Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27
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WIZ dLlO are tic IldEuSSb NUEklIlS
men of the lot. Take Billy Jones and
Ernie Hare. They've been at it for
years, and although they have the
building of jokes almost down to a
science, they have to work at their
programs all week lon,,.
Each of them carries a notebook. in
which he jots down every reasonably
humorous IDEA he hears. They have an
index of all the basic Jokes, which are
made new again by substitution of vari-
Gus factors or by adding a new twist,
and they have file of every joke they
have ever used on the air. A joke,
they say, Is new every two years, but
Jones and Hare always give 1t a fresh
coat of paint before using it again.
Paul Dprpont says the very newest
Jokes don't Seem to At in minstrel
program, SO when he uses one he al
ways rewrites it according to the old
minstrel formula, which isn't an easy
as 1t sounds. A good many of today S
best cracks depend on their modern
phraseology, and If you take that away
you haven't much left. Paul uses the
oldest jokes he can find, but substi
tutes modern situations. And, like all
the rest, he often writes one OF his
own out of thin air.
Puns are the delight of Raymond
Knight, alias Ambrose j. Weems, and
genius of station KUKU. But he revelS
in nutty situations, too. Handling
these for the microphone is tough job.
You can't casually toss a Superf1uous
character out of the window and trust
that his exit will be so ludicrous the
audience will laugh. You must, Knight
points out, bring in the noise of crash
ing window glass and point it with some
such line as II hope you enjoy your
trip down."
Correll and Gosden won't admit that
their Amos and Andy is a comedy pro-
gram. They build it entirely from Incl
dents of everyday life and depend on
the characters of their own creations
and the situations into which they get
themselves to supply the comedy, If
any
And Doc Rockwell admits that his
secret is just the use of incongruous
ideas. But the trick Is to make them
incongruous.
One morning away back in April of
1924-ancient history in the annals OF
radio-New York papers devoted 'front.'
page space to stories of the first radio
program ever broadcast from Europe
specifically for American listeners.
Reports were scattered. Only few
DIX fans-distance experts with power
full receiving Sets-were willing to
swear that they had heard the Savoy
Hotel Orchestra playing in London
5000 miles away. But they all agreed
on one point. The London band was
playing II Love YOU" the song sensa-
ton of the year
ct Love You" the hit ballad from
"Little Jessie James, was written by
Harry Archer, who recently brought
dance band to the air for a series of
weekly broadcasts. Incidentally, being
the first composer to have song
broadcast across the Atlantic Is only
one of the ways in which Archer has
been an innovator.
Back in the war days, when he was
leading and managing a string OF or,
chestras in Chicago, Archer fascinated
North Shore parties with popular
transcriptions of classics and semi
classics. a type of arrangement which
has since become standard.
But he had the urge to write, and
determined enthusiasm Tor pet
theory of musical comedy production.
So he abandoned good business in the
MiddleweSt and came to rev YORK,
with only his big idea" as capital. The
idea was to pick the musicians of his
orchestra as carefully as he did the cast
and to make it jazz band unit instead
of the old salon group which hao occu-
pied the pits at musical comedies for so
many years. After several lean years
Little Jessie James" indicated Archer
for that brilliant idea. 1t played on
three continents.
Archer is still doing novel things in
the way of Instrumentation. A recent
stunt is to treat his instruments as he
would the voices in chorus. He mas
revived the old round, Three Blind
Mice" and the instruments take up the
melody one by one, just as the boys
used to sing it under the windows OF the
women's dormitory back at Knox Col
lege at Galesburg, Ill, where Archer
went to school. And by the way. 1t was
there that Archer began his series OF
successful "firsts.' He was the f1rst
marching song which satisfied his alma
mater.
Tomorrow's stars of the entertain
nent world, am convinced, Will De
those men and women who can prove
themselves valuable in several sllnes.
Versatility will be necessary and the
most successful of all will be beautiful
women who can sing and act remark
ably well and face the camera, MIN or
television, without Qualm.
Already the distinctions between
stage screen and radio performers are
breaking down and with the coming OF
television I believe they will almost
entirely disappear. Even today one can
see some of the results.
A man or a woman who can succeed
in a filmed musical comedy Woulo
almost certainly be a success on the
stage and on the air because the mu-
steal talkies today demand the ability
TO act which is required by the stage,
and the ability to sing, which Is neces-
Sary for most radio success.
Microphone stars are already out IN
vaudeville and Rudy Vallee and Moran
and Mack have made movies, and Amos
and Andy have departed for Hollywood.
Veteran Broadway actors are taxing
part in broadcast dramatic programs
and in the Hollywood activities. AND
lust to complete the triangle, talKie
stars are taking part in radio programs
and heading for Broadway.
Television will make it complete. Al
ready there is noticeable tendency IN
the broadcasting studios TO develop
singers and actors whose appearance IS
attractive Ability to act counts for a
singer, and even the beginnings OF a
singing voice for an actor.
In just a few years you Will be aoie
to watch your favorite star on the stage
and see and hear him in the talkies
and by television. All Of this will in
crease tremendously the number OF able
performers required. The competition
with all this entertainment available
will be so intense that real talent won't
90 unnoticed for long. These people
will receive nigh pay for their services,
but it will be the public who win benefit
in the end.
In the midst of a small crowd OF men
and women in evening dress stood a
very sorry figure talking into micro
phone. He was supposed 10 be funny,
and what he said probably seemed
funny as it came out Of family loud
speakers. But the figure Ga well known
humorist), thoroughly embarrassed and
more than a little angry, was himself
nKnr,flaircr he could rAosci-