Variety (August 1949)

S4 RADIO REVIEWS FATHER KNOWS BEST With Robert Younf, June Whitley. Ted Donaldson, Thoda Williams, Norma Jean Nillson, Eleanor Audley, others; Roy Bargy orch Writer: Ed James Director: Ken Burton 30 Mins.; Thurs. 8:30 p.m. CiENERAL FOODS NBC, from Hollywood (Bcjiton & Bowles^ Ed James, it would appear, has written himself a honey of a pack- age in “Father Knows Best.” This is the situation comedy to which, as a coin-saving expedient. General Foods latched itself on behalf of Its Maxwell House product, as re- S lacemcnt for the high-budgeted urns & Allen show in the Thurs- day night 8:30-9 period. There are two factors, however, that may mitigate against “Father” when the Hooper chips are down. E.s.sentially the family-slanted sit- uation comedy clings somewhat to the idiom of “Aldrich Family,” which it follows, thus posing the que.stion whether the bracketing of two 30-minute comedy gab sessions Js the ideal come-on for listeners. Too, it stacks up against he high- voltage suspense parlay of shows on CBS, with the high-rated “Mr. Keen.’’ in this instance, as the com- petition. ’•iie fact remains that on its own nuiits. “Father” shapes up as a winner, if the initial installment has set the pattern. For scripter James’ “average family in an av- erage American town.” with its trio of Anderson kids with their as- sorted dilemmas and comedy-pro- voking tribulations, hits right at family risibilities. It’s real with- out being maudlin and the comedy stems from hilarious situations and unforced punchy lines (as in the se- quence of the Andersons kicking around the projected marriage of their 17-year-old daughter with a neighbor’s kid, culminating in a two-family verbal slugfest and tongue-lashing that registered as a boff. It won’t be easy maintaining the pace and qualitative scripting achieved by James on the pre- miere, but now that he’s got the basic ingredients established, it should be smooth sailing. Robert Young as “Father” was a neat casting trick and right down the line the acting and particular- ly the timing was firstrate. Rose. LUX RADIO THEATRE <”June Bride”) With Bette Davis, Janies Stewart, others; Lou Silvers orch Producer: William Keighlc;y Director: Fred McKaye Writer: Sandy Barnett 60 Mins.; Mon., 9 p.m. (EDT) LEVER BROS. CBS, from Hollywood (J. Walter Thompson) Inaugurating its 15th anni as radio’s top dramatic showcase, “Lux Radio Theatre” remains one of the prize programming packages on the airlines. Dramatic stanzas come and go, but “Lux” has an en- viable niche all of its own—as wit- ness its season-round monopoly on the No, 1 Nielsen rating spot and the perpetual jocke>ing among competitive networks in a bid to grab off the show. For years the keynote of CBS’ Monday night dominance in audi- ence pull, insuring top ratings for “front and back” shows, it’s no wonder that Bill Paley & Co., in return for a new Lever nod, recip- rocated with a “sky’s-the-limit” on promotion, etc. Which accounts for the eyebrow- raising innovation to mark the 15th , anni—a contest to find the nation’s ' most beautiful 15-year-old girl, tie- j ing in with 20th-Fox’.s “Oh, You Beautiful Doll”; eyebrow raising because “Lux,” in view of its in- herent values as a sock dramatic stanza combining the finest show biz elements, can afford to remain aloof from supplementary come- ons. I Monday’s (29) initial broadcast of the new season again revealed “Lux’s” capacity to achieve maxi- mum results. The adaptation of the I Warners’ 1936 comedy. “June , Bride,” with Bette Davis and James I Stewart, was topflight, with Wil- I liam Keighley investing it with top production values. Rose. A TALE OF TWO CITIES Willi Norman Cousins, narrator; Less GritTith. announcer Producer-Director: Jack Babb 60 .Mins.; Sun. (28) 4:30 p.m. ABC, from New York To mark the fourth anniv’crsaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and V-J Day, ABC’s public affairs de- partment sent Norman Cousins to Japan as a special correspondent. The hour-long broadcast the web aired Sunday (28) was an editing of tlie tape-recorded report the Satur- day Review of Literature editor brouglit back. While the program included a good deal of factual ma- terial. the overall effect, however, was disappointing. The first 30 minutes were