Variety (Sep 1935)

Wednesday, September 18, 1935 RADIO REPORTS VARIETY 61 COURT OF THE UNKNOWN VVith Nick Kenny, Antoni ' Or- chestra, Amateurs' Variety KINGS BEER 60 Mins. WINS, New York Nick Kenny, N. T. Pally Mirror's radio columnJfit, throws down the gauntlet to the networks In a frank challenge aneht 'stiBallng' this' Idea. Kenny, with a nautical background which gives him his sieli-etyled bill- ing as 'the old salt' and the' old sailor,' heaves ho! with righteous ■prid*-tks-;autliop aa^ ethoreal peet lajjreate of what he calls a new Idea In radio. 'The Court of the Unknown': is. basically another variation of the amsctfcUT hbirr; The Tinknowns are tWffWi»TOl:^*rsi.r"5i«r-i« - Jttdg«> 'K^nny and the—Antoninl- orchieatra- Is^ the 'jury' which, besides serving as ntusical acconip, 'votes' Its opinion with a snatch Of popular song. Sometimes It's appropriate, such as •Tou're the Tops,' 'i, Wish You ■Were Dead, You Kascal, Ybu,^ etc,, and sometimes It's Just silly, such as a snatch of 'Dinah' or a bluies. Latter la intended for comedy. The noncommltal report ia predicated on Kenny's introductory that this Is a gong-lew amateur hour; no razOos; tio heartaches; no ridicule; everything's Just .dandy. Consider- ing that the ains are frankly paid ofC with gratia Kings Be^r, that's the least the sponsor can do for /em. Spotted on WINS. Sunday morn- ings at 11 a.m. until noon, Kenny booms forth in his familiar fog- ' horn, voice with a succession .of nondescript amateurs. Some aire net so am. Teddy Waldinan, the harmonicaist, for instance, .long a standard as of Ted and Al Wald- mah, but now seeking a 'profes- sional comeback' via an amateur show. There might have been oth- ers in the debut program. A la the Major Bowes, et al., idea, Kenny solicits telephonic voting, and, without tallying the scores, announces who seems to be lead- ing. The winner. receives two weeks' • work at ttie Village Barn and the Village Grove Nut Club. Considering that two weeks in succe.ssion is virtually a career nowadays,, no wonder the Wald- mans, et al., are turning, ams. Kenny also essays some comedy through repeated mispronuncia- tions of Malestro Antonini's sur- name, calling him anything from Paganlnl to Angelinl. That's the old Cantor and Rubinoft formula, making RublnofF a comedy stooge— but makin' him. If Kenny's Kings ' Beer commercial lasts long enough it'll also do more to accentuate An- tonini's Identity than If decorously treated. Barl Harper announces, but there's a pseudo-aimateur announcer who. as. an ambitious am, gives , out the beer and ale plugs. Account placed direct. Han no agency. Abel, 'STRANGE AS IT SEEMS' With Gayne Whitman, Fell ills' Orchestra Novelty 15 Mins. EX-LAX WMCA, New York Joseph Katz As soon as CBS (announced Its clean-up policies which. Involved, among other things, laxatives. ISx- Lax at once left the air without bothering to finish its contract. Now the company is back on 50 spot Sta- tions with a dramatization of John Hix' 'Strange as It Seems.' a feature currently appearing Ih 200 newspa- pers and a score of film shorts. "The new series Is cut onto platters, and involves no live talent. And It pre- cedes by some weeks a siinilar idea that Standard Brands will use. through 'Believe It or Not' Ripley on the old network spot once oc- cupied, by Joe Penner. First offering of 'Strange As It eems' (IC) Involved a dramatiza- tlofi a la 'The March Of Time' o£ three episodes: (1) the man who ate his book on democracy in pref- erence to having his head chopped oft by an irate king; (2) Herr Scheinberg,' the Austrian agent, who sired 87 children by two wives; and (3) the woman who kept, a light burning 70 years in her window, ex- pecting the lover whom her father had chased out to return.. Drama- tizations were well done, and In- volved build-up slants that exhibited careful handling. It helped interest In the material which, per se, is in- teresting already. -For Instance,, the Scheinberg epi- sode was broached by a scene wherein a charity worker unwlttlnig- ly asks Scheinberg to contribute to ai orphanage. This gives Schein- berg an opportunity to tell of how many kinds he himself has. and how chai'lty, in his .ca.se. had best begin at home. Good stuff. Commercial Is slhillarly handled. It begins 'Strange as it Seems, na- ture is sometimes remiss and Ex- Lax la needed^' The verbiage thereafter is precisely what might be expected, but not overboard on the whole. Series should do very well for Ex- l-<ax if the careful timing, and clipped 'March of Time' announcing between episodes is continued, •Toseph Katz is further pepping up interest by buying newspaper space to call attention to the programs. KRAFT MUSIC HALL with Paul Whiteman, Mischa Levit- ski, Michael Bartlett, Bobby Burns, June Knight, Helen Jepson, Ra* mona, Ford Bond 60 Mins. KRAFT-PHENIX bORP. WEAF, New York J. Walter Thompson Paul Whiteman program has turned variety-type. Evidently a higlier, less hpkcy.