Variety (August 1949)

Wednesday, August 10, 1949 84 RADIO REVIEWS KATE SMITH CALLS With Ted Collins Producer: Collins Director: John Cleary 105 Mins., 9 p.m., Mon. SustainiiiR ABC, from Lake Placid, N, Y. Kate Smith's new ABC show is short, or rather stunted, on enter- tainment values and long on its anxiety to build up an audience via giveav\ays. It runs from 9 to 10 p.m. and from 10:15 to 11 Monday evenings and the chances are it will i’ave a difficult time gathering a Hooper, even with the handouts. There’s too many other shows handing out valuable bric-a-brac. Miss Smith’s initial broadcast, assisted hy her partner, manager and mentor, Ted Collins, was done from her Lake Placid home. That means a minimum of production costs since it in>folves only the rather weak palaver the two gene- rate, recordings, vocals by Mis.s Smith and a pianist-accompanist. Occasionally there’s a vocal by the singer witli full-band background. It’s not explained by Collins that the source is one of Miss Smith's recordings. It’s implied that the chore is live. Conte.st angle is covered thusly; Miss Smith sings a tune, usually an old one, and a few minutes later is on the phone with a listener, ap- parently forewarned, asking a ques- tion relative to the plot or the lines of the lyric. If a correct answer is given, a prize such as a kitchen range is awarded plus a crack at a jackpot w orth .5,000. This conun- drum Is to identify after a W'oid description, an outstanding name. The description is rather vaguely given and so is the questions Miss Smith asks relative to the pre- jackpot quer.\. All in all. the new show contains a minimum of idea and a minimum of entertainment that might keep anyone other than those fore- wained that they’re to be called, timed to ABC. Wood. MARTIN KANE. PRIVATE EYE With William Gargan; announcer. Fred IJttal Writer-director: Ted Hediger 30 Min.s.; Sun.. 4:30 p.m. L. S. TOBACCO CO. IMBS, from New' York (Ki/duer) “Martin Kane. Private Eye” is a routine whodunit tluillcr with Wil- liam Gargan in tiie title role. Initial show Sundai t7) was fairly interesting although the situations were often tcl«,*graph<‘d. This tran- seribod series is not spotted too advaritageously on Mutual’s time slate for two other half-liour mys- tery shows immediately precede it and anollier detective drama even follows it. Presumably most dialers wlio have been aiuliored to Iheir MBS station all afternoon will be well satiated witli shootings, corpses and sundry sound elTccts by the time “Martin Kane” readies the scene. However, dyed-in-the-wool crime yarn addicts will find ade- (luate, lliougii not outstanding en- tertainment. in Gargan's auven- tures. Inauguial in.stallment had the film acior gumshoeing tlirough an international smuggling case whidi drew most of its .suspense from a murder at a Long island house parly. Gargan was forceful as the private investigator wliile the un- uilled supporung cast wa.s com- petent. Plug.s for U. S. Tobacco’s tour brands of smoking mixtures were relatively modest. Gilb. EVANS SHOWCASE 1 BETWEEN US GIRLS With Carl Moore. Gloria Carroll. 1 With Louise King. Earl Nightin- Salvy Cavvichio. Evansaires and! gale. Harold Kartun orch Frank Bell orch; Tom Russell. Writer: Charles Romine 1 Producer: Jerry Dee 115 Mins.; Mon.-Fri.. 2:30 p.m. MUNTZ TV MwbbM. Chicago —...... Louise King Is the best thing Proof that the Hub can come up about this musical mid-afternoon with a good listenable musical airer, but only when she s singing. TV *• ^ Cf 1 «f A O HCT B CnBlIC^ llll* the better VIC BARNES NEWS With Vir Barnes 15 .Mins., Mon.