 Radio's own show, Behind the Mic. Radio, with a switch of a dial, radio brings you tragedy, comedy, entertainment, information, education, a whole world at your command. There are stories behind radio, stories behind your favorite program, and favorite personalities and radio people you never hear of. Stories as amusing, dramatic, and as interesting as any make-believe stories you hear on the air. And that's what we give you, the human interest, the glamour, the tragedy, the comedy, and information that are behind the mic. And now presenting a man whose name since the beginning of broadcasting has been a byword in radio, Graham McNamee. Thank you, Joe Martin. Thank you. And good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the radio audience. We've had many people on this program who make their living from radio in strange ways. There was, for instance, one man who imitated animals and a young lady who impersonated a multitude of babies on script shows. But our next guest makes her living in radio in a way that tops all of them. And here she is to tell you all about it. Hildegard Halliday. Hildegard, what is your radio specialty? Well, I make a living by sneezing. You mean you're an expert in pseudo-nasal explosions. In other words, when a radio director has a character in a script who has a lot of sneezing, he casts you in the part, huh? Well, it certainly seems to work out that way. I've done all kinds of sneezes on the Rudy Valley, Tommy Riggs, Fred Allen, Aunt Jenny, Robert Benchley, and many other programs. Well, do you mind telling us how you're able to sneeze that way at a moment's notice, Hildegard? Oh, I can sneeze like all get-out if I just imagine very hard that I have a cold and chill. I see lards cold in them larchils. Besides working yourself into the part psychologically, do you get many hints from observation? Yes, I do. I recently got a great many hints from observing a lady at a cocktail party. You know, Graham, I never realized how bad hay fever was until I saw her. Oh, how do you do, Lulu? Oh, I've done well. Oh, my dear, I've done well at all. Well, it's just a hay fever, cubs and goats. I really didn't feel like coming here today, but I just thought I should. Oh, no, I'll just stand here and chat with a few people. How do you do, dear? How are you? Well, I say look well, but nobody knows how I suffer. You know, I've been thinking so much about you lately. I saw your husband lunching with such a dice-looking woman the other day. Your sister, I suppose? Oh, you don't have a sister. Well, we never do, do we? Oh, Kate! Kate, my dear, I've been wanting to... I've been wanting to... I've been wanting to... God help us. There's serving martinis around here, and I'm allergic to vermouth. Oh, we start to think of... I just been wanting to congratulate you on your husband, Big May the Congressman. I hope he doesn't get besmirched. I always say politics is so common, what is letting everybody vote. Oh, I don't. I don't know a thing about politics, but I do know what I like. What, dear? Uncle Joe? Oh, he's doing very poorly. We expect to bury him before long. It's his life. We never... Tell what I wrote. Well, we never do. But he said he'd feel better off than happy at home. He said he didn't want anything to happen to be. We never saw each other. He'd want to buy spells with cubby gold. Oh, no, they're not dangerous. I just thought of stretch off the floor. Never think I should go, Lulu. Lulu, dear, I'm going cold. I really don't feel I could stay any longer, but I've had such a jolly time. Take care of yourself, won't you? I'm going this year. Thank you very much, children, God holiday. Sometimes frightened, sometimes despairing people. Seek the advice of social expert John J. Anthony on his radio Goodwill Hour, hoping that he will point out a solution to their problems. You have heard him, advise them. But here are stories of what happens to these people after they have left Mr. Anthony's program. Stories the radio public never hears. Tonight, for the first time, behind the mic brings you the story of the result of Mr. Anthony's advice in what he calls his most astounding case, Mr. John J. Anthony. Mr. Anthony. Will you please tell us about that story? Yes, Mr. McLeany. That case gave me the most terrific shock I've ever had during my career in radio. On one week's program, I asked one man to state his problem and to my shock and amazement he began like this. I said to him, what is your business? And he said, Mr. Anthony, my business is killing. What do you mean? I'm a gunner in the Navy. And I'm going to kill a man. Do you realize what you're saying? Yes, I do, but it's the only way out. You see, I'm in love with a woman and she's in love with me. But she's married and her husband won't give her a divorce. He won't divorce her well out of sheer cussetness. He doesn't love her, but he doesn't want me to marry her. I've decided that there's only one thing to do and that's to put him out of the way. That's the only way she'll get her freedom. So I'm going to kill him. You must have been shocked when you heard that. What did you do then, Mr. Anthony? Naturally, I pointed out to him that he certainly wasn't going to be able to marry this woman if he killed her husband. He'd be arrested and executed, and that would be the end of it. In the meantime, I wrote a note to the announcer and handed it to him. In the note I told the announcer to have this man's overcoat, which