A survey of U. S. taste in radio programs with a list of the twelve best-liked acts was published last week in Variety. tradesheet of the entertainment industry. The twelve radio favorites, determined by reports from Variety's 150 widely-scattered correspondents:
Headliner Sponsor
Eddie Cantor Chase & Sanborn Coffee
Ed Wynn Texas Corp.
Jack Pearl Lucky Strike Cigarets
Amos 'n' Andy Pepsodent Toothpaste
Burns & Allen with Guy Lombardo's Orchestra Robert Burns Cigars
Jack Benny with Ted Weems' Orchestra and Mary Livingstone Canada Dry Ginger
Rudy Vallee with variety talent Fleischmann's Yeast
Ben Bernie Blue Ribbon Malt
Ruth Etting, Boswell Sisters. Arthur Tracy with Nat Shilkret's Orchestra Chesterfield Cigarets
Kate Smith La Palina Cigars
Al Jolson General Motors' Chevrolet program
Myrt & Marge Wrigley's Chewing Gum
Radio's big programs used to be preponderantly musical but now, according to Variety's survey, comedians hold the first six places. Different parts of the country have different favorites. The South still prefers Amos 'n' Andy who used to be national favorites. The Northwest prefers the German lingo of Jack Pearl. Eddie Cantor leads in New England and the Middle West. Ed Wynn won in Chicago.
Only in Canada is important preference given to radio's most serious offerings: the New York Philharmonic-Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Company. In the U. S. popularity count, the only one of these to be listed is the Philharmonic. It got 15th place, the March of TIME 19th place.
Dancer from Hindustan
When a Hindu bows to applause he puts the palms of his hands together under his nose, bends forward as deeply and reverently as if he were addressing deity. When Hindus want music they summon someone who can play one of India's many kinds of guitar or one of India's many drums. When Hindus want to see their native dances done in the most authentic, polished fashion they seek out the Hindu Dancer Uday Shankar, protege of the late Maharaja of Jhalawar. who studied at the London Royal College of Arts, forsook painting to dance with the late Anna Pavlowa. forsook Pavlowa to research the old dances and music of Hindustan.
Because Uday Shankar was in Manhattan with his Hindu troupe for the first time last week, a great deal of reverent bowing was done there, a great deal of weird-sounding thrumming and drum-spanking. The curtain went up on Shankar's eight brightly-turbaned musicians, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the stage, 56 different instruments within reach. Drums shaped like picturesque vases, stringed instruments with necks almost as fat as their queer little bodies, gongs as bright as gold-pieces and serpentine horns made the music for Shankar to dance to. It was delicate, highly refined music for the most part which, with its single thread of melody, might have sounded monotonous to Occidental ears but for the drummers tapping and slapping a swift, intricate counterpoint, and for Shankar.