Variety (Oct 1946)

53 IIADIO BEVIKWS Wednesday, Octolier 9, 1946 JfACK CARSON SHOW With Arthur Treacher, Dave Willock, Jforma Jean Nilsson, Irene Ryan, Freddy Martin Orch; announcer, Del Sharbutt Writers: Marvin Fisher, Dick Mc- Kniglit Producer; liSrry Bcrns Director: Sterling: Tracy ,30 Mins.; Wednesday, 8 p,m. CAMPBELL SOUP WABC-CBS, N. Y. (Word Wheeloek) Situation comedy at its radio best, the Jack Carson Show , has steadily developed over the past three years into a top program, for which no small credit is due Ward Wheelock. Agency has kept show's identiflca- tion high-level by smartly sticking to same cast names it has had in the past, while maintaining consistent script and production averages. To tlie .showbiz , characters who, several seasons ago, said Carson would never' malce it, this 1946 . preemer must liave been the knock- out blow. ' Not that .it was the best comedy show ever, but just that it was solid entertainment,, Carson is still the neighborhood goat, being picked this time as a reluctant candidate for an obscure political office through the machina, tions of Irene Ryan, playing a ZaSu Pitts^lilce librarian.' Comic's travails ai'e interrupted at the halfway mark by Freddy Martin's orch in 'Tive Minutes More."- Payoff gag of the show came in the second stanza, when Carson, while trying to impress a politician with his importance, receives a call from President Truman, • and answers, "Chop.stieks? Oh, that's in the key of C," and then asides, "I wish Harry wouldn't try thoke tough .riumbers," Show still uses Norma Jean, Nilsson for the neighborhood moppet who's just too sweet for words. Carson does a duet with the little gal on '■Give, Me the Simple Life." Comic has an easy, relaxed vocal style that gets across with sock effect. ■ Campbell commercials, as spooned by Del Sharbutt. -are ■ replete "with superlatives but innocuous all the same. Mid-commercial is slotted well into the situation script. In closing, Carson gave a plug to the other, half of Campbeirs...Milwaukee parlav, Hildegarde. Toinm. ' THIS IS HOLLYWOOD With Kay Milland, Ann Todd, Ilcdda Hopper, Gerald Mohr, Gftvln Muir, Ramsay HIU, Betty Fairfax Producer: Frank Woodruft Writer: Bin Hampton 30 Mlns., Sun., 10:15 p.m. PROCTER & GAMBLE WABC-CBS, N. y. (Pedler & Ryan) Radio adaotations of lop' filiris with s-lar. picture personnel in the lead roles has by'now reached the paint of standardization whjch vir- tually guarantees smooth scripts and top characterizations. It's, only the surrounding gimmicks t.ha.t^ distin- guish the many Hollywood dramats. "This is Hollywood,", which is de^ milled by Hedda Hopper, on it- preem (0) attempted the ditficull job of translating the psychological drama "The Seventh Veil'^ for radio adaptation with the aid of two top- nbtch tilmsters, Ray Milland and Ann Todd, latter making her air FIBBER MoGEE A MOLLY With Jim and Marian Jordan, Bill Thompson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Gale Gordon, Bea B e n a d a r e t, The Kinjr's Men; announcer, Harlow Wilcox; musiCi Billy Mills Writers: Don Qninn, Phil Leslie Producer: Frank PittmaU 30 Mlns., Tues., 9:30 p-m* .JOHNSON WAX WEAF-NBC, N. Y. , ■ ■ (Needhflm, Louis & iSrorbi/*: Wistful Vista has opened No. 79 again. And there was something new this year when Fibber McGee & Molly came back to NBC last Tues- day nightr (1). Not once during the half-hour did McGee's clo.set rattle. Except for this omission, everylhing was the same; The traveler return^ ing from Mars, judging our .civil.iza-, t ion by' the McGees, could be sure that not one of the fauna, not a leaf of the flora was disturbed dur- ing his absence. McGee could be laughed at, just ffph .t DesDite excellent perform- as he always could, and the Mrs. " }fr oJ;f^rfail,Pd to srasp the psy- wa still the same old knowing, ances.-. script failed to grasp uu. .vj^ understanding and .mildly chiding character. So', were all the others, from the cynical physician to the mayor of the town. It was all hack- neyed. It was all amusing. There wasn't a sock in the 30 minutes. But since the pair and their retinue are old friends; there was no temptation to silence them. Taken by them- selves, the McGees have a"•ure place. Judged from the viewpoiiit of ra- dio's never-changing pace, their mellowness only strengthens the already firrti reflection anent the well-worn groove. . The King's Men were good m "Doin' What Comes Naturally," and Billy Mills' orch did "I Got the Sun in the Morning" with sulficient vervie. Jim Jordan helped Harlow oh the Johnson Wax plug, but Wil- cox came through himself as the able salesman he is, Cafs. chological aspects of the story, and consequently yarn as told, became little more than, a good air transla- tion that maintained interest m us telling. Miss Todd gave an excellent account of herself, as did Milland However, with superimposing ot Miss Hopper, even if the serious p.