b.r.. t ?,Y :: aáp° `M`- `. ° -.j . ^.ts'S,'_ . h=:.i eArn ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY of PROGRAMS and PERSONALITIES Vol. I. No. b New York, December 5th, 1931 5 Cents .. '41 .$ ; f+a.:-Ñ'. RUSS COLUMBO NOW FIRST IN HEARTS OF WOMEN FANS A success story from the pen of an Horatio Alger or a fanciful tale from the brilliant mind of a Hans Christian Andersen could ! well use as the hero the glamorous figure of Russ Columbo, the youth whose melodious baritone voice has catapulted him to the very top of the radio heap. An eager brown -eyed lad of twenty- something most important. Good three, Columbo rides in the circle of management! This meant the right success with the sheer joy and bewil- presentation, the right approach to derment of an urchin who has snatched the right people, and ballyhoo! That the elusive brass ring on a merry-go- latter, proper ballyhoo, is so very, round ride. very important. And Con Conrad, the But lo! The brass ring is not of brass. famous song writer, was the answer to It is solid gold, encrusted with price- that problem. less diamonds. Russ Columbo, three But now we're a bit ahead of our short months ago an obscure singer story. Let us travel down the "mem- and musician on the west coast; is to- ory lane" of Russ's start and growth day traveling up a path at whose end and get really acquainted with him. is the end of the Rainbow. Russ was the twelfth son of a The reason? Genius and a splendid twelfth son. He maintains.he is free of voice are undoubtedly his; a handsome superstition, but we know he wouldn't physique and a winning personality trade that twelfth -son -of -a -twelfth - are also undeniably his; and coupled son birthright for all the glory in the with all this he has a native shrewd world. intelligence and real ambition. The name he was given sounds like But all this, strange as it may seem, a beautiful sequence of musical notes was not nearly enough to bring him to Ruggiero Eugenio Di Rudolpho Co- the top. Something more was needed, lumbo. But he wasn't yet three years 1 Pola Negri _ J. Russ Columbo, old when his playmates on the streets of San Francisco shortened that im- posing symphony to plain "Russ''. Pola Negri's Innately, Columbo resents the cold- favor helped ness of the ''Russ'' diminutive and to shape cherishes the memory of his full name Columbo's as one might a Jost bit of lyrical beauty. Destiny. Russ wasn't yet seven when a Ger- man violinist, John Czech, was hired to give him lessons. He proved an excellent pupil and (Tarn to page 9) PROGRAMS FOR WEEK OF NOV. 28th TO DEC. 4th On Florsheim Frolic THE JEST ARTIST RADIODDITIES By GEORGE D. LOTTMAN KERRY CONWAY, for more than a year WOR lecturer Howard Lanin reports the story of the absent- on English, has gone with Paramount on the West minded station executive whose wife was anticipating Coast. There he will edit scripts and coach the movie one of those blessed events. stars in pronunciations of the effete East. Late one afternoon, his 'phone rang and an excited O feminine voice announced, "It's a boy, sir.'' Gus ARNHEtns who is now heard on the Lucky ''Tell him,'' came from the official, whose mind was Strike Dance Hour each week from Los Angeles over miles away, ''that he'll have to see my secretary." an NBC network, wrote "Sweet and Lovely', popular O song. In these troublous times, Sherman Keene, WOR music director, wires to say it's wise not to ask travel- ling salesmen about general business conditions in a Although B. A. Rolfe, NBC dance band leader now visited. on vacation is an enthusiastic yachtsman, he can't city they've ask if they've sold any goods there," is swim. "Simply Sherman's sound advice, ''and you'll get the answer to the first question in far less time." ARTHUR Q. BRYAN, formerly with \VOR is now on o the announcing staff of ' T' in Philadelphia. Which reminds us also that, nowadays, it's always the employes you hear singing about the various busi- Bernie in- "The depression is a 5ver'', Ben ness establishments through the land. forms the world-'if it the Old Maestro con- O tinues, "Mahatma Gandhi will be the world's best the small percentage of JANE FROMAN "To what do you credit dressed man.'' failures in business, despite depression," Tom Brown, O When television becomes practical you'll find famed NBC vocalist, asked his bank manager the Both chains shun electrical transcriptions, yet