Variety (Jan 1933)

36 VARIETY RADIII REPORTS Tueaclajt Jumary 10, 1933 ANGEL FACE RACKETEERS COMMERCIAL WWL, N«w Orleans There's a number of erood com- mercials Independent of chains around this part of the south; there are also several worse than punk ones. 'Angel Face' has a pretty good following all over the south where tuners can get them. It Is a dally gangster program, dealing with gangsters and their molls. Hijacking and bumping off guys are Just Incidents In the script. The main idea Is for the gangster to slap the face of his moll every two minutes. From the time the bill goes on till the time It goes oft It Is just .slap, slap, slap. The molKs cry and cry and cry. It's novelty for molls to cry. Without the type of announcing this program Is getting It would lose most of its kick. Program Is staged by Mom's, a manufacturer of some sort of wine brick or In- gredient used for making wine. Announcer Is a honey and sounds something like Joe E. Brown with bis 'old pal, old pal.' His spiel about Mom's is carried on in the same manner. For in- stance, 'Pals, Mom's are made right here in old New Orleans, folks, fa- mous for its wines and beverages, so send me a buck and a quarter, pals. Borrow a bucket, two cents for a yeast cake and enjoy It, pal, old pal.' He sings it right out. ENO CRIME CLUB (New Series) Mystery COMMERCIAL WJZ, New York Despite advance hokum draped around the entry of this series on NBC after a two-year incumbency on Columbia, Eno Salts still turns out one of the three ace mystery play productions on the network alrlanes. Other two rating niches on the same shelf are Blue Coal's 'The Shadow' and Campagna Italian Balm's 'Dr. Fu Manchu.' Fanfare advice preceding the ad- vent of the Eno shocker on NBC was to the effect that all the essen- tial clues will be presented in the first episode of each story so that the smart listener can anticipate the solution; that realism and ac- tion will take the place of ordinary 'deduction' and that 'sound effects will be an integral part of the action and not merely an accessory to It.' And regardless of all this meaning- less palaver and the interpolation of a permanent central character called Spencer Dean, it's the same old Eno mystery conception, well written, dexterously produced and still the pacemaker for its kind of ether entertainment. This central character. Spencer Dean, may give the series a touch of newness and thereby Justify the in- trusion. It neither adds any human Interest or dramatic value to the series nor does it get in the way of the action. If the commercial has set out to create a character of the Charlie Chan or Nyland Smith type it's bungled the job from the start. To begin with, that Picca- dilly accent of his weaving in and out of chinfests embracing plain- clothes delegates from New York'H finest fits about , as .nattily as Noel Coward would in a.Minsky blackout. But even If tii;!^'central character is a hapless piece of insertion, the punch of the story and production remains Intact. For the plug appendage Eno has done away with the druggist who had his shop on Amsterdam avenue and delivered his cutomers' testi- monials. In his place there's a dia- log resort, with one guy telling the other how pippifled he looks, the other fellow admitting and the first winding up with a testimonial. The Amsterdam ave. druggist made it sound more authoritative. Program Is carried on the blue link- :riiesday and_Iimr5iiLaj:,_.wlth an ideal spotting on the hookup, 8 p. m. EST. Odec. MORTON DOWNEYoDONALD NQVIS With Leon Belasco'a 6rch. 30 Mins. COMMERCIAL WJZ, New York In switching over from CBS to NBC's blue chain (WJZ hookup) Woodbury's has Injected consider- able showmanship into Its new pro- gram which, apart from the 'battle of the tenors,' Is car.nlly scripted. Whether or not the booking of two similar type warblers on the same commercial was a bull or not. It has been a frultous publicity circum- stance and possibly somebody at the agency wasn't so dumb after all. For, as the announcer heralds, It is unique, this doublc-tenoring, but It is skillfully plotted to remove all stress of competitive tensity; merely, in smooth alternation, it gives both Downey and Novls full opportunities for vocal prowess. Against this is a Viennese back- ground, with a Franz and Lili idyl- llcally sketching a romantic thread, which plausibly leads them into Rpthschlld hospital, Vienna, where Dr. Theodore Sussman, eminent dermatologist, Is conducting a clinic. In course of this conclave of savants he pays high tribute to an Ameri- can contemporary and to