THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 68, 11 October 1940, Page 6

THINGS TO COME

A Kun Through The Programmes

defeatist, susceptible to rumour and Daventry Ear? Why worry? Eat more lettuce and see the silver lining! Does the war news get you down? Do you dream about Hitler? Does Mussolini spoil your appetite? Forget it! Eat more cabbage, more spinach, more silver beet! What’s the cure for Ballot Blues? Brussels Sprouts! Green vegetables will do the trick; green, leafy vegetables. But don’t take our word for it. Get confirmation from the A.C.E. Their talk on "Nature’s Tonic: The Leafy Vegetable," will be given from 1YA on Thursday, October 17, at 3.30 p.m., from 2YA on Friday, October 18, at 3 p.m., and from 3YA on Thursday, at 2.30 p.m. What of the Film Star? Marlene Dietrich said last week (or was it last month, or last year?) that although she might look a bit synthetic on the screen, at heart she was really a mother. Which hasn’t very much to do with O. L. Simmance’s readings from J. Jefferson Farjeon (3YA, Wednesday, October 16, 8.8 p.m.), but it does show you that you never know what to expect from these people who work in the gladdest and maddest and saddest industry on earth. And that is precisely why we are going to see what Mr. Simmance has to report about what Mr. Farjeon said ; RE you downhearted, gloomy,

the film star said when he (she?) was telling a'tale on the sinking raft. Will it be a thrilling account of how he (she?) overcame his (her?) inhibitions and changed from an introvert to an extrovert after reading "The Grapes of Wrath," or will it show that even film stars have mothers and fathers? Character Study The Graeme Holder play, "A Lady of Fifty-six,’ which 2YA will broadcast at 9.20 p.m. on Monday, October 14, is almost purely a character study of the name-part. The lady of 56 lives next door to a family whose child, in her eyes, is always doing wrong. He makes a noise when he should be silent and tramples her plants when he should be at home on his own side of the fence. She rants and rates at him. The child dies. The old lady. pretends that her heart is too hard to be sorry. The main part in this radio play is taken by May Macdonald, of Napier, whose work for the NBS in other locallyproduced radio plays is giving her some status on the air. Gentleman Rider The especially gentlemanly gentleman rider drawn by Russell Clark is probably the last person whom Nat Gould would consider for a character. However, the perversity of the artist must be tolerated for all he has had to do is draw attention to the broadcasts of a Nat Gould story in radio serial form: "A Gentleman Rider" is in next week’s 3YA pro-

grammes at 8.14 pm. on Tuesday, October 15, and in 2YD’s programmes for Tuesday and Thursday at 7.35 p.m. In the Gould story the gentleman rider is the hero with the usual Gouldish villains attempting to poison, drug and bring sudden death in various other unpleasant forms to both the beast and its owner. Readers of the yellow-backed books of the Turf will find that this is their meat. The Future of Art Now that the monstrosities of wartime reality have made the surrealists look tame, it seems difficult to prophesy what artists will turn to next, but a panel of speakers is going to try at 3YA on Wednesday, October 16, at 7.35 p.m. They will be speaking in the finale of the Winter Course series, "Things As Seen By an Artist." There was a time when

any artist who painted gas-masked shapes clad in anti-contamination suits of oiled silk against a background of sausage balloons would have been put down quite simply as mad. Now the amateur photographer can produce such pictures from real life. Artists are supposed to anticipate change. They must be racking their brains just now. Story of a Stretch Our lesson in economics this week, as readers will see, takes an essentially practical form. Russell Clark illustrates exactly how easy it is to stretch the pound note. What he does not show is that the pound note is worth no more when it is stretched, assuming its elasticity in, the first place. Pull it as hard as you like, with your wages on one end and your ex-

penses on the other, and it will still buy no more of the things it has been buying. But you may be able to make it do more work in its attentuated form if you try using it for different purposes: asparagus tips instead of caviare, beer instead of Burgundy, and sackcloth instead of Savile Row, so to speak. The A.C.E. will give some other hints on the subject from 4YA at 3.15 p.m. on Friday, October 18. When Braces Were Braces If it is true, as we said last week, that race meetings run a dead heat with newspapers in the foundation of colonies, then it is fitting that the talk about newspapers in New Zealand history should be followed by one on the development of sport. Cricket was played very early in New Zealand, before Waitangi. Football didn’t come along until a good deal later-at any rate football with rules. Wellington’s’ anniversary regatta used to be a great annual festival. Forty years ago or more, the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club’s meetings were so popular that they were considered a ‘serious rival to Ellerslie. Those were the days: a member of the NBS staff once saw a batsman go out to the wickets in a representative match with his trousers held up by braces, L. R. Palmer is to deal with this history of sport from 2YA on Monday, October 14, at 7.30 p.m. On the Mat Some idea of the even competition among this season’s trio of wrestlers may be gained from knowing that last week Blomfield had lost five matches, drawn two, and won two; that Katan had won five, lost three, and drawn six; and that

McCready had lost two, drawn four and won three. Wrestling is a notable omission in 2YA’s programmes for Monday, October 14. Unless» arrangements are altered after The Listener is. printed, the McCready-Katan match this week was the last of the season in the Capital. But listeners in Auckland will find the item in its accustomed place in 1YA’s programme for Monday next, when the ringside commentary will begin at 9.20 p.m. from Auckland Town Hall. The Modern Home Although A. C. Marshall will probably not acknowledge the fact, the best sort of building material these days seems to be corrugated steel, well covered with earth, and camouflaged with forget-me-nots. He will talk from 1YA on Thursday, October 17, at 7.35 p.m., in the Homemaking series. His subject is materials; and since he is talking about New Zealand and not Britain or Europe, we presume that he is going to talk about houses built above ground and not the caves into which humanity is retreating in less fortunate places. But if we still do not have to worry about bombs, in New Zealand we must think about the weather, and about earthquakes if our homes are along the fault line. Then there is cost to consider, and the current rate of interest on mortgages. Mr. Marshall has half an hour in which to resolve all these complications.