Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 737, 28 August 1953, Page 24

Open Microphone

NEWS OF BROADCASTERS,

ON AND OFF THE RECORD,

By

Swarf

"Does Crosbie Morrison, the Australian naturalist and broadcaster, appear in any New Zealand’ radio programmes? I do not see his name anywhere. What does he do besides his broadcasting work?’ Crosbie Morrison is heard in a session called Wild Life every Thutsday at’ 6.15 p.m. from. the four ZB stations and 2ZA Palmerston North. ce A "Doe (Wellington) writes:

Wild Life has been running here for several years. Morrison is a _ photographer who thinks colour camera work as an aid to the study of natural history is far superior to any other medium. He is the editor of a magazine called Wild Life, rum by the Melbourne Herald organisation, and he broadcasts a oneman programme that goes over 23 stations in Australia, and one in South Africa as well as the five in New Zealand; and he talks over the ABC stations to schools. He holds these positions: Vice-chairman of trustees, Australian National Museum; past president and councillor, Royal Society of Victoria; chairman, Victorian Combined Societies’ Standing Committee on National Paks;

member of board of managément, Wilson’s Promontory National Park;, president, "Victorian branch, British Astronomical Society; past president and member, Field Naturalists’ Club; lecturer in natural history, Melbourne University Extension. Board. Twenty-three years ago he married Lucy Wadington, of Black Rock, Melbourne, and they have two sons, One, aged 21, has just gained his diploma of forestry and is a forest officer in the Victorian Forestry Commission; the other, 18, recently ‘won a scholarship at the university, doing agricultural, science. Crosbie Morrison is 52 years old. +

MORE ABOUT ANNA

NNA RUSSELL, the British concert comedienne who made such a splash with her take-offs of mannerisms

in vocal music, continues her string of successes by being

, signed up for her third appearance at the New York Town Hall this year. She has also been engaged to star in a revue called Spring Thaw, produced by the . Canadian National Theatre, Toronto. S

BEARDED BALLADEER

-" "SHAMROCK" (North Richmond, : Christchurch), a "great admirer of Burl Ives," asks for "the latest news of his activities and any other available information about the man and his art." The most recent news of Ives is that

he has been broadcasting in tha traarnt

Overseas Service of the BBC, presenting a series of programmes called Wayfaring Stranger. This series is largely his own life story told in song, and it takes its name from his signature tune, "I’m> Just a Poor, Wayfarin’ Stranger." The bearded Burl, who is six feet» two inches when, standing, and about 20. stone in weight standing, sitting or lying down, was born Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives, one of a family of Illinois farmers and

preachers. His grandmother taught him ballads she took West when she crossed .the plains by covered wagon, and in the local church he, used to sing hymns as a boy evangelist. When he was at the Illinois Teachers’ College he suddenly cut lectures in a fit of wanderlust and hit the trail. Later he hitch-hiked all

over America, singing for his supper, collecting the songs of cowboys, railway workers and other groups, and earning his living with odd jobs. In New York in 1933 he began to study singing professionally, took up acting, joined stock companies on tour, and eventually appeared in some Broadway plays. Studying classical music suddenly gave him the idea that he was a genuine folk singer, with a guitar and a large repertoire of songs-an impression whith New Zealand audiences confirmed when he toured this country last year.

SOLOISTS FOR ROYAL CONCERT

* ‘THREE famous New Zealanders are among artists selected to appear before the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at a combined New Zealand and

Austrahan concert in the London Festival Hall on October 19. They

are-Alan Loveday, the violinist who, with his wif@, Ruth Stanfield, has just finished a tour of New Zealand; Colin Horsley, pianist, who last visited this country in 1950, and Inia Te Wiata, the Maori bass, who left New ponpnd for England six years ago,

MAKE-UP ADVISER

¥* ‘[HELMA HOLLAND, beauty expert, who has advised Queen Elizabeth II since Her Majesty’s 18th birthday, is shown here broadcasting a talk on beauty problems in the BBC’s North

American Service. Mrs. Holland spent four

months experimenting on the make-up which the Queen wore for her Coronation. She used a girl model with similar colouring’ to-the Queen’s, and scraps of material from the vivid red Parliamentary robe with blue undertones,‘ which the Queen wore to the Abbey> and the purple robe of State, which she wore for the State Drive after her Coronation. Following extensive television and colour tests Mrs. Holland created a. lipstick which toned with both Royal

robes, a peach-tintéd liquid foundation, a@ special shade of face powder, and a tred-blue rouge to enhance the Queen’s own colouring. The make-up had to

conform with the requirements of five different media-black and white television, colour films, lighting in the Abbey, special lighting installed in the State, Coach and, possibly, sunshine. It also had to conform with the Queen’s express wish that she should look natural and wear as little make-up as possible, since the Coronation was essentially a religious cerérhony.

DISCIPLE OF BING

| MENTIONED recently that England had fotmed a "Friends of Fats" Society in memory of the famous Negro

pianist "Fats" Waller. Now, it appears, Frank Sinatra, who hypnotises certain

types of adolescent with his voice, has achieved a similar distinction. Believe it or not;.an English organisation called the "Sinatraphiles" heads his admirers and distributes portrait buttonholes. to all loyal and true members. It was a Bing Crosby film that sent

Sinatra off on a career netting him millions of fans and dollars. Sinatra had just become a newspaper reporter when the sight and sound of the "Old Groaner" made him change his mind. He resigned his job, went in for an amateur talent quest, sang Night and Day (for the one night only) and then became vocalist with Marry © James’s Band. "Frankie Boy,’ as his admirers call him, owns-as well as a voice-in-terests in several prize fighters, a handful of oil wells and a progressive song publishing business, oe

NATURE BOOKS

"HERE is an eager reading public for nature books and articles, and it is a pity that the greater part of the matter now offered in New Zealand is so pedestrian and hackneyed, and that

publishers have to accept so many scissors and paste

contributions from writers who would not recognise the plants and animals they write about if they happened to meet them in the field. Australia is somewhat better served and writers and journalists like Alec Chisholm and Crosbie Morrison are interpreters who have something worthwhile to say and an effective way of saying it-Dr. R. A, Falla, in a NZBS Book Shop talk. ~~

SAY THAT AGAIN, PLEASE

* "THE New Zealand League for the Hard of Hearing already has several centres in the larger cities ‘and towns, and it hopes to*open a good many ‘more. Nelson, from which a broadcast will come on Thursday, September, 3, opened

a branch this year under the guidance of Mrs. B. W.. Roberts.

who was trained in Auckland, and whose work is arousing considerable interest.

There are many people who cannot, be classed as deaf, but who are hard of hearing; in fact,’ nearly everybody has ~sdme friend who could benefit by knowing more about the ‘League and the help it is giving people who otherwise would be more severely handicappéd. The centres are not intended for ‘speechreading classes only. Rather are they community centres where the deaf or hard of hearing can meet and carry on many interests and activities, and since loneliness is the chief enemy of ‘the deaf. they are of considerable » value. The speaker at 2XN Nelson at 8.45. p.m. on September 3 willbe Brenda de Butts.