Variety (Sep 1946)

S6 RADIO Wednesday, September 11, 1946 Radio Reviews s Conliniicd from page J4 i -ruling in a hurry End that shot iii the arm 'is a good w writer. Scviptors David Victor and Herb Little, Jr.. know their situation stuff; but- a f^ood .fijgster is definitely in order., and in a hurry. Blaiic 'also doubles in the role of •'Zooky," that would be the same staitimerint! blunder-boob "Private Sad Sack," he' played on "GI Journal" for the armed forces radio services during the war. He gave •it a lot of. stufE on the opener; in fact, too much stuff. Writers should follow the same luie set for them by Other shows on which Blanc appears, with his' triple-longue-trippings.: as- signed to just a few minutes of each show; otherwise "Zooky" will wear out his' welcome,. ■ ' Blanc, Is okay'as himself-^his first straight role! He's, owner of the' Fix-It shop, which'make^ for plenty . of, material to v'Ork on from here on in. Supportin;? players, all liand- picked by Rines, and showing it, did good jobs, too, especially Bea Bcna- daret in the Billie Burkc-ism, part oi the wealthy "Mrs, Longnecker." Plot had to do with an advertisina schefne for Blane s hew ' store, with "Zooky", his assistant,,: snafuing t,he parade by Sending candy 'with.';alum in it to at mailing list of ;'select 'clients. Possibility of building Blanc into a top-rating ether dra'w is definitely there. Golgate gave signs of recog- nizing that when they signed him up :ior five years. Brt ouch, that writ- ing job. JMifoe. '•LIFE OF RILElf' With William Bcndix, John Brown, Paula Winslowe, Sharon UoukIds, Dink Trout, Tommy Cook, hoii Kosloff or*h; .Ken Carpenter, an- nouncer Writers: Irving Brecher, .*lau l.ip- scott Producer; Don Bernaril 30 MiDS.; Sat., » p. m. niOCTER & GAMBLE WEAF-NBC, N. Y. (BtoiC) . Starting its fourth season, on tiie air,, "The Life of Riley" moved right into high gear as it re.?umey, Satur- dav liigbt,'(.7) for Procter & Gamble. It ig a niit.v'show and should readi!.y impro'v^e its previous healthy ratings if it ■continues in the same NBC spot. Under the circumstances, it's ob'viouSly a - clibice . promotional ve- hicle'and a shrewd, otitft't like P. & G. will certaihly hot rislc experi- rtientihg.with such a click setup. "The Life :0f. Riley" is a remark-, able combination of sound ihgredi-, ehts. At the Very. Outset, the title is not merely accurately descriptive, but is, felicitously suggestive of ease and enjoyment! The basic premise, ■situa'tion ,and characters , are simple and broad!. providing aiiiple story scope and uriivvrsalit.v of appeal. The writing, is direct and ingenious, and there is an excellent cast, headed by the star name of 'William Ben- dix. giving an engaging perform- ance. It all adds up to a natural. There was only one discordant ' script note in the season's premiere. ! That was when Riley, erroneously ; assuming he was being promoted i from riveter to assistant manager, I remarked that someday he'd take ' till' boss's job away from him. That : was not merely out of character for ' the essentially likable Riloy and his ■ kindly family, but tended to dispel svhipathy by making him upp^'«r as • a', conniver. and ingrate. Otliorwise,.. the writing was wise and adrpit. /■achieving an ehtertainiug bleiid .oC | "M.AYOR OF THE TOWN" With Lionel B»rrymore, Atnes Mooreliead, Conr«4 Blnyoni »n- nouncer, Frauft Martin; mu«io, Bernard Kati Writers: Charles Taiwell, Leonard St. Clair Producer'Director: Jack V»n: Nos- truni . ■ ■ ■ Mius.: Sat.j S;3a p. m, NOXZEiWA WABC-CBS, N. y. (SSC & B) Diausibility and nonsense, Ivuiiior and i The "Mayor" tame back to town pathos as it kept the not-too-bright 1 in his old jalopy, riding the ,C Bh hero ai'idhis ambitious wife.and kids kilocycles: into .a fresh season '*\ i h '..hanging laughable jokes oh /.vtiro ' swift-moving story line, Tlie li«"/' fast cue music was appropriate to the show, .. ■:, , in the comrrierclal department, the ■ bi'Oi;ram wasn't quite ,so: iinpressivoi, Tbf copy used the fear ..approacli, ..reiterating the danger of "abrasives !'to 'iender gums" and stressing that i Ted is a liquid dehtifirioe. The u.se ot a 'tingle sales point seemed cann.y : enmigh.' but the actual . vvriling ! laclvod sparkle.,,! Also, the=..:r:epeated ! niuMcal iin,gle waS- too epmphcated to he elToctive. 