Variety (Nov 1948)

34 RAMO REVIEWS Wednesday, November 17, 1948 I THEATRE IJ.S.A, GEORGE O'HANLON SHOW WAKE UP, ST. LOUIS With Bruce Barrintrton, ruests head; Viiiioii Frieedley; iVarircu Charles Producer - Director: Herbert 25 JVIins.; Thurs. 8:30 p.m. (EST) BEVEKE CAMERA ABC, from Hollywood (Rocfic, Williams & Cleary^ Straight musical show with slight coloring, the new Jo Staf- foid broadcast for Revere Camera is a good 25-miniite compilation of pops and standards—but that's a lot of time to hang around the Sweeney, announcer Writer: Howard Teichmann ' Director: John Housman Music: Nathan Kroll orch 30 Mins.; Thurs., 7:30 p.m. (EST) U. S. ARMY AIR FORCE ABC, from New York (Gardner! ■ _ This is the long-heralded variety presentation put on by the Ameri- ean National Theatre and Academy (ANTA), with the U. S. Army and ton, Louis Hector, Stefan Schna-' | Orch ^ „ . bel, Anthony Kemble Cooper, Director: Don Bernard Richard Newton; Joe Ripley, anv Writer: James O'Hanlon nouncer; Vladimir Selinsliy. mu- sical director neck of Miss Stafford and the com- ^j,. Force Recruiting Service pick- Producer: Joseph Stauffer Director: Lester O'Keefe Writer: Robert Cenedella 30 Mins.; Sun. 9 p.m. ELECTRIC POWER & LIGHT COS. CBS, from New York (Aycr) The new Helen Hayes series, to which the agency has given the I 30 Mins., Tues,, 8 p.m Sttstainins Mutual, from Hollywood Newest situation comedy on Mutual frequently sounds a famil- iar note—probably because it's reminiscent of characters and situ- ations heard on some of its top- flight coiltemporaries. Each char- acter and situation passing in review brings to mind a facet of another show. Apart from its imitative aspects paratively light assistance she gets '(^S ^"^P ^^he^SlM^^^^^^ tab.^of 3p„n3or-identification t i 11 e. "The the O'Hanlon show is loaded with from the name value oi Glark Dennis and the Slarlighters. With- out some sort of a formula to niake it stick better in the consciousness of listeners, the straight music idea risks the possibility of bucking the Hooper on bridge games. This is Miss Stafford's first im- portant broadcast of. her own. A success on Chesterfield, she does only one broadcast a week for that looking forward to" ANTA treasury. . ^.tectric Hour," premierea mipres- the'^'e^iactmente arl As it came off on the premiere sively Sunday night (14i with an ^^^i enacimenih aie broadcast last Thursday | adaptation of the star's most sue- Series features a not too bright added up to a shck, stai-studded vehicle Laurence husband, a patient wife, a chiselinsi! laj out that might best be character- cestui stage venieie i aurence , j overbearing ized as a miniature radio version ] Housman s Victoria Regina. It ^^^^^ ^^.^^ keeps his help in line of the star-spangled ANTA "live" j ^vas a wise choice of material toi , ^^jn, bombast and platitudes. Such Broadway benelit of several m^^^^^ ^^^^ adaptation' " • back: Maintaining that pace-on a ■ ^ ■■■■ : weekb basis is something worth outfit now and secured the right this year to do another, | There was a slight attempt on this first show to inject an idiia.' It consisted of the extraction of: oddities fiom the news, related, musically in the form ol jingles, 1 or limerick,s. Idea was good, but ; ■too brief to make much of an ira- pact; There must be many more screwball news items that would For the opening show, for ex- ample; there were, reading from left to right, Alfred Drake, who makes a ghb, unobtrusive emcee; Mary Martin, Alec Templeton. Wil.