Variety (May 1949)

RADIO HKVIKWS Wednesday, May 18, 1949 THIS IS BROADWAY With Clifton Fadiman. ^moee; Helen Hayes. George S. Kauf- man. Abe Burrows, Adcle Clark, Bert Frohman, Phil Foster. icxi-i, Nancy Franklin. Frank Parker. Producer: Morris S. Nov»k Marv McCartv, Artie Shaw. Ray Director: Martin Andrews FROM WHERE WE CAME With Melvyn Douflas. Aline Mac- Mahon. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Gov. Chester A. Bowles, Sen. Frank P. Graham, Emile Rieve Followup Comment ] Writer: Morton Wishengrad Mans- 30 Mins.; Sat. (14) 8:30 p.m. TEXTILE WORKERS UNION ABC. from New York (Fumiari, Feiver & Co.) To mark its 10th anniversar>’, the Textile Workers Union spon- sored this special program aired on a national web and piped to more than 100 meetings and banquets. Stanza wa.s in dramatic-documen- tary format, with brief messages Bloch’s orch Producer-Director: Irvin* field 60 Mins.. Wed.. 9:30 p. m. (EDT) Sustainin* CBS. from New York If CBS could decide just where it wants to go with its new hour- long "This Is Broadway” variety show, there's a chance it might wind up with an entertaining stanza. The premiere anc show bTth'sumYotar^^^^^^ Kmil Rieve The. speeches were bufldup for this^30-minute radio; appointment, primarilv becau.se of wisely held to a Authoritative in their Inter-, jrene Dunne acting [onfusing format which left the . 8o*ng beyond 45 seconds, and pretations of the roles and songs mother in ‘T Re- COillUMiiK . j ctrAcc ik/sic lAlnooH nn tnp nrfliTlfl lV.Tf»rtin ann i ^ __ v ^ Ezio Pinza is no stranger to the Telephone Hour over NBC on Mondays, but never before did he experience the anticipation be- cau.se of the showmanship coupling with Mary Martin, in a reprise of the “South Pacific ’ score. For one thing. Rodgers & Hammerstem had to cancel the Monday night performance in deference to this commitment. In addition, the man- agement (along w'ith co-impre- sarios Leland Hayward and Joshua Logan) substituted a Sunday night show for benefit of their colleagues ^last VVednesdav niSht .n in other legit ca.sts. wrased some slick talent, with necticut Gov, Chester A. Bowles, stagehands, wardrobe w( rcrneul rrefflcU^ P. Graham and TWU prez that served ^ a j le singUiari.N eneci Th*» snporhe.s were OPPORTUNITY BOND DRIVE SHOW With Prei. Truman, Treasury Sec- retary Snyder. Bob Hope, Bin* Crosby, Jack Benny, Rochester, A1 Jolson, Lionel Barrymore, Jo Stafford, Irene Dunne. Edward Arnold. Edward G. Robinson, Roy Rogers. Betty Garrett, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly. Frank Si- natra. Jules Munshin, Fred War- in* & Glee Club. Red Skelton; Alan Ladd, emcee; Ken Carpen- ter, announcer Producer: Cornwell Jackson 60 Mins.; Mon. (16). 10:30 p.m. ABC, CBS, MBS, NBC, from Vari- ous Points Hour-long stanza kicking off the new savings bond drive presented .some of radio’s top performers in Including ^ fast-moving, well-paced variety omen, etc.,, show, but missed the dramatic im- showmanly , pg^t that gets people to dig into *u I P 4 ■ f d, 1 wu du member Mama,'" Eclward G. Robiii- •Broadway.- billed as a -shoa - Plfyjng hr. usual tough and . nR.trn.iiy g^ward Arnold, as a banker, all listener bewildered. "Broadway.” billed as a -snow .vorker biz. clinic.” has Clifton Fadiman as n'"* woiker. the stress was placed on the drama they created. Miss Martin Pinz.a were whammo witi readv standout R&H score. ISRAEL—YEAR II With Quentin Reynolds, Jean Ellyn Santos Ortega, Lawson Zerbe* Larry Haines, Len Sterlin*. Kd- win Bruce; Jimmy Blaine, an- nouncer Writer: Arnold Perl Producer-director: Himan Brown SO Mins., Sun. (15), 4:30 p.m. Snstainln* ABC, from N. T. To mark the first anniversary of the new nation of Israel, ABC pre- sented, as its boost to the new United Jewish Appeal drive, a half- hour documentary Sunday (15) titled “Israel—Year II,” Program was a simple, graphic and moving tale of the first year in the life of the new country—a turbulent, crowded year, boiled down sharply and