Evening star., 1949-08-30

Tyner and her trio were to re-
hearse for their highly successful
Friday night teleyision show.
We stepped briskly, because the
rehearsal was called for 3 pm.
And, we knew, punctuality counted
even above lighting a sponsors
cigar in the code of radioland.
At the precise tick of two Sec
onds before three o'clock we
turned, somewhat breathlessly, in
to the Statler's Embassy Room,
where Miss Tyner entertains
nightly as we'll as telecasts weekly.
Two busboys yawned quietly IN
one corner of the room. A third
was slowly busy at an empty table.
We waited.
At three-ten, q cameraman
wandered in, took of his shoes,
and started climbing around the
furniture, sticking plugs In here.
running wires around there.
He put on his shoes and strolled
out again.
Then things started getting
busy. Ted Alexander, who plays
the string bass and sings with the
trio, came in. He was accom-
panied by Johnny Smith, Miss
Tyner's drummer.
They sat down at a table. They
yawned.
A producer and an announcer
came in, joined Ted and Johnny
at their table and at their occu-
patton.
Another man walked in.
Been working on the script"
he said, and started fumbling
through several pockets. Finally
he came up with it written
on a sheet of paper about the
length of three stamps pasted to-
gether.
Thought I'd just do an out
line" he said. Makes the show
more spontaneous"
Three-thirty came and went
and no one noticed its passing.
The busy busboy finished with
the glasses and turned his geo.
graphical attentions to the plates.
Finally Miss TynerH came In,
was greeted, and greeted in re-
turn.as ,..-- s~ae >-
anybody want to start?" some-
one asked. -,.-.
20. K.," was the consensus.
Lets time the numbers" the
producer said. And Miss Tyner
started to play. She stopped.
Let's try a tempo something
like this, Johnny" she said. Sort
of bing, bing, la-de-da . BANG!"
Johnny tried it. Then tried
several more. They ran through
bits OF choruses paused for q
tempo check :. then played more
bits.
"How does it time?"
Either two minutes three sec
onds or three minutes two Sec
onds," was the answer. That's
close enough"
Six numbers were timed.
Goodbye" said Johnny and
Ted. They left.
Let's plan the dialogue, some
one said. Where's the guest
starr" j
HE isn't here"
Everybody started figuring out
the dialogue between numbers.
Make it spontaneous" saic the
man who'd brought the now-neg-
lected script.
Some suggestions were made.
The announcer scribbled in a
notebook.
Roses Friday :.
Rachmaninof -. Los Angeles"
he wrote. "Key thoughts" he ex-
planned.
Now on the next number >"
the producer began.
I'm hungry, let's eat" said
Miss Tyner and vanished, accom-
panied by the announcer, the
producer and the man who'd
brought script.
We left, detected. It's all so
easy, we thought. No glamour at
all. Just gay and carefree i.
which, probably, is why "Tyner
Time" on WMAL-TV or in the
Embassy Room is such a gay and
carefree bit OF entertainment.
y \ Il
A new night club will be added
to the After Dark world Septem-
ber 20. TIN be at the Hotel Cairo.
where the Club Cairo used to be.
Owner Harry Snider, no strang-
er to the night club business or
the Washington scene, promises
continuous dancing but no enter
tainment other than vocalists..
BY keeping entertainment costs
at a minimum. he says, he can
provide a good dinner, refresh
ments and an evening Of dancing
at a price anyone can afford.
The high cost Of name" en-
tertainers and chorus lines forced
L. H..