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''41147WURLOCALWEEKLY GUIDETV & RADIO LOGS AUG. 10-16"I DefendSingingCommercials"MARIO LANZA:Hits Summer'sHigh Note

.11., LOVELY MARY MAYO, a regularon ABC's Saturday night "Dancing Party," ably proves that radio stillhas a corner on the glamour market.(ABC photo.)LEARNEDlb, ELIZABETHofTAYLORArmed Forces Redotheintricaciesbroadcasting when she recorded aprogram for overseas' transmission. Announcer Jimmy Wallington (left)and AFRS Master Sergeant Rulon Johnson were her willing mentors. (AFRSrecentphoto.)SEEN ONTHE RADIOSCENEMEANSQUALIT1TV,.11AD10LIFE(Formerly Radio -Television Life)All-purpose"Or.Member Audit BureauOf CirculationsBISKITM IXAugust 10, 1951TheMixof Allf1SNElFLOURilitCOVol. 23, No. 24CARL M. BIGSBli, PublisherQUICKEST4.,AAPublished Weekly at Los Angeles, California.Business and Editorial Offices: 6361 SelmaAve., Los Angeles 28 (Hollywood Station),California. Phone Hillside 9275.TV -Radio Life was entered as Second ClassMatter September 14, 1948, at Los Angeles,under Act of March 3, 1879. Prepaid Subscription, 4.50 year, 2.50 six months in U.S.A.,Foreign 5.09 year. Single copies on sale at allleading Independent Grocers in Southern California. Single Copies by mail 15e. Address allremittances and correspondence to TV -RadioLife. Subscribers please allow two weeks forchange of address or to start a subscription.EVELYN A. BIGSBY. EditorEdittirial Department: Jane Pelgram, AssistantEditor; Mildred Ross, Greta Greenfield, Arlene Garber; Art Director, Ray Wheeler; LogEditors, Hal Julian, Bruce Cameron.Advertising Manager: Walter 0. Miles.Circulation Manager and Sales Promotion: JackDaly. Route Manager: Armando De Castro.Office Manager: Georgia Caywood.All material used by TV -Radio Life is speciallyprepared by its own staff writers, and reprinting in whole or in part without publisher's permission strictly forbidden. Unsolicited manuscripts can oat be accepted or returned.AdvertisingRepresentative:Rogers37 Post St., San Francisco, Calif.Page Two4.1E11-99Parratt,August 10, 1951

By Greta Greenfieldflip POWER OF THE LANZA VOICE IS SO INTENSE that he stands well -back fromthe microphone to avoid distortion. Below, he reaches for a tall tone withthe backing of Ray Sinatra's orchestra.Sunday,5 :00 p aaCBS-KNXpromygram, as through my filmsand concerts, I try tobring about my life-longgoal-of making opera live for morepeople. But this is a gradual processand so I hope that my future andthe future of 'popular' opera willgrow together."Mario Lanza, who can "sing likeis currently thrilling Sunday afternoon listeners to one of the brightestsummer shows on the airways. He'smaking musical comedy, popularballads and opera live for a coast tocoast audience who seem to be boosting his meteoric rise with the sameoverwhelming acclaim that greetedhis films and concerts. And he's accomplishing all this as an eighteen week summer replacement for theCaruso and sell records like Crosby,""Bergen -McCarthy" airer.New Caruso?The "new Caruso," as many peoplebelieve him to be, bears a real -lifecareer parallel to his famed prede-cessor, whom he so successfullyemulates in the current film. In 1921,when Lanza's voice first issued froma New York city nursery, Caruso'sgolden tones were heard for the lasttime. Both men had an Italian music loving heritage, and Lanza was toshare Caruso's vocal coach, alongwith his tremendous voice range(Lanza, like Caruso, can sing eithertenor or bass). Even Lanza's impetuous, bubbling personality has beenlikened to Caruso's-but just how farthis parallel can be drawn remainsto be seen. At the very least, Lanzais aiming for the same high pinnacleCaruso reached.Like Caruso, Mario was the son ofa poor family. His father, as six -daybike racer until he was incapacitatedby World War I wounds, lived on agovernment pension which his mother augmented by working as a seam-stress. Mario inherited a love formusic frqm both his parents. Anyspare money that could be scrapedtogether went for records and concerttickets. "Caruso was Papa's favorite,"and by the time Mario was ten hewas thoroughly imbued with theplots and arias from scores of operas.At family gatherings, the teen -agedboy was often asked to "sing likeCaruso."Stage NameIt was from his mother's nameMaria Lanza-that Alfred ArnoldCocozza derived his stage monicker,Mario Lanza, as the first step in fulfilling his life-long ambition to become a singer. However, in Philadel-phia's tough "Little Italy," whereMario grew up, it was safer to focuson athletics, so while training hisvoice, he also became Southern HighSchool's star baseball, football andboxing champ. This and some postgraduate semi-professional baseballand football account for the sturdyLanza physique, which he keeps intrim today, despite a propensity forpizza pie. The sports life he led sosuccessfully did not deter Mario fromthe thing he really wanted. He usedhis earnings for lessons. And how hebegan his singing career is a storythat, in his own words, "has all theelements of a class B musical.""My grandfather thought I shouldexercise something besides my vocalchords, and got me a job as a pianomover in a music store."It was while he was moving apiano into the Philadelphia Academyof Music that Mario encounteredWilliam K. Huff, director of Philadelphia Forum Concerts. Huff had heardLanza sing and was enthusiasticabout his talents. He advised Mariothat Koussevitzky was in a nearbydressing room. "The walls are thin,why don't you give him an aria?"KoussevitzkyLanza recalls that he was half waythrough "Vesta La Giubba" whenKoussevitzky burst into the room anddemanded to know his name.A summer of work with the notedimpresario followed and Lanzamanaged to give one concert-a concert highly acclaimed by New Yorkcritics-before another "master" tookcharge of his career. He served threeyears in the United States Air Forceand a great portion of that time withthe "Winged Victory" troupe.Another lucky break, after he wasdischarged, in 1945, brought Lanza toSam Weiler, a New York businessman with a fervent love for opera.Weiler, today Lanza's closest, friendand manager, took him to EnricoRosati, a famed vocal coach who,(Please Turn to Page 34)LANZA: Summer's High NoteHis Radio Debut Is Part of a Life -Long DreamAugust 10, 1951Page Three

