Variety (Apr 1942)

34 RADIO Wedaefdaj, April 2% 1942 Is There (]0ld Only in Miseries or Can People Like Each Other on Serials? -New York, N. Y. Editor, 'Variety': Apropos of your article of March 23 about misery-ridden 'soap operas' and also the psychiatrist story from Buffalo in the same Issue, I thought you might be interested in my two cents worth on the subject. Mark Twain said 'Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does any- thing about it.' Well, I've talked ■bout the inability of soap operas to get away from hospitals and misery for quite a -Wfiile, and finally the Blue Network h&S given me a chance to do something about it, so the rest •1^ evidently up to me. About a year and a half ago, in a monthly radio column I wrote for a magazine, I stuck in a squib asking the readers how they liked the daily aerials. The response was .so great and the letters so vehement that I devoted my next column to the sub- ject. 90% of the answers said in no uncertain language that the serials were too sad, stark, . sobby, etc. Summed up, these housewives said that they had enough trouble in their own lives and they .didn't want to hear any more on the. air. Where- upon the agencies promptly informed me that my own little census was all wet and that the great big PoUs showed that the ladies liked to hear about amputations, impending blind- ness and little babies who turned out to have two heads. At the time I was too busy writing plays designed to run a maximum of six (6) days on Broadway and I didn't do anything about it Then last fall in a spare moment I whipped up a serial idea called 'A House in The Country.' It was just about a young married couple who yielded to the national urge to go back to° the soil and who left the sidewalks of New York for a cottage on a country road. They had fun and they started to live and they got a kick ouf of life. That's all, very simple, but the Important thing is— they had fun. Well, the Blue Network took a chance and put It on five days a week in the morning. It's stUl on. No doors have been broken down In a rush by sponsors to corral it. May- be It will never sell soap. Maybe in .a while there won't be any soap to sell and I'm sitting pretty. But the thing I find Interesting—and sat- isfying—is what the fan mail says. It's coming in and it's building and it sings the same song toith no ex- ception.' Every letter approves of • FULTON LEWIS Jr HAS ARGER NUMBER 3; mmm m m'i ' KAMi Wolff V Marx Daparfmint Stora KALI Pandlston Woolan Milli KAU Mtn'i Hand Laundry KITM C!ty Water t Light Plant KOON LIqhtheuM Furniture Company* Lta][an Swiu Colony Wine* lompany* WIRK Rogen Jewelry Company ¥WAI P. Lorlllard Company WCOS Concrete Conithietlon t Supply Company. WCOU Rogen Jewelry Company WKM Snyder Drug Store* WENV Remington Rand Company Studebaker Motor Company ,Globe Brewing Comitany ^Imon Irewing C^ ome Mutug impany_ [gar < Ki KOVO KOY .Itair KSAl FranMIn Lib KXRO Langendorf'la|ii JPrtW^llfrWfBwmSar WAAI Victor Coffee Company WAIV laverwyck Brewery, Inc.* Chattanooga Medicine Co. Chattanooga Medicine Co. Macon 6at Company WAU WBIR WBML WSLS WTJ$ wnr azor i-umiturC FIftt Federal Aisoclation* Shenandoah Life liifurance Co. Pepil Cola Bottling Company The Texai Company PRESIDENT'S NEWS CONFERENCE CKLW Wrigley't Marketi* WHBC FIctt National Bank of Canton* KMO MIerow'i Jewal^ Company* WMOB M. Forchelmer Flower Co., Inc.* WOSM LIghtbody'i Women's Dret* WMPS Tenneuee Brewing' Company* Shop* *N*«r iponMft. Within Uit 9 weak*. (21—count '•m.) the program for the exact reason for which I wrote it Here are some exceqits: 'What > relief to hear a program where people are getting alonf -^gether.' .. .'Do you know thai I used to think that'people who listened to morning stories on the radio ought to have their heads examined?'...'One day my neighbor asked mB what pro- gram I had on the radio, she was listening to one so sad. .she felt terrible. I told her and now we laugh together.'.. .'If only more radio people would realize that, the aver- age listener would like more humor and less stark traged]r',,,'l am the mother, of five children and get enough worries and cares with every day life and that is why I like to listen to something cheerful'...and finally, 'Cheers! At last you have a soap opera minus the soapl' Maybe Tm wrong. Maybe the people who wrote those letters are wrong, Maybe the Blue is wrong. But I don't think so. I don't think the Trend is coming. I ttiiok it's here. I'm no crusader, but at least I did try to do something about the weather. And after all, I only know what I read in 'Variety.' 