-fox-mula than used by the same agency, J, Walter ■Thompson, for Rudy Vallee's Fleisch would be the nntural implication of such guest stars as* Mischa Levitski, a figure from the concert world, a king of the key- hoard .ivha artlstJcaJJy .milks- e^very drop p.f jjftjyfC Wszt put Jjito Num ber SJx of hi3jIU.nKarian^^^^ Ml?.^!^*.?^P.?^5,¥.l^}.®"i*<='.tyr ^^^^^ .f*^"?. MlcfiaerBiirtlett, a "te^^ the upbeat through the cinema, who projects an Operatic voice'and sang opera and who joineid later with Helen Jepson (stock) ih some de luxe duetirig; , June Knight, a cute trick from Hollywood who firmly lilts and clearly eiinunciiates such pops as 'You Are My Lucky Star.' • Bobby Burns, a funny-TT-riot con- vulsively—man who soiight laughs by gentle, homey Will Rogeresque .methods and reveals a ■ delivery which has warmth -and sinceHty .and was vastly superior to his own ma- terial. . This formula will be employed un- til Dec. 1, when Whiteman takes his crew off the show and Bing. Crosby and thet Dorseys enter. Crosby should walk Into .an audience riding at peak size, for the present set-up makes for edification. Whlteman's own anhouhclng. Is no small meas- ure of the pleiasure dished out by the show. Land. JIMMY WALSH ORCHESTRA Danco Musi 15 Mins. Sustaining KHJ, Los Angeles. Both station and Miramar Ter- race Room in Santa Monica, point of emanation, spread thieniselves on the occasion of this lad's bow-in south of the Tehachipi, the state's Mason-Dixon line. Cutting a swath for .himself In the bay section and riding into town on an agency-gen- erated bally, ex-trombonist, found himself with a large order to fill. First hurdle for the crew is to make the Miramar mob forget about Gu8 Amheim, ho cinch Job in itself. Then the build will be on in earn- est. Judging from their.first night's instrumental outpourings t,h e y sbould get across wiMioUt knocking over a stick; Fact that Walsh used to slide the brass valve for Anson Weeks and Griff Williams, later aligning with the latter, is not, as might be sup- posed, the tipoff as to the type of clefllng to expect. The emphasis Is decidedly not on the brass section. It's a fair diwy all around with no one slighted. Leg shakers won't need much ca- joling after the Walsh wand falls. His is the easy style, soft and rhythmic with only here and thtre a tricky orchestration to speed up the tempo. Never loud and blatant, as are so many of the coast tricks, the outfit should get a strong play from the elders, who haye become terp conscious since every eatery became a cocktail lounge. Soloing by Jimmy Connor and Barbara Bennett doesn't rise above the average. Latter does a fairlish Job of chanting but must overcome a tendency to fiatten out In the hot passages. Connor keeps his pipes geared faintly above a whisper. New mike may have accounted for a isllght tremolo. Both should get over after an easier familiarity with the spot. Don Lee chain takes the band for 15 minute swing nightly. Specialty of this web is to uncover unknowns, make them somebodies. "They've got something to work on hex-e. Belm, BRIGGS SPORTS REVIEW With Thornton Fisher,; Alfred Gwynne Vahderbilt 15 Mins. LORILLARD CO. WEAF, New York Lennen &. Mitchell Series on air for some time, which gives it a start and an estab- lished audience oyer niariy of the new sports hours now getting started as tho fall seaison comes on. Thornton Fisher as the regular commentator who, besides gleaning of the sporting world, down for guesting purposes^ Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, whose turf: activities of late have nitide him hot cppy, guested on thlg.tim^.. It. was down to turf talk which carried kriiiw- "IB'eii:' "suBJecl. ■Vahdel^^ quite modest before the microphone, and Fisher glibly ialert for his weekly air chores. Closing stanza was devoted to racetrack drama- tization, which while noisy and not particuliarly distinguished, serves, to revive past track excitement for the turf fans.. Sales copy heavily chfifged with cigar palaver; which Lorillard. sponsors. Program is broadcast Saturdays at 7:45 p. m. EDST. NEIGHBOR NELL