Variety (Jul 1944)

241 RADIO REVIEWS Wednesday, July 12, 19it "\ MAX NAMED X" With Herbert Marshall. I.urene Tiittle. Ham. Conried, Cy Kendall Mystery ■ rinducer: William X. Robson Writer: Stephen Lousstreet SO Mills.. Mon.; 9:;S0 ».«•• LOCKHEED WABC-CBS, New York iFoote. Cow & BelfJiiia 1 New Lockheed show,; Successor '"to its -"America—Ceiling'* Unlimited.'' which recently, bowed ..off. occupies the last half-hour of >the time va- r>^ti>a fry-Lair Radio Theatre on CBS. Wiien latter show returns in Septem- ber. "A Man Named X'- moves over to the Blue network.. As it shaded ■up on Monday's (101 initial mystery dramatization, there's .little; likeli- hood of the. Lux program losing;'H» follower*, •X." starring Herbert Marshall as an American Intelligence .operative, lacked, for one thing, the first requi- site -of a thrilleiv-rsuspense. Story, adapted from a- Stephen Longstree! novel tLdngsti'eet is scripting 'the series), was unravelled in a series of short flashes, mainly telephone con- versations, connected by a lew bars of standard dramatic thriller music. The intrigue was never -sufficiently involved to sustain interest, and the dialog; particularly the lines assigned to Marshall., were tired, interspersed with obvious attempts at li'tra-suave sophistication, . Basically, the fault wasn't Mar- shall's, for the Vet .film actor turned in -.his " usual smooth performance. Rather! the "blame lay with the pool- adaptation and the script's shoricoin- ings were by no means, overcome by , the production. -.-;.,. - ■'! Commercials were grooved, per usual, along Lockheed institutional lines, pointing tip the job the,com- pany's men and women' are doing, .-■;'■-.•> ■•-■:.■■:• -;■'■ Rose. "X1T WIT COURT" With Ransome Sherman, Arthur Q. Bryan, Mel Blaine, Sarah Ber- ner, Jimmy Dodd, Jack Ruse orchv Director: Dave Elton Writers: Harmon Alexander, ' Phil Cole, Ben Perry. David Kohnhorst, Ralph de Salvatore, Poot Pray 25 Mins.. Tues., *:S0 p.m. v BRISTOL-MYERS WJ/.-Btue, New-York (You no & R ii dim in) ■ ''Nit: Wit Court.'' starring Ransome Sherman as the judge presiding over a screwball triumvirate called a jury. 'fera ' s u bstantial t mrnroci' ' hiatus > urib -. stitute lor "Duffy's." Not. as all-ap- ne.iluig comically, as Us predecessor, but nevertheless having move than a -few originally concocted gag situa- sions. and also accompanied Jimmy Dodd. scat singer ala Johnny ''Scat" Davis, ii) the lone song latter de- livered, "'Sing For My Supper" in topflight fashion. Commercials were brief, sensible and in the usual good taste of Y&R showmanship. Stanza is strong enough to hold its own on one of the most highly-competilive evenings of the week. . Stcii: "COLLEGE OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE" "■'.' With Phi l Harris, Sull y Mason, Mer- wyn Bogne, Diane " TenfjileToir, Georgia Carroll, Don Leslie. .King Sisters •. ' ; Writers: Carl. Her/.iiigei', Paul Phil- ■ lips -■;':.;,y '■ "!'''•''.' Director-Producer, Tau'l Phillipit . BO Min«„ Wed.. 10-11 p.m. LUCKY STRIKE ■■*- ■-.'. yVF.AI-NBC, New York (fools. Cone & Bclcliny) -.! Phil Harris' longtime aihbition to fof- ^l^^t^ oi.the tions that score Format of the stanza is simple, but catchy. Bailiff re'ads 'a problem which the jury trio is .requested to comment' upon. Problems are tricky a lid -t'uivnv and the responses by , the iiihcrgnl. Arthur Q. Bryan, as Wil low who solves the quiz/.ers with, a lisp: Mcl Blanc, as Homblower. the blubbering, motoi - boatisii voiced' character: and Sarah Berner: as Bubbles Lowbridge. tbeH-!o! : -so. 1 sirinf.t .woman hiember of the trio, who talks too much. are. excellent., each m his 01; her own sphere There are six wnteis assigned to this , stanza. . Between ; them they turned out a fairly.auspicious tee-oft' script. Besides three puzzlers; of-' I fefe'd, including a dramatization bt one. because of .-its complicated as- | peets. a male member of the studio | audience was brought to the mike by Sherman for ;repartee anenf his idea of how Charles Boyer sounds to him: Musical group, led by Jack Rose, bridged the gaps between gab ses- loiig i'el comcdic end as he is in waving the :j baton I at least sa w. partial . fruition i last v^eek (fx. He has stepped into I Kay Kysei s spot on-the NBC ''Col- ' lege- of - Musical Knowledge" while Kyser goes overseas for eight weeks'! to .entertain GI The Minority Groups Criticism has been mounting in recent weeks over the unfavorable treatment accorded minority groups in the scripting of radio shows. It's pointed out that while radio continues to do a hangup job so far as point- ing the finger at the menace of fascism, the fact remains that "right in its own back yard" it has been condoning a condition that fosters intolerance and prejudice. ■' ■ , '.''