Variety (Jul 1939)

26 VARIETY RADIO REVIEWS WedneflJay, July 5, 1939 CABMEN MmANDA With N«t Shilkret orchestra, Stoop- nacle, Jady EUlncten, Bodeers Sis- ters, LeRojr MUler, Cbarles Bomct orohestn B«vo« 60 Mlns. BCA Monday, 8:30 p.m. WJZ-NBC, New Tork RCA, long indigenous to Sunday matinee, is now an evening romp of Mondays. It follows now, as before, the general outline of a vaudeville revue. But loose. Not much con- tinuity and a limited amount of in- spiration or ingenuity in routining the turns. That side—production—is where the RCA hour is unworthily a spokesman for NBC, which stages the affair, and for RCA, that uses the occasion for showcasing. However gratuitous, vague or quibbling it may sound, the impression at this hear- ing was that a fair program ought to have been, and could have been, a good one. It needs expert editing and arranging of the componeiit parts. The talkiness of the announce- ments entrusted to LeRoy Miller were especially retarding. They were, in fact, almost pointless at times—Ring Crosby talk wittraut the color and Ben Bemie patter without the gag. It failed to render the ' Charlie Bamet -orchestra (guesting for RCA-Victor discs) glamorous. A bright line of chatter skillfully writ- ten and handled would be an asset That may be the idea. It is hardly the accomplishment at present Bamet's music was good. 'Black- Bhap^y" particularly was athrob with rhythm. Yet in the end there was little sharpness to the mental Elcture of Bamet as a personality or is orchestra as an entity. There was need of a kind of deft touch and adroit Dlannlng that was not there. Judy Ellington vocals with the band. The basic musical unit is an NBC house bunch paced by Nat Shilkret This was plus-music refle-cting the leader's long experience. He's helped the' program a lot and more from this group would break.up the show better perhaps. In essence the pro- gram was a longlsh hour and that Isn't a mark of the shows that are standout The headllner of the program was fhe Brazilian tamale. Carmen Mir- anda, currently vfUb the legit musi- cal, 'Streets of Paris.' Backed up by a rip-snorting umpah guitar accom- paniment she . gave authentic sam- ples of musical entertainment ar- tistry. Numbers were ot native vintage including one oddity which was Just what its title, 'Meow,' sug- gested. Not a word of English does this singer speak or sing. Which makes her 100% an imported bundle of fancy groceries. Rodgers Sisters' specialty Is set- ting events of the day Into rhymie. They tackled the Dionnes, the Ga- lento-Louls fight, fllibusterbg and a spoof at the expense of the commer- cial which they *poetlcally' took from Ben Grauer's mouth. While not vei7 funny the turn was novel. Stpopnagle was funny. There are no qualifying post scripts to this statement The undlscouraged spin- ner of nonsense has often been hailed as a man with a funny Idea which he misplaced en route to the studio. This time he was a comedian with comedy. Land. GAT NINETIES BEVUE With Jaok Norwortb, Genevieve Bowe, 4 Clubmen, Ed lAUmer and Don CosteUo, Frank Lovejoy, Bay Block's orohn John Be«d King 60 Ulns.; Snstalning Sonday, 6 pja. WABC-CBS, New Tork A. talr summer sustalner In the 6 pjn. Sunday spot paced by Jack Norworth, vet sonesmith-entertainer, who plays himself as owner of the Granada, a popular New York nitery of the mauve decade. Al Rinker of CBS produced. Ray Block's band accomps and John Reed King an- nounces. Frank Lovejoy personates an anonymous 'Harry,' seemingly a songsmith and show biz sophisticate who acts as conferencier. Plot, such as it is, takes the course of steering tourists into Norwortii's popular Granada. There Ed Latimer and Don Costello, as 'Herman and Schinalte,' do a Weber and Fields routine. The Four Clubmen are the Elm Cl^ Four. Genevieve Rowe is 'Bonnie Moore, the Belle of 23d street,' sing- ing in the spot Beatrice Kay is the comedienne, and there is another who personates Diamond Jim Brady. The sketchy dialog Is punctuated by references to him, Lillian Russell, Sousa's band, Chauncey Olcott Mc Klnley in the White House, i^tc. It's all of frank nostalgic flavor, with appropriate song material such as tOy Motiier Was a Lady,' 'Not the Only Pebble on the Beach,' Throw 'em Down McCloskey,' 'Sweetheart's Man in the Moon,' 'After the Ball,' etc. Ta-Ra-Boom-De-/^' is the underiylng theme. Norworth whose past affiliations were with Nora Bayes and Identity with songs such as 'Harvest Moon,' Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' etcl. Is pretty much of a' stooge here, merely as the cafe boss. He should and -could be made a more vivid personality, especially