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An Evening with Romberg

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An Evening with Romberg is an American musical radio program that was broadcast on NBC from June 12, 1945, until August 31, 1948, as a summer replacement for other programs. Sigmund Romberg was the star, and Raleigh cigarettes was the sponsor.[1]

1945

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Replacing Hildegarde's Raleigh Room program, beginning on June 12, 1945,[2] An Evening with Romberg was broadcast at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with episodes consisting of six minutes of Romberg's compositions and 20 minutes of music from other composers.[3] Robert Merrill was the regular featured soloist, and each episode included a guest soloist.[4] Don Gillis was the director, Frank Gallop was the narrator, and Ed Hurlihy was the announcer.[2] Jack Simpson and Flora Bash were the writers.[4]

Diana Gibbings, writing in The New York Times, described the music as "reminiscent of cool evenings on a moon-drenched lake, where the mercury remains steadfastly at 70".[3] The program was popular enough for NBC to bring it back as a regular program[5] on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. E. T.[6] beginning on October 17, 1945. Soprano Irene Hill (in reality Genevieve Rowe using a pseudonym[7])[note 1] and baritone Frank Farris were featured each week and Romberg conducted the orchestra.[8][7] Gallop, Gillis, and Bash continued in their roles from the summer, while Jack Costello was the new announcer.[9]

Critical response

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Magee Adams wrote in The Cincinnati Enquirer that Romberg's summer show "was so delightful that it earned a permanent winter spot".[10] Adams added, "Wednesday evening schedules sorely need just the sort of music Sigmund Romberg can supply so abundantly."[10]

A review in the trade publication Variety said that the summer program "packs plenty of listenable music".[4] It said that Gallop was a plus, "handling his chatter sequences brightly and with his customary aplomb", and it noted that the 45-person orchestra was the "chief attraction".[4]

Variety also reviewed the premiere fall episode, calling it an example of a typical Romberg program — a "slightly schmaltzy, somewhat nostalgic, but always pleasantly tuneful session of gay or sentimental music served up with snap and dash".[9] The review also complimented Hill's and Farris's solos and their duet.[9]

1946

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An Evening with Romberg replaced Red Skelton's program beginning on June 11, 1946.[11] Rowe was the female vocalist,[12] and baritone Reinhold Schmidt was her male counterpart.[13] Ford Pearson was the narrator, with Rod O'Connor and Ned LeFevre as the announcers. Bob Owen was the producer.[14]

Critical response

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A review of the premiere episode in Variety said that Romberg and his music "make a good summer replacement for Red Skelton, as it did last year for Hildegarde."[14] It complimented Rowe's "fine soprano" and Schmidt's "imposing baritone" and said that their duets were the highlight of the episode.[14]

1947

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Beginning on June 10, 1947, the program again replaced Skelton's show[15] on Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. E. T.[16] Schmidt once again was the male vocalist, and soprano Anne Jamison was the featured female singer.[17] O'Connor was the announcer, and Keith McLeod was the director.[16]

Critical response

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A review in Variety described the show as "30 minutes of uninterrupted light musical fare with emphasis on ersatz symphonic arrangements out of the semi-classical library".[16] Comparing the program to a summer park concert, the review said that Romberg's style made all of the songs "sound pretty much alike".[16] Commercials drew the review's harshest comments: "... probably the most grating-on-the-nerve plugs of any in radio, with the multiple reprise of the moisture sound effects sufficient to spoil anyone's enjoyment of a program".[16]

1948

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An Evening with Romberg substituted for Skelton's show on Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, beginning on June 8, 1948.[18] Baritone John Howard and soprano Jean Fenn were the featured singers. McLeod was the director,[19] O'Connor was the announcer, and Pearson was the narrator.[20] The last summer 1948 broadcast occurred on August 31, as People Are Funny took over that time slot for the new radio season.[21]

Critical response

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A review in the trade publication Billboard called the program "pleasant fare" and added, "for those who like their music straight, it's nice material".[22] The review complimented the voices of Fenn and Howard and noted that in its fourth summer the show had "simmered down to a routine, easy-to-take pattern".[22] The one negative element of the review pointed out the "very strong, and sometimes irritating, pattern" of the Raleigh commercials.[22]

A review in Variety called the show "an attractive program and an excellent salespoint for Raleighs", but it described the commercials as having a "general nondescript quality" and being "overlong as well as overdone."[18]

Notes

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  1. ^ An item in the October 1946 issue of Radio Mirror magazine said, "Last year, when she was appearing regularly on two network shows, Genevieve was asked to use a pseudonym on one of them. She was both Irene Hill and Genevieve Row."

References

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  1. ^ Dunning, John (May 7, 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Raleigh Sub". Broadcasting. May 7, 1945. p. 69. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Gibbings, Diana (July 8, 1945). "He Didn't Suffer: Sigmund Romberg Disposes of a Legend and Talks of 'Middle-Brow' Music Mass Production The Beginning". The New York Times. p. 19. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "An Evening with Romberg". Variety. June 20, 1945. p. 30. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Moon, Fred D. (October 17, 1945). "Evening With Romberg Resumes as 'Regular'". The Atlanta Journal. p. 21. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Business Briefly". Broadcasting. October 1, 1945. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "(untitled brief)". Radio Mirror. October 1946. p. 10. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "Radio News and Comment". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 17, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c "An Evening with Romberg". Variety. October 24, 1945. p. 33. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Adams, Magee (October 17, 1945). "Listening In". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 15. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Too Short for a Head". Billboard. May 11, 1946. p. 10. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "Radio Guide". The Altoona Tribune. July 30, 1946. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Adams, Magee (June 18, 1946). "Listening In". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 6. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b c "An Evening with Romberg". Variety. June 19, 1946. p. 26. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  15. ^ Beaumont, Alan (June 10, 1947). "President Truman to Address Canada Parliament Tomorrow". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b c d e "An Evening with Romberg". Variety. June 18, 1947. p. 26. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "KGU News". The Honolulu Advertiser. June 15, 1947. p. 20. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "An Evening with Romberg". Variety. June 16, 1948. p. 26. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "News of Radio". The New York Times. June 4, 1948. p. 46. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  20. ^ "Romberg's Two-Week P. A." Billboard. September 15, 1945. p. 23. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "News of TV and Radio: WOR Works on Device To Aid Listeners". The New York Times. August 15, 1948. p. X 7. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Ackerman, Paul (June 19, 1948). "An Evening with Romberg". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
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