The Farmer Takes a Mike

Radio's outdated version of the U.S. farmer--a Mortimer Snerdish bumpkin borrowed from the burlesque stage--has changed radically in the last month. In a new quiz show called R.F.D. America (Mutual, Thurs. 9:30 p.m., E.S.T.), the real farmer turns out to be an alert, articulate, well-schooled young man--with no straw in his hair and no quid in his cheek.

The show originated with Radio Producer Louis G. Cowan, who got to thinking how important U.S. farm folk are in a hungry world. It occurred to him that radio had no adequate showcase for--or interest in--rural America; even Hooperatings are taken only in the larger cities.So he asked John Lewellen, the Quiz Kids' program director, to work up a proper show. Lewellen, who was raised on a farm near Gaston, Ind., sent his parents out over the R.F.D.s of rural America to drum up interest and recruit performers.

Presiding over R.F.D. America is Joe Kelly, a veteran quizmaster (Quiz Kids') and radio hayfoot (National Barn Dance). Wearing a violent plaid shirt, overalls and straw hat, and spouting wheezy barnyard jokes, Kelly is the only jarring note among the soberly dressed, well-scrubbed men & women who participate in the show.

Each week, four contestants--usually three men and one woman--answer questions about farm life. Samples: "Why is butter yellower in summer than in winter?" "'Why are barns painted red?"* Prizes, as in most quiz programs, are lavish, but they are also practical: a manure spreader, an automatic shotgun, a ten-year supply of overalls (40 pairs), a milking machine. Contributors of questions used get a $50 gift certificate with a mail-order catalogue.

Fast-paced, intelligent, often funny, R.F.D. America already looks like an assured hit. Next week it gets a sponsor: the Ford dealers of America.

*Answers: Lush pasture gives butter a darker color; some red paint is cheap and durable.

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