Maggie's Private Wire 45-08-10 xxx Guest - Enrico Caruso Jr.

Summary

Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio - Maggie's Private Wire 45-08-10 xxx Featuring Enrico Caruso Jr.

Release Date: February 8, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Harold's Old Time Radio, titled "Maggie's Private Wire 45-08-10 xxx", hosts Herb Sheldon and Maggie McNelis delve into the vibrant world of Broadway and Hollywood, featuring insightful interviews with renowned guests and delightful segments on the latest in theater and dining.

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Guest Interview: Blanche Yerka

Timestamp: [02:22] – [08:36]

Blanche Yerka, a distinguished actress celebrated for her roles on Broadway and in film, takes center stage in this segment. Maggie opens the discussion by highlighting Blanche's impressive career, noting her upcoming appearance in "The Wind is 90".

• Blanche discusses her role in "The Wind is 90":

  "My part in The Wind is 90 really does interest me because it's so different from anything I've done in a long, long time. [02:35] It's a very simple, kindly woman—the mother of a dead serviceman who returns to his home to try and help his family through the adjustment necessary when they learn that he's dead."

Herb praises Blanche's performance in "The Song of Bernadette", to which Blanche responds modestly about her role as Aunt Bernard.

• On stage versus screen:

  "Oh, I like them both. Of course, they're entirely different. And, of course, one of the reasons I like the movies is that you meet so many interesting people." [03:04]

Blanche shares anecdotes from her extensive career, including her brief association with the Metropolitan Opera Company and her encounters with legendary figures like Mary Pickford and Frederick Martin.

• Experiences in Russia:

  "I had a wonderful two-hour interview with Stanislavski at his villa. He was then in his 70s, and I think he's the most wonderful man that I've ever met." [06:07]

Blanche also recounts her efforts to influence American theater policies by engaging with Senator Wagoner, leading to the presentation of a bill for a National Theater charter.

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Dinner of the Week: Seafare Restaurant

Timestamp: [07:45] – [08:36]

Maggie transitions to a delightful segment on the Dinner of the Week, recommending Seafare Restaurant located on First Avenue, just south of 57th Street.

• Menu Highlights:

  • Appetizers:

    "I had shrimp cocktail first, but my dinner guest had clams casino and steamed clams, which were terrific if you like them." [07:55]

  • Main Course:

    "Then I had broiled lobster and it was from another. And the French fried potato syrup. Oh, boy." [08:01]

  • Salad:

    "Such a dressing I have never tasted." [08:14]

Herb expresses his craving from the tempting descriptions, and Maggie assures listeners of the restaurant's excellent ambiance.

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Guest Interview: Enrico Caruso Jr.

Timestamp: [09:39] – [12:28]

The episode's second guest, Enrico Caruso Jr., steps into the spotlight, bringing with him the legacy of his illustrious father.

• Balancing Legacy and Personal Identity:

  "I sometimes find that when I sing, people don't listen to me. They listen. For my father, there was only one Caruso." [09:51]

Enrico reflects on critical reception and the challenges of being compared to his father, emphasizing the uniqueness of individual perception in music appreciation.

• Career Choices:

  "I guess it was from the very beginning, Maggie. For years I studied with Adolfo de la Huerta, one of the greatest living teachers of bel canto and a former president of Mexico. Now, I waited until he gave me the green signal. And that was this year. So I started singing professionally." [11:15]

Enrico discusses his journey from naval engineering, his father’s initial aspirations for him, to pursuing a career in singing, highlighting his dedication and the influence of his esteemed mentor.

• Ambition and Advice:

  "It's to play a comedy role in a Broadway musical." [12:07]

Enrico shares his ambition to diversify his talents by venturing into Broadway musicals. He concludes with his father's invaluable advice:

"Work, work, work." [12:20]

Maggie acknowledges the wisdom in these words, underscoring their relevance to aspiring artists.