1 • ,;,,:,',';-v ' , Beside.^ the opening billboard and Qpcnins and closing product signa- ture tljere •was an elaborate closing, '.inelUding a film plug for Beiidix, name credit for the entire cast and nroducfion .staff, and finally a long, fuzzv musical hitch-hike for the same sponsor's Spic and . Span ■ cleanser. That was followed (locally, over WEAF, New York) by a cham- brcalc weather bulletin. All of which began to sound like a radio junk- -shop,' "THEATRE GUILD ON THE AIR " ; ("Ansrcl street") ! With Helen Ha.yes, Victor Jory, Leo G. Carroll, Pamela Gordon, Bet- tina Cerf, Haiel Jones; narrator, Roger Pryorj Georee Micks, Nor- man Brokenshire; music, Harold :. Levey ■ ■■ ■ Ada,pter: Leslie Beade Producer: Carol Irwin Director: Homer Fiokett > BO Mins.; Sun,, 10 p.m. V. S. STEEL CORP. / W'.IZ-ABC, N. Y. (BBD & O) No matter what else may come up on radio's regular schedules for the next season, there is very little doubt that, for sheer radio tlieatre. few stanzas will improve upon IJ. S. Steel's weekly full-hour presentation which came back to the Sunday night (8)' air over ABC. For ihis show, now in its second year; at last grown out of its Theatre Guild swaddling clothes, has talcen on stature. And it's precisely because it's miles removed from the Law- rence Langner - Theresa Heltaurn legit-minded concept of a year ago that this segment has become a mature entity of Its own, with a sure place as in radio. Take several factors that . have | som<? of the questions are real ehan.ged since a year ago. A halt- : toughies. Program's strength lies in dozen of them are named Lawrence j its emphasis upon competition and Langner. The co-director of the | information rather than upon lavish Theatre Guild, great as his place is | or screwy gifts. Giveaways are all Of course you v^eren't. You knov/ a QQO^ radio buy when you see one. Next time you want to cover the Philadelphia market, look into the Coverage WIP gives you in its 14,000 square mile area comprising nearly 8 million prosperous people. WIP —FV his old baggage last Saturday niglit (7)', Strictly for the family trade, Hie stanza had a quiet, homely albeit somewhat corny humor about it, AntI as to execution, once the piece is classified, there was the kind of cx- pertne.sa one would expect from a ream like L,ionel Burrymore, Agnes Mooreliead and Conrad Binyon, . Barry more as the "Mayor" of the ,<imall burg, always being hounded by tlie ever-present dame who tries to run liini.. carries off his role with a vvarmtli that should make his re- turn welcome to the middle-aged audience at which: this stanza seems slanted. Miss Moorehead and Bin- yon are perfect for their parts, and the whole should add to the listen- ing earnestness of a certain segment of Saturday .nigiit',s audiences. One assumes that the bright com- mercial boys in the advertising in- dustry's latest and formidable ag- gregation of . derring-do—Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell & Baylcs,—know what they're doing when they peddle Noxzema skin cream , and shave crearn via testimonials. It that'.s the kind of stuff the "Mayor" audience wahtSi the manner, of plugging the products should be as effective as tlie next fellow's; At atiy rate, that's \>'hat the audience got. And an- nouncer Frank.Martin was as able a guide to that kind of going-on as the ['ormat demanded.