Variety (Jan 1941)

106 RADIO Thirty'fiflh Annivenary Wednesday, January 8, 1941 » ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦» M ♦ ♦ » t < ♦ » v> ♦♦♦♦ » ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»»>♦♦ By Jade Hellmaii; HARRT ACKERMAN: At Dart , mouth h« cbntribute'd scripts .to New' • England; stations, No\v. guides Gulf s Screen ■ Guild . Show for Young & Rubicam. ; '' ' ' .SANFORD .'ftARNETT: Director- of the Luic .show, came to ^ J.- Waltef Thoiiipspn yia WOR; after . being, a; repertbriail demon on a Jersey sheet; Greeleyed with the Lux ' show as writer and tooki oyer direction when Fi:ank WOpdrufI' skipped over to RKO as." film direxitor. On . flight to Denver two years ago to interview a speciar LUx guest. :he. struck up . a friendship, AV.ith the airlines .hostess, A year later they were, married and have a daiughter.:. BIAL .BOCK: . Publicity ^head at NBC was onetime Variett . reporter apd, is forever Jseieking devices to crack "the : downtown :Sh€^ts; which are none too friendly to radio; MURRAY BOLEN: Pioneer of. the .crystal.set days,, he has had a taste of every phase of. radio from build- ing sets to producing the" Jack, Benny show, his current stint with Young the Tnicwphone with • one exception since he became ah exec. ■ HARRY. LyBGKE:; /Headman .. ;9f Don Lee*s television seitip, .he his an affectionate name for every gadget," lIARjEtY MAIZLISH: An uhshakable believer' in- his . t5wh. programs and personally campaigned/ for Haven MacQuarrife- aftd The Grolich Club,' both Of which graduated to the net-. woVks. unde* sp.onSOrshipi. He's at his desk; htver, less than 15 hours.of any. day..'Ijl ;his...offlce hangs a Shake- spearean quotation, roughly, 'If this be madness thiere must be method'in it.' "'. ',: <.. .■- - ■■ ■■ VTHOMAS McAVITY:. About .to take his clubs away frbm here and snow the eastern duffers: how. to "shoot in the :70's" cbrtsistently. Hfeadman of the Lord.ft Thdmas.radio forces,, he has ibeen'moved to iSIfeW York as top sborer . for .the'■agendy.. . The,, only radio producer to sH.ow up at_the first airing of a show in tails. Re- cently married Helen Mack of the films. yiriLLIAM MOORE: SomeNyhat new to. radio is the new Coast boss, of the' Wpliam Esty office. " Out :6f Stahford;^ he was first a stock broker Rubicam, Started in: Ffisco and i.g^jj ^j^^j^ drifted mto publicity, gravitated.south three-yeats ago. ■.' . blurbing the.glamour gals at Para- .ROBERT bREWSTER: A native of -mount ^and .MetrO.^ Belfast,.Eire. he came.to. this coun-t BE.N PALET: Were it no.t for ah try in 1919 and drew h^ final citizen- I auto accident in, the early .'30!s he ship papers last August. After pro-,j would probably how. bp stroking hils ducing ill the east for J. 'Waltisr : stradivarius in the concert halls. of Thompson,: he was,dispatched; to Hoi- the/U student .of Leopold lywoOd tp take rein on a Feg Murr ' Auef after an intensive study of the ray show. He Was held: here for violin, he regaled the gobs, w s'ubsequeht programs and how-sits in. fiddling Vii"tuosity during World, War the: control room oh Kraft Music I. Joined Balaban 9t Itatz in Chicago Hs|ll, ■. WILLBT BROWN: Second in com- mand of the Don Lee network. Quit the automobile end of the Don Lee biz, . iP'OX. CASE: Head special eventer and public relations accelera^r for a£ concert master and moyed up: as stick waver when the auto crackup j criippled his left hand. After a brief ' session with WBBM (Chicago) staff orchestra, he switched to program and production duties. Three years agb he took up , his, post at KNX as CBS^ Finds time^ to chairman ^the ' dirertor ql operations ^qr^Columbia's draft appeal board, serve on: State Board, of Agriculture and function otherwise ciyictdly; Was onetime re- pprtef . and . yachting editor pn a downtown . sheet: and is a scientific rancher on his broad acres in Orange county: Knows all the state's big ^ots .and once stalled the Pacific battle fleet long enough, to'rig :up (equipment for a special event. DANNT DANKER: Mr. Hollywood in person. On behalf of J. Wialter .Thompson agency, spends , more money for talent than any other radio buyeri Knows the price tag of every pictur^ name. A, Bostohian out of Harvard/be. speaks