Variety (Jul 1946)

32 RABIO Wednesday, July 31, 1946 Radio Reviews Continued from page 2C in with plenty of ups tnd downs the value of the performances. As cniccc during the lust half of Hie broadcast. Milton Bcrlc pushed the show olT at a Rood clip. Even though most of his sags were cob- webby. Berle's savvy in front of a mike stood him in (jood stead. He brought on Andy Russell, to the de- lighted squeals of the* on-looking bobby-sockcis, and the crooner did his bit with "Laughing on" the' Out- side." Ted Mossman, w.k. lyric writer, followed . with a couple of keyboard solos on "Till the End ot Time" and . "Full Moon and Empty Arms." Vickie Richards. ■ from the Copacabana, curtsied with some sock warbling of "In Love in Vain" and. at Berle's behest, a fragment of "An Irish Lullaby." Midway, Earl Wilson replaced Berle as emcee, but not before both o'f them exchanged a tight mutual admiration hug. Latter part of the show slumped badly, with lots of lime-consuming gab and a n.s.g. grade .of music by Mahnie Hccklin's orch. Vic ~ Perry, British vaude star, explained the jargon of the underworld in a- fairly, interesting bit; and David Brooks, from Cafe Society, wound up the gucstar pa- rade with sturdy baritonihg of "All Through the Day" and "Sleepv Time Gal." " ADELE CLABK With Jack Kelly orch, Gene Klrby Announcer Producer: Howard Williams Writer: Fred Helder . 15 Mins.; Sat., 11:45 ajn. Sustaining WJZ-ABC, N. T. This 15-minute song session Adele Clark is another vocal time filler which serves the valuable by cause of presenting new talent. Miss Clark shows accomplishment at projection with a set of. low-pitched pipes, but still has much to learn ih imparting, warmth and color to her numbers. She might have fared bet- ter if station had provided her with full orchestral background so that her session could be endowed with fuller richness, but piano and guitar accomp isn't sufficient for that pur- pose. Miss Clark is equally capable at a rhythm tune or ballad and, once she develops more song savvy,, she could be an asset to a program. But. at the moment she's not ready to hold up a 15-minute stanza on her own. Jose. ♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦»»♦♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦ rounding the halfway mark Our stations tell us hap- pily of the plus signs in their ledgers as they round the halfway mark this year. Put Weed and Company's staff of seven teen men to work and watch, the plus, signs multiply. MDII STATIIN REPRESENTATIVES Now Ytrk • ItttM • CMcan • Mtoata • SMFrMdm •'IMtfiMl I Followup Comment! ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ +v.«-»+-»»-»-»+-» "Mr. District Attorney's" mid- summer mopup of miscreants is as vigorous as ever. Show's wallop was felt again on last Wednesday's stanza. Half-hour session unfolded within a well-defined melodramatic frame, but the quality of patness was avoided by a consistently adult treatment of story material. For this, nods are owed to producer Ed. Byron and scripter Bob Shaw; The case of "Everything But Love", was a sharp glimpse into the moral decay of the ultra-rich smart set. Plot revolved around the crack- ing of a "perfect crime" perpetrated by a spoiled young kid.' Pathological overtones were sounded in the kid's attempt to implicate his mother; who is on the make for another married man. Theme cued a bitter denunciation of parental neglect, whether by the rich or poor, as the prime cause for juvenile delin- quency. Jay Jostyn handled the sleuthing and the sermonizing in his usual sock manner, with the rest of the cast backing up solidly. *T Georgia Gibbs, pinch-hitting on the Tony Martin show while Martin is in the hospital (Saturday, CBS), had Johnny Mercer as guestar on the July 27 stanza and the regular team of Al Sack's orch and two vocal groups backing up.- The session breezed through an entertaining half-hour of straight music. Plugs for Evening in Paris, the bankroUer w , er ,?. J3 ice 'y handled by Jimmy Wallington, who smoothly slid them in on the tailend of some palatable gagging byplay. Miss Gibbs knows how to caress a pop tune with a hot jazzique touch. She gave sock solos of "It's Deli- cious/' "Stormy Weather," and "See You in My Dreams" plus a cute duet with Mercer on "Doin' What Comes Naturlly." Mercer worked over •My Sugar Is So Refined'' and Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe'' in his clipped, dry style. Support- ing turns by the orch and vocal groups were delivered brightly. CBS MAY AIR 'MITTY' BOOK AS SERIAL IN FALL Among the possibilities for new programming on CBS for next fall is a serialization of James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." It's only in vhe "mulling" stage, al- though the "Mitty" package