Wood- bury's soap as a cleanser and beau- tifler, mentioning a 10-day test with this '20th century wonder,' etc. It's hokum of so colorful a char- acter that its naivete and ingen- iousnes wlnsi respect, grudging or otherwise, and for mass consump- tion should prove palatable. Spot- ted midway in the 30 mins., with the two tenors as lure, and the romantic thread to further cement the In- terest, it won't cause the tuner-ln- ners to tune out. '-'he Dr. Sussman Interlude sug- gests that the settings and the song motifs will be changed to the vari- ous nationals as each dermatologl- cal authority of the respective coun- tries is quoted. If not, they should. When a Parisian beauty authority is on the tapis, the French capital should become the center and the motif Gallic, etc. The cocktail ren- dezvous hookup was skillfully scripted so that it picked the dra- matic sequence up in great style right after the ad blurb stuff. Just before the last two vocal numbers some banality slips In whefi Franz raves, 'What gave you back your dazzling youth?' Lili stalls, significantly, but states, 'It's a little 20th century magic which I shall keep to myself so that I shall keep you for myself.' Prime fault of the script Is that It's a bit involved and unless the auditor is all ears it will tax his or her patience. Ether scripts are best when catch-as-catch-can so that the talk portion won't be too hard on the resistance. Here, the easiest tl.i- g about it all is the singing. Another deficiency is the lack of identification of the singers. The new ether trade-marked whistle of Downey's identifies him, as he pre- cec'.es each number with a little chirping, and so it makes it simple to conclude that Novls is the other tenor, but for the new fans it's not going to be that easy. If the idea of the script is to avoid talent credit Interruptions, the idea of singling out one from the other, via the whistle business, should be estab- lished t; the start. The lOc sample thing follows, with the CIncy address of the soap men- tioned as the sending course for a sample kit. WJZ at 9:30-10 p. m. EST Wednesday nights looks in for Woodbury's, chiefly because of Downey and Novls, both of whom acquit themselves most creditably, and with no irritation of a 'contest' or any such thing between them. What the public may conclude is something else again. That's smart, too. Abel. GERTRUDE NIESEN Songs with Orch. 15 Mins. Sustaining WABC, New York Gertrude Nlesen may confuse with Greta Nissen from pictures. They're two different people. William S. Palcy, CBS prexy. Is said to be par- ticularly sold on the radio Miss Nioscn, as a new find, hence the sustaining buildup, with the choice 10 p. m. EST Wednesday night quarter hour spotting. P.alcy's judgment seems substantiated by her premiere efforts. Miss Nlesen, who is recallable when doing some vocal Interludlng in tlio Lyda RobertI manner, when personal appearancing with Itoger Wolfe Kahn's band, has an excellent air delivery. She Is more than the conventional songstress. She's also a mimic. Her mimicry will carry her farther than her basically worthy song delivery. Holding it down to one 'impres- sion' per quarter hour Is in itself a smart Idea. This time out she did 'Hotcha,' from the Zlegfeld show, a la Lupe Velez, clicking on that, as she did with scorch songs. Good orchcutral backup, too. Miss Niesen looks 'in' on the air. Abel. SAFEWAY SQUARE Community Singing COMMERCIAL KFI, Los Angeles Getting listeners to join In the singing with ether artists at the other end of the set Is a new gag for this part of the country. There's no telling how many of the cus- tomers who have their dials turned to this program twice a week really do attempt to warble, but as the scheme has been used by the Com- bined Plggly Wiggly and Safeway chain stores It's a cinch that some must have followed the urge. Program has John T. Murray, film player, as m.c. He calls oft the numbers to be sung, and the dial twisters are expected to help out the male chorus that Is doing the vocalizing at the station. Song sheets are distributed at the many chain stores weekly and contain a dozen or more choruses of the old- timers such as, on the night caught, 'Coming Through the Rye,' 'Kath- leen Mavourneen,' 'Darling Clemen- tine,' etc. Should be a Jake program for the transplanted middle west- erners who used to attend the Odd Fellow's sing-sings back home. Program also carries a secondary commercial plug. Song sheets passed out at the stores carry a titleless picture, and $100 worth of groceries are passed out each week for the best