the Hpl- Ijrwood, language without an accent: WILLIAM FORBES: Lately moved up: as manager of Columbia Manager ment Was previously sales service manager for CBS western. division and joined Columbia Rafter years as account exec with Don Lee. Started out as a lawyer but looked at the phone book listing of barristers and decided one more would be too many. MART .GARVIN: Runs the office, for- Ward Wheelock and better- in- formed on Coast radio thian any gal In the biz. The kind of ai Mary that George M. Cohan ^rote that ditty •bout; DON E, .QILHAN: Still carries a teird in the typographers' union, and preyioiis to hiis ,13 years with the net- ■work was Coast correspondent fpr Christian Science Monitor, Makes more speeches than any other tinhat In these parts. I^sy to ^ single out, as an exec and just as easy to talk to. Belongs td most clubs in Los An- geles and Frisco, and :the Bay City considered it a. mild .debacle when he moved' his heiadouaiiers, soiith; MANN : HOLlNiER: A songwriter Vfho achieved radio directorship of an agency. Last seaSori it . was Len- lien & Mitchell; this year it's Benton- 'it Bowles, In the old days he dreamed tip reanis of tunes for . Shubcirt shows. Has probably a better show- manship, background. . than; anyone with an offlbe desk and .how pours that knowledge , iptb ; the Maxwell- coffee Match Pacific network PAUL RICKENBACHER: Aide to Danny banker in lining up ,all that talent for J. Walter Thompson shows and 'versatile enough to pinch hit as actor; producer,- director^. sound' ef- fector or whathaveyou. Married to WiJihie Parker, radio chanteuse. . Alex. ROBB: Manager of NBC Artist Service awa in show biz longer than any radio exec; Was end man with Honey Boy Evans minstrels and business manager for Amos 'h' Andy when the. bunit cork tfeam was doing shows for Elks clubs In the midwest. Joined NBC about the time Niles Tramnieli and Frank Mullen were getting radip-cohscious and transferred here after a long stretch with NBC Artists, in Chicago. WILLIAM N. ROBSON: One of the 'werpoiht-wlth-pride' lads f,i:om Co iiimbia hpw riding herd on the Len nen' & Mitchell Coast gang. Last year he was Ruthra'ult & Ryan's man ' bn 'Big Town.' One- off radio's 'pres- sure' boys who can" turn out a new :«icript on a few hour's notice. HAL RORKE: CBS press head was onetime society editor of L. A. "Times and still, can't understand how , he; was ever drafted for the job. JACK SMALLEY: Head of the Batten, Barton, Durstihe & Osborne office. With his production aide; AVayne Griffin, has auditioned more shows than any agency in town. For years managing editor of the Fawcett string of magazines, his tenure in: radio has been brief. , TONY STANFORD: Has handled more big shoy/s than any. producer in radio and can. split a second with- 'put a stopwatch.. For years with Rudy Vallee, he has had ,a hand in i many J. Walter Thompson shows; |.Last ,season he took leaye, to har.dle eaiSterii half of Texaco program for Buchanan agency .Dut: is nOw- back with JWT. looking after Gene Autry's 'Melody Ranch.* - JOSEPH R. .STAUFFER: Manager of the Holly Wood office for Young '& BUbicarn,; he is one of the town's ■dandiiesi .:' ■ /^--y ! .Wete it hot. for thait aldermanlc paunch he'd be a cinch fpf military ; duty; A .y^est. Pointier, hie; passed a radio. Conducted several orchestras, was staff writer at. CBS and ; once managed KTM (now KECA). DONALD W. THORNBUROH: The weli-groomed business tinian. From Indianapiolis, like NBC's Don. Was best; man at Wendell ,.Willkie's (re- member?) wedding. Took it. big when yiTW ?met the champ'and yoii- know-what..