Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
Behind the Microphone

pSuuSI1G DEOauCdSC6rS, WOL
- and WJSV, likely will be
broadcaSting new type Of re-
corded program which the Radio
Cinema Vision Corporation of
New York is turning out for dis
tribution in the United States,
Canada, Cuba, as well as South
American and European coun-
tries.
An announcement by the cor
poration yesterday revealed that
after IL months of preparation 1t
is ready to make its debut into
the radio world, with 119 clients
in the United States and IS in
Canada. VOL and WJSV are
listed as the Washington repre-
sentativeS.
The programs to be supplied by
the corporation are recorded on
reels of sensatized films contain
ing a complete broadcast ranging
from Is minutes to an hour.
These reels are to be sent out in
advance to each subscriber sta
ton, which will make it possible
for them to broadcast the pro-
grams at any specified hour in
any city, thus removing the time
element. Forty different feature
programs are to be placed on the
air each week through the stations
subscribing to the new service.
The advisory board of the cor
poration is composed of figures
long prominent in the radio in
duStry. It's members are Herman
Halstead, Malcolm Strauss, Alfred
j. McCosker Of WOR; Walter S.
Lennon Of WRNY, Donald Flamm
of WMCA, Townsend Rice and
Manning Wakefield. Strauss is
president of the corporation,
which has its headquarters and
studios at 1900 Broadway.
THE voices heard in Real
Folks" Sunday at Seth
Parker's" and rise of the Gold
bergS," three weekly dramatic fea-
lures Of the National Broadcast
ing Co., are not the same, despite
the striking similarity. Principal
characters in each have no con-
nection with any of the others.
The three programs represent
three distinct radio personalities,
each of whom has attained a no.
table success distinguishing him.
self above his fellow actors before
the microphone.
OF the three, Real Folks" fea-
turing George Frame Brown, aU-
thor, originator and principal
actor in this comedy series Of
rural sketches, is recognized as
the most popular. Although Sun
day at Seth Parker's" has a rural
setting, the locale is entirely diff
ferent, and also it's character and
treatment. Philip Lord Is the au-
thor and chief performer in this
series.
1t is difficult to understand how
either Of these can be confused
with 1.-THE Rise of the GoldbergS,"
which has an unmiStakable Jew
ish flavor. Gertrude Berg Is the
author Of these sketches, and she
plays the part Of Mrs. Goldberg.
Her husband, Jake Goldberg, is
known as James Waters away
from the microphone.
In the Real Folks" sketches
Brown plays the part of Matt
Thompkins, Mayor of ThompkinS
Corners, an imaginary scene of
the rural comedies. He also dou-
bleS in other character bits dur
ing the same broadcast, some
times playing the additional roles
of a Chinaman and a Swede. An
other prominent figure in the
same program also is named
Brown, although considerably
younger. This is Town Brown,
who plays the part of Elmer.
/ Lord Of Seth Parker" fame is
a native Of New England, and is
thoroughly familiar with the pro-
totype Of each Of the characters
he introduces in his program. He
insists the people are real people
and is genuinely sincere in his at
teInptS to faithfully reproduce the
devout Sunday night social gath
eringS in JoneSport, Me.
Miss Berg is the most important
figure in the weekly broadcastS of
1.-THE Rise of the Goldbergs." She
is said to be keenly disappointed
because some listeners thought
her voice was a falsetto perform
ance by one of the accomplished
character actors in the two other
features.
WHY don't we tune in stations
a thousand or two miles away,
as in the old days of radio? That
question is frequently asked by
those possessing the latest types
of all-electric sets, even through
they may content themselves
most Of the time listening to vo-
cal programs.
The answer was given last
week by J. E. Smith, president of
the National Radio Institute, who
pointed out that the present day
receiver, sensitive as 1t may be, is
not primarily intended for long
distance reception. The increased
power Of broadcasting stations,
| together with the congestion Of
the broadcast air, he said, has
caused set designers to aim rather
toward increasing Selectivity,
volume and tone, depending on
considerable signal input. Fur
thermore, the simplicity of the
present day radio set, calling for
a gang tuning condenser, he de-
clared, initiates against extreme
Sensitivity throughout the tuning
range.
Frederic william Vile, The
Stars correspondent at the Lon
don Naval Conference, who also
is serving as observer for the Co