Variety (May 1941)

Wednesday. May- 21, 1941 HADIO 27 RADIO SCRIBS' BACKGROUND EX- IIT NOW WRITE Analysis of Origins of .NBC Staff Writers Reveals a Guitar Player, Music Hall Usher, Honor Student, Others TITTERTON'S PAST By HOBE MOBBISON Writers on the NBC dramatic script staff have assorted back- grounds—mostly unorthodox. They include a former fisherman and waiter, an elevator operator, a gui- tar player, a cum laude from Har- vard, a Phi Beta Kappa pageboy and, naturally, a newspaper man. Thase varied origins aren't acci- dental. For liCwis H. Titterton, head of the script department, came to- the job by a circuitous and more or less chance route. He believes there-is no specially suitable origin, training or outlook for a writer. On the contrary,' his theory is that a balanced radio scripting stuff should have the widest possible assortment of viewpoints. Therefore, he tries to gather writers of varying back- grounds, training and, if possible, from different parts of the country. Elizabeth Todd Kagel, with NBC 13 years, is a New Yorker and be- fore becoming a, script writer, was a stenographer and then a private secretary. She is the wife of Iiouis Kagel, advertising and display man- ager of the J. C. Penny stores. She has a eon nearly five years old. Eddie Birnbryer was a guitar player and occasional writer at WLW, Cincinnati, wh^n Frank Fay saw him and told John S. Royal, at that time program head of NBC, about him. He was brought to NBC about four y'fears ago, has long since abandoned his guitar and now spe- cializes on light comedy writing. He Is currently working on an Idea for a comedy magic show with Russell Swann, the sleight-of-hand man. Richard Morenus was brought to NBC last September from Chicago, where he had his own advertising agency. He edits the 'Pageant of Art' series on NBC Blue (WJZ) Sunday afternoons and does other miscellaneous scripting jobs. He wrote 'King Arthur, Jr.,' which went off some time ago, but is slated to return to the air. From Elevator t» Typewriter Hichard Mcl>onagh, a native of Ireland, was an NBC elevator op- erator who wanted to be a writer and wouldn't take repeated no's for the answer. While running elevators during the day (and finally being promoted to elevator starter) he kept writing scripts at night., tJltlmately he clicked and was presently a member of the scripting staff, where he has remained four years. Among the shows he has written are 'Wings Over America' and 'On Your Job.' He ^Iso authored:the special natu- ralisation program Thanks to Amer- ica,' which was aired by NBC at Thanksgiving, 1939, and Is still re- garded as one of the most stirring emotional' progrsoas ever heard on the ail. Incidentally, .McDona^ is • naturalized American himself, and the Idea of the show was his own. Ifonald MacDougall is another member of the staff who was a lonff Way getting there. His father was s Socialist leader and member of the (at that time) notorious LW.W. in Schenectady, N. Y, in the early part of the century. Social and po- litical reform was ill-paying in those days, so young MacDougall worked at all sorts of jobs. He was a Wes- tern 'Union mesenger, a fisherman in Florida, a waiter and an usher at the Radio City Music Hall, N. Y. While working at NBC as mimeo- graph operator be turned out copies of other people's scripts and thus got the idea of writing himselt He kept trying at nights, finally was hired as a scripter in thfe network's.recording division, and three years ago was transferred to the regular scripting staff. Richard Leach, a Dartmouth grad- uate, was an NBC pageboy and also wrote musical criticisms for various publications. Having studied music in Vienna, he is a concert and opera devotee. He writes scripts and con- tinuity for musical^ shows. Inci- dentally, he's regarded by other members of the staff as the fashion plate of the department. Lawrence Abbott, chief serious music writer for the network, comes of a musical family, his father hav- ing been a noted composer. After graduating from Harvard, he tried writing ad copy and publicity, ran an inn, reviewed records, con- tributed to the Book of Knowledge and, through that, came to NBC about seven years ago as assistant to Walter Damr(|sch. He authors the intermission comment for concert and opera broadcasts and has writ- . ten .several books. A 'new volume, 'Approach to Music,' is about to be published. Only One Orthodox Staffer Welboum Kelley is the only mem- ber- of the staff with orthodqx writ- ing background. He's a Southerner and former newspaper man. Kelley had nttle schooling, but picked up his education in the course of ex- tremely varied newspaper jobs. He has written two novels, resigned twice from the AP, and was in the NBC publicity department when he began authoring scripts. Among the shows he's written are 'Battle of the Sexes,' 'New American Music,' 'Magic Key,' 'Spin and Win,* 'Cham- ber Music Society of Lower Basin Street* and adaptations of various books. He's been on the staff four I years. Charles H. Newton, Jr., was