Variety (Dec 1947)

IS Bimiii hkvirws |t.F.D. AMEUCA IVith Joe Kelly, .quUiMMter; CUnUn Anaersen, gw»t; farmer par- Uelptinis; Ed Ceei^er, anaouncer Wrlter-Pr6<lNcer: t«iric G. Cow»n Direotei: Glenn Xiuisam SO Hins.; ThUTB., 9:3« p.m. SustatinInK Mutual, Ii'om Cbicaeo Here's the show the Ford Dealers have bought to reach the rural mar- ketis, starting next month. If suc- ceeding sequences hold up to the level or the last week'& (4) getaway, there should be Fords in lots, of termets' ilutinres. As auiz shows go, It's a d«nc(y. . It should, even sell flivvers among city folk, who are wont to yearn over the bliss ol coun- try life., .■■ Producer Lou / Cowan obviously put plenty of polish on the "R.F,D." curtain-raiser, hoping to set it away to an impressive start. Four initial contestants—^three men and a houses -wife, all with R.F.D. addresses in Ohio—seemed to liave been liand- picked, all of them being, as quiis show participants go, remarkably well informed, articulate, alert and well poised. Questions: dealt with things farmers know about, such as naming as many breeds of cattle as possible, and a good measure of the quizzing was rigged for laughs. Con- tejst was on an elimination ba.sis, the wiilner being named "JVlastev Farmer of the Wealc." And prizes were lavished on the least of the eontest- ants, the fir.st out of the running, for instance, receiving a iJSOO ring "'for consolation." The winner got'..a 10- year supply of overalls,. a washing tuectaine, a vacuum cleaner, and a $2!:0 rubbsr-tired manure spreader! As added at! Tactions. Cowan has inje^Led a sequence where the con- te; lants "tell why they like living on a farm" and another in -which a cita- tion is awarded weekly tor the best instance of nei?hboriiness amons farm folic. To top off the teeolf, Cowan sueceested in lining up a brief transcribed "salute" to the progrtim from Secretary of Agriculture Clin- tOD: P. Anderson,, who declared that "never before has the - American farmer been so important to the welfare of the world.'* Joe Kelly, "bfeUringer" ol the Nf.-;ional Barn Dance for, many years and still quizmaster of the "Quiz KiCfi," is one of the most competent hands at this sort of entertainment and was'in top form on "R.'FJ).'s" debut. ■ Mutual has one bl the best , new ideas of the current season in' this -show. Barring a slump in its pace and overall quality, it shouM be toning strong by the litiie .Ford latches on. Bonn. TitE $oMo ymrmtG machine With Fat Ballard, 3ohn, Winters, Alan Holt; Jim Harkins, emeee Pradueer: Roger Bower SO Mins.; Sat,, S;30 p.m. Sustalains MBS, from New York As demonstrated on this airer, the push-button era in song writing has begun. Grinding out pop tunes like sausages, Pat Ballard's invention, a song; writing machine, is the novel twist on this new audience partic- ipation program. It's as simple as do-re-mi. A studio visitor pushes a button on the machine, the wheel turns round and round and a musi- cal note comes out here." After turn- ing out six notes which constitute the basic phrase for the so'ng, or- ganist John Winter goes directly to work on his keyboard lashioning the theme with variations. Fifteen minutes later Ballard comes up with the lyrics and the finished product is rendered'over the air by Alan Holt. But Tin Pan Alley can take it easy. This, machine is no substitute ior the Irving Berlins sfaH Cole Port- ers and if one of these assembly- line tunes ever makes the hit parade, it'll be a near miracle. . However, Ballard and Winter do remarkable jobs considering the time they have to work, in, even though the two tunes which; were turned out on the preem sounded very much alike. There certainly should be a ready- made audience for this "type of show among the legion of amateur song>.' writers. Participants who work the' ma- chine receive 100 professional copies of the songs they "wrote,'.' plus a re- cording thereof , in addition to a eontract giving them 50%' of the royalties, if any. Emcee Jim Harkins is careful to accent the-"if any'' so. as to forestall any mis- understanding about the likelihood of getting cash. There's a^o a par' ticipation gimmick for dialers who are asked to submit title and lyric suggestions for one of the num)¥Si'& On the debut stanza (6),. Harkins' was unlucky in pulling two contes- tants, both ot whom never wrote a- j:ong, nevpr wanted to and never thought they could. By-passing this minor hurdle, program ran along smoothly with Harkins supplying a hran'd of twangy, com-^bred chatter and Ballard and Winters displaying their dexterity in split-seco;id Com-' position. Holt sang an oldie ballad written by Ballard in addition to the tune written during the program, titled "I Love You