Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 781, 9 July 1954, Page 24

Open Microphone

news in the commercial stations Women’s Programmes, Zenocrate Graham has the background to suit. She has been a free lance broadcaster since the mid-thirties, and has been involved in the theatre for most of her life. Even her name derives from the theatre. Zenocrate is the beloved cap+ tive of Tamberlaine, the ruthless king of Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great. "It was wonderful when I first saw the play," says Mrs. Graham. "It was the first time I’d met anyone with the same name." Though she was first frightened by a "mike" at the age of 16, Mrs. Graham is still not blasé about them: "I still get nervous doing something new." Perhaps her most enjoyable experience in broadcasting, she says, was playing Hazel in the early NZBS serial One Man’s Family. "I used to get fan mail -‘Dear Hazel, I don’t think you were wise to do that!’ I’d just chucked up Bill Austin, who was my boy-friend in the show!" She also got presents of scent and handkerchiefs from listeners who found One Man’s Family was almost a real institution. Educated at Victoria College and Wellington Teachers’ Training College, h giving film and theatre

Mrs. Graham is a B.A., and holds the University’s Plunket Medal for oratory. Before the war she travelled in Britain, France and Belgium, and studied under several eminent teachers of the voice. For two years, till the beginning of 1954, she taught speech and drama at Training College, and is currently giving a speech and poetry session in the Correspondence School broadcasts on Monday mornings. Apart from her work in amateur drama, Mrs. Graham has figured in numbers of NZBS drama _ productions. She is, for instance, in Richelieu; Cardinal or King? at present playing from 2YA on Sunday evenings. Most of her dramatic work has been on the interpretive side, but she has written a play, The Story of Ludwig van Beethoven, which took second prize in an NZBS play-writing competition. Her Women’s Programme session of film and the theatre, she says, is for those keen on these arts, but unable to read all the latest information on them. It consists of news and background, rather than reviews. Between’ broadcasts Mrs. Graham busies herself with theatrical work and with her two children, aged nine and 12. "I hope they never want to go on the stage,’ she says, "but I expect they will." o :

THEY CALL HER JAN

s HOUGH mathematics and the arts are supposed not to be very happy bedfellows, the BBC discovered when they interviewed the young actress Janette Scott last year that arithmetic is her favourite subject. Janette, whose photograph, readers may remember,

appeared on the cover of The Listener a little more than a year ago,

is Little Nell in the BBC version of The Old Curiosity Shop, now being heard from 2YC. Besides appearing in sound and television broadcasts and on the stage, she is, of course, a film actress. She has been under contract to Associated British Pictures since she made No Place for Jennifer when she was 10, and she will be with them at least till she is 17, in

about two years’ time. Among her films — seen in New Zealand are The Galloping © Major and No Highway in the Sky, Janette has talked with Royalty, had ~ beautiful dresses made for film pre- — miéres, opened bazaars and been cheered at personal appearances, but she © declares that the most thrilling moment of her life was wher she switched on — the illuminations at Morecambe two —

years ago. "It wasn't only the lights and the civic reception that made it so wonderful," she says. "You see, Mummy comes from. Morecambe. I was born there and lived there till I was seven."

EWS OF BROADCASTERS, N AND OFF THE RECORD

Janette’s mother, Thora Hird, of stage, screen and radio, and her father, Jimmy Scott, a professional musician, have combined to give the young actress this unspoiled outlook. Janette who, by the way, is mostly called Jan ("She’s only Janette when we’re being strict"), reads a lot and likes mystery stories. And her favourite fictional character is, guess who? Little Nell. Jan will be heard from 2YC in the second and third parts of The Old Curiosity Shop at 10.0 p.m. this

Saturday (July 10) and next Saturddy (July 17). *

ELLALINE TERRISS REMEMBERS

| ISTENERS who’ ‘remember _ their theatre-going of 30 years ago, with the sort of memory that recalls not only the names of plays but the players and their parts, must have turned out an old programme or two when they heard

Ellaline TerrissLady Hicks-shar-ing with Sir Compton Mackenzie one

of his programmes of theatrical reminiscences, Beaux and Belles, now going the rounds of National stations. This 83-year-old actress, who 60 years ago was enchanting London as Cinderella in a Lyceum pantomime that made theatrical history, has, of course, many more stories to tell than were heard in this BBC programme, and according to the John o’ London’s Weekly columnist "Colophon" she is telling them in a book she is now writing. She intends to call it Not a Day Too Long. "Colophon"

says she is often to be seen in the stalls of London theatres, and her book will include stories of present-day celebrities, as well as memories of such figures as Sir Henry Irving and Ellen ‘Terry, whom she called "Auntie Nell." Beaux and Belles is still to be heard from a number of National stations and will be broadcast next from 2XP, in the weeks starting July 12 and 19. It is also to be broadcast on the ZB network at 9.30 p.m. on August 22 and 29. In each case Ellaline Terriss will be heard in the second programme.

PPHOTOGRAPHS and notes about Laszlo Rogatsy and his wife Rosemarie appeared in Open Microphone on September 19 and October 3, 1952, but here, for J. V. Pierson, Hokitika, are the salient facts: Born in 1912 in Brunn, Laszlo Rogatsy became leading baritone in the State Theatre, Bremen. He came to New Zealand with his wife, a dramatic soprano, in 1952, and is now living and teaching in Wellington.