significantly into 30 minutes of staccato, telegraphic documenta- tion. Quentin Reynolds, who was there; who met big and little; who asked questions and found out w liat made the nation come into being, was the narrator. In plain narration selling the advantages of bonds. If or dramatized bits, with a simpl# company school, his^eing forced ; and instrumentally projected. Don to work at the mill at tHe-age of 12. | Voorhees did an excellent musical They told of his trying to make lends meet on $12 a week, his friends’ struggle to organize, the disastrous strike of '29 when his father, and five others, were killed and the walkout broken. Then in ’33 the organizing drive was picked up again. President Roosevelt do ties. Not that “South Pacific needs a trailer, hut this was a tip- top institutional buildup for a show which has inspired gags such as “it was easier for the Yanks to conauer the South Pacific than for preem and is scheduled as an in- and-out panel participant. Idea is to bring on as guests reigning stars and rising young- sters who go into their act and. one b\ one. cite their problems and dilemmas for analysis by the exi>crts. As such, the initial in- stallment found such diversified talents as Adele Clark. Bert Froh- man. Phil Foster. Nancy Franklin. Frank Parker. Mary McCarty and j finally Artie Shaw' engaging in cap- i "'Rule pleasantries and “baring i their souls” to the experts. A lot , of the entertainment was go()d. , notahlv the thrushing of Miss Clark.' Miss McCarty and Parker. Foster's comicalities and Shaw's i clarinet bit. frmn\he^K-mfm*an-Bt^^^^ woman worker creatively and to be following form. Not since humor. Director Mar- their kickoff show-and that was the stars spoke as themselves, rather than as characters, it would have been a more compelling argu- ment. More effective was a segment in which Lionel Barrymore introed a speech that had a quiet eloquence, he bared the miracle of a nation created in a world of indifference or hate. The invasion by the five Arab nations; the air raids on Tel Aviv; the fighting in the Negev; job throughout, both. ac- recaptured the the siege of Jerusalem; the steady i'll!. forward-looking, adventurous spirit I stream of immigration tliM at the fended the right to collective bar- them to get into ‘South Pacific’ gaining and the TWU was able to Institutional commercials for the win union recognition and other | “Ameche” w'ere good. benefits. While the airer might have bogged down in messages, slick of America—Jo Stafford doing a century-old ballad, A1 Jolson offer- ing “The Robert E. Lee,” Roy Rog- ers and the Riders of the Purple Sage in a moving rendition of "Ghost Riders in the Sky,” and the Fred Waring Glee Club climaxing the tune-history with "This Is My Country.” The section, pointing up m 1 nation’s basic values, was well Dean Martin & scripted and the kind of radio that COni6Cli3nS most inci-kiroe Hv TYiillinnc T,»rk- ! touted as two — • t J ^ COiiicuidno iiiusi inQniFAfi Aotlnn hv Tuillion^ i in 3 ^ •• • * m*'_i — ililiGly to rGVGr ».g ^ g ^^iing the emotional issues that fired i proud of this obtained^wdth Other sight cojnics , ^^ves, the Treasury Department should have stressed YOUR - . . _ .. -' 4 -* 1 Q 1 aC^^ZZI I -- “ ...... _ a woman worker creatively and be following form. ♦„*_ 1 ? end of the year exceeded 200,000—. all were de.soribed or enacted ad- mirably to explain how “a dream as old as Moses came to be ’’ Chief Rabbi Herzog of Palestin* took over the last five minutes in a transcribed talk to dwell elo- quently on Israeli’s new problem— the care of the vast influx of immi- grants—and to plead for financial aid via the UJ.