Variety (July 1953)

30 RADIO REVIEWS PSstlETY Wednesday, July 22, 1953 9icT PRECINCT AQUATENNIAL RADIO SHOW ! REPORT FROM WHITE HOUSE with Fvcrctt Sloane, Barbara With George Jessel, Victor Borge, : With Ray Scherer, Merriman ” Bob Readick, George Lu Ann Simms, McGuire Sisters } Smith, Ned Brooks* Joseph A. (3), Cedric Adjfcms, Bob DeHav j Fox, James C. Hagerty, Ray en, Clcllan Card, Bob Mantzke’s j Quinn “Choralaircs” (55), Bert Hanson, ! Producer: Tom Wilson Joan Iden, Tony Grise, Andre & 25 Mins*; Wed,, 10:35 p.m. Delphine, Jeanie Arland, Winni j NBC, from Washington peg Bagpipe Band (22), Wally I ; The latest Louis G. Cowan paekOlson Orch. (22) 'rage poses two questions: First, Weeks, . Petrie, Ken Lynch, Linda Watkins, Elaine Rost _ Program. Supervisor: N orman Frank ■/■' . Produeer: John lyes Director-Writer; Stanley NiSS 30 Mins.; , Tucs.* V:30 p.m. Sustaining • _r CBS. from Produccrs-directors:" sey, Ed Viehman Rob McKin •Vm Precinct/* a documentary Writer: Viehman . ... .1. hm it TilV in a New ion Mine Cot /IfiV si vlc drama about life in a New 120 Mins.; Sat. (18), 8 p.m. York police precinct, obviously is PARTICIPATING C’WS-Uadio’s answer to NBC s WCCO, Minneapolis : ''#‘I)raijnet.v -;the^sec^d m ® jn the era of the hiumumik * y Kcries. caught last ^desday _( r ogre it’s apparent again that WCCO a criterion, then. radio still has not been afflicted lyes and director-wnter Stanley aj)y inferiority complex and \ & frig of police proceaure a-.: curtain-line. explanation: . Names ■ ■ .. ,l/\ ' ni’Ai AAT . ' ■ n 0 ■ . ■ cinched broadcast dominance, fact, upon occasion, as in this, in; How riiany more, political commentary and. news shows out of | Washington -will the public .and sponsors buy? Second; What cam be done to improve “Report Frbm the White Housed* sufficiently , to t iu « kaw w ' make it one of them? In the era of the intruding TV _ir . . ■ ■ : \ Washington's the home of the Commentary and expert insider *yv* — v T., .tlr WAhh’«i wun any Inferiority complex and j Niss have; matched ^ is hot prepared to take a back seat. I White House , falls pretty ;.|ia.cka«cf • detail ' Continuing to do big things in a last, authentic, h”der$tat big way, it refusestp be pushed *n ^ r °I1CeA vn Wnafiimr “Names Jnto the rear by the brash video eu rt ai n-b.rje. < ?.^#?J^;.0Jiroieet th e newcomer that’s supposed to have have been changed to p cinched broadcast dominance, in ^Though the imitation seems; bla ^ct, upon occasion, as in this, in • V ° npithor naekace is stance, it even steals the play away /$ ;•, y g|ydl ‘rom its young competing rival. nev Kingsley touched off the cops This; sixth annual two-hour Aq.uaDoriraved-with-authenticity trend tennial Show, played before, an AuJn his Broadway play, “Detective ditoriurn capacity audience of 10,Storv” Even before, that, pack 000 that paid, up to $6 a ducat and auer Phillips H. Lord was trying also sent in Its entirety over the In neddic a similar package which air, marks another of the comparafinally emerged as one of TV’s tively frequent WCCO radio . tenearliest drama series, about de strikes calculated to strengthen its fend ants • in a courtroom, “The high Twin Cities position, and to Black Robe/’ ' keep it very much in the No matter what it’s ancestry might be/ “21st Precinct” is an ex with. such , funmaking past masciting show. The one quality tnai ters as Victor Borge, George Jesdistinguishes it from . Dragnet is gel and its own Clelian Card supthat it interrupts its story line eon pjyjjjg the comedy, f ace staffers tinuously to inject episodes wnicn Cedric. Adams and Bob DeHaven suggest the grinding routine ot a contributing some of the topdrawer. real-life police captain, and tnus emceeing and airwave . stars Lu make him seem all the mote Arm Simms and the McGuire Sis human. ; . .