With Nellie Revell, Jimmy Wilkin- Gon, Chandler Goldthwaite Talk, iPoetry jshd Music 15 Mins. Sustaining WGY, Schenectady No particularly new ground seems to be ploughed on this progi-am, re- cently added to the list of the NBC red web's Sunday morning features. It Is in the cheer-up, inspirational furrow turned over by Tony Wons, Cheerio, and others. Chief differ- ences are that a woman spreads the soil of happiness for cultivation by listeners, and that she does this in a manner which will impress many as a bit more natural than the style affected by her made comperes. Her voice is not horieyedi and her niike approach is neither coy nor elfi.hish. Mlss'"Revell is not name-tabbed; Wilkinson, vocalist, ahd Goldthwaite, organist are; Recitation of poetry comprises perhaps the major' portion of Miss Reyeli's contribution to programs, although she talks, yams, and sum marlzes newspaper stories of 'come backs,' etc., too. She might well do more talking, tapping the rich vein of her varied experiences and con- tacts with a host of people, for cases and incidents illustrating her points. Did refer, on one- salvo, to 'when I was III.' Also drew on her theatrical background to Include A. L. Erlanger and Will H. Hays among the small men who made good (this-in answer ti) a letter from a discouraged under-statured collegian). More of tht: current and the personal would be. welcome. ' The puems she recites are largely of the buck-upTall-will-be-well and homey types In rhyme. Plenty of such poetry is heard on the air waves; the Intelligentsia scoff at it, but there apparently Is a large audi- ence, amon^r the elderly, the shut-in, and the blue, who like it. Miss Revell delivers the poems in a clear, strong yoice, without any elocution- ary flourishes. Wilkinson's numbers are cued from the poetry, topical remarks, or dialog bet\Yeen Miss Revell and the announcer. His songs are 6tandard.<j and inspiratlonals. Wilkinson warbles them in a robust baritone. Themer is 'Love Thy Neighbor.' Goldthwaite's organ accoriipanlment helps to give the program a Sunday, Jiist-folks atmosphere. Honk of a horn and a 'May I. come in ?' intro- duces Miss Revell.. Swing had been riding at 10:45, but switched last Sunday to 11:15. Jaco. 'MARY MARLI Dramatic Serial 15 Mins. KLEENEX WABC, New York Lord & Thomas Kleenex started 'Mary Mailln* by using a couple of NBC stations some time ago and was satisfied that the- program drew ' a good daytime woman audience. But Just w:hen the sponsor got ready to go. network, NBC asked-to be excused from cam- paign part of whose plugging is for a deodorant. Kleenex then got on to CBiSi" whlcK'lt ni'tist in "turn vacate (at least with the dieodoraht angle) next year, when CBS plans to guil- lotine the last of the deodorants, dlpilatories, laxatives, etc. As Is, the 'Mary Marlin' episodes' are-a dead .rlhger 'foi* the type of story ^ -fotnitd-ln."- tire' ■ big women^ magazines. The romance angle is plenty istrong and insistent. . Man- woman combinations. break through continually biit on a level not un- like the one Kay Francis stands on in the films. The whole works sug- gest workmanlike script writing and adeki.uate delivery by the cast. Fin- ish to the program caught In this review (13) had each member of the cast identify himself, which served thie^ame purpose isis individual Illus- trations of the characters in a mag- azine story and made a good close. Cpmnlercials (which start the minute the program does) triflle overboai'd, though the time limit Is undoubtedly okay since CBS watches that kind of thing with a hawkeyc. Insinuations of length apparently arise from' the fact that price men- tions (on Kleenex tissue) and 'per- sonal daintiness' (on Quest deodo- rant) are bpth shoved Into the quar- terrhour program. Could easily be doctored^ Nice Job in toto. HANK AND HERB Comedy chatter 15 Min. DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE WHAM, Rochester Jack Lee and Gene Lane a^'e teamed again as Hank ahd Herb, the oldtlmers. In a series of weekly Jr"""^" , . ,^ „ A^^. A^A,. for more and never overdoes it. Has ANSONIA'S FOOTLIGHT PARADE With Al Shayne, Joe Gappi, Mytilda Brazil Music, Songs 30 Mins. ANSONIA SHOE CO. WOR, Newark Ansonla's shoi't. variety review gains momemtum through the added entry of Al Shayne, with his melo- dious ballading and m.c. work. Shayne comes to the mi Just enough times to whet the appetite TO THE LADIES Jimmy Caruso Orch., Florence Grey, Don Rogers,: Sue Royal, Wade Watson 30 Mins. Sustaining WBNX, Bronx. As the