Open Microphone

New Zealand Listener, Volume 41, Issue 1053, 30 October 1959, Page 20

Open Microphone

NEWS OF PEOPLE AND PROGRAMMES

JACK DAVEY

ANY stories were told about Jack Davey (seen above), the New Zea-land-born star of Australian radio and television, who died in Sydney while this issue was being put together. One of the last we came across concerned his arrival in New York during his visit to America earlier this year. At half-past-five in the morning even the dauntless Davey found the big city terrifying, and it couldn’t have cheered him up when

he was told his room wasn’t ready. Depressed, he called a

cab-though he really had nowhere to go. The Gotham cabby gave him one look and said, "You’re Jack Davey. I was one of the guys you entertained in New Guinea during the war." Then they set off on a tour_of New Yorkon the house. Jack, who for more than 20 years talked off the cuff to millions of Australian listeners, startled the Americans when he told them he ad-libbed most of his shows. Apparently he found that over there the top radio and television stars each have, several writers working for them. While in Los Angeles Jack made a film for the promotion of wool. Also taking part was Jayne Mansfield whom he found "both beautiful and brainy." Making a guest appearance in the Art Linkletter show, People Are Funny, Jack went down so well that Linkletter invited him a second time. Born at Auckland, Jack Davey went to school there @t King’s College, His father, Captain Arthur Davey, long associated with the trans-Tasman run, wanted him to go to sea, and he tried this among other jobs before breaking into Australian radio, first as a crooner, about 25 years ago. Although he is said to have arrived in Sydney with only £1, he quickly got into the big money. Apart from his many radio and, later, television shows, he was widely known as a newsree] commentator; and during the war he entertained servicemen in the field for the American Red Cross. Jack Davey, who was 49, is survived by his wife.

ROBIN

ROBERTA ELLIOTT, who as Robin conducts the 1YA Children’s Session, has spent most of her working life with children, Although she was attached to

the Commercial Division Women’s Hour for 18 months before going to her present post, she spent 10 years as a school-

teacher, most of the time teaching sick children at the Whangarei Hospital

School. Roberta was born in Christchurch but brought up in Auckland. From her schooldays she was always keenly interested in drama, and she has taken roles in plays produced by repertory societies in Auckland, Hutt Valley and Whangarei and by Unity Theatre, Wellington. Not long ago she produced Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler for the Auckland Repertory Society. She has also written plays and short stories. One of her plays, Pedestrian Crossing, was placed first in the Northland Drama Festival of 1955. Roberta Elliott first went on the air from Whangarei, where as a mezzosoprano soloist she gave studio recitals from sini Now she is a widely experi-

enced broadcaster, for in her 18 months with Women’s Hour. she conducted programmes from seven NZBS stations. Among the new programmes Roberta has prepared for the Children’s Session is. a series of musical stories from Aesop’s Fables-she has written the narrative and lyrics and Derek Bailey, of 1YA’s programme staff, has been responsible for the music. When we talked with her not long ago she had also completed the second series of At the Ballet, with Poul Gnatt. ore

GOLD:

OUR children camping at a remote * bay on the West Coast of New Zealand would never have difficulty finding excitement and adventure. But with a ghost ‘town nearby, some _ suspiciouslooking activity going on on board a

wreck in the bay, and, best of all, the discovery of gold, the stage is set for a first-

class serial. Gold at Kapai, by Phyl Wardell of Christchurch, will start next week in 3YA’s Children’s Session (and in 4YA’s next month). Gold at Kapai has already been broadcast by the ABC, but to suit the listening habits of young

New Zealanders Phyl Wardell has re duced it from more than 20 short episodes to seven long ones. The story is to be published in book form next year.

TENOR

ax ‘AT a rehearsal in Wellington a couple of weeks back, William Herbert was chuckling about a conversation he happened to overhear at breakfast the morning before. He took great delight in sharing the story with Janetta McStay, and also with The Listener. It opened something like this: "Went along to

the Concert Chamber last night to hear that tenor fellow; but by a. strange

quirk of fate I found myself in the main hall listening to the Luton Girls’ Choir. And I’m very glad I did. You can hear a tenor anytime, but it’s not often you get a chance to hear a choir of girls like that." William Herbert’s New Zealand tour followed a very full Australian one, so the first questions that came to mind were about the precautions he might take to withstand the strain of concerts night after night, and his way of looking after his voice. Both were answered very simply. "I never worry about my voice, it seems to take care of itself. The great thing, however, is knowing how to relax. After three or four concerts in as many days, the first, say, in London, the second in Amsterdam, the third in Liverpool, with a 12.10 a.m. train to catch back to London afterwards for a BBC broadcast-I’ve had to catch that train more times than I care to remem-ber-it’s essential that you stretch out somewhere and relax completely." When time allows, Mr Herbert has a way of relaxing that is of strictly limited appeal -he likes cutting grass. "At my home in Surrey I have two beautiful lawns, and during the summer months when, apart from choir festivals and a few short tours, there are only the Edinburgh Festival and Proms at the Albert Hall, I usually manage to spend quite a bit of time looking after them." He also enjoys a game of golf, though he doesn’t bother to carry clubs around on tour.’ Mr Herbert mentioned that during his stay in Wellington a friend had taken him for a drive into the hills. There was a radio in the car, and they were able to pick up the first part of a concert held a few days earlier when he

had sung with the National Orchestra. "Although I knew at the time they were playing magnificently, it was not until we heard that broadcast that I realised just how good they were. Really firstclass." Just before leaving England for his Australian tour, Mr Herbert received a cable from the ABC asking if he would sing Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex in Sydney under Nicolai Malko. "I had never seen the work and no copy was immediately available, but after a brief hesita-

tion I cabled back saying I would do it. When I finally did study the score I was astounded to see what it involved. However the difficulties fell into place fairly quickly and the performance was a success. A few weeks later, in Adelaide, I met Malko again and I told him how much I had enjoyed working under him, adding that I had been invited to sing Oedipus in Copenhagen next January. To my surprise he beamed, put out his hand and said: ‘Good. I am conducting.’ "