Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-24
RADIO SERIES EXPERTS TAXED
FOR SUPPLYING PROGRAM DIN
Cows, Linotypes, Subway Turnstiles and
P,oar Of Lions Not Produced for Unseen
Audience Without Difficulties.

at all when It came through the
speaker As often happens, the real
noise failed to recreate itself realis-
tically on the air.
Artificial means were sought. Every.
thing was tried-buszers, sharp bells,
even the striking Of O knife against
glass. None produced the elusive
ting ping" At last somebody had q
brainstorrn, as Is not at all unusual
under the circumstances. Somebody
produced q telephone bell machine. Mr..
Boyce held q capacious hand over one
Of the bells and struck an exposed cor
ner with o quarter. "Ting.ping" said
the loud speaker. Shouts Of glass were
blasted" rieedlessly through the micro
phone at another achievement In real
ism.
Another scene was the stock Exchange.
That was hard one, too. After much
experimentation electric batteries were
cast In the roles Of stock tickers Tele-
phone bells did their own stun fairly
successfully. And raucous voices. in
terspersed here and there, produced
the bahble and hubbub Of the Street"
A "hashhouse" looked simple at first.
But 1t wasn't. A pile Of dishes and
silver were borrowed from the drug
store downstairs. A continuity writer
did temporary service as q dishwasher
ferocious realism. A delicate tinkle
resulted from the speaker. How to get
the clatter and the slithering of one
plate on another9 For q long time
echo Uttered Howl" Two plates,
three spoons and q tin cup was the
hnai answer. George Macdovern, o con-
tinuity writer in disguise, manipulated
the plates, sliding one on top Of the
other. Stuart Ayers, another writer in
cognito. ratified the three spoons in the
cup. The combined result suggested the
slither and slide Of dishes being stacked
On other occasions q ratchet did
serve as subway turnstile; O Big Ben,
with its bell deadened, doubled for
riveting machine, and q flock Of stock
tickers played the role Of q linotype
machine In q newspaper ONCE. Just
once was the continuity star baffied-
In fact, foiled. They never did solve
the enigma Of what sounds like q boiler
blowing Of steam.
Rapid Transit" as has been more
than suggested, Is good fun. for those
who put 1t on as well as those who
listen in. But it is more than that. Il
Is q school Of experience for the con-
tinuity department. Through the prac-
tical business OF putting on the skits
they learn what viii or will not "Ret
over" on the air. Good dialogue on the
stage Is very often sluggish dialogue
before the microphone. Continuity
writing for radio Is Q very special field,
IN which experience Is quite as impor-
tant as aptitude.
The authors of the Rapid Transit"
sketches are Burke Boyce, continuity
editor, and the following continuity
writer's: Stuart Ayers, George MacGov-
ern, Byrne Marconnier, Katharine Sey-
mour and Julian street, jr. All are
writer's OF experience, some of them in
the theater proper
Rapid Transit has a special stock
company Of actors and actresses. They
are Helen Stewart, recently of the cast
OF "A Play without a Name: Mabel
1oeckler. with long radio experience;
Tom Brown, a youthful actor who APP
peared In rs Eat Sop; Kay Renwick.
eccentric comedian of THE County
Fair: Adele. Klaer, Alfred Bell, Bennett
Kilpack and Harry HUMPHREYS. All of
these actor folk" are versatile and
double In several roles In the course Of
one program.