The Gold Rush 1924 1925 1926 next previous
The Gold Rush Clippings 43/363
Radio Digest, Chicago, October 27, 1923.
High above Newark stood this 1923 antenna
of WOR, with the studios below in the Bamberger store‘s
palatial broadcast room.
(...) Broadcasting, Nov. 5, 1945
& WOR‘s two 65 foot masts linked by an eight-wire antenna,
Photo WOR Radio 1922-1982, The First Sixty Years
& WOR‘s first studio, Newark 1922 – J. R. Poppele, chief
engineer, on phone at right,
Photo WOR Radio 1922-1982, The First Sixty Years
& The Campus Serenaders
The personnel of this dance orchestra is drawn from
students of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
at Troy, N. Y. Their monthly programs, given through the Institute‘s
broadcasting station, WHAZ, have been heard
in every state in the Union, every province of Canada, from
Alaska to Panama, from Hawaii to Bermuda and
in New Zealand. According to the director of WHAZ, these
players have received more than 10,000 letters
of appreciation. A tribute well deserved, as you will agree
if you have heard them.
(...) Photo Boice, Troy, New York, Radio Broadcast,
Garden City, N. Y., Oct. 1924
„Did I talk sense to that thing?“
Editorial content. „Charlie Chaplin .Acts‘
Photo U. & U. Charles Chaplin as he appeared when making
his first broadcast
Comedy King Afraid When First On Air
Famous Film Actor Puts Humor into Talk for Ether Audience
Imitates Jazz Band
Quails before Microphone That Takes Message
to Thousands but Recovers Confidence
Newark, N. J. – Some one long ago said something to the
effect that if he could write the songs of a nation he would
not care who wrote its laws.“ (...)
„Chaplin Imitates A Jazz Band – Not
,Quite An Ordeal,‘ Says Broadcaster Chaplin
Comedian Puts One Over on Fans in Address at WOR –
His First Radio Talk“ (...)
„With the comic film he has girdled the globe and with
Radio here recently he, for the first time in his career,
hurled his humor through the ether. Even the Radio waves
curled in delight as they eagerly hurried onward
to bring fun to eager thousands.
Charlie Fears Ordeal
The man who, as a juggler and make believe drunkard,
faced critical audiences; the man who afterward appeared on the
silver screen before millions, the man whose vocation
as actor and director required unusual poise, was visibly
agitated as he made ready in the studio of Station
WOR to speak into the microphone.
It was not without much patience and diplomacy that the
famed mimic was finally induced to face what he termed
,that funny little thing.‘ It was one thing to ,cut didoes‘ before
a camera; it was another, a far more exacting thing,
to talk through a ,dojigger‘ of metal to an unseen audience
miles away.
Chaplin approached the microphone gingerly. ,This is quite
an ordeal, you know,‘ he volunteered to J. M. Barnett,
director of WOR. ,You have to use your imagination so much.‘
As if a Chapin would find it hard to imagine!
Can‘t Remake Broadcast
,You can face the camera,‘ the noted comedian continued,
,knowing that if you make a mistake, if you slip up, you
can try again; you can make over the picture. But think of all
the thousands of people but there in the world hanging
onto every word I say.‘ Charlie mopped his brow and grimaced
in the way that has thrown millions into uproarious
laughter. ,I don‘t know what to say; I haven‘t prepared a speech,‘
he said pitiably.
Chaplin paced the studio. This was indeed a dilemma.
Now if it were only a picture, that would have been not nearly
so hard. But this was a Radio, something different;
something that couldn‘t be ,made over,‘ nor corrected after
its voice had vibrated through the void.
Is Introduced to Listeners
The man whom kings delight to honor perspired.
From his finely tailored coat he extracted a kerchief which he
pressed to his brow and hands. Nervously he glanced
at the microphone. Silently he appealed to his companions
to ,get me out o‘ this.‘
Then the jaw whose laxity is buffoonery has convulsed
myriads suddenly set. And Chaplin sat him down
to the microphone. He gulped; he shuffled his feet (this time
well clad); he buttoned and unbuttoned his coat.
But he sat. There came to his aid Alfred J. McCosker,
a newspaper man of New York City, who calmly
told the world that someone of whom they had probably heard,
someone whom they had undoubtedly seen often,
would speak to them – ,none other than Charlie Chaplin
himself, in person.‘
His First Time Before Microphone
The poor little, rich little man squirmed. He, like those
around him, could see hundreds of thousands of men
and women and boys and girls, the mighty and the lowly, grin
and then grin again. ,Charlie Chaplin – think of it!‘
Why, the night itself seemed to hesitate, to anticipate!
Chaplin braced himself, opened his mouth,
shut it, opened it again then – ,This is the first time I have
spoken over the Radio,‘ he said tremulously. When
he saw that the microphone was safe, wouldn‘t bite nor talk
back to him, Charlie went on. ,It is, to me, ghastly
to think of you out there in your homes with Tom, Dick,
Katherine, Harry and the baby all gathered around,
and me here by this funny little thing perforated with holes
(the thing, not I), my knees trembling, my hands
tightly clasped.‘ And Charlie smirked.
,Imitated‘ Full Jazz Band
,I feel like the young actor whose only line was, ,There
is a man downstairs who calls himself Solomon Isaacs.‘
As the young actor was pushed onto the stage he managed
to splutter something that sounded like Si-mol-ix.‘
The greatest of ‘em all turned in his chair and nodded first
inquiringly, then confidently.
,Now I‘m beginning to get a little confidence,‘ Chaplin
continued. ,So I‘m going to give you a few imitations.
First, I‘ll imitate a violin.‘ Then there floated onto the air the
strains of the stringed instrument. It was a real violin,
no imitation. But Charlie didn‘t play it. It was played by one
of the artists who compose the staff of Station WOR.
,Next, I‘ll imitate a saxophone,‘ continued Chaplin. Surely
enough, the drone and moan of brass went to the
ears of throngs. ,Now, all of you – listen to the jazz band.‘
No imitations were these. But the trickery of the
comedian tickled almost the whole country.
Shakes Fist at ,Mike‘
Charlie‘s ,act‘ neared its end. ,When you have nothing
else to do,‘ he concluded, ,go to see my new picture,
which I directed – A Woman of Paris.‘ That was all. One
could see the look of regret on the faces of the vast
audience in the great outside. But they had heard the voice
of Chaplin and that was enough. They would long
remember it.
As Charlie left the studio he asked anxiously: ,Did
I talk sense to that thing?‘ Then he shook his fist
at the microphone, grinned the grin that has earned him
a fortune, and went on his way.
But before he passed personally out of the lives of
those in the studio and station. Chaplin declared
enthusiastically that he owned a Radio set and that he
listened in often to the program.“
More about WOR see Motion Picture News.
March 1, 1924.
Redaktioneller Inhalt
The Gold Rush 1924 1925 1926 next previous