\. ABC.. in a quiet way, can b« one. Broa. combo of experts, w a\" might just ‘This Is Broad as well have WASHINGTON SPONDENT « . V ...V. Andrews used good showman-! spotty—have the saloon funsters skinned the whole thin« Aside including recorded cuts of the : come through in the abstract. The Skippin tlie wnoic inin^- - > lati* snperhes. and sold : Tvrnr". /.rvtnoHTr utHUa from the fact that no one had a pressing dilemma on his mind (Shaw actuailv left Fadiman dan- late President’s speeches, and sold the union’s achievements through dramatic impact rather than bald declamation. Script by Morton gllns in n.ld-air 'jhen h*- . wishengrad avoided bromides in vn script and frankly confessed 1 ^ nf efforts of NBC’s comedy white hopes in the pre-7 p. m. Sunday night slot have ranged from poor to terrible. The Burl Ives stint was anywhere in that range. They material on these patriotic themes. In the comedy department. Bob i With John Herling, guests Hope and Bing Crosby clicked in Producer: John Herling sketch as the Gold Rush twins, un-; 15 Mins., Wed., 7:30 p.m. declining the campaign’s “Be a Modem Forty-Niner” slogan. They CORRE- WCFM, Washington Authentic reporting of the Wash- topi^d It off with a slick saving, jngton scene is John Herling’s slanted parody on their Road to fortg j^nd his selection of guest Morocco. geUing off some sharp correspondents in his weekly talks on public affairs evidences hii desire to enlighten, rather than lull, his listeners. In one of his programs, for example, he has minute stretch, in faet. where Bur appearance on the program, wiiv strictly a rumor. .lampacking the initial install- ■ mcnl with a topheavy talent ros- ter was probably the reason for | the “clinical” brushoff (the tinie-1 pressed experts probably being . moie concerned with getting in! their own gags*. But unless the show's format is crystallized with a definite purpose in mind. “Broad- way” would make more sense with an unashamed pre.sentation of acts, without benefit of the “expert” counsel. Fadiman for the most part plays It straight, eruditing as though the program was a hangover from “In- : fo Please.” It’s a role that re- quires a little more show biz ad libs. Jack Benny and Rochester were socko in one of their familiar hassles over money, and led smooth- into the bonds-mean-security ing a background of spinning spin- j catdi^p‘liVas'es"such~as’“are >^u for i L. Stokes, columnist, as dies. T)'“» tritiiitps from the civic HyTri.fi.*.. i..Ai.ririilina nM/U_ DUnCllOUS JUniOr was weaK. airmi- crnp^t Stnk«>c cn(>9V« in nn c.niv leaders added which was capable of clicking on its own. Bril. s. The tributes from the civic ' real? ” Martin's ladykilling predi-, a» nnmW ?rnm‘ Stokes speaks in an easy ders were carefully spaced and lections; and. alternately, the in-; drawl, but with plenty for neo.Yid-lO'^‘‘“‘heBal came. He talks stroishl Co MUSIC FOR A IIAI.F HOUR With Mario Berini. A1 Fanelli. Frank McCarthy, Emerson Buck- ley Orch Writers: Ed Brainard. Bob Simon Producer - director: Frank Mc- Carthy 30 Mins., Sundays, 3 p.m. Sustainin* WOR. N.Y. This new' .series projecting light opera and musicomedy melodics dishims. New comedy talent is such a rarity that the palpable faults of their management, agen- cy. sponsors, w riters and their own basic judgment make all these so- obvious shortcomings the more surprising. I Munshiin. Betty Garrett. Esther I Williams. Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, failed to play up the tal- i ent. Finale presented brief messages by Treasury Secretary Snyder and four governors. Concluding address by President Truman cogently ex- the point and leaves a distinct im- pression that he has been covering the people and the events of which he speaks. With the aid of such working reporters as Stokes, Herling givei his narrative the flavor of Wash- ington. With the news he blends There’s hardly anything to sug- gest the aesthete about the New York baseball Giants’ Leo Duro- cher. but Fred Allen will try any- thing. And usually succeeds. He hosted the Giants’ manager in a satire, with baseball undertones, S^aS^ln^US\s“Sl wjJk o?' backgroundr'expTanaUo; of paVlu- JlTAmericans »"entary maneuvers, and visuali- Bril zation of Congressional personali- ties (occasionally with mimicry* in With Val Lebeau; Wally