a cum laude at Harvard, became an NBC pageboy, and got into the script de- partment by working as departmen' tal page. He became a staff member two years ago. Gordon Nugent was a Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois, then did post-graduate work at Columbia (university, not broad' casting). He was a textbook saleS' man and a pageboy before being added to the script staff about a year-and-a-half ago. He's authored 'Readin', Wrltin' and Rhythm,' 'Sweet Land of Liberty* and 'Radio Magic' English-born Titterton studied HC' brew and Syriac at Oxford, had a scholarship at Harvard, became as- sistant editor of the Atlantic Monthly, left to sell books, and next became associate editor of the MaC' mlllan Co. He joined NBC in 1932 as manager of the literary rights division and In 1936 also assumed charge of the writing staff. He does -frequent book reviews for the N.Y. Times. Mike-Shy N.A.B. D. B. Stein in Chicago As Rep of WHN, N.Y. - David B. Stein, for the last six years with the Kal advertising agency, Washington, has been ap- pointed Chicago sales representative of WHN, New York. He succeeds Harold Makelim, who resigned to become president and general manager of the Covert Co Chicago. M WAT! WATTS DAY a,,.^NIGHT YOUR BEST NATIONAL SPOT BUY ANEN/VPIKMCHIOINE NEWYOKK MARKtT St. Louis, May 20. Station owners In attendance at the N.A3. convention here last week, deftly shunned a 'Man on the Street' program that was renewed for the occa- sion by KMOX. Guy Runnion, former actor, who recently Joined the KMOX gabbing staff, set up his mike in front of the Hotel Jefferson, where the con- vention was held , and where most of the delegates were quar- tered, and queried passersby on the more important news events, both domestic and abroad. The delegates used another entrance of the hotel the time the program was on the air dur- ing two days of the convention. Model Contract for Radio Authors About Set Between Guild and 4A'$ Monterey, Cftl. — Hal O'Donnell, formerly of KVCV, Redding, has joined KDON staff here. OJt KDON payroll' are I. Fried, combo man, i who has shifted to KSAN, San Fran- cisco, and Leonard Shreve, off to { KWJJ, Portland. ' Radio Writers Guild negotiations with the American Assn. of Adver- tising Agencies for a code of fair practice for free-lance scripters is nearing an agreement. Negotiating committees for the two groups had a lengthy meeting Thursday (15), and were to huddle again yesterday afternoon (Tuesday). Although mem- bers of both bodies were reluctant to discuss the matter, reports in agency circles were that a prelimi- nary basis for settlement on- nearly all issues had been reached. As soon as the two committees reach an agreement, the proposed code will be submitted to the Guild council and the Four A's national radio committee. If adopted, the code will not be binding on the agency members of the Four A's, but will merely serve as a basis for con- tracts the Guild will seek to sign with the individual agencies. .How- ever, Guild members feel that after the Four A's organization accepts th« code the member agencies can hard- ly refuse to agree to its terms.- It was stated before the present nego- tiations started that the Four A's ne- gotiating committee was authorized to accept a code. As tentatively drafted the code is understood to cover only tree-lance writers, not agency staff scripters. Latter will be covered in a future deal. Principal hindrance to an, agreement appears to have been th9 question of a clause in all free-lance contracts giving the agency only one —^broadcast—right to all scripts. Guild here out for such a clause, while ihe agencies insisted on leav- ing the question of 'lease' or 'sale' of material open to negotiation in each individual contract. With neither side willing to make a concession, the Issue has apparently been left open for future decision. The same program bnt... what a difference! Every Wednesday at 8:30 P. M. if you live in New York you can tune in to th« New YotV Pot 0' Cold program sponsored by Tume and placed by Sta<:k-Goble. The same program, identi(»l in every detail, is aired simultaneously over WMCA and two other independent stations in New York. Listeners have (xtmplete freedom of choice. There is no coercion, no special inducement- no difference in program. Did we say no difference? Ther* is a difference, and a very important one: the preferenc* of listeners for a particular station. 56.5% wan tumd In to WMCA 7.5% wan tunad In to St€rtlon B 18.0% wan tunad In to Station C 1B.0% ceiffd not Uanlify tha station ta—d OH riift W»dn»$Jaf nlgM celnctdcataf tahphoae turvmyt by C. f. Hooptr, In*. Remember, the program was identical but more than twice as many were hearing it over WMCA as over the other two combined. It proves again how deeply entrenched the WMCA listening habit is. Are you taking advantage of it? America's Leading Independent Station' First on New York's Dial... 570 wmca NEW YORK: WMCA BUILDING, 1657 BROADWAY • CHICAGO: VIRGIL REITER & CO.,360 N.MICfflGAN AVt