Variety (May 1937)

Wednesday, May 12, 19.'J7 RADIO REVIEWS VARIETY 55 KfiNTUeKY DERBY Clem McCarthy 45 Minutes BROWN & WILLIAMSOrj Saturday; May 8 •WJZ—NBC, New York (B. B. JP. & O.) Kopi igarette? sponsored the broadcast of the annual classic at Churchill Downs, a prized one-time dommeirciaU .■ Clem McCarthy described ^the con- test, turning in one of his best mike performances. He never heisitated nor was uncertain. in rfelatinig the important contest. Attempting to ex- clude the surge of enthusiasm from his voice, the thrill of the race was nevertheless always present, • Reporting a horse race is not the easiest of sports coverage by radio. Indeed, it's probably the most diffi- cult arid it is likiely that listeners learned more of what went on thiah those at the ti"ack because McCarthy is >yell informed ^and knows his iddy-aps. ■■ .. Prelimiriary comment^ too, was in- teresti , 'and all those with wagers the 20 nags in the race got a measure of satisfaction: though they didn't win. (Ardiirid New York the day of the race favorite was dis- •regarded and thoroughbreds of lesser class cariie into favor). War Ad- rhiral, the wiriner, never was in doubt after the barrier was sprung and MQCarthy sensed that. Commercials were bifief and well written but ■■ monotonously delivered in a flat thin voice hy an obscure an- nouncer. , In the three, quarters of an hour broadcast interest was maintained throughout. Race itself took slightly oVer two minutes arid 'seemed to . be over in half that tiihe. There will be a number of stake races, on. the ir diiring the season but none will probably be more satisfactory to the man listening. A difference of opin- ion creates the odds in races as^ tot. instance* the idea of Postmaster Far- ley who spoke-for a momeiiit or so and said he favored Reaping Reward, It is unlikely that there were many nays to McCarthy's report. Buzz ^df excitement was present but did not intrude. Soime locale boosting, etc., when the band played 'My Old Kentucky Home.' fbcc. ACTORS REPERTORY CO. 'Sapply and iDeniand' SastaiDiiig 30 Mins. Sunday; 7 p.m. DST WA]IC-CBS» New York New drama Written for radio by Irwin Shaw, author of stage playlet, •Bury the Dead.' Shaw indicated a fair grasp of radio scripting . tech- nique, while Worthingtori Miner, who directed 'Excursion,' current legit hit, demonstrated his directional touch in collabing on the staging with Irving Reis. ■Supply and Demand' theorizes and indicates that stepS should be taken to dirasticaily alter current methods of U. S. food distribution. May niake some people think .but, like other plays of propaganda hue, it offers no solution to the so-called problem. As a source of entertainment, produc- tion is useful only, as a study in radio presentation technique; Playlet employs symbolic effects, with refrains from 'America' running through and exaggerated episodes in- jected to stress the fofcal idea—^^that everybody should be better fed than under the present system of supply and demand. Acting uneven; half excellent and the other half 50% poor or faltering. Players were taken from the Actors Repertory Company which did 'Bury the Dead.' Performances generally failed to measure up to the production and in cidental effects so plainly in evi- dence. Wear. JEAN PAUL KING News 15 Mins.