Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-25
McNaf11ee
Speaking

for Durham and quit singing. Fran
tically, he waved for her to go on, but
the signals were crossed again, and
she started at the beginning, From
the look Durham gave her, she saw
she had guessed wrong, and no one
was happier when the program ended.
She stepped out of the studio moment,
and then returned, with a loud "Oh,
baby!"
The program had ended. but the
announcement hadn't been made. That
remark went out over our combined
coast-to-coast networks, which beats
jolly Bills recent experience OF the
same nature by something like nifty
stations.
Singing His Speciality.
Maybe the example of Tommy Stacks,
the drummer of the Clicquot Club
Eskimos, who also does bit of singing
over the networks in the same program,
had something to do with it, but for
months, perhaps years, the chief ambi-
ton Of Harry Edison, crack drummer
and sound effects man, has been to sing.
Harry probably Is the BEST known
drummer in broadcasting. He can't be
beaten, and he plays in about dozen
Of the airs ace musical programs.
classical and popular. He is also one
men, and before that became spe-
cialized profession in itself, he did prac-
tically all of the difficult sound effects
required for various programs He has
reproduced almost every known sound,
and the train noises in Empire Build
ers," the most elaborate and carefully
arranged effects on the air, are his
work.
Officially he is classed as musician,
but the money he draws down each
week is caution. You'd think 1t would
be enough to keep him satisfied, but 1t
wasn't. He wanted to sing. No one took
him seriously, and even today I haven't
the faintest notion whether he's q tenor
or bass.
He Breaks Into Song.
But not long ago he decided to have
his tonsils out and the surgeon thought
he'd better put Harry under ether.
rather than try to do the job with
local aneSthetic. Mrs. Edison was
along, and she reports that no sooner
had Harry lost consciousness than he
began to sing, in a most impassioned
manner, for I'm just vagabond
Harry had realized his ambition, and
it's pity there wasn't mike there to
finish the job.
incidentally, Harry rates as a percus-
sionist with our pages. Percussionist,
you know, is a somewhat smoother word
for drummer, but the disillusioned
young men of Is to Is who are our
pages insist on the more common name
But the pages have couple of base
ball teams. one made up Of the day
boys and the other of the night gang.
Base ball teams have to have uniforms,
and by virtue of a contribution Of SIS
to the uniform fund. Harry has been
promoted by the pages. He is now a
full-fledged percussionist, and pity the
stranger who calls him drummer
when one OF the pages is within hearing.
hear am being touted as the
umpire for scheduled championship
game between the night and day pages,
but don't know what the outcome will
be. I've always pitied the umpire. and
in such a crucial contest as this I'm
sure shouldn't envy any man the Job
But. to tell the truth, it hasn't been
offered to me yet, and think I shall
try, on the quiet, to sell the idea that
Harry Edison. by virtue of the interest
he has shown in the teams, ought to
get the job.