Variety (Dec 1935)

1935 RADIO REPORTS VARIETY 33 «WE ARE FOUR' Cprnoli" Si^^ood, Sa}\y. Smith. Charles Flynn, Eleanor Harriott Script Strip JJONSINGWEAR Daily. 9:16 a.m. WGN. Chieago ' •(Roche, WilUamf d Cunnyngham) Tbld is one of the weaker shows on WGN. Station has a long list of daytime strips which command: wide audiences and this particular show gathers Its best results from being ' Lndwlched . among a set of pro- ', grams which- already haye estab- lished audiences. •Program .Is worked out weakly, iacklBig^^o-heart-tbrob sqck appeal . which usually marks these morning stioWB designed . for the femme matron ' consumption. {Story con- carna a. family of foxir cliildren who atfe left orphans; 'three girls' and a boy, the/ages ranging from ,say . 15 to 28' with the eldest being Nancy, w:ho lis the key .member of the family and of the program. These f6ur people are Involved in minor'"situations which don't build mvicb suspense. It's doubtful If the matron trade Is sufflcleritly Inter- ested in the. episode of the boy's attempt to crash the ether through' an amateur progi'am, for examniw. Gold. HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARDIER With Ben Alexander Film Gossip 15 .Mins. Sustaining KFif Los Angeles Breezy narration of doings in cell- uloid town- backed by Ben Alex- ander's neat delivery. It's pretty much the same old run-of-the-mill chatter with an occasional guester brought in to pep up the routine. Jack Votlon. Paramount talent looker-upper, was in the witness chair on night caught and gave out with Interesting info on how not to become a picture star; His was. an Informative discussion with flgurss to prove his point. Film-struck gals and male clerks wei'e told of their slim chances of cracking the mazda ' circuit, admonished against hocking the family heirlooms and coming to Hollywood for that big break. Mothers with Infant prodigies also fel t the wet blanket. Too bad Votion's talk couldn't be piped into those midwest hanilers which are l^eehives of potential Col- berts and Gables, to hear the film peddlers tell It. .or mthev tell.them. Alexander, juve film actor, has a pleasing voice but won't lure any sponsors unless he puts a little heat under his copy. It's for the most part rehash and out and out pralsery. Slotted nicely, toO( right after Richfield Reporter on Monday nights. He'll have to start curving 'em soon if he expects to build a following. Helm. EVENING STARS With Jack Costello, Clarence, Schubring, .Joseph Johnson, Eloise Rowan, Loretta Season Music and songs 30 Mins. MONTGOMERY WARD & CO. Wednesday, 9 P.M. KSTP, St. PaulrMinneapolis Good roundup of talent here, with Clarenbe Schubring, Minneapolis Symphony violinist, perhaps top- ping, although Joseph Johnson, baritone with radio and Paramount pix experience under his belt, has plenty of what it takes to enter- tain. Despite calibre of talent, no at^ tempt is made to go ritzy. They're down to earth with good old-fash- ioned Chrlstmaa and semi-classical numbers., Loretta Season -and Her Coquettes do some nifty harmoniz- ing, but refrain from the too-com- mon hey-hcy stuff; .they're snappy yet essentially rhythmic. Eloise Howan at the Wurlltzer does cute trix with sprightly Christmas tunes. It's a once-weekly spot, coming at »:00-9:30 P.M. Wednesdays. Whole stint Is seasonal, with Jack Costello (said to possess the lowest pitch announcing voice in radio) handling the Christmas bargains spiel so smoothly, that his work is an ad- junct of decided merit: one actually waits for his turn to come around against. between musical numbers. Whole period spells smooth, easy, restful entertainment, Walt. Mrs. BEE CHESEBOROUGH Sketch 15 minutes Sustaining Tues-Thurs; 10: KFAB, Lincoln Bee Cheseborough'.s. dialpct .sUiff l.H in Swedish vein. Hits the ether twice weekly, Tuesdays and .Thurs- days, between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. Hllda'^ story concerns her husband and two children who somehow seem to get into a mesa whether at liome or abroad. The dialect; half the appeal of the sketch, is excellent. Morning hours, best for the house- wifely rest, is ideal, and as addod atti'action she offers Swedisli rp.ci- PP-s to those who'll write In,; not boring the llsteneia who are not In- terested with giving tliom over the air. A sense of simple comedy with situations which could happen to ordinary - people is as.surance of 'ITUda'.s' success. For. a station as -short on comedy, a.5 JCFAB han been, this is. important for them. cm. 