Evening star., 1943-10-31
For Rad;oL listeners
BY Ben Kablan.

Peanut shells and apple cores on
the studio floor are an infallible clue
to the dramatic grip held on pigtail
audiences of Mia Mack's Let's Pre-
tend. In fact, when the CHS fea-
ture gets ready for dress rehearsal
and go on the air, the studio is
turned into bright bobbing sea of
red, green and yellow hair ribbons.
Almost obscured in the color display
are a few boys.
It's not typical radio audience
at all, for unchaperoned small fry
under IL usually are not allowed in
studios. However, the program, pre-
senting fairy tales, is a show for
youngsters. Tiny tots come with big
sisters, Girl Scout Troops with their
leaders, and whole classrooms with
their teachers. Surprisingly enough,
older women come in twos and
threes, and many men attend
alone
Youngsters arrive early at Let's
Pretend, bring bags of candy, pea
nuts and sandwiches. Rehearsal is
in progress when the advance guard
walks into the theater in hushed
silence full hour before broadcast
time. Young ones think rehearsal
is the show. After the rehearsal
there is burst of chatter. Com
ments on the young cast are whis-
pered and numerous, with favorites
being chosen on all sides.
The young audience loves to ap-
plaud, laugh and cough with the
announcer in a general before broad
cast throat-clearing And janitors
say they can always tell how absorb
ing the drama has been. Their clue
is the amount Of peanut shells, ap-
pie cores and candy wrappers left
on the studio floor. The pile grows
in direct proportions to the plays
hold on the tots Imagination.
Everett Sloane probably is the
most versatile actor in radio. Sloane's
characterizations can cover every
known dialect and the range of his
representations of international
figures is unbelievable, to say moth
ing Of the quality of their accuracy
Just a handful of the statesmen
Sloane has portrayed in historical
dramatizations includes Hitler,
Hirohito, Mussolini, Goebbels, Molo-
tov, Halle Selassie, Churchill and
De Gaulle.
Sloane's thespian flexibility. how
ever, is not limited to playing men
in the news. When he appears
Everett might assume the Peter
LORE role in "Casablanca" one week
and on the following Friday night
James Stewards romantic part in
The Philadelphia Story" No Won
der casting directors call him the
Lon CLANCY Of the air!
Not long ago I voiced the opinion
In this corner that someday radio
was to play tremendous role in
SNetSoe1O1i' 41ldg OJlllIOll WdS DdSeu
on several coast-to-coast programs
which were being heard in class
rooms throughout the country, made
available by the installation of re-
celving sets. 1t seemed reasonable
that students would some day receive
credits from listening courses.
The Board of Education of New
York City has gone a step further.
For the first time in the history of
broadcasting, the Manhattan Board
has approved for full credit two
courses for teachers based on radio
programs. The programs thus
honored are Lands of the Free and
Music of the New World, both pres
entations of the Inter-American
University of the Air.
Recognition for the two programs
follows a siX-month experimental
period during which both courses
were accredited as approved in
service courses for teachers without
credit. Under the new plan. teach
erS satisfactorily completing these
courses will get full credit toward
annual salary increments.
Lands of the Free is historical
series dealing with the growth and
development of the American ma