they Jane Froman one of its stars. She's one of the other day. employ records for sound effects. most popular stars of the Chicago NBC studios, The official pondered a moment, and then replied, .O and is heard each Sunday afternoon at 4:00 P.M. ''To the fact that few men ever try out the advice they in ALLEN PRESCOTT, erstwhile Mirror Reflecter and over a \VEAF-NBC network the Florsheim offer others.'' now New York American News Flasher, eats but once Frolic. ''And,'' he added, ''they use good judgment, often, a day. And that, while in bed. O in not doing it." O O a with the EUSTACE WYATT, NBC actor who ap- J. N. R., correspondent has a pears on the Kuku program and on THE WALLS HAVE EARS heart of a Spanish Inquisitor, for D. Thomas Curtin's "Thrillers" series, unique solution the "battling has served in two wars. He was a baritone'' problem. inform you up in a he boy soldier in the Boer war with the Mrs. R. Vallee (Fay Webb of the enough into the affair to ''Lock 'em all room,'' turns Somersetshire Yeomanry, and in the squawkies) and the New Yawk weath- whether it was Cartier's or Tiffany's writes, ''and make 'em take World \Var served as a captain of er are disagreeing with each other, that aided in the reconciliation . singing at each other." British tanks. with the Mrs. ailing more than you O We just know they'd prefer torture c . think ... It's a good thing there was The Mildred Hunts (he's Charlie with red-hot irons, J. N. R. ARTHUR ALLEN, alias EsleyStebbins, no mike around when Erno Rapee, Cannefex) who have been married less O holds business conferences, whenever whose baton directs the destinies of than a year, are further apart than The fellow who imitates different possible, in his new car. Just a farmer! Vir- all the NBC musical groups, and double-you-Ahie-see and kay-elf-o-ex, sounds and effects on one of the broad- ginia (Olive Palmer) Rae of the Palm- Los Angeles . That marriage the casting stations was ogling a comely olive period, had that verbal discourse other day of Vic Lombardo (the prima donna the other eve. Awarded Diction Medal he and fourth member of Lombardo on how a song should sung that ''I don't think I ever met you," she John Holbrook, National Broad- played . Rapee's remarks on Vir- tribe of melody makers), and Virginia declared, haughtily. was casting Company announcer, who ginia's vocal versions met with the Dabe, whose pappy has more cash "I'm the noise man,'' lie explained. awarded the gold medal for good soprano's curt remark that she liad on hand than the Federal Reserve, "Steamboat whistles, trains, squeal- diction on the radio by the American been microphoning for Palmolive for was by no means the first hook-up of ing pigs-I imitate then all." Academy of Arts and Letters started the past four years, with no complaints the pair, with both denying their "Then make a noise like a hoop and out to gain fame as a ski -jumper. In- as yet, thank you! ... Notwithstand- "sotto voted" sealing a week prior roll home," was her elegant squelch. stead lie bounced through banking ing that there are' some of meanies in Conn ... Al Jolson and Will Rogers and business, slid across the stage, and who insist that Columbo will always are holding out for ten grand before o writes to advise us skidded into radio by a ruse. He is play second fiddle to Bing Crosby, they'll sing Mammy and chew gum Andy Sannella the truth of the matter is that when respectively before microphones; but that he just had a birthday. s.. I added the popular the CBS's Bing and his bubbling show them a contract for twenty-six ''And all got,'' a older." obbligatos were with that Gus Aim- weeks at 75 hundred per, and they'll radio star, "was year heim crew at the Hotel Ambassador both jump at you-take our word for on the \Vest Coast, who do you think it . Society has gone cap-razy Shuron Program f was playing the violin in the en- ahout the piano tickling of Eddie semble? . Your guessed it! NBC's Duchin, the Central Park Casino's microphoning boy Russ! . Jacques orkonductor, whose music comes to Renard, B. A. Rolfe and Kate Smith, you over the Columbia air -waves, whose combined sitting spread meas- with Mrs. Rodman \Vananiaker among ures pah-lenty, sat in sections 26, 27, the many society matrons who are 28 and 29 at a recent football tilt, parting with a hundred smackers per. without moving from each other's lesson to the smiling Eddie, just to side .