Contented

The program opened with the dreamy old song, Won't You Wait Till the Cows Come Home, accented by the tinkle of a cowbell and the recorded moo of a Jersey heifer. It closed with a gooey, sentimental ballad called Contented, sung by a weepy-voiced tenor ("I'm on heaven's own doorstep, so contented with you"). Between the moo and the mush, the Carnation Milk Co. poured out a half hour of semi-classical music as thick and sweet as its product. To keep its Contented Hour flowing smoothly, Carnation also hired such big names as Bonelli and Swarthout.

Last week, NBC's Contented Hour, one of radio's oldest and best-known, began its 15th year. But it was almost a new show. Gone were the moo and the bell, the bleating ballad. Only familiar prop was Canadian-born, 36-year-old Conductor Percy Faith. Regarded as one of radio's top arrangers, he is equally deft with light classics and new jazz. His formula for a new contentment: more Kostelanetz-like arrangements of Gershwin and Rodgers, fewer old soothers like Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes.

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