Norman, guests he is abiX offer announcer sa\ \ry. Rose. in the Gilbert and Sullivan “Pina- debuted over WOR. N.V., Sunday i fore." which was hardly recogniz- CITIZEN BEWARE Producer: Ken Heady Writer: Sid Tremble 15 Mins., Mon., 8:30 p.m. Sustainin* KCMO. Kansas City Semi-documentary of rackets on the local scene makes worthy lis- tening for the whodunit and expose following. The quarter-hour re- enacts ca.se histories furnished by the Better Business Bureau on shady enterprises, rackets and swindles which havt gone on in the cit> and nearby area. Show caught was concerned with the scheme of a smoothie who u.sed lonely hearts clubs as a means of jueying on well-to-do femmes. In tlUN case it was a young widow who was persuaded to sell her home and give him half the money toward a dream home he would build when they got married. It actually happened here and was interestingly retold. Show is written by Sid Tremble. KC'MO's program director, and put together by Ken Heady, production chief, with Jim Lantz of the an- nouncing staff as narrator, and using AFHA actors. Cast of this one includt'd Janet Ewing and .\rt Ellison, both capable and known locally. For an authentic twist. pi-ogram brings in (Je«irge Husser. manager of the Kansas City Better Business Bureau, to \<Mifv the story from his files and to give a hint about next week’s show, Pro- ? :ram classes as good promotion or both the station and the BBB. and can be done in most an.\ city where the Bureau operates. Quin. (15* in the 3 p.m. segment and made for a nice listening half-hour interlude. Produced and narrated by Frank J. McCarthy, teeoff stanza had Mario Berini. Metopera tenor, in a scries of slick vocals and A1 Fanelli, pianist with WOR orch, sharing the spotlight. Former mixed operatic tunes with excerpts from Victor Herbert’s operetta, “Naughty Marietta" in precise, listenable fashion, while Fanelli got his best workout on a symphonic arrangement of Ger.shwin’s “Rhap- sody in Blue.” Both were capably backed by Emerson Buckley and station’s orch. Ed Brainard and Bob Simon .scripted narration, adeptly handled by McCarthy. Edba. able in the manner in which Al- len, Durocher. Minerva Pious, et al.. wrecked the operetta. Or was it “Pinafore”? It could have been anything. It at least got a number of laughs. And there were a num- ber of bellylaughs contributed by the Allen retinue in pieces of busi- nes.s dealing more specifically with the standard Allen’s Alley. Producer: Lou Hill 15 Mins; Mon.-Wed.-Fri.; 8:30 a.m. Sustainin* CKCO, Ottawa Coming as it does in the midst of an airful of diskers. “The 8:30 Show” rates kudos for its bright, unobtrusive and brief format. Val an informality which is lacking in many interview programs. A second show al.so broadcast weekly on WCFM by Herling is Called “Labor and the Nation’* (Friday, 6:15 p.m.). While es.sen- tially a pro-labor program, tht material includes an objectiv# appraisal of news with the editorial Columbus, Ind. — WCSl’s new studios and offices are nearing completion and will be shown to state and local officials on May 25 at an open house. ! Several Breakfast Duos i Mulled as Kollmars Sub I Dorothy Kilgallen and Dick Ko!l- mar have won their tift with WOR. N. Y., to cut down their broadcast schedule from seven to six a week. Mutual outlet is now hunting for a new Mr. and Mrs. team to take over the Saturday 8:15-8:55 a.m. spot. Husband-wife duos the station has been parleying with include Louis Calhern-Marianne Stewaii, Basil Rathbone - Ouida Bergere. Sidney Kingslcy-Madge Evans. Mr an^ Sidney Blackmer. Mr. and .Mrs. Bob Considine and Grace and Paul Hartman. Most Iikel> pros- pects. .so far are nqiortedly the Hartmans and Considines. Program department got the idea of picking up the Hartman.s when somebody remembered their blis- tering takeoff on breakfast gabbers in the Broadway revue, “.\ngel in the Wings” The dance - satiri.sts 1 have just wound up a run on TV. CHEER-UP JAMBOREE With Pee Wee Kine, Golden West Cowboys. Don Hill; Bob Kay 30 Mins., Mon.