■'■■■ ■' i ancj stellar local performers Cbb . The Simple plot merely depicted ra]ajreSi Bert Hanson, Jean Iden, how the ‘preein^t ..officer^ E^reii Tony Grise, et al./ dispensing song Sloane, convinced an . and melody,; the highly entertain ♦ f ttttif t t* * * * f 't-tt t f f ft MtMMlM the I mother/; Barbara Weeks, , t° ,^eVP«f irlg show clicked both for its live . the. whereabouts of her. tougb 4»0.n. nhd ether audience/. doing the star Bob lie a dick, escaped from theBo tioh proU(1. , lice station. Miss Weeks was^out ^rndmg^she gave Niss’ realistic It was no mean accomplishment fiVffi m3 the right flavor and nu for the show to measure up to its dialog just the iignr. navoi cum » nUctH0us nredeeessors which en ances of a bewildered mother; illustrious predecessors which en fno e ive a sensitive por listed such talents as those of Bob H ope, Arthur Godfrey, Eddie Gari,; cop The aupportfng’ players. Law^ ter. Edgar Bergen. Keu Murray, son Zerbe George Petrie, Ken Garry Moore and Dennis Morgan. Lynch Linda Watkins and Elaine Considering the brief time for Rost were good, in contributing at putting the show together and remosphere to the surroundings. hearsing, its smooth run® i rig, swift Admittedly, behind-the-scenes pacing/ expert routining and sponlife of a eop coping with crime is taneity put producers-directorS absorbing. But the true story of Bob McKinsey and Ed Viehman the keepers of the law, ajorig with and stager Bill Shepherd in line that of the newspaper reporter, is for orchid tossing. Holding a vast currently being overdone.. amount of entertainment, the feast can do such a fine job with 21st of fun, song and music played Precinet/’ then perhaps it might flawlessly. begin giving the As hitherto, WCCO split the "dio treatment to r ^ p u show into four 30-minute segments, equally pregnant with' ^hum«m each of which had a different spon est— -the preacher, the ; mmSK s m .. Sor. Borge and Jessel worked in truant officer, the . ’ and out of each portion and took even the. bank manager; • turns in guiding the divisions, Sev eral other of the performers, also made two. or more appearances; Borge, of course, netted yaks with his usual satirical spoofing, dry humor and buffoonery, , his familiar phonetic; puhetuatibn and grand opera travesty landing enthusiastic audience response. Much TRANS ATLANTIC BRIEFING With Bill Sprague, Romney Wheeler, Frank Bburgholtxer, Jack Begon, Morgan Beatty Producer: Joe Meyer 30 Mins.; Sun., 3:30 p.m. Sustaining hi/ nn of his clowning and shenanigans, NBC. news divl^«n « s ■ . ■ however, necessarily was lost to an interesting and i .. the air audience and more of his manner of • ??enific*irice " serious.-; •' ivory -/'/massaging might ing the news and its signihcance, haVe been in order vi» a five-wav hookup between Ildve uetr,‘ i“ u,ueiNBC correspondents in key foreign Most of Jess.el’s well-told Stories capitals and the U. S. Initialer didn’t seem too aptly chosen for had Morgan Beatty from Washing this. Mrticular . occasion and some ton subbing for Bob McCormick of his wit fell a little flat here. But, jn Frankfurt: future shows ■ will to be expected, .he was sharp have McCormick and Sunday’s (19) extemporaneously at times and, on lineup' Romney Wheeler from, balance, boasted a good .laugh. London Frank Bourgholtzcr from score. Also, his vocal impressions Paris Jack Begon from Rome and of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor had Bill Sprague coordinating in N. Y. ’em cheering and his masterly emAside from the obvious adyan ceeing and narrating Were plus inoAc of such a sotim— r-the on-the factors spondents knp\v. their, diplomatic “I Believe,” “rm; Sitting on, Top onioiik, they know how to express . of the World,” ‘‘Siboney/’ “Walk. themselves, and. they do, not Avlth ing Behind You”, and “Mr. Cottonout some, show of heat at times. It picker.” Pianistics of. Jeariie Aril U' adds. up to .rnseinatiivg listening, land;.' Andre &. Del phihe’s dancing for the average listener as well as (for 'the flesh audience.) and the ert. Olson orchestra all were ,_on the iseusslon on cr<?dit side. Especial highlights nevVs from were the vocal numbers of Mant-; nmiikik lrul 7-ke’s Clioralaires, a local grdup of igiiSd idgVM woh, for a truce. In bringing out the international . prominence for their. i -ii/i ^-1 ■ a il fincomh a \uhrk: , much into the standard