First English TELEVISION DRAMA

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 16, 31 October 1930, Page 3

First English TELEVISION DRAMA

is a. LANDMARK in BROADCAST ENTERTAINMENT

SuccesSS ...e This is the story of the broadcasting of the first television play, under the direction of Mr. Lance Sieveking, who here relates his impressions. The play, "The Man with the: Flower in his Mouth,’ went on the air from the Baird Studio, London, on July 14, 1930, It is an achievement which will be remembered in the history of television, as will the first radio broadcast of 1921. In ten years it will be interesting to compare this effort with the broadcast of the day. ' Television is now as much a rival io ordinary broadcasting as broadcasting was to other means of entertainment in 1921.

HEN I think how: one used to . go along a dusty road on a motor cycle in 1912 and 13, to a field, and there stand with a group of oddly-assorted, rather unplaceable people, I am forcibly made to compare it in mv mind with what happened on the after-

noon of July 14, 1930. The field, all those years ago, was just rough grass, and on one side of it a small and rather insecure-looking tarpaulin had been rigged up.. We enthusiasts talked among ourselves, and flicked cigarette ash about. Every now and then someone held up a handkerchief to judge the strength and direction of the breeze. A, Soon a flap was drawn up from the side of the tarpaulin, and ‘out came three or four men, laboriously wheeling something that looked like a gigantic daddy-longlegs, with translucent wings spread out. We gathered round, examining the thin fabric of which jit was made, and commenting eagerly upon the cunning way in which the piano wire was twisted about the bottoms and tops of the struts. We . nodded sagely over the bicycle wheels underneath, and gingerly felt the edge of the propellor. "Contact!" said the pilot, grasping the little joy-stick, and thrusting his elevator backwards and forwards. We noted how he tested also the ailerons. He adjusted his golf cap on back to front and, fixing his cigarette firmly to his upper lip, prepared for the jerk.

_ The engine started. The men at the wing tips let go, and away it went, bumpty-bumpty-bump, across the field. We held our breath. It rose, it undoubtedly rose. Now it was down again. Again it rose. Up, up, ten feet, fifteen feet. It sank abruptly. It was approaching a tree. We held our breath. It sank beyond the tree. We turned to each other. Someone began to run, and then we were all running, The 14th of July is celebrated in France in connection with a revolution. The 14th of July, 1930, had its revolution too, and I wonder how many people who stood and looked at that flickering picture, and heard those voices which now boomed, now scraped, now rattled, realised just the import, the significance, of the thing they were witnessing. There was just a group of them, all sorts of people. Some sat in rooms, and were shown the first play produced by television by means of the little commercial sets which Baird Television, Ltd., have put on the market. Others, a few friends of mine, and some more who were interested, just in the same way as those men were interested in the early flying machine, came up in a great

open lift on to the windy root of the Daird bulditis, tAct’ had been erected a long tunnel made of tarpaulin. We scrambled inside, and stood about a little awkwardly. The late-comers flashed into our darkness from the blinding sunlight outside. The wind blew, the tarpaulin rattled, shafts of sunlight shot across our vision. Awp then, on a cue given by telephone to Savoy Hill, the first television play began. From first to last the audience never stirred or made a sound. I think there was something in all their minds, which gave them the ability to see beyond that which their physical eyes and ears, were receiving, something which does come upon groups of people sometimes, and which is called prophetic. At the end of the long tunnel, where it narrowed, a big screen leaped into life. It had only been tried a few times before, and we none of us quite knew what to expect. But it held frorh first to last that oddly-assorted audience, standing or crouching as best they could, and certainly it was not only the work of Pirandello, nor the acting-though it was very good acting-of the cast, nor the production which had unified all the little bits of the play-which held them. No, it was something more... . The problem to be faced in setting out to produce a play within the mechanical limitations at present imposed was a problem which needed all the patience and ingenuity

we could bring to it, but here we had the sound judgment of Mr. Gielgud, the productions director, who chose what proved to be a most suitable play. The fading board, which was described in the July number of "Television," was scrapped, as it was impossible to use it; since, whether raised, lowered, or done anything else with, it merely put out the rhythm of the synchronisers; also, no matter what. design in black and white was painted upon it, the photo-electrie cells, in some way rather like a nervous. horse, shied at it, and sent the picture skidding wildly in all

directions. . So.a new one was. made, which slid backwards and. forwards along @. groove in a firm trestle, It was thus ¢nabled to enter the picture along a horizontal line, and to remain firm when it had completely arrived there. By this means it followed the example. of .the electric impulses, which also pass across the picture horizontally. The chessboard design painted on it.in black and white was found to be the best relationship of black and white for the purpose,. disturbing the photoelectric cells hardly at all. The . four. pictures are reproductions of the four. ‘scenes, or "sets," which were specially painted for "The Man with the Flower’in his Mouth" by Mr. OG. R. W.. Nevinson, the:.famous artist. He was asked to do it because he is one’ of the few living artists. of any importance who is really interested in the developments of the modern world, There are quite a number of artists whose technique and: ‘manner is, in the true sense, modern, but for the most part they fear the actual objects which go to make up modern life, and concern ‘themselves. entirely with things which belong to all: ages-the human figure and the natural landseape. Mr. Neyinson, however, ‘4s ‘keenly. interested in introducing into his paintings designs which. are significant of the modern world-aeroplanes, motor cars, trams, wireless masts, battleships, Skyscrapers, and so on, It -was not surprising, therefore, that he ‘consented to attempt to make ‘scenery .for the new medium of television, without cavilling at the limitations of of simplicity which it .imposed. Two of the scenes he painted specially for the first television play, and illustrated here, were :- 1, Conductor’s score and cafe tables (left). , wee

A great deal more might be written about the makeup of the actors’ faces, their limitation of gesture and voice; and all the effects-music, train, traffic, and so on. But I will conclyde by recording the feats of understanding and efficiency performed both in front of the transmitter and also in the little darkened room béyond its scope. Mr. Harle Grey, Mr. Lionel Millard and Miss Gladys Young gave a fine performance. Miss Mary Eversley, as announcer and stage manager, -executed feats of such difficult dexterity, with the help of her assistants, that it was nothing short of astonishing when, 2 the end of the play, not:even the minuetest mistake had beén made. Mr. Freeman conducted the music and effects with his wsual sure touch. At the end, Mr. Baird, Mr,. Gielgud, Mr. Mosely and I looked.,at. one another in silence. ead 2. The dark street outside the