■ (pHARLiES :- VANDA: 'The'*: little dynamo pf Columbia Square has made RNX the clearing.. )ioUse ' of hiore new -programs than, any Pther site locally. He rarely passes .up^ an opportunity and- boasts, a long string ■ of ,'firsts.' Produced Jesse; Lasky'S' 'Gateway,, to'; iHollywood' for. Wrig- iey's. Atteined- present eminence after ..a .brief sortie . into , publicity, artists bureau arid . local, program dir rectipn., He-s married to the sister of, B^ahy; Venuta and recently bUilt a hoine,With a swimming pool ('why should he' be an exception?), and has radio ulcers, too. ■. LEWIS . ALLEN: WEISSr .Dapper,- circunispect headman of Don .Lee, network (some 30 stations); has made' his domaih ^i, romping ground for kid shows'. ' The'kiddies built heyv itUdip in Hollywood' (the old NBC plant) for , the radio gang and a hilltop haven for Harry Lubcke's television crew, ■ • ■ ■■: .' ■ ,. CRANE WILBUR: ' Onetimje filnri and stage, star, he iS now- producer and. editor' of! Edward G. Robinson's 'Big Town.' Is; married to Leriita Lane, actriess, and gets a bang out of sending: wires to . friends advising them .that . Ventura snake. Farm, as per order, is expressing batch of bull snakes. ClUcago ■ s ^ Ita Fraternity AVOIDS AIR MAtiRY.' HOLLAND:/Producer of, year in the:, cavalry school at .Fort the (^ase & Sanborn program and Riley, Kas; Left the arniy .to, take- ah 3ctor in his'own right; ; Played ' an editprjal post with McGraw-Hill Juyenile roles in dramatic, and musi cal stock and-also toured in yaude- . ville. Before joining up,- \yith J, Walter "Thompison In 1936 he dh-ected : and managed,stock companies. Broke in under Ed Gardner on the bid •Shell Show' arid did the.; 'ftbwie Wing' serial fpr Kellogg before tak- ing over the Java shpw, HARRISON HOLLIWAY: Manager of the Earle C. Anthony stations, KFI-k&(:A, Holliday incepted his- air: career way; back .when 'Blue Monday Janibpree' was this hottest coast shp-W' Hie has shied away from and in 1934 checked in at Y & R. In addition to runriing the Hollywood of flee he buys all the-talent fpr the agency*s Coast programs, ' , ...JOHN SWALLOW:. Headman of programrtiing for the Red and the BlUie in the western division; bhe- tlme, automobile editor on a down-. toWn sheet ^nd-also the town's first radio, ed before going KFAC. Whips out sin., electric razpr when conver- sation; becomes boring.' GLENHALL TAYLOR: Produces 'Silver theatre* for Young & Rubi- cam arid versed in all phases' of . Washington, Jaii. 5. . Soft pedal has been decreed for Work' Projects. Administratioh mu-. ^ciahs, - who; went off radio last week, pending perfection, of more satisfactory arrangements for live talent programs. Transactions, now in circulation will be swapped as long as anybody wants them and some platters will be made during the interlude, but on; the whole the Federal agency , int^ends to take the emphasis OS radio performances land concentrate more on concert activi- ties. Row over performing, rights was a factor, though not the original mo- tive, in clamping down. While the WPA, units /generally have stuck to public domain tunes In order to riiinimize the chance of: license trouble, it was felt wise in view of the uncertainty ; about, clearance to make the new. policy coincide with the scheduled dropping of American. Society of Composers,. Authors, and Publishers members from the air: Live talent programs are not be- ing abandoned completely, but they will be much fewer and for a breath- ing spell probably none wlH be staged. Feeling has grown that the music. project was skidding in pub- lic estimation because of inadequate planning and insufficient rehearsals. Officials were displeased at finding but in spme cities station managers put in rush calls for music crews; to flli; prbgram gaps, so that local, directors. often speeded units to studios withoiit having worked as a balanced menu. With Congress get- ting' ready 'to gb oyer' appropriations again, it :was obyiously. wise to take steps that would protect the WpA! oiusicians fronn possible black- eyes. . Growing apathy: to canned . music also is said to haVe beieh scented by .heads, of the relief activities. The old idea that the >WPA units -should spread culture, /besides prpviding subsistence; for out-of-work jperformr iers, is being dusted off. - Therefore, ,morie attention is due, the; booking of units, in civic..auditoriums, schbols, etc. No point in; simply turning but a lot more waxed entertainment, bf- flcials think, when pePple may be, lureci.tp expose themselves directly and greater ^educational beneflts will he. abhieyed through fewer, better- .presented concerts. - While .the hetwprks seldpm haye used ..any of the relief musicians, a igopd proportion of the local Stations are customers foir WPA talerit. Disc making has been pretty much cbnr: fined to the large? cities---nPtably New