Variety (Sep 1937)

Wcclnes^ay, September IS, 1937 FORUM VARIETY 63 Radio 'Czar^ (Continucid from page 1) iii^iif during the convention were M. H. Aylesworth, James J. Farley and Cbrdell Hull. Committee had been appointed to do some, feeling around in that direction and to re- port its likely candidate at the Oc- tober meet. No Hotel Space After the NAB had sent , out its general invitation originally dated Oct.- 4, it developed that there -vvas slim chance of the conven- tion getting hotel accommodations during the specified week. A cursory" check has already disclosed that reservations are heavy lor the World Series, and that no large mod- ern hotel in the Grand Central sec- tor can guarantee a. major share, of the rooms required. The Oct. 12 date was then picked and reserva^ tions made with the Belmont Plaza, formerly the Montclair hotel, for the gathering. NAB board of directors acted on the special convention call following two sessions in New York Friday (10) and Saturday, during which personalities and recriminations,flew thickly and bitterly. Several NAB directors scored the present associ- ation's administration for what was described as a do-nothing policy and asserted that, if the NAB didn't im- mediately assume an active part in solving the industry's problems," an- 'otKer organization "would be created to take its plaQe. ■ It was during the Friday session that the intra-directora.te acrimony was at its .worst! •j'ohn ^Im'er, JJAB prez,'tobk^nie of the association's, directors to task for acting on the musicians' employment issue with- out consulting with him and the other board members. He also criti- cized L. B. Wilson, NAB director •nd owner of WCKY, Covington, Ky., for taking the initiative in raising money to cover the expenses of the broadcasters' convention of severjj weekis ago in New York, without f rst faking it up with the NAB. Personalities Wilson retorted that he would be glad to relieve Elmer of any em- barrassment and he forthwith of- fered his resignation. Ed Cj-aig, of WSM, Nashville,. joined Wilson in the resignation offer, but there was no m6ve to act in either case. During the next day's session of the board the recalcitrant members renewed their raking of the asso- ciation's heads. They declared that Elmer and others must try to make it a more effective NAB, consider the problems of the larger stations as well as the 100-watters, and develop a definite service to all-members or the network-affiliated stations would undertake to set up their own or- ganization. WHAT THEY THINK War Coverage (Continued from page 1) have continued to repair the Chenju station, but even when and if they are successful another Japanese attack may put it off the air again at any time. Both CBS and NBC have men in China who are working with authorities there to set up some means of originating voice broad- casts from the war zone. Chenju normally broadcast on power be- tween 20 to 40 k.w. Only means of communication with the outside world since the out- break of hostilities has been a small "Wireless telegraph station in the In- ternational! Settlement at Shanghai. With the beginning' of fighting against China, the Japanese cut the Pacific cables, so the news services, as well as the broadcasting com- panies, have been getting all their reports via wireless telegraph. Such niessages are usually picked up at San Francisco, but some are received at Manila and rebroadcast from there w) this country. Power of the . Shanghai station is about 200 watts. Believed unlikely that the Japs ^"1 atteinpt to destroy the Shanghai transmitter or other\vise interrupt service or censor messages since the station is in the International Settle- nifent and any action by Japanese muitary leaders would arouse a hur- ricane of protest, throughout the world. There is still no regular schedule of transmissions from ^hanghai and if and when the ^nenju or Hankow transmitters be- em broadcasting voice programs ^fforts by the Japanese to attack 'nem from the air are expected !, tA?: NBC and CBS are k in u ^ Closely with RCA officials "^P*^ *° arrange, better radio coverage of the warf NIcrel Brace Explains New York, Sept. 13. Editor, Vamety: Your reviewer, commenting on my performance in 'Virginia,' wrote that I 'did not seem to know what it was all about and had the misfortune of fumbling some lines.' I am sorry your reviewer gave that mistaken judgment on the 'fumbling' of lines. That fumbling was quite deliberate, necessary to the charac- terization! am striving for, in my opinion. I play a mildly amorous gentleman whose. approach to ro- mance is a bit faltering, best ex- pressed, to my notion, in uncertainty of speech. Since I worked toward achieving that, I feel I have been dealt with unfairly in having it dis- missed as ineptitude. All critics, of course, have the right to disapprove of anybody's perform- ance, but in your reviewer's case I believe he went' outside his right to harm me by misstatement, of fact. If he cares to stop at-any performance