—Local HOUSEHOLD FINANCE CORP. Daily, 7:45 a.in. WABC, New York (b,b:d.. & o.y : Ne\ycomer to air news commen- tating although does l^ewgreel gab-r- for Hearst. Sticks to more or less straight recitatibn of United Press reileases. Sponsor is endeavoring, to interest possible borrowers . among early a.m. irisers. where cabbage scarcity abounds. : Has a break in being the first:news rejpiorter (stribtiy that) on the air, but needs a little more to Sustai intei;est. King uses a Graham McNamee delivery and iritonatiori. Aliso rioted sonrie speech slips;. On catch King^was' slightly tXiii^ tered up with mishap to the giant German zep Hinderiburg so conse- quently had little time for anything else on his quarter-houc: Slipped in a- good plug for newsreels,- UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA , With John Held, 30 Mins. PONTIAC Friday, 10i30 mV EDiST WEAF-NBC, New York (McManus, John & Adorn) Pontiac's campus series still has one sti:6rig point, ' tiut. that point is also its greatest weakness. Fact that the. program carries appeal to selec- tive .audierice inevitably means it possesses, virtually little: draw for the overwhelming balance^ of dialers. So. thiis .broadcast from the Univer- sity of Nebraska very likely yanks ■riiiajor shares of the college's alumni and fond, mamnias and poppas to. the loud speakers. But it seems iriiprob- ' able that anyone , else would tune there intentionally or linger long if • encountered accidentally. .Cprnhuskers are about like; arty other stude outfit for talent. Have the usual college band, glee club and a, couple of youthful prodigies. But : cbllege band Which looks and sounds impressive in its bright uni- ,,fprms a;rid amid the excitements of a big football gariie can be pretty sour via , the ozone. Arid uriderprad glee tlubs were, never serious competish musically to anybody.. As for the in- dividual prodigies, they're undoubt- edly hot. stuff: to their friends and relatives. Still Pontiac may be gratified. ..There's a potential circulation of 7,.- 000.000 via the 'college vi/orld' appeal. Any apjjreciable part of that maxi- mum might effectively answer arty outside criticism. ffobe. CHATEAU NEWS RE- PORTER lifews. Dramatization' 30 Minutes—^Regiohai BORDEN'S CHEESE WNAC, Boston (Young «fe Rubicflm). One of sevei"al ,sectional, locally produced; dramatizatiprts of news,, this, brings to New England listeners local news in spot and feature, form^ If standard of cbm^iarison' for dfamati'zed riews' programs ,■ " the -March of Time,' thiis is below par, accordirig to that, standard. . How- ever, as a seller. of cheese ..for Bor- den's-it is definitely okay; Local stories presumably hold more interest for local listeners. This .should build up, a stririg of turiers-in .. as the weeks; roll off.; 'News Reporter' ir$ Tuesdays at 6:30. Human angle, to each, story is heavily underscored and drama- tized by players. Announcers, do not attempt ,to copy, the zippy pace set by the 'March of Time' key man, and for. that the prodiicer deserves; credit.. Blurbage ddWn to a riii i- mum and. in good taste. Feature stuff is from 12 to 36 hours old—spot news is Up-to-min- ute: forest fires, etc. Two women ehasing a Ijiriei: :in a speed boat; a woman throwing a baby out a w.i dow at a fire", an oldster passing his road driving test in Massachusetts, and a Coast Guard rescue, were grist in the feature mill. Added touch was. mike appeararice of Robinson Russell, the 88-year-old man who passed the driver's test. Fair musical transitions, okay sourid effects of typewriters, and city room noises, help move along, a smartly paced program. All in all, a comniendable job that should at- tract a considerable following; Deailer campaign, coordinating ,with radio contract, includes counter card arid . window: display setups, dramatizing the news broadcast. Fox. JERRY COOPER Witli Raymond Pale:c orchestra, Iiror Gorin, Shirley Ross, ErrOl Flynn, Mauch Twins, Louella Parsons, St. Luke's Choristers, Ken Nilcs. 60 Mins. CAMPBELL'S SOUP Friday, 9 p.m;, EDST WABC-NBC, New York (F. Wfttlis Armstr ng) With the exception of Jerry Cooper replacing Fred MacMurray as m. c.,. Campbell's 'Hollywood Ho- tel' continues . about as was. Last week's, shot .