Realism in Radio Plays

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 46, 30 May 1930, Page 2

Realism in Radio Plays

HH limit of realism has surely been | achieved by the Austrian broadcasters who, in order to provide a convincing background ‘to a radio, play entitled "Vienna to Salzburg," installed a microphone in an actual railway com partment and broadcast the piece during a train journey between the two. cities in question. However, it is usually found that in general the microphone is less sympathetic to "the real thing" than to sounds synthesised from drums, thunder-sheets, and the like. There was a time when dialogue seemed likely to be sacrificed in their favour, but to-day our radio. authors are more sparing of such aids to real-ism-wisely so, because whereas the occasional use of cleverly contrived sounds is surprisingly effective, too wholesale indulgence calls up, with an equal effectiveness, the vision of perspiring minions toiling at wind-ma-chines and half-cocoanut shells.