Variety (Jul 1939)

5ft VARIETY RADIO REVIEWS Wednesday, July 26, 1939 'SO THIS 13 n.YDIO' yiHh House Jameson, Everett Sloan, Bernard Uermaa Orchestra 8« Mins. SuHtainliir Monday, 18 p.m. WiVBC-CBS, New York Thiii was a CBS sales promotion brochure set to music. • Five more niniling pieces will be broadcast on successive Mondays. All of them •will no doubt be. worth hearing be- cause they have been written and directed by Norman Corwin, one of radio's most virile mentalities, and because they are evidences of radio's own—and relatively new—self-con- sciousnesis about itself, its place in the world at large, its privileges and parils within status quo. Mixed up in the program is old-fashioned cor- poration self-defense. But also pres- ent, beyond the 1939-fashioned radio tcchniq of Gorwin, is a fairly sin- core touch of appreciation for the art. It's as if some of the boys sud- denly peeped 'say, this is a lot of fun!' Radio h,is not been much loved. Most of its earlier years were spent apologizing. And its recent pros- perity has been so sensational and in some ways so effortless that hints of complacency can be found by look- ing no further than the aforesaid sales promotion department. Never- theless, radio could not be the eat- ing-sleeping-living companion of millions, and the energy-releasing cliannel of vigorous personalities, without, along the way, inspiring some eloquence. This is it. The first chapter of the story (In prose unlike most of Corwin's work vhich is in blank verse) attempted primarily to sketch the. dimensional aspects of the diorama of American broadcasting. There was a spokes- man for the public, Everett Sloan, and a compere for the industry, Xouse Jameson. Both Jiave nicely rounded voices. In bet\Veen them ■were snatches of pro-industry propa- ganda, passages^ questions and an- swers, interpolations of sound effects, asides addressed to dock-wallopers in Frisco, a supposed woman listener ill St. Paul, a couple of sweethearts somewhere else, a fanciful poker game interrupted to hear this pro- gram. (There was even a throw- away line pointed to Variety just to fise it this puolication was on the job.» What the program needed was more comedy touches. But then it vas a sales promotion brochure at heart. True, there was a dash of piquancy in the rehearsal business with the bull fiddle and the recom- mendation that listeners tone down their sots, or close their windows else neighbors think the elephant cello had takpn up actual residence on Elm street. Some may say 'but this Is stark Intellectualism—it don't mean a thing it it ain't got that moronic swing? Corwin is a tall dome. He compro- mises very little with the hillbillies So the program will pass over many heads. Which is okay. It isn't the punch-drunk who make trouble for radio, or who need selling. In fact, Eome of those most in need of selling on radio—in its wider and best sense -^are persons connected with the in^ dustry. All in all this was a promising start of something. Don t expect CBS to get whimsical and dramatize the Orson Welles Martian program: don't expect much of a lot of things that might flavor the story of broad- casting. But the series should trail- blaze in sales promotion, Ratnet should learn to sing. Land. Facts Omitted . The two things closest tts-^j horse player's heart, prices of- the competing ponies and the weights assigned, were dark se- crets so far as pair of an- nouncers for Mutual were con- cerned last week in reporting the $50,000 Gold Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park, Hollywood. Since no one tunes in on air- ins of r^ccs except those who are interested in the galloping bangtails, the failure to an- nounce the weights to be car- ried by the various horses and the prices at which betting was establishing them before the. contest, it would seem that this was a serious dereliction of duty, it nothing else. Homer Welbourne, who did the prelimaries on the announc- ing, suggested the betting looked like Kayak, II, the winner, would be only l-to-2. but gave no- weight. On all other horses only names and jockeys were provided and Cravat, eastern in- vader, got a very cursory brushoPt in what may have been Coast Defender strategy. Cra- vat ran second. Description of the race itself was done by Frank Bull, who very capably called it. BOB ZVRKE ORCHESTB.