Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-26

Perhaps, this very night, your dial
has brought into the living room, the dining
room or the apartment the voices OF dozen
persons, all strangers to you. But hearing them
day after day in some form of radio presenta-
ton YOU think you know them. Maybe you
don't know their names. But you know the
characters they play in certain productions OF
the air. These characters may have become
part Of your daily life.
But what's behind that voice?
Did it ever occur to you that scores OF old
timers of the theater, for whom the curtain
might otherwise have fallen, have found their
chances for comeback on the air?
Or that there might be stories as strange as
anything fiction has to offer-just behind that
voice?
Suppose you had been a beautiful actress,
for instance.
And that there was every reason to believe
that fame lay just ahead-in fact, was sitting
at your knee. But the theater has eyes, thou
sands OF eyes. And the camera has even
keener eye. And then something happened
something that would have ended stage ca
reer. Some tragic accident that left its blight
Designations that made it difficult again
to face an audience.
Careers seemed to be over. A dozen different
circumstances might have been involved And
then came radio-and broadcaSting of enter
tainment. New hope-new opportunity! After
all, the voice still was there! After all, they
were actors and actresses! And out there in
tens of thousands of homes scattered over the
land. who could know the difference? Who
could tell that behind a lovely voice might be
some tragic accident? Who could tell from
the voice that time had spun its web-that the
Broadway breaks had been bad-that q hun
dred and one things might have happened?
And whatever might happen IN the theater,
what difference did it make to the man, woman
or child tuning in and connecting with that
PARKWAY land of illusion?
But let me tell you just few stories:
TAKE the very charming Virginia Gregori.
- Perhaps you don't recall hearing the name
Well she appears in scores Of parts on the
N. B. c. network. She started out with the
New York Theater Guild, and went to Eva LIE
Gallienne's remarkable group of repertoire
players. The plays produced by these groups
might be known to the man-on-the-street as
"highbrow." Miss Gregori was on her way to
be real actress.
And then one day she cast in q role that
required certain type of hairdress.
She went to an expert in such matters who
recommended q type of electric treatment.
It was late afternoon. In q few hours she
would go on-she must appear attractive to
the audience.
And SO Miss Gregori sat herself down In a
chair while an electric gadget was applied.
Something went wrong spark Of fire-and
IN . moment her hair was ahame. She mar
rowly escaped death.
And she was marked for hfe-the theater
was lost to her. She bought a wig had her
scars doctored and called 1t Q day. In 50 far as
the stage was concerned-wen, that was that
But broadcasting came to her rescue. You'll
hear Miss Gregori In those serious dramatic
pieces produced from time to time. She APP
pears in the Ibsen programs-pla the leads.
The voice of Hedda Gabler goes out over the
air-and who knows, and who cares? It's the
charming voice Of charming performer
"A ND then there's Florence Malone. She's a
Z \ member of the Radio Guild, one of the
high spots of the ether. Florence was known
TO Broadwayites of another generation-the
pIaygoers who remember Guy Bates Posts
"Masquerader" She met with an accident In
which her face was cruelty SCARED. And so
the curtain was lowered for her. Today she's