Oct 1936 Christian Steiner Stand By Magazine Prairie Farmer WLS Fashion.

Dressed for Riding the Rhythm Range are the Rock Creek Rangers.

L to R: George playing the violin, Sam strumming the guitar, Sunshine

Sue with her accordion and John with the bass fiddle.

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Rock Creek Rangers

and Sunshine Sue

Are One Happy Family

"R

OCK Creek runs right through

Dad's farm out in Van Buren

county, Iowa, so that's where

we got the name of Rock Creek

Rangers," explains George Workman,

the in-between brother who plays the

violin.

Just to get this family relationship

straight, John, George and Sam are

brothers and Sunshine Sue, whose

real name is Mary, is John's wife.

The two younger boys aren't mar-

ried and Sue "mothers" the whole

brood now that they're away from

home.

Sue grew up in the same Iowa

county, and she and John first met

at a community pie social. Sue liked

to sing and so did John, especially

when Sue was strumming on her

ukelele.

Practiced After Chores

John and George and Sam spent

many of their hours after the farm

chores were done practicing on their

instruments so they could entertain

folks at community gatherings. John

persuaded Sue that, with her ac-

cordion and ukelele, she should join

this family orchestra. Not long after

that he persuaded her that she

should join the family, and so these

neighborhood sweethearts were mar-

ried.

When they were little more than

thoir

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ried.

When they were little more than

youngsters John and Sue had their

own duo act and entertained on

many of the Iowa stations for about

six years. Then they decided to get

the old family orchestra together

again so Sam left college, and the

four of them began their radio ca-

reer on WMT, Waterloo.

They were there about six months

and then at KRNT, Des Moines, for

a year. At KRNT, they went over big

as the Rock Creek Ramblers and

Sunshine Sally.

They came into Chicago one Satur-

day and Harold Safford auditioned

the act between shows of the barn

dance. Harold liked them and want-

ed George Biggar to hear them so

they put on their act again on the

stage of the Eighth Street Theatre

after the barn dance was over.

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Sue with

The name of the act was changed

from the Rock Creek Ramblers to the

Rock Creek Rangers to avoid con-

fusion with the Prairie Ramblers;

and because two "Sally's" are al-

ready heard on the station, Mary's

name was changed to Sunshine Sue.

Smile-A-While was their first pro-

gram. "But we don't mind getting

up early," John says, "cause we were

plenty used to that down on the

farm. Then too we like the informal-

ity of Smile-A-While. We used to

work an early morning program out

at KRNT so, all in all, we feel right

at home."

"Those Rock Creek Rangers are

just as full of pep early in the morn-

ing as they are later in the day,"

Merle

should see them make a dash for the

coffee and doughnuts. Of course Red

Foley always gets there first but the

Rock Creek folks are never far be-

hind."

99

Housh testifies.

"And you

(3 )

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HE "American School of the

Air" began its eighth consecu-

tive season of broadcast instruc-

tion over the coast-to-coast WABC-

Columbia network on Tuesday, Octo-

ber 13, from 1:15 to 1:45 p. m., CST,

with the introduction of a new series

featuring the musical compositions of

famous historical figures.

Musical works by Frederick the

Great, Emperor of Prussia, were the

first to be presented.

On succeeding Tuesdays the school

will present madrigals and songs of

Henry VI, Henry VIII, Charles I,

Charles II of England and other rul-

ers and public figures whose ambi-

tions in music were handicapped by

political necessity.

Another notable innovation in the

music course to be heard during the

second half of the season will be a

broadcast from several foreign coun-

tries each Thursday. Soloists, cho-

ruses and choirs of Ireland, France,

Spain,

Czecho-Slovakia,

Scotland and Denmark will bring the

best in native folk music to the stu-

dent audience.

T

Germany,

Sweden,

Holland,

Austria,

Italy,

As in former years, the subjects to

be presented by the school include

history, geography, literature, sci-

ence, vocational guidance and cur-

rent events. The broadcasts in his-

tory, geography and vocational guid-

ance will assume the same drama-

tized form as previously. Shepard

Stone, newspaper correspondent and

international student, will be heard

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PEN season for witch-

es, spooks and hob-

goblins will soon be

with us and no better ex-

cuse exists for a party.

Green

b

МА

WRI

eyed black cats,

sleepy owls, slinking skeletons, roly

poly grinning jack-o-lanterns, and

stealthy bats, one or all, can be called

in to add to the mysteriousness of the

To make

Hallowe'en atmosphere.

your party the grand success you an-

ticipate, even

the refre sh-

ments must be

in harmony

with these rogu-

ish characters

which m ake

themselves con-

spicuous in this

world only once

each year.

Of course

you'll bob

apples and

make delicious

for

Mrs. Wright

popcorn balls during the evening. If

you want to serve traditional food,

you have quite a long list from which

to make your selections. Doughnuts

and cider, pumpkin tarts and taffy

apples belong to Hallowe'en as much

as plum pudding to Christmas and

turkey to the Thanksgiving feast.