(7),' however, was super- high hat edition. Film iSamatizatipn,. was 'Prince and Pauper' (WB), with beiaucoup attentibri to Coronation ceremoni . Stanza .'also included tabloid version, of 'Rigoletto,' with Igor Gorin as lead tonsiler. All. very high-toned, radio, fodder. 'Hotel' sticks to same program set-: up. First half- is, variety show. With Jerry .Cooper, Shirley Ross, Igor Gorin, Ken Niles and Raymond Paige band. Second half brings the pic dramatization, with Louella Par- sons. Errol Flynn and the Mauch Twins repeated roles they play in current 'Prince arid Pauper.' That prograi ' ari-angeriient is i-ather a mongrel ixture- but it carries plenty of .ammunition to catch and hold large audience. Particularly strong on marquee values. Continues one; of punchiest variety shows on the air, Jerry Cooper's stay ori program of. this' weight .should pivie him billing stature.. He has attractive ether per- sc)nalit.y and is. stronger singing bet thaii Fred MacMurray, whom he re- places. Liazy style is pleasant. Shirley Ross acceptable for femhie vocal, chores; though only a stand-in for Frances Langford, Whom she's replacing.. Fairly pleas- ant Voice, but needs more rhythmic zip and punchier soneVselling. .Such operatic: ventures as 'Rigoletto' seem misplaced on program of this sort. Apparently wowed the studio audi- ence. 'Prince and Pauper'- portiori of show was meaty stuir. And certain- Iv cashed in oh current interest in Coronation and royalty in general. Show had one obvious dialog laose, either Miss Parsons or Flyrin flub- birig a cue entirely and cai)<;irig a lorig pause. Kobe. 'SECOND HURRICANE' Children's Opera 60 Mins. Sustaining: Sunday, 4 p. m. DST , WABC-CBS. New York This 'opera,' Columbia's final sa- lute to National Miisic Week, of lim- ited enteirtainment scope; Strictly in the culture mob. It's original chil- dren's operatic effort turned out by an American composer. Was given every opportunity to be an outstanding musical contribu- tion by CBS staff. Network used its symphony orchestra, .iput in 'Lanriort Engel as conductor and spotted Henry McNeil as narrator.. Yet, the net achfevement vjas only 60 min- utes of singirig, with the childish voices becoming irritating from con- stant repitilion; Copland'.s: opera contai many conversational chants or passages. His climax is deftly handled and is easily the most colorful portion. Earlier argumentative .phases be- tween parents; and their children eager to help ir» airplane rescue, work seiem to have been given over-. empha.'?i.s: .McNeil's narrating iis par ticularly bright. Wear. 'HARTFORD SPEAKS' With Bob Martineau 15 Mins., Local WHaLEN JEWELRY CO. Weekdays, 12:30 p.m. WTHT, Hartford Attempt to blend- VQX pop and forum idea by- man-iri-the-streeting cbntrbviersial questions turns out so-so. Showmanship of planting mike at sponsor's store plus ijassers- by word-of-mbuthing. ought be enough, however, to I'epay under writer. ■ , Show, .some months among WTHT's popularity toppers, has jfust gone commercial with Bob Marti- neau dishing the Q.'s, which range from Supreme Court and Wagner Act to baseball aiid floods, Difficult to. get much of substance in im prbmtU reactions to serious queries; and average answerer regards it as more .of an adventure than a chance to speak, opinibri. Problem of pulling m public .solved by pass tie-up with theatres, co-operating hou.ses credited, Tho-'ie Who mail in- questions get cash or merchandi.se. Commercials come m from studio. KITTY CARLISLE Songs GENERAL MOTORif; Sunday, 8 p. rii., EDST WJZ, New York (CaviTpbeU- idd\d) rano. guested Sunday night (.9); with Erno Rapee and the General Motors symph to sirig four numbers.. Best on the more pretentious por- tlon.s of the stiiit, Standout was the Jewel Song: from Gounod's 'Fausti'. In contrast, the simple 'Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,' which