Variety (Oct 1937)

Wednesday, October 6, 1937 RADIO VARIETY 29 SHOWS Programs Using Studio Audiences Following is the list of New York-originated network Commercials which bave studio audiences: NBC ACCOUNT American iRadiator COi American Toba«^o Co. Elizabeth Arden Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Cities Service Co. Cummer Products Co. Cycle Trades ol America. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Gen. Flectric Co. Gen. Foods Corp. Gen. Motors Corp. Gtiilih Manufacturing Co., Inc. Grove Laboratories, Inc. Gruen Watch Co. Koppers Coke Co., Inc. The liambert Company Lamont Corliss & Co. Macfadden Publications, Inc. Philip Morris & Co., Ltd. Packer Tar Soap, Inc. Pacific Coast Borax Co. Radio Corp. of America. Sealtest, Inc. Shierwin-Williams Co, Sterling Products, Inc. Sterling Products, Inc. G. Washington Coffee Refining Co. PROGRAM Fireside Recitals YoUr Hit Parade Eddy Duchin Tommy Dorsey Cities Service Concert Vox Pop Bicycle Party The Voice of Firestone Hour of Charm Believe It or Not Gen. Motors Concerts Time to Shine Gen. Hugh . Johnson The Time of Your Life Eddy Duchin Grand Central Station Husbands and Wives True Story Court Philip Morris Program Thatcher Colt Mysteries Death Valley Days, Magic Key of RCA Sealtest Party Metropolitan Opera Auditions Waltz Time Manhattan Merry>Go-Round American Album of Familiar Music Uncle Jim's Question Bee. u. mm Practically All Network Programs Except SeriaU and Commentators Now Work Before Sponsors' Guests BIGGEST YET CBS American Tobacco Co. Chevrolet Motor Co. Chrysler Corp. Coca-Cola Cor Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. E.- iTDu Pont Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. Philip Morris & Co. Nash-Kelvinator Corp. Pet Milk Sales Corp. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Sterling Products, Inc. Stewart-Warner C«>rp. Time, Inc. ^ United States Tobacco Ford Motor Co. Cren.' Baking Co. Creh. Foods Corp. Gen. Foods Corp. Hudson" Motor ' Co. Your Hit Parade Dramatic Rhythm Major Bowes' Amateur Hour The Songshop Gang-Busters Palmolive Beauty Box Theatre Your Adventure with Floyd Gibbons Calvacade of America Chesterfield Presents Kostelanetz's Orch. & John Charles Thomas Johnny Presents Russ Morgan's Orch, Professor Quiz Pet's Sat. Night Show Benny Goodman Famous Actors' Guild Presents Helen Menken Aiemite. Half- Hour with Horace Heidt's Brigadiers March of Time Pick and Pat in Pipe Smoking Time Watch the Fun Go By Guy Lombardo & His Orch. Kate Smith •We, the People* . Hobby Lobby MPPA WARNDffi ON OFF-AIR RECORDING "stations throughout the country were advised this week through a circular letter from' the Miisic Pub- lishers Protective Association that they must obtain the customary manufacturer's license whenever they take a program off the air for future- broadcasting. Letter pointed out that this dealing for musical rights is necessary regardless of whether the program is commercial or sustaining. Checkup by the MPPA has dis- clpsed that while the take-off prac- tice, principally as applied to com- mercial programs, has become com- mpn a goodly percentage of the sta- tions involved were not obtaining the required licenses. The MPPA holds that it cannot logically enforce the copyright owner's rights in the instances of networks and indie sta- tions which do comply and permit others to escape. Harry Fox, MPPA gen, mgr., pro- poses to work <iut a uniform con- tract covering those irt the business of taking broadcasts off the air for 3d agencies and artists as soon as he has obtained the necessary trus- tee agreements from all the major rnusic publishers. This type of off- the-air recorder will likely have the royalty terms of the uniform agree- rnient based on his gross turnover for the preceding year. ' Ed Turner has joined WSOC, *-harlotte, as salesman. MAXON NAMES BOB WILSON First t* Holi Arency's Title m Radio Director Maxon agency has established its first titular office of radio director and spotted Robert Wilson, Jr., in the job. Pat Barnes formerly advised on radio for Maxon, but held no official title. Wilson comes from CBS, where he handled time- peddling in the Philadelphia office and area. He will headquarter in N. Y. At present Maxon has two net- work programs riding. 