^ ■ Car.?. "QUICK AS A FLASH" With Ken -Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Nortli; Cy Harrice, announcer; Ray Block's Orch Writer: Gene Wang ; Director: Richard Lewis Producer; Bernie Procter 30 Mins.; Sunday, 5:30 p>m. HELBROS WATCHES WOR-Mutual, N. Y. (Weintraub) A sen.sible quiz show that emei'ge-i as a real test of contestants' informa- tion, "Quick as a Flash" brings to the listening audience some engag- ing and siAspenseful moments. Sm n rt emcee work of Ken Roberts, who doesn't project himself too heavil.v into the picture to the detriment of quizees. helps immeasurably, as he reels off clues in an intelligible and interesting manner. Format .is much the same as a regular , Clas.sroom quiz game, and hi the legit tbeatre, was a liabilit, to the show. Everything he did—or rather allowed to be done—to the radio show during the year was a step away from a traditional Thea- tre Guild Broadway presentation, in the direction of the radio sttidio, Tlie show learned, during the year, that the best Broadway performers are not necessari'l'y the best—or even uood—radio actors; that even when the legit people are good, two with the same tim,ber voice can't be cast in voice-proximity; that radio adapters should be given freedom to malie a radio play out of a stage drama; and a good many otiier ooiniers which radio people have l^nown from away back. Now Langner is in the back- ground, which is where he belongs. Producer Carol Irwin, brouahl over from the ABC net, knows her stuff and.showed it in her casting. Direct tor Homer Fickett, working now cash, and are rated in size accordin_. to difficulty of the questions, with $300 the total iri prizes. . Half dozen contestants arc pro- vided with buzzers whicli light up •a flash of lightning when sounded, Roberts, begins straight narration of a series of well-integrated and conr- irected clues in a sort of story form, preceding them with the quiz ques- tion, such as, "'What famous novel is this'."' As soon as a participant thinlfs he has the right answer he presses the buzzeri Each quizzee is given only one try per question at the answer. Questions on program caught (8) were well varied, with the novel being "David Copperfield," the musi- cal composer (whose tunes were played by Ray Block Orch^ Sigmtmd Romberg, and others. Closer is the "Helbros Derby" featuring a m.ys-i tery skit with "Mr. and Mrs. North!" with grand prize going to fiv.st to "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES" With Kalpb Edwnrds; Buddy Cole; musical director; Harlow Wilcox^ announcer Writers: Phil Davis, BUI Bureh, Bill Hawei, Paul Edwards Directors: Murray Bolen, Al Pascliall 30 Mins.; Sat., 8:30 p. m. PROCTER A GAMBLE WEAF-NBC, N. Y, ; ^ (Compton) One of the oldest and most popu- • la r haze^he-contestant series, "Trutli or Consequences" returned to lis old NBC spot Saturday night (7) tor'lis seventh season for the same sponsor,. !Proeter '& Gamble. .\iid again the product is Duz. The , imoortant fact, however, is tliat .Ralph Edwards, who originated and has conducted the .show from the start, and whose ingratiating talent is almost solely responsible for. its success, remains with it. Although the format has been re- vised slightly (at least for the sea- son's opener). "Truth or Conse-. quences'' is still basically just a radio! version of the aged parlor game of that name. Thu.s, it's a series of elaborately arranged practical jokcsi in which victims: enthusiastically! make spectacles of them-selves. It's in the same category as tlie slightly older "People Are Funny" and such daytime femme folderols as "G. E. House Party," "Ladie.s Be Seated," and so on. Whether such praiikisli- ness is entertaining is obviously a moot point, but . tfj,ere Is no . longer . ,nnv question of its enormous popu- larity and, consequently, eommercial I value. .' ■' ., '■',■ '■; ■ ,..' '■! " ■ ' '! : In.stead of its u-sual nuiliiplo^act pattern, the preern broadcast offered ' only two main acts and, character- istically, both were frameups. Both fall'guy contestants had to answer the same question or talce the "con- sequences," although if the first gent had been alert he could have copped the $100 prize by simply telling his height, as Edwards had a I brief lapse during his preliminary palaver witli the fellow. I The first contestant was sent to ,a nearb.y record shop where he had I to try to sell his first customer a j dill'erent platter than the one asked. ' in 111 is case, singer Joan Edward.