WHEN IS A PINT NOT A PINT?

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 51, 14 June 1940, Page 9

WHEN IS A PINT NOT A PINT?

Eavesdropping On The Drama Department 6¢é H'= much is a pint?" said one drama expert to the other. His colleague, observing us enter, turned a baffled gaze in our direction, and shrugged‘ his shoulders meaningly. " Because," continued the. first expert, "as you may remember, there was some controversy on the subject of pint handles recently, and even Shakespeare apparently had his doubts-at least, in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ the question is disputed." "You've been reading ‘The Taming of the Shrew’?" we asked. " Yes," he said, non-committally. "You don’t say so?" we said. "Say so? I should say so," he replied. " It’s one of the big productions featured in our : Peneraanene for the next .six months. "Tell us all about it,’ we hinted. | *"*What-about pint handles?" asked the drama expert. "No," we said, hopefully. " About the productions for the next six months." " Ah, that’s different," he said. "First of all, there are a number of bright comedies. There’s Arnold Bennett’s ‘Cupid and Commonsense.’ That’s a premier! Then there’s Galsworthy’s ‘A Bit o’ Love,’ St. John Ervine’s ‘Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, A> A, ‘Miine’s’ ‘Michael and Mary, and a whizz- bang. . ."

"A what?" we said. ‘""A very merry little play by P. G. Wodehouse," he elucidated, "called ‘If I. Were you.’ Then there’s James Hilton’s popular ‘Good-bye, Mr, Chips,’ a comedy called ‘ Mr. Pratt’s Waterloo," by Val Gielgud and Philip Wade, a special play for Father’s Day called, curiously enough, ‘Father’s Day,’ and, of course, ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’" " Ah, yes, we’ve heard about that," we murmured. "Then in- slightly more serious vein,’ he continued undaunted, "there’s George Preedy’s ‘ Captain Banner,’ ‘ Victoriana No. 8,’ and a special GraemeHolder Christmas play, ‘ Unimportant People." " "An attractively varied bag," we commented. _ "Ah, but that’s not all," he said. "The NBS has purchased the broadcasting rights to the famous ‘Inspector Hornleigh’ series by H. W. Priwin." "Wait a minute," we said. " Wasn’t that put out in a film version?" "That’s right. Then we’ve bought the broadcasting rights to ‘Send for Paul Temple, by Francis Durbridge, who’s recognised as one of the cleverest of the English radio playwrights. Much of, his work has been produced by the BBC. Well, that," he pay "is about the lot." "And very nice, too," we said. "All these are to be presented from National Stations during the next six months?" : "That’s right," he said: "And they’re all NBS productions, too. Now about the pint... ." "Excuse us," we said, "we've got an article to write." And.we left Pati hotly debating the ise measure.