Evening star., 1936-11-22

neartenlng 10 listeners are lmmeQlately
severe critics must have noted the al.
most universal improvement in COM
mercial announcements-both as TO
length and content. The sponsors who
back the major shows on the air seem,
by now, to be in agreement that dialers
are irritated by long spiels about the
wares advertising on the airwaves-
and so you find most of the big-time
shows keeping the advertising blurbs
at a minimum this season.
You are, meanwhile, hearing less
and less commercial copy that is
in such bad taste as to be offensive to
age written in such fiorid or over
enthusiastic style that it would affront
the intelligence of a 10-year-old child,
let alone the adult who takes his air.
fare seriously. Another decrease in the
amount Of microphone chatter is ap-
parent In many Of the musical shows.
You are hearing much less talk and
much more music on the programs
which make so bold as to bill them
selves as musical offerings.
Another optimistic note Is sounded
by the fact that back seat is being
accorded the studio audiences attend
ing the major network shows. All of
a sudden artists and sponsors seem
to have discovered that it pays to con-
centrate on the audience sitting out
there by the loudspeaker instead of
the few who find their way to the
studios to listen in person. All of
which means that the unseen audience
is getting a better break this season
than 1t was before the radio boys |
learned that howls of laughter over |
some bit of by-play in the studio
served to baffle-even antagonize-the |
folks at home in the parlor if they |
didn't know what the shouting and |
applause was all about.
THANKS also are in order on more |
specific counts-such as the fact |
that Johnny Hauser got break and |
has his own band on a new Tuesday /
c. B. S. spot, as he deserves .. along /
with news that Sheila Barrett may be-
come a regular star of the Rudy Vallee
hour. due to her excellent job as guest |
artist Dialers can also be grate-
full because Malcolm La Prade gets
back to the air with his picturesque
travelogues via WABC-C. B. S. Sunday
afternoons, beginning December 6
And because it looks as if Harry Hor-
liCr tryi1l bNo ho orty fo, |
motor sponsors series. Horlick has
been absent from the airlanes too
long now, and his orchestra is needed
in that all too small group of outfits
who content themselves with playing
music pretty much as it is written.
Give thanks also for that new N. 3.
c. Thursday afternoon Fashion
Show" which has the good grace to
confine its commercial chit-chat to
the end of its stanzas :. To the steel
outfit which teams Baritone Mario
Cozzi, Ford Bond and Josef Paster-
nack's orchestra for new Friday 7:15
series, beginning this week on N. B.
C.'s blue web =. for the signing of
Charles Sears for the tenor spot with
the Armco Band. which returns to
the airwaves on the n B. c. blue
nook-up next Sunday at 8.
r UDOLPH FRIML penned the music
for the new series by which Carl
Bergman is to return to radio That
brilliant blind pianist, Alex Temple
,on. who had starring spot of his
OWN with Jack Hylton's orchestra last
season, inspires gratitude by his re-
urn to the microphone. even though
It's only for one-time date with
Richard Himber's orchestra on No
1ember 80.
The thankful mood is carried on by
irwin S. Cobb's fiat refusal to don
Santa Claus raiment and post for the
B. c. photographers. Certainly
he broadcasters already have him
stepping too much out of character
hese Saturday nights, sandwiching
lin in between the elusive lines of an
obscure, thin little romantic plot-in-
stead of letting him be himself.
The author of brilliantly witty stories
hat would make better air-fare than
the script writers can con-
ure up for him. But at least you are
going to be spared pictures of Author
Cobb logged out as the good st. Mich
'las, even though 1t may be necessary
'or him to go on being absurd at the
THAT dynamic young singing star,
Benay Venuta, Is going places this