he will leari> I have not altered my characterization at all since opening night. Nigel Bruce. Song Sheet Pirates New York, Sept. 13." Editor, VARiETYr I have just returned from the Pacific Coast and I should like to inform that Tom Coakley;' well known. San Francisco attorney and former orchestra leiader, is respon- sible, more than any other person, for clearing the streets of San Fran- cisco properly of all bootleg vendors of songsheets. He is the first man to tackle this difficult racket with a campaign of investigation and. policing so' con- vincing . and thorough that not a single offender riemains. There were also approximately 150 drug stores and newspaper stands that were selling an average of 10,000 illicit songsheets a month. Coakley wi^ed them out completely. John G. Paine, managing director of ASCAP, recently retained Coak- ley in a songsheet case jsgainst A. Cavalli of San Francisco, which the latter settled after paying a penalty of $750. 'There have, in addition, been excellent prosecutions aroimd New York and the east, through the drive of the MPPA and its regular agent. The field, howeyer, is so large and this underworld racket is so widespread that, it is a'pity there are not a few more Tom Coakleys in the southern and western states to eradicate this songsheet piracy entirely.. In the course of my trips to the Coast I have learned of the above facts and I have no other motive, excepting to givie credit where it is due, to any one who can cope suc- cessfully with this evil which has existed for 10 or more years in the music industry. William Wiemann. Edward B. Marks Music Corp. Doc Himber's Radio Panacea New York, Sept. 9. Editor, Variety: Has it occurred that no other phase of entertainment endeavor is literally as ' 'mixed up' as radio? Many and constant have been the 'ribs' directed at the motion picture industry as a whole and at certain individuals in it, prompted by mass or solo idiosyncrasies of a harmless nature. Samuel Croldwyn is still a very shrewd and highly respected business man in spite of his 'include me out' manner of speech. But no other form of amusement enterprise has ever been guilty of trying to 'cut its own throat' as radio is constantly doing. Competi- tion is rife in all forms of amuse- ment endeavor. If one movie com- pany makes a successful football pic- ture it presages a cycle of similar films. Neverthetess, there is a profit- able and 'businesslike dispatch about presenting these films to the public. Visualize, if you can, the bewilder- ment of a movie, audience asked to witness two pictures at one time, each being projected upon half the screen. Has anyone ever asked a theatre audience to watch two plays at one time? Certainly not Yet radio is guilty of just that. Certain air times are considered 'more desirable' than others. The result is that three and sometimes four expensive programs vie for listener interest at the same time. To me, that is just like showing three or four different films at the same time on the screen of the Radio City Music Hall at 9 p. m. on Satur- day night because somebody discov- ered that 9 p. m. Saturday night was the time wlien theio was the great- est number of people present Can a sponsor who presents a pro- gram at a specified hour already oc- cupied by an ei^tabllshed and popu- lar program ,on another network, hope to wean away that audience? The best that can happen is that the new sponsor will take away part of the audience that customarily listens to the other show. And what hap- pens? Both programs suffer, ^he established ^how loses some of its foUowers-^because no program in radio is so co>npIete that it can hold all . listeners. Tht second show doesn't even get to first base. Two seasons ago, Jack Benny and Middle Cantor were pitted against each other, ..and both programs im- questionably isiiffered. ■. There were many peoplfe' Who liked both come- dians. One week they would'listen to Benny—the next Week they'd hear CJantor."' 'Some listeners adopt- ed the expedient of listening to one prog;ram until the commercial spiel came' on—^.whereupon they would promptly dial to the other show and listen to that until a commercial caused them to switch back. I Certainly a sponsor with a new show would do better to select a 'less desirable' air time any night in the week when the competitiori wasri't so keen, than to try and lure away an audience that had been list- ening to a well established program for a long time. George Washington Hill, president of the American To- bacco Co., : ,and sponsor of niy Wednesday night 'Your Hit Parade' iseries over the NBC red cbain^ with a similar program each Saturday night over CBS, is shrewd enough to realize this. Hence my program and the Saturday night show are heard at times comparatively free Vfrom competition. We aren't on the air Sunday nights, when all of America, as the survey-ites would have you believe, -is sitting before i. loud speaker. Simday night, to my mind, Is to radio what 42d street and Fifth avenue