pattern. Its ; novelty is that it is built around the White House. It deals, with the impact and doings of the President oil/ national government, arid/' international affairs,, with some; attempt at lightness here and there, \ Its . prime weakness is that it stands as a very cluttered show With too many gimmicks and too many people. . • In 25 minutes it manages to pack in all of these: An announcer, Rajj Quihn, who also does a little plain arid fancy news reporting, here and there; a regular staff of three-— Ray Scherer, NBC White House Correspondent; Merriman Smith, White House, correspondent for United Press, and Ned Brooks, commentator on NBC’s “Three Finai”-r-who. report, comment and alsb interview a weekly guest; the weekly guest, a figure in Govetnment. It was White .House press secretary James C. Hagerty for , the first one; a guest newsman to make the regular panel of three a quartet. For the first ' week it was Joseph A, Fox, White House correspondent for/ the Washing^ tori . Evening Star. And also several cutins of tape recordings. The first week’s included, the voices of. President Eisenhower, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and Assistant Secretary of State Waiter Robertson, j ust back from his mission to Korea where he wangled Syngman Rhee into agreeing to a truce. ... The show was set for Wednesdays because the President has his press conferences on that day. It was felt . that this would provide the panel with plenty of material for discussion; . However, Prexy Eisenhower failed to meet with the newsmen on the day of. the opening show (15) which probably cramped the Style of “Report From the White House” a little. On the other hand, it happened to be the day Dulles and Robertson went to the White House to give the President a fill-in on Robertson’S Korean trip, so there was sufficient material. . Show opens with a few bars of “Hail to the Chief,” Ray Quinn’s announcement and then Ray Scherer’s summary , of White. House news, including the President’s schedule, for that day. Then Brooks and; Fox built up the Robr ertson visit to the White House which was followed by the Dulles and Robertson recordings. A bit more news, then Merriman Smith on the significahce of the breakfast .and lunch the President had that day with the members of the House and Senate appropriations committees. Brooks again on what fine relations Ike has been enjCyirig with Congress* with Smith backstopping. Then a tape . recording of Ike addressing a luncheon of Republican members of Congress. Next Joe FOx. on how the President is trying to get on with Con gress. Then Smith on the mood of the White House (“watchful ness and prayerful hopes”). Finally the show’s big surprise, uncovering Hagerty as the day’s guest* The panel tosses .. up soft . questions which the guest / belts for bingles until the time runs out. .. As it stands today, this show is like a lot cif film footage before it has. been cut. . Loire. ; ;ag' . . the f o reign affairs expert. ■/■■Cbriier.s.t.one/pf-tiro disc the initialer.' was the ' Korea that the Communists ♦ M ♦♦♦+•♦♦♦♦+ M + O 4 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 444*44 + 444*4 MJt m 4 4»»4 ♦ IN mw YORK CITY ... , G u i ta f iSt-vocal ist Chuck Wayne replacing vocalist Mary Osborne on WCBS’ “Jack Sterling Show” While she vacations' for tvyb weeks . ; . Edwin H. Powers named national publicity director of the American/ Red Cross. With the organization since 1935/ he’ll operate out of Washington . , . Harry Wisroer set to air four special broadcasts of the Tam G’Shanter golf tourneys early next month . oil Mutual ! , . Strauss Stores signed for sponsorship of Joe Franklin’s “Memory Lane” airer on WINS via William Warren, Jaickson & Delaney agency .,./•// Philip Landwehr, ex-Monroe Greenthal agency staffer, joined WWRL, merchandising department ; > . Publicist Walter Kaner /named publicity director of N. V. State Jewish War Veterans / . . Uefgli Kamiiian, emcee of ,WOV’s “1280 Club,” off to Fire Island for two weeks’ vacation . ; . WWRL /program chief Fred Barr off to Pocohos for a