Variety (Dec 1942)

S2 RADIO Wednesday, December 30, 19i2 Albert Lasker Retires Conlinued in Ihe Nuvy; and Major L. M. Masius, N. Y. manager, now abroad. Daniel M. Lord and Ambrose L. ■Thomas incorporalcd in 1872. and Laskci- joiiicd L&T in 1898, al $10 a week. Then the firm's annual billinys were $800,000. which placed it amon.q Ihc three lar(>e.<;t ad afien- cies in Ihe U. S. In 1910 Lasker be- came sole owner when he look over the Interests of Charles R. Erwin, w ith whom he had been in partner- ship since Thomas' death in 1904. Lord retired that same year. In 192C L&T merged with Thomas F. Logan. Inc.. and the Lord & Thomas & Logan name continued until 1928. when L&T was reinstated, follow- ing Logan'.s death. L&T's billings have averaged more than $30,000,000 annually in the past six years, and in all the firm has placed $750,000,000 worth of advertising. A tipoff on the L&T dissolution was keynotcd in last week's 'Variety' when the RCA Victor account was disclosed as having shifted away from the Lasker menage. In the field of radio, during the first four years of radio chain op- eration, L&T placed more than 30% of all the air shows, introducing such w.k. programs as Lucky Strike's Hit Parade, Cities Service Hour, The Goldbergs, Mr. District Attorney. Mary Marlin, etc. RKO hadio, American Tobacco, from pace 27 ss^=^=SS^^^=S I Armour. Blue Network, Carnation I Co., General Motors, Lockheed, ho- tels, banks, farm cooperatives. Owl drug, life in.<:urance companies. Schcniey, railroad.v. nostrums, denti- frices, all nalionally known products, are among L&T clienls. Disllnguishcd alumni who started with Lasker in Lord & Thomas in- clude Hill Blacken. Frank S. Hum- mert. John Oi r Young Rubicam), Bill Benton lA; Bowles l. Mark O'Day (Sheldon & Canaday). and J. Stirling Celchell. Emniett of Ncwell-Emmett, ct al. Big Donations To Chi V. Lasker conlribuled $1,200,000 to the Universily of Chicago. He re- cently gave his famous estate at Lake Forest. III., on which more than $3,000,000 had been spent, to the same educational institution. Both he and Mrs. Lasker have given largely to the support of the Planned Parenthood Federation. Some years ago Mr. Lasker and his sisters con- tributed $50,000 to the Cancer In- stitute—us first large contribution. His activity and benefactions on behalf of Jewish and local affairs in Chicago were so great and varied that he became, in a senjc, known as inheritor of the mantle of the late Chicago philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald, head of Sears Roebuck Sc Company. During the last war, the then Sec- ' retary of Agriculture Houston ap- jwinlcd Lusker assistant secretary in ■ charge of a vast campaign for home grown vegetables and canning. Lasker always retained that native American characteristic—love of spor,.;. He started life as a ba.seball reporter. With William Wrigley. Jr.. I for voars he controlled the Chicago ICubs. In 1920. after the While Sox > baseball ."^cnndal. he conceived the Ireorganizalion of baseball that was necessary, and devised what was then known as the 'Lasker Plan.' As jpart of the 'Lasker Plan' Judge iKenesaw Mountain Landis became I baseball 'Czar.' and the sport has 'never suflcrcd from a major scandal ' since. Training the Radio Commentators clttHe-ups on the ornlorlciit t<*ch- niiiUM ot l^orodix Tlioinp."**!!. Knr S«'\preUl. .Tohnnhi'S Slo«»l. llnul:ll;ii;<'. \]iiui«rcooU. I'lMtin CIof»». llo.-lHf Par- lor. Drpw Pi'iir.-^on. I'ljhoii imii^*1"T. ••^winp. Shlr-*r. Spn^r^|ll»K^^^. l-'iiizli-r Hti Fenliirr In 'Show BiKiness At Wlr' theme of th« 37lh Anniveftary i'^nmbcr of CBC Renewals Montreal, Dec, 29. Canadian Broadcasting Corp. re- ports number of big contract renew- als both in English and French local and networks biz. They are: CBM Colgatc-Palmolive-Peet spon- sored 'Share the Wealth' program 8:30-9 p.m. Sundays, renewed Jan. 21 to June 26 and Sept. 4 to Dec. 25. CBM Llpton Tea Muslcale, Sun- dayji 6 to 6:30 p.m. Renewed Jan. 3 to March 28. CBM Department of Finance, War Finance Committee program, re- newal Jan. 3 to March 14, 7:30 to 8 p.m. Sundays. CBM Pi^lm's Creams and Powders sponsored 'John and Judy' prograrp renewed Jan. 5 to June 24 and Sept. 7 to Dec. 28, 9 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. All above also on coast-to-coast network. CBF and French regional network: 'Secrets du Dr. Morhanges' 8 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays. Jan. 5 to Dec. 28. Philadelphia. — Bob Cottingham, assistant publicity director in charge of news at KYW, has taken a leave of absence to take a post With the Douglas Aircraft Co. on the Coast. Chick Kelly h.is been moved up to rc!