'FROLIC TIME' With 'Uncle Harry'Chesire and hill- billies 30 Mins. FAL8TAFF BEER Saturday, 7 P.M. KMOX, St. Louis Half hour of fast-moving hill- billy music headed by 'Uncle Harry' Chesire In KMOX Radio Playhouse before live audience. All 21 per- formers, natives of Ozark Mountains and with mountain costumes, give real hlli-billy atmosphere. Includes •Sheets,' yodeler with Frankle, ac- cordionist; two pretty gals known as 'Texas Blue Bonnets"; five who sing and play hot native melodies; The .Ozark RatoWer; 'Shucks' Austin with patter and songs of the'hills; ft gingham decked gal, 'The Ozark Sweethea.rt' and Roy Qiieen, togged as coWboy. Show works up to a hangup finUh by entire .ganij.-It'a-a.; good show for hew stepped-up: Falstaff Beer and commercial plugging is kept down to a .minimum. Hurst. BOBBY MEEKER'S ORCHESTRA Dance-Musi 30 Mi . Sustaining WGY, Schenectady This unit, broadcasting from -the De Witt Clinton Hotel, Albany, for past two months Is perhaps the most versatile outfit hesCrd hercr abouts since Kay Kyser's and poc Peyton's, boys aired over WGY from another Albany outlet. Meeker's group won so much press and word- of-moutli approbation that the sta- tion and hotel managements— WGT's Albany's studio is in the De Witt last week decided to add a half-hour mid - Monday - afternoon variety entertainment tO the evening broadcasts of tunes and songs. Special pro.graim. may be presented before a visible audience in the future. Meeker has 12 men who play dance music smartly and who. glee club smOothiy; he trots out three competent inale soloists, Frank McGulre, Bill Patrick and Bill Blair, and a pleasing soprano, Lois Clark. One of the trio, Blair, tabbed 'Lamby Pie,' something of a come- dian on the air and is undoubtedly more, so in person, due to his' Arbuckle figure and personality. J'aco. TOYLAND EXPRESS With Art Kirkham, Ruth Messmer and Billy Sandifprd and Cecil Teague 15 Mins. LIPMAN-WOLFE COMPANY KOIN, Portland, Ore. Each year during the weeks pre- ceedihg Christmas the LIi)man- Wolfe department store entertains Portland's Juvenile audience with a special dally 15 minute Santa Claus program. Art Kirkham, staff chief announcer, takes the role of Santa, in charge of the fun, and among his assistants aria MItzl Le Marr, Bob Haines, Ruth Messmer, Billy Sahdiford and Cecil Teague. Each show involves an imaginary trip to- the Claus' top headquarters and the kids are invited to write and tell what gifts they want. Large numbers take advahtage_of the Invitation and as many letters as possible are read on each broad- cast, The current is the fifth, year that Llpmart-Wolfe have used their 'Toyland Express' on KOIN, which Indicates that it brings business to the sponsor as well as pleasure to the kids. Seed JEWISH NEWS With Fred H. Wei 15 Mine. Sustaining Sunday, 4:30 P.M. WTCN, St. Paul-Minneapolis Fred H. Weinberg, managing editor of the! American Jewish World, at the mike. Obviously designed to ameliorate aintl-Jewish trends and foster good will to the face, this program does Its Job in arresting, interesting fashion. It's all factual; It's all news; but so skilfully chpsen are the items purveyed, so well told by Weinberg, that one tune-in de- serves a-nother. Gamut . Of subjects covered runs irom the Warsaw, Budapest, Arabia anti-Jewish riots to the fact that' BaronwiB Eugene Rothschild and Mrs. John Marriott (daughter of late Otto H, Kahn) ai'e among the ;vapld's best-dressed women;, and that: bottled beer, camels, donkeys and (of all things!) ham and bacon, are among the top Items on the Palestine import list. Weinberg cited-an (his choice), AH Jewish-All America football team, gave nods to Daniel Frohman, vet showman, on the publication of his biography; to