week, Art Linkleiter planed into N. V. from Paris last Saturday (18). Margaret Brown with radio sales promotion staff: of Edward Petry , . . Babe Did rieksori Zah arias made her first broadcast since her recent illness on John Derr’s CBS Radio sportsciast Saturday (18) . / . Irene .. BeaSley* whose/ “Grand Slam” winds: up k, seven-year run for Continental Baking Aug. Hi has another package idea * > . Thomas G. Brennan* formerly With Ydung & Rubicani, now active in sales and creative activities of Frank Cooper Associates ; . . George Bristol, ad and sales promotibri director of CBS Radio, spending a month’s vacation at his Connecticut home . . “Suspense” and “People Are Funny” renewed on AM by their sponsors, Electric Auto-Lite and Mars . Cyrus Nathan, formerly with Foote, Cone and Be'ldihg, now Bio w veepeC * : / Martiii M. C. Spitz, account rep of the Mexican .J, Walter Thompson Co., visiting N! Y. headquarters and clients this week . . / Allan M. Wilson -and George P. Ludlam have been appointed direetbrsatrlarge of the hational public service Advertising Council . . . . Grace Keddy has been/ 'added to cast of “Just Plain Bill” ./• / . Mary Jane Higby, . Cathleen Cordell, Sydney Smith, Mildred Clinton and Peggy Stanley have joined east Of “Front Page , Farrell/’ Joe Field, publicity direetbr for Comptoii ad agency, returns from his Easthamptoh, L-. I., vacation July 27 ; . . Jim Boerst, operator of ; Executives Radio-TV Service, Larchmont, N. /Y./ issued the 4th edition of his semi-annual Time Buyers Register* containing names of 1 ;70Q time buyers and over 5,000 accounts they handle. : .. • Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenbiirg leaving for a month in Bermuda next /Saturday (25). .They’ve taped their shows in advance ... Perry Fiske co-starring with Gertrude Warner on “Armstrong Theatre of Today” next Saturday (25) ... Durward Kirby ; fishing in Vermont . / Mutual ad-pub v. p. Bob Schniid to Coast . . . Fyank Cooper in supervising expansion of his N. Y, offices . * . Bob Grebe joined Mutual press department, replacing outgoing Bill Diehl. Grebe’s an ex-: tFadepaper reporter. ; Oops! Last week’s Variety story ort “Original Amateur Hour” sellout in Kansas City referred to K. C. blackout because of TV station strike. Call letters should have read WDAF-TV, not KSD-TV, (Latter .station . is in St. Louis.) ■ ; ' /TV HOLLYWOOD . . * Aloha Thompson’s Cornwell Jackson from Hawaii, “I Should’ve stayed home.” At an island wassail he bent elbows with Eddie Cantor* Joan Davis, Bill Bendix, Bob Crosby, Cliff Arquette, Perry Bbtkin, Walter. “PopY Guedel and Don Quinn . . :. Every manner of welcoming : device greeted the return of John K> West jo his sanctum sanctorum after three months in the canyons of Manhattan. Bob Welch festooned his desk with a miniature Orange tree sprouting pennies. Welcome Home signs were spread from the airport to Radio City . , . Polly Kaufman pulled out of KFl’s publicity direction and Jack Littleton moved up from promotion . . . Gloria Brizari, executive secretary of KBIG on Catalina Island, looked beyond the sea around her and saw nothing more inviting than Catalina so she's vacationing there, hard by the transmitter , . . Bruce Wendell put away his Air Force wings and. grounded at KFI Where he’ll combine announcing with deejaying. IN CHICAGO ... Les Lear resting at home following a week and a half hospitalisation for phlebitis . . . Bill Fligel celebrating his 20th annf on WBBM’s engineering staff . . . Schonenfeld, Huber & Green agency to handle radio-TV advertising for Sterling Insurance Co., of Chi . . “Ozzie” Westley, music director at WLS for past 20 years, leaving Chi to make his home in Boca Raton, Fla. . , . ABC flack chief, Eli Henry vacationing at home for rest, of July . . . Don Allen and Bob Grant sharing WBBM newsman Fahey Flynn’s radio chores while the latter vacations . . . “National Farm and Home Hour” honored by American Veterinary Medical Assn, now conventioning in Toronto * . / Latest Pulse report rates Julian Bentley’s midday newscast most popular show in Chi