Variety (Oct 1932)

50 VAMIETY RAOm MEPORYS Tueadaj, 'Oct6ber\25, 1932 GREAT MOMEfjTS IN HISTORY Dramatic Skatch COMMERCIAL WJZ, New York One successful script idea de- serves repeating: -with anotlier ac- count, 'Roses and Drums,' drama- tized incidents from American his- tory, has done a lot to help Union Central Life Insurance sell policies. And why not the agency handling both accounts must have questioned Itself across the conference table, package a similar program for Fleiischmann's Yeast. The same writer could prepare both scripts and the same set of actors 9puld work on both programs, since one session would follow the other by about two hours. Thus jeaCh Sunday the Insurance company gets its licit over CBS at 5 p. m. EST, -While the Fleischmann good-willer comes kiiocycling into the parlor by way of NBC at 7:30. Like Its brother act on the oppo- sition chain, the 'Great Moments of History' stanzaMs, expertly staged and acted. It frequently goes hokey in ita effort to make a fustian holi- day for the guest. star by over- utreosing points of coipparalively minor signlflcance, but the high level Upbh which • the show as a whole Is maintained makes t'ais shortcoming easy to overlook; AlSo, the breaking lip of the Illusion by liaving the player wjio is supposed to be an addressing an assembly at the top of .his voice step close to the mike for the rendering of the quieter passages. And, again, the maladroit sojiud elfects devised for musket and cannon Are- With a little more experimenting NBO, sound effects department might arrive at a closer approach to a passable imitation. ■But the. pace, the punch and all- arbund' goqd acting is there. Each program has . a name from legit playinsr the lead.^ Some of these legit players fill the part patly and others not so by a. wide span. Most of these 'guest stars' are cast one week in 'Roses and Drums' and the next in the Fleischmann contribu- tion. . In the 'Defense of the Alamo' dramatization (23), Quy Bates post as Sam Houston came through . a little overemphatlc but otherwise okay. Frequently In his exciting passages he dropped the southern accent and became Back Bay, but the same thing happened to practi- caUy everyone else in the cast; It was one of those draniatic composi- tions that allowed for ho subdued :moment, biit demanded that evei-y- thleg. be.kepf at a tense, noisy pitch of eicltemfintr and the cast gave it all the violence .they .had in them; All of which made the afllalr sound quite hokey In epbt?. • • . ■ Sketch WiSff "capably cued musi- cally thrptighout,; with the bits as- signed the narrative confined to J.ust enough to link one sequence to the other. ■ Pro-am, which is strict- ly of the institutional type, men- tioned Fleschmann only once, ard that was at the very end .of the final segment of copy. Instead of plug- glnjpMts yeast, as prevailed In its pri^vlous programs, the sponsor de- votes :thi3 Sunday frame to exhort- ing the housewife to buy her bread .and sweetstuffs frani the baker In- stead of rolling her own dough. '. Odec. DOC WHIPf^lLE Oi'^anlog "'- Stistaining WGY, Schenectady Whipple, formerly heard on a half-hour Saturday afternoon pro- gram from the NBC's Cleveland outlet, is now broadcasting a quar- ter-hour morning. oreranlog ort the red network six times weekly. It ccmes over the air at 8:1B a, m., fl 'in^ the slot long taken by a re- 1 -us program originating in \. . AF's studio. . c No announcement is made as to pi-?an's location or Whipple's out- side connections, if any. Tlje 'Doc' to. J apparently comes from Doctor of Music degree. Broadcast carries a more cheer- ful air than the religious program which it supplanted, and for this reason probably Is more welcome to ll.steners preparing to leave for the day's work. It's a shot that does not demand deep concentration, can be heard while one is Juggling the Java cup or scanning headlines of morning's paper. While Whipple's programs are neither-as ambitious nor as bril- liant M several piped out of New York later in the day, they suffice. Instrument is a pretty good one; oi'ganlst is competent. Fewer pops sung and played to death via radio, and more standard - numbers that lend themselves well to organ treatment, would enhance the entertaining value