*) ; (no relation) was planted to demand i one of her own records.! A miero- j phone was hidden under the counter j ill llie shop, but the resulting confab I moved disappointing. The second vicliin was a disabled veteran, 'who was rcauired fo play the leading part in ! a dramatic sketch which, unknown to him, was adapted fr mii : l)is: own battle. experience: '''he. chap's spontaneous reaction vv; on he recognized the story was throat- catching and the lavish, gifts he and his listening fiancee received Rave the spot a poignant tag. Tlie mid-commercial of the .show amounted to an ,act, too. as it worked out. lltirlow Wilcox, making Ivis-llrst appearance as announcer, pn the se- ries, was , the target of another frameup. This involved the last^' second s!ubStitUtion of a bogus cori^i- meroial, in more or less double-tallc and almost illegiblo print. Handed iliis without warning, Wilcox not . only .maiiaged to read it, but actual- ly contrived to inake it sound al- most intelligible. It was not only a I'unnv ga.g. but cleverly nailed lis- tener attention to the plug. The fact that it also revealed how, announeeri) - can sound '"sincere" without even under a radio-hep producer, ■ seems i solve the mystery. Answer came surer, more at ease. - Adaptor Lc-ilie Ijcfore the skit was over, cutting Rcade worked a smooth, radio ver-, program short. sion out.: of tl^e original "Allgel I Commercials by Cy Harricc are Street'.' oft the ojwner,: vifitbout d-oing ] sliort 'arid unobnoxious while tlie injustice to Patriclc ..Hamilton's orig-; Block orch provides good music inal, . And best of: all,'the ca,st was-^horc. needed. , Tom.m pure radio—especially'ia (he .pCr.^on j , :^— "elen-Hayes. : ,!; -^ !;... .■ ■ ■V^;!' ;"LITtle WOMa:N'!-' ' Miss Ha.yes acting was tops. She , with iVIrs. Marth.a Hull, and .Tov and siinwed this time, working m front ; NiKj ' of a studio audience, that she's evei v i j.-, Mins • •;-4i-n i> m Mm. ».,! bit as good as she was «hcn ..lie ! co-o , ' " ' worked behind screens in hsr CBS j kcmo K-inei* : "Textron Theatre" last season. Her ! "''''"'*' (Bealmonf Vh«,«,,. emotional closing scene could have i («eaMmont: Hohwan) l)c.eir hariimed by a Duso, had the i unusual twist in the Virave of Mr! tatter been before a mike; but Mi.ss and farhily gab shows pop WIP 610 ON DIAL Unm^m NATIONMIY »Y GEO. K HOUlNeimY*CO. •«eOir •ARSON KANIN, riAYmiGHT Haves has learned the nuances of that instrument and she wa.s^welli terrific. I .^he rest of the oast was in top I form,, except for one young lady (the 1 Louise of the piece) who seemed ' somehow strained. The saine goes for that entire cabaret scene, for that matter. But in 60 minutes ot tightly-packed drama, performed on the whole in boflt manner, that's a small-enough proportion of relative failure. Put the show as a whole down as sock. Norman Brokenshire also has im- proved with the year, seeming less obtrusive as the announcer than he .seemed when he made his comeback for Steel 12 months ago. George Hicks' "Voice of U. S. Steel'! was as good as the material he had—v/hicli was none too exciting. Roger Pryor w a welcome emcee and narr-' on the stanza. curs. ulating radio is this ad-lib discu-ssion .stanza between a mother and her two j uvenile daughters. Trio just pick out a subject for discussion, mother acts as the moderator and they chew it over to their hearts' content. This particular broadea.st thesy had schools and teachers on the pan, and other sub.iects have been chorus girls daddy Caji exec of a rival, local agency), and what have you. What clicks with, this one is the spon- taneity and the homey touch, such as the trouble eight-year-old Niki had tryirtg to get out of the "libary" rut and put the words into the mike as the proper "library" under moth- er s coaching. Trio are at their best on the com- mercials which ar« atf-libbcd along wUh the regular chatter. On thi.s one it was Fresh mit Peanut Butter, and the kids really know their peanut butter—homogenized, Quin. a fair wind adds to the speed of the boat and the pleasures of sailing: But in fair winds or foul, good, times and bad, Weed and Company's- large staff of experienced representa- tives consistently achieved maximum results. WEED ( ()\!!' \\^ RAail SmilN RErHESENTATIVEt Niw Yirk • lutM • CUcnt * Mmti Ditritt • Sas Frucisci • HMfUMt ]