AU Life Through." » . Herm,, MAXINE SDJLLrVAN With BiU Dlilard, Burt Wayne >wd«fieT: Tea Catt Writer: Shelley DabMns .,'3t'l(ilw.v'San.'3 pju»> SastaiDine WNEW, N. T. linlatgement of the Maxine SuUi- -van show on WNEW (N. Y.» from 15 minutes to a half-hour is just stretching a good thing too far. Compactness and punch evident during the'slsorter session-has been dissipated iii'' its qcw format. Even the presence of a guest artist and more writing doesn't cover the essential bareness of the increased . ' . . Miss SuUivan, of course, is a top- notch stylist who's able, to get her personable pipes across in any medium, but there is such a thing as overdoing, a good thing, especially in radio.' Miss Sullivan does about a half dozen numbers. In addition, BjU Dillard, initial guester, doe.<s suv- eral, All of which -makes for too inuci) vocals, s' Dillali-il' incidentally, has i set of- sobust pipes which he sliows to ad- •vaniase in. a trio «f tunes. A more impressive session might have been oTitained- with a full band, but on: this show an organ predom- inates, which helps' accentuate the ■lumpiness of the sho-w. It's to be realized that the indies frequently cannot compete with the nets when it comes to sustainers^ But m the case of WNEW, thejj've come across with some truly im- pressive shows that compare favor- ably with network product. The station hasn't shown the same in- g.enuity in this, case. . i^ose. Transcription Review PAUL BKijcE PKnrTr 10 Mitts., Mon.-thru-I'''rii, 6:45 p.m. WBOW, Albany Presentation of Paul Bruce Peltit (who recently became teacher of stagecraft at N. Y. State Teachers College) in a series of comments on local dramatic film and other enter- tainment marks an interesting ex." periment in Albany radio. It prob- ably is the first time such frank, direct and searching criticism has been broadcast on an origination herfr—certainly by a man from the £eld of stage education. - His views won't always strike a responsive cliord among entrepe- neurs of entertainment, if the first week's stanzas are a cnteriui]. Cer- tain listeners are apt to find him too cerebral. Others should like PetUt's standards, attitude and style. Peltit is not yet a first-class milcer- at times he sounds dry. inflexible and lacking the popular touch. Pettit would do well to make his criticisms more brief and inclusive. The bills at three downtown iirst- CLAUDIA . ' With Kaiaerine Bard, Paul Crabtree, Ptrey Allenby; Joe King, an- nmiacer Writer: Bose Franken DirectoT: William Brown Melaney 15 Mins.; Mon. thro Vru, 11:45 B,ni. COCA-COLA BO'lTLING WGN, Chicago "Claudia,' as tiie broadcast by- product of numerous sljort storie.% one play, two films, and four no-vels on the same inexhaustible sub.iect, sugari'^es the husband, wife and mother-in-law triangle. Its central truth, uns^poken, is that mothers-in'. law are iveople. This fact, which radio comedians have laughingly suppressed, for years, will probably be well received by mothersriu-law. Femme appeal o£ 'Xaaudia," un- der the froth "of husband-wife ping- pong, lies in its treatment of mother- d;:ughter relationships. The rela- tionship hasn't been weakened in the least by marriage. The mother remains dominant and all-wise — a comfortable bosom on which weary femme listeners can pillow their heads and ears. The marriage deisl is depicted as an implausible round of lurtle-doving. but the mOm- <Jaughter setup is couched in be- lievable human terms. Unlike the average daytime serial, the action in "Claudia" often origin- ptes in tangible situations outside the characters rather than in tlieir emotions. In other words its story action, with minor changes, could be filmed or televised. This approach Is handy in building separate, self- contained episodes, but one wonders if it doesn't reflect the playwi-iting background of Rose Franken'. To its advantage "Claudia" isnt meant to rasp any nervous systems or require any greater efloi't than listening. It's light wholesome stuff, and. though the dialog doesn't crackle, it certainly has authentic triteness. There's no diil-harging and n^obody .gets shoved- around. Commercials, neatly arrowccl at distaff siders. sound the hospitality note and al-so use the retrain in- troed years a£!o on 'Spotlight Bands." i ("Whoever you are, whatever you- do, vi^erever you may be, when yoii t think of refreshment, think of Coca- Cola.") Bai^L run houses were given insufficient consideration — in one case to the point of possible unfairness. The commentaries oh tlie visit Of Poet Robert Frost and on a Je-Wish stage production ran too long. Closer attention to the starting tihie of the program and to technical details are advisable. Ricbacd Annfteld works with