handles. Stan. D. W. QRIFFITH'6 HOLLYWOOD With William ArM Oreh. COMMERCIAL 15 Mina. ' WJZ, Naw York Broadcaat annala of racent years knows no aeries of dramaa, drama- tized biographlea or reminiscences with Hollywood as a background that h&B proved a click from the viewpoint of the sales chart. Two notable flly Instances within the past year or so were Francis X, Bushman for Armour ana the eight dramatic shows framed around that number of current screen names and put on by Columbia by a fan mag. And it doesn't look as though D. W. Grlfflth^s stint for Hinds will prove an exception to the rule. The Griffith series has nothing new or distinctive to offer, and the draw- ing value of the name to the listener mob Is doubtful. From the writing and production angles first program brought credit to no one. The hand of the expert was lacking: In either department. Running through It all was a vein of cynicism that was entirely out of keeplner with the grandiose build- up given the Industry and the first of flimdom's top name directors at the introduction. One moment It raved at the romance and glamor of the business, and the next heaped sc^om upon it for Its mad whirl that skyrockets some 'poor little Cinderella' Into stardom over- night and soon casta her Into the limbo of the hasbeens. As a production It's a hodge- podge of bits and ends, bereft of coherence and direction. From a poorly-devised reproduction of a Grauman Chinese theatre opening night the first stanza faded into a scene out of Griffith's early Bio- graph days, sketching the meeting of Mary Plckford and the director. And for an apertlf the program at- tempted to convey something of the hubbub on a studio set, with Grif- fith In the director part. All It amounted to was Just so much meaningless noise. In the sentimental, reminiscent passages of his recital the Griffith voice assumes a tremolo entirely out of consonance with the person- ality that the average listener must have associated with his directorial achievements. From any angle the program doea the Griffith tradition little good. Odeo. RING CROSBY With Lennia Hayton's Orch. Songs 15 Mins. COMMERCIAL WABC, Naw York Tom Howard, Blng Crosby and Ruth Ettlng are the new sequence of the Chesterfield quarter hours, with Lennle Hayton the new orches- tral backup throughout In place of Nat Sbllkret. It's a saving for Chesterfield and a erreat break for Hayton,-thanks principally to Cros- "by, who had the pre^^ent ciggle ac- count's maestro with him on tour as pianist-arranger, and also during the making of the Paramount pic- ture, 'Big Broadcast.' Sbllkret, in- dldentally, has since landed another commercial.. BO It's Jake all 'round. As far as this quarter hour Is con- cerned It's highly palatable stuff if not particularly distinguished. Cros- by and Hajrton are both adept but the presentation Is quite formula, featuring Crosby In three and a half songs, not counting the 'Please' vamp-ln, Hayton's orchestra In an okay rendition of 'Let's Put Out the Lights' and Norman Brokenshire's rather saccharine and overly benign wordage, In between. •Echo of the Valley,' which was scheduled for the thematic, is the signoff Instead, broken Into by time limitation. 'Please,' after the open-. Ing bars (In Itself a not bad associa- tion In view of the Par picture from which It comes) give^ way to 'Love Me Tonight' 'Please' Is later ren- dered in full, as Is 'How Deep Is the Ocean;'and finally ^Eoho.' In taking Guy Lombardo-Burns and Allen's time Wednesday nights at 9 p. m. EST, it's a break for this program. Lombardo-Burns switch down to 9.30 p. m, and that half hour's difference makes It tougher for them through bucking the Dow- ney-Nqvla 30 mins. on the rival chain. Abel. GORDIE RANDALL'S ORCH. Sustaining WGY, Schenectady Name orchestras on the chain spots, as well as on programs orig- inating from Albany hotels, have edged out many of the local units formerly heard via WGY, but this one Is etui a regular feature. Fills a late-evening spot and a luncheon hour several times a week. Jerry Brannon, singer, goes along. Comparisons are often Invidious, but can hardly be avoided here, In- asmuch as Randall's combination Is heard on the same luncheon hour program (though on different days), which outlets music by well-known bands from the New Kenmore and De Witt Clinton in Albany. There is too little fire and precision In the playing. Randall did a snappier broadcasting job two years ago. Brannon, formerly with Hal Kemp, Is a pleasing pop tenor, with- out showing to much advantage with the present group. . NEW ROYAL VAGABOND Program