Variety (Aug 1947)

Wednesday, August 13, 1947 RADIO REVIEWS 31 ADVENTURES OF THE THIN MAN With tes Damon, Claudia Morgan, Zelia Layne, Jackson Beck. Jean Evelyn, Dwigbt Weist, announcer •Writer: Milton Lewis Producer: Himan Brown Conductor: Fred Fradkin 25 Mins.; Fri., 8:30-8:55 p.m. GENERAL FOODS WCBS-CBS, N. T. (.Young & Rubicam) Hi Brown's deluxe package, now priced at $7,000-a-week net, returned to its regular Friday night spot on CBS last week (8) to plug Sanka for General Foods. It is so similar to previous editions of the series that the opener might as well have been a recorded rebroadcast of any one of last season's shows. As the rating history and the sponsor's satisfaction demonstrate, that's plenty good enough commercially, though the Dashiell Hammett cre- ation still has the elements that have previously evoked a share of tilted eyebrows from dialers. "Thin Man" is, of course, vintage hokum. The basic situation is candid fantasy, and the characters are comic-strip caricatures. The scripts invariably follow a strict pattern, and the casting, production and per- formance also maintain a standard approaching monotony. The install- ment caught conformed to formula, with the tease opening, abrupt violence, corny-sexy dialog and the conventional-exaggerated dame and hoodlum characters. There were the traditional pistol shots, slugs on the jaw, gory threats and pseudo-racy speeches, with the closing bedside drawl, "Goodnight, Nicky, darling," that has stirred panty-waist protest in the past. Everything considered, the show seems likely to satisfy its large and loyal clientele. The commercial handling, as in the past, is smart and skillful. There is ■ a signature opening, in which pistol shots punctuate the spelling of the product name, then product mentions by the two leads. The commercial copy stresses the sleep- allowing qualities of "97% caffein- free" Sanka, and thens is a real attention-getter in the sales slogan, "It's delicious (musical punctua- tion), and it lets you (big yawn) sleep." The Y&R commercial writ- er is Ruth Hawkins and the com- mercial supervisor Mildred Black. Hobe. JAY WALKING With "Jay" E. Jerry Walker Writer: Walker Producer: Glenn Ransom 15 Mins.: Mon. thru Fri., 11:45 a.m. Sustaining WGN, Chicag o A nimble-tongued chatterbox of the Galen Drake school, Jerry Walker bowed into this late morn- ing niche last week (4), with as jumbled an assortment of whimsical items as could be crowded into 13 minutes. His crazy-quilt of bits culled from the news, personal ob- servations and dialogs supposedly held with somebody or another of his acquaintances offers nothing novel or distinctive, but so long as there's a market for this sort of day- time fare, Walker should be able to get away with it as effectively as the others. Women pothering around the home will probably find the fellow's rhythmic flow easy on the ear and also on the brain; nothing sticks, but it sounds interesting and pleasant. In his flow of commentary Walker rambles over the usual disjointed periphery of his tribe, mixing the informative, the sentimental and the humorous with as little regard for sequence or cohesiveness as a Sena- tor Murphy routine. On one pro- gram caught this latest local time skipper to Mrs. Housewife flicked his tonsils over such topics of why disk jockey programs are good for pigs, why the cost of lamb chops continues to go up, why dentists are conscien- tious about preventing dental decay, how a named cuty beat the heat by wearing a bathmgsuit made out of neckties and how a choral direc- tor refrained from breaking the heart of a once-famed singer by feeding him at the piano an octave below the singer's old range. Walker even stays within the groove when it comes to his sign- off. Says he: "See you on the same corner, same time tomorrow." Fig- ures he apparently, if that signoff was good enough in the pre-fame days for Henry Morgan, it's good enough for Walker. Nevertheless Walker has what it takes to make him another darling of the Chicago housewives. Odec. EMERGENCY MEETING With Dr. Everett Minett, Dr. Ignace ZkUowski, Dr. George Stevenson, Abe Spitzer, Dr. J. Holmes Smith, Bernard Powers, Estelle Stern- berger; Dick Bell, Bill Watson, announcers Producer: Don Martin 30 Mins.; Wed., (6), 4:30 p.m. Sustaining WLIB, N. Y, To mark the second year of the atomic era which began with the Hiroshima knockout, Aug. 6, 1945, a group of scientists, statesmen and ordinary citizens assembled before WLIB's mike to measure the prog- ress mankind has made in under- standing and harnessing the atom's life-and-death potential. Although it was unnecessarily dull for a forum