-jyciiological implications , of; tne story £ame off, effect would have been nullified with her chatter. Miss Hopper seemed intent upon plugging herself at the expense ot the atmos- phere program tried to create. Such lines as her meeting with the two British princesse.?, reminded one ot a loud conversationalist at a bar who tries to draw attention .by spoutin.g about brushes with biggies. This tvbe gab can get hv when show is presenting a light comed.v. but with dramas like "Veil" it's entirely out of place. ' Camay soap commercials aren t too intrusive and are capably han- dled by announcer Bernard Dudley. ■ Jose. "INFORMATION PLEASE" With CUtton Fadiman, Franklin P. Adams, John Kleran, Oscar Le- vant, Fred Allen; Don Baker, an- nouncer. Producer: Dan Golenpaiil 30 Mlns.: Wed., 10:30 p.m. PARKER PEN WABC-CBS, N. ¥. (J. WoUer Thompson) "Information Please," panting a little heavily with its years, was off , on a new network, with a new spon- sor, last Wednesday (2) night. All the old familiar voices were present: Clifton Fadiman, the emcee; John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams, the regulars; Oscar Levant back after a two-year hiatus, as a guest, and Fred Allen, another old favorite, as additional guest. Show should have been a mellow breeze-r-not the wheeze that it was. The questions weren't too bright or interesting. They followed an old pattern, questions about names, gifts, racing terms, poetry, etc. Fadi- rhan sounded a little labored as the • emcee,. and his voice, too, seemed muddled and indistinct at times. Impish Levant, for the first quarter- hour an.yway, appeared subdued, while Allen was in only occasionally with a brief wisecrack. Kieran and Adams tried valiantly, but evidently hadn't gotten into the swing of things yet. The whole business sounded stuffy and dull, bogged down badly right from the start. Matters got a bit better in the second half of the stanza, as the pundits got more into the feel of things, with flashes of the real Levant coming through atid Allen throwing the weight of his wit around a bit. But the whole pro- ceedings soundetl tired, not up to scratch. Evidently sponsors and pun- dits are taking program a little too much for granted, and ought to get off their encyclopedias to brighten things up. Brot!. ♦-♦-»•>■»■» « ♦»♦«♦♦ » ♦» t iFollowup Comment: ECHOES OF NE,W YORK WiUi Jane Pickens, Al Gallodore, JoSef Bonlme Orch, Edisoncers Mason Adain& Jeffrey Ryan, James Van Dyke, Charles Herbert Mar- tin; emcee John Reed King; an- nouncer Georgrc Hicks. Writers: Ruth Adams Knight, Joe Bates Smith Director: John Wilkinson Producer: Dorothy McCann » SO Mins., Tuesday, 9 p.m. ^ CONSOLIDATED EDISON CO. WJZ, N. Y. ■ (iWcCa'rm-Erickson). The fact that this program has just about every , form of radio .enter- tainment -accordioned into a halt hour might mitigate agamst its . suc- cess under ordinary circumstances, but "Echoes of New York" shapes up as network-sCale divertissem.ent, although piped only to the New "york locale. , ^ Emphasis in the Opening shot was on music. With guest stars , Jane Pickens and sax man Al Gallidore. Following the hurdy-gurdy Opening and institutional plug George Hides introed Miss Pickens for her hrst number, "They Say It's Wonderful. Gal sounds like a good bet for radio if she changes her phrasing to suit the medium. As it stands, entire presentation is too slow. Emcee John Reed King takes a quick junket into the audience to quiz a few on exactly what makes a New Yorker. Nobody seemed to know for sure. Second guester, Gallidore, was in- troduced as the greatest saxophonist alive, which might cause comment from Coleman Hawkins or Johnny Hodges fans. Gallidore tootled "Oodles o' Noodles" in the Bechet manner on ,a soprano horn, then .slowed down for some gymnastics in virtuosity. Charles Herbert Martin, an old actor told ot his experi ences in New York of the '80s when they flrst turned the lights on Broadway. Drama illustrating great event was overdrawn and unneces- sarily long. Miss Pickens reprised nicely with "Summertime," assisted by Edison employee chorus, and then final inr stitutional nlug came in form of a lesson from George Hicks on the working of the astronomical time switches which turn street lights oh and off. ' ToDim. ■'♦■♦•♦-»^+-»-*-f-»-*»-f-»-;~*-4-*-» James