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News Updates

Timestamp: [13:30] – [14:18]

Herb and Maggie present the latest happenings in the entertainment world:

• Herb Sheldon Recognized:

  "Herb Sheldon is radio's best dressed announcer." [13:30]

• John Dahl's Career Move:

  "John Dahl... has been given three months leave of absence by Warner Brothers to appear with the Hasty Heart Stage Company on tour." [13:30]

• Michael Joseph Ward's Milestone:

  "He reached the ripe age of one year on July 13th." [13:30]

• Casting Debates at Monogram:

  "Monogram executives gathered around the little actor to debate whether or not Mike was too aged for a role in Rainbow Valley." [13:30]

• Enrico Caruso Jr.'s Style:

  "The Associated Press says that Enrico Caruso Jr. Is a good schmaltz singer." [14:17]

  (Note: "Schmaltz" here refers to his sweet, sentimental singing style.) [14:17]

Herb humorously contemplates the use of the term "schmaltz," drawing a parallel to Maggie's engaging presentation style.

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Conclusion

Maggie and Herb wrap up the episode with a preview of upcoming segments and a heartfelt thank you to their guests. Listeners are encouraged to tune in daily for more behind-the-scenes insights into Broadway and Hollywood, along with exclusive interviews and the latest gossip.

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This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio offers a rich tapestry of theatrical insights, personal anecdotes from seasoned actors, and delightful recommendations, making it a must-listen for enthusiasts of the Golden Age of Radio and live theater.

Transcript

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[Herb Sheldon]

1215 Eastern. Wartime. This is station WEAF NBC in New York.

[Maggie McNelis]

Hello. Why yes, this is Maggie McNellis and.

[Herb Sheldon]

This is Maggie's private W. And here she is, our own gal about town, our columnist of the year, our super sleuth of Broadway and Hollywood with all the lowdown on the latest gossip, just plain glamorous Maggie McNellis.

[Maggie McNelis]

Thanks, Herb. And hello everybody.

[Herb Sheldon]

Hello, Maggie. Say what cooks in the Friday clam bake department?

[Maggie McNelis]

Well, we hit the jackpot today, Herb. We have two guests. Blanche Yerka, who is appearing on Broadway and the wind is 90 and Enrico Caruso Jr. Who has just completed a successful singing engagement at New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel. Then as usual, we have the transcriptions and I have a dinner of the week.

[Herb Sheldon]

Oh, very good.

[Maggie McNelis]

And now I want to introduce one of most talented actresses in the American theater, Blanche Yerka. Ms. Yerka, I guess everybody knows that you're considered a great actress, but if there were any doubters, the wind is 90 would certainly convince him.

[Blanche Yerka]

Well, thank you very much, Maggie. My part in the wind is 90 really does interest me because it's so different from anything I've done in a long, long time. Very simple, kindly woman. The mother of a dead serviceman who returns to his home to try and help his family through the adjustment necessary when they learn that he's dead.

[Herb Sheldon]

Yes, and I should think that would be a very difficult role. You know, Mr. I liked you Very much in the Song of Bernadette.

[Blanche Yerka]

Well, that's fine. I played Aunt Bernard, as you know. And I'm awfully glad you liked it. Her.

[Herb Sheldon]

Say, by the way, which do you like better, the stage or the screen?

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh, I like them both. Of course, they're entirely different. And, of course, too, one of the reasons I like the movies is that you meet so many interesting people.

[Maggie McNelis]

Yes. And you just finished the movie, didn't you?

[Blanche Yerka]

Yes. It's called the Southerner. It's a sort of cheerful Grapes of Wrath, I should say. It's going to be released, I think, next Saturday at the Globe Theater.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, grand.

[Blanche Yerka]

See.

[Maggie McNelis]

You know, Ms. Yorker, it would take, well, I guess an entire day to talk about your theatrical career. There's been so much of it. But I would like to touch the highlights anyway.

[Blanche Yerka]

All right, Maggie. Shoot. What would you like to know?

[Maggie McNelis]

Well, for instance, when did you first become interested in a scene, too?

