Variety (Apr 1939)

26 VARIETY RADia REVIEWS Wednesday, April 5, 1939 Follow-Up Comment KeUogrs /circle,' on the NBC red debut: June SiUman. sUter of the (WEAF) link Sunday nights, con' tinues to drift In the direction of in- nocuous desuetude. But for a few moments of the Marx Bros.' croBS- flre and the dramatization of W. W. Jacobs' shocker, The Monkey's Paw,' last weekend's (2) could have been touted as a surefire cure for in- . aomnla. ,„. SmaU talk -was pretty pallid throughout, particularly the hair- ginnish bandinage perpetrated by raucho Marx and Alexander Wooll- cott It sounded as though the pro- gram had gone Algonquin with a vengeance and with that Basil Rath- bone, Madeleine Carroll—apd the lis- teners—as the innocent bystanders. Woollcott' also recited a cute little story about a little juggler, while Miss Carroll made it tough , on het admirers wilh that offkey caterwatil- Ing. In its attempt to lean backward Into kittenish informality the pro- gram showed that the joints were getting a little too creaky and that it might take more than impresario oil to save the situation. Three /esters and Peg La .Centra ere teamed in a clickish singing se- ries Wednesday and Friday nights over NBC blue for Gulden's mustard, Without too much production or needless window dressing, the show offers lively pop tunes and ballads, ■kilfuUy sung. Since all the num- bers are more or less familiar, an' nouncements are wisely skipped. ' Jesters stick to formula, avoiding too much harmonizing or over-ar- rangement . Include one comedy number for nice variation. Miss La Centra also demonstrates her usual . ability of straight-away songrselling, wHh infectious rhythm and Impres- ■ive style. Two long commercials and a men- tion are not too heavy on the sales pressure.. <ConBty Seat,' flve-nights-a-week ■ustainer serial over CBS, is some- what more adult than most daytinie emoters, but is still pret^ much a broad hoke drama that has strayed . around the clock. Stresses the easy- to-get' human interest stuff, with broad appeal and no subtlety to con- fuse the peanut-munching contin' fent Stanza caught a week ago Mday night (24) dealt with the bud- ding scheme of bright young soda clerk to put his finger in the fore- closure dike and save Hackett's pharmacy and Amos Clark's general ■tore in the hamlet of Northbury. Some juicy philosophy is chudced In about the warm human fellowship (checker matches during the winter evening are mentioned) that are •what men live or die for.' Richard Merriwell-ish hero forms the 'Over- lAy-Dead-Body' club to thwart the grasping mortgage holder. All smart- ly scripted and played to bold ultra rural listeners and those who aren't •lug-dippy after a day of hoke serials. Ray Collins Is 'starred* as Hacket. the philosophical druggist with Clipp Carpenter, as the hero. Gene Leonard as the general storekeeper and Ar- thur Allen as a banker with a heart Will Geleer Is billed as scripter and Jack Wilson also gets credit as dl rqctor. of Bany Wood, with .Leith Stevens orch backstopplng, is currently toss- ing a series of IS-mlnute sessions Fri- day nights over CSS. It'i a sustain- er, MUed 'Romantic Melodies.' soft-voiced crooning baritone with a faint resemblance to Lanny Ross, Wood follows the billing closely. He sings pleasant, rather expressively, wiui clear enunciation and a show- manly choice of sOngs. When caught last (24) he offered It's Never Too Late,' 'Sing a Song of Sunbeams,' '(lood for Nothing* and *I Don't Stand a Ghost of Chance.* Considering the time . day and length of the show,'it's ac- ceptable. Stevens* accompaniments are expertly tailored to the style of show, strings given the green light Stan Shaw Is still using the world', longest theme-intro for his early- morning 'Milkman*s Matinee' over WNEW, N. Y.. but he's removed some onus by injecting bits of chat- ter to get the show uAder way. Six minutes of concentrated theme tunes is still plenty of wasted time, but at least the dialer no longer has to to take It or else—he can now ignore it to some, extent as Shaw rattles off his nightly hellos and initial listener telegrams. Incidentally, through the first couple of hours of the show, at least three-quarters of t)ie wires are signed by "Wild Bill.' It would seem that Shaw has a stooge or there's telegraph company stockholder the audience. Broadway producer and a singer and ilaywright in her own right and lift Arauette, imitator and delinea- tor of cracker-barrel characters. Lester was feeling his way in the first half and only began to warm up in latter nart of the program. Miss Sillman used a