Variety (Mar 1945)

WedamcUy, March 14, 1«4S Wiley Eyes Sorties into St Loo, Del Chicago. Match 13. Fletcher Wiley's Housewives Pro- tective League will soon be set up in the St. Louis and Detroit markets, according to Paul Gibson, who han- dles the Wiley project here. Audi- tions are currently being held for two new voices to conduct the pro- • grams ■ in these territories which, ■when started, will give Wiley par- ticipation programs in five major 'markets. In addition a series' of open end transcriptions are contem- plated for other areas. Strength of the Wiley operation is gauged by fact that Ihe Chicago op- eration is grossing better than S800.- 000 yearly with 24 sponsors using an hour.and 40 minutes a a.iy. Joan Brooks' Catalog Joan Brooks, who returns to her 11:15 p.m. cross-the-board spot on OBS next Mondity (19) has grabbed herself an initial 13-week catalo; of 85 unused standards through the simple expedient of "saluting'' a ■how biz personality nightly via their "signatures." Fact that tunes have been so closely Identified with individuals have virtually given them an "ex- clusive." Mitch Grayson to Blue; Directs'1 Foot in Heaven' Mitchell Grayson, producer of the "New World a'Comln,'" racial amity stanza put on weekly by WMCA. New York indie, has Joined the Blue's full-time production staff. Initially, Grayson has been put in charge as director of Blue's Sunday night (10:30) sustainer. "One Foot in Heaven." In addition, he will do other staff chores for the network. Grayson continues producing and di- recting "New World." More Resignations At McGillvra Chi Office Chicago. March 13:. Climaxing a long list of resigna- tions that have occurred over the past 10 years, ,a clean sweep of the local Jos. H. 'McGillvra office was made last week with the resigiia- tions of Jack Stewart, former man- ager, and Jack Kamsler. salesman. Stewart has.'already left the firm, with Kamsler following on March 31. James W. Le Baron has been brought in from the New York office to manage the local branch with McGillvra here for the next two weeks to personally supervise the employee changeovers. Pollock's Yellow Cab Pact Philadelphia. March 13. Ed Pollock. Evening Bulletin sports columnist, has besti signed for a weekly sports commentary on WCAU. Sponsor is Yellow Cab Co. : From the Production Centres Kir. Msrch»»<i»»e Se ™ ice Bri«. * Mwrt,M " !„, • rod • „spJ3: KU s nmehon- in adv.rtis.rsjn this "JJ^,, ^o,,, national ina. radio V*l Denver mar*"- — 17V NEW YORK CITY ... Talk in the trade has Ed Klauber, former exec veepee of CBS and now second in command of OWI in Washington, as altar-bound, with NBC prexy Niles Tramell also about to remarry. Latter is currently getting a Reno divorce.. . .Tony Leader, NBC producer; married Rosalind Palca last Sunday (11). and is honeymooning in Florida. She's the sister of Al Palca. pre-war writer for Bill Stern, now in the Army.-.. .Blevins Davis has taken an option on the stage play. ''A Joy Forever." written by Vincent McConnor, start writer in the CBS program writing division Baby daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Monroe Monday (12) in Harkness Pavilion. He's script editor in the CBS program writing division. Mother Is a Junior League executive. Mike Boscia, of the CBS press dept.. is moving over to WABC to head up the N. Y. outlet's press activities, succeeding "Dinty" D«yle, latter having been appointed director of new special events dept. .. .Arthur Henley now heat* writer on Sammy Kaye's Blue Friday oighter for Tangee... .Bob Stanton handling NBC-Gillette telecasts while Steve Ellis is subbing for Bill Cor um on the Mutual blow-by-blow accounts.. ..Ted Lawrence. WBYN program director, lining up a summer sports parade with outdoor boxing and Bushwicks ball games on the agenda.... ."48a!" CBS house organ, celebrating 2d anni.... .Alva Johnston preparing two-relay television series for Satevepost. .. .Mel Spiegel, of CBS press