Melton took over the for- mer Raymond Massey spot as the "Harvest of Stars" emcee on NBC last Sunday, and did a good job o# ., guiding the stanza's musical sec- • tions—which is by far the biggest part of the program. As the star singer, he was somewhat less than exciting, his opener from "Okla- homa!" being on the pedestrian side, and his rendition of "I'll Taice You Home Again, Kathleen" being oC the same colorless quality. He was bet- ter in dueling "O Soave Fanciulla" with his guest, coloratura Winifred Smith, and the chorus and Lyn Mur- ray (latter batoning for ailing Har- low Barlow who's ready to come back in a week or so) helped Mel- ton give Grofe's "Daybreak" more solid quality. The "dramatic skit" «n ihe show, ostensibly the story ot "Silver, Dollar" Horace Tabor, was not very dramatic, the capsule be- inp cnmni'psspri tichtlv. On the ROY ROGERS SHOW With Gabby Hayes, Dale Ev»ns, Sons of the Pioneers, Pat Buttt^m, Country Washburn Orch, writer: Jack Qninn and staff Producer: Ed Simmons i ■■. :iO Mlns., Saturday, 9 p.m. MILES LABORATORIES. WEAF-NBC, N. Y. (Wade) Helping to spread word ot the benefits of Alka-Seltzer and One-a- Day Vitamins among the yokelry, Roy Rogers and his supporting cast from Republic Pictures' .series is taking over for the National Barn Dance. Program is pretty much a repeat of stock filler from the nlm series, in which every storyis padded by the comedies oi Gabby Hayes and the singing of Rogers and Dale,Evans. ■, , Citizens of the hinterlands arc notoriously passionate fans of cow- boy stars in genera! and. because of his exploitation, Rogers in par- ticular. And they pay the great conn- pliment of imitation,' which should bode well for sale of the Miles prod- ucts. If this isn't enough, the pro- gram itself is solid fare throughout, and could probably please urbanites if they were to listen. , Cowboy star opened show with There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder," after which he introed Dale Evans, whose singing chores in the pix are held to a minimum. She did nicely with "On tlie Alamo." Heavv emphasis is laid on funny- man Gabby Hayes, who trades on a mangy beard and a missing upper plate.•■ Hayes holds to the cowpoke traditions of mistrust of women and hatred of sheepherders. Latter part was filled by Pat Buttram. Sons of the pioneers fill in pleasantly with vvaddy tunes, while Country Wash- burn's orch cuts an okay show. Program has good pace and direc- tion, although plugs are a little heavy on the ears, with both products be- ing pushed erually. The only thing missing is Trigger, Tomm. KATE SMITH SHOW With Ted Collins, Per* KcUon, Har- vey Stone; Jaek Miller and orch; Four Chicks and Chuck; Joe Tobin, Tom Hudson^ Fred Barron, announcers writers: Robert Arthur, Jerry Adel- inan, Arthur Henley, Charles Lec, Burt Stiller Producer-Director: Collins 30 Mlns.i Sun,, G:30 p;m. GENERAL FOODS WABC-CBS, N. Y. (Foole. Cone & Bcldirtfiil Pert Kelton went on the air Sun- day night (6) over CBS with some .smartly-tailored wisecracks. She was funny. But atomic energy malces .some people feel like sour- pusSes in spite of themselves, and Miss Kelton laughed about atomic energy—which is like laughing at the bid lady who fell on her bu.stle wliile crossing the street. Then tliere was Harvey Stone—as a lik- able, nimble-tongued a comic as the war has produced out ot the ranks of what used to be called GIs; When he was still in uniform. Stone was very, very good. This trip, his ma- terial lacked and lagged. He still has that sense of timing, that feel- ing for pace. But he needed, a script, and'what he had was some gags about shortages in housing, meat, auto.s, etc. Then there was Kate Smith. Ted Collins and Miss Smith took the trouble to remind the audience that this is Miss Smith's 16th year on the air. Well, she can still sing—, even if a jive version of "Tlie Moon Gomes Over the Mountain" seemed somehow to fit her like a bow-tie on a tragedian playing Hamlet; even if "They Say It's Wonderful'' was so coy and sclimaltzy that it overflowed. But best of all, Miss Smith showed herself as sincere in the commer- cials. There she was sock. Those plugs weren't "integrated'' in the sense that the star sneaks them up .on the listeners, wrapped in sly allusion to some situation on the show. Oh no! They were straight commercials delivered with the ardor of a salesman believing in the prod- uct. For these doings. Jack Miller's orch provided the music, the Four Chicks and Chuck helped, and it took one announcer plus two voices from left field to help Miss Smith sell Postum. Car.i. "DUFFY'S TAVERN" With Ed Gardner, Sandra Gould Eddie Green, Carmen Miranda (guest), Charles Cantor, Marv ' Meade, Matty Malneck's orch, John Brown, Dave Hosslnger, Jimmy Walllngton (announcer). Producer - director: Tony Stanford (John Morris for NBC). Writers: Vln Bogert. Sid Dortman, • Larry Gelbart, Al Johanscn, Eiroy ' Schwartz. 