The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-31
WAVELETS
By ED LEAMY

He travels at c fast clip on the air, does Roger Bower, emcee of NBC's Can You Top This?" but that is only natural for a fellow who was born and reared in New York City and who has packed into two-Score years such jobs as stock boy, runner, boxer, wheat harvester, farm hand, minstrel, circus barker and pot wrestler in 8 lumber camp. All this and an A. B. degree from c. c. N. r., too.
 Bower, one of the first announcers in the business, breezed into radio back in what he likes to call the Terrible '20's." He handled remote broadcastS from hangoutS on Broad way which were called night-clubs, but were more likely to be gang sters' headquarters.
 After these early experiences, Bower turned to more peaceful pur- suits. He became senior announc- CT at WMCA in New York, then joined WOR as an announcer and director. In those days, he did ev- erything from changing records to stimulating sound effects and direct ing productions. Since then, he has become one of radios top directors, having had a hand in such shows as Main Street Sketches, Jack Dempsey's Airline Sports Quiz and Famous Jury Trials, among many others.
 On Gan You Top This?" Bower has the job of Steaming the studio audience to a high hilarity temper ature before air time, so the famous "laugh-meter will get into the spir- it of the thing. This job requires gag-ful ten minutes of monologue. Then Bower introduces the three joke experts-"Senator' Ford, Harry Hershfield, and Joe Laurie, Jr.-aS well as the teller of tales extra ordinaire. Peter Donald and acts as judge and jury to determine wheth- CT the joke-swappers have properly answered the jokes thrown at them.
 Louis Nizer and his book "What To Do With Germany will be the piece de resistance on WINS "Au- thor Meets the Critics" Wednesday, February 2, 800 to 8:30 p. m. John K. M. McCaffrey, fiction editor of the American Magazine, will head the panel of critics which also in- cludeS: Rex Stout and Russell Hill.
 Meat rationing is responsible for new singer now being heard on Musical Steelmakers" over the Blue network Sundays. The fellow confided to Lew Davies, the band leader, that he used to be sales man and employed a gag which got him many orders. He would send a two-page folder to prospects. The first page contained an actual slice of baloney wrapped in cello- phane with the message, This is baloney." The seond page was captioned, '"This is not baloney,' and. contained the sales message. However, with points on meat, cel- lophane almost impossible to get, etc., he gave up the stunt and sales fell off. So he decided to enter another field. Now he's working in one of the war plants maintained by the company which sponsors Musical SteelmakerS" and is there fore eligible to appear on the pro- gram which limits talent to em- ployeS and their families.
 Your old favorites, Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, are back on the Treasury Star Parade" Voted the most popular singers in countless radio polls, they have always graci- ously given of their time whenever producers of the government-spon- sored recordings needed their serv- ices. Needless to say, Bing and Dinah turned down other bids to wax series of song feSts for the special Fourth War Loan Drive. You'll also hear music programs featuring Phil Began and the inter- national favorite, Oracle Fields, both newcomers to the show which | has just entered it's fourth year.
 The addition of a camel to the Jack Benny programs is 8 script l happening based on reality. When Benny was in Egypt one of the nabobs there insisted on gifting the comedian with a camel. Benny, of course, could not accept because of | transportation difficulties, to say the least. However, the incident struck him as so humorous that when he returned to the states he immediately had his scripters go to work on it. 1