Pettit on the pfoduetikHi. • Joco. Follow-up CfMeni^ >♦♦♦««» 4 « ' « < ♦ ♦ Don Bichards, first gue.ster spotted on "Pause that Refreshes," Sun- day (7) CBS, vice the ailing Ginny Simms, proved a botl trailed for "Finiaii's Rainbow," in which hes currently appearing on Broadway, and didii't hurt the Coca-Cola airer a particle. Richards baritoned "Whifi'enpoof Song," "01 Devil Moon" and "Begin the Beguino with a pleasant asurance that belied his somewhat limited network ex- perience. Teamed with the always satisfying Percy Faith harmonics Richards proved a much better than average pinch hitter. • "Ford Theatre" revival of "We Hold These Truths" . Sunday (V) held up admirably. Norman Cor- win's dramatic presentation of the U. S. Bill of Sights, originallv aired Dec. 15, 1841, was! stil! pertinent, dramatic and moving. Revived as a live show, with a different cast however, -the program was a fitting presentation for Pearl Harbor Day. The dramatization of the signing of the Constitution, the difficulty of selling' the document to simple, be- wildered new Americans, the need for a Bill of Rights and its genesis —all came off warm,' timely arid .ieogent Their first revival in_ the Ford series -was an excellent idea, a credit to Ford, its agency and to the cast that did it. CBS "School of the Air" featured a sharp attack on racial and reli- gious discrimination in the U. S. on its "Liberty Road" series • Monday (8). Without mincing words, pro- gram struck out against both the open and subtle types of prejudice operatin'g against Negroes, Jews and other minority group!; in a mann^ that slioulid.'Cause listeners ta stop ,abd think. Takeoff point for the script was the "Report of the Pres- ident's Committee on Civil Right" with the script iUustratipg via dramatic sketches the -variods dis- criminatory, practices described in the report.' Good advance- -exploi- tation would have- tied this program in with classroom discussions of the subject., * "Wini^ Over New Tark," on WHN. N. Y., Friday (5), packed plenty of interest for the dialer until Ted Husing mouthed a distastefully writ- leu commercial on the virtues of Kolorbak. With Derwood Kirby handling interviews by means of a wire recorder at LaGuardia Field, N. Y., show on night caught came up with a 30-year-old Army'Lieut.- Col. followed by Robert Montgomery, ■Vera Vague and Bob Hope. The Colonel was en route to Chicago and the otlier trio was planing to the Cos^t. A facile interviewee,Mont- gomery noted that he and Hope were returning from their appearances in London , at Britain's Command Per- formsnee. He described *it as a "wonderful show." Hope was "im- pressed with the human qualitie.s'^ of their majesties and in boidng off facetiously remarked to Kirby, "'With those kind of teeth you must use the stuff"—meaning Pepsodent. Miss Vague had been seeing the Broadway plays. Rather incongruous is the top billing Husing gets in the iprogram's intro. He reads three commercials while Kirby, who does all the spsde- work at the airport, receives only perfunctory mention. THE INQUIBING EDITOK Producer: Kay Klchins SO Mins.; Sat. 4 p.ni; Susiaininx mOTPL, Salt Lake City The Inquiring Editor 5s Herb Kretchman, editor of the Telegram, who asks the questions of high school students in this current events quiz show. Billed as a pro- gram dedicated to the idea that a well informed -jwuth is.a. guarantee of national strength: "Inquiring Ed- itor" pits a team of four -girls against a liice number of boys from the same school, and awards points for each correct answer. Kretchman does a smooth job as quiz master, considering the fact that he is not a pro. He has a brislt Approach, doesn't let the youngsters flounder too much, and supplements their answers with information of his own, without mounding like the know-it-all patronizing a bunch of ninnies. The quiz is split into three rounds. First segment pitches questions at each individual, second round is a true-false set-to; and the thitd round toisses -questions at the entire team, with the opposition getting a crack at it if the first group misses. In general, the questions are split into international, national, and re- gional catejgories, and the results are an intere-sting insight into the think- ing of high school boys and girls. Quizzes are held at School assem- blies, and transcribed for later play- back. A middle break featuring a plug for the school itself wasn't too bad. but draggiuK in the school choir for a song didn't fit the established pat- em. "Inquiring Editor" is « well- handled program of its type, and by traveling from school to school, probably does a good lob in keeo- ing thc.bobbysoKers hep to what's What in the world. Bert