\ With CUire Martin RCA Monday, 8:30 p.m. WJZ-NBC, New York Zurke, who is going up in the world, showed himself as latter-day Zez Confrey, a digital virtuoso of liotcha, and good fun on this RCA booking. Unlike so many of the re- cent orchestral discoveries, it isn't essential that the listener be a slap- happy refugee from hishschool as- sembly in order to 'get' the message. He's more than a musician: he's an entertainer. ' The latter point he proved, beyond rebuttal with his 'Honkey Tonk Train' super-charger. Zurke did several numbers, each in turn revealing what he's got, which is a lot. The girl singer was added for the occasion, and oke. Claire Martin is regularly with Bob- by Hackett's band, not a Victor artist. Victor's many-worded spieler on mat- ters discophile, LeRoy Miller, ram- bled on with perfect diction, superb breath-control and not too much I point. Land, j Esso Man Explains JOE FRISCQ With AI Pearce's Ganr GRAPE-NUTS Monday. 8 p.m. WEAF-NBC, New York iYoimg & Rnbicam) Vet vaudeville headliner soimded —every other stutter—like he might have the makings for radio. But the ear also seemed to detect trouble. It not trouble, bad habits and lax discipline in the Pearce menage are responsible for a gen- eral absence of 'climax' to the gags, a recurrent tendency of Pearce and Frisco to go rambling off-script into the realm of what seemed—just a guess—to be a little private jest be- tween them. It was a bit tantaliz- ing. Frisco was one of the 'natural' entertainers' of vaudeville. Natural in contrast to some of the boys that used energy and perspiration and sheer mechanical methods to enter- tain. Because he was 'natural,' he was one of the fasties of the old Palace, a great artist and a great favorite, but not—and this seemed to be ■ the rub on the Grape-Nuts show—a good study. Frisco might have some prelim- inary troubles getting the radio pace and adjusting himself to radio con- ditions. But his talent, his keen wit, his odd delivery (air diction ex- cellent) mark him as material that in sympathetic hands, could be de- veloped. Lond. 'BEHIND THE SCENES OF RADIO' With Bill Farren, Hancey Castle, Bob - Smith, Texas Jim Robertson, Mar- garet McLaren 15 MIns. Suslainin; Friday, 1:45 p.m. WJZ-NBC, New York This is one of those institutional- educational house ads that listen well in an executive conference, but it's dull stuil for the listeners. Idea appears to give the dialing public a peek at what goes on in the mazes of Radio City, New York. No doubt there's plenty of interest In the sub- ject, as evidenced by the crowds that pay for tours of the Rockefeller Cen- ter setup-.- However, the stanza caught was a mummy. Subject was the NBC artists ser- vice, with Bill Farren (an announcer) acting as guide to show Hancey Cas- tle, radio, and legit actress posing as a bewildered visitor, how the net- work searches for and develops tal- ent. Bob Smith, of the artists ser vice, played himself. Texas Jim Rob ertson and Margaret McLaren were a couple of artists-on-dlsplay, respec- tively ofTering a hillbilly number and a coloratura aria. J Some of the dialog between Farren and S)nith was too, too cute, but in general the program was virtually an air wait. Hobe, JOHiV GUNTHER Commentator IS Mins. Sunday, 4 n.ifi. WEAF-NBC, New York Author of 'Inside Europe' and 'In side Asia' is looking over the over- 'THE CLASSIC GROUND' Radio Reportaee 45 Mins. Thursday. 4 p.m. GSG-BBC, Daventry-London (DX at Portland, Me.) Here is radio journalism at near its unqualified best and packing a wallop. English program (heard short-wave at Portland. Maine) used radio-drama formula that borrowed from no other art save perhaps smart film-editing, and artfully em- ployed recordings to put life into proceedings. 'Classic Ground' is the industrial area in and around Manchester, England, the cradle of modern in- dustrialism. Friedrich Engels, col- laborator of Marx, wrote " a book about'region back in'1844, and this is peg from which program hangs. After a prefatory snippet of hellllre music, narrator with cultured Ger- manic twang be°an reading brief selections from Engels' tome, de- lineating bad living conditions in region a century back, and then English voice, assisted by on-the- spot recordings picked up bj; BBC mobile unit, contrasted circum- stances as of today. Twist consisted In fact that present-day conditions were revealed as not much better. Socko element In program was provided by intimate interviews with unfortunates, with Joan Little- wood