York, San. ;Francisco, Los An- of the country's transmitters at one geles, arid . Boston--rWlth oyer half time pr another using {he platters. Gniy a small number of platters are out npw and these are expected to have miade the ;rounds by another fqrthight, .wheri; they will be retired. • By pah Gdldberg ': - Chicaelp,. Jan, 5..! Elbert Antrlittt ^ Exeicutiye. secre- iary,: treasurer and diriector of Mu- tual : Bi-oadcasting System;; assistant .business Trianager,; Chicago Tribune, Co.; secretary,; Ontario Pajoer Co., etb, :'. ■. " - H, Lesiia AUasiSr-Sold WBBM, to. Cblumbia for a; package and has re-.; mairied as .a Columbia y.p. :and gen-- eral manager^ Also a director oh the . board -Of stations ;.WJJD. and ■iyiNDii- Before radio was with his father- in the Frank; Atlass meat packing jandi laterj the ■ Atlass Srod-- uee , Co. ot which he was president from 1918 to 1925. He lives on Sun- nyridgie: farm, wherie he raiseis show horses. . . lUlpb AtlaiBs-^With hiS; brother-, Ralph ,;Atlass 'dates back in radio, tp the ..earliest Y days of the , industry, rhcy operated -an pmateur station down in the old homestead in Lin- coln (111.) and while a student at Northwestern university Ralph was general manager , and v;p.- of a 200^ watt, station that Was' 'WBBM, long before it sold; tb Columbia. : He has built; two : independent ■ stations.' WIND and WJJD. ' William A. RacherT-rMany ^yej^^ before he was, appointed by Co\, R. R. ,Mc(iormick tp .'be chief, of WGN programs and prbduiitipns, Bacher was a dentist, but h« gave up molars for raidio; He cracked/It. in /1928 cpmiinercially when he got the pror ducer job . oh the Maltine Fairy S-to-. ries kid show. From there he went, to the; Eno, Crime Club, the Faihous Jury Trials,,, and then to the musical shows, "Log Cabin,' *Shbw Boat,' 'Beauty Box Operettas,' 'HpUywbod Hotel' and grandly the 'Gopd .News' show, fbllpwed by the Texaco 'Star Theatre' show from which he came tp WGN early in 1940. Bnrrldge p. Bntler—President of WLS and. of 100-year old 'Prairie Farmer,! is in his 70's. Has been in the newspaper, business for more than half a century. He fbimded: ne'wspiipers in Omaha, Minneapolis and St. Paul. and held. interests in papers in Kansas City, Des Moines and other midwest cities. He bought "Prairie Farmer' in 1908 - and took over 'WLS in 1928. With winter calling him to Acizona, Butlier made hay of the sunshine by buying KQ"y in Phoenix aiid later the Arizona Farmer. ■■' Harry Kepf—Kopf, now chief , of the NBC Central Division in Chi- cago, has been advertising salesriian since the time he left college. , He even majored in advertising arid sell- ing.at niinpls; Midwest rep. for th^ 'System' magazine at -this period of takeover by McGraw-Hill of which Edgar Kobak was then vice-prexy. In 1929 Kopf went to -work'fOr the 'Literary Digest' but left it two years later to join the sales staff of: NBC in Chicago. He recently took over the chief chair of NEC in Chi when Sidney Strotz was shifted to New Yoirk as. NBC prbgram man- ager." W. E. Macfarlane—President of Mutual Broadcasting System; Mac- farlane has been with , the Chicago Tribune organizaition since 1907, in 1010 becoming manager of the classi- fied advertising department, which position he held xmtil 1927. In that year he was appointed advertising director for the Chicago "Tribune and the following year was named busi- ness manager, a post which he Still holds. He is; a director of sieveral subsidiary corporations of the Tri- bune and is y,p, of WGN, Ihc. ;He is a director of Press Wireless, Inc., a mutualiy-ownbd newspaper wireless' corporation' which was organized to handle fbreigh news by radio.. Col.