With Kan Murray, Haian CHarlas- ton. Ward Wilaon Comedy, Songa, Oroh. 30 Mins. COMMERCIAL WEAF, New York Ix>oJcs as though Royal Gelatine has picked a winner In this combi- nation, and in Ken Murray, spe- cifically, the first candidate for ether name honors for 193). Here's a first-rate show In the making. It's got all that It takes, both on the ball and In the offing, with the right material and steering. Besides this vaude headllner and picture comic, the program has Robert Russell Bennett on its pay- roll to look after the musical por- tion of the show. But even with much musical ex- perience in his favor, Bennett did not display the finer points of mike technique and placement. Perhaps this particular phase of the Job comes within the duties of the J. Walter Thompson program produc- tion department. Anyway, the or- chestra numbers and the mixed choral interludes on the initial show (4) did not achieve their best re- sults on the receiving end because of some bad miffing, with the brasses especially giving every In- dication of maladroit spotting, and with the lad at the controls doing little to play down these deficiencies. Otherwise Bennett clothed this first show with as fine and stirring a collection of hit tunes as heard in recent months on the air. With the technical quirks straightened out, the musical phase will garner it standout attention all Its own. It will take a Uttle while for Ken Murray to adapt his style and tal- ents as a comic to the requirements of the medium, and this regardless of all the click responses that he may gather from studio sideline audiences. Murray, among otlier things, has yet to acquire the knack of pacing his gags Into the mike, of easing up his enunciation so that he may be clearly understood on the receiving end. As for mike person- ality, the Murray voice has it Initial show had Murray doing a monolog between the musical inter- ludes. The one exchange with Helen Charleston was Juat long enough to establish the girl's personality and to give the feminine touch to the proceedings. Some of the gaga out of this first script were of easily recognizable vintage, while others, though equally old, were palmed off with a zest and rearranging that at least gave them a fresh fiavor. There was one gag that must have got an eyebrow rise from the rock- ing chairs. For the fadeout Murray unloaded a string of gag newscllps, with the idea behind this humor twist okay, but their method of delivery too fast and Jumbled to make much of an Impression. With better pacing this item of the Murray repertoire should develop Into a snappy epilog to the program's script, something similar to the impression made by the letter reading and answering in the Ed Wynn Texaco stanza. Once the headllner on the gelatine contribution. Ward Wilson Is now confined to unreeling the plug. Copy here is brief and quickly registers its points in two insertions. Odec. BOAKE CARTER News Commentator COMMERCIAL WABC, New York Forthrightness, a flair for getting under the surface of national and international problems and a trip- hammer mind that breaks them down to simple essentials make up the long suits of this newcomer to the cross-country airlines. Philco Radio is responsible for his every evening but Saturday and Monday release over a 15-statlon CBS hook- up. He's been doing the same stint over WCAU, Philadelphia, the past two years, and at the same time doing a column for one of the local sheets.- - Although he's been around PhlUy the past nine years, Boake Carter talks with a peculiarly burred Eng- lish accent. His delivery is not of the best, due to a tendency to let it flow on In a monotone, with rarely a pause to indicate the end of a topic or let a point seep into the listener's mental receptivity. But it's a style and collection of speaking mannerisms that the in- telligent listener can easily become accustomed to. It's what he has to say that will pique the attention and make him nn every evening habit for those who read and think beyond the headlines. Though he speaks in rambling sentences the comments on the day's events come In pithily arrayed observations. No hedging or Jump- ing on a popular bandwagon here. Carter digs down under the surface of national and International inci- dents and movements and bluntly dissects their motives and back- grounds. It's a personal reaction well fortified by facts and a keen grasp of worldwide affairs. Mixed up with these comments on front- page items of interest is a certain amount of verbal chaff, but that's easy to overlook. Carter also deals out the Philco