Before He Joined Garry Moore.....................

[Joseph_Gallant]

..............Durwood Kirby actually co-anchored a network radio newscast.

During the World War II era, Kirby and Bernadine Flynn co-anchored "Crisco's Radio Newspaper" (named after the sponsor, Crisco shortening) that aired on CBS Radio. According to the February 29th, 1944 Boston Globe, the program aired weekdays at 1:30 P.M. Eastern War Time on the network, including the old WEEI-590, then a CBS-owned station. The paper only listed the program as "Bernadine Flynn, news", not listing the sponsor or her co-anchor.

The program usually began with Kirby reading the day's top news, followed by Flynn (and sometimes Kirby) doing human interest stories and cooking tips, which of course needed Crisco.

A couple of examples are on Archive.org; the link below is to the complete February 29th, 1944 (Leap Year Day) broadcast:

http://archive.org/details/otr_criscosradionewspaper .

Although the program was broadcast on CBS, I don't know how much involvement CBS News had in this program. Since Kirby and Flynn both did commercials, I suspect neither was on the CBS News payroll, but the news stories may have been prepared by CBS News.

Although the two usually weren't in separate cities (like Huntley and Brinkley) nor alternated reading news stories (like many co-anchor teams on local TV stations now do), this may have been the first instance of two people sharing anchor or host duties on a network radio newscast.

 

[FredLeonard]

The rules of the game were far different back then.

And, yes, news broadcasts were often produced by the sponsor's ad agency.

One strange example was "Wendy Warren and the News." It was a soap opera carried on CBS. It began with a newscast, similar to what is described here. Douglas Edwards, yes the original anchor of the CBS Evening News, read some news stories. Then he tossed it to "Wendy Warren" for the "women's news." Then a commercial break and then the soap opera began, telling all about Wendy's off-air love life and other adventures and misfortunes (just like any other soap). Wendy Warren, of course, was soap opera character played by an actress. Doug Edwards never had any role in the soap opera plots - unlike Mary Richards, Wendy didn't hang out with co-workers.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Bernadine Flynn indeed was a legit news employee. On June 6, 1944, she and Allan Jackson came on the CBS Radio network for a stint. Appears Felden Ferrington (where did they get these names?) joined Quincy Howe at about 2:30 PM. From the document I have, I see no other reference to her that day.

 

[rnigma1]

Of course Bernardine Flynn was best known for being Sade on "Vic and Sade."
Fielden Farrington was a busy announcer; I think he announced "The Romance of Helen Trent" and a few other soaps.

 

[FredLeonard]

Sorry, Bernadinre Flynn was an actress and announcer. As Durwood Kirby was an announcer. Back then, newscasters were announcers and union rules did not allow them to write copy or play any editorial role in putting together newscasts. Announcers were in AFRA (no "T" yet). News writers were in the Newspaper Guild.

Correspondents and commentators could prepare their own material but not newscasters.

Meanwhile, the guy who was the principal newscaster on the CBC was "The Voice of Canada," Lorne Greene.

On Mad Men tonight, check out Roger Sterling (John Slattery), he used to read news on WCBS-TV, New York.

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Sorry, Bernadine Flynn was an actress and announcer.

So, I'm confused. Fred, are you saying her appearances on the WEEI show and the D-Day coverage was in the capacity of announcer? I don't doubt that the WEEI show was like the "Wendy Warren and the News" program, but it seems a bit of a stretch of credibility on D-Day. Guess Paul White was scraping the bottom of the barrel to put on voices.

Yes, good old Mr. Farrington was also took over the chores of announcer from Andre Baruch

 

[FredLeonard]

So, I'm confused. Fred, are you saying her appearances on the WEEI show and the D-Day coverage was in the capacity of announcer? I don't doubt that the WEEI show was like the "Wendy Warren and the News" program, but it seems a bit of a stretch of credibility on D-Day. Guess Paul White was scraping the bottom of the barrel to put on voices.