deep contralto voice to good effect in two numbers, while Arquette's exchange of repartee with Vallee was only so-so. Campbell Sonps took great care during the final Amos and Andy broadcast over the NBC web last Friday evenino to make sure listen- ers dialed to a 'new station' on Mon- day-. Rival CBS w;b wasn't men- tioned,'Of course. Announcement of the switch was first made by gabber Bill Hay during the opening com- mercial. It was next made by Amos and Andy themselves in their black- face brogue following the nightly episode. They gave a tasteful fare- well speech at the time, thanking NBC^ station managers and panel- men. Final mention of the change was ihadie by Hay again right before the sign-off. Dave Elman announced on his NBC commercial last week that 'Hobby Lobby' would be the principal fea- ture of '(^dren's World,' uiow set for New York exposition. Said he had - received many inquiries from schools and was pleased to reply that 'Hobby Lobby' would be a World's Fair attraction. Elman invited lis- teners to attend and see 'some of the nation's outstanding hobbyists.' Horace Heidt's qulz-(}ance stuff Is not only out of order but the maestro seema lately to be flirting with some rash remarks or actions, especially with the mike wide open. This is due to the Biltmore hotel (N. Y.) bandleader's misconception of what constitutes informality. Asking girls what their ages are. and shouting it all over the place, is not exactly in the best Mrs. Emily Post tact Theii, when given a name, such as Dorothy, she becomes Dottle, right off the bat to Heidt It's a freshness' that's dubious showmanship and to many would seem rude. Heldt seems to haye switched con- siderably away from his formerly smooth showmanship standards. 'Joyce Jordan, Gtrl Interne* serial dally over CBS for McKesson & Robolns, still throbs along In the rut of hoke melodrama. Tailored to grip the attention of the moronic listener segment It's concocted of a succes- sion of stock situations, black-and- white characterizations and iiltra- obvious dialog. Not a gesture to- ward maturity of thought or any literate pretentions in the writing. As for the plot Itself, it has elaoor- rated somewhat on the former idea of Dr. Joyce Jordan's invaluable services to the hospital and her depth of tuderstandlng In meeting the hunian problems of her patients. Going further afield into the pulp mag-ish lives of the patients. Cvir rently deals with an ex-convlct who seeks to gain custody over his son, apparently by some ■ sort of threat aiialnst the kid's mother. . Show Is well enough produced and Slayed by 'commercial - standards. Elman Brown scripts, Julian Funt directs, and the cast regulars include Elspeth Eric, Michael Fitzmaurice, Erik . Rolf and George Coulourls. Commercial plugs for Albolene cleansing cream stress the claim that actresses use It Body Vallee's (WEAF-8:00 p.m.). piece de resistance last Thursday was Claude Rains, who hit a high 2)ot in emotionalism, with a skit tied The Eigerbund.' This was study In moimting fear and haunting fantasy, dealin>r with description of an ascent of Swiss mountain peak. Vallee himself essayed his first fry at serious radio drama in a minor role. Rains was good. Lighter moments In the hour's pro gram were carried by Jerry Lester, comedian and m. Cn'maklng his air BOBEBT L. BIPLEY •Believe It or Not' With LIndB Lee, Men Abont Town, B. A. Bolfe orch. 30 Mins. Frieay, 7:30 p. m. BOYAL CBOWN COLA KNX-CBS, Hollywood ^B.B.D.&O.) This one isn't heard in New York City, although on 77 CBS stations, it's all Ripley with the commercials running him a hot second. There's three fat gobs of sales come-oii with another mention for the product worked Into a ditty. Seems a shame to- waste B. A. Rolfe's slick crew and the tonsil tickling of Linda Lee on one num- ber apiece. And with the Men" About Town tossed In for a solo and backup for la Lee it should shape up as tuneful. Rolfe's orchestratloil of 'Deep Purple' was unique and showmanly and plenty zingy on the swing. • • ■ Ripley had three fat spots; the Mex president who led a revolution against himself, two deer hunters whose bullets met head-on. and the beleaguered British troops in Egypt who were saved from starvation by a 115-year-old letter from Napoleon. All well done. Believe-it-or-not'er tagged off with his usual teaser for next week and a Palm Sunday bless- ing. ' Sales gab Is spread on too thick and at one time announcer tres- passed on ciggie premise when he lellowed 'it's Royal Crown, two to Herle Oberon's brief appearance In a condensation of Emily Bronte's 'Wutherlng Heights,* on Kate Smith's hour, served as an aereeable trailer Thursday .night (SO) for United Artists' Impending release of the novel's fllm'ization. . However, while Miss Oberon's role of Kathie,' which she also handles In.the film. Was ex- cellent there were limitations, im- plicit In condensing a stout book into a few minutes dramatic form. Nartator Judson Lalre capably bridged many gaps that could not be covered on the air and the scenes employed were, under the circum- stances, of sound choice. 