^ lie Howard, Tallulah Bankhead. Donald Cook and producer: Vinton Freedley, the latter to bestow ANTA'.s blessing on the whole pro- ceedings. It was all wrapped to- gether with a: professional know- fit the thought. Later in the hroadr | how under the directorial helm of :cast a college aura took form with > John Housman, the performance of various .school [: Standard was a grand bit : of- melodies. It, too, was weak. [vocal-keyboard buffoonei-y in which Miss Stafford's \vork alone and' Mary Martin and Alec Templeton vith Slarlighters, smoothlv and' pa^layed their talents for a Puccim solidly backed by Paul Weston's! version of "Annie Get Your Gun." orchestra, was big-league stuff.' It wjis a reprise of some of the She started out with ' Just One of j Templetonia that ha? graced the Those Things" and progressed i summertime kilocycles, with Miss through "My Darling" (which she ; Martin contributing a stunning as- did on Capitol' Records with < sist. No less effective was her Gordon MacRae), "Honey." "Begin ' "Buttons and Bows" as the show's the Beguine," an excellent job, I opening turn. ^ „ ■ among others. Clark Dennis picked ■ Miss Bankhead and Cook were in on "Bliiebird of Happiness" as his I for a quickie from their current contribution. Unfortunately, didn't i "Private Lives" legiter, a bit handl« it welli' it's a lot of song for a tenor of his stature. Wood. M-G-M— "On an Island with You" THE C'.\MKI, SHOW Kvrry Firilay Mtr. 9:;<0 K.S,T, Mgt.: LOU CLAYTON production and; above Hayes' performance, combined to provide superb listening Only the unctuous commercial copy marred the broadcast. Having just returned from Lon- don, where, she scored • a personal triumph in the Tennessee Williams play, "The Glass Menagerie," Miss Hayes gave a virtuoso portrayal of the German girl who was queen: of England for over 60 years and whose name and: personality be- came synonymous with an era and a code of morals. Starting as a tremulous and eager, but basically determined young lady of 18,:she suggested the developing maturity and/: imperiousness of Victoria through middle age and into taer final years. It was a memorable performance which caught not merely the sur- face changes in the character, like the aging-voice, but also the undern lying: qualities that remained; the same, such as her. sentimentality and stubbornness. And despite minor faults, such as the exagge- rated breath-catching at Albert's declaration ot love and the kiss in the shaving scene, it created the i a lineup is bound to run headlong all Miss ' i"'^"' inevitable comparison with ' other programs of this type that marred only by the impression left by Cook' that it might have been Milton Berle playing' it straight.,. . - ., , „:. , , . Willie Howard did his now stand- I impression ot a full-rounded char- ard but still sock French lesson i act"' instead of merclj a one- routine. All this plus some orig-1 dimensional projection, inal scoring by Nathan Kroll and i Tonio Selvvart was exceptionally abound-on the spectrum However an assortment of solid laughs make it suitable sponsor bait. ScJfewy types of situations, that unfold make it a worthwhile show. George O'Hanlon does a good job in the title role Lurene Tuttle is okay as the wife, and Cliff Young makes a fine friend, Alan Reed booms his way toward a good amount of abdominal glee Jose. Sustaininr KXOK, St. Louis Weekly powwows on civic prob- lems was particularly effective in its 100th broadcast as it dealt with the operation of taverns insofar as juves are concerned. Station rounded up Walker Pierce, legal representative: . of the Missouri Brewers Assn. and two local bar- risters for a discussion on what' steps can and should be taken to cut down juve delinquency by forcinig owners to obey the laws, both city and state. Pierce pointed out that th«:: timidity of persons to make com-: plaints against' Violators because their identity might become known was one of the most vexing ob- stacles the makers of suds in the ' state have encountered. He