Evening star., 1936-12-27

prospect between radio and movies
heavily on the films for talent and big
names.
Walter Winchell, gossip columnist,
has just gone out to Hollywood to do a
picture with Ben Bernie, thus verify
ing the disclosure exactly year ago
that their verbal "feud" was nothing
more than stage business intended as
mutual build-up which would be cli-
NAKED by movie contract.
Whether the picture will be titled
"Love and HiSses,' as earlier reported,
cannot be learned. But both Winchell
and Bernie, friends of many years
standing despite the gags and wise
cracks they hurl at each other con-
stantly, are doing their weekly broad
casts now from the film capital.
Another example of the close liaison
between New York's radio studios and
advertising agencies and Hollywood S
talent sources was furnished last week
when, at the last minute, the coffee
sponsor of the Good viii Court" SUBJ
stituted a Hollywood show in his Sun
day night period on the N. B. c. red
network. Instead of parading peoples S
domestic and legal troubles before the
microphone and an imaginary court,
the sponsor is now parading amateur
dramatic talent in program titled
do You Want to Be an Actor?"
THE demise of the Good Will Court
= was literally forced by the deci-
sion of the New York Appellate Court,
in response to objections raised by
various bar associations, that no judges
or lawyers should sit on such radio
courts under pain of disbarment
The result was that A. L. Alexander,
who originated and conducted the pro-
gram, had to get jurists or sociologists
from outside New York State-and
they simply didn't click.
1t was piece of hard luck for Alex
ander and ironical in the extreme
For several years he had been staging
the same show, with important New
York jurists sitting in his court" and
Offering free legal advice to all who
told their tales of woe before the mi
crophone. While the program was local
or sectional and unsponsored, he got
few complaints, indeed many compli-
ments. Then when a sponsor under
took to extend the show to the ma
tional audience via network the hue
and cry against it got too loud for the
sponsor to ignore if he wanted to re-
tain the good will of large sector Of
his audience.
The result was rather precipitate
dropping of the program December
20, with no advance announcement,
the New York bar and courts being
adamant in their objections even in
the face Of the plea that the money
paid the sitting Judges" by the spon-
sors was all being turned over to
charity.
THE new show Is in the nature Of
an amateur program, though Of
Q different character from the one the
coffee sponsor once presented during
the same period with Maj. Edward
ooWCS, VIII tooh Iiio Siio" away W Vic
Columbia network for a Thursday
night period some months ago.
do You Want to Be an Actor?"
had been staged for some months
over Hollywood station with great
success. Haven McQuarry, a radio
and vaudeville producer. picks people
at random out of the audience, coaches
them before the microphone in the
lines they should read, and then lets
them go ahead He lets audience ap-
plause determine who should be Sc
lected from among those willing, which,
of course, is not always conducive to
getting the best talent, even though
It may favor the best appearing.
In the one-hour radio period there
Is time for about four sketches, none
Of them being complete drama in
itself. There is naturally a lot of
banter and biplay during the coach
ing period, and there are wisecracks
aplenty, for the whole thing Is i'm
promptu. The kind of performance
finally obtained is usually plainly Of
an amateur type.
The come-on for the would-be radio
dramatic artist is the announcement
that scouts from the motion picture
studios are in the audience looking
for talent. Many an observer, how
ever, Is wondering whether this kind
Of amateur show on the air will be
any more productive of successful