'Heights,' a tale pt staid England in the 18th century, is one of social barriers and love's tragedy in its attempt to scale them. Santos Ortega played Heathcllfl, the stable groom of Wutherlng Heights, and Miss Oberon was the young lady of the house. in Lew Parker, from vaude. Is on Enna Jettlck Shoes' 30-minute show (called 'Steppin' Along") Saturday night Goes in for clowning sketches and banter instead of droll emceeing. He has the support of s** -eral radio voices. Faltering . comic script main hazard. Parker sounds like 'the voice of Jack Benny* on Fred Allen's Town Hall program, whether he Is or not Listeners may as a result compare his work here and oh Allen's show. Parker Is best with his opening ?:agglng In the Bob Hope manner, n his crossfire chinning with a Gay Nineties belle he muffed the best line. But he looms as a satisfactory bet once he gets straightened out ' Ed Small's Seven had the musical highlight of this show with their one.' On My Way to Honolulu.* D'Artega's orchestra, pleasing aggregatloiu nicked the top rung with 'Hold Tight* and 'Masquerade,' othera being so-so. Fashion Expert (Nan Dorland) stressed footwear with _ /Illty. Program Is- devoid of the fYmiliar but clamorous commercial drum-beating product plugging behig doubly effective as a consequence. Lnpe Veles guested on the Bob Hope program for Pepsodent Tues- day night of last week (28) over NBC red. It was an unfortunate session, both for the -actress and the show. The milcrophone accentuated the harshness of Miss Velez's voice, while the comedienne herself failed to catch the point of several of her best lines. Script was labored, obvious and depended too much on visual effects. Also, it seemed questionable judg-' ment to add' Miss Velez to the pro- gram when Patsy Kelly is already fixture.' In two brief bits. Miss Kelly clicked and Hope whammed bis solo Inning at the start But In general it was a sub-standard edl-^ tion of the series. •Hilltop House,' morning serial on the blue, is having trouble these a.m.'s. It appears that the town treasurer whos responsible for the maintenance, materially, of the knoU haven, has poked his fingers into the cash pie and.pulled out a plum he couldn't returta, so he took the easiest way out—hari karl. On top of that the star of the piece, Bess Johnson, is lost, somewhere after taking off on a mercy mission to Canada in a plane; With aU these worries the show seems to proceed smoothly and man- ages to be interesting. Much hula- baloo and tension over the mystery of the missing- plane, but at least two of the cast manage to remain calm. Pair of - ydui^steris, discussing the aBair, cracked when caught, 'It'll be all right—what goes up must come down.' Palmolive commercials were pretty long-winded when heard. Ireene Wicker's children's yam (now sustaining), in musical play form (WEAF-1 p.m.) Sunday (2) was a well written, well scored ver- sion of 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' Her writing, and acting of the lead- ing part - and Milton Rettenberg's scoring gave a familiar story a new twist and made it listenable over a half hour stretch. Voices of the cast in the various characters bespoke an enthusiasm for their work seldom heard in such offerings. Story isn't all dramatized but skips unimportant gaps via sung Interpolations by Miss Wicker In solo and with a capable sounding chorus. •MB. DISTBICT ATTOBNEY* Wilh Dwlf hi Wclst, Adeblde Klein, Erik BoU, Helen Choate, Stephen Sohnabelt Jerome Lester, Lawien Zerbe, Jamea Van Dyk, t Joatya 15 MIns. Sostalning Mon.