NEW GRACIE FIELDS SHOW

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 737, 28 August 1953, Page 17

NEW GRACIE FIELDS SHOW

RACIE. FIELDS — still Our Gracie to many-will be heard on the air again shortly in a new edition of The Gracie Fields Show. With her as joint master-of-ceremonies will be Bernard Braden, the popular Canadian broadcaster at present being heard as compére of What’s My Line? Braden’s bantering performance will in a sense be continuous, as the new show replaces What’s My Line? from all ZB stations and 2ZA at 9.0 p.m. on Thursdays, as from September 3. In spite of her big voice, Gracie will not be the only singer in the show. With her will be The Keynotes, whose smooth presentation and novel arrangements have made them a big attraction

in British radio. They will be familiar to most New Zealand listeners through their appearances in Take It From Here. They sing their own numbers as well as supporting Gracie in the new series. One of Britain’s popular dance band leaders, Billy Ternent, is in charge of the music. Born in the Lancashire mill town of Rochdale 55 years ago, Gracie Fields made her first big hit as Sally Perkins in Mr. Tower of London in 1918, The show ran till 1925. Since then she has gone on to establish herself in the affection of millions throughout the world. When she was ill in 1939 there were solicitous. messages from Mr. Atlee and Lord Southwood, as well as from thousands of the ordinary folk with whom she identified herself. Perhaps the measure of her artistry -many have called it genius-is that she can command laughter and tears and laughter again without making her performance in any way ludicrous or insincere. One of her wartime shows for the R.A.F., for instance, ranged from Fred Famnakapan to Gounod’s Ave Maria; from Little Gréy Home in the West to burlesques on Hitler, and finally to O Come All Ye Faithtul. John Watt, a former’ Director of Variety for the BBC, directs The Gracie Fields Show, which is produced by Towers of London.’