Gracie, How's Your Information? The Way It Was, 20 June

1939: "THAT SURREALISTIC PAINTER"---OK, so she won't be asked, "Gracie, how's your information," but radio's favourite illogical logician will be introduced as "that surrealistic painter." (Allen did paint as a hobby, but the phrase could also have applied to her legendary grammatical inversions.)

And, she will hold her own very nicely, thank you, becoming anything but an extinguished panelist on tonight's edition of Information, Please. (NBC.)

Remaining panelists: John F. Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, John Gunther. Host: Clifton Fadiman. Announcer: Milton Cross.

CHANNEL SURFING, FURTHER . . .

1937: JACK'S MOVIE---A little Father's Day needling ("Hello, Daddy, and I don't mean 'sugar'") graduates to a lot of celluloid sarcasm, and only a week after Mary (Livingstone) gets a whack at a movie, on tonight's edition of The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny. (NBC.)

Additional cast: Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, Kenny Baker, Andy Devine, Phil Harris, Don Wilson. Music: Phil Harris and His Orchestra, Kenny Baker. Announcer: Don Wilson. Writers: George Balzer, Al Boasberg, Sam Perrin.

1950: SYMPHONY OF DEATH---On the night she's revealed as San Francisco's favourite old-time radio program/detective, by way of a San Francisco Examiner listeners' poll, our heroine (Natalie Masters) gets a visit from the sister (Cilla Skelton) of a hit songwriter (John Rover) who fears her brother's pending symphony might become the soundtrack to his permanent demise, on tonight's edition of Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209. (NBC.)

Watson: Jack Douglas. Mallard: Henry Leff. Announcer: Dudley Manlove. Writer: Monte Masters.

PREMIERING TODAY . . .

1890---Effie Palmer (actress: Lonely Woman; Scattergood Baines), Albany, New York.
1893---Edwin Wolfe (actor: Pepper Young's Family), unknown.
1897---Bob Howard (pianist/vocalist: Calsodent Presents Bob Howard; Sing It Again), West Newton, Massachussetts.
1899---Helen Traubel (vocalist: Metropolitan Opera; The Bell Telephone Hour; The Jimmy Durante Show), St. Louis.
1904---Matt Crowley (actor: Mark Trail; Buck Rogers), unknown.
1909---Errol Flynn (actor: Modern Adventures of Casanova; Lux Radio Theater), Hobart, Tasmania.
1924---Chet Atkins (as Chester Burton Atkins; guitarist/composer: Boone County Neighbours; Grand Ole Opry), Luttrell, Tennessee.Audie Murphy (World War II hero/actor: Cavalcade of America; The Big Show), Kingston, Texas.
1931---Martin Landau (actor: No Love Lost), Brooklyn.