title implies, this ajn. spread Is aimed at the housewives at home over their brooms or knit- ting. It's quite a major spread com- ing from the Bronx outlet, replete with all the accepted trimmings foi' such a 30 minute run. Music, while. stiinged for the most part, is full-sized and even, vocalists warble well and Incidental chatter provides cleV^r cues for the artists. Coming as it does at 11 a.m., pro- gram is certain of catching its de- sired listening public around the dial. It relays like a night-time broadcast, but is kept in the earlier schedule because of station's desire tu pay some attention to the morn Ing listeners. Caruso's orchestra dominates though each of the others'are spotted fairly. Regula- tion voices, but steady enough. In delivery to waylay any amateur finish. Wade Watfion is on for m.c. chores sOlely, while- the others all sing. Broadcast Wednesday mornings at 11 a.mi EDST. sketches of the Amos 'n Andy type sponsored by the Democrat & Chronicle. Both former legit and vaudeville players, they bring a sure touch to their comedy that clicks over the air. Episode under,review finds them attending the Fair,. .with Hank hav- ing' trouble caring for his money; putting it in his second pair of pants (which he is wearing) for safety and then being unable to find it. He is inveigled into talking. Into a microphone and telling too much about the folks back homo, not knowing it is going out over the air. Then he calls his wife to learn if the home folks heard him and she bc- tomes su.splclous. Finally in trying to ride home on tbe train without paying fares they are carried to an- other.city. Dialogue written by the pair is oke and char.icterizatlohs. typically rural. Lowell MacMllIan is an- nouncer and the WHAM ordhe.^tra opens and provides effective Inci- dental music. a rich baritone voice that's readily ada.pted to- varying types of num- bers. Whole show is a pleasant Sunday noon interlude, with Joe CJappi's capable crew providing musical background , and coming to front with a couple of click tunes. Introduced as .'radio's ambassador of song,' Shayne first did 'Heart- strlng.s,' as composition requested many times. Back to admit that he\s gbing to maiie It an all-rcqueist program becau.se of numerous ploa.s for .selections. 'In Mood for Love,' a filow-movlng ballad, was hl.i .sec- ond effort. Shayne then produced Mytilda Brazil, aniatcur miss he dc- .scribrd as hjs latest hopeful bid- ding -for prbfes.sipnal fame. Pleasant voice, without being remarkalije, she Indicated .singing pos.slhilltles. •'.'•ght and Day,' Shayne's third number; credited with being one most a.sked for. Closed his ^song- ology with Intreaslnply populai- 'C'heek to Cheek,'^ Irving Berlin's frrtm 'Top Hat.' Proved High ."^not I of his routine and best done.- "n'car. BOLEK MU8ICALE With Jean Benge, Phil Crist, Sig- mund Block Songs and Instrumentaii Sustaining 30 Mins. WCAO, Baltimore Weekly, Tuc-sday afternoons, this one gets a chain rid^ out of Balto over CBS. Currently, only local program so honored by network recognish. Not the sort of program that would very actively bid for sponsorship on national scale. It Is nevertheless o.k. for Its spotting, and should grab some following for wliat it lA, early afternoon filler-in. Judges strictly as a local period, produced in Balto, it stacks up very well. George Bolek. piano instructor at Pcabody Conservatory, routines programs, hence the tag. Should do something to get the teacher some notice. He has opportunity to knuckle the keyboard for some ultra fancy soloing. Tunes he tinkles off as well ^as ones warbled by So- prano Jean'iBenge, Tenor Phil Ciiet and Baritone Slgmuhd Block are of classic and semi-classic types. The singers are o.k:, if unscnsational. When caught, some criticism might have been lodged against the successively dreary, slow numbers sung and played. Radio requires more speed. ALEX HYDE ORCH. With Joe Marti 15 Minutes BARNEY'S CLOTHES WHN, New York Alex Hyde ha» a nice band, espe- cially in the trumpet .section. Hasn't been heard much before via the .sponsor route, Joe Martin is like- wise- a newcomer, having recently graduated from Col. Jay C. Fllppcn's WHN amateur hour, where he rolled up more votes than any other per- former, lie'.s a -tenor, and one whose, voice tjhows re.il quality. First appearance of that conihl- natiun .(16) exhibited nothing, ex- travagant, but it was withal a quar- ter hour of good entcrtainmcnf, Hydo played 'Turkey in the Straw' for opener and 'La Cucaracha' for the Hocko., finish. Martin vocalized on '13' .vt f>f the Sun' and 'When a C4ypsy Makes lll.s Violin Play.' As a local pnjgram by a locnl sponsor this Is pretty good. 