Evening star., 1943-03-07
William Robson
A Stickler
For Realism
Man.Behind. .the.GMn'
Producer Obtains
Data First Hand
NEW YORK.

If you should try to reach William
Robson in his CHS office, you are
apt to find that the CHS director is
either aboard submarine, riding In
a tank or inspecting an aircraft car
sier.
That has been virtually the daily
program of Robson since that first
week of October, 1912, when he was
appointed director Of Columbia net
works "The Man Behind the Gun"
(sunday, WJsv, 1890 p.mo.
With the writer of the series. Ran
aid MacDougail, Robson has made
q thorough study Of the men and the
material behind the United States
war program. The two have flown
In bombers, discussed conveys with
warship sailors and merchant sea-
men, talked to paratroopers, With
the personnel of an aircraft carrier, !,
with United States marines from
Guadalcanal, watched anti-aircraft
gunners, ridden in tanks, learned
the theory of laying land mines. and
visited scenes of other military op-
erations.
As the programs writer. MacDou-
gall believes in accuracy In every
detail. He keeps strictly to the lingo
of the men behind their various
gums" He notes just how orders
are given and jots down notes on
the talk Of the men in different
services.
Bull Horns to Swivels.
Robson is equally careful about
his part. He studies all sounds, from
commands given through a bull
horn on an aircraft carrier, to the
sounds of the swivels on troop
carrying plane as paratroopers jump
from the plane.
Material supplied by marine who
had been wounded four times CT
Guadalcanal resulted in three out
standing broadcasts which may be
turned into motion picture
One episode told of radio set left
behind by Japs fleeing the United
States Marines. AS the battle noises
faded away, our marines suddenly
heard an incongruous but pleasant
sound. From the discarded radio
came the music of 1--WE Got Spur.
That Jingle Jangle Jingle" The
entertainer, probably in studio ir
the United States, little thought that
his voice was heard amid the blooe
and mud of a Guadalcanal jungle.
To reproduce the episode, Robson
brought in musicians and singer
They were isolated from the mair
studio in an adjoining conference
room so that the effect was that o.
a broadcast within a broadcast.
No Effect Too Difficult.
For the show on submarines, en-
titled Tin Fish," Robsons job wa!
to reproduce particularly Difficult
sound effects. There was the CUR
Cling sound of the water as air wa.
forced out when the submarine wa
submerged And that of a tor
pedo fired from the craft when sub
merged.
For sound effects, Robson call
upon Jerry Sullivan, CBS sound ef
fects technician. How Sullivan pro
duceS some OF the sounds is often
mystery to both Robson and Mac
Dougall.
Sometimes Robson asks for tn
sound Of idling motors, of airplan
motors on the wings, the whir of
bomber taking off or motors dwin
ding in volume as the plane file
into the distance
When he was gathering data 70
the Geronimo" broadcast, Rcbso
was flying in transport plane
watching every incidental happcnin
and listening to the converSatio
among the paratroopers. AS h
locked down at the men sailing t
earth under billowing parachutes, h
found he had to hold onto some
thing. For he had no parachute, an
when looking down from a gres
height, every one knows that a soft
spoken gremlin whispers q sugges
: ton about jumping.