■ ■;-.■.-• ;-'■'•' '..•''•'<'-.'. The tendency toward an overemphasis of the Yiddish idiom iff comedy , programs: the unfavorable light in which the Negro has been cast both through the medium of caricature and in the failure to depict.him as '•just another American guy out to win the war" are cited as illustrations of bad taste that have been creepiiig into air stanzas with regularity -through—foi GG-rOf^-habit.— - ' . ■ *. ■ ,' As a result of the criticism, there's been evidenced recently a growing consciousness by radio seripters to assert a more healthy influence over -the programs in remedying the situation. Single case in point was the script job treatment .-.for Milton Berle's "Let Yourself Go" last Tuesdav (41 in which the corriediau salvoed an ex-Harlem salesman killed, in the line of duly as a seaman. At , no; point did the sensitivity angle creep in: only by inference was there a suggestion that he tuns a Negro or any- thing but a . guy wholeheartedly sacrificing his life to lick the Axis! Similar evidence of dignified treatment has made itself manifest in the past couple of week's, with a number of radio writers pledging themselves to erase the stigma. At a time when there',, an ever-awakening consciousness of discrimina- tion projecting itself not only, in radio but in all media, of expression., such an awareness adds one more feather to the industry's cap. . Rose. "JUST BETWEEN YOU COWL" .■-.'■■...•■•■ 15 Mins., Monday to Friday; 1:15 p.m Sustaining' AND JANE several nighttime' network stanzas. tie also did some special-events and Aside I'r.oin Harris al the holm.'the I WOR-Mntiial, N. Y. In Kansas City news stanzas in good fashion, but not loo. outstanding. ■'- ':■■[ ■. ;.;,' ■v ■'['.'• Then came the;, war. Being a vet- lyyoiil stays the same, including Kv- i For. the past, .two seasons 'Jane i craivin radio. Hicks was sent over- lo seVs band arid soloists, and the pro- I Cowl has been' devoting much of her | London by the Blue to, head its news gram's policy geared for GI oilier- I Ume to the Stage Poor 1 Canteen and I bureau there, and to oversee combat iainmcnl. . Harris didn't lel.his fansTshe was introduced as being of the i coverage for the North African , and ciowr,. . The program! does::'! suil'or l governing board. , • .- | European Theatre of Operations. Oh in. switching from, the Rysei; to the 'j" Her . program, .forhiula is :.td chat !,U-Day he struck, oil Harris technique. . It Harris doesn't exactly stage star. For the startei' Monday j was attacked by eneiny planes. His (10) she had three topics, -"first of description, of, the attack, and, the show up topflight comedian..- the fault isn't his alone, for he's brought with him those same qualities that's -made him an integral, part ol . the Benny package. Rather, it's basically. the general pattern of. the hour-long quiz show bent on: catering to Ql's on the! hoihe base, where a laugh's a laugh without too much emphasis oh discriminatory scripting. . On the musical end. Of course. Harris con* infbrmany, on events of the day. with Hicks was on alanding barge head- occasional personal experiences as a ring", lor the Normandy shore, which which ; was comment on the Nazi robot bomb being dropped on Lon- don. ' It- may; seem like something gut. of Jiile Verne, ventured Mi.xs Cowl, but how about the people who are experiencing; the contraption? Yet "Mr claies there will be no retreat from London" and "not even the piloiless dramatic backgrourvd of sailors' voices ' in the heat of battle, combined to make one of the best airings to'come out of the war. Overnight, practic- ally.. Hicks'! name has become: i m- lafest Hitler i portant in the scheme of Things'in Churchill de- | .Continued oh page 30) • tinues to dish out his own brand of. bomb can destroy the fighting heart satisfying tunes. . of the British people." said the ac Lending an assist are. per usual. | tre. Sully Mason. Merwyn Bogue, Diane Templelon, Georgia Carroll and Don Leslie on the vocals, with the King Sisters as added assets on the initial Harris program. Rose. ng is to WHB SKYROCKET to SALES SUCCESS on WHB's program pop- ularity! 'Phone us for availabilities if you're considering spot programs or announcements in this booming market. "Ypur Mutual friend" is Kansas City's Dominant Daytime Station... delivering the "most listeners per dollar" through- out the western half of Missouri and the eastern third of Kansas. For availabilities, call DON DAVIS ,,• ;',' KANSAS CITY — Scorritl Building — HArrisbri 1161 ! NEW YORK CITY-507 Fifth Avtnu«-VAnderbilt 6-2550 CHICAGO — 333 North Michigan Blvd.