Evening star., 1946-12-29
For Radio Listeners
BY Harry Macarthur

This being the season when the
past years entertainment is exam
ined in retrospect, it is only fitting
that a few bouquets be tossed in
radios direction. Filling the air
daily with an amazing abundance
of music, comedy, drama, discus
sion, news and whatnot, radio does
come along too often with the medi-
ocre, or worse. But it also pro-
vides a praiseworthy amount of fine
listening. Being so productive,
sending it's almost constant stream
of entertainment and information
over four major networks and host
of local stations, radio provides
variety enough for almost any
taste. It's variety makes any mans
10-best list a strictly personal af-
fair, of course. Yours may not
agree with ours and ours does not
agree with the Hooper listings, but
here, for what it is worth, is our
report on the 10 shows we found
maintaining a high entertainment
level most constantly during 1916.
/. The Theater Guild of the Air
(WMAL, Sunday, 10 pm). Radios
best dramatic show, with scripts
that usually do justice to the Broad
way plays they adapt and per-
formances by guest stars that do
justice to the scripts. Whether it
is presenting Walter Huston as the
human Sam Dodsworth, James
Mason in the dramatic Bill OF
Divorcement," Fred Allen in a
highly comic version of THE Man
Who Came to Dinner" or any one
else, it is a Sunday night must.
2. Fred Allen (WRC, Sunday, $3.50
p.m). Easily the most literate OF
the established name" comedians
and therefore the one most likely
to succeed in being funny on the
air. Allen. the scriptwriter, does
let down Allen, the comic, on some
occasions, but Allen, the ad-libber
usually can salvage those moments
His skits jabbing at such things as
radio and popular music often are
brilliant satires on the foibles Of
the human race.
3. The New York Philharmonic
(WTOP, Sunday, 8 PM. One OF
the country's greatest orchestras anc
the hour and a half set aside for il
allows for programming wide va
riety of standard works and for some
experimenting.
4. Information Please" (WTOP
Wednesday, 1890 p.m). Both in
formative and entertaining, espe'
cially when the guest experts" arr
witty and when Oscar Levant i
kept in his place. There are a hos
of regular listeners whose day j
made complete when they know al
answer and Franklin P. Adams ant
John Kieran do not.
S. Jack Benny (WRC, Sunday,
p.m.). After years and years on tn
radio, Benny proved himself mas
ter of it this season. When he re
turned he hit a low point with som
tired comedy, but he did somethin
about it. His comic skits general
have great deal of sparkle now.
6. Bing Crosby (WMAL, Wednes
day, 10 p.m.). Bing was the invento
of the free-and-easy informal micro
phone technique and he still out
ranks all his imitators. He's the bes
of the popular singers for ou
money. Transcribing may lose som
of the edges of Pianist Skitch Hen
derson's total colorings, but Crosb
is still Crosby.
Z. Jimmy Durante (WTOP, Friday
$50 p.m.). Durante is one Of ou
most beloved clowns and his cur
rent appearances with Garry Moor
prove that the qualities of his spe
cial style can be transmitted by ra
dio waves. Jimmy's wonderful.
8. 'Duffy's Tavern" (WRC, Wed
nesday, 8 pm.). Probably larg
reason why Frank Sinatra has hi
Hooper worries is his opposition II
Archie, Finnegan and the others o
this haphazard bar and grill. Th'
things that go on at the tavern ar
good for a laughing half hour an.
week.
9. Edgar Bergen (WRC, Sunday
l8 pm). Bergen is also man o
keen intelligence as well as wit ant
it shows up definitely in his verba
duels with Charlie Mccarthy ant
Mortimer Snerd. Any man who hat
the wonderful inspiration to mann
a ventriloquist's dummy Mortime
Snerd is obviously a genius.
10. Yours Sincerely" (WTOF
Sunday, 1890 pm). A pleasant!
entertaining half hour full OF
variety of information about life II
Great Britain and the United
States, culled from letters from lis
teners in both countries. 1t is on'
of radios better contributions to-
ward international good will ant
understanding.
This does not, by far, include al
of radios offerings that we welcome
and listen to without first belnl
talked into it. Dennis Day, whit
graduated from being mere SINCE
with Jack Benny to the status o
a comic with his own show, make
"A Day in the Life of Dennis Day
generally funny affair. For popu
lar music sung well you can do
lot worse than listen to a pair o
experts at it, Frank Sinatra ant
Dinah Shore. Miss Shore also add
the comedy of Peter Lind Hayes
who probably is the outstanding
new personality on the air.