Thank You, Mr. Husing!

The news was all over Manhattan's better bars; Toots Shor's was loud with it: Edward Britt ("Ted") Husing, one of the greatest sports oracles in broadcasting history, had turned disc-jockey.* Station WHN told about it in full-page ads in the Times and Herald Tribune, in big spreads in 24 other New York area dailies.

Ten years ago he would not have sat at the same bar with a disc-jockey. In his autobiographical Ten Years before the Mike (1935), Husing wrote (in praise of early WJZ programs): "We never played phonographs into our mikes, but always gave the public genuine acts." But last week, after finding himself out of a job, Ted had changed his mind. Said he: "I'm not losing any dignity as a disc-jockey. At 44, I'm tired of glamor and glory. At CBS I was the highest paid sports announcer in the business, and I only got $27,500. Here, there's no reason why I shouldn't make a quarter of a million a year."

Quiet & Charming. Husiag began his rise to riches in The Bronx, where, he says, he was born "in a room above a quiet corner saloon." As a boy he read avidly--and saved his books until he had enough to start a lending library. ("Now," says Ted, "I never read books. I read myself out as a child. I started with Horatio Alger and went right through the Rover Boys.") And as a boy he got the idea that he would like to be a professional talker. "I dreamed about my name on an office door," he recalls. "Ted Husing, Commentator." After batting around in a dozen jobs, from carnival shill to real estate, Ted saw his dream come true. In 1924 he was hired as one of WJZ's first full-time announcers. He has been talking ever since.

But on his new show, Ted talks little. "The records do the work," he says, "and I just make the announcements quietly and charmingly." To help him he has one of the most carrying voices in radio. So far he has played mostly Crosby, Sinatra, Como, and top tunes arranged by top bandsmen. "This," he explains, "is because I intend to be a dignified disc-jockey." Dignity is paying off. Two new sponsors have signed up since the show started. That makes eleven. And fan mail has been almost as enthusiastic as the ditty Ted had tailor-made for the start and finish of the show. Excerpts:

Thank you, Mr. Husing!

Every minute of your Bandstand

Has us cheering and enthusing.

Sent by the all-star tunes of your choice,

We've thrilled to the silvery tones of your voice . . .

And your comments so amusing . . .

Make it jump, Mr. Husing!

Program Preview

For the week beginning Sunday, Nov. 10. (All times are E.S.T., subject to change without notice.)

New York Philharmonic (Sun. 3 p.m., CBS). Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony, Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor. Soloist: 15-year-old Pianist Sylvia Zaremba. Conductor: Artur Rodzinski.

NBC Symphony (Sun. 5 p.m., NBC), Schumann's Manfred Overture, Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. Conductor: Arturo Toscanini.

Fred Allen (Sun. 8:30 p.m., NBC). Guests: Charlie McCarthy & friend.

Telephone Hour (Mon. 9 p.m., NBC). Violin selections from Bach's Partita No. 3. Soloist: Jascha Heifetz.

You & Alcohol (Tues. 6:15 p.m., CBS). First of a 13-week series on the psychological, medical, social and legal aspects of drinking. Speaker: Dr. Elvin M. Jellinek, director of Yale's alcohol studies.

Metropolitan Opera (Sat. 2-5 p.m., ABC). First broadcast of the 1946-47 season. Verdi's Otello, with Torsten Ralf, Stella Roman, Leonard Warren.

Philadelphia Orchestra (Sat. 5 p.m., CBS). Mozart's Symphony in D Major ("Prague"), Franck's Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra. Soloist: Chilean Pianist Claudio Arrau. Conductor: Eugene Ormandy.

* A pitchman who knows how to change records. He exists because 1) radio prefers hot air to dead air; 2) some listeners like to hear their favorite musicians often, and an announcer and record library are much cheaper than the high-priced orchestras and entertainers. These Knights of the Turntable wear the silks of dozens of sponsors. Of several hundred in the U.S., Manhattan's oil-slick Martin Block is best known, has made up to $325,000 a year. At least five others do better than $50,000.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.