Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
"Grahain
McNar11ee

SUPPOSE Thousands Of ueonlA
nearo Rear Admiral Byrds greet
mgS 70 America when he landed
u IN New York on his return from
| the Antsrctic. Radio carried them
| al over the country, and almost every
0etan OF his first day back in the
United States was reported.
But Few people know that the first
Iaalo "hello" almost came the night
| before Byrd's arrival In New York by
a big tug carrying Jimmy WaIIincton
announcer; Skeets Miller and the pro-
gram department and three engineers.
Inc encounter took place about dusk,
ana arrangements were quickly COM
pleted for the members of the expedition
10 radio their greetings to listeners
That night. microphone was to pick
up the halls between the City of New
YORK and the big tug, and short
wave uansmltter was to carry the words
work.
Now, short-wave pick-ups are still
IN the exepimental stage and the ap-
paratus Tor handling them hasn't
passed from the Jurisdiction Of the
development engineers to the regular
operating group. It's tricky stun, and
at present only men who have been
working with It great deal ordinarily
Understand all the quirks of operation.
ACCORDINGLY, the technical staff of
three was headed by a man from the
development laboratory. With him
were two field engineers, who under
stand all the principles involved In
snort-wave relays, but who hadn't
previously had anything to do with
This particular tranSmitter. However,
no difficulty was anticipated, for ali
three were flrst-rate men especially
to do.
But the plans went up the fiue. The
laboratory engineer in charge took to
his bunk and was nailed there by sea-
sickness until the tug tied up at the
dock the morning of the reception.
The two operating engineers tried to
carry on, but they weren't familiar
with the apparatus, and they blew out
condenser. The laboratory man tried
to get up and repair it, but he got
only aS far as the rail. BY the time
the other two men could explore the
intrtcacies OF the transmitter and effect
repairs 1t was too late at night for the
greetings from Admiral Byrd.
And here's the best Of 1t: the sea-
sick engineer had been an ensign in
the Navy.
Maybe IL was the announcement he
got from hearing that Nine Ernestine
Schumann-Heink was to appear for
week in Roxy's movie house, or perhaps
1t was Just his own desire to try some
thing new; but, anyway, Reinald Wer-
renrath has made his debut in vaude-
Vile. He found his flrst experience of
1t interesting. but he isn't sure yet
whether he likes 1t.
The mental approa -, a. an%..a1,, s.S
ferent, for instance When he is to
| sing at a concert he spends several
hours getting himself bucked up to the
point where he can give everything he
has to the job Of putting over his songs.
AT the end OF the evening, when he
can relax, he is exhausted. In vaude-
vile he has to do that three times a
day and he swears he will emerge an
aged, nervous wreck. He may, but no
one who knows his marvellous energy
will agree with him.
Getting ready for the vaudeville debut
was something Of trial. Werrenrath
had been thinking of many details, but
he hadn't given q thought to his
clothes, and shortly before his opening
his accompanist called to ask what
Werrenrath was going to wear and
what in detail, he'd like his accompanist
to wear.
Rather hurriedly Werrenrath said he
thought white flannel trousers and
blue coats would be about right for
this time Of year.
And then he discovered that he had
loaned the particular ARRANGEMENT of
Danny Beaver" he intended using
during his engagement, and that the
person who had promised to see that 1t
got back to him was out of town. In q
desperate hurry, he began burning up
fnIHnhnnA Ufr0n n ho froi
| Of that music.
Just as WeTenrath was in the midst
Of two long-distance calls and loom
ing spell OF nervous proStration, the
telephone bell rang. The baritone
jumped at it. Word on the missing
music ut laStl
But what he heard was "This Is
B. What about shoes?"
Shoes? Shoes? Go barefoot If you
want, but don't bother me about shoesl"
Werrenrath quotes himself as shouting.
(Note-For the benefit Of style
hounds, they both showed up in white
canvas shoes.)
One Of the biggest headaches around
the studios Is this matter of time. Pro-
grams have to finish on time, enter
tanners have to show up on time, and
| New York time has to be translated
into Chicago time, Pacific Coast time
and what not.
It isn't so bad in the Winter. All
the time zones in the country are on
standard time, but in the Summer some
cities go to daylight time and some do
| not Finding out just the hour at
which a program will be broadcast in
such and such a city Is always a mat
| ter Of addition and satisfaction, and
when you get through you hope you
haven't been adding up your own age
and your wife's and dividing by three.
Booking international programs is
another matter for chronologists. Or
dinarily there is a difference of five
hours between New York and London,
but in the Summer New York Is on
daylight-saving time and London Is on
what they call over there British Sum.
mer time. That's still a difference Of
five hours.
But just suppose a Briton or an
American sending a radiogram across
the Atlantic concerning the booking Of
an international program forgets to