-Frl., 7 p.m. WEAF-NBC, New York ■As a filler for the spot vacated by Amos *n* Andy, NBC this week started racket-bustln' action mellers over the red net Phillips H. Lord Is given air biUliig as 'creator and author,* and the material is an- nounced as being based on actual records from district attorneys' offices throughout the country. However, It follows somewhat In the pattern of the 'Big Town* series, as well as 'Gang Busters' and another one along similar lines aired by WOR about a year ago. Despite a spiel to plant the idea that the program is aimed to stir public resentment against racketeer- ing and thereby help stamp out or- ganized crime, it's transparently cliff-hanger stuff to grab the vicari- ous blood-*n*-thunder addlcta. Doubt- ful if it can swipe Amos *n* Andy* following from its new spot on CBS or the "Easy Aces' audience from the NBC blue. There's also the possibil- ity that a high-pressure show of this tjTBe durine the early evening will ienite a blast from the women's clubs because of ita possibility of over-exdtlng the moppets. Conslderlne the preponderance of talk over the kilocycles through the day and . early evening, - it would seem that a light suave musical nov- el^ might be a natural draw in this snot MUt Herth*s 'Omar the Swfaig Maker* show which WEAF has burled in the 8 a. m. bracket, for in- stance. "Mr. District Attomev* opened Monday (3) with a political speech Introducing, the public prosecutor, then swltehed to that dignitary's har- angue promising action in cleaning out the rackets; From that it faded Into typical crlme-mag lurid sen- sationalism. According to the first chapter, the D. A. is long on prom- ises, but shy on performance. After reassuring an Italian mother with a statement that "well do everything we can* to protect her three boy? from gangsters, he almost immedi- ately geta newfl that the trio have been bumped off. Apparently it was a scripting silo to. permit such a time-lapse in the D. A.*s info system, but doubtless the writers will supply a Horatio Alger finish. Even so, Mr. District Attomey*s bombast Is likely to sound pretty hollow to New Yorkers who recall Tom Dewey's radio talks. As a show of Its kind, this one Is merely passable—certainly no rival to Lever Brothers' blg-tlme 'Big Town' over CBS. It's not as skill- fully scrlDted or plaved and It obvi- ously - lacks the glittering window dressing of Edward G. Roblnson- CHalre Trevor names. Dwlgbt Welst Is on the DomoOus side as the windy D. A., while none of the other charac- ters has yet emerged into clarity. James Church directs. Whole thing looks like a case of stereotype pro- gramming when an Imaglnery flair was la order. Hobc WESTEBN HABHONBEKS HUlbllUea 16 Mlnsw—Leeal Snstalning Satnrday, 6:18 pjo, WCNW, Brooklyn ■Thls-l8 strange listening to metro- politan New York ears. Way out east in Brooklyn comes the voice of Pappy, who, with Hank, Bob, Ted and Hazel, whips *em out in the monotonous, nasal, sing-songey chant of the hillbilly idiom. "The Runaway Train Went Over the-HUl—the HIU —the HiU—the Hill,* like a needle stuck in the -eroove. ' V In between Pappy comments. 'Dpg- gone' is his pet phrase, a mountam equivalent to 'and how.' Something is 'right smack dab doggone good.* Troupe dedicate numbera to peo- ple havbig birthdays, but one of the members forgot. Master Eagan's name, fumbled badly and came up with his little friend's name omitted. Pappy fixed that later. Land. 'Women In White' for Pillsbuty's Flour front Chicago was living In the past when caught (30). Bit was solid sentiment and must hbve pro- voked many a housewifely tear for the two unhappy young women un- burdening themselves. Occasion was a visit of the nursing star of the piece to a friend. Her apparent torch carrying caused the other- surprise—to break down and con- fess she was unhappily married. Make-believing of the two was good, It was apparent in the voice of the young nurse when the pro- gram opened, that something wa^ bothering her, that being vocally built until the breakdown. Script went on from there to natural ghllosophlzlng over their troubles, rood tear jerking. Commercials were unobtrusive In comparison to other a.m. offerings. Badlo Writer* QoUd will hold a general membership meeting and dinner tomorrow night (Thursday) at the Midston hotel, N. Y. BETTY JANE BHODES With Clilca's erch. Songs IS MIns.:—Local Sustaining Batnrday, 7 p.m. KHJ, Los Angeles Betty Jane Rhodes, who is makbig a comeback at the ripe old age of 16. She is best known in radio for her vocals with last season's Packard Starlit Roof. Since, she has guested many programs but never quite in her proper orbit With her honeyed tonsils it's a mistake to turn her out on scat numbers. By this token she should never have tackled 'Hold Tight' It might conjure up compar- isons with the Andrews sisters, which would be fatal, and that goes for most of the others, too. Aa a themer she tees off with In the Shadows' and In high dulcet form. She then swings Into 'I Get Along Without You,* which Is a natural for her and falls on the ears like a rippling freshet Chlco gives her a lulling backup with his harp and helpers. In