PERSONLITIES of the week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 17, 2 November 1934, Page 28

PERSONLITIES

of the week

FUTURE MRS. BLACK ROM the cables we learn that Campbell Black proposed to the famous actress and jmpersonator, Miss Florence Desmond, on the eve of his flight from London. All the world now knows that she hag accepted him by telephone call to Melbourne. As the lady who gives, literally speaking facsimiles of famous film stars, Florence Desmond has given pleasure, to thousands of New Zealand listeners

with her recordings. Her horoscope as read by Naylor forecasts an ever more brilliant future for her, apart from her profession. She will acquire and own property, Naylor says. Well, she hag got Campbell Black for a start! The astrologer predicts that the Florence Desmond of to-day af--fords comparatively little indication of the Florence Desmond of to-mor-row. Her heyday comes between 1939 and 1947, In 1942 the sun reaches the conjunction of Jupiter ip her horo-scope-this' means money, fame, popularity and property! There is. real originality in this artist and Naylor regrets that ghe confines her work so much to various forms of mimicry. One day, he said, she would delight Ene-. land by being just Florence Desmond. And, from the latest English papers comes word that Naylor’s prophesy has already come true. Miss Desmond, who has been appearing in "Why Not To-night?" at the Vaudeville has been given a leading part in C. B. Cochran’s latest revue, "Streamline." And in this she appearg as-just Wlorence Desmond!

SQUIRE "QUARTET" "PV HICH Sauire is which?" is a question that many listeners ask. Firstly, there is Miss Rita Squire, soprano, born in London, sings on records, known to variety, concert, and opera house audiences throughout England. Secondly, we have William Barclay Squire, librarian at the Royal College of Music, London, author and critic. also expert on musical research, for 15 years secretary of the Purcell Society. Thirdly comes W. H. Squire, "Britain’s King of ’Cellists,’" and composer of popular songs, such as "My Prayer," "In ‘an Old-fashioned Town," ‘"Mountain Lovers." "When You Come Home, Dear." Fourthly (and lastly, as the preacher has it), the versatile musician, arranger, and founder of that im-

mensely popular radio institution, the J. H, Squire Celeste Octet. and mine host of the Celeste Octet Hotel, near Canterbury. PRAISED IN LONDON BE New Zealand musical world has seldom: been graced by a more talented couple than Mr. and Mrs. Andersen Tyrer. Mr. Tyrer has been deseribed as the "‘most brilliant pianist on the British platform to-day," and his wife, who -is known professionally "as Madame Nanette de Lornay, is a violiniste of outstanding skill. The London "Star" said of her: "Nanette de. Lornay has a strong musical tone and ‘a well-developed technique. She has an impulsive temperament, and there is an attractive picturesqueness in all she does." Madame was heard in Wellington at the Broadcasting Board’s celebrity concert.in September, and her playing of Wieniawski’s Concerto in D Minor earned for her the loudest applause. SCOTT’S FATHER HE victors in the Melbourne Centenary Air Race, Messrs, Charles Scott and Campbell Black, now so well known to New Zealand listeners, had. before their new found and wider fame came upon them,-connections of whom we haye sdme experience from an unsuspected angle. Scott’s father is none other than Charles Kennedy

Scott, the famous London choral conductor, whose work on the records with the Philharmonic Choir and the London Bach Cantata Club has given much. pleasure. to listeners in this country. Among. listeners who enjoy part singing: one of My. Scott’s recordings iias.-as great fa popularity. as any. in existende. The one referred to is Bach’s "Jesu. Joy of Man’s Desiring," ‘with its lovely oboe: obbligato by Leon Goossens. Mr. Scott is on the staff of Trinity College and. his work in connection with the famous Oriana Madrigal, Society (which he himself founded in 1904) has resulted in the finest a eapella _ music, ancient and modern. Mr. Scott is a talented composer, and as much a pioneer and explorer in his time as his son, and has the same tenacity of purpose. OF ST. MICHAEL’S ‘HE Reverend Canon: Charles Perry, . Of St. Michael’s Church, Christchurch, has the distinction of having," been one of the youngest special preach"ers ever to preach in the Melbourne Cathedral. Canon Perry was educated at Melbourne and at St. John’s College, Oxford, where he took his M.A. degree. In 1916 he came to New Zealand, succeeding Canon Burton at St. Michael’s, one of Canterbury’s oldest churches, and the stronghold of the High Church movement in the south. Canon Perry has done g great deal of ‘work among the ‘young mén of Christ-

church, and, with Mr. §, R. Cuming, & master at the Boys’ High School, has formed the Society. of :St; Osmuna for the younger members of his church. Mrs. Perry is a daughter of George Gordon McRae, whose Australian writings are ‘well-known. A’ son, Mr. ©.