'Raymond Knight. U. S. JAVELINS PHOE RADIO TRUSTS' Washington, April 28. Patent restriction complaints against Bell Telephone System and RCA were renewed today at Senate Patents. Committee hearing on pro- posals to force release of tied up pat- ents needed for war effort. Charges that A.T. & T. and RCA have sought to establish monopolies in communi- cations, broadcasting equipment,'and film apparatus fields were made by William H. Bauer, FCC attorney. . With more than 9,000 patents of its own' plus rights to greater num- t>er of lde<s protected by others, Telephone System has Issued but few ll'censes and followed policy of limiting use of Its patents so the Bell System will not be endangered in the telephone field, Bauer testi- fied. Patent, agreements ,wlth com- panies . located In- numerous other countries—Including Axis nations— give RCA "very dominant position'In radio communications field, lie said. From the Production Centres a CoBUnmd from pai* 32s New York, with a quotation irom Shakespeare and then switched it to London, where Bob Trout Introduced the speaken (at 2:30 ajn.), Murray Boland will be the production assistant in charge of balancing on the Eddie Cantor show when it goes to the Coast.,, .Joe QtilUan, John Rapp and Izzy Elinson go along as writers... .Clarence Van Auken, in charge of the WOR mail room, recuplng In French hospital from appen- dectomy. .. .Gerard Conway resigned from the station's mail room last week to join the Army Air Corps....Daniel Ehrenreich quit the WOR engineering staff to become a Lieutenant in the U. S. Signal Corps... .Esty. Stowell, Benton tt Bowles radio business manager, to the Coast ior huddles on the Maxwell House show... .Young i. Rublcam production assignment changes move Charles Powers on 'Bright Horizon,' replacing Henry Hull ... .He also does the studio production job on the Ed Murrow program'for International Silver Hull succeeds Bill Rousseau .on 'We Love and Learn' and also becomes assistant to Francis Van Hartesveldt, on 'Aldrich Family',... Zita Johann joined 'Second'Husband' cast,.. .Frederic Tozere added to 'Our Gal Sunday' troupe....Muriel Pollack (Mrs. Bill Donald- son) back from' Florida vacation and playing the organ accompaniment on 'David Harum' and 'Stella Dallas'... .Eddie Lewis, of the 'Kidoodlers,' sub- bing as guitarist for 'John's Other Wife' while Stan Davis vacations.... Howard Petrie and George Ansbro have swapped announcer assignments, the former now doing 'Second Husband' and 'Amanda' and the latter handling 'John's Other Wife' and 'Just Plain BiU'....Leona Roberts joined 'Stella Dallas' cast... .Charlotte Ives new to 'Lorenzo Jones' troupe.... Ken Schon now the bass in the 'America the Free' choir, succeeding Roger Kinne, who joined the Army... .Ian Martin into 'Just Pl'.in>BiU' cast. Bob Wood subbing as CBS news chief until return of "Paul White Latter is III and is due back In a month or so... .Bill Slocum Is handling special events In the interim....Bob Trout remains in London, assisting Ed Murrow, CBS European news head, for the present....Kay Lorraine made five three-minute platters for 'World Broadcasting library and a series, of recorded commercials with the Korn Kobblers, for the Ziv agency.., .Mutual will air a daily horse race, spieled by Bryan Field, from various tracks, 4:15-4:30 p.m., starting Monday (4),., .Network carried such l^roadcasts only twice-weekly last year....Mutual shutters Its 'Play- house' (Maxine Elliott theatre) after the final 'Spotlight Band' show Satur- day night (2)....'Double or Nothing' and 'Treasure Hour of Song* will be moved to other studio-theatres... .Hay McCllnton, Ayer agency vice-prez on leave to produce This Is War,' will probably take an OSice 'ot Facts and Figures job....Ensign John DriscoU, formerly with B. B, D. & O., will probably take another radio assignment for the Navy Depar4.ment when 'This Is War' folds John S. Young, dialog sctipter of 'Bright Borizon,' authors 'Second Mrs. Burton,' which starts Monday (4) on a Coast hookup for Benton & Bowles... .Harry Kronman Is'now set at writer on the Shirley