Variety (May 1946)

M MAIM Wednesday, May 15, 1946 From the Production Centres j ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦I««♦«♦♦♦♦«♦ ♦ ♦♦ ^ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦» 17V /VEr YORK CITY ... Mure Blitzstein's "Airborne" Symphony, which had its world premiere in N. Y. lust month, will highlight the NBC Symphony Orchestra broadcast May 2t>. with Leonard Bernstein conducting.. . .Frank Zuzulo, Mutual trade press head, out 10 days with strep throat... .Draper Lewis now Writing CBS' "Matinee At Meadowbrook," on which he was scriptcr before going into service-.-.. .Bill Zuckerl. now playing in "Myrt and Marge" and "This Is Your FBI". .. .Cy Harriee. e.\-Chi announcer, now 'in N. Y; announcing , RCA-Victor show. "Quick As a Flash" and Borden's "County Fair" Hank Booraom is producer, and Lou Quihn and Aaron Rubin scripters. on ABC's "Stairway to the Stars"... Jack Barry given - three' shows in two weeks at WOR-Mutual to emcee, in addition to. regular announcing chores. "Daily Dilemmas." "Man on the Street" and "Juvenile Jury." Mike gabions leaving Mutual, publicity dept. 'today (Wed. > to report Fri. t<i Ft. Dix for Army induction. . . .KFEQ. SI. Josephs. Mo., joins Mutual today (IS i... "Tom Mix" serial iMBS> picked as year's outstanding net- work children's program by Chi Federated Ad Club last week. .. .Mutual will broadcast a special one-shot next Wed. (22) from Nat'l Press Club. Washington, as part of Food For Freedom Conference presided over-by. Henry Morgenthau. Jr.: when F. H, La Guardia and Sir John Orr wiil speak. • Is Helen Hokinson. New Yorker mag's delineator of the femmc-not-so- bcauliful. really a fan of NBC's "When a Girl Marries." or is she preparing to use that afternoon serial as the jumping off place for some sutirization? Al any rate she showed up at one ot "Girl's" broadcasts last week and asked for admission. Writer Elaine Carrington happened to be there and got Miss Hokinson through WWRRL has a hew promotion tie-in with two Long Island newspaper chains. .. ,Ed Wright, formerly featured on the CBS "Cimarron Tavern." now director of drama at Denison University. Granvifle. -O Frank. Roth will do a three-times-'a-weoU remote for WOR-Mutual. beginning June 1. from the Rialto Ballroom. N: Y.. where his orch is featured... Guesting on Elsa Maxwell's WLIB show tonighl (l.)> will be Dorothy Lewis.- NAB vecpee and coordinator of listening activities for the organization. Boyd Crawford and Cathlecn Cordell added to "Stella Dallas"..I.Rupert LaBellc new to "Backstage Wife"... serial "Lora Lawton" starts fourth year on NBC May 31 Hal Halpern now oh WNEW publicity and special events staff under Will Yolen. He's recently out of Navy and before thBt wa> with WNYC and Earle Ferris. . . .Eddie Duchin and Norm Blackburn came in from the CoaM Sunday with 'plans understood to concern a .-Tommy Dorsf.v show for the summer as replacement for the Fred Allen show.... CBS' Sunday afteroou "Workshop" starts Tour full-hour stanzas, May 2G, for production of ploys by London's "Old Vic" company. With the New York Philharmonic Symphony olf fov the season. "Workshop" will take the hour from 3 to 4 p.m. "Vic" troupe will do. in succession. Henry IV, Part I; Henry IV, Part II: Peer Gynl, and Richard III Arch Obolcr's nixing of a Biow agency bid for revival ot the "Lighls Out" show, as re- porled last week, could have referred only to his own scripts. NBC owns title wholly, and completely... .With Donald Buka lined up for the lead, starting June 1. CBS' "Grand Central Station" is making a strong bid for freelancers'scripts to hypo show further. Mrs. John', McNeil, wife of WJZ manager, is seriously ill... .Kevin Ken- nedy. WNYC announcer recently out of the Army, married last Saturday (ill.16 Miss Rita Hanlcy Earl Mullin. chief of ABC Hackery, sunning self for a week in Bermuda ...United Nations radio liaison chief. Chris- topher. Cross, addressing Detroit's Students United Nations Conference to- morrow (Thursday).. . .WEAF's co-op gabber. Robert St. John, will do his broadcast from Carnegie Hall on May 2!). in observance ot his 1.000th broad- cast! Among 2.000 invited guests will be personalities whose careers he has described on his show... .Gene Kraemer back in New York after two and a-.lialf months' swing around country' for Jos. Kalz agency....Ed King new addition to NBC production stall', succeeding Ross Fillion. who re- signed, King takes over Colgale-Bill Stern airer as initial assignment. Henry Morgan will come out. of his wasp's nest over at ABC"Friday to apply a serious sling to WlIN's "Commentators' Round Table." "Our Attitude Toward the Soviet Union" is the topic chosen for discussion by Sidney Walton, moderator ot program. IN HOLLYWOOD . . . for more advertisers numbered 153 in the year 1945 (not including net- work). 