de- voted to Cousin's report on Hiro- shima. which consisted chiefly of an interview with the bombed city’s mayor. The civic official himself spoke briefly in English, but the major part of the interview was handled through an interpreter. That fact, however, did not detract from the stirring quality of the mayor’s words. He revealed that the death toll of his city was be- tween 210,000 and 240,000—more than twice the original estimates. He al.so revealed that there was a sizable garri.son of Japanese sol- diers in Hiroshima at the time of the atom blast, w'hich gave the '\'ank.s a military reason for using the bomb. And he explained that Hiro.shima has been rededi'^ated as the “Peace City.” that it is being rebuilt as an exhibit to halt an- other war “which would bring thousands of Hiroshimas.” While the factual approach was commendable, the first half of the broadcast leaned so heavily on tlie side of understatement "that it lacked real showmanship values. Seeond half, which dealt with Tok>(). in jected more dramatic ma- terial in the form of recordings of jive from a Nipponese vaudeville sliow, some music from a tradi- tional Jajianese play. American- l.\pe dance tunes from a western- ized nightery in Tokyo, man-in-the- .street interviews, and an excerpt from a military government brief- ing session. Cousins stressed the point that many Japanese feel they are bceoming a democracy meiely by aping superficialities of Ameri- can culture—comic books, baseball, jitteibugging and nightclubbing. Alore important, he said, is the need for continued reforms. Show added up to an informa- tive documentary, Jt would have been strengthened, however, with tlie addition of more politically sig- nificant facts, tighter editing, .'’nd a spark of showmanship. Bril, THIS IS THE NEWS With Edward R. Murrow, Gilbert Forbes; Bob Dixon, announcer 15 Mins., Mon.-thru-Fri., 7:45 p.m. CAMPBELL SOUP CBS, from N. Y. (Ward, Wheelock) | After an eight-week summer leave, Ed Murrow' was back on the air Mondai"" (29) night, for what i CBS calls his nightly series of “news and analysis broadcasts.” In i his authoritative, appealing style Murrow gave capsule reports of the day’s news, about U. S. Senate do- ings. U. S. Steel hearings.-economic ' talks with Britain, the stock mar- ket. Greek war, Yugoslav tension, etc. He quoted from President Tru- I man’s speech to the Lelionairos meeting at Philadelphia, and from | , the President’s comments on the I world crisis in his press talks. Mur- row al.so piped in Gilbert Forbes from Indianapolis, to give his com- ments on the G..\.R. encampment. Murrow’s capsule reports are good for those who want their news in that form, and as such have their place on the air. Especially when I given as coherently, dispassionately and simply as Murrow does. But at lea.st one auditor would prefer some interpretation or commentary. Any announcer can do Murrow’s present function; more is expected from a man of his reputation. The pro- gram is news, alright, but certainlv not “analysis broadcasts” as the network claims. The program, be- cause of Murrow’s knowledge and experience, ought to have more than mere reading of headlines. The present world crisis deserves a searching analysis, a penetrating explanation, such as Murrow could give. Bron. WIL.SONAIRES With Tommy Port, “.Marylin,” Johnny Duffy orch; John McCor- mick, emcee Producer-Director: Andy Christian 15 .Mins., Mon.-thru-Fri., 2:30 p.m. WILSON & CO. WBB.M Chicago (Ewell & Tliurbrr) Disker John McCormick duhs in live intro and commercials on this pleasant transcribed package that uses the vocals of Tommy Port and “.Marylin.” backed by the Johnny Duffy orch. After a shaky preem marked by recorded feed- backs and transcription table foul- ups, program got into a smooth pace its second day out. McCor- mick. one of the abler Chi yakkers, fed chatter and persuasive corn- mer-cials neatly between number*s. Selections were surefire vet favorites—"Oh. What a Beautiful Mor-ning,” “.Summertime” anrl “Lady of Spain” Baritone Port carried the main load pleasingly, competent 1\ assisted by “.Marylin.” w h o once - overed ‘ Gershw in's ’•.Summertime” hauntingly. Johnnv Duffy orch backr'fl well. Musical end rrf pr’ogram is cut in Chi previorrs to airing, but WBBM prwlirction