-Fri., 7 p.m. CHICAGO FEDERATION OF LABOR W'CFE. Chicago Vic Barnes is another newscaster will) reads press dispatdies witli a ininimum ol editorializing, tlius leaving listeners with, a choice of opinions on the day’s news. How- e\er, Barnes manages to weigh his dispatches with enough labor news so tli.it liis sponsor, the Chi Fed. ol Labor, winil.s up happy with the el- f0( I Outside of a husky, authoritative \oi( e. tliere is not much distinction between liis delivery and man.v Ollier newscasters. Several oral slijis wen* diseernible, but Barnes cauglil tlu'iii and recovered in time to ki’i'p the lisit'iK'rs on the beam. While there’s a lot to be .said for his scliool of thouglit re ncwscast- iiig. i e. to nresent the facts and Jet the listener decide for himself, the (omplele lack of personal and grou|» opinion presents a danger In itself. Tile dialers might well end up with no opinion at all. whieli situation rioesn’l lend itself to an Inloi ined ami alert citizencry. Mart. BII.I. & V.\N With Bill Pope. Bill Van Stccn- berg 40 Mins,: .>lon.-thru-Sat., 8 a.m. PARTICIPATING W'OKO, Albany Now learn monitors a musicil clock on a block long handled by Singles. Tlieir first joint venture holds promjse of better things, wlien tlio\ polisli rough spots, de- velop a tighter format, build up the public service phase and im- pro\e mike play. Program ran too .slow '.nd too lalky the first week. ■ Possll)l\ Bill Pope and Bill Van Sfecnlierg were tn’ing to avoid Hie bong\ appro.ich familiar to .shows of the kind hereabouts; ii so. the\ leaned too much in the opposite direction. Start of seieral broadcast.< dra.ggod noticeably, as the boi verballi fenced in a light \ein Stanzas g.iined speed w'hcn Pope— originallx paired with George Miller on a WGY sports program and later his partner for WTn’.T .sportsea.<f.s—swung into the sports department. He could build up tlie baseball scores, tcnnis-goli news. etc.. \ ia brief commentaries, spotlighting of area professional ba.seliall and possibly Saratoga August racing, pins interviews. Pope possesses a fair voice and ea.sy aii' personality. Van Steen- herg. who has one of the most pleasingly modulated set of pipes hereabouts, registers at three- quarter mark witli a poem. His specialty at WTTR and WBCA. he reads pocti*y well. Pope and Van Steenberg sell tlie commercials—four sponsors - persuasivclj. Jaco. announcer Producer: Ray Giradin 30 mins., Sat. 8:30 p.m. EVANS LIGHTER CO. WEEI, Boston of a gooa iisienaoie musical airer, oui uiny stanza is this half-hourcr currently Program gives her a chance to un- being broadcast from tlic stage of cork one of the better femme RKO’s Memorial and other houses voices in Chi radio, on the circuit. Sparked by the Hub i Show gets off to a shaky start fave, gravel-voiced Carl Moore, jn the title “Between Us Girls” VKEff; ■ show includes some of WKEff; best followed by patter between Miss known talent and is rdpidly shap -1 King and a male announcer, in ing as a topflight airer. this case Earl Nightingale, which Comic Moore, a master of the must put him in a dubious situa- zany. and a trigger fast m.e.. guides tion. the show with solid competence and qjj caught. Miss King takes over a couple of spots to sing marbled nicely on “How It Lies,” some of the ridiculous songs that ..jj^e Man I Love,” “Somebody are his trademark. At .show caught Loves Me ” and “There’s Yes. Yes, he sang “A Farmer’s Conversation your ’Eyes.” Harold Kartun With His Mule ” with solid reaction . Q^ch interspersed with a halting by the visual audience, and fol-' version of “Laura.” lowed with the oldie “Merrv Olds- ... . * mobile” With an assist by Gloria Carroll. Ottiers who grabbed solo a fairlv snide spot., were Salvy Cavyiehi„..a xylo- KmR - out « phone wiz. the singing trio, and ^ nuvn-c j m'fh?“non,' ‘"if more thought went Into keep- CommcSls are handled taste- ing this show musical and less into fullv^Rh the accent on a S2 500 amusing, it would be a plea- luiiy with the accent on a $2,o00 ^ afternoon break in the soaper con^test to name a new Evans JouUne Program sked calls for ‘o®?hrp,Aa. o'‘is“piemrsook'’Th? M^^y Hogan *to handle thejues. Show dcbuU'd a Memori d T^ * sponsor. Muntz fbout six'weekl agoTnd'iJ^done TV, with a staff announcer ta^g p.m. STAR.S OVER TEXAS With Lynn Cole, Busier Bryan, K. Burt Sloan and Oreh Producer: Buster Bryan 15 Min. Mon.