114 of them (74.5%) had used WLS in previous years. They knew from experience just what they were buying—and they came back for more because WLS GETS RESULTS! 890 KILOCYCLES 50,000 WATTS | ■AMERICAN AFFILIATE Represented by JOHN BLAIR A COMPANY j i I i ■ Jean Hersholt hauls his "Dr. Christian" series to Golllani for six weeks after May 15 broadcast. Neil Reagan, producer, goes on vacation . instead .of joining annual eastern trek of show. ...Chel Lauck, the" "Lum" Willi "A-bner" turns news commentator May 19' with regular live-minute spiel on' Saturdays, at 4 p.m. over ABC...Don Clark, production-' chief- ot BBD&-0. and his talent buyer. Harry Mayn.ard. go east for homeolTice confabs. May 31... .ABC's quarter-hour, "Retribution." spreads to half- hour on June. 4. and slides to Tuesday night niche... .Petri Wines has purchased "The Bookcase of Gregory Hood" as suinmereplacer for "Sher- lock Holmes'-on Mutual, effective June 3. Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green. "Sherlock"-writers, si-ripl newcomer.... Dick Haymes CBS airsho.w for Auto-lite shuttles from Saturday to Thursday night slot on June 6 to oppose Kraft sumnieruckus on NBC.. . .Thomas S. Lee. prexy of Don Lee net. lias, entered a car in 500-mile. Indianapolis spin, May 3.0. Web exec has invested $15,000 in Alpha Romeo. Italian car... .Joe Slauffe.r, N. W. Aver agency's radio production head, in from east. He visits Frisco before returning home, following conferences with Herb Sanford. local rep. Walter Craig. Benton &. Bowles radio v-p. cancelled Chi trip to audition "Seven Star Theatre" for American Railroad Assn., following receipt of wire from prospective sponsors who chilled due to coal strike. He heads New'York-ward now.... Lee "Cooley. Rulhrauff & Ryan's director of day- time radio, in from New York for huddles on June 1 preem of "Surprise Party." audience participalioner m.c.'d by Slu Wilson, for American Home Products. Slays week ironing other summereplacemenls set by agency.... Scaly Mattress Co. hired Alvin Wilder, news analyst, for ABC Pacific net quarter-hour every Wednesday.;. Norman Blackburn, office manager of J. Walter Thompson., oil' to ,New York for homeoffice gabfest on summer shows. . .-.ClilT Arqueltc exits'Procter A: Gamble's "Glamour Manor", on June 23 alter Iwo years. Benton & Bowles is hunting suitable comic re- placement when show resumes in fall 'under Ken Burton, now producer replacing Tom MrDcrmntt. .Ernie Martin, director of network programs for CBS here, bad; rust, after live days or confabs wilh Bill Robson. Charlie Vanda and Don Thornbursh, western v-p. anent summer shows. He-returns here in July permanently. Ed Buckalew. station-relations field manager for CBS Pacific slope, off on four unaffiliates until May 20....NBC employees get three instead of two weeks annual vacash now. taking an exlra week subsequent to regular fortnight. Service leave considered active duly for such absentees who would normally qualify under 10-year employment proviso... .Ted and Dorothy Thackrcy. owners of KYA. Frisco. Kl.AC. Hollywood. New York Post and WLIB, New York, due in May 19 for video hearings... .Russ Johns- ton, radio v-p ,of. McCann-Erickson. arrived May 13 rrom east for special handling of Raymond Masscy's piped participation in regular "Harvest of Stars" program on NBC. Star airs from Warner lot where he works in "The Secret" from May 19 on for couple of weeks... .Bill Ryan. g.m. of KFI. Cat Smith, manager of KFAC. and J. Frank Burke, owner of KFVD, in from Washington, clear channel clambake. May 13,.;.Paul Franklin, prexy ol Radio Directors Guild here, en route to New York for conferences with heads of-New York and Chi radio haniasler groups.. . .Major Frank Caprara. director of South African Broadcasting Corp.. Ltd., en route to U. S. and Canada for industry looksee. .. .There's an NBC dictum on mugging Der Bingle that prohibits photos when he's sans chapeau.... C'hcsser M. Campbell, director of Mutual, back to Chi after week here wilh Lewis Allen Weiss. Coast v-p of Mutual and g.m. of KH.T. 