The Freed Eisemann Orchestradians

 The Freed-Eisemann Radio Corp was formed in 1922 in New York City to manufacture and sell radios. It's main office was located at 255 Fourth Avenue which if you know the area is just off the South East corner of Union Square. Previous to their incorporation, that office space was occupied by Robischon & Peckham a  clothier that specialized in knit underwear. Today the area has been extensively rebuilt, I think it's a Best Buy now.

By 1929 the Freed-Eisemann Radio Corp was in receivership. On the other side of bankruptcy in 1931 they became  the Freed Television and Radio Corporation, which in 1940 became the Freed Radio Corporation. It's founder, Joseph David Roth Freed died in 1941. He had been a science major at the College of the City of New York (CCNY), and later worked at the radio test shop in the Washington Navy Yard. He founded the company with Arthur Eisemann, and his brother Arthur Freed.  who was also a radio engineer. He left Freed-Eisemann in 1931 to work at Warner Brothers in charge of the Brunswick Radio Corp. In 1938 he left to become general manager of the Muzak Corporation. But he returned to Freed-Eisemann in 1939.

So at the end of it's rope, in 1929 the Freed-Eisemann Radio Corp decided to go hard into advertising on the radio. They sponsored a group they dubbed the Freed Eisemann Orchestradians. It aired on Tuesdays at 9:30 PM. They played on WJZ-AM and were syndicated on NBC. They were conducted by Phil Spitalny. You might know Phil from his work with another novelty act, the Hour of Charm Orchestra, but that wasn't until 1933. In 1929 Phil was just a hard working Russian composer working with crappy hotel bands. 

The Saturday Evening Post described it as a "gorgeous tapestry of harmony, woven by Phil Spitalny's magic baton." The group was still conducted by Spitalny, btu now usually referred to in print as the "Freshman Orchestradians." For it's short run the Freed Eisemann Orchestradians were billed as the largest dance orchestra on the air. The show was renewed after that Fall and aired at 10:30 in the Spring with a new sponsor: The Charles Freshman Company. It was strangely another radio manufacturer founded in 1922 by a  College of the City of New York alumni, Charles Freshman. Freshman closed up shop in late 1929. Lacking a third radio mogul the band finally called it quits.

The Hour of Charm

There were other all-female orchestras. Phil had run radio orchestras before, but this was the only novelty act. Strangely, all the 78s I've found by the Hour of Charm were by The Hour of Charm Orchestra and Choir and all of them were religious hymns. Spitalny and the orchestra debuted on radio on January 3, 1935.Phil was born in 1890 in Tetiev, Ukraine. He played clarinet and was educated at the Conservatory of Music in Odessa. He emigrated with his family to America while he was still a boy in 1915. They settled in Cleveland. He was fronting big bands by the 1920s. His first big gig was performing at the Hotel Statler.

In 1933 he began to put together his dance orchestra. He actually traveled state to state recruiting members. His plan was to play light music, gently jazzed up classics, and ballroom classical. It was all exceedingly bland. It's focus was Evelyn and her Magic Violin. The magic violinist was Evelyn Kaye Klein, who used the professional name, Evelyn Silverstone. The Orchestra was a 22 piece band included Mary McClanahan on drums, who was later replaced by Viola Smith. Grace Haye played guitar and the dainty Jan Baker played tuba. One of his trumpet players, Phyllis Clendening was still in highschool. There's a comprehensive list here. All 22 members were bound by contract to practice 5 hours a day, no dating, and not to get married without 6 months notice. nonetheless he lost a number of musicians to marrige and to the military in WWII. More here.

They started out on the CBS Network on Sundays in 1935, then in 1936 moved to NBC sponsored by General Electric. They went back to CBS in 1946 and stuck with it for another two years. They also performed on AFRN. As their popularity grew, Phil took the opportunity to expand the orchestra to 36 members. In 1949 they performed at President Harry S. Truman's electoral ball. They recorded for RCA Victor and Columbia. But in 1948 recorded on their own label. Those are the 78s that I kept bumping into. More here.

In time, Phil married his 'magic violinist' in 1946 and retired to Miami Beach in 1958. In semi-retirement he wrote as amusic critic for a local Miami newspaper. He died in 1970. Interesting note, Phil actually has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.