-thru-i ri., 6:15 GULF BREWING CO. M^OAl, .San Antonio For the past nine years “Head- liner Time’ ha.s been heard three limes wfcekly troni tlie studios of Kf^KC. Houston, and memlier sta- tions of tlie Texas yuaiity Netw'ork ' under the spom>or.>liip of tlie Gulf Brewing Co., bottlers of Grand Prize Beer. Tliis opus is being j heard nightly over tne same web I and \ aries from tiie old program in j that it is a straigiil musical sliow teat wring favorite w estern and folk imisie. Airing is smartly paced in musical fare and coining at the din- lUM- hour should blend well with the musical taste of Texans and make tliem stock up on llie brew. IMogram marks Hie return of Lynn Cole, baritone .soloist to ’l'e\as airwa.Ns. He was at one time leainred on "lleadlm**!' Time” and for the pasf two years lias been in I lollv v\ood wliere lie was featured on NBC and CHS and also re- corded foi- C’apitol Records. His voice shows tin* added polish of ru'iwoik and recording work. Can sell a ballad well and is at home on Hie 1\lies ol an\ i\pe melody, IfesI on airing cauglil was “Don't See Me in You're Kves.” Good too was Ids lendition oi "I Tipped My Hal" and "l.opin Side the Lazy Hid (irande" an original song writ- ion hy Stove Willielm. former nar- rator on "Headliner Time.” K. Burl Sloan and his orch lend good musical simpfirl to Cole. Original theme melody “.Stars over 'l'c\;>v" was written f<n* the .scries l),v Sloan. A good old fashioned rulilU' breakdown featured Hank ami his fiddle was well played. Bill Bryan doulilos as producer and m.e. of tlie airings and turns III as usual a Idgli calibre job. The musical back,ground to the G-H-A-\-D P-lt-l-Z-K .spelling is novel and ear arresting. The in- formal chatting witli Cole by Brvan is well liandled and lends it sell to a homej type of airings. 'I’liere are two eommereials, well spaced afiarl and not too overlong. Andy. about six weeks ago and has done much to hypo biz at tlie various houses it has played. Heard throughout the New England area through an 11-station Columbia hookup, it’s the first live audience production show to hit town since First National Bank dropped its Opera House shows with Arthur Fiedler. Stanza adds up to good the Mon.-Wed.-Fri. shows until Aug. 22, when “Girls” goes wholly commercial with Robert Hall Clothing taking the Mon.-Wed.- Fri. periods. Mart. LET’S HAVE FUN With Hank Grant, emcee; Holland ricuicc. oitiii/.d auu.s up lo goou Engle, announcer entertainment and slioukl do tlie Director: Hunt Downs enicriammeni ana snouiii ao itie nuu* job it was designed for, namely 30 Mins., Mon.-Fri., 12 (noon) sell Evans lighters. EUe. GOLDBLATT’S i WON. Chicago This is a giveaway staged in the I sponsor’s downtown store studio with audience participation, songs, i and a phone quiz. Emcee Hank ! Grant, heartily echoed by announc- er Holland Engle, merges the bra.ssier features of Ralph Edwards ADVENTURES IN TRAVEL With Henry Milo Writer-Producer: Dlilo 15 Mins.; Wed., 10:45 p. m. Sustaining WINS, N. Y. For vnealloners looking for ' and Bob Hawk in a big, fast, noisy travel tips, this show will prove show. interesting. Henry Milo, program it’s the type of program that will conductor, has a w ide range of info appeal to a horde of women shop- about near and far-off places which pers. resting their aching feet is supplemented by guests from between bargain grabs. Neverthc- travel agencies, .shipping com- j less, so much of the personal ap- panies and mag publications. The proach is lost on the radio sets data, however, is retailed in a rambling stylo wilh too nuich com- mercial enthusiasm and not enough critical discrimination. On a recent show. Richard Joseph. Esquire travel editor, and E. riyron Bull, prexy of the Hull Line, plugged the Carilihean area in