Voice of the Dummy
MANY of us have, in youth, fallen for those little advertisements in the boys’ magazines, which offered to initiate us into the secret of ventriloquism. The secret never quite worked, and a sizeable part of the male population must consist of frustrated ventriloquists. Perhaps that accounts for the continued popularity of the art, But it’s sureiy essential that the voice should appear to come from the dummy, and it seems odd that even a very good ventriloquist like Peter Brough should be a radio star. It’s true that he has a fair script, and his Archie Andrews has a distinctive style modelled partly on the late Charlie McCarthy. All the same, the effect is-to make an obvious pointwooden. I can’t help thinking that Max Bygraves is the real hero of the programme. His "Cowpuncher’s Cantata’ is a comprehensive piece of dead-pan parody which disposes of half a dozen ex-song hits at one shot. He has an unabashed, resourceful personality, and has in recent weeks figured with equal aplomb as a spook sent to scare an unscarable miser, and a magician who accidentally finds himself in the place people get to when thev do the Indian
Rope Trick.
M.K.
J.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19530828.2.22.2
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 737, 28 August 1953, Page 10
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203Voice of the Dummy New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 737, 28 August 1953, 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.
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