The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-01-25

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combat, recently returned from at
tacks on Berlin, NaL:eS, Rabaui and
even Tokyo.
Vox Peppers Parks Johnson and
Warren Hull receive many honorS
during their travels, but probably
the most unusual was the honorary
membership conferred upon them by
4 the Periscope Navy Wives Club at
the U. S. Submarine Base, New Lon
don. Conn. Astonished Warren Hull
accepted by saying, Were all Navy
wives together, now"
When YOU walk into a radio stu
dio and see crowd of actors laugh
ing, then look for Ann Thomas.
She's usually telling a story about
herself and how life mistreats her.
She wrinkles her freckled nose,
tousels her red hair, squints her
jade eyes, and in a voice that sounds
as if she had just swallowed
ground glass, she tells her woes.
Before you ever heard Ann Thorn
as as miss Thomas" on the Easy
Aces" or as Casey, the secretary"
on MICS "Abies Irish Rose" or
any of her numerous radio shows,
she had appeared in some 35 plays
on Broadway. All of the plays were
flops, but the critics raved about
Ann.
That didn't please her. "You
can't eat good notices." she says.
so i decided to get a little of
that money they hand out in radio"
She didn't know anything about how
to get into radio, SO she went up to-
NBC and walked around the halls,
looking for places they might be
holding additions. This didn't
work, so she began wandering
around in advertising agencies.
At one agency Ann cornered
man hurrying out Of an office and
said, "Hey, you! Where are they
holding additions for the Perfect
Crime dramas? T." she informed
him Jam the criminal type" The
man happened to be Max MARGIN,
the director of the show, and he
happened to be on his way to audi
ton actresses for a part. He hired
Ann on the spot and called off the
additions.
Ann was born in Newport, R. l.,
but the family moved to the Bronx
when she was very young. Her
mother wanted her to become
dancer and enrolled her in the
Metropolitan Ballet School, and the
famous Professional Children's
School. 81 wore out my toes for
nine. years taking ballet lessons"
Ann signs, land I never earned
nickel dancing"
She did get a part in David
Belasco play, when she was seven.
At that time, just across the river
in New Jersey, the motion picture
industry was getting under way.
Ann followed a troup of Bronx
Boy Scouts, who were Jersey bound
on camping trip, and ended up
before the cameras. She worked
in early Milton Stills films and one
of her actress playmates was Madge
Evans.
Today, Ann is crazy about radio
When she landed her first jflob in a
strip" show, which is slang for a
daytime radio serial, she rushed
home to her mother and yelled,
Hey, Hey, Nom" I'm stripw
Imagine how shocked her mother
was before she discovered the ac-
tual meaning of the term.
Exclusive! Look for a new dra-
matte program entitled Green Pas
tureS-U. S. A." to shortly make
its network debut under a radio
manufacturers sponsorship. Hy
Brown who produces "The Adven-
lures of the Thin Man. and Nero
Wolf" is also the major domO on
Pastures"
Facts and Figures: MICS Great
GiIderSIeeve" received a letter from
listener with statistical inclina-
tiOns last week with the Offside in
formation that the story of creation
in Genesis was told in 400 words,
Lincoln covered his subject at Get
tysburg in 266 net, the Declaration
of Independence gets it said in a
fast 1921, last Sundays Gildersleeve
show tOof 2487 words to broadcast
and the o. p. A. takes $500 words
to announce an increase in the
price Of cabbage seed.
At a party given in Hollywood
last weekend for General Henry H.
Arnold, Admiral william Halsey and
many Army, Navy and industrial
leaders, Lou Costello stopped the
show with an impromptu offering
that combined burlesque and radio
gags. Lou called on some of the
dignitaries present to substitute for
Bud Abbott, who was unable to be
present because Of a previous COM
mitment, and the result was hectic
but very amusing.
So popular is singing star Dick
Haynes and the Here's to Ro-
nance" radio program with men,
beers of college sororities all over the
United States. that goth Century,
Fox Is considering a perturbation of
. the program. Dick, who is under
contract to that studio, might star
in the picture which would have a
collegiate background. Shots of act
ual Romance" breakfasts would be
included In the film.
If Won don't think that NRC's