program considering the subject- matter, this airer contained lessons of major importance for all per- ceptive dialers. Firstly, it glaringly revealed that despite all pretenses there is as yet' no answer to the bomb's threat to obliterate civiliza- tion; and secondly; the program was a pure demonstration of the futility of fighting fire, and especially atomic fire, with wind. Among the participants was Dr. J. Holmes Smith, exec secretary of the Emergency World People's Con- ference, who described an airplane flight made over the Alamogordo desert, N. M., that same day to commemorate the dropping of the Hiroshima bomb. The religious cere- monies conducted there, as related by Dr. Smith, were exactly akin to the primitive rites of conjuring away evil spirits by magical incantations. Abe Spitzer, flight sergean* who volunteered for the Hiroshima mis- sion, confessed that he didn't know what his plane was carrying on that flight and modestly indicated that he was still dumbfounded by the event. Dr. Ignace Zlatowski, Polish dele- gate to the UN atomic commission, outlined his proposals for world control of the bomb. Dr. Zlatowski's plan, echoed or inspired by Russia, covered two main ideas: (1) effec- tive international control and (2) no interference with national sov- ereignty. A neat trick, if possible. Ironically, the program was all sweetness and light despite the fact that on that precise day, Dr. Zlatow- ski had engaged in a bitter wrangle with the majority members of the UN atomic commission. Instructive points, however, were made by Dr. Everett Minett, Oakridge scientist, on plans for public education on atomic energy, and Dr. George Stevenson, who discussed the psy- chological impact of the bomb. Estelle Sternberger, posing the questions to the participants, han- dled her chore adequately. Program, however, was overprepared and per- mitted no free exchange of opinions. Herm. JEAN TENNYSON STUDIO PARTY With Joan Roberts, Jack Eigen, Bay- nard Hendricks guesting: Frank Pulaski, announcer 25 Mins.; Mondays, 8.30 p.m. Producer-director-writer: Louis Hay- ward Sustaining WNYC, N. Y. This informal stanza, piped in from Jean Tennyson's studio in Stein- way Hall, N. Y., is another one of those get-together sessions where the dropper-inners carry brunt of show. On this teeoff stanza (11) Joan . Roberts, original lead of "Oklahoma!' highlighted proceedings with a med- ley of hit tunes from show, accom- panied on piano by Kay Holley. This was easily the sock of the stanza and a refresher of what pro- ceeded and followed. Baynard Ken- dncks, mystery writer, discussed THE MEDIUM With Marie Powers, Evelyn Keller, Frank Rogier, Catherine Mastice, Beverly Dame, Leo Coleman; Al- fredo Antonini and CBS Sym- phony; Berry Kroeger, narrator Producer-director: James Fassett Composer-librettist: Gian-Carlo Me- nottf Scripter: David Randolph 90 Mins., Sun. (10), 3 p.m. WCBS-CBS, N. Y. Gian-Carlo Menotti's short two- act opera, "The Medium," which has been fascinating Broadway audi- ences since April, comes off very well on radio. If the production needs the visual eye to make it com- plete, to cast to the fullest its hor- ror spell, a radio job like last Sun- day's (10) is at least next best. Mu- sic and libretto, by one of the most talented young composers in Amer- ica, dovetail smartly on the air for an impressive performance. Sunday's airing had the original Broadway cast, with Alfredo An- tonini and the CBS Symphony as excellent support. It was refresh- ing to hear resonant, young voices enunciating dialog clearly and loud- ly, • while at no time sacrificing clarity for musical values. Story of the fake medium, scared eventually by her own tricks into killing her mute servant and ruining the love affair between mute and her daugh- ter, came off clearly and vividly, de- spite handicap of a mute as one of the characters. In fact, the mute's hoarse croakings and sound of his frenzied moving-about onstage, added to the vividness. Music is essentially dramatic, with two or three set lyric pieces (as when the daughter discloses her love to the mute), to give fine con- trast. Orchestration is varied and full, too, to add to airer's effective- ness. Added lines to the original opera, to bridge the radio gaps, com- plete the performance. Sunday's "Medium" was preceded, as it is on Broadway, by Menotti's opera buffa, "The Telephone," heard before on the air, and here effec- tively repeated by Winifred Smith and William Gephart, under Oliver Daniel's direction. Bron. that type of story and built up mild mystery yarn about those present. Jack Eigen reprised his disk jock stint from the Copa (N. Y.) nitery, winding with capsule interview with Miss Tennyson. Stanza needs plenty punching up to snare dialers. Edba. ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ : Follow-up Comment t » ♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦«♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦' "Club 15," the Robert Q. Lewis show and the Gordon MacRae stanza, all early-evening series on CBS, suffer in varying degree from self- consciously whimsical chit-chat. It's more of those perennial attempts to imitate the brand of half-spoofing that Carroll Carroll wrote for Bing Crosby on the old Kraft opus. But there's only one C. C. and he isn't pitching.-for the younger Crosby's across-the-board series, the Lewis variety stint or MacRae's Friday night opry. As heard several times last week, the Bob Crosby operation was mired by the coy palaver, al- though the star, as well as Patti Clayton and Margaret Whiting, de- livered neatly in the musical cate- gory. But Del Sharbutt's lush de r livery of the Franco-American com- mercials, with the silly Campbell's soup musical signature, is a nag of another tinge. Lewis, also heard several times, was uneven—some- times funny and sometimes pretty flat—but nearly always unpreten- tious and ingratiating. Incidentally, Miss Clayton, Miss Whiting and Cathy Norman, vocalist with the Lewis series, toughen the course for themselves by using so many new songs, when it's well known that listeners respond more to established faves, despite the bland- ishments of tune-pluggers. Jane Kean, femme lead of the Broadway production, "Call Me Mister/' guested innocuously on last Friday night's (8) MacRae stanza, doing two numbers from the revue, "South America, Take It Away" and "You've Always Been Along with Me." The labored continuity slowed the pace, as did the incongruous capsule story spot. But the final number, "Begin the Beguftie," was presented without any announce- ment whatever, a notable relief. But what inspired copy writer ever con- cocted that "locked-in goodness" slogan for Jello? Bob Smith does a listenable piano- song-patter session 7:45-8:30 a.m. (with a news break 8-8:05) on WNBC, New York. But he irritates (Continued on page 36) Transcription Review CLARY'S GAZETTE With Clary Settell, George Murray, The Four Gentlemen, Louise Rob- ertson, Russ Gerrow and his Gay Blades Orch; Bjng Whitteker, an- nouncer Writer: Settell Director: Richard Gluns 30 Mins., Fri., 8 p.m. Sustaining CJBC-CBC, Toronto For honest sentiment as divorced from corn, Clary Settell has whipped together a program that has its basis of success in nostalgia. .It's the songs and reminiscences of the gaslight era when eggs were 15c a dozen and a psychiatrist would have starved. This is no show for the hepcats but excellent entertainment for those who were born around the '90's. In a world of atomic-bomb fear and rocketing costs of living "Clary's Ga- zette" is psychologically a 30-minute refuge and return to days which, perhaps mistakenly in retrospect, were more secure. This summer audience-show, eman- ating from CJBC, Toronto, is being carried over 29 stations of the Do- minion Network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. It's a prime col- lection of Canadian talent, with ex- cellent writing and production values. As the "Old Observer," Clary Settell's nightly sports pro- gram of spot news .and remember- when items, has long been a favorite with Canadian listeners, chiefly on the sincerity and drawling homespun philosophy of the program's pro- genitor. And from the hangup opening of Russ Gerrow and his Gay Blades in "Yip-I-Addy-I-Ay" to the company roundup in the "Old Folks at Home" finale, the program was a solid click. Interspersed is the singing of George Murray, one of Canada's top vocal- ists; the Gerrow crew in fine arran- gements of "Sleepy Time Gal" and "Hindustan" (strictly not gaslight but sufficiently oldies); the barber- shop harmonies of The Four Gentle- men (Ernie Berry, John Harcourt, Jack Reid, Bill Morton); and the "Oceana Roll" and "I'm Just Wild About Harry" by Louise Robertson, singing»commedienne. Rudy Spratt of the orchestra also deserves a salaam for his banjo solo of "World 'Is Waiting for the Sunrise." , But it is Settell who knits the show together with his slow-spoken reminiscences of the music of days gone by, the great figures of sport when baseball players wore mous- taches and figure-skating was sissy, his recollections of tunes and rou- tines of the vaude era of Nat Good- win, the Four Cohans, and Sophie Tucker. "Clary's Gazette" is senti- mental and it's sweet. McStay. FRANK PARKER SHOW W th Paula Kelly and Modernaires, Paul