Lucius M. Littauer, for his ?2,000,0Q0 gift to Harvard (he gave $1,100,000 in 1920); to Priesident Roosevelt for his speech at South Bend, Ind., when hizzoner scored raco intol- erance; and to the Prince of Wales, who will dedicate the new insti- tute building for British sailors at Haifa, Palestine, In January. , Adroit, clever, good salesmanship, but Withal, palatable, educating and entertaining, this program should build listeliers with every airihg. On Sunday afternoons, 4:30-4:46. Walt. HENRY HICKMAN 'Inquiring Reporter' 15 Mins. NATIONAL BEER WFBR, Baltimore (.Newhoff Agency) .Man-InTstreet programs far from new here or elsewhere, but this most successful program of type In Bal- timore and only one ever to wangle local sponsorship. Several new (to this town, leastwise) angles show manly Injected, such as running content for submission by public of 10 queries to be put to quizzed; $5 top and five $1 prizes weekly; airs twice weekly in early evenings from Lord Balto hotel lobby In heart of loop. Each of the five or six persons asked 10 questions per program gets sllver.dollar, and only plugs Inserted are at the dough dispensing when announcer Hickman bestows with 'makers of National beer presents,' etc. BROADWAY BILL With Edward Willi Turf Gossip 15 Mins. . OVIATT'S MEN'S STORES Mon. through Sat., 6:30 p. m. PST KFAC, Los Angeles This one's in. Everything's in Its favor. Saiita. Anita trade opens Christmas Day for around Go days of racing and during that time the spenders forget all else. It's a hotter subject than studio shop talk and those who know their Hollywood know what that means. Oyiatt's, class men's shop, adver- tises the broadcast as a sporting gesture for lovers of horses. Edward Williams knows his bosses and has a nice mike style. During the Bay Meadows meet lip north: he aired for-.the tracki lie's a well known figure liround nortli-^ west ovals. What clinches the air- piece for a heavy play is Williams' slnipliclty in rifitallihg what happens at the track and It's all adc undcr- .'(tandahle to any one who lias ever seen a goc-goe kick tip hi.s. horl.s. Jfchn. JANET WILSON 15 Mins. RISER FURNITURE Tu-Thurs, 6 p.m. EST WMCA, New York Piscr Kurniturc, Bronx csl.'ilillsh- nicnt prosents lis house furnishings eoun.selor, Ja)ict Wilson, twice weekly for the latest blurbs on the hou.sc and gardf'n beautiful. For the main spieling thread, private msi- dcnnes of the Hollywood lilm Kt.irs. are do-scribed In toto for thf> listener, and It .serves Its purpose In supply- ing enough material., to la.st over a. period of weeks. Mi.ss Wilson talk.<i evonly and carries quarter honi- along okay, though, there Is. a tendency to over- do the ailjectlves. 2Ji<il. 'THE WIDOW'S SONS' With Lucille Laverrie, Parker Fen- nelly 30 Mins. Sustaining Sunday, 4 p.m. EST WEAF, New York Another Lulu VoUmer radio serial and, like 'Moonlight and Honey- suckle' and others by this play- wright, possessing strong eleiiients of appeal. It is one of the oddities Of radio broadcasting that none of the Vollmer stuff lias attracted sponsorship. It's mountalh-high above the average radio script writr Ing. Its humor is genuine, rings true, belongs Itr the story and Its climaxes and tensions are artfully cqrttrlved and logically worked out from episode to episode. Yet it would seepi almost as If the \-ery merit of the wilting has frightened advertisers; NBC has consistently done fine work in producing these. Vollmer scripts. The characterizations have been sharply^ differentiated so that a happy adjustment between the writing and the acting has resulted. In 'The Widow's Sons' the high standards are . continued. Lucille Laverne, from legit and identified With Vollmer's 'Suit Up,' Is given star bliUiig. Others not mentioned, but among them Parker Fennelly's voice was (presumably) recognized. In a mountain cabin a sturdy matHarch. lives surrounded by her several adult sons. Their lives, loves, misunderstandings, and prob- lems are woven in and out of the story. Few writers understand the limitations and capabilities of the microphone well enough to keep over a dozen . voices