'Director of advertising lor Tribune, he was studying Don Lee's television and FM plans and operations Robert V. Brown appointed assistant program manager of NBC's western division. Effective May 13 former writer and producer assists Lewis S. Frost.... Dick Gilbert, erstwhile Variktv mugg-snd former disc jockey wilh WHN. New York, visiting here on combo vacalion-biisinrss trip. and. looking cookie conductor chore on local .indie. World's record for the number of ulcers gathered around one table was set last week when most ot the radio gagmen in I own got together at the Brown Derby to shower fellow-sufferer Al Lewis. Occasion was receipt or a fluoroscopic report that Lewis' wire, Bernice, will present him with a double-yokcr next month. IN CHICAGO ... Harry J(opr. former NBC central division vcepee now general sales head for the web. is seriously ill in Roosevelt hospital, New. York, following a heart attack....Don McNeill and "Breakfast Club" functioning, on-regular basis again with elevators running, after using studio people and Mer- chandise Marl tenants as auds for the show Herb Fulran ftnallv out of hospital, for good... .Howard Ketling and R«s Met/.ger, Ruthrauff 4- Rvan radio bosses, to California for. arrangements- on Gene Autrv switch to full half-hour. Ceneral Mills Hour.characters have had between 250 and 500 inquiries for their apartments and some haven't even made definite plans to leave Ken Pettus. former NBC newscaster who was dropped from "Stars and Stripes' staff by Army Tor alleged "disloyalty" following editorial'protests against Japanese bigwigs in AMG, back in Chi weighing job offers... .Wil- liam L. Wallace into John Pearson radio reps as midwest sales manager WGN running series ot spot announcements"on ils own to have home own- ers and apartment dwellers, conserve electricity... General Mills renewed four ABC daytime airers: "Betty Crocker," "Hymns of All Churche<" "Jack Armstrong." "Lone Ranger." Bill Koblenzer. midwest MC'A radio booker, currentlv in New York fol- lowing the death of his mother,...Don Dowd,; "Breakfast Club" announcer on vacation and replaced temporarily by Norm Gollschalk Ed Borroff back to Cln....Carolyn Gilbert sick wilh llu and out ot her radio shows lor a while. ;.WSBC. foreign language outlet; skedded to give over entire operating time on Flag Day. June 14. to Army for recruiting drive in which appeals will be made on Bohemian. Polish, German. Jewish Italian Slovak and Negro programs. ;. .Donald Crisp has cut an album of llenrv Wads- worth Longfellow poetry for Decca which is due Tor release in lale May Guy Lombardo currently experimenting with a jet propelled speedboat for gold cup races in Detroit... .Goldwyn Girls guested on "Breakfast Club- Monday < 13..... Mutual outlet WIIBF. Rock Island, added four vets to staff last week: Bill Pannell and John O'Donnell as announcers: Frank Krone on sales staff: and Bill Smirnoff on the news staff... Huss Brown resigned from CBS and now freelancing... .Marilou Neumayer olf to New York Tor a quickie. WCAU Continued from page □ large slice of WCAU owned bv the Levys relative. William Palev. chair, man of the CBS board. Those in the know say that Stern hasn't the kind of money needed to buy WCAU, even with 'the help or money from the Lit department story family to which he is related Stern's newspapers—Phila. Record and Camden Courier & Post—have good circulation, but the big money- makers in the Sicrn chain have been I he smalltown Camden properties The Record and the two Camden papers have a total claimed dailv cir- culation of 359. 304. and a " total claimed Sunday circulation of 001- 10U. Whereas the Philadelphia [,]. quirer. Stern's toughest rival, has a daily turnover'of 575.840 with Sun- days circulation at 1.105.210. Move, therefore, is interpreted as one whereby the Levys. wilh Paley in the background, have really takeii over the Stern properties. Bnl hi order not to offend the FCC. and in view pf. the fact that 'the FCC is already looking into CBS' ownership of too'many stations—a switch was effected, with Slern becoming the purchaser. In any event. Philadelphia radio is now preponderantly newspaper- owned, with the powerful Inquirer owning WFIL, and the Evening Bul- letin owning WPEN, Each of the three is expected to invest heavily in a "radio city"—and there are sur* to be three such "cities." each ad- joining the newspaper' properly. St. Louis—Alex Buchan now with KMOX conducting a five-day-a-■ week sports program. /QJVittffS for OKLAHOMA NATURAL OAS COMPANY Jati* tMMll it given earu blanch* an htr dolly program "Women'i World" to serve rh* varied and timely Interest* of women listeners. Several national citations and an upper Hooperating attest to her popularity and the |eb she li doing for her sponsor. BUI LOS SHO WS ^- WITH THE S£NSE OF SELL