Golden Age of Radio

Biography Tony MARTIN Star of CBS’ “ Carnation Contented Hour ” Tony Martin after two years of record-breaking personal appearances at home and abroad, returns to CBS to star on Sunday “ Carnation Contented Hour .” Martin, one of the nation’s most popular vocalists, has devoted his time concluding his last CBS series in 1948 to playing leading theaters, hotels and benefits in the United States and the Palladium in 1948, returned there this year and is now under contract to appear in the British music hall once yearly.  Martin has appeared at the Rosy in New York, the Chicago Theater. Seattle’s Metropolitan Theatre, the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, the Beverly Club in New Orleans, Miami’s Beachcomber and numerous other prominent entertainment spots. The dark-haired, dark-eyed baritone recently concluded an engagement at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, where he broke attendance records of the past 20 years. During his tours, Martin also has entertained

75 years ago today, on January 9th, 1949 The Screen Directors' Playhouse debuted. It was a series of classic films of the time, adapted for radio, and created to honor the directors of the movies. The directors of the film would personally bring you their favorite film assignments along with the stars who created the original roles. The very first show of the series was the time-honored film Stagecoach, directed by John Ford , who in his career won five academy awards.  Stagecoach is a fine example to begin the Screen Directors' Playhouse series - a superb thirty-minute radio adaptation by Milton Geiger, a regular writer for the series.  It's the tale of a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory, where the notorious Chief Geronimo and his braves were on the warpath. The passengers on the coach include the drunken Doc Boone, good-hearted prostitute Dallas, a pregnant woman, a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money, a

ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE Johnny Mercer didn’t come to New York recently on the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, but whatever he rode must have been going pretty fast because Johnny picked up some early speed that has spent him shooting to the celling of the entertainment world, his most immediate big splurge being on Your Hit Parade with Joan Edwards (Saturdays, CBS 9:00 P.M. EST). It was always in Johnny’s mind to be in the theater, but he was a wise young man and kept that to himself until it would do him some good. As a result, he submitted quietly to a formal education at the Woodbury Forest School in Virginia. His first acting was with an amateur group, the Savannah Players. In 1929, he landed a small part with the New York Theater Guild in its production of “The Hero.” His first song to capture the public’s fancy was “Out of Breath, Scared to Death of You,” which he wrote for the “Garrick Gaieties,” in collaboration with Everet Miller, who wrote the music.

Biography of Marvin Miller He Announces, Acts, Writes, Direct and Has Spare Time Announcer Marvin Miller, who began public appearances at the age of nine, had acquired such a repertoire by the time he applied for his first job that he was able to perform 42 parts in a single show which he wrote himself. That was back in 1931 in St. Louis. The following year he became a junior announcer and actor and, in 1919, he added continuity writing and dramatic directing to his assignments. Miller, now announcer-actor on NBC’s “ Father Knows Best .” “ TheRailroad Hour ” and “ Aunt Mary ,” moved to Chicago soon after and in 1944 to Hollywood, where he has been so busy that he has had only one two-weeks vacation . Featured roles in movies have been helped build that full schedule as well as many recordings in which Miller has been both narrator and actor for all the parts. He was born in St. Louis as Marvin Elliott Mueller and was graduated from Washington University there.

SAY HELLO TO . . . PAT MURPHY – Girl Alone’s Scoop Curtis on NBC. Pat is a genial, friendly Irishman who has been in radio since 1930, just after he left college. He’d been trained to be a concert pianist, but radio seemed to offer a better living. Since 1935, when he came to Chicago, he’s been in demand as a leading man on the air. Pat married Lucille Edwards, formerly of station KSTP, St. Paul, in 1936.

CHARLES O’CONNOR . . .  is the youngest of the young at NBC. Was born in Cambridge, Mass., only 23 years ago. Attended Boston College for a year, acted in stock companies and in a theatrical colony and started announcing over WBZ in Boston. He’s very much unmarried (girls, address him in care of RADIO STARS ), stands five feet eleven and is real good-looking.

Herbert Marshall - The Man Called X , who returns each summer to Columbia in a popularity leader among warm weather shows. This distinguished British actor came to America after he had recovered from a World War I wound and has long been popular for his work on stage, screen and radio. He has been seen recently in “Duel in the Sun” and “The Razor’s Edge” and brings the romantic and mysterious Mr. X to listeners on Thursday at 10:30 P.M., EDT.