Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12

TT doesn't pay an announcer to in
dulge in humorous mispronunci-
ations even when no microphone is
4 about to expose him. One of the
best-I won't mention his name,
but II you heard the program you'd know
the man means taking no chances
these days. For years he had been
speaking of Mile. Modiste" as "Millie
Modiste" and not long ago he was an
nouncing a selection from that tuneful
operetta. The inevitable happened, and
I hear he has been deluged with letters
whose general tone was Take him outl
He's terrible"
mighty Lucky Rose"
There are other slips Of the tongue,
too. Milt Gross, the diction medal win
ner. had a terrible time with the phrase
FIRST tenors" the other night. It simply
wouldn't come out straight. He finally
made it first tennis" and let it 80 at
the time I made Mighty LAX Rose"
into Mighty Lucky Rose" Mistakes Of
this sort aren't usually very serious.
What every announcer of network
programs breads is that he may punch
the wrong button on his central box
and send the program to the wrong
network of stations. AS many as four
programs go out to different stations at
once, and the first announcer to punch
a particular button gets the channel 1t
controls This Is very rare mistake,
tuned to a certain station. has been sur
prised to hear part OF a program he mas
been accustomed 10 hear on anothers
wavelength.
Political Speech Boloney.
Coincidence has been responsible for
several occurrences that were quite un-
fortunate. One Of the worst of these
happened during the political campaign
A wear ago last Fali. An important
speaker had Just finished his campaign
address, and the following program
came from a hotel roof garden. The
program was under way when the
switch was made, and listeners heard
the last part of the following sentence:
And the next number ladies and gen.
tlemen, will be-'That's Lot OF Boz
loney'"
II YOU have ever visited broadcast
ing studio, you have seen no Sn1ok-
ing" signs plastered all over the place.
True, you see them nearly everywhere,
but in a studio they really mean some
thing. The fire hazard isn't anything
to worry about, of course, because each
studio, rather bare in itself, Is isolated
from It's neighbors by thick walls
packed with asbestos. A hole might
possibly be burned in q monks cloth
hanging draped against the wall to re-
duce sound reflection. but that's about
all that could happen. The reason for
it Is that the threats of most singers
are sensitive to smoke in a room, and
IL more than a couple of people were
smoking the studio ventilation system
would not take care OF 1t rapidly
enough.
Smoking used to be tacitly allowed at
rehearsals and violations of the rule
were winked at. 1t turned out, how
ever, that a studio In which the cast
of a play had been rehearsing, often
went on the air Immediately after with
program including singers. NOW
smoking is out. BroadcaSting company
officials, musicians, members OF the
staff and visitors all have to observe
the rule. Sam Lanin and Harold San
ford have to leave their cigars outside,
lust so they won't be tempted to
light up.
Page Corrects Maestro.
Cesare Sodero. the conductor Of ra-
dio grand operas. to whose wishes the
studio staff long ago learned to defer
| has been won over, too. The other
night he stepped down from the po-
dunn after conducting an especially
difficult score. mopped his brow and
lighted a cigarette. Letting Sodero have
| his way had become something OF a
habit with most Of those present, and
no one seemed anxious to remind him
of the rule. The littlest page boy OF
them all saved the situation, however
He seized an ash try from a reception
room, marched up to the conductor and
said, would you like to put out your
cigarette in this. maestro?" Sodero
was startled. and bystanders expected
connection. However, the maestro
grinned and said. THANK you, my boy,
and put out the last cigarette any one
has seen him smoking in the studio.
Quite innocently I asked the other
day why radio actors should have t.
be picked from the ranks Of those who
have had a good deal of stage expert
ence. and Gerald Stopp and Vernon
Radcliffe, who were conducting the
addition into which I had CHANGED II
wander, opened up on me. I heard 6
lot about actors in the next five min
utes, but II all boiled down to the fact
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