'JUST PLAIN BILL' With Arthur Hughes, Ruth Russell, James Meighan, Curtis Arnell, Euflene Palmer, and Joseph La- tham. 15 Mins. . KOLYNOS SALES CO, WABC, New York Blackett-Sam'pTe-Hummeri Human interest yam of a. rui-al barberi. hls;diauEhter, and some sub- sidiary family meiiibers spun oh a daytime stretch. Currently there has been a kidnapping which •moves - tine' Scenie'tiiylniT)" tlie Gitset Smoky mountains and occasions tlie Introduction , of moonshiners and. hillbillies toting long squirrel rifles. Program, long on air, has. lots of the old homiey touches, and there iis^ia cerTafh solIdaHty to lt7'7?Iiar-r" acters well delineated, though they occasionally spill , too, much , sac- charine talk when the natural mo- mentum of the episode calls for fast-paced action. Kolynos has done spme hefty two-fisted plugging in the printed media, but the 'Just Plain Bill' commercials don't overstep them- selves. Seem pretty mild, as a mat- ter of fact. WAVE AMATEUR HOUR With George Patterson Songs, Mtisic, Noveltie* 30 Mins. CRUTCHER £ STARKS CO. WAVE, Louisville Highly successful local presenta- tloh of amateur talent r^idies over Wave air lane every Friday 10:30- 11 PM CST, Lateness of hour un- doubtiedly ireduceis the listening au- dience; although announcement was made on program caught (6) that over 5,000 votes were cast for pre- vious week's winner. Tyro parade Is sponsored by Crutcher & Starks. local haber- dashery. Applicants for spot on pro- gram are required to call In person at storei to register after which they are Invited to station for audition. Those deemed to have sufficient taletit are placed on program when ■their turn comes. Amateur stanza has George Pat- ^rson, program director. of station as emcee. Tyros are interviewed a la Major Bowes, after which they do their stint Gong Is sounded for those considered too, too terrible, but unfortiinates are told privately that they will be paid a buck for their injured feelings. Winner re- ceives cash prize of $10, and makes guest appearance on following week's program. Patterson, who arranges the show, evidently has variety as his aim in routining the talent, as pro- gram caught consisted of eight acts —accordion player, negro quartet, Scotch ballad singer, female hill- billy, string band, etc. Commercial spiel is cut to bare mention of sponsor^s name. Fre- quent mention is made of fact that votes may be telephoned or mailed to store, and not to station. Pro- gram has been on air about two months. ROBERT HOOD BOWERS' Discs 15 Mins. FLORENCE STOVE CO. WGY, Schenectady Wm. B. Renfiington, Inc. WGY's unfailing Indicator of fall and cooler weather Is the curtain's rise on a program sponsored by the 'Florence Stove Company of Gard- ner, Mass. It lifted recently, re- vealing a waxed rather than a llve- talent broadcast. A platter Of music by Bowers' Band—tabbed here 'the Florence Rangers-—unwinds between 7:30- 7:46 p.m. Thursdays. Que.stIon whether these discs pack as much entertainment or are. as suitably grooved for the merchandising at- tempted as were the In-the-fieshers. Latter Usually consisted of a quar- tet singing.favorites of long ago and a violin soloist. Such programs cre- ated a homey atmosphere, calculated to appeal to a pptentlar oil-burner and stove purchaser. Present show Is unmistakably a laboratory product, on which have been pressed selections rangln^j from Sousaiana to grand opera and fa» mouis college numbers (a pair of the last-named on each of two discs heard)., While alma maters inay be timely, as the boom of the pigskin sounds throughout the land, it is mailnly the younger clement who are stlri'cd by them. That group would not seem to be a rich audlcnce-marT kct for heaters, etc. Playing of band is about average. Marches are done fairly well: opor: atlc blt.s a trifle less so, colleglates competently. .Some of the student combinations heard on the air lanes during the broadcasting of big games get more life and lift Into 'Boola Boola' et al. No instrumental or vocal solo.<« on these rubbers. Inclijsion of oirhor .would havo partly removed the def- inite lab tlnse now noticeable. Lat- ter is. made more .so by the fact the nurnhf-r-iinnouncing and spieling ars not recorded; jncclianli?al angle can be dctocled ns mike: man manliuj- latcs the-Jfjver for rending of conti- nuity. Plenty of advertising. A booklet.is offered. Jaco,