Variety (Dec 1941)

84 RADIO WeonesSij, December 8, 194} Johannes Steel Fills in for 20 Grand All at Varied Times on 17 Mutuals Johannes Steel started a new twice-weekly Eeries last night (TueS' day) on a 17-statlon Mutual hookup for 20 Grand cigarets; but not a single one of the outlets is carrying the regular live program, not even th* originating station, WOR, New York. Commentator spiels his show at '8:15 Tuesday and Thursday night, but because all the stations carry ing the series already have fixture programs at that time, all will record It from the Mutual line and air It at various subsequent times via play back. Steel series is a four-week exten ■ion of the Axton-Fisher tobacco contract, which would have expired this week with the fold of Mary Small musical show Monday nights for 20 Grand and 'Danger Is My Business' for Zephyr cigarets Wednesday nights. Extension will carry the account through Dec. 25. Steel continues his nightly series on WMCA, New York, for Monarch wipes. BENDIX ENDING TREASURY DEAL DEC 23 Buchanan and other agencies are looking around for an advertiser to take over the 'Millions for Defense' show when the Beitdix Corp.'s con- tract for the program and time ex- pires Dec. 23. Bendix will have carried the stanza, which plugs U, S.. Treasury bonds and savings stamps, for 13 weeks. iShow occupies the Tuesday 8 to 9 p.m. period on the NBC-Blue. Harry Hagen's Renewal J. B. Williams has renewed for the True or False' show with Dr. Harry Hagen, m.c, effective Jan. 5. This takes the series Into Its fifth year. Program is on the NBC-Blue and J. Walter Thompson is the agency. REAMS OF WTOL NEW TOLEDO AREA REVENUER Toledo, Dec. 2. . Frazier Reams, president of the Community Broadcasting Co., which operates WTOL, Toledo, has been appointed collector of internal reve- nue for the northwestern Ohio dis- trict by President Roosevelt. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate last week. He will be sworn Into office by Judge Frank L. Kloeb of the U. S. District Court here. Charles Martin Series Set GeraUme Fitzgerald, PrisciDa Lane, Fontaine Geraldini Fitzgerald will guest In a capsule version of the Edna Fer- ber-Gcorge Kaufman play, 'Stafie Door,' for the Friday night (5) edi- tion of the Philip Morris 'Playhouse' scries on CBS. Priscilla Lane will play her orig- inal part In 'Four Daughters' for the Dec. 12 stanza. Charles Martin, producer-writer, is also trying to get Lola Lane, who was likewise in the original Warner Bros, picture, for the same program. Rosemary Lane, the third Lane sister in the film. Isn't available for the broadcast, as it would conflict with her current appearance In 'Best Foot Forward,' the George .Abbott musical at the Ethel Barrymore theatre, N. Y. Martin has a tentative deal for Joan Fontaine to guest on 'Play- house' some time early next year. WHB HOLDS STAFF FEED CelebrmtM Its Beat Tear, Telia at FUni for IMt Kansas City, Deo, 2. WHB closed its most successful year with a celebration staff dinner at Hotel Phillips last Friday (28). Prexy Don Davis and G. M. John Schilling, presided. Prizes In the station's annual contest on 'Plans for Next Year' went to Lindsey Riddle, engineer; LaVeta Anderson, secre- tary to Davis; Les Combs and Reese Wade, of the continuity staff; Sally Deane, secretary to Schilling, and Mary Ethel Neal, home economist. Davis announced staff changes in elude the return to WHB of Les Jarvies, first at the station In 1930, who returns from a year at KFBI, Wichita, and Lew Kemper, who re- turns from KVO, Tulsa, to handle announcing and produce the daily staff frolic. Miss Deane, formerly at KMBC as secretary to Frank Barhydt, is new member of WHB staff. Nelson Rupard, who has been coordinator of the Kansas' State Network, left WHB to become man- ager o£ Station KTSW, Emporia, Kansas, Dec. 1. Station has Just signed ■ new contract with Its IBEW tech- nicians. Emily Holt on Coast Emily Holt, national executive- secretary of the American Federa' tion of Radio Artists, planed to the Coast over the weekend to huddle with officials of the Los Angeles and Saii Francisco chapters regarding a number of problems that have arisen In the union's locaU there. She'll be gone about a week. mOK MISS' NOiaOSED Neither Colgate - Palmoliv* - Peet nor Lever Bros, had signed a con- tract late yesterday (Tuesday) to sponsor 'Junior Miss,' the half-hour radio adaptation -of the . Sally Ben- son sketches from the New Yorker mag. But both' were actively In- terested end one or the other was expected to buy the show at any time. Ed Wolf Associates, package- producet;, has. refused to give any- one an option on the property, American Tobacco, acting through Lord Sc ThoYnas, made an outright offer, to bankroll the series over Mu- tual, in behalf of Pall Mall cigarets. Firm's idea was not *only.. to . test Mutual on a national basis, but pri- marily to push the New York sales of the cigaret through the network's admittedly strong outlet, WOR. To- bacco offer was refused, but is be- lieved to be still available. As recorded for audition, 'Junior Miss' is directed by Carlo DeAngelo. Betty Philson plays the title part, with Gwen Davis as Fuffy, Richard Kollmar as the father and Kather- ine Raht the mother. Adaptor setup is open, but Mrs.. Benson will have supervision and approval of scripts. She is reported getting $750 a week air royalties. Understood that Wolf may also