'Heinz Maga- zine of the Air' on Columbia, and Phil Spitalny's all-girl orch for Gen- eral Electric on NBC. Agency is now buzzing a bee in the bonnet of Gillette Blades, which faded its pro- gram, featuring Milton Berle, off CBS during the summer. At the time of the program's fold( Maxon got the account back from Ruthrauff St Ryan. KLZ Has Man-on-Street Show in Negro District Denver, Oct. 5. Denver's colored section has been given a once-a-week 'man on the street' broadcast by KLZ. During the broadcasts Matthew McEniry, announcer, interviews residents of the black belt, and Larry Robar does the m.c. job. Entertainment includes a barber shop quartet, a mammy singer and a singing bootblack. Ed Sprague Joins WLW • Pittsburgh, Oct. 5. Ed Sprague has left Pittsburgh to join sports announcing staff of WLW, Cincinnati. He dropped out of radio tempora- rily this summer to'manage Beach Club, nitery, in nearby Conneaut Lake. By BEN BODEC Any network commercial origi- nating this fall from New York without a studio audience will rate as an exception to the rule. Broad- casting before onlookers has devel- oped to. the point where none but small intimate dramatic programs and news commentators still hold to the practice of strict privacy. Percentage of audience broadcasts will be away over what it was last season. In the case of Columbia the increase will figure around 30%. Because of the capacity of its outside theatre studios CBS will play to considerably more sideliners than NBC. Columbia has 25 shows of this classification already set to emanate. With 'previews'' and rebroadcasts added, the list of audience attended programs will total 30. CBS esti- mates it will be catering to between 35,000 and 40,000 ticket holders a week by the time the current broad- cast season reaches its commercial apex. . NBC has 26 commercials scheduled for studio audience Indulgence. With the rebroadcasts the actual Instances of open house will tally 34.' NBC estimates, a weekly attendance of between 30,000 and 35,000 persons, excluding the invites to sustaining programs. Latter might figure any- where between 10,000 and 15,000 a week. Mutual and local stations also have audience shows. ASSOCIATED BAKERIES CONTROL 'JIMMY ALLEN' Chicago, Oct. 5. Rights to 'Air Adventures of Jimmy Allen' transcription series have been purchased for Associated Bakeries by Russel C. Comer ad agency, as ^t-Pct. 1. Series, fopnji'erly on to plug Skelly, Richfield, Hickock and Pocahbntas Oil, now to air for bread in 32 cities of midwest and south where Associated Bakeries have plants. Edward G. Robinson Will Play Tabloid Daily Editor Hollywood, Oct. 5. Edward G. Robinson program to fill Out the Lifebouy-Rinso hour was set by Myron Kirk, radio director of Ruthrauff & Ryan agency, before he hauled east. Femme lead goes to Claire Trevor, with material to be scripted by Irving Caesar, Courtney Riley Cooper, Eddie Holden and Arch Obler. Half hour show carries title of 'To- day' and will be a series of dram- atized news events. Robinson is cast as the editpr of a robust tabloid who later reforms to become a righteous crusader. Plot will be maintained, although each episode will be complete in itself. Taplinger's Film Job Robert S. Taplinger has sold his N. Y. radio publicity office to Tom Fizdale of Chicago. Taplinger on Nov. 1 joins the Burbank studios of Warner Bros, to handle film, radio and music publicity under Charley Einfeld. Fizdale reportedly has ar- ranged to pay $22,000 for the firm. Taplinger built up radio's most impressive p.a. office through his in- side track at CBS, He was formerly with CBS and quit in 1935 to open his own office, in the same building. Further story on Taplinger appears in film dept. Mugpg for the Studio Audiences Again Notable; Hollywood Repeating Picking Bones Clean Los Angeles, Oct. S. New program on KECA is *Joe Miller's Opera House.' Local gag writers will be there in force to. see if there's anything they missed. L(^ion Whams For Criticism Schenectady, Oct.. 5. Jim Healey, himself a member of the American Lpgion, has been given an uncomfortable time of it by fervid members of that group since he criticized over the air the State of New York for donating $50,000 of taxpayers' money to help defray expenses on the recent New York City convention. Under consider- able pressure Healey back-tracked and broadcast a squaring statement that didn't square the Legionnaires' peeve. None of the taxpayers that Healey was worrying about came to his aid so he got nothing but abuse. This has been directed at him personally in his club, on the streets, and in his office. Others have gone to the station, WGY, and Healey's sponsor. McEroy Will Act In Ethered 'Father' Series Hollywood, Oct. 5. J. P. McEvoy will lay aside his typewriter as soon as he completes his' current scripting chore at Para- mount and turn ether actor, playing the papa in an air dramatization of his Satevepost series, 'Father Meets Son.' Sponsor stands ready to shell out heavy coin for the feature but insists on McEvoy playing himself. 