Variety (Dec 1939)

Si VARIETY RADIO REVIEWS Wednesday, Doceiubcr 13, 1939 Follow-Up Comment Kre-niel dessert (which comes im- niedialcly aCler Minute Tapioca oi\ CBS) had its 'Society Girl' ud in the Adii'ondacks as one o[ the pio- f;ranVs shifting glamour locales. A laiidsome ski .instructor from Switzerland has been hard-hearted to the e>>'l behind the hotel desk, who is also from overseas,' and cur-a7.y over the ski kid. Tlie fiat thinks it's because the debutante has been doing some rcconnoitering that her hot Swiss has cooled olT. So she heads for the cliffs to commit suicide and society girl after her. Be sure and tune in tomorrow to find out what happened. It's all good tabloidiana. Vlrehiia Hayes, singing in the coni- parative chill of an NBC organ studio, nils in an open interlude early in the blue's afternoon. They call her 'one of the younger stars' and say 'she'll be heard again in the new future.' Which means Miss Hayes is one to fill and given radio's most thankless assignment. Inevitably singers under such handicaps never do themselves any good, as it is almost impossil^le to sound even in key, much less di.s- tinguished, with only an organ to fiuide. Percy Faith, from Canada. ' con- tinues, over Mutual, to come through the curtain of obscurity like an acro- bat through a paper hoop. His mu- sical set-up is probably the- tops among the shows crossing the inter-' Rational line. Sooner or later some- thing ought to happen to and for Faith. Rather a pity nobody is be- hind hint to push. WOWO, Fort Wayne, supplies to the NBC blue an early afternoon ex- ercise in musical energy called 'The Hoosier Hoppers' and presided over by Happy Herb Hayward. The first quarter hour fades down so that sta- tions can join or leave the network, and the second quarter then blares in anew as if it was an entirely dilTcr- cnl program. The announcements ai'e made so fast that the ear hardly gets them, and the program quite subordinates Fort Wayne as a city and the station as such. This seems a showmanship mulV. Otherwise tlie liillbillies give out in lively style good smalltime radio fare. Musical Memory Contest with Irvine Dcakin is in third year on WQXR, N. y. and aimed at station's classical mu.''ic following. It's a skill- fully tailored session, with an ab- sence of hokoy production doodads, and it should continue to hold its specialized audience. Using questions contributed by listeners, the stanza bring.s five mem- bers of the studio audience (and from the .sound of the applause, there can't be many more than that on hand) to identify selections and their composers and to answer queries as to background facts, etc. Sticks mostly to standard works, but .sonic of the questions are stumpers and the average knowledge of the contestants is inclined to be high. Deakin, who conducts the series, avoids too much gab, confining him- self almost entirely to the straight business at hand, with just enough comment to ease the entries and season the questions and answers. On show caught (9) he completed eight 'innings,' or 40. questions, which, with the preliminaries and windup, is. plenty of action for a 30- minute program. Prizes of cash and Martinson's coffee (one of the sta- tion's major sponsors) went to all the contestants and question-con- tributors. MOST POWERFUL: On November IS, W-I-R-E Increased Its nlghttlm* power to 5000 Watts, becoming Indiana's most powerful FULL-TIME station, NEW STUDIOS: W-I-R-E will soon announce the formal dedication of new studios and offices on the ninth floor of the Claypool Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. With these new facilities, W-I-R-E will hav« on« of the most modern and complete broadcasting estab- lishments in the Middle West. THE RIGHT COMBINATION: Aggressive local programming, intensive coverage of local special events, local community service PLUS a full roster of N. B. C. Red* Network shows are the reasons why Central Indiana keeps tuned to W-I-R-E. The combination of ranking N. B. C. shows , with complete local programming makes it unnecessary for W-I-R-E listeners to turn to out-of-state stations for service. * W-I-R-E is the only Basic Red Station in Indiana 'THE SHADOW OF THE SWAS- TIKA' Unnamed Cast Uocumentary 60 Mins. Frlday.s BBC, London This story of the Nazis niakivsgood radio melodrama. Brili.sh Broad- casting Corp. is running the yarn as a series, giving it i key spot Friday nights, and aiming to make it an 'ob- jective' recital of authenticated facl.s. Wheie commentary is introduced, and in dramatic presentation of in- cident, events are naturally colored to give an anti-Hitler propaganda slant, but otherwise it is a .straight .show, treated much on Columbia Workshop lines. , An intriguing touch is ooncealing the players behind a veil of aiVonym- ity, and while certain familiar voices from the BBC repertory line-up can be spotted, other central character.s, particularly that of Hillcr himself, are appai'cntly handled by complete unknowns. ^♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦-f ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦» Television Review HOLr.Ywoon television With Lee Cooley, Jean Market, Owen Jensen, Jimmy Titlrotl, Celeste