separated and a mosaic of detail always sharp and intelligible. It.is a program that re- quires rapt attention, but given the leeway of the first two minutes wins such attention on merit. It Is Amer- ican folklore shot through with sen- timentality, a wee pinch of hokum, and a carload of humanity. ° ' There Isn't a blow-jug or a:zlther in the Vollmer concept of hillbilly. But there's a lot of homely enter- tainment. Land. Radio's SJLO. Is A.T.G4 Means 'All Time Gone' Tulsa, Dec. 24. Station KTUL put up radio's equivalent to S.R.O. (standing room only) for Christmas day. Post- ed notice that A.T.G. (all time gone) prevailed for the holiday. KTUL operates 18 hours dally. Christmas schedule held 152 local and -national accounts On programs, greetings, spot blurbs. HALL-ROONEY FEUD ARCADIA STRING ENSEMBLE Music 15 Mi . Sustaining WIP, Philadelphia. Harp, cello and piano playing luncheon music in Arcadia Interna- tional Restaurant, slx-times-a-week over staggered time oh WIP board. Usually it's 1 o'clock, but occasion- ally It's moved 15 minutes one way or other. Stanza offers welcome Ohange from customary blary stuff piped from eateries. Trio plays pop tunes but in concert style for most part. Once in awhile varies with synco- pation, In which harpist gets in some nifty plunkng. It's dignified session well suited to clientele of swank Arcadia. Style music doesn't intrude on listener tuning It for merely casual fare. Restaurant gets it for only wire charges. Station allows liberal lee- way on plugis for this classification. Hobe 'RENDEZVOUS IN VIENNA' With Anthony Candelori Orchestra 15 Mins. Sustaining Thursday 11:45 a.m. KYW, Philadelphia This session of Viennese music Is welcome Item. Candelori, batoning studio house band taken on some week.s ago after prexy Levy finally put match to peace pipe with musi- cians union, supplies tunes that are neither Jazz nor highbrow. High spot of program caught (19) was group of selections from, Lehar's 'Count of Luxemburg' operetta. Maestro doea slick Job with, his 11 men. Works strings for most part on domposltiohs In this vein, wlilch niakcs it light and enjoyable for dialer not after hoit stuff nor heavy symph fare. Theme for 'Rendezvous' Is Strauss' 'Artist's Life.' Tlohe. ARCHIE LOVELAND QRCH. Da.hce Music 60*'Mine. Sustaining KGW, Portland, Ore, Loral dance situation Is Impi'ovftd over last year in the burg. The inr crpase In night spots has made more jobs and some fine, danceabln (lonibinatlons have gotten together. There are numerous remote broad- oasts of daneo music with Archie Loveland vicing for number one spot; The band has enough hot men to really. swing, yet Is moro- than a stomp band. On tile chain weekly, Loveland is proving pop- ular' and has some nice arrange- ments. Orchestra Just opened the Oak I room in the Benson Hotel' and Is ! jjettihg the cfowds. Weak spot of I woi'lc is the vocalists whieh could Ije greatly improved. Bccd 'UNCLE TOM Kl With Harold Willi 15 Mins. WILLIS-LANE STUDIOS Sun, 12:30 p.m. EST WHN, New York Pairents with a desire to push little Betty or Willie into the glar- ing spotlight may go for this juvenile show. Other dialers will squirm as its one of those broadcasts, replete with precocious talent, and pre- sented In slapdash style with bad taste notable. Willis-Lane studios train young ones for radio, make professionals out of amateurs. Its present students become talt for ne\v em'oUments. Program setting is built around Uncle Tom down on the old planta- tion, with all the smartie tots Just bursting to let go with a redhbt ditty or 'Bring back my mommy, please.' Those selected for the Initial pro- gram last Sunday, revealed dubious tal$nt by chanting In a nasal mono- tone and hanging on to those notes with gusto. No time was lost either. They're rushed on and off. The relief is modified by the fact that the next turn is apt to be aij bad as the one before. Only piano accompaniment used. BraJ. Musician Wajks Out on Tru- Beer Show George Hall quit the Tru-Blu Beer show over WOR, New York, last Wednesday (18) after a dis- agreement with Pat Rooney, who m.c.'s the