did a nice job of simulating an all-live show Sponsor’s pilch is for dog food, and while emcee .McCormick scll.s it well, there i.s some doubt as to whether hi.s mrrsic-loving airdience arc pet owners. This Is onr* of those daytime experiments that might work. Mart. ' Cantor & tho EGA If Eddie Cantor ever decides to hang up his gags, he can launch a new career as a public affairs commentator. Recently returned from a European tour. Cantor proved himself to be a sharp and serious ob- server of current history in an interview aired over WDET- FM, the United Auto Workers outlet in Detroit. It was re- broadcast on a platter over WFDR-FM, N. Y., Monday night (29) and will make the rounds of the so-called “labor- liberal network” of union and cooperative stations. Completely ad libbed. Can- tor gave an incisive description of the effect of Marshall Plan aid on European recovery. Not being a diplomat, he eschewed double talk and stated his point of view in unmistakable terms. Cantor is for the Mar- shall Plan program, against pussy-foot tactics towards Rus- sia, for deihocracy and against all forms of bigotry and dis- crimination. Cantor has his opinions and some people may differ, but there can be no dispute over his public-mind- edness. Paul Morris, of the WDET special events staff, handled the query end of the interview intelligently. Herm. MY FRIEND IRMA With Marie Wilson, Cathy Lewis, Gloria Gordon, Hans Conried, Donald Woods, Bea Bendaret, John Brown, Alan Reed, Sandra Gould: Wendell Niles, announcer Producer-Director: Cy Howard Writers: Howard, Parke Levy, Stan- ley Adams, Roland MacLane 30 Mins.; Mon., 10 p.m. LEVER BROS. CBS, from Hollywood (Foote, Cone & Belding) “My Friend Irma.” rolling into its third season, continues to be a crackling good comedy show. It has two strong factors w'orking for a solid Hooperating. Firstly, “Irma” follows the blue-ribbon “Lux Radio Theatre,” and secondly, but more importantly, it rides with all pro- duction cylinders clicking at top speed. The quartet of scripters, headed by the program’s originator, Cy Howard, are contributing the indispensable ingredients of fast lines and farcical situations. The characterizations are being handled by the same cast in the same expert style of former years. Marie Wilson, in the title role as the dumb cluck of a heroine, has not faded the brightness of her ig- norance. Cathy Lewis is back as Irma’s sidekick after being absent last year. One of the cleverest bits in the show>i.s played by John Brown, as Irma’s boyfriend with an occupational dislike of work. Other familiar roles are aLso filled by topnotch supporting players. i Opening show- (29) of the new' season precipitated a .steady torrent of puns. gags, malapropisms and other assorted forms of absurdity for a full measure of laughs. The situation found Irma without a job. her boyfriend working in an em- ployment agency finding jobs for other people on ii commission basis, and Irma’s friends working hard to keep her out of trouble. Lud Gruskin’s background music was neatly pitched to a comedy level. Plugs for Pepsodent toothpa.ste are slugged home with a powerful attack by Wendell Niles and a fancy system of background whispers that swell up in a loud chorus hail- ing—Pep.sodent. Herm. JACK SMITH-DINAH SHORE- MARGARET WHITING SHOW Producer: Bill Brennan Writer: Glenn Wheaton 15 Mins., Mon.-thru-Fri., 7:15 p.in. PROCTER & GAMBLE CBS, from Hollywood ( Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample ) A good show', to which something new has been added for the season —in the person of Margaret Whit- ing, who rivals Dinah Shore in the femme phase of name singers. Miss Whiting works Monday and Friday with Smith, Miss Shore Tuesdays and Thursdays and the two alter- nate each Wednesday. Almost exclusively musical, wdth a minimum of script between numbers. Smith’s new show' gets over nicely. On the entire week of programs it adds up to a series of standard and pop-recorded tunes by all three singers, solidly backed by an excellent combination under the direction of F'rank DeVol. If anything can be cited as hav- ing a weakening effect on the broadcasts Smith him.self is to blame. His vocal forte is rhythmic material which brings out the in- fectious style that brought him to attention. On