might be. thought a natural for an Ameri^ can singer of Kitty Carlisle's musical comedy training, was riegative. Oth-. er two offerings; sorigs: from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Mikado', arid 'lolan- the,' were excellent, In the operatic assignment Mis.s Carlisle .showed voice of satisfactory tone, range aiid flexibility. Inclined to be slightly edged in the higher register.s, but other\yise plenty okay for the requirements. Singer also brought attractive personality to the nriike. In the first place ,the arrarige- merit: was so pceteritious that it eritirely missed, the tbuchirig .senti- ment of the piece, but offered little in returrii Iristead of a folk song, 'Virginny' became a concert compo- sition—arid rather a painful experi- ence. Handifcap was too .much for Miss Catiisle, \yho never caught the tender feeling' of, the song. Her chores the (3. & S. tunes >yere okay. ,. Debut; appearance for Mis."? Carlisle on General^iMotoirs, symph hbut". Re-, cently closed- in 'White Hor.se Inn' on Broadway. arid previously was hi pix arid miisical comedy. Hobc. MEMPHIS COTTON Songs and Music 30 Mins. Sustaining Friday, 11:30 p.m. WEAF, New York Cotton Fete officially sparis May IMS, so as an advance buildup, WMC, Memphis, fed a flock of warblers and windjamimers to the NBC-red includirig winners of a Con- test conducted amorig youthful and student musical aspirants. As an in- terest-exciter for the coming, festir val, it might just as well have been trying. to entice back tw.o-a-day vaude. . Cotton .show , got no oral blurbirig that might have, explained it, and hence, awakened ho enthusiasriv from regions other than deepest Dixie. Entertainers werie relied upon,' and proved very lightweight, A. contest had been run off and the winners to show <were: . The A Ca- pella Choir of Harding College; bari- tone Sherman Barry bleating Wag- nier's 'To the Evening. StaP from 'Tannhauser'.; fancy fiddler Frank Pullman going bravely bravura with 'La Gitane;' one of the standard ex- ercises of Kreisler; tenor Walter Moore mooing 'Eyes Have. Told Me So'; Home Town Ramblers, a hill- billy. band thrum-thrumming 'Tur- key in Sti'aw'; soprano Ethel Taylor larking 'Canzone Primavera'; the Bcllvue Baptist Church Choir yodel- ing Handel s 'Hallelujah Chorus' arid having, difficulty soaring up to the high notes; coloratura Eugenia Mc- Gee experiencied some trouble hold^? ing within bounds Belli i's 'Qui La Voce.' Windup caime When the crowd was asked to climb up on their feet in the Memphis aude and shatter the air by joining in on 'My, Country 'Tis of Thee;'. A good song for the occasionj but 'Dixie' would have been better. Bert. MAJOR McGONIGLE'S STOCK CO. With. Suitda Love, Riipers. LaBelle, Ethel Owen, Virginia Carle, How- ard Hoffman, Albert H^lufl, Earlf Dewey, Corey Hollowly, Mervirii Belvidere, Kenneth Christy, Ster- ling Quartet, Dion Craddock, Clay-r nibre E.ssig Oid-time Melodramas 60 Mins. NELSON BROTHERS STORAGE CO. Saturdays, II:0O a; WBBM, ' icago (Selvi it) ^East Lyrine' was the preriiiere bill on this full hour show.' Arid not.the least inclination toward satire. Specialties done by performer."? with lack of comedy emphasis srtieared along with gobs;of cortimer- cial, make a pretty, messy hour o.£ Major Mc.Gonigle's Stock Co., and the. limp voice rif the Major himself is the:sour whipped cream topping which is .quite in keepi ith the rest of. the pie. ' But performers alone are, to blame; what the show needs ore Ihari anything else, is producliori. Experienced actors like Ethel Owen and Howard Hoffman ju,«t can't do so badly, even in such a hndf^c-, podge, without help. 'THIRTEEN-SEVENTEEN CLUB' With Singing Waiters, Gladys Tell, Chris Seiter, BVrt Balls. 60 Mlns.