series. Burnup developed wiien Rooney. lost his place In ihe, continuity and. Hall, getting uneasy after a 15-secondwait, Jjroke Into the number which Rooniey ,was to Iritrotluce with a gag. Hall had maestroed the program since It started four weeks ago. Spud on WOR, WLW Spud Cigarets makes its debut on the air J<an. 7, using a hookup of WOR, New York, and WLW, Cin- cinnati. Contract Is for 13 weeks, and if the campaign pans out well, WGN, Chicago, and CKLW, Detroit, will be added. Program will offer music plus Tex O'Reilly, the adventurer, and take the 11 to 11:30 spot Tuesday nights, Kenyon & Eckhardt Is the agency. Kraft to Coast Hollywood, Dec. 24. After Jan. 2 the full hour Blne^, Crosby broadcast for Kraft cheese over National Broadcasting web will emanate from the Hollywood studio. At that time Paul White- man's crew swings over to the Woodbury soap airing. Jlnimy Dorsey's ork, Crosby's ac- companiment, will have 24 pieces, double Its former strength. Bob Burns, Kraft show character, has arrived on the Coast. Folger Takes Farnum Hollywood, Dec. 24. 'Drums,' adventure series headed, by William Farnum, former screen star, will be aired over Columbia- Don Lee network after Jani 1, sponsored by Folger Coffeie. Goes weekly In half-hour. Installments. Vera Oldham, who did the Chan- du continuity, Is developing thA sketches. Tea at Ritz' Expands 'Tea at Rltz* program now three a week adds two. additional bi'oad- cast.s. New Pompelan programs will be in mornings but with same en- tertainers that appear on 'Rltz* broadcast. Roger White handling. New York Radio Parade (Continued from page 31) Broadcasting enginf-ers' association. Journal, has a swell Xmas Issue. Lou Miles is editor.. .Plckford program on Feb.. C will have Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy for guests.. .Ylls and Clark, wIth Sandy fit piano, have 15. minutes at WMCA. They are vaudevillers.. .Harry Lefdy, manager of Boswcll Sisters, In Suydenham Ho.spltal with a stomach ailment,. .Waldo Mayor airing his tenth year with Major Bowes.. .Jerry Alacy (Macy and Smalle of vaude latter Is Ed Smalle) now on Terry ahd Ted show at WABC aired in 1928 over Columbia as Hank Simons Show- boat,..Lux program .stars are kept,coniCy and contented by Doris Sharpe and Sam ."^nhiff at WABC. Doris handlc-s the Gables while Skip looks after the gals. ..Netty Cohii, ex-secretary to Jay Gould, ex-iihlef of Bent roods, Is now In Bentort & Bowles radio dept...P.uth Beta of Columbia press to Illinois, and Helen Battrud.of exploitation to Minnesota for Xmas .. .Van Hofli , who plays role of Bruno Hauptniann on WXE'W, opens in a Shubert production In Boston nt-xt week.. ,Leij Keisman on a tour of one-nlghtc'rs...Jan Itublnl l)as birthday this week...Lou A.mls, Erwln Wasoy j-adio chief, to Clevt-l'and. Nemo Bobby Benson prpgrarh at WABC pulled 29,000 tops In four days o code book givfaway. I'lugging Force and H^O oats with two to))« rat! a gimmick.. .Tl)ir;i-<> w'ill be. ho .ad-lip .•■•how aftw the New T'c'ir's .Kv liroadcaat of 'Jumbo;' T'suaily the rwdlo cast "iit'<rtalrts but 'thl>? d.Vy they .have a mlrtnlte pfrCormanre and thf. ar^rna must be sr-t.. .Thrf-e Little Fun.'jters on WJICA promise no Xin.'rs c.'irolK today., .Nat 'Wolf* of Ben Rocke offlf-e to Coast for long .stay whik- handling the I'ickford l)rogram... Sc ulte Cigar show at ^T'oluinbln e.vlt'v] all of a sud'lcn,.. Bud Hullck grou'-blng about with a bad tooili,. .'World-Telcgi'ani au>U-. tlonlng thfir reportf.-rs-tln^se da.Ns .sfarcliin/.; ff)r a ."uiiublo voic«'„ tn a;r the news fla.«h.f.'S. ovc-r WJIX wlili-li ('.mip dln-ft fi-oin T'-lc flty roiim... .Just Plain Bill jirograni ha.s had so riifiny rf-qufsts for info ;ib'.in: Mill that a book has bf-'-n wrlttc-n, T''.'bil.':hf-(1, ami wli] h" .^old to all futur'.v Inquirers., .Gc-oi'gp Alb-n of BAl-B to J. .S'tf-rllng CetchfJl radio ili-jit... Van 'J'aylfir, h'-ard on 'Itosi-s and iJi-umy,' "l"- rl.f. l.ntfi-.t addition to v!,f/ c.a.«t Of WXEW.s 'H'-adlln's TaJl.' s'-[-ify lol.ii Cliarlfs Thomas ]><>v.- trayfd r^^le .of th<i Ethiopian king in 'Aiil.'t' at the .Mf.-t Opera la.st wf ( k.