Variety (June 1942)

so RADIO Wedaesday, Joae 24, 1942 IIIhi IKficdt to Re^ listed Networb; Deferment Heas to Become a Practice By likely Columbia and NBC have taken cteps to curb the further depletion of staS men whom the networks deem to be essential on their pres- ei^t lobs. .CSB department ^e&ds have received memos asking them to report any cases of men called up for service whose work Is essential to the network and whose places cannot be fliled so that the organiza- tion can make' applications for ex- emption to the draft authorities. While Columbia's protective move applies to no specific division or de- partment, NBC is directing itself at obtaining exemption for key men on ha engineering staff. O. B. H a nson, chief engineer, has been Informed by Frank Mullen, the network's general manager, that in view of the large number of enlistments and draftings from the NBC personnel essential members of the ted)nical setup are ciktitled to deferment and that the numbers of such mien come up the network woidd consult with the necessary draft boaidiL VICK KNIGHT JOINS Blow IN LA. J50 in Mexico Style Seh^ Radio Anmuiicers; All Not to Be Ucensed Mexico City, June 23. Examination to determine fitness for thel^ jobs of all radio announcers in. Mexico that the Ministry of Com^ mnnleations and Public Works began in May has revealed that there axe more announcers in the Republic than had at first been supposed. The fig- ures total 1,790 for the entire country and S43 in the Federal District (Mex Ico Ci^) alone. Results of the exams have not yet beoi announced. But it is expected thai only a-certain percentage of the ahnounctrs will receive perm^ent licenses. Vlck Knight hai Joined tiia MUton Biow agency aa execntlv* producer •f radio shoves. HIi authority wQl «xt^d over the agency's three PhlUp Morris shows, .£vershaip's Take It Or I<eaye If program and the spot annoimcements for Tootsie Rolls and Bulova. Bulova has also brought Into his'radio , department Eddie- Fola, who formerly worked for NBC. Knight and Pola are alated. to operate out of tiie ilgency's Hollywood ofl[ice which ~Blo[W pn>' posed to («ea shortly. It is his plan to transfer -ttie origination of the Morris show^ ta tfae Coast Knight qjiit as producer of' the Fred Allen-Texaco- program, earlier this season to become the unsalaried 'director of. the.'Comnund Per' ^imance' series, a War Department project wfaidi is ahortwavc^ to the expeditionary -forces. ' Before' jcrin- Ing the Allfen show Knight; worked for Eddie Cantor. ClUiC, MONTREAL, FILLS WITH CBS SUSTAMERS Montreal. June 23. French language Independent sta- tloa CKAC will pipe in s numbra of CBS programs during the summer, Fred Allen hour Sunday nl^ts- wHl be cut to half an hour.for the sum- liier,. beginhing July '6. The oQier progrtuns will be St. Iioulg Munici- pal Opera, starting June 28; Songs in ti^e Wind every Monday tnun June 29; Charro GU Trio, Latin-American show, every Monda^ from June. 29; and Lewisohn-. Stadium Concerts every Friday from July 3. The serial, 'O^t la Vie' (Thatfs Life'). Iiux Theatre program, will rim five days a week, 12:30-12:48 p. m., exclusive on CAC' from June 29 to the end of the year, and then on indefinitely. WRUL Wants to Own Its Present Quarters Boston, Jun6 23, 'WRUL, non-commercial powerful .Short-waver, started a drive this week to purchase its present quar p^ ters at 133 Commonwealth ave. Allen Forbes, chairman of the exec- utive committee, hopes to raise $16,- 000, with $5,160 already subscribed. Its owning "the station will save $3,000 yearly in rentals. Taxes not reported. Washington Joke Washington, June 23. With the somewhat chaotic state of the telephone system in Washington under war strain reviving gags about wrong num- bers a wag in the Office of Facts Si Figures is causing chuckles among people in the various Government depart- ments. He answers his phone with, the question, 'Guess, "'ho this is?' CUBA WARNS NEWS MEN BE CAUnOUS Havana. June 23. Newscasters of Cut» are on notice under new *pTecautionary measures' governing comnterdal broadcaisting: Use of such terms, as 'flash.' "im- portant/ 'last minute* and other ex- pressions denoting hot news have been banned t>y the Cuban Govern- ment Licensees also are required to file with the communications control coMttiiBSian pei^liShal infOthUttltin concerning staff members—including finger prints and photos. In the drive to eliminate aU pos- sibili^ of Fifth 'Column, programs must be prepared at least 2i hours before their airing, in order that Government Inspectors may check. The general pubUc Is not permitted to participate in Cuban broadcast programs. Willson, Ncsbitt Step In For TVIcGees' on Jnne 30 Hollywood, June 23. A combination music and com- mentary program, teamed by Meredith Willson and John Nesbitt. replaces "Fibber McGee and Molly' in the summer session for the wax.- works of Johnson li S<m, Inc. half hour program, it starts <m June 30 with tile time- shared between Willson's' 'muslckihg' and the fnmiHar ' verbal 'rtr T >iT^ t \*i 7y Him« of Nesbitt 'When 'Fibber' vacationed ^two years ago, Willson's 'America Sings' r^laced. New show, using the name combination for its title, reunites the pair for the first time lis six years. Cecil Underwood, producer of the Tibber* series, continues on the new show aa producer. Harlow Wilcox ditto as annoimcer. BILLY OASON^EX-YAIM GAGSUPmNDiETIES' Billy Glason has been signed as gag-writer for the "Cay Ntoeties,' sponsored by United States Tobacco on WABC. Glason, former stage headhner, has been sticking to radio work of recent years, condbcting his own programs besides scripting. FCC MEMBERS DUTIFDIFLY ASSERTS Washington, June 23. Regularity of attendance of FCC members at meetings and hearings— and their famih'arity with details of matters on which they pass Judgment —^was a matter of considerable con- cern to.the Ho^se Interstate Com- merce Committee last week. Recalling the network rules were voted by one member who never at- tended a hearing and by another who held oSice only a few days, dtir- ing the lengthy investigation, law- makers questioned the significance of figures by Otairman James L. Fly showing the regulators' attendance record averaged 83.7%. The. Chairman presented a tabula- tion showing Commissioner T.A.M. Graven had . the- best recrard. being prcsatt at 9(M% of all huddles be- tween Sept 6^ 1039. and June 0.1942. laowest average was Commissioner Norman S. Case (71J), but Fly pointed out the former Rhode Island governor had been forced to miss many sessions by a prolcmged illness. Idea, that Commissioners pop into hearings, so they win be marked 'present,' and then leave is unjusti- fi^,' Fly mainfhined. The reason some men^rs are shown to have attended only a small number of meetings and hearings is the short time they have been members, not shirking duty.. He noted Commis- sioner^ C. J. Durr, appointed within the pa'st year, has been on hand for 81.9% of the 170 huddles held since h$ todk'the oath. There were 408 meetings and 90 docket hearings during the period of- nearly three years coverM by the m: Fly, 87.0; Walker, 88.8; Case, 71.1; Craven, 90.5;-- Payne, • TJS; Thompson, 81.2; Wakefield, 90; Durr, 81.9, and Brown, 00. Schedules being maintained by Morgan Beatty, of the Blue network, an^ Lis* Sergio, of WQXR, N6w 'York, art regarded as unprecedented among broadcasters. Other commentattprs have carried on equally in- tense activities over limited periods when important news was breaking, but few. If any, have ever attempted it regularly. Beatty airs 19-mlnute programs at 8 sjn. and 10:30 pjn. five days a week from Wadiington. Miss Sergio has quarter-hour spots at 10 a.m. and 0 p.m., also five days a we^:. Both prepare and write their own scripts. Beatty's schedule forces him to catch bis sleep in two short takes during the 24-hour span. He naps at the studio from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. and gets his other shut-eye at his Silver Springs (Md.) home from about 9 am. to noon. He uses his afternoons to check news and gather back- ground material. Hiss Sergio sleeps from about 11 pjn. to 6 ajn. at her home