[Blanche Yerka]

I can't remember a time when I wasn't.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, really?

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh, goodness, yes. By the way, did you know this is important? Considering that we have Enmikoruzzo junior As our guest star, it reminds me that I was once connected with the Metropolitan Opera Company.

[Herb Sheldon]

Really? What operas?

[Blanche Yerka]

Fosse Girl.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, you're so talented, Miss Yerka. What role did you sing?

[Blanche Yerka]

Well, that's the trick. You see, I didn't sing. Oh, I was just a young student in a school they had established there. And to comfort me for not being able to, well, not being mature enough to sing any of the small parts, they let me carry the grail. Yes, I had no singing, just pantomime.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, I see.

[Blanche Yerka]

It did, however, stop me on my theatrical career.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, you switched from the Metropolitan to Broadway.

[Blanche Yerka]

Well, it wasn't quite that simple, Maggie. For one thing, I lost my voice through overwork. And then I tried the usual channels of getting into the theater with the usual lack of success. However, finally, I did get to see David Belasco, the biggest theater man at that time. And he gave me a tiny part in one of his productions. It was just about that time that I met a girl who later became a great friend of mine. She left for Lasco to work in a new industry, a very modest little industry. It was being run by a company called a Biograph Pictures, and she got $5 a day. The girl, of course, was Mary Pickford.

[Herb Sheldon]

Say, I suppose you've appeared with many of the people who, like yourself, are now stars.

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh, yes, Herb. The first time my name ever went up in lights, it was in a stock company In Philadelphia, Edward Everett Horton was my juvenile lead. And then I remember when I played in a play called the Lawbreaker, there was a thoroughly discouraged young actor named Freddie Bickle playing my brother. Oh, he was ready to quit the theater. He was quite devoid of any faith in his talents. Well, fortunately, he didn't quit because he later became known as Frederick Martin.

[Herb Sheldon]

Oh, say, devoid of faith and his talents and. Well, there's always hope for me, I guess. Oh, sure.

[Maggie McNelis]

Anything can happen. Hey, you know, Blanche, you were in one play that I sure would have. You've been in which one is that? The one you did at Yale, The Last Days of the Turban.

[Blanche Yerka]

I think I know what you mean. I was the one woman in a cast with 200 men.

[Herb Sheldon]

Typical of Maggie. Yeah.

[Blanche Yerka]

Yes, typical. As I've always regretted not having brought that play to Broadway. She was really very successful.

[Maggie McNelis]

Yeah, but you were so successful in so many. With Lawton Fontaine and Catherine Cornell and Hedda Gabler and the wild duck and Mrs. Stratton. Romeo and Juliet.

[Herb Sheldon]

Yeah, and how about the movies? Weren't you Madame lafarge in the Tale of Two Cities?

[Blanche Yerka]

That's right. Her hardest part about that for me was learning to knit. I think I'm the only woman in America that never knitted.

[Maggie McNelis]

Say, with Russia so prominently in the news these days. Ms. Yerke, it occurs to me to ask about your experiences in Russia.

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh, yes. Well, Maggie, I went over there for the Moscow Theater Festival. I was only there for 10 days, but I gained a great respect for the Russian approach to the theater. Yes, yes, it's so vital and it's not at all hidebound. And I had a wonderful two hour interview with Stanislavski at his villa. He was then in his 70s, and I think he's the most wonderful man that I've ever met. And on the trip home, I met Senator Wagoner of New York. And most of the trip was spent. Most of the walking around the decks were spent trying to get him interested in the need of creating an American version of the Russian National Theater. Well, it evidently bore fruit. Delay or Senator Wagner presented a bill to Congress which called for a National Theater charter.