said the association not only welcomes legitimate complaints, but conducts its own investigations, and when the facts warrant eall on the state and' city authorities either to re- voke tavern licenses or penalize: tlie owners. Various angles of the laws cov- i ering the serving of intoxicants to I iuves were aired by the trio,with I Harrington chipping in with som« pertinent observations. A different topic is selected each week unless the one under discussion runs too long to. be finished in one session. Sahu. COURT OF MUSIC With Jack Downey 30 Mins.» Sit., noon WONS, Hartford Mikeman Jack Downey holds a half hour court session each Saturday noon on; products of re- cording company. On successive weeks different company's prod- ucts are judged. Aiding and abet- ting Downey.is a board or jury of so- called experts. All are from with- in allied show trade. On session caughti products of Capitol Rec- ords were exhumed. Jury usually consists of a record HOUSEHOLD CHATS With Helen Holden 30 Mins.; Mon. to Fri., 9,15 a.m. ' WIBX, Utica Name and 'format of program are old ' in radio; but conductor handles the assignment compe- tently on this: CBS outlet. She offers household and fashion hints,. film and other news slanted for women, and I bits of philosophy, sandwiched between live ana transcribed advertising. More- music and addition of intei'view$ . would give added variety to the salesman, local band leader, and ■ P^of"'". which now tends to be visiting luminary at the neighbor-r''"^^- ing State theatre (vaude house). Featured broadcaster displays a some Howard Teichmann scripting that was easy to take. Warren Sweeney, does the re- cruitment "commercials.'' :ilose, MIND OVER MICROPHONE With Dr. E. W. Ziebarth, Halsey Hall, Bob De Haven: 30 Min., 9:30-10 p.m. SUn. WCCO, Minneapolis Downey plays hand • picked disks and asks for comment. Cross-fire patter at end of each recording rather pleasing voice and a :quiet, well mannered approach. She isn't brassy. She does several plugs. fine as Albert and there were ex- cellent bits by the unbilled actors who played ' the other German cousin, the queen's mother (as dis- tinct from the queen-mother) -and |^ the baffled ministerwho. had to "counsel" the .young ruler on her choice of a husband. Robert Cenedella's adaptation of the original play was superlative. makes for an interesting program including one for a cleaning but is often not specific enougli in criticism. Edc |Followup Comment ** * ** * ** ♦ » t « * » ♦ » ♦ ' ' firm and another for a women'i shop. The transcribed commer- cials are on the insistent side. Jaco. ,:':, . II",," FREDDIE LIGHTNER NOW in "THE BABE RUTH STORY" Pireeriok: LOU IRWIN NBC's provocative ; "Living-- 1948": Sunday afternoon documen- | show of the "Information Please" ' ''.'^cemuatea, tJie toniinuiij ana jg^t television last week (14). I Miow "1 i"e ii.io.i..diio.. 1 .ej.st .significance of the various scenes ' op,.intpfi hv Rhti TT-rz-im nnd titled type which appears to be catching',,2,.p sk,iif„iiv tpni nnri nnthino i ™. . "''^-i"' i^"-"^" , I on in a matter of weeks Emcee is i- , ^ -f/^ j ^. J ^ Television: Many Happy Re- I Dr E Z^eM WCCO nlwl fs«nt>al was omitted, lo be sure turns?" it was a forthright presen- analvst and ediicator a veteranln ^«nf,.°f ^'^^ a'i^ ""l tation ot video's status quo. per- boKlds ■ f'^"^*'^-i""^^^^^ all too familiar as "inside! " being shifted to a totally different ot,rfi" in thnsp williin the ti-ade ■ Panel of "experts" includes Hal-; context, but in Reneial the cliarao- , f*u7i„ \erms of a> l.stc ersl ip a sey Hall, sportscaster and sports ters as well as the narrative were , fi"elv-coSled clpsi le pre^^^^^^^^ ri*n'.,.""i?"t,^l.""