Rush Players, D. ¥.. Roiida, Clenr Howard, Bud Kelly and Jean Marlow One hour Tuesday, 8 p.m. Don Lee, W6XAO, Los Anfclci To showcase .,iAs recent switch to 441 lines, the standard favored b.v RCA-NBC and the Radio Manufac- turers Ass'n, the Harry Lubcke unit, sole custodian of television experi- mentation out here, jelled an hour's variety and telecast it at 8 p.m. Tues- day. It included moments of prom- ising clarity and intervals of blur and shimmer blamed on diathermy, the inevitable villain. Close-ups were often good, longshots often otherwise. Reception was nine miles from the studio. Entertainment comprised divergent routines, running front an escape artist to a fashion show. .lean Mar- ket, who'paraded the models, seemed a distinct personality for television. D. E. Ronda gave the iconoscope a workout in freeing himself on the floor from various police restraints. Owen Jensen gave a demonstration in tattooing, explaining the process while he wielded the electric needle. Jimmy Talcott caricatured Emcee Lee Copley, and the Celeste Rush Players projected a comedy drama in three parts, which gave an indica- tion of what may be expected in fu- ture aired dramatics from theatre stages. Gene Howard. Bud Kelly and Jean Marlow gagged, warbled and played instruments. Ray (ioflfin, who books talent for these telecasts, seeks diversity more for the experiment than the enter- tainment quality. It's no great trick to get picture talent down to the studio for Interviews. They're all eager to know how they'll fit into the scheme of the newest art. Helm. The Winnah-Wheaties Tlie pro football championship playolT (10), accoVding to the account via WOR, N. Y., was Anally and decisively won, not by the beet trust fLon\ Green Bay, but by a bowl of Wheaties. Gencral.Mills, the .spon- sor, apparently played quarterback, end and tackle, and accounted for all the scoring. What went on out on the field was a mere sideline to the blue-and-gold package with its crisp, crunchy contents which con- tain more heat units than a cooked breakfast food and which—yum-yun\ and boy-oh-boy—is the regular diet of champions. Few sporting cvenLt of tliis or any other seaSon have been plugged fiill of such hefty and violent advertising. As for the game itself. Red Barber (WOR), Dick Fishell (WHN) and. Harry Wismer (WJR) did the gabbing, with Barber having the heaviest ciiores. It was a good, workmanlike job and—when compared with newsiJaper statistics in retrospect—above-average in accuracy. Too bad the boys had to perform in this swell manner while handicapped with a mouth full of Wheaties. 'WOMAN'S RADIO DIGEST' With Beth Lockerbie, Ken Murray CJRC, Winnipeg Originated and scripted entirely by Beth Lockerbie" (using the name of Elizabeth Holman) this show rides into hon\es at probably the best time of Ihe Winnipeg day, the local tea hour, just before the kids iitart tear- ing the place apart after school. (C'ahadian kids are unsliacklcd at 4:00 p.m.) - Show is presented in the mann^ of a magazine with each 'page' being devoted to difTerent subject matter and .separated by a musical bridge. No characterization is attempted other than the part of Miss Holman (Lockerbie)i" who is supposedly the editor of the da'ily journal. Ken Murray, station announcer, works straight and handles part of show him.selt, the balance of the time working back and forth with Miss Lockerbie. On show caught program was di- vided into four part.s, editorial; Dan Cupid; Club Notes and At Your Leisure. Editorial dealt with current appeal of Canadian Red Cro.ss. this being handled by Murray. The Dan Cupid section concerned marital relations and what has been un- covered by eminent authorities on the subject. Miss Lockerbie makes no pretense at being another Dorothy Di.\-, she just lays the slulT out and there you are—take it or leave it. Club Notes were just items rclaliuH to various meetings, tea.s, etc., of interest to women, these being read over a musical background of piano music, latter coming up full for th« bridge, Last named section was a satirical .poem on men read over an- other light" type of musical back- ■ground. Music for program is inlelligcnlly selected from the transcription library .showing good musical testa with light concci'l and pop tunes be- ing mixed. Half hour is a worthy example of hometown radio show- manship. Norm. weamms' By JANE WEST ,NOW RADIO'S MOST POPULAR FAMILY BRINGS YOU MORE _AUGHTER JeARS a^o |-|E ART-THROBS Presented by Ivory Soap ■ 99" ioo° c pure ||CTC||TWICE DAILY NBC Rod Notwork, 12:15 to 12:30 P. M. EST IN.-. COAST TO COAST r nir. COMPTOM ADVERTISlNO AGENCT MGT. ED WOLF—RKO BLDG.. NEW YORK CITY CFCF Is proud of this signal honour! . We feel that Canadian Marconi Com- pany's Station CFCF has contributed towards tho iireslige of Canadian radio In general, because "VARIETY" has found a "Best" Canadian sUlion for the first time since 1936. CFCF, selected the "Best" Canadian station lor 1939 In "VARIETY'S" Annual Showmanship Survey, is YOUR "Best" Balen producer to reach a bilingual market of over ONE MILLION PEOPLE. CFCF and Short Wave CFCX Representatives: IT. S. A.—WEED & CO. MONTREAL NBC AFFILIATE CANADA: All Canada Radio Faoilllies