of these broadcasts. Jaco. WCAE After More Chain Bands; Local Combo Out Pittsburgh, Oct. 24. WCAE, in an economy move, has let out its entire staff band of 14 men. That also means the end of the 'Sun-Telegraph Nite Club of the Air,' a thrice weekly feature over the station. Studio plans to hire musicians only as It needs them, going in mori freely for network orchestras. THE PIG SHOW CharUs NeUnd, Cy J«nk9, Eddl* Lambertr Eddie Borden, Johnny Kiadeo, Ariene Francis, Virginia Barnett, Henry Starr COMMERCIAL KFWB. Hollywood Regular Wednesday night feature (10th week) follows along the lines of the several 'Jamboreeis' so popu- lar With Coast listeners. This one, sponsored by the Navy Oil Co., has a -somewhat novel way of bringing out a studio audience. Each pur- chase of five gals, of Navy gas brings a coupon, two of which when sent in bring a single admission ticket to the studio show the fol-, lowing Wednesday night. Result is usually a packed house and plenty of applause for the talent. . New skipper . or . m.c. was in choirge last Wednesday (19). He's Charles Neiand, whose, husky voice indicated a severe cold, but otheiv- wise functibning oke. Eddie Lam- bert made his second appearance on- the hour, doing his time-worn 'Cinderella,' monolog.'. Another for- nier vaude name, who is a regular on the program, is Eddie Borden with a line of comedy patter and gags. Other talent night caught included Johnny Kladep, accordion- ist; Cy Jenks, rube, cioihic; three Rhythm. Kings, harmony cropning; Virginia Earhett, blues singer; Henry Starr, tenor; Arlene Francis, comedy monologlst, and Fuzzy Knight, comedian. Short announcements covering the sponsor's product made at 15 min.: intervals do .not become tir- ing. Program as a whole fairly en- terta.ining, biit as usual with this type of broadcast there's too much studio applause to make it interest- ing for the folks outside. ABE. LYMAN and 'Holtyvvood Nevysboy' Music and Chatter 15 Mins. . COMMERCIAL WABC, New York A so-so program; Phillips. Milk of Magnesia has tried to be differ- ent hut instead of songs and biand it's talk arid band, which is n. s. g. The tie-up is with United Artists studio and the 'Hollywood Newsboy* is the film gossiper. The chatter Is rather innocuous and as for the UA tieup It plugs WB pictures more thaa UA. Spieling Is of the sophomoric school which attempts to impress that brushing one's teeth will give a radiant, smile. It's a rather tar- fetched hookup. • Next they'll be at- tributing correction of fallen arches to toothpastes. Lyman's band is just, a one-to-flll, in. between the chattering. He too. is bombastically ballyhooed as Movieland's Favorite Dance Band, and to prove the Coast connection his signature song is 'California Here I Come.' There are repearted reminders to 'remember .that the movie stars all use .Phillips Milk of Magnesia toothpa,ste,' and that each dressing room on the UA lot is equipped with: a tube so that the players can.giv.e it a once-over-light before going oh the sets: It's all primed to bally- hoo radiant personality and radiant smileage, obtainable from a denti- frice tube. That's stretching it pretty far. Under the circumstances it eclipses whatever value the Ly- man band might have, which isn't m\ich in evidence. Abel. SPANISH TROUBADOURS And Concert Ensemble COMMERCIAL KELW, L. A. Only strictly Spanish-Mexican air program on the Coast is this nightly half hour sold to a Spanish advertising concern, with the musi- cal portion of the outfit repeating for a two-hour before-daylight broadcast from 4 to 6 a.m. Pro- gram is designed primarily for the large Spanish-speaking population of the extreme southwest. Announcements in Spanish are somewhat lengthy and precede or follow each musical number. Trou- badours are instrumentalists and vocalists offering a complete change of program nightly, as well as for the early morning broadcast. Pro- gram has been on the air for some time, but just who the 4 to 6 a.m. broadcast appeals to has not been clearly determined. Doubtful If even the Spanish speaking class gets up at that hour to listen in. vARieriEB Disks COMMERCIAL WQY, Schsntotady A series of half-hour waxed programs sponsored by Kresge'^s 26c-|l etotes. WGY has been re- leasing one a