as boniface of ttie town's hot spot Show has potentialities with more solid scripting and presentation. Right now It's pretty sketchy. ji, I ■ ■ • ■■ Ab^. LABBT CLINTON With Frasee Slaters, Mary Dacan, Ford Leary, Blohard Brooks, Alan Kent 30 Mlns. SENSATION CIGABETS Monday, 7;30 pan. WEAF-NBC, New Tork (Lennen & Mitchell) For Larry Clinton and his brand of music this P. Lorillard engagement rates as his No. 1 radio opportunity to date, and it's somewhat unfortu- nate that somebody saw fit to clutter up one of the finest packages of mod- ern dance idiom on the air with a dramatized product affinity tagged The News Sensation of the Week.' The latter intrusion may have its quality of appeal but on this par- ticular show it can only serve to break a mood. Clinton's opening (3) repertoire for Sensation dgarets was a darb from every angle. Luckily he got the major share of his contribution over before The News Sensation' was unlimbered. Into the initial 15 minutes of the broadcast Clinton poured a mixture of melodic and rhythmic color - that must have not only Jolted the layman in a pleasur- able way but got plenty of admira- tion from professional dance instrur mentalists. That introductonr 15 minutes was geared for speed and musical sock and Clinton delivered it all the >way from 'Chant of the Jungle 'to 'In a Persian Market' and rogressively through thS Frazee lister's two numbers and his own Hchly dramatic version of 'Shad- rach? Within that same quarter-hour Mary Dugan and Ford Leary, vocal- ists with the Clinton unit, acquitted themselves nicely on the theme of 'Don't Look Now.' The Frazee Sis- ters, guests for the occasion, made themselves harmoniously welcome in a big way with their treatment of 'Wishing' and the 'Lady's in Love.' Musically Lorillard has picked itself another Juicy program plum, the other being Artie Shaw, currently doing duty for the same accounts Old Gold brand, 'The News Sensation of. the Week' sounds as though It were inserted strictly because ot its product con- notation. The merchandizing tail wagging the entertainmenti Wordy deluge is dominated by the staccato- tongued Richard Brooks, who de- rives from WNEW, N. Y., where he has done news comment Borrow- ing the pace and violence of The March of Time,' the interlude with Brooks sought to tell a story of courage; and the subjects were Lou Gehrig, N. Y. Yankees first baseman who suddenly found himself afflicted with a spinal disease and Jack Dempsey, now recovering from peritonitis which set in after an ap- pendix operation in a New York hos- pital, line stuff in either instance dripped with tabloid maudlinity. The plug dnmis home but one Soint, that of economy. You don't ave to pay juicy prices for dgarets when Sensations are available for one t''^" dime. Odec, 'ALDBICH FAMILT' With Eira Stone, Katherlne Bacht, Honse Jamison, Ann Lincoln 30 Mlns. JELL-O Snnday, 7 p. m. WEAF-NBC, New Tork /Young & Rubicom) This series, substituting during the summer for Jack Benny, had every- thing in its favor as far as outtook was concerned up until the broadcast of the initial installment (2). Ezra Stone and his Henry .Aldrich charac- ter had clicked as 10-mlnutes inser- tions on both the Rudy Vallee and the Kate Smith shows and the gen- eral impression among ad agencies was that, the same dramatic idea ex- panded to a half hour's going should nave no trouble scoring a bull's-eye. The introductory half-hour stanza not only shot wide of the bull's-eye, but it was a sorry disappointment It sounded as though tiie author, Clif- ford Goldsmith, had yielded to bad advice. Or had permitted others to meddle with the script 'The Aid- rich Family' is based on Goldsmith's current Broadway comedy, 'What a liife,' and the episodes ' e wrote for the Vallee and Smith periods like- wise made good radio. Instead of letting well enough alone, those re- sponsible for the half-hour version are intent upon dragging it down to the level of the average daytime serial. Last Sunday's stanza planted four different plots. . In addition to re- taUng Stone's Peck's Bay Boy In- volvements the script complicated it- self with setting out the plot lines for the sister's love affair, the old man's forthcoming financial tiroubles and the frustrated ambitions of a young architect who is trying to ^et the -Aldrich family as a client This script not only undertook too inuch, but did it lefthandedly. Despite the bad start the 'Aldrich Family' has in essence what It takes to collect a substantial radio follow- ing. It succeeds witii surprisingly smooth effect in conveyini! the small- to.wn atmosphere, and with the sen- timentally inclined