Evening star., 1935-09-01
By the Radio Editor.

Since the last article on Harry Conn,
who writes the cream Of the jest for
Jack Benny and his troupe, the ques-
tion Is repeatedly asked: But aren't
there any radio stars who write their
own stufi?"
There are, indeed, and they are
some of the top-notchers in radio.
Amos n Andy wouldn't recognize
o script writer If he sat between them
at lunch. From the start they have
written every word they speak into
the microphones. Amos Freeman
Gosden) is the chief idea man, and
Andy (Charles CorrelD supplies the
typewriter power. They spend from
one to three hours a day on their
program and usually keep a few
scripts ahead.
THEN there is Raymond Knight,
originator of the Cuckoo Hour,
among other shows, who turns out
literally reams of copy, not only for
radio but for magazines. He's Har-
ward "47 Workshop" product, and he
knows his dramatics. For a while
he was in the N. B. C. continuity de-
partment, and he once wrote scripts
for Rudy Vallee.
Col. Stoopnagle and Budd have
always prepared their own foolish
ments, ever since they were respec-
lively continuity writer and an
nouncer in a Buffalo station. Stoop-
ragle Is the author of most of their
mad ideas, and Budd is a sort OF
board of review. When Stoopnagle
runs out of ideas, he often goes into
a newsreel theater and CLEANS some
new slant for the next broadcast
from what he sees on the screen.
Joe Cook doesn't exactly write his
own comedy, but it amounts to the
same thing. He ad-libs (parlance of
the craft for extemporizing) into a
dictaphone, plays it back to see how
it sounds and makes corrections
When the script has been Transcribed,
he often ignores it altogether and
makes up new slants on the spur OF
the moment. He lives in trick house
over in Jersey, which he calls Sleep
less Hollow" and which is full of
comic gadgets that sometimes are the
basis for his props.
The other star Cook sometimes
heard on the radio-Phil Cook-writes
his own stuff at home. A former
advertising man, he bats out" his
scripts in traditional two-f1nger style
on the typewriter. The lyrics of the
songs he sings, he says, are often in
Spired on a New York subway train
on the way home.
HENDRIX WILLEM VAN LOON,
of course, was a famous author
long before he became broadcaster,
as was Alexander Woollcott. Van
Loon writes his copy in a peculiar
style which he says is the way people
really talk. This consists mostly of
dots that set of phrases and clauses.
People, he insists, never use we'll
rounded sentences when speaking inti-
mately among themselves. Woollcott
dictates his material sitting practi-
cally on the back of his neck in an
easy chair after late breakfast. He
takes plenty of time doing it. too.
Al Pearce. the West Coast favorite,
who recently brought his Happy-go-
Lucky Gang to New York, is said to be
the most spontaneous broadcaster of
them all. He rehearses his staff Of
artists well beforehand, but the order
of their appearances and his introduc-
tions are left entirely to momentary
inspiration. He actually puts his show
together before the microphone.
George Burns and Oracle Allen use
gag men, but they work closely with
them. AS many as three of these
wits may be sitting around hotel
room with Burns and Allen, working
up situation. One Of the gangsters
will suggest a line, and George will
come through with topper" There
takes down the laughlines and types
them out. Then they are revamped
into continuity form.
HONEYBOY and Sassafras, peddlers
of sea onion tonic, are certainly
self-sufhcient. George Honeyboy)
Fields writes all their scripts, depend
ing not on gags but on situation
comedy. He writes about medicine
shows and he knows them because
he once Travelled with one. His spe-
cialty is the Southeastern COW coun-
try where he once lived and where
he once won the distinction of being
made an honorary chieftain of an
Oklahoma Indian tribe.
Goodman Ace, former Kansas City
newspaper columnist, has written
every word Of the Easy Aces script
since he "incepted" the show on a
station there about three years ago.
Jane in the act is Mrs. Ace. It is
their real name.
Wendell Hall, the red-headed music
maker, and Dill (Grandpa Burton)
Baar both write and play all the
roles in their own acts, as does FL
more (Senator Fishface) Vincent, who
is also a popular professional after
dinner speaker.
MoNG the commentators writing
technique differs greatly. Boake
Carter and Edwin c. Hill, trained
newspaper men, pound their stuff out
on the typewriter Carter often de-
viates from script to ad lib his COM
ments, but Hill never does. H. ".
Kaltenborn speaks from notes only
never writes out O talk. John B.
Kennedy usually works on his scripts
right up to the minute Of his broad
Sncs and then adheres to its faith
fuily.
Among the women, Gertrude Berg
ranks "tops" in radio circles. She
not only created and played the lead
In the Rise Of the Goldbergs, but also
Is doing the same thing with her
current broadcast. She also directs
her shows.
Cornelia Otis Skinner writes all her
remarkable monologues herself. She
tries them out first on her famous
father, Otis Skinner, and her huS-
band. She does most of her writing