plug copy. It comes only once in the 15 minutes, brief and eased over in passing. Odec. TOM HOWARD With Qaorga Shaidon, Betty Bar. thall, Lannia Hayton Oroh. 16 Mina. COMMERCIAL WABC, Naw York It'a going to be alow progress building this Tuesday and Prld^ evening Chesterfield contribution to popularity rating. Regardless of tho weak showing made by Tom How- ard and his straight, George Shel- don, on their debut program (3), the comic has something in that zany characterization, of his that may get them rooting for him eventually It's a characterization that has no* replica on the network alrlanes, and will by gradual degrees take hold solidly, particularly with the four- forks mob. Initial broadcast had Howard and Sheldon as nervous as a pair of hens. Both were chattering into the mike at the same time, making it Impossible to distinguish one voice from the other or to get an Idea of what it was all about. On the following stanza Howard had slipped into his real stride and was hitting It off smoothly and amus- ingly. Only trouble hero was that the pair Jumped from one extreme to the other. Advised to take it easy, the team on the second show- ing paced their lines too slowly, but anyway it gave a pretty good idea of the direction which the act had staked out for Itself on the air. Incorporated In this Friday even- ing sample were situations typical of the Howard genre. The same old sap stuff associated with his screen shorts, packing similarly redic com- plications and, above all, easy to visualize. For some reason not clear they've inserted into *.he quarter hour one of those hotcha warblers. Whatever the motive for this intrusion, it is doubtful whether the presence of Betty Barthell will help out the comedy team. Lennle Hayton band has the knack for rhythm, melody and all that It needs to make It easy both on the ears and the shuf- fling tootsies. Odec. MILLIGAN and MULLIGAN With Bob White, Don Ameche Episodic COMMERCIAL WGN, Chicago This is brand new and limited to WGN, although the sponsor, Phil- lips 66 Gasoline, has had a local show of an entirely different char- acter In St. Louis. Bob White Is author as well as comedian, with Don Ameche playing the detective, whose serious efforts are constantly muddled and misunderstood by the dumbbell. White has a good Idea. Just the sort of tomfoolery that the public often responds to. And he changes the plot, or 'case,' each week, which has advantages over the usual epi- sodic script's endlessly prolonged entanglements. On a basis of its flrst week on tho air the flaw in 'Milllgan and Mulli- gan' is the advertising copy. It was a torrent of words. White in an ef- fort to take some of the curse off the extreme verbosity to which either the client or the agency seems addicted, Introduced an 'Enquiring Reporter,' who Is supposed to ask questions of motorists as to why they Insist on Phillips 66. Program has a melodious horn that Is used as a signature, and a specimen of which Is the prize bait for mall. This is a merchandizing Idea said to have been devised by White. It will captivate the fancy and etch Itself upon the memory more readily than any bombastic claim made on behalf of the prod- uct. At least 50% of the gabby plugs should be eliminated. It may be necessary to sledgehammer a trade name across, but for every thick skull thereby penetrated the advertiser is apt to drive away jit- tery listeners who don't stay tuned in long enough to get the program. It seemed as if that flrst commer- cial-announcement would never end. It may only have been two or three minutes. It seemed as long as four blocks In heavy traffic. With more self-restraint In the matter of talking about itself, Phil- Hps 66 is apt to have a popular show in this Bob White concoction. But the narrative must have the right of way and the plugs be inci- dental Instead of dominating. White and Ameche are both experienced and able radio performers. Land. 'ROMANTIC BACHELOR' With Tom McLoughlin, Mark War^ now Orch. 15 Mins. COMMERCIAL WABC, New York If this Wednesday evening mix- ture of song has been confected for matronly consumer and that class of listener alone, Vlck's has hit the mark. To the pater famlMas settled In his rocker or easy chnlr the 'Ro- mantic Bachelor's' vocal flutterinffs and Interspersed chatter abotit the old Heidelberg days will evoke haUdly more than an itch to .'^liift stations. But not so with the wife. Wrapped up in this entertainment Is the old sentimental pull, and it's well put together. For around 13 weeks the program had a limited eastern hookup with (Continued on page 38)