masses it can't help but strike a measure of nos- talgia. The chancy are that with a couple half hours or so the bugs will be eliminated and the half-hour version of tiie 'Aldrich Family' wiU build to the point where it will be part of next season's network com- mercial fare. The copy plugged JelI-0 as a com- plement to chilled salads. . Odee, (' J V1;J; III BIB. DISTRICT ATTOBNET' With Dwlght Wlert Dramatle SerfU 30 Mlns. PEPSODENT Tuesday, 10 p.ni, WEAF-NBC, New York. (X,ord & Thomas) NBC had this slice of opportunism on a sustaining five quarter-hours schedule until Pepsodent, looking around for something to bridge Bob Hope's summer hiatus, bought it While there's considerable improve- ment in bQth writing and production, in the half-hour version, the 'D.A. series still rates as a pallid car]>on of Lever Bros.' 'Big Town.' Initial installment of 'D.A." pro- jected, but one bit of imaginative writing and production and thai came at the.openlng of the program. It was a deftly contrived illusion of an East Side street scene. Once this was out of the way the progran- lapsed info tiie established pattern for the racket type of air drama. The theme was arson and the dis- trict attorney gets his man, bt without stirring up any too much excitement in the process. The tim- ing and acting was okay, hut the music spanning the various se- quences was decidedly overpadded Harry Herman is the writer and Ed Byron, the producer. The ad copy revolves around the offensive breath angle plus the poiiit that Pepsodent antiseptic assumes a fresh, tingling sweet mouth. Odec. FOLLOW-UP COMMENT NBO does not often air an address In which birth control Is advocated, but this happened, perhaps unwit- tingly on company's part during a recent' broadcast over blue band from Buffalo. There a social work- ers' convention was .being held; an early afternoon round table, with Paul Kellogg, magazine editor, as chairman, was outietted. ' Repre- sentative of the Georgia League of Women Voters (name sounded like Josephine Wilklns), gave her Ideas of the manner In which the problem of the South' could be solved. Dis- cussed clearly hec organization's sur- vey and made recommendations. The last of these, which she termed 'most important' is furnishing of informa- tion to the rank and file' on 'the quality and size' of families which could be best fitted into the age of mechanization. This is doubly Im- portant to the South, continued the woman, because that c.«tion is 're- plenishing its stock' much faster than other parts of country. Actual words "birth control' were not used. Maxwell Honse 'Good News' last Thursday was a hardy plug for Metro's new musical film, "wizard of Oz.' Program framers put full weight behind the production. Catchy musical numbers furnished the opening for airwave scripters, and they cashed In with a slick Job. For once, the broadcast may have left radio listeners with an urge to see the screen vehicle. Broadcast rang in the film's stars, tiie two. composers and Fred Stone, star of stage original. '.After be- labored exertion over mechanics em- ployed to make the picture jell, ar- rival of E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen, who did 'Wizard' score, opened musical parade. Some fault might be found with the prolonged building of 'Over the RainDow,' nut forgiveable in Judy Garland's hands. And this elabo- rate elongation was parity explained by the excellent reprise later. Bert Lahr, film's chief comic; Ray Bolger, comedian-dancer in the pic- ture; and Robert Young, subbing for Jack Haley (who's in the produc- tion), teamed with Judy Garland for a lengthy session of 'If 7. Only Had a Brain.' Probably needs being seen to be appreciated. Lahr mopped up with "King of Forest' clowning refrain. Another example of building a desire to see the film. 'We're Off to See the Wizard' looms as picture's march hit 'Merry Old Land of Oz,' also at the close, done by the program's Hiie en- semble, and 'DUig Dong—the Witch Is Dead,' were other musical num- bers getting heavy plug. Latter shows possibilities, but not away frpm the radio or stage. Lee Bristol, v. p. of Bristol- Myers Co., appearing with his 'Em- ployee,' Fred Allen, on final Town Hall' of season, again sold himself to a nationwide audience as a Mr. Big of the 'regular fellow" type. Bris- tol made same Impression on NBC sustalner, 'If I Had a Chance,' last fall, when Allen guested, but not vis- a-vis Bristol. Not only voice and delivery, hut scripting created the no stuff-shirt picture of Bristol both times—obviously so designed. Allen's exchanges with 'Call Me Lee,' their gagging about the sponsor-relation- ship, etc., bullseyed the visuals pret- ty consistently. Allen and Bristol (well rehearsed) squeezed the laugh sponge dry. Comedian made telling use of pauses and presumably' grimaced or panto- mimed for benefit of studios, Bristol commlttted only tW* very minor slips; Allen did not ad lib. Chet Boswell, tenor from KHJ, Los -Angeles, bows in with a series of quarter-hours on WTMJ, Mil- waukee^ . / I c ■• 1' ' I 'l , ; - < I; , < I 1 BOB CBOSBT'S OBCHESTBA With Eight Bob Cats, Johnny U«r- eer. Kay Starr, Bob Haggart, Bay Bandnc. 