Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
s'Grahan1

- OMEBODY asked me little while
back whether radio broadcaSterS
were really as excited as they
~ seem to be when they are broad
casting some exciting sporting or
political event. could only answer for
myself-that never had to pump up
any excitement. and that always have
to wear high shoes, tightly laced. so I
won't jump out of them when Clyde
Van Dusen cuts in and takes the rail, or
Babe Ruth pops a home run with the
bases full or Strong makes an 80-yard
run through broken field.
My friend replied that veteran sport
ing reporters always seem calm, and
rather hard boiled, no matter what
happened, and he supposed that If you
saw enough of this kind of thing, you
got just like an old pair of suSpenderS,
of course, that it is part of the writer's
trade not to join in the crowd excite
ment, but in thinking all this over.
came to one very definite conclusion
about radio broadcasting:
If man ever loses the habit of get
ting excited. when there is something
going on worth getting excited over,
he is through as broadcaster. Here's
a curious thing. You can fake emotion
on the stage. as any good actor does,
but for some reason or other you can't
strain this imitation feeling through a
microphone. It has to be real or 1t
falls fiat. There is a reasonable eX-
PLANTATION for this. An actors voice is
backed up by gestures. facial and bodily
expression, stage setting, and. above all
by the crowd feeling, which an audience
engenderS in it itself, which makes it
credible and receptive toward emotional
efforts.
mike" Good Lie Detector
The radio voice-nothing but voice
mind you, lacks all these helpful
trimmings. and it lands among one or
two persons who aren't steamed up with
any. crowd mania. Anything bit
strained or "phoney' in the expression
sticks out like sore thumb. I'll lay
a bet that microphone would be
good lie detector. Take doubtful wit
ness into an outside room and let him
broadcast to the court and he would
have a tough time to put over any
Stalling or evasion.
Another consideration is that. since
great radio subjects are necessarily dra-
matte and exciting affairs. the feeling
of the event, as put out by the broad
caster, must keep pace emotionally with
the actualities. Take the derby. for
instance. Everything is working up to
that last 2-minute dash. Wouldn't it
be let-down to have somebody report
the actual race in a fiat, matter-of-fact
tone? 1t would be terrible anti-cli-
max. The announcer must have feel
ing, and If he hasn't got it. he's sunk.
You can't fake it over the radio.
Some of my correspondents have been
asking where have been lately. ! am
glad to have this space to tell them
about some Of the demands on broad
casters time. AS a matter Of fact
have been in a whole string of Mid
die Western and Eastern States making
CONCERT appearances-about "a of them,
think 1t was, in the month of April
alone. Most of these concerts are not
broadcast. I enjoy singing and it has
been great pleasure to get in personal
touch with my friends around the coun-
try. but began to get lonesome for that
other old friend. the microphone, and
the Kentucky derby was like old times
again.
Singing in a small town in Ohio re-
Gently. I was touched to find that an
elderly lady-she was 76-had driven
80 miles in an old-fashioned spring
wagon" to attend my concert When
her husband was in his last illness, he
had asked her to thank me, sometime
for song I had sung over the radio
and she had come to do so, and to ask
me to sing this song again. I'm
fortunately she could not remember
what song it was, but I sang what I
thought must have been the one, and
saw by her expression-she sat in the
front row-that this was 1t. She was
sweet and gracious old lady, and
confess, as sensed her deep feeling,
that, for once my professional capacity
| for emotion was almost too much for
me. had difficulty in finishing the
song.
Victim of kidding Match"
Artemus Ward once said it would
have been worth $40 to him if he had
| never been born. felt something like
that in rough kidding match" at the
studio the other day. in which, at first,
got all the breaks, but which wasn't
so good at the finish.
Somebody got into my mail a fan
| letter written to another announcer.
| He was standing by, with a half dozen
other members of the staff. handed
| him the letter.
Read it," he said, ct like to have
| the world hear these nice things they
| say about me-"
| I started reading it aloud It was
| some of the most violent invective !
have seen on paper. I got cheer from
the crowd as I came to each climax of
| denunciation, with my friend standing
by rather sheepishly. 1t wound up like
| this:
You'd better learn the deaf and
dumb alphabet. You'd make less
trouble for everybody. You know about
as much about politics, football and
horse racing as I know about knitting
The Old Soldiers Home for you, boy
You're through"
joined in the yell of appreciation
which greeted this salvo, and then
was compelled to read the last line
printed in capitals and UNDERSIGNED:
THIS GOES FOR McNAdEE. TOO
This time. my friend stepped forward
and lead the cheering.
Finally Made a Mistake
I was reminded the other day thai
the old talking to yourself" racket
which appeared in the early days oil
broadcasting, has entirely passed out
Before radio broadcasting settled dowr
to an even keel. under reputable man.
agement, there were flight-by- might
outfits which were trying all sorts Of
lodges to get on the map. One wa
to induce celebrities. usually as they
departed for Europe. to talk into 9