The Indianapolis times., 1930-04-15

hJIo bCAOLV my ~ NNNtSc'DN'
to come.
It's their invariable rule,
fixed by them as a necessity
Ito get into character, the
spirit Of the episode" before
they go on the air.
This night it came harder The
control man was monkeying with
his gadgets, plugging, testing lis
tening. Freeman F. Gosden and
Charles J. Correll for the first time
we're to spread the plaintive tenor
of Amos. the bumptious bass of
Andy over a nationwide hookup for
the National Broadcasting Com
pany.
Announcer is Nervous
Bill Hay, their announcer, looked
over his reading lines, noted the
nervousness of the boys, curbed his
own slight trepidation to migrate
their feelings.
Here in New York. M H. Ayles-
worth. president of the NBC,
dialed in WIZ on his own set, con-
fident, unaware of the uneasiness a
" thousand miles away.
A great Snowman himself, he had
picked these boys as super-radiO
artists. mentally predicting what
has happened. Eleven o'clock, E. d
T. Strains OF The Perfect Song"
filtered through his speaker. The
boys in Chicago were going to bat
for him
They didn't get to first base in
the east-in the newspaper reviews.
Mercilessly the professional listen
ers tragically transposed Amos
pathetic amt dat sumpin'? into
-just "ain't nuthm.'"
New York SCOTS
Here is q sample of New Yorks
reaction:
Are the people of Chicago and
the middle west who have gone into
outlaws over this duo just stupid
or have they been giving better
stuff throughout the last few years
that Amos n Andy reserved for
Semi-national consumption?"
Aylesworth never wavered in his
confidence. The peculiar basillus
of the boys act, now so pleasantly
victimizing half the nation, had not
had a chance to spread its infection
over the Atlantic seaboard.
But the boys did some grade A
pondering. Never cocky. without
an ounce of swagger, they listened
to what proved the report Of the
minuteSt minority.
They traced back over their stuff,
analyzed their situations, pored over
their episodes to find what they had
never had to seek out before-a
possible flaw.
News Clippings Barred
Chagrined. a little hurt. for six
weeks they never read a news clip
ping
But the old morale was still there.
The Fresh Air Taxicab Company.
IncorpOlated. moved into Harlem;
the boys set up residence" in the
plantation sector; opened the BEAU
ty parlOr for Madame Queen. fixed
the lodge rooms of the Mystic
knights Of the Sea-directly storm
ing the towns bastions in a make
or break SOrtie
About a week thereafter results
came in The infection had spread.
The Amos n Andy bacillus was do
ING its work. The entire east had
broken out with this peculiar radio
rash. now the benefcent malady of
a nation.
Trucks backed up to the NBC
Offices here and in Chicago with ton
after ton of fan" mail. New York,
New England. New Jersey. Pennsyl-
vania, Delaware, Washington. D. c..
had come down with the disease"
Fame at Last
Judges. senators. state officials,
capitalists, bankers and the great
yeOmanry of the entire hitherto
rather snooty district Succumbed en-
maSse. Fame at last
The Fresh Air Taxicab Company,
INCORPORATED. shared the news with
United States Steel. Jurors. anx-
iouslv consulting watches, delayed
or hurried verdicts to join the rem
devious millions now keep at and
10:30 p. m.
Flushing at their own severity,
magistrates throughout the coun-
try sentenced culprits to a week, a
fortnight, without Amos n Andy.
In Richmond. GoSden's home town,
twins were christened Amos and
Andy. An eastern rabbi declared
that Amos n Andy reached more
hearts than the pulpits Of the ma
ton"
The learned court at the recent
Doheny trial in Washington, Jus
tice Hitz, thus charged the Jury:
Il gather that you have borne
your isolation with Christian reSig-
nation but that you do entertain
some resentment that you have
been separated from Amos n
Andy
Negroes Are Booster
So it goes throughout the coun-
try. The Negro race is their big
geSt booster Never do they belittle