30 Mlns. CAMELS Tuesday, 9.30 p.u, WABC-CBS. New Tork. (William Esty) Camel obviously bought this swing setut> as a counter-balance to the sophisticated and inore advanced Jive rhythms of Benny Goodman. The Dixieland corn Is now heard in the spot where Goodman has held forth for the past three seasons, while the latter has been shifted to a late Saturday Aight spot on the NBC red (WEAF) link. It's Crosby's first commercial since the fall of 1935 when he did a limited series for Roger & Gallet Most saleable segment of the Crosby- organization is the . Eight Bobcats and the producers of the program show that they are cog- nizant of this by making practlcall.V' everything else subordinate to the work of the octet Few band units can boast of so many members that are outstanding swing instrumental- ists In their own rights and it Is this angle, along with the circumstance that several of them are composers of no small talents, that accounts mainly tor the aggregation's popu- larity. These individual luminaries were effectively highlighted on Camel's introductory stanza. Only dimming incident was the Jam session be- tween Bob Haggart and Ray Bauduc. It was a slick bit of novelty, but the thing was dragged out so much that it not only paued, but bogged down the pace ot the program. Outside of this the laying out ot the show was all to Its favor. -Among the band's - tickling con- tributions were its opening number. 'South > Rampart Street Parade' (composed by Bauduc), the Smooth arrangement of 'Sunrise Serenade' and its revival ot 'Stumblin'.' 'Crosby came in long enough for a lyric dissertation on The Big Noise' Blew in from Winnetka,' while Kay Starr, a Memphis ingenue who re- cently joined the outfit did a raz- zamatazz a la Mildred Bailey on the theme ot "Want To Do What Yov Do.' . Johnny Mercer, an Import from the Goodman program, exploited his Dixie dialect ingratiatingly as m.c. To much palaver was assigned him. but this was likely due to the intro- ductory nature of the serles.Odec. THE MAN I MABRIED' With Barbara Lee, Van Hellln, Jack- son Beck, George Hogan Imperial 15 Mlns. Procter A Gamble Dally, 10 a. m. WEAF-NBC, New Tork (Blockett-Sample-Hummert) With a husband that's a heel and a wife that .Is the ne plus ultra of womanly virtues, superiority, long- suffering and eternal 'Tightness' the appeal of 'this one to the nousewlves is strong. Also, It's well-done. In- 'deed the program represents first- rate profe^onallsm as produced -by Transamerican from a script by Carl Bixby and Don Becker. Production utilizes flashbacks, off-stage voices, an organ, and a moral-pointer. It Is tight, plausible, clear and dra- matic. Idea concerns a girl who works for a living and Is all wool. She marries a spoiled and selfish young^inqn who was brought up to be a miluiSnalTe. He lost his dough and Is left ■Striped not only ot his money, but of the only scale of values he knows. The narrator promises listeners that this Adam will break this Eve's heart not once, but a dozen times. So there should be some mighty weeping over the P & G wash-tubs in time to come. The formula Is neatly summed up in one phrase. There's a punish- ment for every crime a man can commit except the crime of break- ing a woman's heart' On the solid planking of that platform the case for soap rests. The cast is able and the situations sun-clear and emotion-guaranteed. It cant miss. Land. 'NAZAIRE and BABNABP With Ovila Legare, George Boavlcr Dramatic 15 Mlns.—Local FBANCE-CANADA CKAC, Montreal This Is a two-man show. Ovila Legare, the author, doubles In brass as the leading character. Its series of adventures Involving two typical French-Canadian country boys in the big city. Legare, the author-actor, assumes as many as five or six characterizations - during the course of the program^ and George Bouvier does three distinct impersonations. Show is routined along Amos 'n' -Andy lines and Is known as the French ditto.