-^Looal KAHN'S DEPT. STORE Daily, .io a. m. WbAS. Philly Thi is entertai ing program for morning show that must be produced on small nut. Key lirie of '1370 ClubV (WDAS on 1370 kc): 'This is the night club of the air for :folks' who aren't able to. attend night clubs.' Jerry Stone, emcees. His ad libbing ability largely responsible for in- formality which adds much to popu- larity of program although he has tendency to .spiel too niuch iin- thought-out meaningless jabber at times. Show divided i half^ First 30 minutes.'is sustaining, with paid talent and studio band. Second por tion amateurs,: spopisored . by Kahn's Department Store. In this way sta tion ducks paying union scale tb band, as it is only qri sustaining ppr tion of prpgrarii. In first 30 minutes are.heard Chris Seiter,. fairly Satisfactorily wablef for this type show; Three Singing Waiters (Vic Palnier, Al Zine and jiJohnriy Fortis—the Three Naturals of KYW): Gladys Tell, . chirping member of Tell Sisters, who have been workirig niteries- about town; Bert Balis, guitar-: arid clarinet solo ist, and the house band. Leader of band sports Russian accent, which lead Stone to iritrb it as 'lyan Aw- fulitch nd his Streamlined Wolf- hounds,' On amateur side of show there are no auditioris. tudio. always crowded with would-bes and gabber just asks them to step up. Allows them only to sing choruses, no verses.. Talent not very hot and usually scared, al ways resulting in several false startis before right key is fdund. Stone capably fills in these sjJots and whole thing is good fun. ffcrb. HOWARD MARSHALL They're Saying in England* Vox Pop .SO Mins. Transoceanic Sunday, 4:30 p, m., EDST WJS!;-NBC, New York Second in' series of short yfnyeta jy English journalist to give Amer- icans idon of atriiospherc In London during pre-coronatiori days was il- luminating, despite spieling of Hbw- ard Marshall, Picked: up from Mar- ble Arch, at entrance to Hyde Park at 8:30 Sunday night (4:30 p, m. DST in New York, se.sSion revealed to an;. mazing degree the festive gayety of the British man' on the street. But ;hat Ibcol color was only what came through' MarshaU's long-winded slather,. , First ,20. minutes of the half-hour stanza, was taken by spieaker to di'one on about :almQs,t everything, but mat- tcr at. hand,: - Even went so fur. to infoirm breathlessly eager listener^ in America that his two moppets at'«S^. reicpyering from, whooping cough, that his wife has decided riot to use he coronation ducats he wangled for ler and that a certain building ori he Park doesn't look as he remem- bers It a boy. Marshall may be great shakes in. jolly • old Lbndbn's ;purnalistic .setup, but he's merely a garrulous bore as registered from U, S. loud.speukc^s. Sounds of crowds^ singing; .shouting: and laughing formed a contiriuouil aackground against MarshaU's voice. And that portiori of the broadcast was Impressive dembristratiori of the' wriy the-British Empiire is taking the cpronatiorti For once, at lea$t, th* poriip arid pageantry of.Jhe cere- monies had «ome .'riiedning to Mti* 'riltiated America, Vox, pop sessions, When Marshall Inally: got around to them, ■were hard to understand, partly due to at^ mosphcric difficulties and partly to thick accent of most of the inter- viewees. , But outstanding point of he broadcast was the way it Avas handled by Marshall. For once the Anrierican mikestei's, for all the crit- clsin they catch, could. be appre>. dated for how skillful they can be' at catching the color and excitement of a thrilling event. H«be. BOB HOPE With Frank Parker :{0 Mins. WOODBURY Sunday, 9 p. m, DST WJZrNBC, New York .