has ac- tually been assigned to Cy Howard for possible production if it mate- rializes. Samuel Goldwyn is filming "Mitty" with Danny Kaye. and one stumbling block may be Goldwyn's unwilling- ness to let the book go on the air before his pic is released. Slight Oversight In the Aug. issue of Ameri- can Mercury mag, Charles A. Siepmann has an article, "Storm in the Radio World," in which he ■ ■summarizes the conclusions of the FCC Blue Book, reprises some of the Blue Book's facts, and indicts the radio industry's counterblasts. Siepmann inters that it's time the listening pub- lic too—not only the radio in- dustry—had been heard from on the controversy* The trade has noticed one point which Siepmann (or the , Mercury).fails to qualify in con- nection .with the article. Siep- mann is identified as the writer of "Radio's; Second Chance." as professor of education al New York University, and as an erst- while official of BBC. He is not identified as the author of the FCC Blue Book itself. KID QUIZZER WOULD GIVE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE Book of Knowledge, kid ency- clopedia, is trying to tie in with one of the major webs for a juve quiz show based on its contents. Format would include a weekly prize of a set of the B. of K. to the youngster posing the best questions, in much the same manner that the adult 'Information Please' gives away Encyclopedia. Brittanicas. Sen. FCC Probe Continued from page 25 , RECORDING • MOTION PICTURES • RECORDING • MOTION PICTURES American Civil . .ibcrties Union. Latter has taken the oll'ensivc by mailing to the trade and to many private individuals a new statement answering point-by-point the major criticisms voiced by "industry spokesmen." Without naming the National Assn. of Broadcasters, whose officials have carried the torch against the Book, the ACLU mail campaign is ob- viously aimed at the NAB, perhaps in . preparation for whatever anti- FCC steps may be planned by NAB execs for .-the association's forth- coming convention. The ACLU mail piece also in- cludes reprints of two Congressional Record inserts made by Rep. An- drew J. Biemiller, (Wis.). One of the inserts reproduces the ACLU radio committee's formal resolution supporting the book. The other re- prints the -speech favoring the Book made June 1 on CBS by former Asst. U. S. Attorney General Thur- man Arnold. But it's the committee's marshal- ing of the arguments by the "indus- try spokesmen," and its own an- swers, which has attracted attention. Listing nine "industry" objections, the pamphlet answers them suc- cinctly. Some of the answeis (im- plying the objections) are: The commission's authority and obligation to fix standards is clear under the law. "The standards fixed merely spell out the commission's concept of public interest." Fixing of the proportionate char- acter of programs does not violate the first amendment of the Consti- tution (which prohibits Congress from passing any law abridging freedom of speech). "Freedom of speech (through the Blue Book) . . . is encouraged; the standards fixed provide for more speech, not less— ar.d more in the public interest." These standards do not constitute censorship, which could be resisted in the courts under clear Congres- sional proviso. Reference of the objectors to FM radio and facsimile or television in- volves an "academic" viewpoint. Insistence that . "the present sys- tem is working well" disregards "the volume of complaints of the overcommercializati-n of radio." The industry itself has not done any self-policing. "Nothing was done in view of the industry's promises. The FCC standards are preferable to re- quirements in law which would be inelastic." CINEMART offers you- S • Hours suited to your coovoirionci . ■ • Ont of thi lariost stiilot.lo Jew Yorl. • Hifhly axperJencad tachalcal staff '.5 ?' • Foster service and deliveries 2 3 Phone us today: PLaza 3-9)72 S CINEMART 101 Park Avenue • New York 16, NY. At Paris Parley Initial roll-call for the 21-nation Peace Conference convoked in Paris Monday (29) found the four major webs solidly stanced for full over- seas coverage of the sessions. Team- ing up with batteries of special news- handlers sent over from the U. S., regular network correspondents from the major European centers con- verged on the French capital over last weekend to blanket all phases of the parleys. From specially equipped booths in the conference hall, newsmen are beaming to dialers here a steady stream of straight factual reports, analytic commentaries, and inter- views with the leading diplomatists oh hand for the negotiations. In ad- dition/program schedules have been opened for imemdiate airing of any standout developments. Spielers for the ABC net include F. H, LaGuardia, UNRRA