* Broad, homely type of French-Canadian comedy. Scores strongly with rural audiences as well as in the city. Sponsors, who sell everything In drugs and cosmetics as weU as bak- ing powder and soap, have given QTam hefty boost by distributing a month In cash prizes to listen- ers writing best letters-of 25 words or less. Mori. J. M. Ward Is new Chicago sale rep for WMCA, New York. ■ ? ) M • i T . i; ( :t -. I ! J (.- J f 4 GALE PAGE, JIM AMECHB Dramatle SO BUns. WOODBCBT Snnday, 8 pjo. WJZ-NBC, New Tork (Lennen & Mitchell) TblB summer replacement Is not only a feeble sub for Charles Boyer but it's also distinctly Inferior to the surrounding network fare. Opening shot ot the series, tabbed 'Manhattan Masquerade,' was embarrassingly in- adequate as to both writing and per- formance. Even for the moron seg- ment lack of pace, plausibility, or performance distinction of any idnd is inexcusable. Forrest Barnes was alr-bllled as scripter, though why anyone should want to take the public rap for the Job wasnt apparent Yarn dealt with the fairy-tale romance of a film star and a hotel chambermaid, with the jnuch-abused Cinderella theme dragged in for stilt another drubbing. Whoever directed the piece had the players slugging every point Jim -Ameche is apparently an acceptable run-of-the-mlne actor with an un- canny voice resemblance to his brother, Don Ameche, but he's an unfortunate stand-in for a player ot Beyer's skill and personal lustre. Gale Page's chambermaid was sincere, but completely transparent The others, with the exception ot an unbilled other cbpmbermaid, were downright inadequate. Much ot the . fault must have been In the script and direction. Woodbury used three commercials Including long ones at the open ana 'intermission' and a briefer one at the close. Plugged a 'Blush Rose^ shade face powder, with a free gift botUe of pmume. Hobe. 'BLONDIB' With Arthur Lake, Penny Slnglctotf, BlUy Artst'a Orchestra Serial with Mualo 30 Mlns. CAMELS Monday, 7:30 PJL WABC-CBS, New Tork iEsty) This Is stmmier 'iUler' In all the Implied offense ot that term. Tho program is silly, lacking the power to persuade, replete with illusion' destroying plot liberties and absurdi- ties. It is impossible — taking tho first Installment as typical—to pre- dict anything but a minimum audi- ence and a minimum engagement 'Blondle' has served for several Columbia screen releases. It comet originally out ot the newspaper com- ics and the presumption that its fol- lowers in one form will transfer their devotion to the radio may have some logic, except where it runs into the truism that bad writing is In- variably bad entertainment It's still mediocre with a small m. There's a child. Baby Dumplings; who Is only slightly more ittsle-bitsle than its adolescent mother and her moronic mate. The whole presump- tion In an undertaking like this is that the aim is low and the victlmg therefor many. The only answer that criticism can make to such reason- ing is that it doesn't seem to be bad enough to be good enough. It falb in between, choked by the unreality of the situations and the intermittent seriousness of essentially farcical and incredible characters. The boy (Arthur Lake) Is trying to contact an elderly eccentric to sell him something. If he succeeds hell get a raise and be saved from the home loan sharks. (Camels bum more slowly and you get more for your money is the commercial!) He sits on the same hotel divan with the eccentric, and the two of them jointly abscond with the hotel vacuum cleaner for the purpose ot repairing It That's where the eccen- tric sales prospect Is peculiar. Also the program. Land. TOM BBENEMAN 'SPELLING BEE-LINER' 30 Mlns^Local DDABT CBEME OF MILK COS- METICS KSFO, San Francisco (Enain Waaey) Informal, entertaining Sunday night airer Is Duart's 'Spelling Bee- Liner,' capably emcecd by veteran broadcaster Tom Breneman. Brene- man's manner is friendly, calculated to put contestants at ease. His laugh, too, Is an asset (contestants were a team from tho inuverslty of California and another chosen from the studio audiences with winner getting a Fhilco record player. Commercials on' the program were well written, not too long, smoothly read by Tro Harper. Products plugged included Duart's face cream and permanent waves. HOBACE HEIDT OBCHESTBA With Larry Cotton, Henry Bnssell, Three Queens and a Jack' 16 Mlns. TUMS Thursday, 7:16 pjn. WEAF-NBC, New Tork. (Stack-Gobel) This is a preliminary program to the start ot full half-hour weekly airing which Heldt will do later for Turns. Under previous sponsorship orchestra was known as the "Briga- diers'; now it's 'musical knights.' With the 30-mInute stint which goes on July 17, program will add a 'Wheel ot Fortune' gadget Right now it's a quickie quarter hour ot. ]f^easant ipu|ic; Wear.