>laie him. Jimmy Gantz. former sports editor of the old Public Ledger, and William Rambo, a mem- ber of the .staff of the Norristown (Pa.) Herald, have been added to the KYW" news ilafT. . I STARS I INETWORKI I AGENCIES I i SPONSORS I WGAN through this extensive newspaper advertising It pointing out to the people of Maine the complete radio service It pro- vides . . . made pos- sible by the combined efforts of stars, spon- sors, network, agencies and station. WGAN launches the largest radio promotion schedule ever put on in tlie Maine area . . . starting with a 12-COLUMN advertisement, picturing 53 CBS radio »tars . . . which appeared in 16 daily and weekly newspapers in Maine, including every daily news- paper. This represented a combined circulation of over 280,000 copies... OVER A MILLION READERS (on the conservative basis of four readers per copy the entire population of the State of Maine.) Now following up this initial advertisement, promot- ing the individual stars, with insertions in daily and weekly newspapers throughout Maine. Maine listeners .. . MAINE PEOPLE WITH MONEY TO SPEND . . . are dependent on Maine radio as never before for their entertainment and information. 5000 Wattt Maine's Voice oj Friendly Service PORTLAND. MAINE MEMBER COLUMBIA BROADCASIINQ SYSTEM 560 Kilocycles MARION MYLES IN NEW NBC AD PROMOTION POST Marion W. Mylcs, assistant to Jo.seph A. Ecclesine, NBC network promotion manager, becomes creative assistant, efre(;live Monday (4 >, to Charles B. Brown, advertising and promotion director. Charles p. Hammond, of the American News- paper Publishers Assn. bureau of advertising, joins NBC as Brown's administrative assistant. Jean Harstone. sales promotion di. rector of Saks Fifth Avenue. N. Y, succeeds Miss Myles as Ecdebine'i assistant. Want Faine to Succeed Ray Jones at Chi AFRA Chicago. Dec. 29. Chicago local of the American Federation of Radio Artists failed last night (Monday) to name a suc- cessor to Ray Jones as local execu- tive secretary. At a second meeting today it was decided to ofTer the post to Hy Faine, national organizer, but that will have to be approved by membership vote tonight. Jones is slated to enter the Army shortly, but the question of his suc- cessor appears to be stymied over whether or not the job is to be open to him again after the war. Besides having been instrumental in the formation of the local, Jones has been active in AFRA's national af- fairs. Follow-up Comment Continued from page 10 s for the musical assist. Jolson'.s 'Me and My Gal' gave way to a Gershwin cavalcade which should become standard with him. and which merits reprise on his own Tuesday night show. In fact, it's likely to become a classic routine with mammy singer, Mildred Chernoft, time seller at WPAR, Parkersburg. Pa., won a bunch of Camel cigarcts for a .soldier by answering correctly a question on 'Thanks for the Yanks' over CBS (26). She and Bob Hawks engaged in a quipping match. Miss ChernolT declaring that WPAR was 'the best 250-watt station in the country.' and Hawks asking 'how about the city?' She told the quizmaster that WPAR was a Columbia affiliate and carried his program. This softened Hawks, who inquired whether Miss Chernoft sold spot announcements. 'Programs, too,' she replied, adding, in answer to another query, that 'business is good.' Quizees plugged their businesses and those of their employers so strongly on this particular broadcast that Hawks remarked. 'To think I was on sustaining so long.' 'Vic and Sade' had an intensely touching surprise tag on last Wednes- day's (23) episode. One of the rare times that author Paul Rhymer ven- tures from character comedy writing, it made brilliant u.se of pathos, but set up the punch finale by artful iise of repetition and near-hysteria. Point of the sketch was that Sadie realized she has to wear glasses, which she recognized as a sign of old age. As usual, it was artfully played, particu- larly by Bernardine Flynii as Sadie. 'Against the Storm' was an afTect- ing show Wednesday (23), bringing most of the lead character.'? into the emotional dramatic episode and pointing up some eloquent war themes. Thursday's chapter of tl;« same serial contained a glowing pra.ver by Uncle Eric, the yarns Danish pastor (played in real life b.v a Danish-born pastor), and ended with a unique farewell me.ssage from everyone connected with the show, including cast, director Axel Gruen- berg, announcer Richard Stark and co-authors Sandra and Gerda Mi- chael. As the program was going off the air with the succeeding (lay's broadcast, it was a dignified, moving note. 'Vouni; Dr. Malone' unfolded soma tense seagoing melodrama Wednes- day (23), a leg-amputation performed aboard a disabled freighter and a character named Daisy murmuring a barely audible prayer for all boys on the briney. Commercial copy made purchase of Post Bran flakes .sound like a contribution toward winning the war, Kay Kyser was dynamic, as usual, last Wednesday night (23). In addi- tion, the Christmas stuff by a choir from the troupe was a nice touch. Kyser's closing plea to the listeners to avoid giving away war information was a wallop. Jack Benny and Fred Allen made it a neat field Sunday night (27). the latter guesting on Benny's .show and Dennis Day reversing on the Allen program. The score favored Allen, especially the devasUtlng ribbing on Benny's alleged penuriousness.