THIS CORWINISM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 402, 7 March 1947, Page 18

THIS CORWINISM

Sir,-I am glad that another reader ("Mere Listener," 24.1.47) has broached a subject I had thought of writing on for several weeks. I, too, think Norman Corwin has been over-publicised by tne NZBS and The Listener, One of the average New Zealander’s \most obvious failings is a tendency to fall for the flamboyant and exotic while neglecting

to note the sounder and more stable presentation of ideas or talent just because the promulgators are our own folk. _ We display a deplorable lack of sense of values and balanced judgrent when we accept persons or philosophies on an overseas evaluation without waiting to judge for ourselves after due consideration and comparison. In publicity it is an axiom that the label sells the goods; in.the case of this young American the label has been affixed by a community with a culture and sense of values very different from our own. It was therefore inevitable that, in spite of all the "plugging," he did not go over as some folk seem to have expected. There are still some of us left with critical faculties and powers of discrimination. Mr. Corwin seemed to me to be too obviously impressive and overwhelmingly assured of his mission to be convincing. He impressed me (and I find that many of my friends were similarly impressed) as striving for effect with too liberal laying on of oratorical verbosity. Moreover, there was too much weighting for good measure with the God idea put into flamboyant phrases; however dressed this no longer is accepted by the thinking and adult-minded among listeners as having anything whatever to do with world betterment. Mankind’s huge and pressing problems call for a humane and realist approach, for man alone can solve them and the sooner that fact is accepted and acted upon then the sooner we will have the one world which will satisfy the idealist and the realist alike. Consideration of Mr. Corwin’s message, together with signs and portents in world affairs as presented in the daily news, suggests that we may, for our sins, be given his One World--an American one. From that fate may the powers of reason deliver us.

M. B.

SOLJAK

(Auckland)_

Sir,-I am glad someone has made a mild protest about the build-up which The Listener has been giving Norman Corwin over the past few months. I agree with "A Mere Listener" that it is much the kind of publicity that one might expect in a Hollywood film magazine. I liked his talks and there can be no doubt that he has a most effective broadcasting technique, but I, too, could not help comparing his talks with that of James Bertram. I had no difficulty in placing Mr. Corwin second. Mr. Bertram did not have the same facile technique, but he did communicate a greater sincerity and depth of feeling. And I know he made me think more about "one world." He did not assure me what a wonderful little world New Zealand was (we've heard that enough anyway), but he took me to the bigger world where millions of people starve and die bfore

they are young.

J.

W.

(Dunedin).