week since Septem- ber, Broadcasts are timed to syn- chronize with ' weekend sales, de- tails of which are given oh disks as well as by a station announcer. Ben Selvln's orchestra is the 'basic feature of .the series, with other name attractions added. These include Scrappy Lambert and Billy Hillpot, Wally Sullivan, m,c., a coniedian named Charley Doran (so it sounds), who works opposite Sul- livan, arid, on one record, a tearii doing a Sums and Allen routine. Selvin'ii music Is corking; ar- rangements, style and everything bespeak class. Unit is 'way above, average in-person orchestra on the air during the early a.m. hours, A chap with a pleasing tenor choruses, Lambert and !HilIpgtt pour oiit their usual effective harmony, Their contributions, too, smacks of big time stuff,^ usually reserved for shots later in the day. Sullivan, announced as a writer of special material: for Main Stem artists, does" not' dppear to be the happiest choice for the riri.c. comedyi role. His style/ oke for a night club. Is a bit too Broadwayish, too brassy, for a morning. hroadcast, particu- larly one aimed at class of lis- teners interested in Kresge bar- gains.' Voice Is penetrating; rather unpleasantly so, via a loud speaker. A more subdued delivery and less emphasis on T thing would help, if Sullivan Intends to continue - In the radio field.: ' Doran, a boob, hesltarit in-speech comic, is not of thia kind usually heard over ether waves,; but is a capable entry here. He teams well with Sullivan, and has possibilities for development (if he Is the new- comer nariie would seerii to in- dicate). : A Mrs. Roberts delivers an ad- vertising spiel on the record, while Sullivan and partner slip in a plug. Announcer also does his share of advertising which includes mention of prices. Real entertalnriient on these plat- ter affairs. Jaco. PIECES OF EIGHT Serial COMMERCIAL KNX, Hollywood Molded on- the 'Treasure Island' theme, serial is aimed especially for the kids. Not particularly well done, but gets juvenile interest be- cause of the prize features that go with it. Paid for by a local baking con-' cern which gives awards to the children getting most new custom- ersr Very little Ingenuity seems to have been used In the writing of the serial/ and with the exception of Xionel Belmore, who plays the chief pirate, the actlrig Is not par- ticularly effective. . Three nights a week on 15-mln.-programs. JAY WHIDDEN'8 ORCHESTRA Sustaining KFI and KECA, Los Angeles This. Is a new orchestra, recently recruited by Jay Whldden, who came Into prominence with his Hotel Carleton combo In London. He spotted his new outfit in the Miramar, Santa-Monica, when this hotel changed from its staid family policy to a night spot. Dance band is now being remoted nightly at different times on the two NBC out- lets here, KFI aqd KECA. It's one of the smoothest combi- nations of the current dance bands in these parts. Orchestra carries several good singers with about every other number haying vocal Interpolations either by a quartet or a single.. Lawrence King, for- merly Owen McGlIvary, boy singer of vaude. Is the principal soloist. He has an. excellent high tenor voice, and from the receiving end of the set Is a ringer for Donald Novls. Most Of "Whldden's material Is popular stuff that can be put over without excessive brass or blatancy. Stan. DEATH VALLEV^^ DAYS Dramatic Sketch 30 Minutes COMMERCIAL WJZ, N«w York In resuming the series this season Borax decided to shift from Chicago to the NBC studios in New York, With the change has come a marked Improvement In every phaise of the program. It's on a weekly Schedule, Thursdays, hitting the airlines, 9 p. m. EST. For two seasons Harvey Hays filled thie :,'01d Prosnector* role, giv- ing the p(irt the exact basso twang he applied to 'Old Timer,' the nar- rator in the Great Northern It. R. series. But the characterization, helped by one of the most resonant acting voices on the air- at the time, has clearly and definitely associated itself with either program. The present player of the 'Old Prospec- tor' happens to be the only 'Weak link in an ' otherwise usually hap- pily gathered cast. Program last caught (20) carried the title of 'The Little Old Lady of Death Valley,? with Pejjgy