Traditional foods which are included

because of their name, are deviled

eggs, devil's food cake, and "sand-

witches."

Halloween Sandwiches

Most attractive sandwiches

made by cutting the bread with a

round cutter, spreading with a deep

yellow cheese and covering with a

are

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witches."

Halloween Sandwiches

Most attractive sandwiches

made by cutting the bread with a

round cutter, spreading with a deep

yellow cheese and covering with a

round of bread made to resemble a

goblin's face. Use candy licorice cut

in rounds for the eyes, cut in shape

of a triangle and a half moon for the

nose and mouth.

are

Similar open faced sandwiches may

be made using sliced stuffed olives

for the eyes, a piece of date for the

nose, a half moon of pimiento' for

the mouth and ground cooked ham,

moistened with salad dressing, for

the hair.

Fortune sandwiches add to the fun

of your party. Prepare one small

sandwich of any appropriate filling

for each guest. Wrap it in waxed

paper, then in black tissue paper and

tie with a narrow orange ribbon. Un-

der each ribbon slip a sealed fortune.

While refreshments are being eat-

en, these fortune sandwiches should

be passed with great solemnity by a

"witch" who warns guests not to

touch the fortunes until so instructed.

Later, as the witch calls each guest's

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A festive cake for a spooky party.

the orange pulp carefully to preserve

the shape of the orange. Fill the

orange with a gelatin fruit salad,

using orange gelatine. Use a round

butter cracker for the lid of the jack-

o-lantern and top it with grated

cheese. Take your choice of cloves,

licorice or melted chocolate for mak-

ing the eyes, nose and mouth on the

orange to complete the jack-o-lan-

tern.

When all your guests gather around

a large table, use a tablecloth of

brown cambric and make a large dec-

orated devil's food cake or chocolate

ice box cake for the

Flank it on either end with orange

candles in home-made gourd or small

pumpkin candle sticks, surrounded

by oak leaves. Cover the electric

light bulbs with lavender paper and

the effiect is in keeping with the oc-

casion.

centerpiece.

Ice the cake, both sides and top,

with a fluffy seven-minute icing

*(9 *

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Fans welcome Dolly & Milly Good's western ballads back on the airlanes.

410 -

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Red Foley “bringing home the

bacon." Red is to be one of the

judges in the new song contest.

Miss Genevieve Kiss has asked for

the words to Jesse James. We give

them below from a version that ap-

peared shortly after the death of

America's most colorful bandit.

JESSE JAMES

Oh, the people held their breath

When they heard of Jesse's death

And wondered how he ever came to die.

It was little Robert Ford,

The dirty little coward,

That shot poor Jesse on the sly.

Jesse was in his room

Hanging pictures on the wall,

His back it was turned toward the door,

When in come Robert Ford,

That dirty little coward,

And shot poor Jesse to the floor.

(11 *

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(Below) "Finger con-

trol" as demonstrated

by Tom Hargis. Inter-

pretation of the signal

is "Stand By for next

cue!"

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orking-

"How do you pronounce

."wonders Mikeman

Herb Morrison (left) as he consults the well-thumbed

dictionary in the announcers’ office.

(Below) Home Advisor Mary Wright and John

Baker, script-writer, confer on the musical set-up

for Homemakers’ Hour.

The

candid

(Left)

catches

camera

Baker,

member of continuity staff, in

the throes of commercial creation.

Frank is a former member of the

NBC continuity department.

Frank

newest

(Left) Henry Burr

drops into Harold

Safford's office for a

midday visit.

about your Tuesday

program," Saff says.

"Now

W. R. Butler, Stand

By proof-reader, and

Ralph Emerson take

time out of the day's

routine for a

story and a hearty

laugh. (Below)

good

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Tuba Player

N DINNER Bell time, Art Page

often mentions "Chris and his

big bass horn" and that's right

where Christian Steiner is most of

the time he's in the studios-all

wound up in his bass tuba.

Chris has always liked low notes.

He learned to play the bass tuba and

the bass viol when he was just a

youngster in Hungary, his birthplace.

Before he was 10 years old Chris

had blown his tuba into a position

with the famous Schzlyony's Boys

Hussar Band and several years later

he toured America and Canada with

this group. The band was composed

of 38 lads between the ages of 11 and

13 and many of them, like Chris, de-

termined to return to this country

when they grew up.

After his four-year sojourn in

America, Chris played for five months

in Stockholm, Sweden. Back in Hun-

gary Chris joined the army band and

served his military term under Em-

peror Franz Joseph.

When he came of age, he immedi-

ately sailed for America and settled

in St. Louis. Chris may have been a

little homesick for his native land, in

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Between sombrero and Dobbin's

ears, you can catch a glimpse of

that old cowhand, Georgie Goebel.

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Christine in her Alpine costume,

snapped when she sang at the

Richland County Fair. Our thanks

to Geraldine MeWilliams, Olney,

Illinois, for this picture.

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Rock Creek Rangers in rehearsal. L to R: George, Sam, Sunshine Su

and John pause for the candid camera.