FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE STYX

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 451, 13 February 1948, Page 14

FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE STYX

EADERS of that light-hearted American fantasy A Houseboat on the Styx will remember how the author, John Kendrick Bangs, gathered together in his mythical houseboat on the shores of Hades a_ diverse band of famous characters from history, and then let his mind play with the ludicrous situations that might have ensued. To provide opportunity for similar flights of fancy by local personalities-and to give radio listeners the enjoyment of them-the Commercial Division of the

NZBS decided to ask some well-known New Zealanders to talk about the famous men and women, both living and dead, whom they would like to have met had they been living in other countries at other times. The resulting programme, which has been called Famous People I Would Like to Have Met, will be broadcast shortly from 2ZB. Each of the participants was allowed to choose six people, and had to give reasons for the choice. Some picked on the obvious-Napoleon or Queen Eliza-beth-others conjured up the most unlikely shades, and some called upon the memories of their childhood heroes and heroines. In all 10 people take part in the session, which will be broadcast

from 2ZB at 9.15 p.m. on Sundays, beginning this Sunday, February 15, with Mrs. Knox Gilmer. The others to speak are Pat Lawlor, a Wellington journalist; W. S. Wauchop, Parliamentary Librarian and President of the Repertory Society; Stuart Perry, Wellington City Librarian; Mrs. Appleton, "Wellington’s Mayoress; Anne Neville, an Australian typiste working her way through New Zealand; Stephen Staighton, an actor; Anton Vogt, editor of National Education; Norman Major, a 14-year-old schoolboy; and the Auckland poet, artist, and lecturer, A. R. D. Fairburn. One of the most interesting selections was made by Mr. Fairburn. Substituting a dinner party for Bangs’s houseboat he dismisses those famous people he would not like to have present. "I wouldn’t like to invite Napoleon and Hitler, because they would spend all their time fighting out old campaigns." But on the other hand Julius Caesar would be more acceptable-Mr. Fairburn would like to hear his views on the Normandy invasion. Not all the chosen heroes are from the world of spirits, however, and contemporary celebrities come high on the lists of some of the participants. Winston Churchill was popular, but the reasons for his selection were varied. Mrs. Knox Gilmer, the first speaker in the series, was one of those who would have liked to have met Napoleon"when we are young we often form these heroic attachments without much reason." But she also includes Schubert, King Solomon, and Mrs. Pankhurst. Her talk will be heard from 2ZB at 9.15 p.m. this Sunday, February 15. |