YO-HEAVE-HO UP TO DATE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 339, 21 December 1945, Page 10

YO-HEAVE-HO UP TO DATE

Broadcasting on an Aircraft-Carrier

HOUSANDS of landsmen, women, boys and _ girls crowded the decks of the air-craft-carrier, H.M.S. Indefatigable, or crawled about the endless alleyways, asking endless questions. Officers and ratings reflected the name of their ship in their anxiety to give all the information possible. No, the maintrunk was not a vehicle used for transporting gear around the decks and a cathead had nothing feline about it; splicing the main brace was far more interesting than mending gentlemen’s trouser supports: The guides retained their good humour even when the "Indefat," as they call the carrier for short, was frequently referred to as a boat.

The Listener went aboard too. Though we are no wiser than other people about battleships, there were certain questions we wanted to ask. And these questions were right up our street because we had heard that the ship had her own broadcasting company and Brains Trust and a very comprehensive system of entertainment for the 2,000 people who live on her. Another Set of Initials We started rather badly. Anxious to do the right thing, we doffed our hat when going up the gangway and hit our head smartly on a steel beam. Cleverly hiding a grin, a rating sprang to attention. Whom did we wish to see? Oh, the officers in charge of entertainment? This way, please. And so we met Surgeon

Lieutenant-Commander D,. Catchpole and *Lieutenant-Commander L, A. Sommerville. In the latter’s cabin, well away from distraction, and with the bump on the shead slowly enlarging, we heard about the IBC-the Indefatigable Broadcasting Club-and the stage shows presented by members of the ship’s company every now and then. We asked how the men received their radio programmes. Was there a separate receiving set for each mess so that they could choose what they. liked? The programmes, we found, were picked up on a master set and relayed to the messes. Records, too, could be played and relayed through the loudspeakers. If the men in a mess did not like an item they simply turned it off. When the ship is at sea, the officers explained, the IBC goes into action. The concert party presents its own programmes. ; "How did the IBC originate?" "Well, that’s rather interesting. The BBC had asked the Navy for items to make up a session called Navy Mixture, gave auditions to some of the men, and made their selection. We did much the same. People on the ship came forward to try themselves out and we soon had a show." A Lift Becomes a Stage The last time the concert party turned on an entertainment was on the way from Tokyo to Sydney. They used the hangar, and the lift was used for a stage. One of the men who had been a

professional comedian was producer. Two of the ship’s favourites, Reed and Snowball, often appeared in a double turn on the lines of the Western Brothers, with Reed as the pianist. "Do you record any of these shows for use later?" "No; we have no recording equipment on board, but we hope to get some shortly." "How does general taste run on the ship?" "With a couple of thousand, there’s a mixture. Old Bing is a hot favourite. But you never can tell what they want next. One day there may be a run on classical music and the next all jazz, followed another day by good class musical comedy. It’s just the same as on land, with Bing always popping up." yo

= 4 "How do you conduct your Brains Trust?" "Officers and ratings, generally including a medical officer and the ship’s schoolmaster, lay themselves open as targets for questioning. Questions, put into a box, bring all sorts of surprises to light. Sometimes the ‘brains’ just sit and chew their pencils; sometimes they all rush at once to answer a question, A Quiz Afloat "We also conduct quiz sessions-all these stunts go to every mess by loud-speaker-on knock-out competition lines with teams of six. The prizes are vouchers on the canteen. The questions here, as with the Brains Trust, are very mixed. A sample? Who was the Black Prince? How many films did Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire appear in together? Who achieved the greatest speed on a push bike? And what was it? Some questions-not many-have a nautical flavour." We looked over a schedule of records for broadcasting and found that the list for the week was something like this: Sunday, three-quarters of an hour for "music lovers" (classical music); Monday and Tuesday, general programmes; Wednesday, a mixed grill; also general; Friday, "Greet the Stars"; Saturday, swingtime and the music hall. Then there are occasions when the ship’s cinema operator gives extra variety with (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) "Music from the Movies." Another session of recordings is "These I Would Buy"-items chosen from the library of 650 discs. "How do preferences for artists go?" "You can get an idea from this list, which is not in order of popularity." The list included the Ink Spots, Bing Crosby, Gracie Fields, Deanna Durbin, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Anne Shelton, Geraldo, Joe Loss, Paul Robeson, Judy Garland, Tommy Handley, Ivor Morton and Dave Kaye; and other dance bands in addition to those mentioned. What's the Beer Like? Talks on sundry subjects help to fill in off-duty hours. One popular programme is called "Next Port of Call," with the signature tune of "Thirty Thirsty Sailors." Officers or ratings who have been in the port which the ship is about to give a visit give some information about it and its country and answer questions, the first of which generally concerns the quality of the beer. "I Was There" is another programme of short talks by somebody who has been in some out-of-the-way spot, and the "schoolie" often chips in with chats about rehabilitation or on current topics. Important visitors to the ship are occasionally asked to face the microphone for a few minutes in an "On Board Tonight" session, Thus they earn their share of the main brace splicing. Not long ago members of the ship’? company produced a radio play, a melodrama of murder in Devonshire, called "Thread of Scarlet." It had a cast. of eight and there was no trouble in finding players with a suitable accent. And then, in a serial of four episodes, "Charivari," one of the characters was a barmaid. Would-be female impersonators scrambled for the role. ; On Sunday nights when the ship is at sea an epilogue follows Divine Service; this contains recorded English scenes and sounds. And when parade services are held on the flight deck the Joudspeakers again come into play so that every part can be followed.

Staff

Reporter