radio ... Northwestern U. professor Dr. Irving Lpe to be guest speaker at NBC Summer Radio Institute banquet on July 31. IN MINNEAPOLIS . . . Lloyd Bolkoom graduated from floorman to director after seven months at WCCOrTV . . . WMIN broadcast eight , radio shows daily from important St. Paul Open golf tournament, in which country’s leading players participated . . . E. W. Ziebarth, WCCO radio news analyst and U. of Minnesota assistant professor, appointed dean of the summer school . . . Doc. Evans .Dixieland Band starting regular KSTP-TV show following successful gUest appearance on station’s “Experiment” program . ... / Rosalie Nygaard and Maelyn Hanson, WCCO staffers, prospective -October brides v, . . WCCO-TV personality John Gallos arid his wife enjoying, a: fortnight New Y:ork Vacation . , . WCCO; radio sport sea ster Babe LeVoir, Orietihie a. Mirihesota football great, father of a seven-pound son. reaction to the news from the various capitals, Spragu’e not only was able to get the imniediate opinions . of. the key Western .diplomatic offices. but. found a heated discussion touched off when \V heeler reported the British still distrusted Syngman Rhee. Beatty, lost his temper; Bourgholtzer shrugged it off in the Parisian manner and , Begon pitched in the Italian feeling on the matter. In point of view of ; articulate. ness, . tmieTlriess arijl^riTorm^ve^ nessi NBC has hit upon a top property, ’ and a nighttime exposure might give. it a better shovycase. /'• Chan. ensemble Work'. / These WCCO salutes to/ the local cciebration not. only are profitable to the : station inbte the $6 scale and four sponsors^ but th ey j also '.perform a public service in helping to' publicize and promote the Aqiiatennial, an^ '•.annual /'slimmer; mardi gras here, throughout the area* They come under the heading of public relations, too/! because such locally produced twohour shows, furnishing such fine entertainmenr=and“nilorcli ng_op por A • A • _ • A . ‘ ’A I • _ • • a* 4 ’A .. /_ CITY liALL—NEW YORK With Julian Anthony/, as com;.. inentator Producer: Donald Coe Writer: Anthony '/ is Mins.: Friday, 6:45 p.m. ; / Sustaining WABC, New York /; •/• Considering the drariiatic jockeying and bucking now prevailing in. New York City’s mayoralty/ race, this commentary on the local; political scene is as dead as .the gift, stogie of a. . yesteryear’s beaten candidate. it may be that: the stanza Will liven, up when it begins to conduct interviews With the politico leaders, but on the: initialer last Friday ( 1.7 v ; writer-commentator Julian Anthony floundered about in a re=hash=oNast-week~s=newspaper-=stoi!« tunities to see and hear the enter • ies «nd ancient history about, tainment world’s foremost stars,! N.Y.’s past mayors. His radio voice should endear the station to the . Pleasant to takevbut Ivs yague populace. . . Revs. \’-r ^ (Continued bri" page 40) . ;;r: >// /v. / ■ Singer Ella Mae Morse radio-TV guesting / during engagement at the; Cable Car Village /..' . Marjorie King’s, quarter-hour KNfiC : show extended to half hour, Monday thru Friday . / . Buddy Baer in for a Visit with brother Max on. latter’s KLX show . ; Ventriloquist Bruce Scdley preemed (18) “Bruce, and the /Professor’! on Oakland’s KROW. . , . “Rockin’ Time:’ celebrated two air years on KXbR, Stockton . . Two newsies for KNBC: “World News, Feature. Edition”; ’ffn. the Minds of Men,” presented by Local World Affairs Council . / / KNBC*s Doug Pledger bowed on KGO-TV’s ‘/Bridge With the Experts” . . . KGO Bossman Vince Francis vacationing . . Account Executive Bill Andrews (former announcer of “One Man’s Family”) celebrated , 25 KNBC years., . .. Margerie Wheat resigned KGO for European vacation. Marilyn Griffin replaces . . . Shirley Lewis joined station’s sales staff. IN PHILADELPHIA . . . JeMui^ ^lled ^eirMsPea^n8 voices in a brand new lelters and station breaks, all read in unison by the WIP octet, have already, been processed and are ready for use. The stunt was conceived and. directed by WIP Program Director Murray Arnold . . „ The Fort ■' ; ■ //•' (Continued on page 38)