Stuart Perry, is acting-chief librarian at the Wellington Central Library, and has a book of verses teviewed in this . issue. LIKE A BIRD ROBABLY one‘ of the best-known ~ figures in Wellington is Mr. Johannes Andersen, the man who ¢an — give bird calls that sound more real than the gehulne thing. Mr. Andersen, who is librarian at the Alexander Turnbull Library, is keenly interested in native birds, and he has given more than one talk on the subject from Sta-

tion 2¥A. Born in Denmark 61 years ago, Mr. Andersen came to New Zealand at an early age and entered the Government service as a cadet in 1887, His first interest in library work was acquired in the Parliamentary Library, and he was appointed to his present position in 1915, He is the author of many publications, including several on New Zealand place names and Maori mythology, CYCLING COMEDIAN ‘QTAINLESS STRPHEN" (known to the. Registrar at Somerset House as Arthur Olifford), is one of the hand of recorded comedians which has a style all ifs own. Yorkshire dialect, unique "punetuation" gags and genuine hnmour, have carried him from one snecess to another, and he is fast anpronaching the century in BBC. broadcasts, Tle is a really big noise in the eyciling world, He thinks road eycle racing one of the best sports there is, and just to prove it, he once rode 362 miles on a ¢eycle in 24 honrs, Nowadays his engagements haye turned him into q motorist. Still he maintains a. close toyeh with eycling, and always appears at the huge annual conrert held: for: éyelists: at the Albert Hall, Once a school feacher in a coast town of his native county. he excels "in original songs and patter. : A P.M.’S SALARY — -TT must require strength of mind to * turn down a salary greater than ‘that of the Prime Minister of New Zen-land-erpecially when the salary may he earned by playing tennis! But that is exactly what Mr. FP, J, Perry,.world’s tennis ‘champion. has done He has heen approached several times lately by the professional troupe of which Tilden is the head, but so far he has not succrmbed to the*tempting offers made him, + Perry is this year's winner of the .all-world. | title. at Wimbledon. and he is the player to ‘whom: the ljon’s share of the credit must gn for winning back the Davis Cup for Enegland after nearly a quarter of pa cen: tury of losses. One of the keynotes to his success is his extreme physical fitness, New Zealanders will see him in action next week when he arrives to play several matches in both islands.

YOUTHFUL "BLUE" HEN, and if, you meet John Drink. water, he won’t talk about literas ture, but he will tell you, at some stage of the conversation, that he: was. the youngest boy to get his colours in cricket and football at the High School, Oxford. He also established a record for the junior long jump which stood for 80 years, These are the things of which he-is tremendously proud. Of his literary achieyéments he speaks disparagingly. In 1908, when he was 21, he published his first book, "Poems," and three vears later followed it with another, "The Death of Leander." "These are two books," he says to-day, "of unbelievably bad verse which I have been trying to escape ever since." In 1907 he met Mr. (now Sir) Barrie Jackson, and the two men formed the Pilgrim Players, a sort of repertory society, With "Abraham Lincoln" he came into his own asa playwright. He, is probably better known in New Zealand as the writer of "Bird in Hand," a comedy which had a big suecess in Kngland and America, and has been frequently performed by repertory societies in the Dominion. ORGANISES CAMPS "THERE is probably no more cnergetic woman in Christchurch than Miss Cora Wilding, who is now hard af; work organising health eamps for the summer, Miss Wilding, who is a daughter of Mr. Frederick Wilding, K,C., and a sister of the late Anthony Wilding, was the force behind the formation of the Youth Hostel Association in Christehureh--an association whish now controls youth hostels in many parts of Canterbury, and has spread to several other provinces, The Sunlight League is another of Miss Wilding’s interests, and she has organised several most successful summer camps for efty children whose parents cannot afford to send them away during the Christmas holidays. ART IN BUSINESS ISS MARGARET ANDERSON, of Christchurch, possesses the rare combination of a business instinet and an artistie temperament. She tanght for some time at the Canterbury Callege School of Art, and she has exhibited several times with an art group which holds an annual exhibition in the Durham Street Art Gallery. Miss Anderson has made a special study of woodcuts depicting scenes from Maori myths and legends, and she has also done a certain amount of advertising work in partnership. with Miss Valentine Howey, who left for England some months ago. Miss Anderson assisted with the organisation of a most successful wool eampaign in Christchurch a year or two ago. CINEMA ORGANIST At the Trocadera Cinema. London. Quentin MacLean hrondeasts and makes records on the biggest Wurlitzex in Europe. It has over 2000 pipes, and abont 200 stops. Before going in for Cinema work, Quentin (son of. Alick. conductor of the famous .Yerkshire orchestrn at the Searborough Spa), was a "straight" organist, and trained under the famous Straube on the organ on which Bach once played at St, Thomas’s Church, Leipzig, Quentin Was arrested there at the outbreak of war, and spent the next four years in-

=» UBURLCS J ! 3 e LJ gue a Sete terned in Ruhleben camp, After. the war he was presented to their Maiesties as "the camp organist of Ruhleben," . For some time he acted as assistant organist at Westminster Catholle . Cathedral, becoming a cinema organ-. ist in 1920, and the first, organist te bron deast for. the B,B..