A(EDITOR'S NOTE: A few weeks ago,Hollywood was surprised when Ma!Boyd, an energetic, clean-cut young man,announced he was giving up his lucrative and promising association in PRB(Pickford, Rogers, Boyd) to study for theEpiscopalian ministry. A short time before Mal's announcement, he had askedTV -Radio Life's editor if she would beinterested in a story about Buddy Rogers'comeback via TV. Mal had just barelyturned in his yarn when news of his intentions was spread. Asked whether heAli ildigisto?te4FoKa/still wanted his story to run, Ma! replied, "I sort of planned it that way.When I wrote the story, I had made upmy mind I was going to relinquish myshowbusiness interests. I wanted to writeit before my departure as an expres-eimeoadsion of my regard for both Mary Pickfordand Buddy Rogers, and for our association which I shall never forget. It makesme very glad that you have liked thestory well enough to include it in TV -Radio Life.")Part IUDDY ROGERS' great show -business comeback in radioand TV, which contributedTold By The Chap Whoan item to trade historyduring the past couple ofyears, made a lot of people veryHelped Him Make Ithappy. And it made me, standing onthe sidelines, as happy as anybody.By Mal BoydBuddy was the top box-office moviestar in Hollywood in 1930. "Wings"catapulted him to sudden fame andhe scored, again and again, with toppictures. Then, he deserted picturesand achieved equal fame as a bandleader. His marriage to Mary Pick ford was international news, uniting"America's Sweetheart" with "America's Boy Friend." Shortly after PearlHarbor, however, Buddy Rogers disappeared from public view. He joinedUncle Sam as a ferry pilot and cameout of service, four years later, as aLieutenant Commander in the NavalReserve.Groping for the right thing to do,and perhaps a trifle unsure of thepublic's response to him after somany years away, Buddy turned tomovie production. As a partner inTriangle Productions and Comet Pro-la. BUDDY BY HIS POOL, photographed for thewomen of America who kept him a top star.He was tagged "America's Boy Friend," a label whichhas lasted almost as long as the "America's Sweetheart" accolade granted to Mary Pickford.Allk. BUDDY STILL FEATURES A MUSICAL ROUTINE where he plays all theinstruments in the band. He's seen here in a scene from Paramount's "TheRoad to Reno," made in the early thirties, where his musical talent was used bythe studio.Page Fourill's BUDDY IN ONE OF HIS typicalmagazinephotographsoftheperiod (1931). He continued as one ofthe nation's top film favorites in "Riverof Romance" with Mary Brian.August 10, 1951

ductions, he sat behind the desk andplayed producer on more than a half dozen pictures.Tom Breneman on "Breakfast in Hol-a few weeks . . . and I was accepted.lywood" followed a few days later,On Tripat Breneman's Restaurant on VineIt was at this stage in his career Street. Buddy was planning to leaveWe flew from city to city in Buddy'swithin a few days on an extended twin -engine Cessna plane, accomthat I first met Buddy Rogers.of principal U. S. cities to meet panied by a co-pilot who helpedI remember our first meeting very tourpress and tell the public about Buddy at the controls. The marathonwell. I had been engaged to handle theradio exploitation on "Sleep My "Sleep My Love." At the last minute, was on, and it was really a marathon.press agent to accompany him Buddy appeared on radio shows everyLove," one of the films co -produced hison the trip couldn't make it. Buddy day in Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Cleveby Buddy and starring Claudette Col- waslooking for someone to fill the land, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul,bert, Robert Cummings and Donand I volunteered. At that time Salt Lake, Denver, San Francisco . . .Ameche. Working out my master bill,I was running my own exploitation but you get the idea. One day inplan for the campaign, I had come businessin Hollywood, but arrange- Detroit Buddy did eleven radio interup with the idea of using Buddy ments werewhereby the views in one day, plus, of course,Rogers, the co -producer, as a guest office could concludedmanage without me for(Please Turn to Page 34)star on some top radio shows to helpplug the film. His response, over thetelephone, had shown interest andsome reticence. But he was game. Ifany shows wanted him, he'd behappy to appear on them.I was standing outside Earl Carroll's, on Sunset Boulevard, waiting-for Buddy to appear for his firstradio guest shot-on "Queen for aDay." I hadn't yet seen Buddy andI wasn't at all sure I could recognizehim, so I was watching doubly hard.Then, a Chrysler station -wagon slidup to the curb and the driver gotout. It could only be Buddy Rogers.He was well -dressed, possessed greatpoise and his greying hair made himappear most distinguished. I greetedhim, we went over the script togetherand, a few minutes later, he wascalled out onto the stage by JackBailey. The audience went wild.I knew in that instant that BuddyRogers was still a great public favorite. He needed only the right vehicle to come back.A guest appearance with the lateLISTENING TO THE NEW-FANGLED contraptionshown here. Was it music by Russ Columboor Rudy Vallee? Buddy sang, too, in those days andwas a top record -seller. Then he .quit pictures to become one of America's top band -leaders.BUDDY ROGERS AT THE FIRST PEAK of his career,1930. "Wings" had catapulted him to international fame and he was the number one fan mailattraction in the film capitol.August 10, 1951in