nicely avoiding maudlinity in difficult assignment. Poignant mo- ment came when a mother told of trying to feed kids on invisible bud- "et. and touched ,on i-ecent lingering illness of daughter. Another stand- out was youn? husband's description of how he converted section of dis- used factory property into home for self and out-size family, including a passin;; reference to outdoor lava- torj' facilities. Program could easily have made for dismal listening, but absence of 'LET'S GO TO THE FAIR' 'Hot Mikado,' with Bill Robinson, Rose Brown 30 Mins. Sustaining Sunday, 10 p.m. WABC-CBS, New York Second Sunday evening broadcast from the Fair for promotional pur- poses was mostly devoted to the colored 'Hot. Mikado' and it consti- tuted a good program. First of the series was devoted to the Aquacade, Bill Robinson dominated the show, singing 'Let the Punishment Fit the Crime and 'The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring'; also giving a sample of his adroit tap dancing. He did a bit of gagging about Shirley Temple and hopping a train in response to appear ii another film with ner. He has been doing that at the Cotton •Club nightly. Rose Brown also okay. John S. Young arted as ni.c. ex- cept for a few minutes devoted to the ski jumps at Sun Vallev, a major midway concession, when Jol- i Reed King took over. Announcements of the leaps, however, meant little over the air. New York Telephone'-s mechanical voice machine known as the Voder 'answered' several ques- tions, the replies not being any clearer than usual. On the program, too, was the Fair band, called the Trytons, conducted by Joseph Littau, Ibee. 'GLOOMCHASERS' With Allen Courtney, Red River Dave, Eleanor Sherry, Leo I-'reud- berg orchestra Son^s, Comedy, Muslo Sustaining 30 Mins. Saturday, 12 noon " WOR-Mutnal, N. Y. Allen Courtney emcees and ban- dies cracks with the members of cast whether the latter are near the mike or not. Some of his quips must be funny (privately) as those he aimed his gags at laughed heartily. It was all rather so-wliatish to a mere out- sider. It's all evidently done ad lib and sounds it. For instance this airing was partly devoted to determining the type of cloth .which formed a neckerchief ,for Red River Dave, wesern tune singer on. the program. It remained just what it was a time killer—though it was presumably in- tended as comedy. Rest of the gab was equally effective. Courtney sounds like he can't make up his mind about which comedian he wants to imitate. Red River Dave and Eleanor Sherry contributed the best bits and the Leo Freudberg orchestra took oft on some neat arrangements. Dave did 'Boots and Saddles' best and Mi.ss Day, in an excellent Ethel Mer- manish voice. 'South American Way.' Courtney makes no serious attemot at singing, but came over okay on 'Class Will Tell' and the opening and closing songs. Bill Spargrove, the Esso re- porter, sent to Variety last week a copy of a memo he sent Maurice Boyd, of the NBC sales staff, apropos the recent com- ment Variety made on an ad lib addenda to the Esso 11 p.m. newscast. It reads. In part, as follow.^; 'As you know the NAB con- vention h.nd adjourned in Atlan- tic City and a great many of the members came up to New York. - I had several visitors on the C p.m. broadcast and a larger num- ber on the II p.m. period. . . .1 came upon the word 'Oce'ano- graphic suddenly and accented it wrong. I returned to it and cor- rected myself and at the same time heard peals of loud laughter coming from outside the studio door. This was very disconcert- ing and was so loud that I felt sure the listeners had heard It plainly and naturally would wonder what was going on. I continued on the story and gave It a fiill, sympathetic reading. When I had completely disposed of it I said: 'Oceanographic—I'm sorry, that's quite a word. . .' I had given the .story a dignified, normal Interpretation and was ccrtanily not. knowingly disre- spectful to a tragedy. Heaven for- bid my ever letting the mechan- ics of pronouncing a word mar tthe gist and inlerest of a news story. In my opinion, after ei'Jht years of news reporting and edit- ing, a man can make a mechan- ical mistake and be forgiven instantly providin? his main ob- jective is to put the story over. The story is the thing with me always.' THEODORE ROOSEATLTt JR. Commentator 15 Mins, , SUN OIL Monday, 6:45 P.M. WJZ-NBC, New York (Roche, Willianis & Cuiini/nliani) Junior