- Roberi R. Mcdornilck—Editor and jpublisheir of the Chicago V'Tri- bune and president of WGN/ Mem- ber" of the .Chicago City Council from 1904 to 1900, .the Chicago; Chartier Cbnyentloh,.; 1907; • President . of the Sanitary District of Cihicago. frbth iiJOB to 1910, and a mi^mber of the Chicagp Plan Committee. Admitted to lUinpis B^r in; 1910 and was , a member of the flrm i of, McGorrhick, Kirkland, Patterson & Fleming from, 1908 to 1920. Was a Major of Ist Illinois Cavalry 'and served oh the Mexican bpfder, in ,1916-17, arid in Frarice was attached, tb General John Pershing's staff., ,Later he was as- signed as Major of the 5th Field Ar- tillery and then Adiutant of the 57th Artillery Brigade. He was appointed; Lt.: Coloriel when active with the 122rid Field Artillery, U.S.N.G.. Has served the Olst Field i Artillery; as j Colonel and was cbmniandant of Fprt; Sheridan, tllinipis.' He holds the Distinguished Service Medai.: At present devoting hliriself to -his jpledge to make-WGN the 'greatest radio station in, the country;' Wililam Eay-r^Managei- of' Press Department of NBC CJentral Division in Chicagb, /Game to riadio from newspapers by way, of the -Chicago World's Fair. ;; - ' - J. Kelly SmltlH-With WRBM since 1926, coming into radio from the Stewart-Warner ' Speedometer, of which he Was advertising manager. In . 1936 named sales manager for Radio Sales. .He ^tried ,tp-4ieadquar- ter ih New "York but contacts in the midwest arid Ciiicaso were of such value that he came back to Chi to set up. his home office. : Glenn Snyder—Like his boss, Bur- ridge Butler, Snyder has the newsi paper background. It Was his work on .farm papers which brought; hiiri to WLS. Has kept WLS policies oh a, straight line of farh) home service and enteitaihmerit.. Harold Stokes—Popular music is.' the background for Stokes, director of the lighter music for .'WGN.., He was with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, With tiki Limpe's brchiestra: arid with" Roy Bargy's - orchestra, stretching from 1924 to 1927. .'In i928. he.idiiied WGN tp direct the Jean Goldkette, orchestra, which Was the staff or- chestra at the - time. .He: went to NBC' in Chicago . as staff; conductor but returned to WGN in 1934 as leader of the WGN dance orchestra. Jack Van ,'Volkenbarg—With Co- lumbia since 1932. ■ Jphn , LaMonte Van Volkenburg is now assistant to , H. Leslie Atlass, CBS'yp. . arid riiari- ager of the iChicago office. He left. Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn: agency'iri. Chicago in 1932 to take over as manager for KMOX in St. Louis, coming up frorii St. Louis when Don Thorhburgh shifted to the west cbast; He also plays the, trombone. Henry 'Weber-^At 39, Weber has 20 years as a conductor. - In 1924, the present musical director of wdN di- rected the Chicago Civic Opera pri- chestra. Two, years from that date he had made his debut as director, of the Royal Opera at Bremen, Ger- many. In 1029 he went to Italy to conduct at the Opera House in Flor- ence. In 1933 he became Staff pro- ducer and conductor with NBC and the following year joiried WGN.'For four years Weber has also been di- rector of the Chicagoland'Music Fes- tival Since, 1933 he has been a di- rector of the Chicago City Opera and this year was named gerieral director of the Opera. He is niarried to Mar- ion Claire, A Yankee in New York Albany, Jan. 5. Yankee Broadcasting Co., Inc.* has been chartered to conduct a general radio broadcasting busiriess with principal offices in Manhattan. Capi-. tal stock is 200 shares, no par value.. Charles Segal, of New York, is the filing attorney. Segal's office declined yesterday (Tuesday) to disdosie' who the coir- pbration's principals were. John Shepard, 3rd, hasi had the Yankee Network in operation; for th^ past 12 years, biit apparently, is not li- censed to do business iri New York state; hence the igranting of the right to use the 'Yankee' tag to Segal's client PifNis-fantor Comic Minerva Pious and Charlie Can- tor, individual character comedians On- various network commercials In recent seasons, have teamed for a spot on the Kate Smith prbgirariii re- placing Nan Raye and Maude Davis, who bowed off . the; series last week. New pair , made the first of five schedul^ . appearances l^St Friday night (3), They're both regulars as; singles pn the Fred Allen show. ; Cedrie Aclams Sold Fast Minneapolis, Jari. , 5.. ■ ; Cedric Adams, local colunmist aiid newscaster, goes Over from Internpi- tibnal Harvester to' Twin City Ford dealers, starting first of. new year; WCCO reports that six days, after his 'Noontime News,', six-day ;vweekly. 12:45 p.m. spot, was offered fbr sale and, 10 days before the old sponsor's contract , was up, the show was bought. Iriterriational Harvesteir had, sponr sored Adams for 96 weeks.