Baron Orch, Andre Baruch, announcer Producer: Bernard Tabachin Co-op (Pargon Productions) The transcribed Frank Parker show (aired over WNEW (N. Y.) for ayem programming), is strong enough for an evening slot with his high calibre name and entertain- ment value. Show is composed of re- liable elements topped by Parker with staunch support from Paul Baron's orch and a guest roster call- ing for frequent use of Kay Lor- raine, Paula Kelly and the Modern- aires, and Dolores Gray. There's sufficient material in this layout to keep the 15-minute stanza rolling at a good pace. Parker, vet radio singer who has appeared on top programs, knows his way around the tenor registers, while Paula Kelly and Modernaires, heard on show caught, are sufficiently person- able. Like most open-enders, tunes con- sist mainly of standards so that show will retain its timeliness over a long period. While this is sound transcription procedure, this type of layout doesn't permit sufficient variety to entice all types of listen- ers, but with proper spotting show can build a following. Jose. HIROSHIMA—AN EPILOG With Ray Falk, Father Kleinsorge, Dr. M. Fujii, Dr. K. Tanimoto, K. Kamei, Prof. N. Asaji, Dr. T. Sasaki, Mrs. H. Kawamato, Lt. CoL T. M. Cloward Director-producer: Charles Harrell Supervisor: Thomas Velotta Scripter: Vince Dejnpsey 30 Mins.; (6), 9 p.m. Sustaining WJZ-ABC, N. Y. ABC's program, "Hiroshima — An Epilogue, marking the second anni of the bombing of the Jap city, rates a grade for effort. The idea of send- ing the net's Tokyo rep, Ray Falk, to Hiroshima, to talk to some of the survivors, including some of those publicized sin the John Hersey New Yorker report, and record their re- marks, was a good one. In its signif- icance and subject matter, in the actual speeches, the show had merit. But in little else. Other than observing the second anni of the bombing the program had little point. It was undramatic, not holding a listener's interest. The show was sentimental, full of false notes, somewhat pretentious and altogether disappointing. The re- cordings of the various Japs in- volved, and even Falk's remarks, were unclear and blurred. The pre- cise English of some of the speakers was difficult to follow. There was some virtue in some of the survivors speaking in native Japanese, with Falk to translate, but this did not hold one's interest long. The indis- tinct recording of most of the show weighed it down badly. Some of the comments caught one's attention, to cause sober reflec- tion. A high school teacher thought it would take 20 years to rebuild Hiroshima; a Chinese Methodist min- ister called the city an atomic desert, the people in it living in a state of lethargy, with insufficient energy to rebuild the town. A bureaucrat claimed "there is no beauty left in Hiroshima." On the other hand, a surgeon whose house was destroyed and who was living in cramped quar- ters elsewhere, was confident of th» future. The interviews bit into quite a cross-section. A mother wailed in Japanese that her three kids were ragged, in need of clothes, while th* cry of her baby punctuated her re- marks. There was material here for a stir- ring half-hour, which was muffed. Bron. MUSICAL MYSTERIES Producer: Girard Productions Director-Writer: Alex Leftwich 5 Mins. CO-OP 20 Stations A five-minute session isn't ex- pected to provide enough time for any degree of characterization or plot buildup, especially in regard to mysteries where motive, execution and denouement are necessary. How- ever, there's always the possibility of satisfactory short-cuts, but that's not the case in "Musical Mysteries" where a musical charade, having nothing to do with the plot, is super- imposed on the meagre story time. Key to the slim mystery in this series is the name of a pop tune, easily guessed, with part of the title later being used by the guilty char- acter. Listener then has the solu- tion without waiting for explanation. This process makes it entirely too easy for the audience, many of whom would like the maintenance of suspense for the longest possible time. Some connection between musical selection and the plot would be de- sirable and audiences, generally, would prefer some mental agitation before being given the solution. Lack of these qualities negates the production values of the offering. Jose. ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE CHAN With Ed Begley, Leon Janney Wr ter: Alfred Besler Director: John G. Cole Producer: Chick Vincent 30 Mins., Mon., 8:30 p. m. Sustaining WOfc-MBS, N. Y. "Adventures of Charlie Chan," starting its new season's- run as a sustainer but skedded for adoption by Pharmaco products in the fall, is routine whodunit fare. Like others of the same stripe, this series has a strong pace to make dialers overlook the weak underpinnings of the story, i Only variation is the Chinese pidgin | English used by Chan, who covers | up his platitudes in the form of , Oriental epigrams. Both Ed Begley. I'as the Chinese detective, and Leon Janney, as the number one son, play their parts precisely as. their film counterparts. Initial adventure for Chan last Monday (11) had him tracking down a gang of murderous counterfeiters. Usual deductive brilliance of Chan operated in full swing with the long arm of coincidence intervening at | the right places to get him and his son out of holes, most often dug by themselves. Some dialers must have wondered why. if the gang chief was such a genius, he left his correct ad- dress at the store where he bought his bullets. However, it is written in Confucius' book that, despite fact Swiss cheese has many holes,, it tastes good, anyway. Herm. MAYOR OF THE MORNING With Bill Mayer, Jim Martin Producer-Director: Bill Mayer 60 Mins,; Mon. through Sal., 6 a.m. Sustaining WGAR, Cleveland This is one of the better a.m. disk shows featuring Bill Mayer as whirler of disks, and chief gabber. Featuring a nice selection of record- ings, the stanza takes the heaviness out of getting up and awakening for the toils of the day. Mayer breaks the hour in three parts. From 6 to 6:15 it's accent on variety of tunes alternating from slow to fast and then novelty selec- tion. At 6:15 comes Jim Martin with a five-minute roundup of the news. Mayer follows with more disks, an occasional fable-like saying, weather forecasts and frequent time signals. Martin is back again with another five-minute news roundup at 6:45 and Mayer rounds out the show \mlit 7. • As yet the show is un- sponsored, but beginning Sept. 1, Craig-Martin takes the last 15- minutes to boost tooth paste. It's a nicely-paced hour show. If Mayer just won't gab so much and use the time saved for more well- selected disks, the show will nerk up just that much more. Mark. MYSTERIES FROM ENGLAND With Joy Shelton, others Writer: Peter Cheyney Producer. Martyn C. Webster 30 Mins.; Sun., 8 p.m. Sustaining WNEW, N. Y. WNEW has copped a solid sterling beat by its arrangement with the BBC for rebroadcast by transcrip- tion of their standout mystery shows. Judging by the preem show (11), which aired one in the "Adventures of Julia" series, these BBC pro- grams are fresh, witty and imagina- tive, and rank with the best in U.S. radio. These dramats; moreover, achieve a sock appeal for the who- dunit devotees without thumping dialers on the head with all sorts of raw violence and hair-raising gim- micks. In the English literary tra- dition, the lines drape easily with class eventually telling in their subtle yet palpable superiority. Yarn on the teeoff stanza was based on wartime spy stuff handled with a neat mix of suspense and humor. Central character of this series is a fast gal, named Julia, with a superb talent for the double- cross. Played by Joy Shelton with an intriguing tone of boredom, Julia plies her trade between German agents and the British secret serv- ice, collecting heavy dough from all sides but ultimately delivering the goods to King and country. Production on this show was modest but trim. Direction was well- paced and the thesping of' cast mem- bers is uniformly sound. But a show's as good as its script and this one was excellent. Herm. WHAT AM I OFFERED? With Bob Dixon, audience partici- pants; Bob Emerick, announcer Writer: Frank Muckenhaupt Producer: Emerick 30 Mins.; Sat., 12 noon Sustaining WOR, N. Y. This half-hour—the first was last weekend (9)—was billed in an ad- vance notice as "a new WOR con- sumer program," a tag which might lead an ever-hopeful listener to hope (against most of his previous experi- ence' in dialing), that the stanza would deal with the mighty pertin- ent subject of the current high cost of living. No such luck. It's an- other studio audience quiz session, perhaps more pointless than most. It was supposed, according to the same advance notice, to originate from a supermarket in West Orange, N.J. Such a setting at least would have been novel. But it originated in a WOR studio. Giveaways, in- stead of "large baskets of food." were jars of jam, 97c cakes, cans of boned chicken, etc. (supplied by A&P, which got a plug.) Gimmick is to "auction" off the foodstuffs to the audience, bidding usually being started at a penny or two and never allowed to run higher than half the market value of the items. (On the teeoff sequence, c (Continued on page 36)