T,R. is one of several ce- lebs who are pinch-hitting for Lowell Thomas while the latter re. laxes Irpm his chores. An experi- enced speaker and familiar to radio itself, Roosiivelt acquitted himself nicely and with becoming modesty all the way. As with Thomas, he chalk-lined down the safe zone of . neutrality. Which made some of his remarks about counsin Franklin sound like models of self-restraint. Land. ^self-pity in persons interviewed,plus seas situation aiicl broadcasting; reflection that government that wickly quarter hour summations, i allowed stanza to be aired must be That's crowding him,, for he CQuld 1 trying to better conditions, kept oro- easilv All a half hour. 4 gram from leaving bitter taste. Olive This one was from. Switzerland Shapley. who directed; Miss Little- and concerned impressions of Ger-! wood and production stafi of Man- ^ many. Guntlier is a crack reporter i Chester's studio de-iserve hi^h marks ^ and a concise fact-packed speaker, for a topflight radio production. Ii was timely stuff and good. Land. TED STEELE'S NOV.\TO.\ES 15 Mins. Sustaining Friday, 7:15 p.m. WEAF-NBC, New York Novelty instrumental trio debuted last Friday night (21) in the 7:15-7:30 spot over NBC red (WEAF). but has no regular notch in the schedule. For the next few weeks it will be slipped into any available ooenings. Outfit is a unique one, consisting of a nova- chord (played by Steele), electric or- gan (Doc Whipple) and drums (Howard Smith). Novachord is fea- tured in most selections, with the or- gan generally backgrounding and the drums suoplying the rhythm. How- ever, each of the latter instruments gets relief feature sessions. Nova- chord, which has been whooolahed as able to simulate many of the in- struments of an orchestra, or even the whole orchestra itself, was used to give the effect of a string section, a steel guitar, a flddle and an or- chestra durine the orogram caught. Although it's undoubtedly a re- markable invention, with great fu- ture Dos!!lbilities, it was far from a sensation In this Instance. In gen- eral, the stanza was just another of those instrumental trio things, this case somewhat lacking in verssatility. Several toonotch Instrumental three- somes could knock it into the scup- ners for inflammable music, even if they , couldn't produce the weird s''>iind effects. But at least il'.-s i nov- elty. Hob*. VAUGHN DE LEATH Songrs 15 Mins.—Local LYDIA PINKHAM Thursday 7.39 p.m, WMCA, New York iETwin-Vfasey) Veteran songstress usually cred- ited as 'radio's first lady' still does her mixed tunes in smooth style. Perhaps 'Strange Enchantment' was the least efl'cctive choice and the speedier tempos such as the 'Drum- mer Boy'- the best. Piano accom- paniment is sturdy. Miss de Lcath handles her own commercials in. an easy confiding tone th.it'.'; homey enough to sell Lydia Pinkham's and not lengthy enough to intrude loo far on her vocals. She works with tlie author- ity of solid experience. 'JOHN BROWN'S BODY' With Ray Collins, Everett Sloan, Florence Robinson, Luis Van Roo- ten, Ruth Yorke^ David Gothard, John Carroll, Santos Ortega, Ar- nold Moss, Charme Allen, Canda Lee, Ed Latimer, Nell O'Malley, Laura Bauman, John James, John Mitchell, Joseph Julian, John Crises 60 Mins. Sustaining Thursday, 10 p.m. WABC-CBS. New York Director Norman Corwin of the Columbia Workshop came through again last Thursday (20) with a soe- cial occasion that extended the broadcast to one hour (returning this week to the usual 30 minutes). Stephen Vincent Benet's poem,' 'John Brown's Body,' was the subject mat- ter and it was easy to see why the time was extended for the dramatic version of that stirring work anent the martyred abolitionist. So carefully prenared and well acted was the ren- dition that it held the listener for the full period, I Some of the cast is from the legit stage, the players numbering 23. not including a speaking chorus of six and several additional people in minor parts. The orchestral portion was kept well in the backisround for this was for the actors. The narra- tion of portion.' of the poem included the grim prediction of Brown that 'the crimes of this holy land will be Durced with blood.' So said this man 'with a bullet for a heart.' When the martyred man was hung, the execu- tion was simulated to the spriming of the trap at Harper's Ferry. Tliat was something that George Abbott did not attempt when his play of John Brown was briefly shown on Broadway several years ago. Ray Collins as Brown, Everett Sloan as Jack Ellyat, the young soldier from Connecticut, and Flor- ence Robinson as Melora, stood out. 