[Maggie McNelis]

Say, you did a very good job in the inspiration department. And thanks for doing a very good job here today, Blanche Yerka. And say, on the subject of questions, here's a leading question leading you directly to a fortune of fun at your nearest low theater. Wouldn't you bring on the girls? If you were a romantic sailor stationed in Miami with $200 million and plenty of time for love and music and moonlight maneuvers. Well, that's what happens in Paramount's merry mix up of beautiful gals, Music and mirth. Bring on the Girls. Bring on the Girls is the Technicolor pin up beauty show of the year. Starring Veronica Lake, Sonny Tufts, Eddie Bracken and Marjorie Reynolds. With the new dancing sensation Johnny Coy. And the incomparable music of Spike Jones and his city Slickers. So be sure to see Bring on the Girls. Hit number two is Ministry of Fear, one of the year's best mystery thrillers starring Ray Milan and Marjorie Reynolds. Both pictures are now playing in Manhattan at Lowe's Lexington, 72nd Street, 83rd Street, 175th street and Olympia Theaters. In the Bronx at Lowe's paradise. And in Jamaica at Lowe's Valencia.

[Herb Sheldon]

Say, how about the dinner of the week you mentioned?

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, yeah, what a wonderful dinner.

[Herb Sheldon]

Yeah, where was it?

[Maggie McNelis]

At the Steve fair. That's on First Aven, just South 57th Street.

[Herb Sheldon]

Seafare. That's for seafood, eh?

[Maggie McNelis]

Yeah. So good.

[Herb Sheldon]

Well, what'd you have?

[Maggie McNelis]

Well, I had shrimp cocktail first, but my dinner guest had clams casino and steamed clams, which were terrific if you like them.

[Herb Sheldon]

I do.

[Maggie McNelis]

Then you should order that. And then I had broiled lobster and it was from another. And the French fried potato syrup. Oh, boy.

[Herb Sheldon]

Hey, you're making me hungry.

[Maggie McNelis]

Well, all you have to do is to hire yourself up to the sea fair. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about the salad.

[Herb Sheldon]

What about it?

[Maggie McNelis]

Delish. Such a dressing I have never tasted.

[Herb Sheldon]

You know, Maggie, I'm beginning to think you're recommending the seafare as a good place to eat.

[Maggie McNelis]

I am? Definitely.

[Herb Sheldon]

Was there a dessert?

[Maggie McNelis]

Yeah, but I was so full I couldn't eat any. However, the rest of them had chocolate, graham cracker pie and coffee, of course. And I think I should mention that the decorations are very attractive. Glass bricks and running water behind glass and plaster fish and relief. All very nice.

[Herb Sheldon]

Oh, good. Food, night, surroundings. For what more can you ask?

[Maggie McNelis]

Well, nothing except perhaps for.

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[Blanche Yerka]

Once upon a Monday, dreary washing clothes.

[Maggie McNelis]

So weak and weary Came a knock.

[Blanche Yerka]

Upon my door was my neighbor nothing more.

[Maggie McNelis]

Tell me, neighbor, tell me pray is there any soap today that will give me lots more suds so I can clean these dirty duds?

[Blanche Yerka]

Quote my neighbor super excited but fault.

[Maggie McNelis]

And I cut down on scrubbing and.

[Blanche Yerka]

That everlasting rubbing oh, my neighbor. Super Suds.

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[Maggie McNelis]

Super sud.

[Herb Sheldon]

Lots from Super Sud.

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[Maggie McNelis]

And now, our second guest for today is a young man who has a very famous name and who's beginning to make one of his own. Enrico Caruso Jr. Tell me, Enrico, you find it difficult to follow in your father's octaves?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Well, yes, Maggie. At first it was. I sometimes find that when I sing, people don't listen to me. They listen. For my father, there was only one Caruso.

[Herb Sheldon]

Well, there is that little matter, I suppose.

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

I now realize that no two people hear the same thing. For instance, after one performance, a critic said to me, you have your father's top notes, all right, but not his bottom. Immediately afterward, another will congratulate me on my father's bottom note but will shake his head over the top note. Then a third will console me with the fact that while I have neither my father's top nor bottom notes, at least I do fairly well in the middle one.

