Variety Show

After 38 critical years on the sidelines, Variety, the smartest show-business paper in the U.S., last week went into show business itself. The celebrated weekly put on a weekly radio show for Philco (Blue Network, Sun., 6-7 p.m., E.W.T.). Just why the shrewd, slangy journal should break into radio was candidly explained by its grizzled, punchy editor, Abel ("Hiya, sonny boy!") Green: "For cash consideration, filthy lucre, publicity. For the durable function of bringing to the air what's good in all branches of show business--a sort of personality Crossley."

Spit & Polish. Variety-Philco's first Radio Hall of Fame had its points. Philco paid the costs, which were about a million and a half a year (for time and talent). Variety picked the talent. The first act, Jimmy Durante, was the best on the program. Growled The Durante, of Paul Whiteman's musicians: "What a band! What a band! I had an uncle once who could play like Whiteman. He played two instruments at the same time. With the left side of his mouth he played Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries. With the right side of his mouth he played Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree. And with the middle of his mouth he blew out the seeds."

Durante was followed by the handsome chanteuse, Hildegarde, and by some excerpts from the U.S. Army Air Forces' Broadway smash hit, Winged Victory. Correspondent Quentin Reynolds made some remarks about the fighting fronts; Maurice Rocco, who impresses many people by playing the piano standing up, gave some agile boogie-woogie. Bob Hope closed the bill in smash style with comments on his recent battlefront tour. Sample:

>"I was so glad to be back I went down to the blood bank and gave a pint of blood. . . . Edward Arnold was there. He doesn't give a pint, he just asks what they need. W. C. Fields was there too. He donated a fifth."

Tempus Fugit, Status Quo. With Hope and Durante on the same bill, no show could lose. If Variety could produce their equivalents each week, Philco's Radio Hall of Fame might turn out to be the most entertaining hour in U.S. radio. One question raised by the new show was whether Variety could engage in showbusiness without losing its journalistic integrity. Editor Green had an answer for that:

"As for being gagged in any way on criticism, Jimmy Durante may conceivably louse up the air tomorrow, and we're going to say so. Only the tempus fugit department will show that. ... If tempus fugits like mad, how can you maintain the status quo?"

It was rumored that one man who strongly objected to Variety's new departure was its able, longtime (15 years) radio reporter, Ben Bodec. He resigned from the paper.

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