The Worries of a Producer

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 43, 9 May 1930, Page 8

The Worries of a Producer

Radio Plays That Go Wrong : ‘Tue ways of radio-play producers is : often beset with unexpected dif- ; ficulties. Players fall sick, lose their ; parts, or get run over a few minutes ; before the performance, arrive at the station occasionally after the performance has begun: "So sorry, but my watch was wrong’; sometimes a substitute has to be found at a few minutes’ notice; sometimes the gadgets

for the "effects" can’t be found, or they won’t work, telephone bells or door bells won’t ring, or they ring the. wrong time; the operator i "dreaming," and misses his: cue, | and so forth and so forth. Last: Tuesday, at Auckland, Je. I’. Montague, who was. producing "Nothing But the Truth’ at 1YA, discovered half-an-hour before the performance that he had dropped his prompt copy in the street, and this contained all the numerous stage directions, signals for bells, and dozens of other matters of importance! Still, the play had to go on, but probably the listeners never guessed ~under what great difficulties the company was working, in consequence of this lastminute disaster, and everything appeared to go as merrily and smoothly as it should; but what anxious moments the producer had all that evening! Mr. Montague is still lumenting the loss of his precious copy of the play.