(Lehnen & Mitchell) Bob Hope's addition to 'Rippling Rhythm Revue' as m, c. and funster appears just; what the doctor ordered. Certainly his presence patches those lulls that have befen; bobbing up of late. (Judy Ganova, Arinieand:Zekei now ■ Hollywood., are misslYig,). Fashion in which Hope maneuvers the program, glibly filling in gaps and introducing new nuriibers, defi nitely sets h'mi up, . Result was one of swiftest moving Rippling stanzas in many week.?. ifjope added enoiigh fresh chatter and gags to give entire broadcast a lift. It's even reflected: in: the orche.s- tral work, and Frank Parker. .Lat- ter, now that he doesn't shoulder the ' ceremonial duties, shows up better ; in cross-fire aiid also with hi.s mel odious warbling. Folk.s were -given ! an inkling , of what Wa.s coming by the novel back-handed Slapping ; build-up for Hope, Kentucky derby '•riifties, too, were new until he I reached the Mother'.s day pun* which ( .suffered from having been heard ut i.lea.st once previou.'^ly the same day. Indicative of the, riew lilt given wa.s the combo .sketch and duet framed about 'Let's Go Slumming tune, with Bob Hope and Parker joi ing iri song, backed,by.en.senible singing, latter uncreditcd. Honey Chile, heckler for, Hope on olhor broadcasts, was missing on hi.s debut for this program. Wear. CINCINNATI BASEBALL Afternoons—Local SOCONY, WHEATIES WSAI, Red Barber WCPO, Harry Hartman Socony and Wheaties divide thi sankrolling this season on both sta* tiori,Si Mikers are free to ring in the blurbs when and how they deem best. Wisely, the commerclalfi are few and far between- It's the ninth straight year of such duty for Hartman. Vernon Thorriburg is his hew a.Mslstpnt. Hartman's style is right in the groove for the bleachers mob, .Airi lustily and applies the heat in the clutch. Pauses between pitches arid plays. Barber has made rap! advance- ment as a baseball blaster since coming up from a small Florida.sta- tion in 1934. During , the past , two years, he Was one of the broadcasters of the world series for Ford, on Mutual and NBC. His delivery and chatter are riniost popular with the grandstand element. At ease and .in even :pitch he talks steiadily. When not describing action ori the field he fills in with dope on average and humorous yarns about the, players. Doe.s, a; thorough job of detail, Ex- plaining batters' po.<>itidns at the plate, delivery and mound conduct of twirlers, changes In defensive posi- tions, locations of hits and advances of runners. . Al Heifer Is Barber'0 co-worker for the second consecu- tive ,sea.sori. Reds' out-of-town games, except those iri New York and Brooklyn, which teams ban radio, are covered by telegiraphic reports, the broad- casters Avorkirig ori their imaginn- tions for color padding. This dif- ficult nssignment is handled okay by both Barber arid -Hat'tman.. Koll. JOSEPHINE HaI'PI^' CoDimcntator 15 lllf inH.—Local ■ ST. LOUIS DAIRY CO. M-to-S. 1:45 p.ni. KMOX, . Si. Loiiiir Announced as a program un.sten and uriheard by- spon.sor. until broad- cast, Jo.scphirie Hulpin failed at prni- gram caught to make most of .op- portunity. After, a sati.sfactoi'ily brief coriiinercial, Mrs. Halpiri launched into a dissertatiph pri the Spanish revolution, r e c o u n 11 ri g .horrorn wrought by rebel ' irplanes on civilian population in Madrid the day before, all of which was printed in ail local rags. Nearly bne-fourth of program \vas devoted to this topic,' enti rely too m uch beca use th is town has biil.y. a. . rihkling of Spanish born residents; : Best part, of program was an i view at Lanibert-St. Loui.s airport with:Mrs. Mairtin Johnson, widow of. explorer and big game hunter, rilaking fir.st air trit) since last Jan. 1, when her hu.sbarid ^as killed arid she was injured in^iilarie crash neat Los Angeles, Program could be made more entertaining, with less time devoted to ,subjec:ts familiar .to rno.st every^ one and more about activities in ■ woman's World, as profjram is ai icd to ciilch the fomme ii.'it^ntM-.s. S«htt.