Evening star., 1935-06-16


and fortune these days.
Since the advent of big lea
years or so, there have been t,
ranks of concert stars possess
Caruso or Galli-Curci. There
! they now turn to radio, where
for which the training Is far le
The trend toward the "microphone
voice" is readily apparent. That does
not necessarily mean that all future
vocalists will be crooners. although
many of them are tossing their lot to
the type of rendition made famous by
Rudy Vallee. 1t does mean that prac-
tically all newcomers in the vocal art
are learning to perform with the aid OF
the microphone.
For example, a majority of the
singing stars of today who appear in
vaudeville and motion picture houses
depend upon the microphone. You
NAV not be able to hear them direct
+. sitting in the front row, but the pub
lie address system takes care of 1t.
A man seated at the volume control
acts as the voice regulator. BY the
turn of the control he can increase or
decrease the pitch, as he sees mt.
Radio artists know the man seated
in the control room-or riding the
gains" as it is called in radio parlance
is a very important individual. 1t
is recognized he can make or break
an artist by electrically controlling
his voice volume.
Another thing well known to singers
Is that their fine vocal qualities can
be prolonged if they do not exert
themselves by constantly attempting
to fill a concert hall without the aid
OF artificial volume boosting, or, in
other words, use of the microphone
MANY old-time concert and theatrical
artists. though few really famous
ones, have turned to the grooming type
of performance for both radio and
theater.
Perhaps the most notable example
Of q loud-singing performer who has
turned real crooner is Eddie Cantor.
In the hey-day of his stage career
he used to gallavant up and down
the foot-lights singing at the top OF
his voice, so even the galleryites could
hear him. Now when Eddie performs
before the mike, he cups his left hand
over his left ear, to shut out other
noises. straddles the mike with lips
hardly an inch away. and whispers.
He can't be heard for 20 feet. But
through the loud speaker his voice
sounds Just as it did from the stage.
It simply is a case of stepping up
the volume electrically.
Little Jack" Little. too, a radio
product, sings naturally in a virtual
whispering voice, which has to be
boosted" He needs microphone in
his stage act as well as in the studio.
The radio trend has been coped
with to q certain extent in musical
comedies Practically all show houses
now are equipped with public address
or sound systems. used for the talking
movies. In duets, hidden microphones
often are used. In chorus perform
ances, where there is a male soloist,
he usually Is placed behind mike in
one of the wings. Gradually, how
ever, the trend is toward the use OF
microphones for all solos.
Even in night clubs the microphone
has become o more or less indiSpensa-
BILE part of the entertainment para
phernalia. The night club, however,
more or less belongs to the radio era,
20 this is not. surprising.
All these signs seem to point to the
day when grand opera without micro
phone treatment" will be as obso-
lete as oustleS and hoopskirts. In
stead, there probably will be the
grand opera of the air. with the
Fausts and the Rigolettos still
sounding as powerful as before, but
actually grooming their tunes into the
microphone. More than likely. the
audience also will see as well as hear
the performances, because by then
there most certainly should be prac-
teal televsion.
"A LREADY simmering. the national
political pot being prepared for
the nominating conventions due about
Q year hence shortly will have the
fires of radio oratory built under it.
In addition, the subject of radio itself
may be thrown into the stew, with
the Republicans and other anti-ad-
ministrationists seizing upon freedom
of the air as q potential campaign
issue
Two developments of the last week
indicate the Importance politicians at
.tach to American radio.
EHN~k tha pantfhIiaon National
Committee named q young Boston
radio executive, Thomas Goggan
Eabin, assistant to Chairman Henry
p. Fletcher in charge of broadcasting.
Filling the post nearly year earlier
than usual, the Republicans made
Sabin director of radio effective June
= 15-just about two weeks after they
: had cleaned up the remnants of their
-half-million dollar bill for use Of radio
IN the 1882 campaign.
Sabin is a native of Dallas, who for
the last seven years has been en-
ployed in commercial capacity with
the National Broadcasting Co. He
comes to Washington from Boston,
where he was sales manager Of two of
that networks New England stations.
LIE Oc1uOCrhLS IlhFC LOb yCt sc"
lected their radio director for the
forthcoming campaign, and may not
do so until after the convention next
Summer. It Is more than likely that
he will again be Herbert L. Pettey of
kansas City, who handled the job in
1882 and who now is secretary of the
Federal Communications Commission.
The Democratic National Committee,
incidentally, still owes $152,0o of the
half million dollar bill for radio
time" which it ran up during the
Roosevelt campaign - sl07, 900 being
owed to N. B. C. and $4,000 to Co
fumbia.
As for the possibility that radio it
self may become campaign issue, 1t
is somewhat remote, but certain dis
closures Of the last week have caused
some offlcial concern. Unwittingly. it
now appears, and due tc the zeal OF
come Of its subordinates, the Fed
ersl Communications Commission has
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