Radio Comedy
ROM 3ZB the other night John Mortis talked about his family tree, One of his aunts had been the dead spit of a guardsman, and her moustache was almost adopted as a regulation pattern (Mark V, officers, junior, for the use of) but was beaten by a short whisker, by a more effervescent Air Force shape. His uncle Cuthbert used to fill himself up: with cold water and climb on the stove, under the delusion that he was a singing kettle. He was cured by wearing a kilt. After all, whoever heard of a singing kettle wearing a kilt? John Morris’s delivery and matter were somewhere between Cyril Fletcher and John Tilley, with, I think, a hint of Beachcomber. He did a pretty good line, wth a good, meaty script, full of gags and ideas. Once a gag is used on the radio, it. is gone so far as the performer is concerned. Where a vaudeville comedian might use the same routine for six months, a comic on the air has to have an entirely new script each time. This is a crushing burden for an individual to bear. In America, most. radio comedians have teams of gagmen, and cabinets full of indexed gags. All this adds to the overhead, and makes one show very like another. John Morris has his individual flavour, and will, I hope, not flatten it by trying to make too many broadcasts.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19491014.2.21.2
Bibliographic details
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 538, 14 October 1949, Page 10
Word count
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239Radio Comedy New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 538, 14 October 1949, Page 10
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
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