Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 86

SCREEN KAU IV WEEKLY THE RADIO REPORTER By Bernes Robert 14 LELEN HAYES AVE YOU ever wondered how the radio stars became radio stars? Where did they get (heir first break? Who discovered them? It makes pretty, interesting ether wave history and proves the contention thai nine times out of ten it was just a matter of pure luck. If Ted Collins, an executive with a phonograph recording company, had not missed a Long Island commuters train back in 1931 one wintry night, Kate Smith's bulky frame might never have wrapped itself around a friendly microphone. Instead of waiting several hours for a liter train, Collins decided to see George White's new musical comedy, "Flying High." In this show was a very stout young lady named Kate Smith who sang and danced her way into the high favor of the audience and the aforementioned Mr. Ted Collins. Th latter decided to miss the next train and the one after that so that he could go backstage and meet this vocal heavyweight.

Collins was the first influential person who had ever taken an interest in the girl and she immediately asked him to be her manager. They Clever signed a contract. The first thing Collins decided was that the girl should make several phonograph recordings. A short time later Kate scored a hit on Rudy Vallee's NBC Variety Show, and since then she has been scoring heavily over CBS to the tune of much douh-re-me. Exactly a year later, a vaudeville bill at New York's once-famed Palace Theater starred Eddie Cantor, George Jes.sel and a show-stopping act called Burns and Allen.

The banjo-eyed comedian thought Gracie was even funnier than his funniest joke a rare tribute among laugh-makers. He invited the pair to be his lirst guest performers on his then Sunday night coffee show. George Burns didn't think it would be good business to vie for lauffhi on the air with Cantor, his idea IBB -19 SsflSflSHRH khH mHH Shot JPjlB fjfjt JjfHf jSBBBBflBBKliiiiiiraSl WEF ''M-'-'WKm nM BBBBH BBBft. RnlVBBHlMllllllllllBnlBBIIIIB' '''SBBmES Hb Wtk mBk Bar mS; of the funniest guy in the world. But Gracie, proving the old adage, "Fools rush in disagreed.

Thai Sunday Cantor acted the role of "straight man" for his new protegee. Gracie evoked many loud guffaws front th studio i t. i i i i i positive about one thing. Never again will she permit her husband, Charles MacArthur, to write any radio scripts for her. MacArthur is the brilliant playwright and movie producer who was responsible fpr such screen hits as "Crime Without Passion" and "The Scoundrel." His partner is Ben Hecht.

Both men are recognized as top-notchers in their field, but even their ir.timate friends can't be sure when they are apt to pull a stinging gag or throw a literary bomb into the laps of unsuspecting Broadway and Hollywood producers. The first time Helen Hayes spoke over the air was abjout three years ago. She did this chor to aid the Stage Relief Fund, an organization established to assist unfortunate actors. The tiny star of "Mary of Scotland" asked her scribbling husband to prepare some sort of speech. He did it.

Helen was too nervous and too busy to read the speech before she went 'on the air. Frantic radio directors were pouring instructions into her ears. There was no time to rehearse the let alone read it over once. All she knew was where to stand, how to talk, and when to stop. Hall way through the broadcast, Helen gasped.

Here she was on the air for the first time in her life, and delivering a scathing attack on dramatic Critics. Friends listening in were amazed. This was the first time they had ever heard the brilliant Theatre Guild star speak against the dramatic reviewers. But it was too late to stop, so Helen finished the fen-minute fusilade in a cold sweat. Heflen Hayes never forgot that harrowing rifdio experience.

When she sailed for Europe recently for a vacation, her luggage was loaded with radio scripts written by Edith Meiser. They were written especially for Helen Hayes' new NBC-WJZ series. Helen has made a set rule with. her new sponsors. She must see all scripts well before broadcast date to be certain -they were not -written by that practical joker, Charles, MacArthur, husband or no husband.

Guy Lombardo took a friend of his to the theater one night, and then ordered "his chauffeur to take the friend back to his house, after dropping the orchestra man off at his own residence. The car, a big black, special job, got stuck in after-theater Broadway traffic. People stared at the costly car and the yoilng man left alone in the car felt slightly self-conscious. Suddenly a pile of kids climbed on the running board, shouting, "It's Guy Lombardo's car!" One inquisitive youngster stuck his dirty face through the back window. He spied Lombardo's embarrassed friend, immediately his face dropped, and he sneered to his cronies, "Aw nuts, it ain't Lombardo." You won't hear the Revelers 'on the air for quite a while.

The quartette is booked solidly for European concert and music hall engagements until Jan. 1. Peter van Steeden, Town Hall musical director, has just finished playing at a lot of out-of-town dance halls and returns with this interesting jazz trend: In not one town was there a request for him to play the blatant, once popular "Tiger Rag." Igor Gorin, twenty-three-year-old Viennese baritone, who is heard on the Hollywood Hotel program over CBS, has radio's toughest assignment. Igor, is trying to master the English language, study voice, act in the movies, and acquaint himself with American radio technique all at the same time. What price fame? Four sets of twins have been named for Elsie Hitz and Nick Dawson, stars of "Dangerous Paradise" (CBS), "since the acting team have been on the air.