'Father and Son' series started more or less on the level,, being founded on Mac's letters to his boy, Denis, now at the University of Chi- cago. Author feels qualified, be- ing at 42 a grandfather. Uncertain Bill Fields Hollywood, Oct, 5. W. C. Fields has told friends that he is quitting radio And will with- draw from the Chase 8c Sanborn program. He has absented himself frqm the last three broadcasts but Danny Danker of J. Walter Thomp- son agency denies the comic is void- ing his five year contract. Exclusive deal calls for $5,000 weekly. Comic has a double reason for wanting to quit the air show. Claims to be unable to get good script ma- terial and anyway wants to rest. Field's appearance on the program has been so uncertain in the past few weeks that the agency had standby material ready for emer- gencies. WJSVs Cup-Collectors Washington, Oct. 5. Week-end golfers of CBS Wash- ington staff have cleaned up lately, four web and WJSV figures winning trophies at recent tournaments. Jess Willard, station manager, Harry Butcher, web v.p., Larry Elli- ott, chief announcer, and Paul A. Porter, headquarters attorney, all have brought home silver platters and such. Harry Pomar at WATL Atlanta, Oct. 5. Harry Pomar, formerly with Harvey Mas.sengale Adv Agency here, has joined staff of WATL. He ha.^ taken charge of station'.s merchandising actup. Mugging for the benefit of studio audiences is again emphasized as the new season gets under way. It has been weighed pro and con by admen in Hollywood lately as in the east. Hollywood may be repeating in its radio. newness the cycle that New York production saw couple of sea- sons ago. They are reported, cling' ing to the 'need' for studio laughter to put comedy over with loud.speak- er listeners. Advertising agencies have been subject to outside and sponsor criti- cism on the score of allowing actors to suit their own habits of stage de- portment when working before stu- dio audiences to the more or les?? neglect of the real audience scat- tered over the country. Recent example on a Hollywood origination had two comedians working together. Studio audience was convulsed. At the loudspeak- ing bench in the American parlor the deadpans were slightly corru- gated by frowns of perplexity. What was funny? Nothing coming over the air accounted for the rather pro- nounced enjoyment of the studio audience. Only two theories were possible: (a) the homefolks were getting short weight on the enter- tainment; or (b) the people who at- tend programs in Hollywood are giggling Imbeciles. In another case the death-like silence of the Hollywood studio audience endured for 20 minutes. Then there were a couple of snickers. In this case the studio audience gave gruesome testimony on the spot of how dull and boresome the program had been. In reverse the behavior on this occasioii called attention to the agony of a clambake. Thousands must have been keen enough to get that studio audience corroboration of their own suspicions that what they were getting was pretty blah. One of the criticisms most per- sistently made' of commercial radio by the average layman appears to be this njatter of studio laughter, studio applause and the whole riga- marole of having two targets, one visible, one invisible. Local Rivah7 Bans Actors From Station Bridgeport, Oct. 5. New Haven's WELI, riled by re- moval to WICC, Bridgeport-New Haven, of last season's prize pro- gram, 'The First Offender,' Sheriff J. E. Slavin's correctional drama series, advised all actors in show that any making switch couldn't work both stations at same time. Immediate consequence was that Jeanne Poli, granddaughter of late S. Z. and leading lady of 'First Of- fender,' hired out to WICC for an- other chore, a daily eye-opener. Another echo of WELI-WICC rivalry is former's signing of Eddie Krolikowski, long-time Polish fave at Bridgeport station, for commer- cial. ■ WICC now feeding 'First Offenc'cf' as sustainer to Colonial not o£ 13 stations. Bill Hedges Resigns Cincinnati, Oct. 5. William S. Hedges resi.tjned yes- terday (Monday) as vice president of the Crosley radio properties. He hooked up Jan. 1 last and hi.s con- tract has until next year to go but was mutually terrninated. Hedges is dickering with a couple of offers. Not known if he may re- turn to NBC with which he was many years as.sociated in various executive capacities.