Allenby, NBC's ace character player. In the lead. It was a yam oozing with sentimentality of the boklest sort, but the class of script that will find a ready listening hibb by the 'parlor loudspeaker. Fart assigned Miss Allenby had - loads of adroitly con- trived dialog and she gave it a reading that must havia had them sniffing In their rocking chairs. In other words. It was a perfect com- bination of lines and actress, fpr radio. Tenor strumming a guitar and caroling hillbilly laments is used to open the show and between se- quences of the sketch. , Credit copy is neatly arid laconically' devised, with the purpose more institutional than selling. Odec. 0PT(MISTI.QJ(>PUQHNUT HOUR* yVith Jaofc C«rt«r, Biil Hatch's or.* ohsstra, H«ttie MeD«nieli, Bobby' Gross, Law Kelly« Four Sheiks of Harmony and . Jack Stern and Grace H«mllloil» 60 Mins. COMMERCIAL KNX, Hollywood This prograrii. Is the oldest of its type on the Coast, although during- Ita more, than four years has under- gone many changes. It was stan- dardized for a long time as an alU Negro bill but in its new form is a well-assembled variety program, with several vaude names holding It up dnd bringing It under the wire as an excellent hour's entertain- ment. It's on Friday nights. I Program, is bacKgroundcd by Bill Hatch's string combination, en- hanced for this pa^rtlcular spot with extra brass. Jack Carter, former English hiusic hall performer, in.c.'s and handles the bill with snap. On night caught he did well with a couple of English bally-ass types of songs, one of which was origlnalj Hebe chatter Is. in from Bobby Gross with Lew Kelly handling tha Irish end. Hattle> ,McDaniels, col- ored, sang a'couple of " good torch' numbers and cross-fired with Car- ter with passable Negro dialect stuff. Four Sheiks of Harmony, ^ j colored quartet,- are Jake in South- em ballads with Jack - Stern and -Grace Hamilton rounding out a well balanced program, "with popular, soriga and domestic patter. . All in all. It's excellent air fare due to Its tempo and the brevity of the announceriients. Unlike most of the air variety programs here- abouts the wisecracks are almpst new. . ■ ■ , New Program Calendar PeriodB on the air for the first time, or resuiniiig oommercially PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF SONG Sustaining WTMJ, Milwaukee . A very pleasing prpgram with sufficient variety to satisfy is this combination of Stanley Morner, Dorothy Jubllier and the Arlstg- crats. Sustaining programs of this kind sometimes are a bit ultra in the choice of numbers, but such an error has been avoided by the sta- tion's musical director, William J. Bennlng. With much theatre experience to guide him In his selection of mu- sical rhenus, he has th'e knack of turning into the air about what the niajorlty wants. There is a well-balanced an'ange- ment of vocal solos and duets with the excellent orchestra doing its own share of popular hits and semi- classlcs. JIMMY BITTICK ORCH. With Peter GrosBo, Joan Stone; Va'nska Cochran. Sustaining .' KMTR, L. A. Musical outfit,, formerly at the Town House, class L. A. hostelry, has a good coast rating as- a dance band, but seems to lack something in Its' air programs. Selections, mostly of the semi-classic and pop type, were oke, but there was a mechanical rendition : that seeriied to say: 'We've got to play ao many numbers, so let's get them over with.' They lack punch and feel- ing. Program is divided into two 15 min. intervals, with soloists changed for each period. Peter Grosso, tenor, has an unusually pleasing voice. His accompanist Is Harold Curtis.. Vanska Cochran, harpist, handles the stringed Instrument satisfactorily. Second part had Joan 'Stone, soprano,, soloing, and the Town Boys, frohi the band, warbling. ' Station announcer should wake up to the fact that United Artists has no Hollywood theatres. * THURSDAY, OCT. 27 'Whitman's Melodies' (CBS). Jack Denny's band and vocalists spon- sored by Stephen F. Whltnaan & Son, candy manufacturers. Orig- inating from WABC, N. Y., 8:45 to 3 p. hi.,. EST. SUNDAY, OdT. 30 'Canada Dry'RevUe' (CBS). Can- ada Dry Ginger Ale ^debuts its show on this network with Jack Denny and the Ted Weems band, over the basic network and outlets in Montreal, Toronto, Minneapolis and Atlantic City. - jOriginating from WABC, N. Y.