Old Friend, New Acquaintance

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 789, 3 September 1954, Page 25

Old Friend, New Acquaintance

RE are two BBC singing stars who represent the old and the new in British broadcasting. The attractive lass is 21-year-old Alma Cogan, now of Take It From Here, and she is accompanied by Flotsam of the well-loved Flotsam and Jetsam partnership. Flotsam is the nom de radio of B. C. Hilliam, who has been heard recently by British listeners recalling his memories of show business, In a series of programmes called Follow On, he introduced numerous guest artists like Alma Cogan to show that the old traditions are still maintained. B. C. Hilliam sang tenor with the late Malcolm McEachern (bass) when they established their classic partnership in 1926. They went on the halls, then into broadcasting, and became famous on records. B. C. Hilliam is a Canadian who played the piano for the team ard also wrote nearly all their songs. When Alma’ Cogan left her convent school she had developed a talent for drawing and design, which made selecting a‘ career no problem. She would, her parents thought, make an excellent dress designer. But Alma was keen on singing, and when a friend put her in a variety show at Brighton as a singing act she decided to abandon her drawing board in favour of the footlights. She was then 15. A year later she got a job in the chorus of the West End musical comedy, High Button Shoes, Another member of that chorus was Audrey Hepburn. After the BBC programme Gently Bentley (in whick Alma Cogan was one of Dick Bentley’s two singing girl friends) ended, Alma was swamped with offers. She took on too many engagements and suffered from severe throat trouble. However, she recovered, and has, according to reports, gone on to even greater success. in TIFH and on recordings. Dark-eyed, dark-haired and still single, she lives with her mother in a Kensington flat almost within singing distance of the flat occupied by the other new TIFH girl, June Whitfield.