The rules were different back then. Announcers read news, called ball games, hosted game shows and served as announcer side-kicks on variety shows. Doug Edwards doing news in a soap opera about a day in the life of a fictional news reporter is not much different from today's "journalists" playing themselves in movies about a financial collapse or alien invasion. Newscasters used to read commercials, too (Paul Harvey continued the practice until his death a few years ago). John Charles Daly was CBS White House correspondent and anchored major events like Pearl Harbor and D-Day and then went on to host "What's My Line" (while continuing to anchor what's now World News Tonight and head ABC's news division). Mike Wallace hosted (rigged) quiz shows and did cigarette commercials. Frank Blair also did cigarette commercials purporting show him at work as a TV news anchor. Hugh Downs was a booth announcer, commercial presenter, Jack Parr's sidekick on the Tonight Show, host of the game show Concentration, host of the Today Show and then anchor of 20/20. John Cameron Swayze did the nightly news on two different networks and "reality" commercials for Timex. Early in his career. Walter Cronkite broadcast ballgames "recreated" with sound effects from Western Union line scores (so did Ronald Reagan).

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Yes, good old Mr. Farrington was also took over the chores of announcer from Andre Baruch

sub "Yes, good old Mr. Farrington was busy. Took over the chores of announcer of JUST PLAIN BILL from Andre Baruch."

Sorry about that, to quote a well-known secret agent.

All you say, Fred, I know and knew. Just was surprised at Paul White putting her on during D-Day coverage.

BTW, though John Charles Daly did some anchoring during D-Day, most credit Robert Trout as the lead. And Trout was the first announcer for the first Fireside Chat. Didn't know Daly was White House correspondent, though he was doing a scheduled news show on Dec.7 and was preparing for a regulary newscast when FDR died.

Mike Wallace also hosted a confrontational talk show.

 

[FredLeonard]

Mike Wallace's first "confrontational" talk show was Nightbeat on New York's former Dumont (now Fox) station, channel five in the late 50s. He did a national version for ABC on Sunday nights while the local show was still running.

Like most announcers at the time, he was a utility player early in his career. At WXYZ (now WXYT), Detroit, he narrated The Green Hornet and read newscasts as "The Cunnigham's News Ace." Cunningham's was a local chain of drug stores and the newscast opened with the sound of a World War II (propeller-driven) fighter plane going into a dive. Douglas Edwards was also an announcer at the station at the time and also did Cunningham's newscasts.

Unlike most announcers at the time, Wallace had taken journalism courses in college (the University of Michigan) and had been a staff writer for the school's student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. He did not immediately persue a career in news, however.

 

[rnigma1]

Mike Wallace (still using his real first name, Myron) did some radio acting as well, in such shows as "Crime on the Waterfront" (as a hard-nosed police detective) and "The Crime Files of Flammond."

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Okay, had to go back and listen to my recordings of CBS on D-Day to get this squared away.

Miss Flynn's appearance on air was the regularly scheduled broadcast of her "Newspaper of the Air," the show on which Durwood Kirby also worked with her. The NY announcer advise a number of shows had not been broadcast in order to clear the invastion news, then she starts cold but mentions the program will be without usual commercials from Crisco. She tosses it back to Alan Jackson "in New York." She must have been in Boston. At approximately 1:37:15 PM the program goes back to her. She dialogues with Ed Roberts about the work of the underground in France. At 1:41:29 the show goes back to NY for a one minute recap. The show ends at 1:43:00 PM. After a 20 second silence, the network announces THE GOLDBERGS would not be heard that day, and then stirring march music until 1:50:29 when they go to Washington and continue with non-stop news.

 

[Ultimajock]

The rules of the game were far different back then.

And, yes, news broadcasts were often produced by the sponsor's ad agency.

...in CBS' case, it eventually got to the point -- throughout most of World War 2 -- that the World News Today broadcasts (late night Monday through Saturday, mid-afternoons Sunday) would be sponsored by Admiral appliances, and when John Charles Daly or Bob Trout in New York would go to a shortwaved report from one of the battle theatres, it wasn't "CBS [fill in locale]" anymore, but "Admiral Cairo" or "Admiral Guam" or (as Edward R. Murrow was for quite a while) "Admiral London"...