Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17

| IVISeG Glelr JOBS ana crane
their necks at the mere whisper of the
presence of Amos and Andy. The place
is reeking with celebrities, but even
blase Hollywood gets excited over the
radio stars.
It's not surprising, at that. The
presence Of Amos and Andy or Rudy
Vallee in the broadcasting studios
causes only q mild flutter of interest,
and then only among the newer re-
cruits. But let movie star show up
and every executive in the place finds
himself minus secretary. have
! written, I think, about the near-mob-
bing that greeted Ramon Novarro when
he went on the air. and the same thing
happened the other night with Nancy
! Carroll.
AS she passed along the corridors
| everywhere there were whispers of
! ''Therei The girl in the yellow dress /"
And until studio doors clipped the pro-
cession like pair of scissors she and
| her escort headed a parade For q
| time curtains had to be drawn over
| the observation windows to make the
corridor on which they open paSsable
A dozen or two screen stars could
create an equal Juror, but-and this
| is probably really Northumberland
aren't half dozen great singers, actors
or musicians who could equal it. Pad
erewski and Fritz Kreisler would be
greeted with great interest. mixed with
reverence, but they couldn't start a
riot. John Mccormack and Harry
Lauder might come nearer to 1t. and
am sure that Maude Adams, even with
| her long retirement from the stage,
would panic EN-" in the studies.
A prophet is not without honor save
in his own country, and all that sort
of thing, but most of the stars of the
stage and musical worlds might just as
well be a bunch of broadcaSters for all
the excitement they would arouse In the
radio studios.
Don't misunderstood me; they would
be appreciated and their work admired,
but It takes something more than that
to start q panic among the potential
hero-worshipers.
One Of he most genial young men In
radio Is Walter Preston, who has sung
over the air in light and grand opera,
concerts and In male quartets. but for
months you could rile him Just by say
ing You're lucky"
It all happened this way: One day a
truck hit his automobile and Prestons
shoulder was wrenched.
Lucky you weren't killed" they told
him.
Then came the bill for repairs
$1,I8O. Lucky it wasn't $1,000" said
the CONSIDERS.
Just a few days later he contracted
tonsillitis just as he had to sing on an
important program. You're lucky the
doctor didn't cut them out pronto," said
an announcer.
He had an automatic gas heater In
stalled in his Long Island home, ana
one day q pilot light went out. Waiter
went into the cellar to investigate. He
opened all the windows for ventilatlon'
But he didn't wait long enough. When
he tried to relight the burner, ne lost
his eyebrows and some OF his hair. a
neighbor told he was lucky 1t wasn't all
burned of.
But he seems to be pretty lucky on
the air. He Is kept busy baritoning II
in several programs, and he has been
widely popular ever since he f1rSt came
on the air, in 1925.
on the side, he Is the publisher OF
a trade journal and a member OF the
editorial board of national raolo
magazine. He has written lyrics Ior
songs-the music usually by Keith NC.
Ieod, another WIZ veteran-ano Is sun
a cross word-puzzle addict.
preston is big and blond, with blue
ewes and hair combed straight back. HIS
manner is hearty, and he writes song
lyrics, plays and poetry In the subway.
He fs practically g. phenomenon, LOT
he gets a kick out of motoring on ROADS
near New York on Sunday afternoons.
The New York radio editors-ar1d
maybe some In other cities, too-are
stu chuckling over the unenviable
position Of an advertising agency winch
handles a big cigarette account. NOT
long ago the agency sent out TO news
napers the picture of parsonage Tea
tIIred in the radio program advertising
the cigarette, and the next morning the
radio editors received frantic kilograms
asking them to do everything IN tnsI
mower TO see that every copy OF the
picture was destroyed.
The trouble was, you see. that the
photograph showed the radio person
age smoking, not cigarette, out
big black cigar. Several Of the editors
by the way, received the wires too late
to kill the photo.
The inside story Is TO the e1ect tnat
while the parsonage was willing 10 leno
his talents TO promoting the sale OF
cigarettes, he really prefers cigars, AND
when it came to having his picture
taken in an informal pose, he naturally
| lighted UP Havana.
There is also a story to the erect
that another radio parsonage, dicker-
| ing with an official Of one OF the broad
casting companies, put over what might
be called fast one.
His fee, he said, would be several
| thousand dollars week for q projected
series of programs. The Official accepted
| the terms, but added, "Of course, you
| know, Mr.. R, that 10 per cent OF
/ this will go to your manager as MS
| fee"
II Just couldn't know anything like
that" replied the parsonage, because
| my terms are always net"
The broadcasting official finally
agreed to pay the managers fee, 100,
| and it wasn't until a week after the
! contract had been signed that he dis
covered the manager IN question was
| the perSonage's nephew.
I also happen to know 1t Is the truth
| that an important sponsored program
| changed networks and the type OF the
program because the celebrated radio
stars taking part in 1t refused to sign
un again except at big boost in sal
ary-waived by the same stars the year
before in consideration OF the TACT
that the programs net work was ex-
tended to the Pacific Coast. However,
/ Floyd Gibbons booked on a short con-
| tract. asked about double his pay for a
renewal, and got it. High prices for
| the beginners show no sign Of dropping
of, in spite Of slow business elsewhere.
=
I told you q few weeks ago about Q
little boy who missed q licking because
one of Vaughn De Leath's songs amused
his mother, but now comes along Henry
Burbig, who admits that he was clown
ing a little more than usual in one of
his recent broadcasts.
"Will the little girl out In Ohio please