Deems Taylor seems to work much better with Sigmund Romberg on the composer's NBC-WEAF musical fiesta than did Yale's Prof. Phelps. So many radio listeners have asked "The Foursome," Columbia male quartette, where they can, purchase the singers' weird musical instrument, the "oca.rina," that the boys are investing $1,200 in a New Jersey factory, where they can manufacture this native instrument of Sardinia. So far as the public was concerned, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians were nothing more than "just another good band," until they went on the air. One program was enough, Their style caught on immediately and a nightly 'spot on Columbia was their reward.

audience wnicn mciuuea nusoanu ueorge. Letters from listeners poured in. So did offers from sponsors. In February Burns and Allen were signed by a cigar company for three weekly broadcasts. Everybody liked them they liked everybody.

They remained three-and-a-half years with an increased stipend every six months. The rest is history. In 1927, when radio was realizing its own strength, a comparatively unknown orchestra leader named Guy Lombardo had just brought his nine fellow Canadians from Cleveland to Chicago for an engagement at the Granada Cafe. The Windy City dancers had never heard of Lombardo in those days, so the band's public was comprised mostly of the waiters and the proprietor. Guy felt reluctant about holding the owner to their contract and offered to quit rather than have him continue to lose money.

But the latter, liked their music and at the time the money wasn't as important to him as being able to sit around night after night and have the Lombardo outfit give a personal command performance. Finally, the empty tables bested Guy's nerves. He suggested that, as a last they try broadcasting. Arrangements were made for a radio line and their first program was aired over Station amusing stories to tell about their film experiences. But we think the funniest anecdote was told by Lawrence Tibbett, the big baritone, who is once again singing on the air, via CBS airwaves, for a motor car com pany.

In his latest picture, "Metropolitan," a lavish singing sequence is used, featuring a Negro choir. Tibbett is made up in black race. Because of the strange tricks the powerful studio lights play on the actors' faces, it was necessary to blacken even the naturally colored Negro choir. One member of the group objected to the assistant director. "Don't put the burned cork on our faces," the singer complained, "we don't want to look like Lawrence Tibbett!" Starting today over NBC-WJZ, two promising oung men get their first big radio test.

They are Michael Bartlett and Johnny Green. Bartlett is the handsome young baritone who appeared with Grace Moore iA "Love Me Forever." Green is the conductor and composer of such Tin Pan Alley masterpieces as "I Cover the Waterfront," "Not Bad," "Body and; Soul" and other hits. On thisfhistoric date these replace Don Bestor and Frank Parker as' genial Jack Benny's ether playjnates. I Radio men contend that if they fail on, this program they'll fail on any. other program.

Benny's popular program is I fool-proot. No orchestra leader or singer has yet to miss fire on this show. Many of them first got their real chance appearing with the droll wit. This is Jack Benny's fifth consecutive season. Each time he has changed his supporting cast.

First he had George Olsen and his wife, Ethel Shutta. It was Jack's jamboree that placed Ethel among radio's sweetest singers. Then came Ted Weems, frcpj out of Chicago. It was Ted's first crack at a sponsored national hook-up. Frank Black followed Weems and with him came Jimmy Melton, the tenor.

Of course, Black's reputation needed no enhancement from the man who loves to play "Love in Bloom." But here it was where Melton got his first opportunity to read lines. This was valuable to Jimny this year when Paramount signed Kim for featured film work. Don Bestor and Frank Parker wer the last Benny embellishments. Benny turned Bestor overnight from just another orchestra leader to the one man in America everyone knew wore spats. He turned Frank Parker into a tenor with a keen sense of humor.

All these Benny-schooled graduates are now top money acts. Frank Parker asks $3,000 a week from theatrical booking agents, and usually gets it. Don Bestor just finished a tour of the country on which he hd'ed himself as the band that played with radio's king pin of humor. Now comes Bartlett and Greet. Radio critics can't see how they can miss once the famous Benny personality build-up is concentrated on them.

WtftJM. Leslie Atlass, owner of the station, was listening to the Lombardo melodies by his home radio. They caught his fancy and he telephoned his station to continue the program for an additional half hour. Such orders could be car-tied out in those sponsorless days. Overnight, crowds swarmed to the Granada and fought for the once empty tables.

The Lombardo muffled brasses and familiar style were soon given a nightly program oyer the Columbia network, and have been doing nicely ever since. Radio stars are slowly returning to' radio row after pilgrimages to Holly, wood, where they were featured -in new talkies. Nino Martini made to, Romance" for Fox. Lily runs curninticu "Love oong Tor RKO with the assistance of Andre Kostelanetz. Most of them have.