he had hung outside the studio, searched. Inside, the man's coat was found large, heavy jackhandle, a perfect instrument with which to club someone. So I knew he was serious in his intention. I asked him to wait for me after the show, and he did. When the program was over, I told him that I could very easily have him committed to Bellevue Hospital, a psychiatric examination to determine his sanity, but I was more anxious to straighten him out. I made him promise that he would do nothing that evening but would come to see me the following day at my office. He promised. Was Thomas worth anything? Oh, yes, in this case. After all, he had been contemplating killing this man for some time, and he'd come to me for help, and he still wanted it. So he wasn't going to do anything until at least after he had seen me again. Why did you have him come to your office? Well, because I wanted to get in touch with a well-known psychiatrist, have him see the sailor and try to straighten him out, which was exactly what he did in a series of interviews. And how did all end? Did the man divorce his wife and did the sailor marry her? Oh, no, Graham. It might have happened that way in a story, but not in real life. That was different. You see, the psychiatrist confirmed what I had suspected all along. The sailor wasn't really in love with this woman. It was a case of frustration. He probably wanted to marry her at one time, but since he wasn't and since she was married, that was quite impossible. But the fact that he couldn't made him all the more determined that he would even if he had to kill her husband to do it. The finish of the story, Graham, is that the husband, when he discovered that the sailor didn't want to marry his wife, gave her a divorce. I got her a job. The sailor didn't marry her, but he didn't kill the husband either. And there you are. And thank you, John J. Anthony, for an unusual behind-the-mic story. Modities in radio. Presenting odd little true stories that help make radio sometimes amusing, sometimes exasperating, but always interesting to the people in it. This week's oddity. A few weeks ago, Len Doyle, radio actor, best known perhaps for his interpretation of the part of Harrington, Special Cop. In the radio series, Mr. District Attorney was speeding along a highway near New York on his way to his broadcast. When are you smart guys going to learn you can't go 70 miles an hour out here? Yeah, officer. I was just driving along thinking of my grandmother. I just looked at this pedometer. Baloney, Baloney, I had you clocked. You're the third guy in the last hour. You're not going to give me a ticket, are you? I'm awfully sorry. So I'm not going to give you a ticket? Well, I meant... Well, it is... Just see your license number. 70 miles an hour. Where do you think you're going? To a fire? No, as a matter of fact, I was on the way to a radio broadcast. And do you mind telling me why you have to go 70 miles an hour to a radio broadcast? Well, officer, you've heard of Mr. District Attorney, haven't you? Well, I'm Harrington of the District Attorney's office. Hey, some of you guys talk too soon and some of you don't talk soon enough. On your way, buddy. I didn't want to get in no trouble with the District Attorney. Yeah. Behind the Mic salutes a program you loved. We in radio believe that radio has a tradition of which it can well be proud. A tradition of good programs that linger fondly in your memory. And so each week, we intend to bring you a star or a part of some program you used to hear. A program that you loved. Tonight, behind the Mic salutes the old RKO hour. One of the really top-notch programs of 10 years ago was this same RKO theater of the air. This was a program that was particularly dear to me because for some time I was its announcer. So come back with us for a few brief moments to 1930 in the RKO hour with two of its original stars, Georgie Price and Tom Kennedy. The RKO hour. Hello. It's sending out this message so the world will know. From Maine to California and up to Montreal. Down to Dero, New Orleans, you'll hear a friendly call. The brightest stars from here to Mars will brighten up your radio. On Tuesday night when tuning in, remember I was pruning in the voice of the RKO. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the radio audience. That was Tom Kennedy singing the RKO song, and this is Graham McNamee speaking. We welcome you to another weekly performance of the RKO Theater of the Air, sponsored jointly by Radio Keith Orpheum and Radio Pictures, who produce for the entertainment of you and your family the best in vaudeville and talking and silent pictures. The features are selected each week from among the Army numbering 12,000 artists. Headliners, and stars who are now appearing on this great circuit of theater spreading from Boston to San Francisco and from Ottawa to New Orleans. And now we are pleased to turn over the mic to that rising young star of musical comedy in vaudeville, Jack Benny. Hello again, and thank you, Graham. It's pretty hard for a fellow who's used to working before an audience to face this thing they call a microphone at an empty studio, you know. As say, can you imagine doing this for a living? But thank goodness, I'll never have to. Not as long as I got my violin. But enough of this chit chat. And now a little of the latest gossip from Hollywood as told by Bill Raney. Big things are expected of Radio Pictures' next great-everts