„ Sundays from 10 to 10:30 p. m., and Thursday from 8:16 to 8:46 p. m., ESI?; 'Jungle 'Thrills" (NBC). Frank Buck will do the adventure spieling pn this session for' A.. C. Gilbert, with the hookup taking in the basic red, the northwest, the orange and KFSD, KTHS, KOA and KSL. Or- iginating from 'WEAF, New York, 5:45 to 6 p. m.,-EST. MONDAY, OCT, 31 'Muateroleans' (CBS). The Mus- terole Co, of Cleveland returns the previous Absorbine, Jr., combina- tion, Whispering Jack Smith, the Humming Birds (Dorothy Greeley, contralto; Margere^ Speaks, so- prano; Katherlrie Cavalli, mezzo soprano) and Arnold Johnson's or- chestra, for two, quarter hour periods a week, Mon. and Wed., over 22 stations. Originating from WABC, N. Y., 8. p. m., EST. •WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2 'The Fitch Professor' (CBS). Fitch Co. of Des Moines, hair toriic, resumes the weekly morning musi- cale out of .the CBS studios in Chi- cago, 10:30 to 10:46 EST. MONDAY, NOV. 7 .'Adventures of Bud Rogers' (CBS). Kellogg Co. has this dra- matization of the newspaper strip clocked for five times a week over 20 stations. Through "WABC, N. Y., 7:15 to 7:30 p. m., EST. . THUI^DAY, NOV. 10 'international Special' (CBS). In- ternational Silver Co. of Mertden, Conn.,. has .Tony Wons spotted for a two-week cariipalgn bveir -53 sta- tions, Thursdays, Fridays and Sat- urdays. Originating from WABC, N, ■y., 9:30 to 9:45 a. m., EST. West coast gets this broadcast 12:15 to 12:30, EST. SATURDAY. NOV. 12 'Carborundum Band' (CBS). Car- borundum company brings this one out of Niagara Palls for a 15-sta- tlon hookup. Comes through WABC, N. Y., 9:30 to 10 p. m., EST. SUNDAY, NOV. 13 'Smith Brothers—Trade and Mark' (NBC). Coughdrop maker's: pro- gram, slated for 20 weeks, offers a Nat Shllkret orchestra with Billy Hillpot and Scrappy Lambert over a hookup that takes; In WJZ, WBJ5, WBZA, WBAD, WHAM, KDKA, WJR, KYW, KWK, WREN, KOIL and KWRC. Originating from WJZ, N, Y., 9:15 to 9;30 p. m., EST. FRIDAY, NOV. 18 'Big Six of the Air with Al Jolson' (NBC). Chevrolet has contracted time for this one. over a period of 39 weeks with the hookup extending through the baislc red, the north- west, the southeast, the south cen-. ti-al, the southwest, the mountain, the orange links and KFSD and KTAR. Program besides Jolson will' carry an orchestra arid quartet. Originating from WEAF, N. Y.i 10 to 10:30 p. m., EST. Musterole Absorbs Absorbine's Air Cast Ether bill formerly supported by Absorbine, Jr., has been taken over by Musterole for a 26-week run ju Columbia'starilrig Monday (81)i ft comprises "Whispering Jack Sniitb, the Humming Birds and Arnold Johnson's orchestra. Hookup gives the program two 15-mlnute i>erlods/ Monday and "Wednesday rilghts." Jean Calloway Stricken Waterloo, Icl, Oct. 24. Stricken with peritonitis, JeaA Calloway, New York, vho was play- ing here with her orchestra, was taken from the Waterloo dance pav- ilion and is. now at Allen Memorial hospital. ' Necessary for her to remain here at least a week, orchestra going ort alone. Literati (Continued from page 47) tyros how to scribble In acceptable fashion. James Waterman Wise's mag, •Opinion,' has gone monthly. Annual nieeting of the Dramatists* Guild Is at the Hotel Shelton to- day (Tuesday). ^ The Ives Washijurns back at their city shack. Sinclair Lewis down with the flu at his Austrian place. So many books on bridge; who reads them all? Chalk up 75 years for the 'At^ lantic Monthly.' • Faith Baldwin lecturing, S. S. Van Dine's 'The Kennel Murder Case*^ is definitely his last. He now becomes his own self, WU- lard Huntington Wright, Gilbert Seldes Invites cbntribs to the new 'Americana.' Knopf has: Max Swing's first novel, 'Groing Somewhere.' Valentine Williams likes to write plays, but novels earn him a living. Morris L. Ernst has a hew; col- laborator In Alexander Lindey. 'The Best Short Shorts of 1932' anthology which Putnam's issues sopn, will contain a piece by Rube G9ldberg, of all people! "With his 'Give Us ileroes' on the press, David Cort has thought of a new title for his book. Glertrude Atherton, In Frisco, was honored with a 'Gertrude Atherton. Day' by the League of American Pen Women there.'