general and the Bull Line in particular as vacation possibilities. Much of the descriptive rnalerial. unfortunately, wa.s marred l)v a corny, travelog flavoi . Hcrm. ■ _ that li.steners get a maximum of noi.sy confusion and a minimum of active entertainment. Grant is a capable emcee, and does a glib job of kidding the participants. But an unnecessary amount of belly-laughing by an- nouncer Engle after every sally drowns out listener appreciation. Commercial plugs are shouted in a barker style that get on a per- son’s nerves. Trouble with this program is that it’s a direct takeoff on “Truth Or Consequences,” and not deliv- ered half so well. It needs a fresh angle. Grant and “Fun” have something here that’s a hvbrid by Edwards, but in this variety case, it doesn’t improve the snecies. CLEVELAND SUMMER SYM, PHONY " With Cleveland Orchestra, Diree. tor Rudolph Rlngwall. Hal Mor- • Kan, announcer Producer: Wayne Mack 30 Mins., Wed., 10:30 p. m. WGAR, Cleveland WGAR follows the Lewisohn Concerts with 30 minutes of tran- scribed music from the Cleveland Summer Pops. The program picked up earlier in the evening’ is directed with expert finesse by maestro Rudolph Ringwall who briefly introduces the pieces by giving just enough of the back- ground to .spice the audience’s at- tention. The light music, following the heavier “longhair” network show makes for a very pleasant summer night’s listening. Hal Morgan at the announcer’s mike and Wayne Mack at the producer’s end tie in nicely. Mark. DESIGN FOR LIVING With Harriet Rabe, guests 15 Mins., Sun., 2:15 p.m. Su.staining WROW, Albany Program incorporates a sound idea, but shaky radio technique mars Its projection. Harriet Rabe formerly associated w'ith Columbia Univ. and an Intelligent woman with definite ideas and opinions gushes too much and laughs too shrilly for ea.sy listening, whether it be in interviews with guests or in di.scu.ssions of their “design for happy living.” Femme dialers may be particu- larly critical of her. Miss Rabe must tone down, ease up and talk less. Trait .of asking a question and giving her own opinion before the guest an.swcrs needs to be curbed, too. An interview with Jonathan Lucas, appearing at the Crandell theatre in nearby Chatham and scheduled to play in the new George Abbott show, unfolded a lively story — despite side excur- sions by Miss Rabe. Lucas, who comnetes with Jeffrey Lynn for the rating ol the most persuasive male .strawhatter heard on the air hcrealwuts this sea.son, reported that as holder of a degree in psy- chology from Southern Methpdist, he had worked on the secretarial end of Hie famed Kinsey Report. Another exchange, with a woman member of an artists organization turning out Chrixtnias cards, also had moments, but the gals over- gal)hed and over-laughed. The “de- sign for happy living” segment could Im? expanded. Jaco. ABC-TV Continued from page 33 •4 J Radio Followup ^ Mart. Canada-TV Continued from page 33 CANTOR’S ECA SHOW SET FOR U. S. RELEASE W F’aris, Aug. 9. On Hie e\(' of sailing home on Hie Queen Alaix. Eddie Cantor I raiiscrihed a hroadeast to be re- leased in the L.S. on Sept. 1 on be- hair of the European Cooperation Administration. .\ini is to counter- act tlie propaganda against spend- ing heavy dough to help the Con- tinent get back on its feet eco- nomically. (’omie. vitally inlcrested in sup- porting the .Marshall Plan as a means lo preserie peace, refused lo act opt an\ money either for his \toik or expenses. Script was written by William N, Rtibson. who came up from the Riviera lor the waxing. Session was all ended by Ed Gruskin, ECA radio head, Ben Smith and Allen Oakes wlio acted as announcers, and Barbara Rurup, of ECA radio slaff Studio used was that of Paris Radio Productions, the new Pierre Gninblat organization. { .show (9:30 p.m.) Sunday eienings is still tied down by a thin script- ing format that fails to make full u.se of the .star’s unusual talents. Past broadcast (7> was a liodge- podge of .situations, gags and weakly-excused performances of standard tunes with which Miss Merman has been associated in her radio stations is that they are long string of Broadway musicals, prepared to sink and gamble sev- All told, the 30 minutes amounted ^ral million dollars of their own to good effort, no satisfaction. money in Canadian television but But, long after the final minutes that the CBC wi.shes to extend their the impre.ssion persists that .some- present monopoly in the radio field fers a great deal of opportunity though these groups in-, It simply isn’t being used. This that they are prepared to take ; show was brightly written, offering ® heavy investment-flier. Mean- i some sharp lines in spots, but sunk '^hile. the Federal-operated CBC is ! into a basic pattern that misses ^xP<^rted to get the green light on I hre. a $4,000,000 Federal government Perhaps the fault of the writer grant which will permit the CBC to and producer lies in attempting to establish a television station in To- nilf"*! *^^o*’*? tp Miss Mer-' Tonto and another in Montreal as Ilo if ^ ” mustcal comedy, to the nucleus of a video setup to essary. It could be That her ta"ent “ Tt'ncWanguagc network could be employed in a dumb dame n ^’'a^S'Canada networks. j role, or by widening the idea be- J^^r-day meetings, to hind the one or two of the sketches ^he CBC used on the past weck’.s broadcast Independents present- which were broad slapstick. At any . eir briefs, will devolve the rate, while Miss Merman’s new “f®‘sions of the Royal Commission; show^ has little beside the singer’s P'”* *h® “>n” that the CBC already standard vocals, she has possibili- Lhe present nationalized ’ j radio monopoly and which, under- TITT: ; ; Standably, might be extended to ** ~ Walter Johnson, television In Canada. g.m. has been - I PresWenl of the' Lubbock. Tex. public relations committee?* I enTer''^?telLu"s5?? working on the floor. To hang the backdrops there is $19,000 worth of countorlialanced lines in the big main studio. 'J'hi.o capital inve.st- ment. Holden believes, will pay for itselt witliin a yc'ar by allow- ing lor asscnil)lyline creation of sccner.v. l^ecaiise ot tlie ample storage facilities, Hoiden li.is devised a “non-expendahle” s.vstem of set production. All flats, platforms, backdrops, doors, window’s, etc. are made in standardized units which fit togctlier like building blocks or pre-fabricated furniture. Each flat, constructe<r for long-tc'rm use. has its independent built-in stand and ties that inosli with any other. “We’ve ne\cr destroyed a si’''lie flat in tlic .vear we’ve been ' 'x- ing,” Holden point.s out. e done 1,100 sliows for which e built 2(iH new sots, using some ot tlie elements as man.v as 40 or 50 times.” Files or artists' drawings, blue- prints and plans are kept on all sets, flal.s, drops and furniture, for quick selection b.v directors. When new' sets are recpiired. they are de- signed lo fit into Hie web’s “set library” with a little adaptation. Sets are sold at cost to sponsors. “Conve.vor belt” layout includes a carpenter shop on the fourth floor, wlioie flal.s are built and can be raised lo the filth floor paint shop througli a slotted ceiling by means of pulle.\ s. To further trim costs. lumber and canvas are bought in quantity, with the canvas sewed right In the shop. Holden, former aifor. Theatre Guild .stage manager, stagecraft Instructor at the of Michi^n and Carnegie Tei h and CBS-TV cameraman, drew on his experi- ence in legit stock {ompanles for the “non-expcndahle " set systenj. In addition lo the hi.g studio i# ABC will use studio 4 for smaller shows and three suiallcr studios. Nos. 5. 6 and 7. in the baseme« for da.vtiine airers W'ill also be shared * which ha.s leased t'\o l)ig Nos. 2 and 3. for a two-year ncriw^ WOR-TV will also share some o ABC-TV’f engineering laciUUO»'