[Maggie McNelis]

Yes, I see. It's absolutely hopeless. Well, but it isn't really, because those same critics are recognizing your talent in the popular field.

[Herb Sheldon]

And by the way, Mr. Crusoe, what would your father think of your going into the popular field rather than to opera?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Well, it's not really too different. When my father made his singing debut in Italy, the opera companies of those days corresponded to our popular forms of entertainment in this country. Now, every city town in Hamilton, Italy, had its own opera company. Hundreds of them existed. When my father started singing, it was the only form of popular entertainment. There were no nightclubs, no reviews and no motion pictures.

[Maggie McNelis]

So actually, you are following in your father's footsteps, entering the popular field of music, huh? Tell me, was your father in favor of your becoming a singer? Enrico?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Yes and no.

[Herb Sheldon]

How do you mean?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Well, he was determined that his son was to follow a career that he had always dreamed of in his youth.

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh.

[Maggie McNelis]

Which was?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Naval engineering. Although very few. Few people know it. My father was an engineer.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh.

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Therefore, all of my education was slanted in that direction.

[Maggie McNelis]

And when did you decide that singing and not engineering were for you?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

I guess it was from the very beginning, Maggie. For years I studied with Adolfo de la Huerta, one of the greatest living teachers of bel canto and a former president of Mexico. Now, I waited until he gave me the green signal. And that was this year. So I started singing professionally.

[Herb Sheldon]

Well, I'm Sure, a lot of people are going to be thrilled to HEAR Enrico Carriso Jr. But say, by the way, where can we hear you saying, well, I just.

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Finished an engagement at the Rosewood Hotel in New Orleans, and I expect to open a musical here this fall.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, that'll be peachy.

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

You know, Maggie, I've been asked a lot of questions, but nobody has ever asked me what my greatest ambition is.

[Maggie McNelis]

And what is it?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

It's to play a comedy role in a Broadway musical.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, wonderful. Maybe that's what you'll do this fall. And say, before you leave for the program today, tell me this. Did your father have any special advice for you that we might pass on to our listeners?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Well, yes, he did, Maggie.

[Blanche Yerka]

Oh, what was it?

[Enrico Caruso Jr.]

Well, Father had three words which summed up the entire profession. Work, work, work.

[Maggie McNelis]

Oh, I was afraid of that. Well, those words of Enrico Caruso are very true. And the words of Enrico Caruso Jr were very welcome on this program. Thanks very much, Enrico Caruso Jr. For being our guest star today. You were a hit.

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[Maggie McNelis]

And now for the latest news. VMI, Private Wire, Radio Daily says that Herb Sheldon is radio's best dressed announcer. Incidentally, Herb was the first person to announce that Russia had declared war. He scooped the entire world. John Dahl, who made such an auspicious screen debut opposite Bette Davis in the Corn Is Green, has been given three months leave of absence by Warner Brothers to appear with the Hasty Heart Stage Company on tour. He will do the movie version later. And Michael Joseph Ward is learning that you don't have to be in your 80s to be too old for the film. He reached the ripe age of one year on July 13th. And on the same day, Monogram executives gathered around the little actor to debate whether or not Mike was too aged for a role in Rainbow Valley. And did you know that the Associated Press says that Enrico Caruso Jr. Is a good schmaltz singer?

[Herb Sheldon]

That means a sweet singer, doesn't it?

[Maggie McNelis]

Yeah.

[Herb Sheldon]

Say, do you think I use schmaltz when I say you've been listening at lunch to Maggie McNelis, W's columnist of the Air. Well, for more news, confidential comments and gossip about Broadway in Hollywood, plus a special interview with starlet Tony Seven, listen in at 12:15 Monday and every day Monday through Friday for Maggie McNella and.

[Maggie McNelis]

Maggie's Private W.

[Herb Sheldon]

Maggie McNelis with portions of the program recorded and transcribed as a WEAF feature presentation. This is the National Broadcasting Company.

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