Evening star., 1935-10-13

Events a few years ago, you can conf
ex-small-time vaudeville hoofer who
notorious gossip columnist. Walter.
Winchell Is just like that.
Curiously enough. after about two
years on the air Winchells radio star
seems to be going more and more In
the ascendant. Witness the fact that
he is being invited increasingly of late
to act as guest artist or master Of
ceremonies on other programs than
his own weekly 15-minute period.
And he loves being around the radio
studios. Perhaps it is as good a place
as any to pick up tidbits of news"
for the radio folk, like most showfolk,
are inveterate gossips.
However that may be, the few in
vited to sit in the little studio in
Radio City where Winchell does his
weekly stint apparently deem it
real privilege. In way it is. for he
can exercise the right of any temper
amental artist doing a solo bit on the
air to exclude any one and every one
from his studio. But he doesn't; in
deed, he seems to like the company,
who really aren't an audience" in
the ordinary sense of the word, but
about 20 persons standing or sitting
in haphazard fashion about the room,
LIE ARRIVES early, about 10
minutes ahead of his time on the
air. He is accompanied by a small
retinue-the networks censor" who
Is supposed to glance over his late
copy for possible libelous matter.
studio attache, a friend or two. 1t
is said he has just come from his
office where he has been whipping
his last-minute stuff into shape. He
carries a sheaf of manuscripts, which
he Is thumbing, and you can see
profusion of material, some neatly
typewriter. some heavily edited with
black pencil, some hastily scrawled.
He is brisk, dapper and neat. He is
a man a few years under 40, OF medium
height, slender and clean shaven. His
features are somewhat acquiline, &C
IllCs G1Ad4 RAASoo VA @@-S
glances around the room. He wears
hat that looks brand-new, and he
doesn't take it off. His blue suit
is double breasted, and he keeps 1t
buttoned. His shirt is blue and bis
tie slightly bluer.
He unbuttons his collar, grunts a
few times-clearing the Winchellian
throat-and asks every one to be seat
ed. He rattles off a few sentences in
Spanish to some Castillian-visaged
chaps in the rear of the studio whom
he has apparently invited as his guests.
Then he sits down at small table,
arranged in juxtapoSition to a large
table somewhat like a newspaper city
desk. A chap wearing visor is seat
ed at the larger table at his left,
perusing copy.
TWO telegraph keys lined to two
= small amplifying units, before
which are microphones, are on the
small table. Winchell taps away at
one; it sounds like the telegraph clicks
in any Western Union Office. He taps
away at the other; it sounds sharper
tones, the tones of overseas radio
telegraph flashes. He grunts few
more times, takes a sip of water from
one of row of paper cups and-An-
nouncer Ben Grauer's hand is up,
signaling silence, for the time has
come to "Sign on" with his CONNER
cial."
Winchell literally leaps into action
when Grauer turns to him to start.
He fairly shouts his flashes" and if
the radio in your living room doesn't
reverberate to his voice it is because
the control room men have done a
good job of modulating its strident
| notes through their panels. He Is
tense and rigid and his body sways
as he rattles off his news and gossip
and drops each sheet of copy to the
floor as he is done with it-tapping
away betimes at the telegraph keys
and switching from click-key to the
tone-key according to whether the
| date line is domestic or foreign.
1t goes on like that for 10 or
IL minutes, with only the one break
for the second commercial dur
ing which he can gulp another cup
Of water and glance-this time rather
vacantly. for he is intensely con-
centrated on that last big news
flash-around the room. Soon it is
over. and Winchell relaxes. 1t was
a strenuous effort, but he obviously
enjoyed it. He likes radio, he will
tell you. and he thinks he'll hang
around the studios for the next few
hours until his repeat goes on for
the Far Western audience.
N7INCHELL insists he gets every
w line of his news from his own
sources, but his pipelines into news
paper and press association offices must
b? excellent. He knows, too, that Sun
day night Is time when every one