street girl starring Betty Compton and Jack Oakey with an unusual musical score written by Sam Stepp and Oscar Levant. Rodleroak was wearing old clothes to the studio and was refused admittance by a new gatekeeper. He had to wait until he was identified by an assistant cameraman before being allowed to enter. B.B. Daniels has lost so much weight working on her new all-dialogue picture, Dixiana, that she has to drink a pint of cream a day. Dolores Castello enjoyed a vacation on the water so much that she is reluctant to return to work. George Sidney and Charlie Murray may fight on the screen, but around the studios they are inseparable companions. Now here is a real hot item. Radio Pictures has purchased the rights to Edna Ferber Simeron and that picture will go into production soon and will be ready for release next fall. Richard Dix will be starred in the role of Yancey Cravat. That is one picture that I'm sure you'll all want to see. And now I want to introduce to you a young fellow who is headlining at the Palace Theater in New York, one of the most versatile actors in RKO Vaudeville. A man who can sing, tell jokes, do imitations. He's great doing all of them. Georgie Price. And now Georgie will sing in his own inimitable style Bye Bye Blackbird. Oh, here I go, I'm singing low. Bye Bye my Blackbird. Where somebody waits for me, sugar, sweet and so is he. Bye Bye my Blackbird. No one here can love and understand me. And all the hard love stories they all hand me. So make my bed and light the light. I'll be home late tonight, Blackbird. It's really a bye bye Blackbird for me. What do you mean, Georgie? Well, when I close at the Palace tomorrow night, I'm going on a 55 week vaudeville tour and every week a different town. Good old Vaudeville. Yes, sir. If it wasn't for the good old two a day, I'd be worried about eating my three a day. Georgie, don't tell me the stock market got you, too. Oh, no, I should say not. They didn't get me. I was too smart for them. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Oh, yes. I bought a stock last year. It cost me $168 a share. I looked in the paper this morning. Where do you think it's selling? I don't know. Two minutes. Yeah, but I don't have to worry. I bought mine outright. You know, that's the idea. The idea is to buy them and put them away. That's right. Buy them and put them away. I'm afraid they're going to put me away with them. Yes, sir, Graham. I haven't all figured out that if I sing 387,472 songs, I'll be exactly even for Goldman Sachs alone. Well, 1930 is a pretty bad year, Georgie. I hear a lot of people complaining. Isn't that the truth? A lot of people are complaining this year. But something tells me that in a few years from now, we'll be looking back at 1930 and speaking about it as the good old days. But I'm not worried, Graham. Thank goodness they'll always be vaudeville. Yes, sir. So I'll just pack up all my terrible, here I go, I'm singing low. This is Jack Benny. Next Tuesday at this time, another Radio Keith Orpheum hour will be presented. Next week, our guests will include that pennant-winning battery of song land, Vannan Shank, Vanny Ward, who is known throughout the world as the immortal flapper, the diving venus Annette Kellerman, and that rising young orchestra leader, Rudy Valli and his Connecticut Yankees now appearing at Keith's Riverside Theater in New York. And so, until next Tuesday evening, we bid you good night as Tom Kennedy sings the Radio Keith Orpheum song. Hello, hello, the RKO is sending out this message so the world will know from Maine to California and up to Montreal down to dear old New Orleans you'll hear a friendly call the brightest stars from here to Mars will brighten up your radio if you have enjoyed the show then why not brighten tell us all the voice on the RKO Thank you, Georgie Price and Tom Kennedy for helping to recreate a few moments from a great program. Letters from listeners. Each week we invite the listeners of behind the mic to write us questions about radio and the three or four we consider to be of most general interest we have answered on the air by the radio editor of some outstanding newspaper or magazine tonight's questions will be answered by Joe Ranson radio editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Mr. Ranson Mr. Ralph Spencer of Toledo, Ohio wants to know what is the oldest commercial coast-to-coast program still on the air Well, Mr. Spencer, the oldest commercial coast-to-coast program still on the air is the city service program it originally started in 1925 and was on the air intermittently until 1927 at which time it went on regularly summer and winter and is now enjoying its 13th consecutive year Miss Helen Ruth Wegman of New York writes in to ask can you tell me what was the earliest theme song used on the air Well, Miss Wegman, as far as I can find out the earliest radio theme song was used by the happiness boys back in the early 20s it began something like this How do you do everybody? How do you do? How do you do everybody? How are you? Can't you sing it? Not with this throat Miss Margaret Bart of Phoenix, Arizona asks, can you tell me if Yehudi, who Jerry Cologne mentions on Bob Hope's program was Jerry's own idea Well, according to the advertising agency which produces the Bob Hope show Yehudi was created by one of the script writers Yehudi was originally to be used only for one show but he proved so popular that they've been writing