the scramble for summer fillers, agency sleuths might-give her more than a passing nod. There*s the re- freshing- quality of youth in her voice and she delivers like a trouper. Helm. PABIS-LONDBES With Graele Fteldi^ BCanrlee Chev- alier, John Watt, Bay Ventura et sea Collegians, Lonia Levy and BBC variety arehestra Variety 40 MIns. Monday (20), 8:20 p. m. BBC, London Second of week's series-of shows specially planned hi honor of French nesldent s state trip to Ix>ndon was done in conjunction with the Poste Parisian station in Paris, though aimed exclusively tor English-speak- ing listeners. Was relayed to NBC network so American customers could pass on it as well. Presented jointly from the two capitals by Archie Campbell and Edouard Gendron, program aimed to compare ace British and French va- riety, with Graele Fields selected as outatandlng . U. K. performer, and Maurice Chevalier as her opposite number. BBC orchestra, with extra - players hired for the occasion, did ita stuff to Immense effect under Louis Levy's wagglestick, and Graele gave a series of typical numbers ex- pressing all her moods. Her perform- ance lacked any outstanding num- ber, but she was full of verve as ever, and in a telephone confab with Chevalier gave the .impression she was as thrilled as any kid talking to her film idoL Neat idea was pulled when the two personalities exchanged songs, Graele having a tumble with 'Valentine' and Chevalier coming back with the Lan- cashire lass's famous 'Sally' number. Difficult to assess value of Mlsa Fields' French accent, though at a guess It's somewhere of the same standard as Chevalier's English. Ray Ventura's ace Paris combo gave lively intemretations both in French and English, and Maurice for his specialties offered a couple of French numbers and Xouise.*' He was in gay mood, and his dialect numbers sounded funny even if illit- ' erate listeners couldn't gresn what they were about John Watt was emcee, showing ud as something of a linguist and show was good even if not quite the higlispot it was boosted to be. •THE WOMAN OF TOMOBBOW With Nancy Boothe Craig IS MIns.—^Local Participating Mon.-FrL, 9;1S ajn. WJZ, New York A rather curious example of small- time radio on a major station. Aimed as a femme shopper's guide, it chat- ters off a list of producta, cramming so many into the session that only a few receive adequate coverage. Also, - Instead of dressing up the show with ' some production showmanship, it's just solid gab, spouted so fast it's hardly inteUlglble. On the session caught last Friday (31), Danya skin lotion, Scott cleansing tissue and Breakstone but- ter drew lengthy plugs, while a host of others, such as a gadget for pro- tecting the dark part of black and white shoes from whiting, a 'cos- metic' for shoes, an elastic thread,' canned duck, a booklet on where to dine in Greenwich ViUage, N. Y., ete, rated mentions..' There was. also an unexplained reference to 'the production man dancing up and down at the end of the studio.' That could have been taken as an extra- ordinary bit of candor. . Considering the amount of word- age concentrated into the IS-minuto capsule, Nancy Boothe Craig's spiel- ing is precise, clear and pleasant Jack Fraser handles fore and eft announcementa and occasional com- ments. - Hobe. •WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AMEBICAr With Edward Baykin 30 HlnB.-^iOoal Snstalning Saturday, 8 pin. WMCA, New York : Still another in the elongated pro- cession of quiz shows. Differs little . from predecessora Edward Boykin employs juvenile groups to amaze adult tuner-lnners. Pitted Boy Scout Troop 718 against Troop 500. Electrical sform cut WMCA off air In closing eight minutes, leaving lis- teners wondering which troop won. Next week, it may be high school classes competing, then school against school. Boykin has a nice personality and deft style of handling contestants. Asks questions about u. S.—ita his- tory, battles, leaden and geography. He shied clear of tossing out tips to help contestants, a habit that often irritates. ■ Wear. MEBLE PITT'S MUTED MUSIC IS Mlhs.—Local Sustaining Dally, 1:4S pan. WNEW, N. Y. Merle Pitt shoves mutes In the bells of his brass section and aug- ments rhythm men with an electric guitar for this daily session. It comes over as extremely smooth and listenable, topped by Pitt's ex- cellent viollnlng. Small band (10- pieces) is used. Numbers are smartly selected to conform with the muted idea and are all well arranged. Electric guitar Is spotlighted in every tune as well as cueing the outfit from one into the next Nice stufL