Sept. 28, 1935

[Yhtapmys]

Jack Benny, Remaining in Hollywood,
Resumes Regular Broadcasts Sunday
Hollywood, Sept. 28.—Jack Benny's decision to remain in Hollywood a little longer isn't due entirely to his love for the California climate. A glance at the accompanying closeup [a picture with this story has Jack embracing Una Merkel] suggests another reason why he prefers to tarry awhile. Jack, in case you haven't heard, is going to make a second picture, and maybe a third, and he's not a bit downcast at the prospect of playing up to the cinema queens.
Because of these movie engagements, the Benny broadcasts will originate in Hollywood. Starting Sept. 29, his program's will be heard every Sunday over an NBC-KFYR network from 5 to 5:30 p. m. (CST) from the NBC studios on the RKO lot.
When the NBC jester went to the west coast last spring, it was with the understanding that he would make one picture, "Broadway Melody of 1936." However, his work before the camera impressed the movie magnates to the extent that he was immediately signed for a second film, recently completed. Now it appears Benny will do a third one.
In the meantime he and Mary Livingstone have settled down in Beverly Hills, where they have leased a large furnished house belonging to Lita Grey Chaplin.
Michael Bartlett, singing actor of screen and stage who will replace Frank Parker, will be kept busy making pictures until the opening of the series.
The only member of the new cast who will have to make a special transcontinental journey to appear on the shows is the new bandmaster, Johnny Green. The young composer-conductor-pianist travels to the west after concluding an engagement at New York's fashionable St. Regis hotel.

[The following story was on the wire the same day]

Fred Allen and Portland Hoffa Will
Resume Town Hall Tonight Program
Hollywood, Calif., Sept. 28.—Alter summering here under the glare of the Kleig lights. Fred Allen, accompanied by his wife and favorite stooge, Portland Hoffa, will turn his face toward Radio City and the microphone again next week when he starts East to resume his old starring role on the new Town Hall Tonight program over an enlarged NBC-KFYR network Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p. m. (CST).
Already the cameras are whirling overtime on the movie lot where Allen is putting the finishing touches on the picture that has occupied his histrionic talents since his radio vacation began on June 26. With the director's last cry of "cut" ringing in his ears, Fred will immediately start work on his second year of broadcasting.
Back before the microphone, Allen will assume charge of the Town Hall Tonight amateurs, and will reintroduce the Mighty Allen Art Players in the light satirical comedy sketches that put Town Hall Tonight in the front rank of air programs last winter. He already has written friends in the East that he plans to revive the famous "Town Hall News" and other of his well-remembered special features.

[there's no indication which wire service these stories came from; I'd guess AP]

Yhtapmys

[krledu]

I was wondering where you find all these interesting articles at? I have looked online but never seem to have much luck on finding stuff like this. I love to read it. Thanks for posting it!

[TimL2005]

I was wondering where you find all these interesting articles at? I have looked online but never seem to have much luck on finding stuff like this. I love to read it. Thanks for posting it!

If you are near a Public Library, many of them have Newspapers on Microfilm. The New York Times seems to be on microfilm in most major Libraries. Many libraries also have the local newspaper on Microfilm. Probably a lot of these same type of articles can be found and copied for a nominal fee (usually 5-10 cents a copy)

[krledu]

I will have to try that. Thanks!

By the way, Does anyone know where I can find back issues of Look Magizine. I really would like to find some articles from the 1950's. I tried looking online but no luck, yet.

[Yhtapmys]

I was wondering where you find all these interesting articles at? I have looked online but never seem to have much luck on finding stuff like this. I love to read it. Thanks for posting it!

Krl, there's a site called newspaperarchive.com. It's a pay site of some small-town newspapers, though it has a limited free section dealing with certain topics (radio, unfortunately, isn't one). It's all in .pdf format and difficult to read at times. As well, their search engine really isn't the best as it bypasses certain papers in their files. I probably see more stories accidentally when looking for something else.

There's not a lot related to Jack; most of what I can find is standard radio or TV listings (or a one-line mention) and little else. You'd figure a radio column would have something in depth, but I haven't been able to spot it yet.

As mentioned, libraries have newspapers on microfilm. I looked up Jack's trip to Vancouver in one of the local papers and transcribed it here. The radio columns of the 20s are really interesting for curiosity's sake as radio changed so much once CBS was formed and competed against NBC. It's kinda like comparing the internet of the early 90s to now.

Yhtapmys

[krledu]

Did most major papers of the time carry some sort of entertainment or radio column? Or at least a gossip column like most papers do today?

Do you know what paper Louella Parson's wrote for?

[Yhtapmys]

Did most major papers of the time carry some sort of entertainment or radio column? Or at least a gossip column like most papers do today?

I suspect so. I can't think of a paper that didn't.

Do you know what paper Louella Parson's wrote for?

Well, she was part of the Hearst empire, so her column would have been syndicated by King Features. I don't know which papers would have picked it up.

I've found a lot of the smaller papers used the NEA service, whose Hollywood reporter was Erskine Johnson. Jack's publicist had his ear; I've seen him write one-lined pieces about Jack's movies.

Yhtapmys

[krledu]

I've been doing some searching on Louella Parson. She didn't seem like a very nice person. But do you think its true how she got her column? Do you think that the hush-hush murder coverup was how she got her position?

[Yhtapmys]

I've been doing some searching on Louella Parson. She didn't seem like a very nice person.

Do ANY gossip columnists seem like nice people? They are professional busy-bodies.

But do you think its true how she got her column? Do you think that the hush-hush murder coverup was how she got her position?

I doubt it and frankly don't care.

Yhtapmys