him into almost every script Mr. Henry Zuccher of St. Louis, Missouri says this Last week I heard Bill Stern interview the Navy football coach Swede Larson on behind the mic in a supposed telephone conversation How was Swede Larson made to sound as if he was on the phone? Mr. Zuccher refers to this type of sound, of course Every week behind the mic brings you true amusing and thrilling stories behind radio Well, Mr. Zuccher, this effect is achieved in this way The microphone into which Major Larson spoke was the same as any other microphone However, the voice comes from the mic into the control room and goes through a device known as a filter box which eliminates the high or low tones of the voice Thus, the voice is thinned in such a way as to make it sound as if it was on the telephone Thank you, Joe Ranson for answering those questions Thanks One of the most interesting behind the mic stories I have yet heard concerns Haven McQuarrie who is now on tour with his popular Your Marriage Club program This story might be entitled The Strange Way in which a radio broadcast affected a member of the studio audience A couple of years ago Haven McQuarrie was presenting his So You Want to be an Actor broadcast from a theater in the middle west In that program, you know McQuarrie would select several amateurs from the studio audience explain to them the situation of a scene and then have them acted out under his direction Incidentally, Haven used to give his directions through a megaphone For the studio warm-up before the broadcast he'd call a stooge out of the audience his brother, by the way and they would do a comedy act in which Haven would direct him The stooge would ball the whole thing up and in the end, Haven would throw the megaphone at his head He would duck and the megaphone would strike a copper plate hanging over the door making a terrific platter Everyone would think the megaphone had hit the stooge and that Haven was crazy Well, one night, while Haven and his brother were doing their studio warm-up before the broadcast they were in the middle of their act Now, look, you're getting everything wrong Here's the situation You're trying to sneak into your apartment You know that if you wake up your wife she's gonna sock you with a rolling pin So you want to be very quiet Now open the door quietly I said quietly Oh, you mean like this? Oh, forget it Just come inside Now you're closing the door No, no, try it again They hit the copper plate in back of Haven's brother and a woman in the audience screamed The following day, as Haven was coming out of his hotel a tall, raw-boned man looking like a prosperous farmer came up to Haven and said to him Mr. Macquarie I feel I've just got to explain something to you You heard a scream in the theater yesterday morning during your act, didn't you? Yes, I did Well, Mr. Macquarie, that was my wife She just hasn't been herself for the past five years ever since our baby was a few months old and almost died and she's been getting steadily worse She doesn't recognize any of us at all So I bought a farm way out in the country where we'd be away from everybody and I could take care of her myself She had terrible headaches but the doctor said there was nothing that could be done for her Oh, that's too bad Yes, it was But yesterday I had a brain specialist come to see her We were taking her to a hospital for observation The doctor thought something might be done to relieve the pressure on her brain As we were driving through this town last night our car broke down Luckily we were close to a garage I called the garage man over and after examining the car he said, hey It's going to take about an hour to fix this We can't wait here in the garage It's freezing cold I've got my wife with me Well, let me see, you know what we could go across the street to that theater There's no radio broadcast there but they might let you in It's warm inside Doctor, do you think it'll be all right? Yes, I think that's the best thing we can do We don't want it to freeze out here All right, we'll go over to the theater and we'll be back in an hour We can sit back here, doctor, in the last roll We'll hear three seats right here You take this one, I'll sit here That's better I said no Did you hear that? The doctor said that the excitement of seeing you almost hit that man had relieved the pressure on her brain and it won't be long before she's well and all I can say is, thank heaven the car broke down and you were in that theater And Haven McQuarrie hears from that man every once in a while and I can tell you that his wife is well and happy again About the inside of radio that you wish answered on the air write a letter to us address it to Graham McNamee from the company New York City as many questions as possible will be answered by mail and those we feel to be of most general interest will be answered on this program be sure to listen in next week when we will bring you the unusual story behind one of radio's most popular programs We the People Inside Stuff about quiz programs as told by Uncle Jim of Uncle Jim's Question B news commentator John B. Kennedy and more of the human interest Remember the comedy and the drama that are found behind the mic This is Graham McNamee speaking Good afternoon all by Mort Lewis Original music is composed and conducted by Ernie Watson, Jack Benny and Haven McQuarrie were impersonated by Ward Wilson and this is the National Broadcasting Company