Evening star., 1937-07-11

casting. Such feverish activity has
never been so apparent. Exclusives
or not, the listeners benefit again.
GIVE a listen to Mr.. Philip Baker,
who plays an accordion and says
funny things on the radio Mr. Baker
is talking about the present state
of radio comedy:
The pace is growing hotter every
year Ask Jack Benny, Eddie
Cantor and Fred Allen. Eve will,
next time we see them. Mr.. b. Take
Fred. for instance. He is one of the
fastest and cleverest idea men in
the business. No one can top him on
production. Yet he feels the same
way
Fred recently made proposal to me.
Why not, he said. find a sponsor
who has the courage to put a couple
Of us on Winter schedule together
and alternate the chores!' A
perfectly logical and sane bit of
thinking. I'm ready right now for
disarmament conference on the gag
front"
Under the Allen-Baker plan each
star would have two full weeks in
which to prepare his show. With
such circumstances, it is argued. the
comedian and the supporting cast
would take their places before the
microphone completely rested from
rehearsals and ready to inject the
maximum Of spirit into their read
ing OF lines. Baker points out that.
under existing practice the entire
company is exhausted after five davs
OF preparation. the performers are
unable to give as they say in show
business. In addition, continues Baker,
the responsibility for the success of
the program lies with the star: his
worries are many, and with one show
week they are continuous.
The squeeze-box virtuoso concludes
his combination lament and sugees-
ton by holding out the hope that
comedians might be funnier If per-
mitted a two-week period between
broadcasts. Certain sponsors. not
Bakers, who has reason to be salts
fed. might be inclined to be receptive
toward his idea, purely on the basis
OF the possibility of funnier funny
men.
FROM coast to coast the radio
workshops" are in operation at
leading universities and COLLEGES,
Courses dealing with writing. speaking
and acting for the microphone are
being offered at more 20 institutions,
with college instructors, intent upon
equipping themselves to teach the art
OF broadcasting, enrolling for the
Summer sessions, together with regu-
lar students. The practical expert
ence of network and station execu-
tives has been brought into play to
provide students with a BACKGROUND
for future participation in radio pro-
duction.
New York University is Offering its
fourth radio worship course. under
the direction OF Philip Cohen, pro-
duction chief of the Federal Educa-
tlonal Radio Project, which has ap-
proximately half OF its staff of 100
stationed at the school, Columbia
Un'Ve--a ay has session in "aural ed
ucation,' guided by DR.. Cline M. Koon,
while the University OF Michigan, one
of the pioneers in the field announces
six Summer courses by Prof Waldo
Abbott. Ben Darrow of WHEN, Buff
falo, is conducting the radio work.
shop of Southern Methodist University.
with his schedule taking him to the
University of Texas in August.
Among the other schools which are
giving attention to radio through
special Summer lecture and labora-
tory series are Syracuse. enlisting the
services of Kenneth Bartlett of the
WSYR staff in that city: Suffolk Col
lege, Boston, with Roy Harlow of the
Yankee network: the Universities of
Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, North
western, Drake, Marquette, Wayne,
Omaha, Minnesota, Montana, Florida.
West Virginia, Purdue, Baylor and
Wichita.
THE international radio mix-up,
which has persisted for a num-
Der OF years between the United States
and Mexico, seemed on the verge of
final settlement recently, when it be-
came known that an agreement was
about to be reached, clearing away
the interfering signals Of powerful
stations just below the border operated
by interests in this country. The sit
uation is not quite so hopeful now,
however. for information comes from
the West Coast telling OF imminent
construction of new outlet in Lower
California, only 16 miles from the
boundary line. With Mexican direc-
tors, but backed by Los Angeles
interests planning to use it for adver-
Using. the station would operate with
$4,000 watts, later to be raised to
100000, on a frequency assigned to
Canada under existing international
agreements.
Protests are expected to be made
to the Mexican government both by
the United States and Canada, as was
done in the cases of DR.. John r.
Brinkley, goat gland" advocate, and
Norman T. Baker, who used his sta
ton to advertise cancer cure.
Brinkley and Baker set up plants be-
low the Rio Grande after the Federal
Radio Commission had refused to re-
new the licenses Of their stations in
this country.