Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
"Grahafn

A PERFECTLY executed shrek Is
| ~ recognized in the studios as the
! ~ one infallible hallmark of fin
4 n tShed radio thriller" actress.
~ On the stage almost any old
kind of Shrek would do, just as long as
IL was loud enough to penetrate to the
back OF the balcony. But in broad
casting it isn't so easy. Now, good,
substantial shrek that hasn't much
besides volume and a penetrating quail
| 1ty may be all right in its way, but 1t
isn't subtle enough for the microphone.
When woman ScreecheS in a radio
melodrama, the listener must be able
to make a good guess as to whether it
means fright, anger, pain, surprise or
even delight.
The stage actress can make a lot of
noise and rely on the expression of her
| face to tell what she hasn't bothered to
put into the scream itself. A f1rst-rate
actress, of course, would be just as care
ful on her own account to select just
the right kind of screech as the radio
actress is forced to be. When just the
right shade of shrieking isn't forth
coming, it's up to the production man
assigned to whip the particular pro-
gram into shape to see what he can do
about it.
A Shrek of delight is a cinch. You
can get it from any actress without half
trying. The distinction between pain,
fright and just plain surprise is some
what more difficult to bring out. You
can get the pain" shrek very often
by a slight twist of the actress wrist.
1t isn't enough to hurt her, but usually
she expects it is going to, and shrieks
anyway. Besides, the shrek is always
indicated in the script, and the bit OF
external persuasion gives it the finish
| ing touch Joe CRANKY, very frequent
radio villain fears he won't have a
friend left among radio actresses If
directors don't quit drafting him as the
wrist twiSter.
Just the right degree of fright is
somewhat harder to obtain. Most di-
rectors get this and the right degree of
surprise by long rehearsal. Occasion
ally they assign some one to clutch the
actress suddenly by the shoulders just
at the moment her script calls for a
scream, but usually it requires patience
and great deal of explanation. The
actress who can deliver the proper
shrek on order Is rarity.
Il y K*
don't know how I missed it, but I
have just discovered that Bill Steinke
Of Jolly Bill and Jane" used to be a
clown in the circus. I suppose might
have suspected it. Bill is Glowing al
most all the time. He has been a news
paper man and cartoonist. He still
works pretty hard at cartooning, even
now. His drawings appear every day
in New York newspaper and in the
convention numbers of a good many
trade journals.
| And here's the circus story just
heard about Bill: When the big show
was playing in Washington during the
second year of Mr.. Coolidge's first term
jolly Bill had an act all his own. The
President and Mrs. Coolidge had box
near the middle ring, and Bill, all
dressed up and decorated in approved
circus fashion, clowned around the out
side track, drawing caricatures of mem
| berS of the audience on big pad of
paper which another clown carried on
his back.
AS they passed the presidential box,
Bill decided to Guido himself He be-
gan to draw, and at first not even those
the arena could make out what he was
trying to picture. In moment, how
ever, it was clear that he was drawing
/ the head of a man. but it was upside
down. When he turned it the right
way up there was a roar of laughter, IN
which the President and Mrs. Coolidge
! joined. The drawing of Coolidge was
easily recognizable.
| AS Bill and his partner were about to
| move away, Mrs. Coolidge leaned from