Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08

President HooverS recent review of the
! fleet that another announcer has made
name for himself.
| This time 1t is George F. Hicks
| Some of his past work made it worth
| while to keep an eye on him, but now
he has definitely arrived. From the con-
troll cabin of the dirigible Los Angeles
! he gave one of the most vivid deScrip-
| tions I have ever heard.
He had a bird's-eye view of the ma
neuvers of the fleet below him and he
made the most of it, but I was partic-
ularly impressed with the manner in
| which he put across the suspense and
| excitement when Lieut.. Comdr. Mich
olson was trying to hook his plane to
| the bottom of the soaring airship.
It wasn't the first time Hicks distin-
! guished himself as an announcer Of big
broadcasts. His first big assignment
was a part In the description of the
arrival of the Graf Zeppelin at Lake
hurst last Summer, and he did first
rate Job from his position on the roof
of the hangar. He did the Giants
opening game in New York this Spring
and he was one of the men picked to
see that the American delegates to the
London Naval Conference got home
under proper radio auspices. He has
pleasant voice, quick eye and re-
Sourceful brain. He is very good on
base ball-he had his initiation at the
world series last Fall-and he also Is
one Of the best men in the studios at
handling poetic continuity.
New at the Job.
Hicks has been on the air only since
September, 1928. After leaving the
College of Puget Sound-hiS home Is In
Tacoma, Wash, where his father is
dentist-he had IL jobs, none of which
he liked, in a very short time. He had
once been turned down after an audi
ton for announcers, but when he hap
pened to stroll by our WRC studios in
Washington, D. c., one day he de-
cided, on an impulse, to 60 In and ask
for job.
He got it, and went to work next day.
He did excellent work in washington,
and it was this that got him his chances
at the world series and the Graf Yep
pelin. And last Winter he was trans
ferred to New York. AS for looks, hes
tall and handsome, with brown curly
hair. He wears glasses, but with an air.
He isn't married.
MuZzles have been suggested Tor some
of our production men, to be worn at
all moments when they aren't actually
at work, and to be effective until the
last traces of Spring fever, or something
like that, wear of.
The reasons are several, and mere
are some of them: Ed Whitney, who
PLAYS Capt. Jimmy Norton of "Harbor
Lights" when he isn't busy producing,
swears he saw one of the secretaries
leaning pensively on her desk, eyeing
big pink rose. He contemplated the
association of Spring. and flowers and
love. and hesitated to break in on the
beautiful dreams of youth. But. finally.
in solicitous manner, he asked her TO
tell him ALL And she told him she
wanted something: nothing less, in tact'
than corpse. Shocked, WnlCney H.
quired the reason.
Good Reason.
"Weu." she said, I'm going to my
home in Denver, and l hate to spend
the money for ticket. know that
when a corpse Is transported by train,
somebody has to go with 1t. Ill take
a Job as accompanist. II you know
somebody who's going to die about June
lst and 60 to Denver: let me me know soTssd WIN
And then there's Bennett Larson,
who is production man on some of Nat
Shilkret's programs, among others. he
announced solemnly to Bill Rainey.
chief of our production men, that at
last he had discovered the difference
between a toothache and a productlon
man. Rainey was informed, In fact,
that while toothache prevents one
from working the gums, proouction
man keeps one from cumming the
works.
Ray Perkins the production man VINO
also appears on the air as Old Topper,
announced that during the nrSt or
second week of June he Is going 10
bring the big doorman who STANDS IN
front of the building into the stuolos
to give doorman good view OF
microphone, and to enable himself 10
give the radio audience bralo-oy-oraio
description of the uniform.
Speaking OF doormen, Tom McAVlty,
production man on Eveready and as
sistant to Bill Rainey, reports that the
inner doorman, who guards the eleva-
tors. asked a musician the other night
If he had a building permit. Inc
musician, forgetting about the niue
blue card that gives ready ADMISSION
to the studios, replied that he hadnt,
and. Furthermore, he had no intention
of building anything-not even repu-
tation-if people didn't quit botnerlng
him with fool questions.
| think l have said In the past that
displays of temperament almost never
take place in the studios. This Is cor
rect. but sometimes they happen. Sell
dom are they serious enough TO anect
Inc DTOdQCdSUlIlS VI bAAC
Saskatchewan one prima donna know
tried unsuccessfully one night TO throw
a hated rival out of her stride.
The two women were taking part IN
the Same program, and while one OF
them was singing at the microphone.
the other paced the floor In front OF
her. humming snatches from an entlrely
different aria. The singer on the air.
however, never faltered, and when l
AIni xr,ifh her at the end or
the program and asked her how she
managed to keep her poise, she conf1ded
that she had closed her eyes so she
couldn't see the pacing, ana anyway;
the other Womans voice was so nad
that she never considered 1t singing
and it didn't bother her! ana Ine
microphone, the engineer on duty as
sured me, didn't pick up any OF the
competing performance.
Real attacks of temperament IN the
studios are rare, because the singers
know the time schedules are so rlgid
that IL they were to attempt TO "hoio
the curtain that would mean the eno
of offers of broadcasting engagements
But long rehearSals and bad WeaIneI
are hard on anybody's nerves, ana III
the last tense moments before pro-
Gram goes on the air frazZled nerves
sometimes give way and some one
makes a scene.
Women Hold Temperament.
Women are more frequently accused
of temperament than men, but now
ever that may be. they never display
1t when only women are present.;
suppose 1t Is because 20 many of them
have been brought up to believe that
they can make men do what they want
by making things uncomfortable for
them. Fathers who spoil their daugn-
tiers are, I suppose, to blame for TINS.
And so when a woman star negns