The Washington times., 1927-12-24
HOLIDAY BILLS
FILL AIR

santa Claus started ftIllng loud
speakers with good, clear pro.
grams ahead Of time-giving
them q trial tuning last night 50
they would be In first class shape
for the Christmas Eve carols and
church services tonight. Every
section of the continent reported
itself clearly and I'm good volume
last night. There was much code
interference and some brOadcasts
cOllided. Fading seemed less In
evidence, however, than usual.
Twas the night before Christmas
eve, and all through the wave
lengths-there was a. sort of pre-
holiday air of suspense and ex.
pectancy, which is probably why
broadcast programs last night all
appeared to be rather average-save
only one conspicuous example which
was much below that. Possibly the
mood of the listener was reflected
in the listening-because the evening
was passed waiting for something
big to develop and little did-save
here and there when an orchestra
or singer made bit more Of his
turn at the mike than usual.
There was one big thing given
listeners that should be accorded
all the enthusiasm one can devote
to it-and which proves that no
matter how old great music may be
or how often 1t Is heard, it always
has something new to give us when
interpreted by a fresh. big mind.
We had suggested that Louis Katz.
man would do things with Justin
Flies "Babylonian" suite that
would make listeners sit up and
take notice when the Anglo-Persians
made their appearance on the air.
And we believe Katzman did keep
the promise we had made for him
but the amazing performance he
presented with the Bach-Gounod
Ave Maria and the Sibelius
'Valse Triste" overshadowed the
Latin American composers great
work.
"AVE MARIA"
SCORES HIT
There is very little of the fine
music that's more familiar than the
Ave Maria"-yet Katzman and
his men presented it last evening
in a way that made every person
hearing it feel the reverent prayer
and join in the pleading, uplifting
spirit we classified as religious fer.
vor. In the Sibelius number the
tragedy Of the Finnish composers
famous Dance of Death" was
made stark and positive. It was,
just as we promised, great music,
n1ag'lificently played.
The big soap bubble outburst was
about as near a dud as a program
as anything we've heard and we
believe quite bit Of its dragging
and general lackadaisical progress
was due to the altogether unenthu-
siastic direction given 1t by its
bored master of ceremonies, Phil.
lips Carlin. Cecil Lean and Cleo
Mayfield were the guest stars and
comported themselves as they used
to do in their vaudeville act some
years ago-even going so far as
to use some Of the material Of
several years ago.
In the various and sundry broad.
casts from here and there the o.
Henry story, 1.-THE Gift Of the
Magi" from WIZ made the early
tuners smile In a seasonable way
and the chewing gum phalanx,
from the same station, later in the
evening maintained well the swift,
vaudeville.li tenor OF its weekly
way. The Lord Calvert exercises
from WRC were exceptionally well
presented and Rosario Bourbon gave
quite Christmas twist to his con-
tributions with the public utility or
chestra and the reformed college
boy-waiter quartet he uses.
A wire from John Daniel, in Chi.
cago, requests US to wish his radio
friends a Merry Christmas-and
we're doing it provided the readers
win take a top coating of best
wishes for year of prosperity and
happiness from yours truly.