ABBOIX * COSnOtil^O XID SHOW With Wild Bin BHMt, Vwy VEstver, other ffvasts Producer-Writer: Kddie Feniita« Director: Rarlleid Weedim 30 Min&-, .S*t„ U «.m. Sustaining - ABC, from Holly woe* ' ■ This is a welcome novelty in kid iihows, and one, no doubt, that will be welcomed by kids from six to 60. Bud Abbott and Loli Costello,, enter- iog the field of juve entertainment, bring with them their zany type of comedy, slanted towards- a kid audi- ence, for a program that has a good deal of appeal to both youngsters ■and grownups. Sustainer, in a tran- scribed series, from the Coast, origi- nates from the Lou Costello -Foi:(nda- lion there, a playground and club for underprivileged youilig.sters ere* atcd as a memorial for Costello's late young son. Program has its ups and idownsi' in quite 'a varied format, bat tlie overall effect is well on the oltay side. Initial airer Saturday .(6) opened interestingly enough with the clear piping voice of a kid announcer, introducing the program and its stars; .Then on caine Abbott and Costello with their familiar gags and banter, but aiigled^tor kids, so that the studio audience of ja-ves got the point and the liumor^ as did un- doubtedly evei-y mike listener. Gags were good, too. . • * Tony Harper, eight.-year-bld singer, followed with a Solo of highly pro- fessional calibre in "Good Day," and A&C were back to exchange verbal blows with their chief guest. Wild Rill Elliott, the Cowboy star. Then the program switched its format,' and Ijegan to sag, in. the various games introduced. One was a "quiz" game, with eight Itids .on stage for a contest in bubble gum blowing, -which may have amused the studio crowd but fell flat to-mike listeners. Contest that followed had more interest, youngsters from the studio audience answering questions, on history, geography, etc., witb Cos- tello as gagging emcee. There was too much of this game business; £he comedy of the earlier portion went over better. • A bond went to the kid who per- formed the best deed of the week in combating juve delinquency. A&C have ,a, good idea and a good prognuA in this new show. Show stands up and deserves a kudo. Bron. HOUSE THAT MUSIC BUILT With Bex Maapin's ardi JFaok Lester, anMaBeer Writer: Bill Adaau Director: Banter Bcynolda 3t Mins.; Taea., 9:3S p.m. LTON AND HEALY WENB, Chicago "House That Music Built" is ABC's top model musical sustainer, one of dozens expertly turned .out Ijy Rex Maupin, the net'smidwest director of music. TJ^nlike previous models, this one is aired as a local program with good business reasoning be- hind it Show, offerii® light clas- sics and the more dur^le pcjis, fol- lows Boston Symphony and is,bank- rolled by a chain retailer of musical merchandise. All in all, it shapes up as , a logical rendezvous of spon- sor and customers. , Preem (2) went off Willi Orst rate solo work by Ennio Bolognini, cello; Ralph Martire, trumpet; Russ Cran- dall, harp; and Marie Ferguson, organ., George Barnes' octet, faniiliar web combo, unswung a brisk bit of progressive jazz, with Barnes' am- plified guitar incising the melody. Orch -was fluid and lulling in en- semble numbers; atriitg section diim- mered to advantage-in solo backing. Jack Lester lubricated the' pro- gram runway -with straight informa- tive introes. .Commercials, put a human interest touch on the: main store's sheet music section and also plugged the Xmas gift angle. Format calls for a guest line-up cued to dl'um beating of sponsor's various -musical departments. Shows, pack- aged by ABC-WENR's. production department, are budgeted at $1,200- ?l,500. Ba.x't. MUSICAL CLOCK With Sfaerb Ilerrick 60 Mim., Mon.-1]irB-Sat., t-9 a.m. JOHN G. MTEBS CO. WOKO, Albany Sherb Herrick has proved a, worthy successor to Forrest Willis since the latter left this spot to handle a program at the same time via WTRY. Tl-oy. for Whitney, Albany's other big department store. Long an announcer and sportscaster over WOKG. Herrick possesses a voice of network calibre^-probably the finest regularly heard on a Cap- ital district station. Slowly but surely, he is integrat- ing himself into the Musical Clock and into the community service which it offers. He still needs to work on two angles: more modula- tion and further development of ingratiating radio, personality. On occasions, Herrick booms too ju'ucU and sounds a'bit over-direct In in- terviews with adults and youngsters. Interviews (one heard was with Mayor Erastus Corning on the .sale of Christmas Seals), biithday and w e d dj n g anniversary greetings, .service-club, church organization and social announcements, and e.t. music comprise the rairiilar t^rn Advertising is in good 'taste, if a little over-insistent in