Evening star., 1943-05-09
Listeners Might Consider
Un0btrusive Effects Man
He Closes the Doors, Plays Records
And Otherwise Performs Mentally.
But His Absence Would Be Felt
Bv J. ". Sfebb,

whether the noise is that Of 6
sponsor simula ting a foghorn 81
that 1t resembles the rep-ehensiblt
condition Of "Beeee- Ohhhh" OF
whether 1t is the Lone Ranger gal.
Looping to the salvation of some mis-.
handled rancher, if the men with
the sound effects weren't the aler,
and creative individuals that they
are, a certain soap probably wouldn',
sell at all and the Ranger would be
left knocking his brains out vainl,
against a studio microphone.
Whether radio message is aimed
directly or indirectly at selling a
product, the sound effect is the
element which supplies the impact
to make it stick in the listeners
mind.
But it is possibly with a degree
OF regret that old radio sentimen-
tal1sts learn the time -honored pistol
shot and mob scene over the air are
ss canned as the entertainment
which theatergoers find in the thea
ter. The activities of the sound
effects man no longer are a COM
monplace In the average studio be-
yond the confines of the large radio
centers such as New York. Chicago
ana San Francisco. Recording STU
dlos have, instead, taken over. Even
where the broadcasting centers are
concerned, baby's cry will emanate
from a wax disc at the prescribed
point, a lions roar will be scarcely
more immediately the product of a
euman voice than it will be that
OF lion itself. The roar will have
been quite coldly prearranged in a
place far beyond the confines of the
radio station from which the sound
originates. There are special in
dustrles for just that purpose.
However that may be, the added
touch OF realism to a script will
forever be supplied by the ingenuity
Of sound technician somewhere.
The skill of these men easily NAV
be overlooked. so skklful are their
methods In heightening a dramatic
effect over the air. Sherlock Holmes
footsteps scrunch through the mool S
OF Wales, and the sound is so real
to the listener that the great de-
tective could Just as well be trudg-
ing through the mud of his own re-
Gently excavated back yard. So
real, in fact, that the listener, with
instructive help from his imagina-
ton. thinks no further than the
realisms which the dramatization
Is striving to achieve. The perpe-
traitors of the effects which few of
the listeners realize are effects feel
elated when they have reached such
a degree of success.
Sometimes Uncomplicated.
Their devices for successfully SIM
ulatlne genuineness are as simple
as they are many. For forest fire
a gently and constantly agitated
ball of cellophane. For persons
walking through underbrush. a
rather less regularly agitated ball
OF the same. Water tapping on a
wet marshland-a taffeta petticoat
gently tapped in the breeze. Maith-
Ing feet in whatever step demanded
by the script are usually provided
by wooden frame strung with
wooden pegs which are contacted
with a fiat, coarse surface at proper
intervals. Of course. there is the
inevitable door which every station
but the most m4ruscule keeps on
hand for every type of production
This prop may easily be made to
creak, as in a mystery story. or
swing smoothly as in the stock Is
minute dramatization.
In one local studio a certain pro-
ductlon required the tWang of a
bow and arrow. The production
genluses experienced with rubber
rand, but TN satisfactorily. until they
found that only by suspend ne the
elastic between thumb and fore
f1neer and snarping it against the
palm Of the hand could the imita-