Evening star., 1937-06-13

leading off the Boston Post road. the
outer reaches of Westchester County
and the Rockville pike-Cutting is ex-
pected to offer pen and ink to a select
group OF promising younger PLAYERS
To be added to the radio acting crop.
Additions to the script writer arrav
as well is further objective of his
rowing. States the announcement
The summer theater circuit has come
to be considered the best ground for
uncoVering new talent"
This latest move follows closely upon
murmurS to the effect that the chains
we're becoming increasingly deter
mined TO build up their own talent
supplies and throw off the shackles
which has bound them so closely to
the stage and screen. Among the am
bilious and hard-Working young people
who populate the stages of houses"
on the coW-barn circuit, however, radio
Will not find established names" of
the professional boards overshadoW-
Ing neophyte thespians. BY seeking the
latter brOadCaSting does not revert to
dependence upon other entertainment
forms; it keeps its reported promise,
strikes out on its own to provide new
voices for air drama. j. Ernest Cut
ting takes to the road armed with a
sheaf of blank contracts Perhaps he
will find something of interest at Wash
'ngton's outpost of warm weather
histrionics, the Roadside Theater.
a N INCREASE in signal intensity
equal to that which would be
produced if the power of the station
were doubled shortly will be estab-
liShed at eight ma ior Columbia out
let's. including WJSV here. The boost
IS made possible through a newly
perfected device known as an auto
matte peak volume limiter,' but re-
ferred to as ghost engineer" by
the less technically minded The
eadget is expected to be installed
eventually in all Columbia control
rooms throughout the country.
1t seems that things would start
popping if the signal intensity of
program We're permitted to pass the
maximum modulation, or capacity, of
the station-things like distorted re-
ception and bursting tubes in the
transmitter. To stay below the danger
point, engineers have been obliged to
cut down the volume to an average of
about 30 per cent Of capacity. The
new automatic safety valve" how
ever, is sensitive to every f1uctuation
In the signal, making possible an in
crease IN average strength to so per
cent or more.
a MONG the radio subjects deserv-
ing of being brought up repeatedly
and harped upon is the studio audi
ence question. Practically all of the
large network shows play to live audi
ences as we'll as those composing the
armchair and sofa brigade. The rea-
son is tWofold, desire of former stage
players for real flesh-and- blood people
looking and laughing from the other
side Of the microphOne and insistent
demand from listeners for opportunity
to see their favorite radio entertain
ers in person. That laughter is the
crux OF the problem, for it is only on
comedy shows that studio see-and-
hearers become a problem.
Too many funny men have adopted
the practice of obvious attempts to
Sell their acts to the people they
zee before them, and, thereby, ne
gleCting the clusters around loud
speakers, who, it would appear, are
intended as the primary recipients of
radio entertainment. Use of amusing
gestures and facial manipulation re-
suits in wild outbursts Of delight. Nom
senSical costumes produce the same
reSult-and the listeners wonder Just
what it is all about. A normal, Spon-
taneOuS reaction to humorous material
could provoke scant disapproval, but
far too often the laughs are cued.
sound as forced as they are, in fact;
are too loud and too long. They can
do naught but rankle listeners, like
wise in the case Of touches of whimsy
injected for the pleasure of the few
lucky enough to procure passes to the
broadcast which drolleries merely de-
lay the progress of the show while
they are laughed at in the studio, with
the air audience having no reason
to join in the hilarity.
TELEVIsIoN for mass consumption
is not 'just around the corner"
1t is several blocks down the street
and feeling its steps. Though its prog
ress be slow, however, visual broad
casting is on the way, but will not be
here until the image is perfected and
the plunge is taken off the deep end by
way of investing the near fabulous
amount which will be required to con-
vert sound broadcasting to synchro-
nized sight and sound
Declares o. B. Hanson, chief engi-
neer of the National Broadcasting
Co., "It is necessary to include optics,
electronics, lighting, motion pictures,
radio engineering, acoustics, air con-
ditioning, photography. etc The CO.
ordination of these sciences and the
development of techniques which are
applicable to television is a continu-
ing process. The television field can
be surveyed only briefly at this time,
but. from present knowledge, there
fe annie reason to ,,,,Io