The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-10-03

ceremony who once regarded serious drama as a five-minute sketch de- signed Co lend c hlgh.toned air Co musical variety shows, the spoken word has moved Into Q niche of its own,
 AmerlcaB finest actors and play. wrlghts are now working for radio, and this fall, tho fruits Of their labor are being harvested in what looks like tho best dramatic season broadcaStlng has known, What real- ly makes thlS good news is the fact that drama programs are not mere ly great in quantity; In quality, they are on par with anything the leeiti- mate theater has to offer this Bea- son,
 Ethel the Magnificent is lending the Barrymore artistry to a new dramatic series, starring as Miss Hattie" Q generous-hearted, ever- helpful friend of humanity in the program which broadcasts on sun- days at 3.30 D. I11, over WATR and the Blue network. It is a matter of record that Miss Barrymore's radio appearances were few and far between. She refused to commit herself to any long-term agreement until she had found the right role in the right series-"Miss Hattie seems to be it.
 Maxwell Anderson and Norman Rosten are lending their playwrit- ing talents to "CaValcade of Amer ica," heard Mondays at D. in., EWT, over NEG, Anderson, writer of "Winterset," what Price Glory" (with Laurence Stallings), "EliEa- beth the Queen," Valley Forge" and countless other dramas, had never before written directly for radio. He and Rosten have the inducement of having their scripts animated by such excellent "CaValcade" players nS Rosalind Russell, Clark Gables, Tallulah Bankhead and Edward c. Robinson.
 The third great dramatic treat iS "This Is My Best" radio anthology Of works from the pens of our greatest American writers and com- posers. This CBS series, aired from Hollywood on Tuesday Nt e:30 D, m,, EWT, features scripts by Paul Calico, John stelnbeck, Robert Nathan, Dorothy Parker among others. Cinema luminaries are starred in the halfshour dramas and original operas,
 Broadway will be hard put to rival radio, this year |, for once, the shoes seems to be on the other foot.
 A soldier contestant on Blind Date, told Arlene Frances, the pro. grams en eee, about the time he tired to teach Q girl how to play golf. T told her." said the soldier, "that when you drive you hit the pill and then walk. She thought thnt over for c minute and then re- piled, oh, that's just like on auto- mobile rideP"
 Ono of pr. Frank Blacks fiuSie- fans was late for rehearsal several times in c row and the maestro de- cided it was time to tell him about it. "Yeung man." said Dr, Black, "do you realize that you've been late to rehearsal four times7"
 T didn't know 1t, maestro" said the musician. You see, I'm not one of those fellows who watches the clockl"
 Harry Savoy, the confused, comic, tells about the movie director who told 6 beautiful but dumb actress, "I'Ve just picked out Q fine vehicle for you" Thanks" said the dope, "but never accept autos from strange men"
 Dlnah Shore, just back from sing. Ing for soldiers in France, had . thrilling time, she tells friends in Hollywood, and she claims to have discovered the latest Hitler secret weapon. According % Dinah, after q week of following the advance U. &, armies across France, she learned that the weapon Is "French Dust ]" Axis spies have reason to dislike Phillips II, Lord, creator of "Coun. terspy," heard Mondays at Q ?. ifl., gWT, over the Blue network |, he dreams Up espionage and Babo' tage devices that later turn out to be some of their best gadgetSI
 Many months before these Ger man agents were landed n America by submarine. David Harding - Counterspy" uncovered 6 plot to sabotage industry by planting in' cendiary pencils and bombs diS' guiged as bunker coal -- exactly the same secret" utensils carried by the enemy group. On another pros gram, Harding" broke Up q BDys elaborate mail-drop system when he discovered that they were using laundry marks as . secret code three weeks later, under an Argens tine date line, newspapers carried the story-safie plot, same code de' vice but this time, in real life. An, that American ingenuityl Imagine c mans dreams going the deStapo one betterl
 Chucho Martinez, Latin American singer, told Milton Berle on Let Yourself Go" recently that the let. ter "J" in Don Juan b pronounced like an "h."
 "oh, ! couldn't talk like that" said Milton. E '
 And wny not9' querIed Chucto, M (E2Ea