-Fri., 5:15 p.m.; Sat. 6:30 p.m. OERTEL BREWING CO. WAVE. Louisville ( M. R. Kopineyer Co.) Youthful group of folk.song en- tertainers has built quite a rep in these parts, and elsewhere, too. through its recordings. It has the u.sual complement of guitars, and other stringed instruments, and leans heavily to vocals of the ballad typo Interspersed with the band numbers. Roy Ayres plays on the steel guitar, and a comedy charac- ter injects some bucolic fun with his recitations of poetry. There’s just enough of this to provide com in easy doses, and makes a pleas- ant interlude between musical numbers. Sports news portion of the show is given fast, assured delivery by Don Hill, station’.s sports head. He covers baseball games played lo- fidly in the American Assn, and gives a roundup of scores, etc., from major league games as well. Commercials stress the “cheer- up” quality of the sponsor’s prod- uct. and they're of appropriate length and register to the point. Bob Kay handles the introes and commercial part of the show, in addition to working out production details with the Cowboys. A fast- moving blend of music and chat- ter, it’s ideally suited to the prod- uct the show’ is plugging. Wied. T !• A. ’Al- W -WW 1 • I : aav .9 TViVII Vllt tVlUVZliCZZ Lebeau. vocalist wi h Len Hopkins , matter out in the open. Herling orchestra in the Chateau Launer ! doesn’t hesitate to let labor folk K IS 'featured in the, show ; ij^ow who are their friends and which, at times, a.ssumcs a zany, enemies atmosphere, always can ies a well-I one of Herling’s pet peeves it I Fulton Lewis, the Mutufi com- bl^ssed^ relief to twist ^ to CKCO g^^ no friend of the co- and get away from unfunny disk gabbers and their wheezes so often trying unsuccessfully to emulate the CBC’s Rawhide show. Producer Low Hill wisely avoids pointed attempts at comedy in the stanza but lets the boys in the band whoop it up as the mood seizes them, also encourages zany pre.sen- tations of lyrics. Combo includes, besides Lebeau, Wilf Steabner on piano, who al.so arranges: Les Luca.s, bas.s; Jack Cook, drums; Rod Sauve. alto sax and clarinet; Norm Bigras. tenor sax and flute; Dan Douglas, trumpet. operatives (WCFM is a co-op ow'ned station*. He refer.s to l^ew'is in one of his broadcasts ai “that sweet talking mouthpiece for big interests. opposing housing legislation.” Coming from a mild- mannered fellow' with a Harvard accent. Herling’s barbs, no matter how sharp, have a soft sting. W'CFM is offering the two pro- grams separately or on one platter to radio stations at slightly almv# cost when used sustaining, with additional fee when sold for local sponsorship. All take part in some way in each show, even if merely as sound effects. • ® T?® DAY The overall result is almost stand out. Gorm. Levy. With Holland Engle Writer; Fran Courhlin 15 Mins.. Mon.-thru-Fri., 8:45 Sustaining WGN, Chicago , This is another of tho.se cheery Ddrocr S tdtbird beat '^^ke-up programs, involving re- E^uiuvi o vaiuiiu TOIl corded tunes, time and tempera- Army Air Force Recruiting spon- ture data, and the significance 01 Air Force May Bankroll sorship of CBS’ “The Catbird Seat” a.s a simulcast Is near the inking stage. Stanza, which fea- tures CBS sports director Red Bar- ber In a weekly roundup of sports news Saturdays at 6:30 p.m., would be picked up by the AAF early in July, via the 'Gardner agency. the calendar date. Holland Engle does a friencily job with chatter and an impartial selection of tunes. In between numbers, listeneri learn how cool it is outside, how much time they have to catcli tn# trolley, and why a date was sig- nificant, historically. Engle’s music introductions are I t « « • 9 iiiuriav lijza Televersion would add film to artfullv blended into the times Barber s commentar> and cut in , with no excess jolts. Show of this vidplc commercials for the live ; type makes a good breakfa *!'^^' AM announcements. ground. Mart.