would bp at 5 p. m. without traffic lights and without a traffic cop. Radio is not a 'one night stand.' Monday, Tuesday or any day in the week, for that matter, is a good time for a radio program if you have a worth-while show. Radio is not the theatre where you figure on a bigger, gross Saturday nights after every- body has gotten his pay check and takes out the family or a best girl. Soniethlng should be done about this. Jeanette MacDonald Is to be heard via CBS ;n opposition to Jack Benny. Would Miss MacDonald con- sent to sing in a picture at the same time Grace Moore is singing or .per- haps at the same time Jack Benny is telling jokes? Then why is Miss MacDonald asked to sing on the air when Benny and his crew are go- ing through their comedy routines? It is difficult to offer a ready so- lution. Saying, 'reallocate air times and have a board of control to regu- late programs so there would be no confliction between major shows' is a simple thing—in the saying. In practice, it might be something else again. However, radio and its ex- ecutives should take cognizance of this situation. It would be more than an altruistic gesture to enhance the enjoyment of radio listening.. It would immeasurably help tiie ex- chequer and budgets and returns for the sponsor—and in radio, that's what counts! Richard Himher. In re Screen Adv. New York, Sept. 14. Editor, Variety: There has been much comment in the press recently about the booing of screen advertising which started in a' theatre in Little Rock. What beg&n as a local press agent's gag gained national prominence and again came into public notice about a week ago when its actions were copied in a Tifton (Ga.) theatre. . Local advertising has been carried on the screens of the country for miany years. Objections have often been voiced because of the "crudity of its presentation. National adver- tisers fully realizing the value of screen advertising have enteried the field. They have elevated the me- dium and are delivering their mes- sages by way of comedy, cartoon and color. 'These short length com- mercials are produced by reputable film companies in a first-class Holly- wood manner. The theatres carrying this adver- tising are being paid substantial sums for screen space, one chain in the south receiving $80,000 yearly. Screen advertising means too much to the theatre owner and. also the advertiser and theiy are therefore removing any unpleasant features associated with it. The public is ad- vertising conscious and if it is pre- sented In the proper way there can be no objection. It is not the me- dium of advertising which is being attacked, but rather the manner of presentation. Certainly, properly presented screen advertising can't be quite as bad as some of the previews the patrons are compelled, to sit through. Adverislog, in every medium, is here to stay. Without it the ne\vs- paper^ magazine and radio business would' be greatly . curtailed. Of course the advertising agency and also the national .advertiser seek to present their cpmmodity to the pub- lic in the most appealing manner, and toward this end they are for- ever striving. < Al. Fair, President, Screen Broadcast Corp. No Bull Editor, Variety: Dallas, Sept. 8. The bull fights at the Greater Texas and Pan-American Exposition, which we wrote you abput on Aug. 24, got under way Sunday night, Sept. 5. After observing the events for several nights we find them- to be purely bull fight demonstratior^s and not worthy of broacasting. No Mexican fighting bulls ^re .Used. As a substitute, a semi-vicious grade of todeo steers are put in the arena much to the dismay of th^ toreadors and matadors, to say nothing of the crowds. It will be impossible to get Mexican fighting bulls here due to a iciuarantine of 21 days for all live-stock at the border. By that time the scheduled fights will be over. Further the humane societies and other objectors have prohibited the use of banderillas and the kill, the latter simulated by the matador who uses a blunt wooden stick. So' you can see there would be little use of attempting a broadcast. JRclph. W. Nimmons, , Program Director, WFAA. Hunting: Clara Hunter New York, Sept. 10. Editor, Variety: I write to inquire If your 'morgue' or other files make mention of the name of Clara Hunter, "who was on the stage during the period 1^90^ 1910. She may have previoysly ap- peared on the'English stage for she often described herself as a corre- spondent for the London Times. Ef- forts were first made to trace her in 1911 and then abandoned. As she or her heirs would be beneficially inter- ested in the matter with which I am concerned I thought to enlist your aid. Perhaps you can bring this letter to the attention of some real old timer who would be likely to re- call her and her antecedents. Bernard Coweri, Att'y, (225 B'way, N. T. C.) Nat'l Federation Explains New York, Sept. 10. Editor, Variety: Through some misunderstanding the impression prevails that The Na- tional Civic Federation will sponsor a theatrical'production