— CENtrol 7980 HOUYWOOD-5855 Hollywood Blvd.-HOIIywood 6211 , KEY STATION for the KANSAS STATE NETWORK Kansas City .• ! Wichita •. Salina • Great-Bend •" Emporia Missouri Kansas Kansas Kansas Kansas "FANNIE HI RST PRESENTS" / With Fannie Hurst Drama Writer: Doris Halman Producer-Director: Eric Pinker Sat., 10 a.m., 30 Mins. BORDEN'S MILK WJZ-Bluc. New York (Young & /Rtibit'flm) Fannie Hurst's all-consuming pas- sion for the teeming.-earthy elemenls apparently remains undiminished. Miss Hurst is again selling, only this time by radio, that type of fiction which has become the shopgirls' by- word. Only this time add the word ' housewife."; Miss Hurst is boosting chocolate milk to the housewives.' And, presumably, selling; Borden's is the sponsor,, and the milk is rich and creamy, full of vita- mins: That's what the commercial implies, and maybe it's right. At any rate. Miss Hurst's story is likely to be so much skimmed milk for the sophisticates. But do sophisticates listen to the radio at 10 a.m.? Titled "Fannie Hurst Presents." this program introduces the novelist as an impressive, narrator of stories she has written and had dramatized for radio. The first, story on initial program was one about a country boy trapped into marriage. Actual- ly, he had wanted, oh. so much: to go. to sea. (Gad. how he had wanted to see Madagascar! I And so. years later, when his son by the enslaving wife -was', balked from going to sea. he schemed so that the boy could get. ■his wish and frustrate the selfish mother. .''•■ Knliii. Now that the presidential' .cam- paign is on. Miss Cowl mentioned her visits to the White House and especially a luncheon wilh the late President Coolidge there. Her curi- osity was aroused over one thing—- did the president's arm grow weary from shaking so many hands? For the final part of her starting show -Miss Cowl talked of our boys at .the. front and the experience of one doughboy under fire. Housewives should, like her. Ibee. 1 ST GEORGE HICKS 15 Mins., Tues. and Thins., 10:15 p:m. Sustaining ".'' ' W.I7.-Blue. New York George Hicks.is an easy-going fel- low who for . years broadcast des- criptions of sporting events over, the Blue network, especially golf, and handled the commercial chores on In The Billboard's recent poll to determine local sta- ,".'■' lions whose public rela- tions have been outstanding. WTAG ranked first in Central New England. Public relations as a branch of public service ha* helped to main- tarn WTAG's top rating in Listening Station Indexes. When you buy time, buy an audience from the INSIDE. WT AG WORCESTER ■-:-;.:. j/fay AcMtffS 4£' MONTHS, MARCH-APHIt/ 1944—KANSAS CITY HOOPER STATION LISTENING INDEX TOTAl COMCIOlNrAl. CAllS ~ THIJ PERIOD 14 P S8B INDEX 8-12 A.*. AFTERNOON INOEX momoav THMl OH. SliHiif* llill 6A Sratior 93 Station 1 "mm mm C i 17.5 Shrtion 17.0 Slaiipn 29.7 WHB 33.1 WHB 27.0 4.7 St»»ion 5.5 " ''4ii3t j "BOSTON BI.ACK1E" With Chester Morris, Richard I.ane, Harlow Wilcox,'announcer, others Writer: Ken Lyons ' I Director: Hon Clark Producer: Fred W. Ziv 1 Fridays, 10-10:li0 p. m. (EWT) R1NSO V-. ••'••■ " NBC-WEAF, New Yolk " iffi'.'/i/iiiii) <£- Rvaii) . This. Fred! Ziv package is'halt-hour tnelodrama sfahxa patterned after filni scries; starring Chester Morris in name role character from the film versions..and a welcome addition for listeners who go for this, brand of* inclos and whodunits. Stanza heard Friday night ("V car- ried on friendly feud between Farra- day and Blackie.- Safe has been ciac'kert and—fund* Of recent' benefit for servicemen's; canleeii have! been stolen.' When police arrive they find Shorty-, pill of Blackie.' out cold, and naturally suspect that Blackie was the.'robber. Latter is .apprehended and; asks time , to unravel mystery about theft and clear himself. He j filially.pins it"oh social register aunt of. gal in charge of benefit, who hi- | jacked 20Gs to pay off. a blackmailer. Fan'aday is disappointed and non- plussed,, and Blackie is free-to cavort in next week's stanza, Chester Morris gives, a good, ac- count as Blackie. Richard Lane gives good support as Farraday. Otiiers are equally good in respective roles. .... . Harlow Wilcox prefaces and shift ta.ils stanza .extolling'-.virtues of the sponsor's' product., ,:..'". f- Eddo. A BIGGIR W01lH« . | BASIC STATION. . . COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM G- A. Richards, Pret., John P. Pott, Vice Pre*. & Gen. Mgr. Edward Petry & Co., Notional Representative