30 Mlns., Wed., 9 p.m. BRISTOL-MYERS. ,V(EAF-NBC, N. Y. (Young & Rubicom) Ed Gardner and "Duffy's Tavei'n" are back in radio for anothei' season, though in a different spot, and while there's no doubt that the malaprop Archie, played by Gardner, will garner a neat share of listeners, thfe was no doubt, also, that this comedy show too frequently missed tire at the'debut. The opening airer of^ the-new series, which has, moved into the' ex-Eddie Cantor spot for Bristol-Myers Wednesday nights on . NBC. had some laughs in Archie's telephonic conversation with Dufty, his boss, ''the little man who wasnt there," and in the mangling of the King's English with Finnegan (Char- lie Cantor), Miss Dufty (Sandra Gould), arid Eddie the waiter (Ed- die Green), But it certainly was a lot of talk to take for, a half-hour, particularly when the comedy was as far-spaced as it was on the opening show, , : Carmen Miranda was a guest on the initialer, and the script dwelt ■ largely on the too-obvious buildup to her final emergence, which was much too late in the layout. Her warbling of "South America, Take It Away" lost practically the value it mi.ght have had if she had sung it straight, but the script had the other denizens of the "Tavern" chorusing at inopportune moments in what was brutal treatment of a hit song. Matty Malneck's music, as always, was advantageously dominant, and Jimmy Wallihgton handled the com- mercials neatly on Ipana and Tru- shay. But, generally, the opener was enough to lend a couple of muscles to Frank Sinatra, tlie op-- position CBS tenant, Knitn. PAAA'i* ^- m. a. * » A. A.-* A A A A A A A- A' A A A A-'A A' A 'A '^-J ▼ ▼.▼▼T T T T T T T .T V WWW^^^ T ▼ T T T'-T ▼ W W W^ WW.W: T Television Reviews whole, put the show down to a very slow opening. Mutnal's "it's up to Youth"; show, which started modestly on two sta- tions (WOR,'WIP) in Augu.st, has now grown to, full net statiue, preeming over the entire web last Wednesday (2).' In the interim, the show seems to have ironed out some of the earlier bugs, ' The problem dramatized on last week's -session— about a high school gal who's ashamed of tiie poverty in her home and a bit afraid her parents won't be "accepted" by her friends—was handled moderately yet .for major impact.' ' ■ ■ ' ;"■ ■' ■ : Best of all were the youngsters, two boys and two girls, all ranging in age from 14 to 16. They sounded sure but not oversmart, quick but not super-sophisticated, intere'sted in the problem at hand but not as if it bore-the gravity of an atomic bomb. Triangle publications, sponsoring this show for Seventeen mag, seems to have a good buy, aimed of course at the teon trade. _ NEW YORK PHILHASMOJfIC SYMPHONY With Artur Rodzinski, Dr. Harvey Fletcher, Herbert E. Smith; Stew- art Metz, announcer Producer: James H. Fassett Supervisor: Richard E. Hackenger Writer: Ben Hyams 90 Mins.; Sun., 3 p.m. U. S. RUBBER CO. - ■ WABC-CBS, N. Y. (Campbell-EtoaldV • Sunday afternoon New York Phil- harmonic Symphony concerts—only sponsored major symphonic, series now on the air—continue, prestige- wise, to lead radio's longhair enter- tainment. The country's oldest as well as one of its leading ensenibles brings the world's soloists and the. music library's finest scores to the ears of the hemisphere. The pro- grams are high-grade, unvarying, re- liable and satisfying. Program which teed off Sunday (6), fourth -season under U. S, Rub- ber sponsorship, was up to snuff on all counts. It had tlie reliables in a Brahms symphony (the Second) and Bach toccata and fugue (in C major), and a new work in William .Schuman's' "Undertow." The inter- esting intermission talks on scien- tific subjects were continued witli a chat by Dr. Harvey Fletcher on the human ear and how. modern science comes to its rescue when hearing is afiected. ■ There were tlve brief news bulletin highlights at the clo.se. And the simple, effacing commer- cials, highly effective because of the good taste shown in their handling ■ : . 