In suburban Larchmont. N. T. She. answers maH, makes phone calls and has appoint-^ ments imtH about noon, and spends her afterhoons writing both her even- ing and next morning's scripts. She is continuing that schedule through July, but takes her regular vacation in'August She and the station will ' decide then about the se^ for September and afterward.. .No .one has yet been selected: to substitute on either of her dally shows during August. Beatty is slated to continue his, present schedule indefinitely, although it's realized he cannot maintain it very long. Norman Corwin expects word momentarily to Clipper to London to write-direct it series of weekly half-hour programs about wartime Eng- land, to be shortwaved to CBS for rebroadcast In the U. S. There's stlU no definite decision on what actor will follow in a few weeks to be nar- rator for the broadcasts, but it will probably be Pvt Burigess Meredith, of the Army Air Corps, who's slatM for a commission sufon. 'WTdle Corwin is in England, eight of his scripts formerly broadcast by CBS will be produced by BBC for English listeners. AO eight rights to which were bought by 'BBC last week, are Included In his recent vol- dme, TThirteen by Corwin.' It will be the first time any of his scripts have been produced in England, although recordings of his CBS pro- grams and a This Is War* show have been rebroadcast there. Canadian, Australian and South African stations have produced his scripts, how- ever, • A stapled bundle of the scripts for 'Journeys Behind the News' has ap- peared. These are the historic broadcasts by Ben Cherrington and others through the Sotial Science Foundation of the University of Denver, which, in turn, bcpadcasts through the RodQt Mountain Bndio Council, only co- operative enterprise of its kind and recipient ORie Council) last year of a 'Variety' showmanship plaque. The Cherrington scripts are accompanied by the questions, charts, bibliographies, etc., which were prepared for each. Lota of interesting background material for. stations, especially news programs, is linbedded therein. .Some 600 ci^iics of each script were, mailed regularly .to high sdiool teachers in the mne.' Jimmy Durante's failure to show on last Thursday night's (18) Maxwell House CoSee broadcast because of the serious illness of his sister in New York made it the second unfulfilled booking for blm oh. this program dur- ing the current season. The last time that he was penciled into the show Warner Bros, declined to excuse him from the set where he was working oh a settle of The Man' 'Who Came, to Dinner.' Jjtst Thursday's was to be Ftanlr Morgan's night fitt, but'he took care of the spot that was to- be Durante's. JACQUES DESBAULETS BACK FROM LONDON Montreal. June 33. Jacques Des' BaiUets, newscaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. unit In London for the piasl two years, returned to Montreal this week from England to take over po- sition of production chief of commer- cial division CBS, this city.- Leon Lorraln, acting production chief in absence of Des Baillets, takes position of night manager of CBM and CBF stations, Montreal, effective immediately. Lorrain was married on Saturday (20) tQ Germaine dagne and Is honeymooning in Laurentians unta Jtdy 1. Bread Minus Newt General Baking's Bond Br^d an- nouncements, fore and aft ^e WABC. New York, 'News of the World' at 8 ajn., quit last week after 26 weeks. Local only. Canada May Bow Before Qiiirches And Abolish Sunday Advertising Montreal, June 23. Possibility 6f a gesture to the po- litically powerful churches of a re- duction In Sunday radio advertising through cooperation of privately owned stations was suggested by Gladstone Murray. Canadian Broad- casting C^irp. general manager, to the House of Commons Radio com- mittee Friday (19). Murray said CBC is anxious' and is enlisting the .support.of privately, owned-stations which have already indicated readiness to cooperate. He stated that advertising had been eliminated on .Christmas Day and that his corporation would like to take similar action every Sunday^ but the popularity of commercially sponsored United States programs .