dept.. bedded lasl week with temperature of 103 Anthony Ross, of the CBS "Ma Perkins" show out of Chi, headed east [or appearance in Broadway legiter. "The .Glass Menagerie" Arnold ("The GoIdbergs r > Stang trekking to Coast lor film work and roles In "Blondie" and the Ozzie Nelson-Harriet Hilliard show Larry MacPhail. boss of the N. Y. Yankees, will guest on Bill Stern's sportcast for Colgate on NBC Friday, April 13 Ray Cabrera, ad man- ager for Arrid and Carter's Little Liver Pills..resigned last week, effective April I Ben Gross, Daily News radio columnist, heads for two-week Key West. Fla., vacation next Sunday (18)... .Dick Brill and Ralph defalk, original writers of "Glamor Manor." who came east with the show couple of months back from theCoasl. return to Hollywood this week and will .script the: stanza via remote control, just didn't like the climate.... Dorothy Bryant,, nat'l sec'y of Radio Writers Guild, who has been 111, Coastward for a rest this week. Joe Bigelow. who supervises the scripting, on' the Earl Wilson Sunday night Mutual show, scrams back to the Coast next week. He jiist re- turned east recently, cueing speculation on his redeparture... .John Reber. v.p. radio topper at JWT. goes to the Coast in April Hank Sylvern has resigned as musical director of WINS, due to pressure of outside work. Has held the post for nine years David X. Manners. One of the experts on WNEW's "Crime Quiz." is author of "Terror Panics the Crime Quiz" in one of the whodunit mags this month .'.. :T/3 Gene Emmet Clark, for- mer freelance writer-director in N. Y„ won second prize In National The- atre Conference's radio play competition for' setvlcemeo, with his verse- drama "The Plot To Tear the Statu* Down" Frank Richards, Mary Hunter, Jerry Macy and Andree Wallace join "David Herum" players.... Nell Harrison added to CBSerlal "The Romance of Helen Trent"... Bd Latimer and Luis Van Rooten join "Stella Dallas'* and "Young Wldder Brown" respectively ... .Sylvia Simms and Mandel Kramer cast on "Juat Plain Bill." Mac Shoub, Canadian radio writer, down from Montreal last week.... Stephen Fry of BBC back (com swiogaround through Texas... .Elaine Car- rington off for southern vacation... .Adele Seymour Is writing General Mills' "Light of the World'' serial (CBS) solo, following recent death of her sister and collaborator, Kathryn Seymour... .Dolph Martin in N. Y. from WEEI, Boston, accompanied by lft-year-old singer Ruth Casey and her mother for conferences apropos "Youth On Parade"... .Radio aotraaa Mary Hunter hot on trail of an idea-peddling deal to Hollywood... .Jury duty has taken CBS director John Becker from '"This Life Is Mine" with show's former director Marx Loeb to fill in temporarily. Loeb will pres- ently take on commercial "Doctor Malone" serial... .Julie Stevens did fcden on "This Life Is Mine" last week for several performances while Gertrude Warner got over the flu Molly Berg taking shots for that trip oversees. IN HOLLYWOOD . . . Richard Compton and his agency's radio director, Lewis THterton, in town for talks with Murray Bolen on the Arm's Coast originations. Also around are Procter & Gamble's Bill Ramsey and Gail Smith and Com Dion's Floyd Holm to And director to replace Herb Moss on TTrtith Or Conse- quences" Albert Sindllnger. of "Doc" Gallup's Audience Re s e a rch out- fit, in town to map new radio sampling adjunct with Jack Sayera. .. .Leigh Matteson. formerly with news services back east, joined NBC's news bureau ., .Evelyn Bigsby's radio gab stanza caught on with the Blue attar being denied time on Don Lee, which no like cross references on other webs' shows and people... Bob Hope to mike the Academy Awards proceedings over the Blue p«t Thursday night....Don Belding back from a month's visit at the New York and Chicago offices of Foote.