„r.";„f,'^^ °« i £«"Wully retained. The back- I [rn^n wh'drall'facets werr?aid ' m.c. and entertainer, as well as aigrounfl music and production also ' "t,.„i2ht on the'line couplp ol guest e-xperts, one always were thoroughly professional. | it was in honest an educator i . : \ . wd» u.i nu.ics. „ , ,, , , . The eommercial copy, however, Experts thus far have gone in' practically epitomized the abuses for more discussion than do those of this kind o£ sponsoied radio appraisal, for along with the positive factors of "Tele's eventual erhergence as a fac- , , , , -- -—- - i term the whole socio-economic* on most shows of the type, and. The three announcements all com-' political sphere of tomorrow, the ■minus angles were also pro.iect- ed. - The ' "protect radi£i" v stance currently occupying the attention of the broadcasters bent on con- vincing the world that :there will ha< e kepi it lively and entertain . bined misleading generalities and ing ZicUarth as expert m speech questionable insinuations Since as anv one in these parts, keeps the] the sponsor is a group of public show mo\ing when it tends to utilities, the copy didn't attempt slacken with adroit questions. j any direct "sell," but plugged lor Hall and De Haven are both ex-' the idea of private rather than pub-1 always be a place for AM radio pert ad-libbers with liberal:supplies ;lic ownership, of electric power. i got in its innings, with a well-docu- of off-the-cuff wit. Murf. I Uobe. mented pro and con looksee into video v-S. film theatre attendance and sports gates pt th^ future; Ben Grauei* hahdled the major part of the nari'atibh and, as usual, turned in a fine job , , ,■ , ':...';"":'■:"-'... - ■ RESULTS Alert advertisers : know WOV.'s Market Information on each of 5 .Audiences to known reacti. an; unknown mass audience,' Get the facts from WOV toe|<iy, - You,: too, con take the guess out of buyliiig. means keying your advertising indiyiduals -rather than frying to , Wake Up New York 1280 Club Band Parade Prairie Stars . Italian language markiet 2,100,000 individuak (larger than: Pittsburgh).' Originators of mrar NfW YORK The "Lanny Ross Show" is de- veloping into a pleasant quarter- hour muiiical interlude, filling the ' Mutual web slot between Gabriel Ueattcr and Guy T.ombardo, and ; sshoiild go a long wav towards i ' blazing the comeback trail lor I Ross. General effect is nostalgic 1 with selection of sentimental faves ' i making it. a natural foi- oldstersi; , It should : liiake : iplerity .' friends.! among younKor li.stonors who like | Uipir music sweet and unhurried. Schmaltzy qualit.\ of show is con-. slstent, v\ilh stcad\ slow pace, making it all easy to- lake and re- laxing Saturday night fare. With I the. absence of commercials, there's no hoopla to break the mood An- nouncer ,Iohn SI l.eser handles Ins cliore in a minor key. and show's star emcee.s mu(,h of It himself in an iilfvi'inal manner (hat qives the whole thing a homov touch. Sylvan Levin and a 30-piece orch do .liahclsohiely by Ross, 'iiah- dling ;tlie, l)ack.!?rOund chore .\Vith' ; :ljeltcr than visual; skill and efFect. ■ It's not a sonsiilional show, but it's obviouslj not meant to be It al) ' adds Up lo tuneful and easy li'sten-' 1 ing. Starting— NOVEMBER 29,1948 The Biggest News in Daytime Radio FASHION FLASHES ■ ■ . Starring ADELAIDE HAWLEY TRANSCRIBED 5 MINUTES ACROSS-THE-BOARD • Fashion netos and commeni, ansioers to listeners' queries, interiiews with name celebri- ties—hy Adelaide Haxoley, Aviei tea's No. 1 Style Authori- ty . . Initial guests, include Elizabeth Haioes, Hairy Con- over, Candy Jones, Eugenia Sheppard, George Ilurrell. AHodio Paekag* by MURPHY-LILLIS. INC. 59 PARK AVENUE NEW YORK 16. N. Y. Produced by MORTIMER FRANKEL SYNDICATED TO RADIO STATIONS IN U; S. AN3 CANADA. AUDITION DISCS AVAILABLE.