the opening week’s shows he leaned toward ballad material such as “Maybe It’s Be- cause,” a type of tune that he un- questionably is handling better than heretofore, but which simply isn’t Smith. Of course it’s to be expected that working in tandem with either Miss Shore or Miss Whiting he must take on a ballad or two for the interests of pacing, while they occasionally kick up a light beat item, but it’s a circum- stance that decreases the show’s impact to a pop tune level. Smith’s is a “happy” voice and he’d be better off, and so would the show, if a better attempt were made to provide him with tunes in his groove, ones that at the same time got away from the pop category provided by Miss Shore and Miss Whiting and their promoting of recorded material. There are plenty melodies available, with a little digging, that would make Smith’s innings different and at the same time play to his ability. “I Still Get a Thrill.” which he did Thursday (25» isn’t different enough. Wood. WeJnwJay, Anj^it si. SHOW Writer: Meredith Willson 30 Min*.; Thurs. 8 u.m GENERAL FOODS NBC, from Hollywood ( Young & Rubicam) Pending the return of “AiHrir.u Fa.niiy to the Thuisda 8 slot on NBC. General FoSd, giving the “Meredith wXon Show” a five-week whirl. (Program was heard under same sponsoFshia auspices last season on ABC) a« a stopgap for the late summer-eariu fall NBC kickoff, the Willsoi sta„ J mom^nr" Pieasureabll about M illson and his mu.cirai on gregation. TALENT SCOUTS Arthur Godfrey, Archie Bleyer Orch, others Producer: Larry Puck Director: Jack Carney p Mins.; .Mon., 8:30 p.m. lever BROS. CBS, from New York (You)ig & Rubicam) Arthur Godfrey, after hi.s sum- nier vacation, is apparently break- mg into his chores gradually. His show is being taped , for the first few weeks. Otherwise.' It s the same easy-going and in- lormal slum’ wherein various per- formers vie for the privilege of v'mrking the a.m. Godfreycasts and attaining a degree of show business recognition Godfrey canie up with a prime talent selection on his stanza. Performers provide gree ot variety since there was a haritone. piano duo. a vocal quin- tet and a lyric soprano seeking honors However, this show tip 'till) a few laughs from ix'cted quarters The initial made his living looking for till* cans. That line of carried out to a borderline situa- u oh rocked vith laughs ’ ’V*’ a Russ ti.insl.ition ol the Lipton cial which similarlv humor dept Show hasn’t lost any of its flavor. Jose. HOLLYWOOD STAR THEATRE With Jeanne Bates, Ronald Col- man, Bill Jonstone, Janet Scott, Paul MeVey Producer: Jack Van Nostrand I 30 Mins.. Sat., 8 p.m. AN.4CIN NBC, from Hollywood (NSC&Bi “Hollywood Star Theatre.” re- .suming after an eight-week layoff, is a neat, mode.st-budgeted drama- tic show. Novel peg of this airer is its showcasing of up-and-coming film and radio thespers in the lead parts with a top Hollywood name appearing to introduce the new’- comers. While the studio stars con- trib only some perfunctory com- ments, they make good dialer bait and publicity icing. Show’s basic value, however, depends on the cal- ibre of scripts written by free- lancers. Opening show Saturday (27) was a solid horror piece that was ex- pertly projected by a good cast. Yarn involved a murder-for-insur- ance scheme with an innocent young gal playing the patsy for an urbane killer. Although the wind- up rescue was based on a series of unlikely coincidencej?, the plot developed several original twi.st.s that provoked interest and atten- future scripts maintain the level of the opener, this airer should garner a hefty sector of the Saturday evening market. Newcomer on this show was Jeanne Bates who played the feinme lead. She registered ef- lectively, showing plenty of emo- tional power in the near-murder scene. Ronald Colman handled tiie intro in his usual suave man- ner. Rest of the ca.st al.so per- formed expertly with a good a.ssist trom the background music. Her K his musical ag- Granted he’s nn* AFRA’s choicest specimen in the gift of gab department, or that the writing has prize-winning over- tones. The fact remains that there IS an arresting quality about the pseudo-philosophical, corny ramb- ling.s. He literally throws the book at his audience in the potpourri tndt icpiGscnts & niusicdl forniaL but at the most unpredictable mo! ment there emerges a line or a musical tidbit that redeems the stanza. Last week’s initial NBC broad- cast spanned the gamut—tvpical for the Willson course. His bv- play with the Talking People and their precision tongue dance (which incidentally, provides a lift to the Jello commercial); the transition from the Josef Marais and Miranda South African incantation to joyous hymnal notes of "Abide With Me," the provocative jumping of Jivin* Joe, the excursion into tiie Will- son “chiffon swing’’ and the varia- tion on the Sigmund Spaeth “tune detective” stunt—they were all in evidence in a loosely-constructed format, that, perhaps by intent, had the listener hanging around to find out what's coming up next. Mel Torme was the first of a series of weekly guests. Hose. GUESTIN’ WITH KESTEN Hriter: Bob Kesten Producer: Art Hiller 30 Mills.: Fri., 9 p.m. Sustaining CBC, from Toronto Boh Kesten i.s the former man- preem • •'oi’<>nl(), flagsliip of ‘d a de- ‘ , ^(ipadian Broadcasting Corp ti'lirk 11 ■«- 41...4 1 . . * ** came um,‘x- scout defec- activlty was commer- scored in the who quit that important job to hoar more ot hirn.self on the air and to see his opinions in print. This lat- ter IS covered liy his now and newsy radio column in The Toronto lelegiam; the former hv his new interview series. “Guo.stin’ with Kesten, a title which should make «ny punst wince. However, the now widely-read radio columnist has concocted a celehi it\ palaver session that orig- inates in C’BL. Toronto, and is ear- ned by 30 stations of the j rans-C’.'inada network, takes the stanza (Continued on CBC Kc.slen leisurely hut page 39) TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES With Ralph Edwards; Shelley Win- ters, guest; Harlow Wilcox, an- nouncer Producers: A1 Paschall. Fred Car- ney, Floyd Hold Director: Ed Bailey Writers: Phil Davis, Mort Lewis, Paul Edwards, Al Simon Organist: Buddy Cole 30 Mins.; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. PROCTER & GAMBLE NBC, from Hollywood (Compton > Ralph Edwards’ “Truth or Con- sequences,’’ with its telephone give- away stunt, is one of the shows that could come under fire of the recent FCC ban. Unlike tho.se whicli depend strictly on the jack- pot tw ist, though, thi.« one was orig- inated 10 years ago and built its following sans the giveaway before such audience lure.s were con- ceived. As a re.sult, if the FCC ban .sticks, it would be po.ssihle for Ed- wards to revert to liis original for- mat and still probably maintain the high ratings the program has re- ceived in previous years. “T. or C.” returned to the air Saturday night (27» after the usual ! summer hiatus. Format, judging ! from the initialer, varies not a whit ! from that of last season. The show was replete with questions submit- ted by listeners, the contrived cmi- .sequences for giving out with wrong answers and the giveaway stunt. There was enough entertain- ment value in the “T. or C.” part alone to indicate Edwards could eliminate the telephoning with lit- tle loss of audience. Edwards’ successor to the “Mis* Hush” and other identification con- tests i.s “Laughing Boy.” with a $2,500 prize going to tiie listener who identifies him. Mystery char- acter made a call to a listener dur- ing the week and Edwards re- phoned the same listener during the broadcast to play hack a tran- scription of the recording for iden- tification. Fact that tiie recording was very bad, however, almost ne- gated the stunt, since the myste^ man's voice could hardly he heard. With no winner last week, another listener will get a chance on the next show'. . C'onse(|uencp antics Edwards put the studio contestants ihioiigh sh** sounded loo visual for part. Studio aiidieiKe got all tne benefits, wilii home listeners forcca to rely on the emei'e’s descripHoj* of tlie goings-on. Stunt,'.. corny, were clever. There ^ listeners who would olijeit to tie way the eontestanis hid hu' sru' riincnh*. but. with no kiekhacks from the particiiianis ilieiiisehc • Edwards prohahly has iu» woriie on that .srore, ^ Edwards handled the stunl-s e • tremely well, willi his personality helping to *ake i sting out He and announcer tia low Wileov teamed on the rials, sidling a new Duz f‘d'”' acceptably.