Temple-'Junior Miss' series for Procter £ Gamble, also B. ti B. VERNON SMITH'S NEW LOT Heads World-Herald Advertising As WeU As KOWH Omaha, April 28. Vernon 'Bing'' Smith, manager of KO'WH for the past three years, has been placed ir cLarge of all adver- tising by the Omaha World-Herald which owns KOWH. The promotion follows resignation of Fred Rowden, who goes to St Louis Post-Dispatch. Frank Shopen, who has been as- sistant in managing KOWH, will be- come manage;- of the station under Smith, who will still exercise super vision over It, Condon's Three-Way Job Cleveland, April 28. Maurice: Condon, announcer, has been named promotion director of WGAR, combining offices of mer- chandising, publicity and promotion, He succeeds Charles Newcomb, who left for 'WWNC, AshvlUe, N. C. ■ Lloyd Wingert has been promoted assistant chief engineer,,: WGAB^ WJW Up By July IS Akron, O., April 28. WJW, Alcron, wlU "operate on its Increased, power of B,000 .watts- and on a new frequency, 860 - kilocycles, by July IS, barring unforeseen com. plications. The new WJW transmitter will be located one-half mile i)orth of Bot- zum, O.. Jamea Abbe Jfolne KQW-KEXv Portland, Ore., April 28. James Abbe, war correspondent and photographer, has joined the news staff of KGW-KEX, local outlet of the NBC and. Blue networks. He will do two programs daUy, writing his own scripts. A photographer-correspondent for 50 years, Abbe has been broadcasting in the U.S. for two years. m cmtACO . . . Mason Moltzner joined 'Scattergood Brines' . . . Olan Soule returned from Florida vacation for 'Romance of Helen /Trent* . . . Eugene Cohley, former NBC tenor -now with San Carlo opera, guested on Roy Shield Revue. . .. Thomas Gootee, ,NBC studio enghieer, adapted 'Lights in Dark- ness' for Aiithor's Playhouse. He leaves for Army as Second Lieutenant, night of broadcast. . . . Clem McCarthy getting things in order for face broadcasts over WAIT. . . . Same station still looking for a good Eng>- lish mike-man for their Reuter's news broadcasts, tiou Cowan's Quiz Kids were guests of WJJD for opening baseball game. Kids worked with Pat Flanagan and Jack FItzpatrick on series of bkse^ ball program throughout the day, giving spbrts slants and play by play account of game....Shirley Ebner and Meg Haun have leads In 'Between These Two' on WJJD's Northwestern Radio Play Shop. . ^ , My ma Dee Sergednt, style commentator, starts three a week series on WJJD. > It's her eightti year on air. . . . Cab Calloway on Blue 'Qulzzcale' revising his now.famous, 'jive dictionary' . . . '. Barbara-Fuller heads American Fe dera tion of Radio Artists local bond drive. . . . Yogi Yorgesson added to 'WBBM "Victory Matinee.' Jack Baker, 'Breakfast Clubber,' recipient of silver loving cup for sell- ing most war bonds and stamps In Evanston... .Ray Ferris, 'WLS' pro- ducer, elected vice-60mmander of American Legion Post....Bob Cunning- ham of WBBM announcing staff takes over George Guyon's' supervisor post Guyon off to army Luisie Barclay joins 'Romance of:Helen Trent' ..Lorainne Hall, WBBM woman editor, off to Coast to visit son in Marines....Joe Novy, CBS engineer, now supervising FM operations in Chicago, replacing Ellery Plotts, who left for defense post... .Tobey Pornes of Northwestern University added to CBS educational department....Stu Dawson and Chuck IjOgan back from St Louis trip with 'Fall Out for Fu^' show... .Eddie Goldberg added to 'Brewster Boy'....Dan Bowers joins 'Romance of Helen Ttent'....David Dole Is the new puppy effect on "Helen Trent'... .EmUy Davis and H. L. Shrader guests on National Farm and Home Hour to discuss diet... .Lauretta Fillbrandt added to cast of 'Flying PatroV new NBC adventure serial..,.Janet Nicol joined WBBM program department secretarial staff. ...Genevieve Kaleth of WBBM transcription department spends all her spare time tooting a trumpet in Chicago Woman's Symphony....Leo Curley, Ralph Camargo, aiid Barbara Fuller will handle assignments. In this week's 'Authors Playhouse' on NBC ..Henry Cooke, NBC. announcer, leaves for armed forces In May..-. Gene Baker, former free lance announcer, and Ned LeFevre, actor, now on announcing' iwyroQ at NBC... .Visitors In Chicago this week Included P. J. Meyer of KFYH, B. J. Lavin of 'WDAY, J. V. McConneU, NBC East- em Division sales manager....Hany Kopf of NBC back from San Fran- cisco.