director general, who is doubling as commen tator while making an official in- spection trip for the relief ageney. Other commentators for ABC are Bella Spewack, currently in Europe to-deliver a series of special reports on famine conditions; and Drew Pearson. ABC's Paris correspondent, Jack Hooley, is handling spot news coverage of the event. Covering the negotiations for the NBC net are Henry Cassidy, net- work's European director; Merril Mueller, from London; Max Jordan, Switzerland; Roy Porter, Nurnberg; and Paul Archinard, Paris. William F. Brooks, NBC's veepee in charge of news and international relations, is currently in Paris to head up the bureau.. CBS's newgathering roster In Paris is topped by William S. Shirer and Howard K. Smith, European news chief for the web. Other com- mentators being heard are Don Pryor, regular Paris correspondent; Larry LeSueur, Washington, and Stephen Laird, who was recently added to CBS's overseas staff to coyer Germany , and the Balkans. On tap for WOR at the peace con- clave are Phil Cunningham from the U. S.; James Wellard, Rome corre- spondent; David Perlman, Paris; and Arthur Gaeth, Mutual's roving cor- respondent in-Europe, whose last as signment was the Mikhailovitch trial in Jugoslavia.- Anthony Turns Down WOR Bid for Social Agcy. Plug On Airer; Alexander OK's WOR, Mutual's N.Y. flagship, has psked John J. Anthony and A. L. Alexander, latter the moderator of Alexander's Mediation Board, to in- sert in their programs an announce- ment pointing out to participants and listeners ' that in their , respective communities there are social agen- cies available to. help on certain so- cial, health or medical problems. Alexander has consented to insert the announcement, but not Anthony. Both programs are heard over the Mutual net, Anthony on a ftve-day- a-week schedule, and Alexander Sunday nights coast-to-coast. They have been targets for constant criti- cism from social agencies and -work- ers for years. NCAC Expanding On Radio Activities Expansion of its radio activities is seen as chief result of. the re- shuffling of departments at National Concert and Artists Corp. last week. The old line between short and longhair depts. has been dissolved, and the so-called popular division abolished. NCAC is now set up. to operate departmental-wise as fol- lows, under its various dept. heads: Radio. Alfred H. Morton; legit, Sylvia Hahlo; concert, Marks Le- vine; opera and foreign, _ Gerard Semon; films, Miss Hahlo, Joseph Barnett, Charles Facer; Civic Con- certs; O, O. Boltorf; lectures and special attractions, Selma Warlick. The N. Y. radio sales dept. has been strengthened by a seven-man staff, and Hollywood branch's radio dept. has also been strengthened with three salesmen! . CAP WIREWAX SETS EYE ON PACKAGE AIR SHOWS Capitol Transcriptions will take an expected step in invading the radio package show field. Though now primarily interested in and plenty busy with its musical library, the new transcriber's laying the groundwork for expansion into tai- lored ether productions on platters. The plan will be green-lighted when Its basic library is completed. Attempt is being made to Build batch of-3,000 selections before the Ameri- can Federation of Musicians steps in '• With . its * anticipated demands. Therefore, all work is being rushed now to' insure a maximum if and when AFM cracks down. ■ It's likely that the talent rosters of both Capitol Records and the electrified subsid will be used as the nucleus of the new venture. Largely musical, the personalities will prob- ably be fitted Into variety packages. Usual drawback and bugaboo of very necessary sales outlets is already eliminated via Cap's disk- distribu- tion and functioning library forces. Films Force Dale Evans Out of Fall Durante Show Dale Evans, chirper on the Jimmy Durante show over the CBS web last season, won't be aboard when the program resumes Sept, 13, due to a conflict with her picture com- mitments for Republic. Replacement for the songstress is being sought by N. W. Ayer, agency for United Rexall. Mema On! ! ELOISE KUMMER CLARE LAWRENCE In "THE GUIDING LIGHT" ANNHOWE .r- la "JOE PALOOKA" ■ PrMi RapretMtetlvM DUTTON-LIPPOLD Is There —a capable young woman able to serve as secretary and general assistant to a leading package producer? The requirements are stringent, but the compensation and benefits are commensurate. The individual desired must be familiar with all phases of radio production and be sufficiently creative to assist in the editorial preparation of scripts for broadcast. All replies from those presently em- ployed will be held in strictest confidence. Write, stating background and capabilities. ■ox 740. VARIETY 154 W«tt 46th StrMt. Ntw York If. N. Y.