'Broil.. * ** ** **** ♦r»4r-»-»»»'»-«-»-< "FRIDAY QUARTERBACK" With Lou Little, Bob Stanton) Ar- thui: Daley Producer: Ed Sobol 15 Mins.; Friday, 8 p.m. UNITED STATES RUBBER WNBT-NBC, N. Y. (CampbcU-Eioald) This will probably be a good show after the bumps are ironed out, but as it stands there are entirely too many inexcusable fluffs for it to pass as a professional job. Sloppy pro- duction, most- unlike producer Ed Sobol's past efforts, was largely re- sponsible for preem program woes. Lou Little, whose voice is no bar- gain at best, was having trouble with his lines and it hurt to watch him try to get some ot them out. He opened with an intro of the program and its general format, then Bob Stanton, NBC sport chief, moved in for some two-way banter. After the standard opening phrases, Little went to a blackboard to explain the difference between the regular "T" formation as used by most teams, and his own ^Wing T" which has- a back wide behind the line. Informal lecture would have been much clearer had it nat been for Stanton's repeated interruptions. First of a series of guests, Arthur Daley, was brought in for the show's final phase, prediction of the fol- lowing day's scores. With Stanton acting as mediator, Daley and Little made their guesses, which were marked on a blackboard for future reference. Listeners were asked to send in their own predictions, and an obyious bid was made tor a mail count on the audience. Stanton's introduction in the show was preceded by, films of last yearns top games, \y:ith comment from the web sports ed, which should have been either rehearsed or left out entirely. , Result was that Stanton had the wrong team with the ball, talked at the wrong time, and finally Little came in prematurely tor his second stanza. In future programs, this film will be replaced by pic- tures of the preceding week's games, Entire direction and production will have to.be picked up. ■ ^ Toxini. later for eacli program on a partici- pating basis. More important, how- ever, the show marked the first time that the fa.shion industry, which can . benefit to a great extent with tele adverti.sing since its products can be ' seen, plugged fashions the way they should be plugged on the telescreen. With television still at loggerheads over the color controversy, it may be sacrilege to bring the mention ot color into a review of a black-and- white show. If ever a program illus- trated a need tor color, however, this was it. Dresses and fur coats were modeled by John Robert Pow- ers mannequins during the last 10 minutes of the show in a well-en- acted scene, with an ample descrip- tion by emcee Peggy Allenby. With women's fashions depending as' much on color as anything else, however, what can fashion modeling mean without it? Program-wise, the show was onl/ fair. Format follows the Powers "Charm School of the Air" theme, with the cast demonstrating differ- ent shortcuts to good grooming for the women. First half of the show, though, consisted of trite talk among Miss Allenby, a young gal who's trying to be a model (Pat Hosley) and a gym instructor (Walter Herlihy). Of the three. Miss Hos- ley's the only one who looked as though she knew she was- supposed , to act. Exercises demonstrated in the gym lent a novel touch, but the show never got going until tlie ac- tual fashion modeling began. Producer-director 'Harvey Mar- lowe, though missing out on his. direction, did welt with the cameras , and also with establishins the basic techniQue of video modeling. Show was highlighted by Bob Bright's three sets. Last one was especially good, with the models stepping out of a montage grouping of the top fashion mags. SM- ABC-POWERS'CHARM SCHOOL With Peggy AllcnUy, Pat Hosley, Waiter Herlihy, John Robert Pow- ers, others Producer-director: Harvey Marlowe Sets: Bob Bright 30 Mlns.; Thurs., .8 p.m, TEENIOR, JUNIOR FIRSTS, JOHN WILHELM FURS WABD-ABC, N. Y. , ' (Chernow) . ' As' with- most new television shows, the ABC-Powers Charm School chalked up ^several firsts for the industry. It was the first time ttiat an ad agency has taken over a complete 13-week scries of shows, with its various clients cominc in Tele Followup After two postponements due to engineering difficulties in getting transmission lines working between N. Y. and West Point, NBC television finally got into the Army football scheaule- with the Army-GorueU game last Saturday (5), " Video-'wise, the telecast was almost 100% better than WNBTs first fool- ball coverage of the season vi^ith tlie Giants-Green Bay Packers pro_fiame several weeks ago. Producer Btirke Crotty had his camera technique down to a "T" that was ju.st as .su<-- cessful as the Army's T-formation. Image Orthloon cameras with their turret lenses even brought in close- ups of the player-s' faces and tlie be- Iweon-halves swing aroi'nd the West (Continued on page 62)