get the radio rights to Mrs. Benson's new series of New Yorker sketches, 'currently running in the mag. Dressing Rooms Inadequate at NBC, Cause Agency-Talent-Web Friction ACME PAINT ON 71 BREAKFAST CLUBS Acme Paint Co. will pay for 19 minutes a weeH .of The Breakfast Club' over 71 NBC-Blu* stations, starting in February.' Henri, Hurst. It McDonald is the agency. Gerard, Yet Barley Producer Files Suit. On A. & C. Material 'VALIANT LADY'AUTHOR CHANGE NOW PENDS Minneapolis, Dec. 2. The Knox Reeves agency is mull- ing a change in the authorship of 'Valiant Lady,' daytime "sifrial on NBC-Red for General Mills (Bis- quick). Show originates at WEAF, New York, with Rikel Kent produc- ing. Ruth Borden is currently the writer,, but the decision about a re- placement will probably be made within the next couple of weeks. Two other Reeves serials, also pro- duced in New York by Kent, remain unchanged. " They are 'Stories America Loves,' written by Howard Teichman and airing over CBS, and 'Mystery Man,' by various different scripters, and heard over NBC-Red. Both plug Wheatlcs. Lloyd Griffin supervises all three stanzas for the agency from here. Fromotti Ewald Eockritz " Cincinnati, Dec. 3. Ewald Kockritz became WLWs promotion manager Monday (1), succeeding Winfield Levi, who en- tered military service. Kockritz Joined the Crosley staff last January, coming from KTHS, Hot Springs, Ark., where he was program direc- tor. His job of assistant editor of Buy- Way, WLW's merchandising paper, passes to Aosemary Durham. Barney Gerard, producer director and author of burlesque shows for nearly a quarter of a century, who wrote serious stuff in Hollywood for five years to prove that he knew something besides burlesque, on Monday (1) filed suit In N. Y. Fed eral court against the National Broadcasting Co., Standard Brands, Inc., J. Walter Thompson, Ltd., Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, charging that material had been lifted from some of his early burlesque musi- cals in Chase and Sanborn broad- casts June 1 and June 15, 1041. Action filed by Gerard's attorneys, House, Grossraao, Vorhaus Ic Hem- ley, charges that material parts were taken from the 1018 and 1920 'Fol lies of the Day' scripts for the Chase and Sanborn broadcast June 1 and that the June IS broadqtst included parts from the 1918 script. The 1918 'Follies' was called 'Polly's Going Up,' complaint referring specifically to an airplane race sequence, while the 1920 script, entitled "The Political Revue,' In part concerns a bull fight. Gerard alleges that the-Abbott Sc Costello script for June 19 had the airplane dialog used in connection with the bull fight Idea. Plaintiff is asking for'an injunction, damages and an accounting of the profits. A, * C, Off BerfCB Show7 Hollywood, Dec! t. Joe Stauffer,. radio director of Kenyon Se Eckhardt, denies the re- port that Abbott Sc Costello have been given thefr. release by Stand- ard Brands and that the account may have to put up a legal flght t<r hold them on the Chase & Sanborn program, as the comics refuse to work with Bergen. Bergen has signatured a new two- year deal with C t S giving him the say-so over the java show as far as continuity and editing is con- cerned. Kenyon Sc Eckhardt say that this does not relieve it of con- trol over the show. It was reported that Bergen had .succeeded induc- ing C 4 S to let him handle the Shortage of dressing rooms has de- veloped in the studio section of the NBC layout In Radio City, and on several occasions acrimonious argu- ments have broken out between agency producers and network per- sonnel over the judgment used in assigning th,e dresslngrooms. What has aggravaited the dressing room sit. uatlon Is the practice now common among musical shows of having their choruses wear evening gowns. The girls as a rule bring their evening wear In suitcases. The producer of a. commercial re- cently burned when he was told that his people would have to go three flights above :the floor, of their desig- nated studio for dressing accommo- dations. BILL OF RIGHTS' SHOW IN FIVE LANGUAGES The National Association of Broad- casters last week advised ell stations that 'The Bill of Rights' broadcast slated for Dec. 19 will be available In three forms, namely, as a live show running an hour (10-11 p.m. EST), a IS-mlnute transcription con- taining President Roosevelt's address in English and recorded translations of*the latter in five languages. The hour's show will be produced by the Office of Civilian Defense and fed to all networks. Any station may arrange for a hookrin on this show or take it off the air provided the re- quired permission, a matter of for- mality, is obtained. The 19-minute transcription may- be run at 10:45 p.m., at which time the President will be speaking. Lady Esther later Nebbe' Lady Esther has shelved for the present the Idea of underwriting a second network show. It had been figuring on Freddy Martin's band as the talent.. It was'to be an evening half-hour on the NBC-Blue, supplementing the Orson Welles show currently on CBS Friday nlghtsr show on a package. hasis, which would give him control of the setup in the event one of his options were not picked up In the not too distant future. ^^^^^^^ Boston.—Philip Hobson has Joined WMEX to handle publicity. i'-i ^^j^'^J'^-BMlnesVlt; ty'Jxperie'hc'e- I Our ^xpaiiinc* it □ <ontlanl oswt lo our clienO MB ___|__|:;J|_|g|_|-^