 11th shot RIchman leaves New York for a Publix tour. Cantor has 20 more weeks to go for Ci & Si on. a previous con- tract. One innova.tion that the nevi^ broadcasting season will Introdnoai ori a wide scale, opine ad agency men, is the use of both chains by; the; same commercial. Trend, say these program impresarios, is to get away from playing .with a single rietwofk exclusively and to make sure of broader listener coverage hy splitting their ether coritribu-< tions between NBC arid Columbia. Departure frOrii the old iiolicy Vrlll mean the spending of more money, both from the time billings ancl talent salary angles, but the differ- ence, hold the agency observers, . will be certainly worth it. This dif- ference merely amounts to the dis-. counts allowed for so many broad- casts within periods of 13, 26, 39 and 152 weeks, so that tive more pro- grams a .commercial shoots along a consecutive stretch the cheaper be-, comes the cost of each successive batch of 13 broadcasts. To take advantage Of this dls<^ courit savings sponsors have hereto^ fore preferred to confine all theii; ether nnerchandising to a single net- work. But surveys and teste, they now find, have proved that by stick- ing to one chain there's always the . chance of the advertiser passing up in . various communities the very, class to whom he's trying to sell his product. Radio stations, it has been clearly, proved, have class follow^ Ings and patronage just like news- papers, magazines, theatres, etc. .Ini a tOwri where there are two or more stations it has been found that one of these outlets has the cream or class followirig of the spot while the others make a play for the nether social or cultural strata. Class Followinga ..A chain, for Instance, niay se]l.a' ' commercial, say, a link of 25 sta- tions. In this web there may be IS stations that are regarded as havlnsr the class appeal In their communi- ties, while the remaining 10 iriay only rate as attracting the lower, middle and working classes. To avoid any sucli possibilities several of the topmount agencies are now urging their clients to split their business between the majjor^ chains. Only by playing their story across both network boards will they be certain of getting it a 100% . hearing. Instead of running a shO'ctr twice ^ week on the same chairit the agencies now advise, assign it for one. shot a week to Coluriibia and the other to NBC. Among the first accounts to' spread their business along these lines this season 'Is^Blue Coal Com- pany and Stephen F. Whitman &" Son, confectioners, ^th signatured contracts with CBS and NBC last week. Whitman shoots its first show over the latter network Oct. 26, and on the next evening re- leases a~ musical session over Columbia. Each program is spotted for similar periods on respective days, 8:45 to 9 p.m., with the cross- country station line-ups paralleling each other. Blue Coal is slated to use a mystery show over Columbia, with Oct. 22 the starting date, while It's due to be a musical Idea when It spreads over NBC, commencing the week before. Kolynps' 'Barber' Kolynos has taken over the 'Bill the Barber* script series and will give It a 13-week bankrolling over the CBS local key, WAiBC, on a five-evenlng:s-a-week basis, starting Sept. 19. If the show clicks locally it will be extended over the net- work either before or after the ex- piration date on "the WABC docu- riient. Last commercial to use the script was Jocur Hair Wave, which car- ried it for a while over WMAQ, Chi- cago, last spring, after the agency ori ..the account, Blackett-Sample- Huriimert, had supported the show on a tert furi~6f nine weeki97 Swift Auditions Swift & Co., now using the Steb-^ bins Boys to plug Its ham and a Sunday afternoon concert affair to advertise Its ■Vigoro fertilizer, are auditioning for a program to take care of still another one of its prod- ucts, Carididates ori this end are being piped irito Chicago, the pack- ers' home ofllce. Among those already given a hearing out of New York are Har- riet Lee and Her Boy Friends, the Three Keys, John Fogarty and a supporting trio and Allen Prescott. All, with the exception of Pres- cott's, come under the heading of harmony. acts. Prescott, connected with WINS, New York, put on a. couple of eplflodes from serial script he wrote. Medbury Sought as M.C. For 'Hollywood on Air^ Hollywood, Aug. 29. NBC is figuring on a permanent m.c. for Its weekly 'Hollywood oft the. Air* program, from Radio Pic- tures studio. John P. Medbury offered the spot, but no deal until question of cash In settled. For Shut-ins Chicago, Aug. 29. "WLS inaugurated a Saturday a.ft- ernoon program for shut-ins and In- valids Aug. 27, to continue through the season. Chuck, Ray and lYankie, Linda Parker, and Elsie Mae Emerson will provide the chtcrtainmerit. It's called 'Drifting and Dreaming.* 'THE JOEDONS* SET San Francisco, Aug. 29, Parafflne Companies, Inc., go NBC Sept. 8 with 13 weeks of Thursday quarter hours. Mueic-talk programs will be 'The Jordons,' featuring Gail Taylor and Myron Niegley. - ,