-Cone & Belding..;. Blue has made an exception to lis policy against networking platters for Tom Breneman's "Breakfast .in Hollywood" excerpts. Now all that Is needed Is for the client lo buy the time Stanley Davis and Elon Packard have been replaced by Bob Phillips and Al Stnger as writers on the Antfrews Sisters' show....Phil Cohan will produce the four quarter-horir platters for Rexall on assignment by N. W. Ayer. On the discs will be Al Pearce, Cass Daley, Kenny Baker, Harlow Wilcox and Lud Gluskin's orch ....Charlie Vartda, who leaves the Army after three years with rating of Lieut. Col., returning to KNX-CBS production staff in an executive ca- pacity. He was thrice decorated while overseas with Office of Strategic Services Paul Warwick says he can't make it too emphatic that Pabst is entirely satisfied with the Danny Kaye show. . IN CHICAGO ... Ade Hult, Mutual network midwest sales chief, currently in New York for Mutual board meeting where he is slated to be made v.p. and general manager of central division.. ...Jimmy Parks playing around with the Idea of moving his office to the west coast.,. .Mort Jacobson of Johnny Neblett Productions leaving for the west coast this week to open Hollywood office for.Neblett... .Fairfax Cone, partner and midwest head of Foote, Cone * Belding. addressed; the-Northwestern University School of Journalism last week on how an ad agency should be run... .C. E. Hooper is opening a Chicago office March 16. Janet Widmer. from the survey outfit's New York office, will head it up I. J. Wagner Olian ad agency v.p. has checked out of the hospital after a long siege and is recuperating at home. Ed Kobak, prexy of Mutual, in town last week for a series of pep talks with local Mutual staffers plus an overnight trip lo Omaha to address the* ad club there..: .Robert Graham. NBC central division sound effects man, was'inducted into Army last week. .. .Larry Taylor, WJJD pianist, was proud pappy of a baby girl last week... .Julian Bentley, WLS newa editor, leaving for an overseas assignment this week. Stint will Involve a new series of transcribed programs to be. made in the combat zones.., .AFRA moving front.*the 540 N.' Michigan building to the 203 N. Wabash building this week... .After more than two months'of negotiating Don McNeill finally Inked a five-year contract wi.th the Blue network'. Mac Schoenfeld handled deal for Blue....Karl Sutphin was officially appointed sales pro- motion manager of Blue central division last week, replacing .Mike Huber, Who Is now ad manager of the Blue with offices in New York.. Charley Irving replaces inductee Bob Murphey as announcer on the NBC "Voice of the Dairy Farmer" show this week. Gregg Donovan Inherits his "Woman in White" announcing stint.,. .Latest rumor on the Blue Net- work's moving plans are that they are signing a lease to take over space In the Civic Opera bitflcHni;.. .Peter Cuvallo, NBC director in central division, resigned March 1 to do freelance producing and directing. NEBLETT 'NAME' DISCS WITH 1-MINUTE PLUGS Chicago, Maroh 18, Unique new series of open end transcriptions, with only one minute available for commercial plugs, is being readied by Johnny Neblett Production*. Programs, which will carry interviews with world famous personalities, will be offered to class department stores and banks. Gimmick on the extremely short commercials is Neblett's belief that few if any big names would be will- ing to allow their names to be tied up with a record that would plug bargain basement specials and the like, whereas they can easily be in- duced to go along with an Institu- tional type of commercial. Series will be based upon format of "Distinguished Guest Hour," cur- rently aired over WGN. Show, which has been on -the air for two years, has featured such names as Jan Struther, Sister Elizabeth Kenny, Cecil Roberts, Will Duranl. Burton Holmes and Dr. Stephen Wise. - Deal for transcribing the series was made by Neblett with Frank McClure, of the Smith, Benson & McClure agency, which owns the rights. ACTIVE SALT LAKB IT on. of th. biaVat it as a radio