'John Brown's Body Lies a Moulder- ing in the Ground' came from a choral group. A romantic angle was sustained and the final reunion of Jack and Melora Indicated. Broadcast was Grade A. Ibee. 'LET'S PRETEND' With Harry Swan, Albert Aley, Vivian Block, Jack Grimes, Estelle L'vy, Miriam Wolf, Betty Jaue Tyler, Pal Ryan, Jimmy Lyden, Jackie Jordan, Patricia Reardon, Kenneth Derby. Juvenile Drama 30 Mins. Sustaining Saturday, 12.30 p.m. WABC-CBS, New York Program dramatizes kid tales with roles enacted by juv'enilc and adult actors headed by Harry Swan. Se- lection of the 'Juniper Tree' this air- ing (22) was a particularly happy one because of the sincerity im- parted to the roles. Story of tlia boy Who missed his dead mother so much that he heard her voice while sitting under her favorite tree when the wind whistled through its leaves was well done. Emoting of the lather and stepmother and half- sister also rated. Particularly when the boy' was supposedly killed by . the stepmother when she thought ha was being favored ovor her daugh- ter, and returned in the form of • singing bird to tell of her deed. Sound effects of the whistling wind through the tree and the wail- ing voice of the boy's real mother were good enough to chase a few chills up and down listeners spines. If all chapters are as worthy pro- gram is maintaining a neat standard. PROFESSOR 7-UP, JR. With Jack Mitchell, Doug Romlne, Frank Stewert 30 Mins.—Local 7-UP TEXAS CO. KTSA, San Antonio (Pitlucl;) Another name for a quiz program, this one. catering to youngsters. Show as a whole is handled a bit dif- ferent, in that each child is given a ticket upon his or her entrance to the hall with a number upon it. Prof. 7-Up, Jr., has the correspond- ing number which is drawn during the course of the broadcast, these making up the ones asked the var- ious questions. Winners are given four silver quarters. The prof is Jack Mitchell, who handles the show nicely and keeps the youngsers in hand.- Latter are asked to save bottle caps, which will entitle them to orizes at end of three- month contest. Prizes are also awarded those In attendance at the broadcasts. Program is opened and closed with a song by the audience stressing their, affection for the beverage. Cand, GOTHAM NIGHTS With Ed East, Elissa Landl, AUrin* Sullivan, Bramwell Fletcher, llf Gardner, Bob Stanley. Drama, Comedy, Sonss, Band. 30 Mins.—Local Sustaining. Sunday, 9 p.m. WOR, Newark. WOR's program policy calls for at least one variety snow of a Sunday night, and this is it for the summer. The regulars are Ed East as m.c. and Bob Stanley, the station's staff maes- tro. Everybody and everything else rates as guest stars or added starters. Initial session of the scries showed' up well from both the entertainment and production viewpoints. About the only dubious item was Hy Gard- ner's brand of humor. Gardner does a Broadway cloumn for the Brook- lyn Daily Ea.<;le. He elected to gag about-women's hats. Most of it was quite unfunny. Maxine Sullivan, who is largely responsible, along with Milared Bailey, for the falsetto style of jiv- ing that has been copied by prac- tically every ingenue now singing with a dance band, did proudly by the program's vocal dcpartmenL Her entries were new phrasings on ■ couple old Scottish airs and the re- sults added another notch to her flair for taking the nursery rhyma out of the nursery and making it feel at home around a cocktail bar via the coin-operated phonograph machine. The dramatic interlude was also good. Elis.sa Lnndi and Bramwell Fletcher were opening the next eve- ning with the Stony Creek, Conn., Players in 'The Lady Has a Heart* (nee 'Biography), and they came in to do an excerpt from the script. This strawhat theatre angle will be a weekly act of the series, but what won't be easy to reconcile is the Manhattan flavor suggested in the program's tag, Gotham Nights, and the air of honeysuckle and crickets that such names as Stony Creek, Bucks County, Litchfield and Par- slpoany (N. J.) are bound to conve.v. Ed East make.? a ple'asant-to- listen-to confcrencier and injects pace and verve to the proceedings, .while Bob Stanley's dance passages between talk items furni.sh the right amount of salt and pepper. Odec.