-with a large following was a serious difficulty. An appeal had been made to private stations and these stations had Indicated a highly cooperative reaction.- ■ ■ h»de Stnff-Ralo Blackett-Sample-Hummert agency has resumed its seardi for daytime half-hour periods on local stations, but It hasnt duae any buying so far because the periods''biade available 'to it harre stBtabiing programs pre- , ceding and following. The schedules, if. and when set, will be for five sudi 30^miiuitft periods a week. Hie recorded programs involved in the proposed saot can^iatgn would phig Anacin, Kolynos and BlsodoL Less than eight hours after she had' sung on WGY.. Schenectady, 'with iRtiUSa,^£ti£br CSr«hi«n(r^ve liirth to a tiai^^ughter in BeUevue Ma- lemttjt. Hospital. (17). The team, known as (3tis'attd Elennor, broadcasts at 6:45 ajn. and at 12:03 pjn. Mrs. Clements entered the .hospital at.8:43 pjn. ahd the baby, christened June HIeanor, was- bom an hour later. .It's their second girl. Otis is carrying on solo until his wife returns to the air. Stan Shaw made an exception last wee^by playing requ est selections on his recorded'"Milkman's Matinee' program on WNEW. New York. Numbers' were by Bing Crosby, Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, Jimmy Durante'kn'd'Ciallagher and Shean." They were played, as requested, between 1 ajn. and 3:30 ajn. for Whitey Riordan and Charlie McGale, inmates of the deathhouse at Sing Sing, who were executed the following, evcnlns. NBC and CBS took on their first Negro house musicians over the past weekend. Billy Taylor, once with Duke Ellington, Joined NBC as^ basist. while Emerson Harper stepped into CBS' as a sax, oboe, bass clarinet, flute player. While not hired temporarily, both men are on trial -, Harper was recently offered a jiositlon as oboist with the Cincinnati Sym- ph^ny^iVs said. Five civic groups sponsored a farewell dinner to honor Harl Gammons. WCCO general manager, before his departure from Mfameapolis to Wash- ington to become director of the C3S office there. They were Minne- apolis Civic 8c Commerce Association, Minneapolis Defense . Council, Jnnipr Association of Commerce, Aquatennlal Association and Minneapolis Civic Council, Ira Marion, Blue network staff scripter, has been commissioned by the town of Maplewood, N. J., to write and.supervise Its July 4 presentation, "Maplewood Makes'Ready.', Outdoor play about civilian 'defense will in- clude a demonstration of an air raid, with the humlng of a bombed house. Marlon's regular scripting assignments for the Blue ihclude 'African Trek' and the National Assn. of Manufacturers show. The 'Minute Set to Music' recordings that the World studios are turning out lor Coca-Cola constitute a special Job for a dealer who caters to around 40 towns In the midwest and south. This setup is not to be ex- tended to other parts of the country. The accoimt willcontlnueits policy of furnishing dealers with 16-minute musical transcriptions. Latter are currently carried ovet 200-odd stations. IVoy, N. Y., Record's comment on ihe appointment of Elmer Davis to War information Directorship made no mention of Davis* broadcasting work. The entire emphasis was placed upon Davl^ activities in and stand- ing as a newspaperman and author. The Record- is edited by Dwifiht Marvin, president of (he American Newspaper Editors* Association. The Sing For Dough' broadcasts on the Bl ue net work each Sunday with Lew Valentine debuted last December on iB^TRH, Houston, tmder the sponsorship of the Houston Millbig Co. (Segall & Weedhi agency). Broad- cast orighiated from the stage of the Metropolitan theatre, Houston, with George Olson and his orchestra. 'Dlsc-concerters' is the name that Neal OUara, Boston Traveler col- umnist would ,llkfr t» hang onto the record jockeys who intersperse com- mercial plugs between music, 'because they can certainly disconcert any- one,' he explained. Earle McGlll is the fifth of CBS producers under the new setup at the network's program department