spots. Jaco. m FAVOBinc wm With Blli SUtev^ easeee; laltial cnesla inelnitMg Gay iMibwde, Miiioa Berle, Xaehairjr Rcott. Stet Barber, •then; Bon.Fvadeitick, waaoauMeri' Writers: mmf $ivn,Mm Vprjian mend,, M Mias.; Wed. (3). lA PM. Sustaining Mutual, from New York A variation of the talent-scouts iopnat, this ^new'stanza, which indie producer Laurence Hammond hopes to interest Mutual in skedding regu- larly, lutros .Juveniles of Distinction who are the "fav>rite kids" of promi- nent figures in business,' sports and entertainment. , The kids are nomi- nated for appearance on the program by such organizations as the. Boys Clubs of America . snd ' Junior Achievement, Inc. It's .a high-minded idea, giving nationwide attention as it does to promising .teenagers, and certainly, on the basis of the audition airing, offers a satisfactory quota of popu- lac Name appeaL ''Sponsors" of the ju-ves presented on the initialer in- cluded, tiesides Guy Lombardo, Mil- ton BeHe, Zachary Scott and Red Barber, Oscar , M. Lazrus, board chairman of the Benrus Watch Co^; and Arthur L. Manchee, exec veepee of Bamberger's dept. srare, Newark. In addition, Claudia Pinza, new Met Opera star, stepped to ■ the mike to kudo the stanza. BiU Slater was a :genial, glib host, Kids who came in for a bow in- cluded a boy who appeared in N. Y. court as his mother's counsel and successfully defended her; a blind youth who hopes to be a sports com- mentator; a 12-year-old pianist; a .girl president, at a small chemical company in Newark, and a Negro girl soprano,' The show needs some production embellishment; it tended pretty much toward a "now the next guest and his fa-vorite kid are" routine, 'although an obvious effort was m«de at ohe point, via a butt-in-on-the-act, intro, to escape this repetitiousncss. The kids weren^ in every case too impressive, judged by the aired samples of their talents, and the juves were all "hprae talent" (a 'factor which, of course, could be eliminated if the producers went to the iexpense of bringing in young-. sters-from all over the country ^ or could lure them jn for the. payoff of a showcasing). Souped up via really name guests, choice of really unusual kids, and some more showmanship than the preem contained, the item might do a5;well as the next new-^Ient show. ' 1)0071. OUT OF THE NIGHT Writer-Prodacer: Lynn McKinley IS mns.;' Mon.-thra-Frl., 9:45 p.m. KSL, Salt Lake City An across-tbe-bOard'bedtime airer, "Out of the Night" isn't likely to excite any dialers into a. case of insomnia. This session of music and ■po^c palaver is slow, soft and somewhat relaxing as befitting its purpose.. Lowell Durham's house orchestra plays a conventional brand of music, ranging from waltzy pop tunes to the semi-classics with an ultra-sweetish accent on string.s. Special fillip to this ihow is the dreamy recitations- of Lynn McKin- ley*s verse which punctuate the musical numbers. I^e poetry is sticky but oozes into the ozone with .iust'enough enchantment to induce sleep. Sample: "So clear the atmo- sphere, so old and cold the moon tauigfat," etc* It isn't K«ats but it ,rbymes> AS !mB TWIG IS BENT WUh Gordon fiaton, narrator; Geecc* Johaaon, iJiara Hae Carpeiter, Jenry Nelson, Dean Alaiqairt, WU- lioai B. Newford, othen Pcodweer: Bob SiitiMi' , Wfitcn: Balph Andrlst, Kalyh Baek- IwaA .„ 3t Mins.; Wed., 8:30 p.m. . WCCO, Minneapolia In its second series of documen- taries, WCCO. is devoting four half- hour programs to analysis of prob- lem of juvenile delinquency and tying in broadcasts with open forum meetings held in WCCO studios in Minneapolis and St. PauL Otlier meetings have been scheduled in several other .Minnesota cities. Produced' ' in cooperation with Minnesota Radio Council, .shows are written toy a team which scripted WCCO's "Neither Free Nor Equal" series, a vigorous attack on racial discrimination. Second show of the current series pointed up the plea that the key to solution of juve de- linquency is in correction rather than punishment. Actual cases are dramatized, one detailing tlie death, by police bullets, of a criminal whose juvenile mis- steps were handled by a callous court Otlier dramatizations show how sympathetic and understanding judges have stepped down from for- bidding benches to get bito heart-to- heart contact with erring Kids. Series stems from passage in Minnesota and Wisconsin of youtt> conservation acts extending age liniit for juvenile handling from 18 to 21 and setting up commissions to seek best way to remedy youngsters' difficulties. In haiUng these meas- ures as a step in the right direction, the series aims at Itetenership in outside states. Seems a smart and direct way of dealing witb an important problem. MufS*