Evening star., 1948-05-02

Radio seems TO have reached new
peaks in its urge to give things
away. Radio masters of ceremonies
are falling over each other in their
haste to shower on listeners lavish
gifts-automobiles. airplanes, cloth
ing, home furnishings, houses, an
nuties, lifetime jobs, television sets,
monographs, jewelry, silverware,
trips to South America and nobody
knows how much more. At least
one program asks its listeners to
identify popular tunes and then
awards them handsome prizes if
they can't answer.
There is nothing to do, then, but
give this spirit of generosity every
aid and encouragement. If radio
wants to give things away, we want
radio TO know that we are ready
and willing to help all we can. To-
day we are prepared to help stop
the Music" (WMAL-Sunday, 8
PM give away that lavish jackpot
of prizes which awaits the listeners
who Identifies its mystery melody"
stop the Music" in case you
haven't come across it, is an hour
long musical show, which rewards
listeners handsomely for having the
skill to answer their telephones and
name popular songs. Those who
qualify in this manner then are
permitted chance at the jackpot
by identifying that mystery mel
ody." A couple of weeks ago a man
down South fell into fabulous set
of prizes, which included an auto
mobile, television set and vacation
cruise to South America among
thousands of dollars worth of other
Items, because he knew the melody
was Vision of Salome"
That brought a new mystery
melody" to confound listeners with
its familiarity. A hint from a
neishbor that Robert Mcbride had
something to do with it, he thought,
sent us into Music Critic Alice
Eversman's extensive files under her
expert guidance. We came away
feeling like a man who has stum-
bled on the secret of the atom
bomb.
Only an almost subconscious feel
ing that radio is not to be trusted,
that there might be some trick to all
this, keeps us from guaranteeing our
Identification. Unless you're sure Of
a better answer, however, II you
get call from stop the Music"
tonight. you might identify that
mystery melody" as The Fugato
on Well-Known Theme" for
chamber orchestra, by Robert Nc
Bride.
The giA who called it THE Worms
Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out"
last week was close enough to de-
serve consolation prize-say
small yacht and mink coat. That
was Mr.. McBride's "well-known
theme" all right.
u ~
1t is a little surprising. incident
ally, to find television sets among
the radio give-aways. Radios baby
is looked upon as something of a
problem child in many corners of the
broadcasting industry. Every time
television set is given away, or
sold for that matter. it creates a
homefull OF potential lost listeners
for radio as we have known it. The
AM broadcasters have discovered
that listener is no longer content
merely to listen after he has learned
to look and listen.
Television is causing some alarm.
too, by raiding the older forms of
broadcasting for talent. Network
contracts with their performers, ap-
parently. only hold for AM broad
casting at present and NBC. say,
couldn't keep an established enter
tainer from adding an ABC tele-
vision show to his activities. There
may be, Of course, time to readjust
contracts before television grows up
to point where it can afford to
pay the topnotch radio stars the
salaries to which they have become
accustomed.
1t Is the younger performers who
seem most keenly interested in their