for the bene- fit of unemployed actors. This' is for the purpose of correcting that misapprehension. The Federation had extended the courtesy of its office facilities to the WPA Workers National .Committee which had such a project in con- templatipn. We have no. official con- nection with this committee and have simply extended the hospitality of our quarters to aid them as dismissed workers in their endeavors to help themselves. I am informed that th'e theatrical project has been aban- doned by that committee. Ralph M. Easley, (CMikiritiiin Executive Council). It's An Old Story Editor, Variety: , / Boston, ^ept. 8. In regard to the story In the last issue of Variety, I would like to call your attention to the fact that WNAC and WAAB in Boston have had permanent lines (not a part-time line) to New York for considerably over a year and have piped several programs for audition purposes Therefore, the plan you mention as new for WNBF is very old history to us. John Shephard, 3rd, (President, Yankee Network). Legionnaires (Continued from page 1) three reviewing stands and disband in the 70's. Parade gets under way about noon, and probably will be in motion un- til after midnight. American Legion convention dele- gate expenditure of $5,000,000 will go to the greatest -extent to hotels and department stores and other shops in. the city. Figured that about 45% of the total 'will go to these sources or $2,375,000. Theatres and night clubs are figured to attract $1,000,000 or more as a result of the conven- tion. This represents more than 10% of the total. Actual outlay for meals, whether in cafes, hotels or niteries, is expected to take approxi- .h miately $1,000,000 more. Miscel- laneous expenditures are tabbed at $600,000. Police department is expected to get a i^ood wgckout preliminary to handling, vQst throngs expected for N, Y. World's Fair two-years hence^ with the task of handling the antici- pated enormous crowds rated as the biggest policing task the department has handled. With late reservations pouring into the hands of the Ameri- can Legion housing'Committee^ the. convention of Legiopnaires 1$, ex- ' pected to test definitely 'whether or not. Manhattan has sufficient' rooms for the forthcoming World's Fair. It should prove a thorough testing be- • cause no one week of the New York exposition is expected to draw as many as wiU crowd bto N. Y. for the gathering thisr month* It is figured that possible hotel and housing shortages wUl be dis- cerned during the convention and plans to increase accommodations will be made In ample time for the fair year, One cohimittee with police aid has been checking up on all^iged clip joints and other wet spots under ■ suspicion. All such places will be under careful scrutiny and com- plaints from Legionnaires will result in summary pblfce action. The mayor's orders ftre to ^ive the ex- service men. and their kin every courtesy. Theatres report Increasing orders for tickets but In some instances cancellations have already been re- ceived, prospective visitors explain- ing that they had not been able to secure, hotel reservations, . Indicated that the iriore sturdy Legionnaires who have similarly found difficulty in securing housing at their price, will resort to other spots within the metropolitan area. Product IXeals (Continued from'page 2) Friedl, who operates for Par in the n.w., closed his buy in New York with George J. Schaefer and A. W. Smith, Jr., while Smith went to Detroit to sign with Trendle. Deals with Fox-West Coast and the large Saenger circuit in the south are in work. Warners has sold the M. A. Light- man circuit in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi 100%, including shorts and trailers, for the 1937-38 season. Lightman closed the deal ^ in New York with representatives of WB. Another contract tti. by Warners is with the Interstate chain of New England. Ben Kalmensoh, eastern district manager for War- ners, signed this one up. Monogram has sold Warners' up- state N. Y. circuit; the Schine peo-» pie In 10 situations, also upstate, and the Smalley chain, which has 10 towns In New York state. Grand National product for the coming year will go into Harry Brandt's houses on Broadway, either the Globe or Central. The Globe has befen $2-ing since last spring with attractions including 'JLost Horizon,' 'Road Back' and 'Souls at Sea,' latter closing Sunday night (19). "The Shadow Strikes,' which went into the Central Saturday (18) and the Cagney musical, 'Something to Sing About,' into the Globe Sept. 20. are the GN starters under the deal with Brandt Hunter Perry, Virginia Par part- ner, and M. A. Lightman, Par's Tennessee - Arlcansas - Mississippi as- sociate, are in New York discussing picture deals and other matters. Perry may add a couple houses' in Virginia if details can be worked out. Fox-West Coast has closed a deal for Republic product. Pact gives cir- cuit first runs in San Francisco and Oakland, and second and subsequent showings in the Los Angeles are*>.