PERSONALITIES of the Week

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 18, 9 November 1934, Page 8

PERSONALITIES

of the Week

"DORCHESTER JACK" IK father, like son... So it has proved with Jack Jackson, now leading his own band at the Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London. Jack's father was a well-known cornettist in London. He adjudicated and competed in many brass band festivals, and just before the war led the Callender’s Cable Works band in the Crystal Palace Contest for the grand shield, when they won first prize. The third cornettist was seven years old, and so small that he had to stand up on a soap box in order to be seen. It was Jack Jackson. Three years later Jackson, jun.,. joined his first dance band. By the time he was 16, "Jackie" had been blowing various instruments out of shape for nearly ten years, and his greatest thrill to date came with the present of a trumpet from pa and ma. This amiable youth went from one success to another with various famous bands, finally founding his own. LAYTON AND JOHNSTONE FASHIONABLE American pianistcomposer was entertaining a party of gilded New York youths in an elegant apartment at Deélmonicos, This work was overpaid but boring. Then relief came. A ginging acquaintance entered casually and, seéing at once how things were, suggested that the atmosphere might be changed if he were to sing to.the pals and perfumed prodigals. "I meandered into the. ‘Japanese Sandman’ and became so impressed with the neweomer’s voice, that in the second chorus I could not restrain myself from adding my own harmony. : And that’s how we met," is the story of the origin of the greatest of all Negro duo turns in historyLayton and Johnstone, who are'now as popular in England as in their native United States. CONGRATULATIONS SINCE "Spur of Morning" appeared in the bookshops jts author, Mr. Alan Mulgan, has been showered with

congratulations, personally and in the press. Mr. Mulgan, who is the literary editor of the "Auckland Star," is no newcomer to the field of book-writ-ing, a previous effort, "Home," having been called the finest piece of literature to come out of New Zealand. Myr. Mulgan has many interests. His life on a daily paper keeps him pretty busy, but he finds time to write charming verse and he is well-known as a speaker from 1YA, Auckland,

HE CONVINCED THEM! R. MALCOLM FROST was sent last year on a tour of the Empire to look into the matter of the overseus broadcasts being sent out daily by the B.B.C. _ Shortwave reception in New Zealand was not all that it might have

been, but Mr. Frost found it difficult to convince his "heads" in London that the broadcasts were being received very poorly. So one night he put a teiephone call through from Wellington io the Broadcasting House 1n London, determined to show the Officials that all was not well with Empire reception in New Zealand, He held the telephone re¢ceiver in front of a loud speaker that was giving more static than programme, and the official in London was at last convinced that New Zealand was not receiving shortwave programmes as it should, SOCIAL WORKER ONE of the principal figures in the big farewell arranged by the Christehurch branch of the National Council of Women for Lady Bledisloe this week was Mrs. A. I. Fraer, a past president. and life mentber of the council. Mrs. Fraer is the widow of the late Rev. Charles Fraer, for many years vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Phillipstown, Christchurch, and she is a sister, too, of Lady Wilford. Mrs. Fraer is a keen social and municipal worker in Christechurth, and was, for some. time, a member of the Christchurch City Council. She lately bought the home of the late Mr. H. F. Stevens at Aranui, where she now lives with ‘her daughter, BORN IN SILESIA PROFESSOR G. W. VON ZEDLITZ was born in Silesia in the year following the Franco-Prussian war. His, father was Baron von Zedlitz and Neukirch, but the professor was educated in HWngland. He spent some. time at Wellington College (the English one) and later went on to Trinity College, Oxford, where he took an M.A. degree. He came out to New Zealand soon after he left the University and was appointed to the staff of Victoria College, Wellington, in 1902. Three years later he married Miss Alice YFitzherbert, of

Lower Hutt, and it is in that part of Wellington that the Professor now makes his home. Professor you Zed‘lita was chairman of the professorial board of Victoria College in the early \L part of this‘century, but he is now principal of the University Tutoria] College in Wellington. The professor is part author of "University Reform in New Zealand" and is at present editing several periodicals,

"MERRIE ENGLAND" ‘HE recent performances of Sir Edwaayl Germin's light opeta, "Merrie Wnuglana," by both the Royal Wellington) Choral Union and the Auckland Choral Society last month followed close upon the revival of the work at the Princes Theatre, Lomdou, which took place on September 6. ‘This revival is said to have added ten years lo the composer's life. Sir Edward might have been a successful engineer if parental.authority had bad its way. wd a suecessful conjuror if he had followed his own early inclinations. Finally he decided to devote himselt to music, and he did this so thoroughly that, while gaining prizes and. medals ut the Royal Academy and impressin: his teachers with bis compositions, he played the violin in theatre orchestras and taught pupils. Sir Edward onc: stuanmed up his characteristics thus: Melodically I may be a success: Tlarmonically ...... respectable: Orehestrally ..........6. sound: Socially cc... cee. eae a mistake. The last is an allusion to his aversion from lionisation. Truly be is a master who declines to advertise. This most _ trpical of English composers is almost aw Welshman, cls bhnself German. although his veal name is Jones, Boru on the border line almost of Mngland wnd Wales, he was baptised Wdward German Jones, but dropped the Jones on the advice of Sir George Macfarren. he cast of "Merrie Wngland" fu its London revival contains three naines fiamillar to New Zealanders. Joseph Hislop and Bnid Cruickshank wre favourites on the radio with thet. recordings. While the leading come-

dian’s part is to be taken by none other than W. 8S. Percy, one-time a most popular member of Pollard’s Opern Coinpany. He is one of the numerous awclors who are also authors or painters, or both. His recently-published "Strolling Through NSeotland". will be read with interest by bis:.admiters When it arrives here. Mr. Perey, by the way. is a frequent exhibitor in the Royal Scottish Academy. WENT TO HOLLYWOOD SEVERAL mouths in Hollywood gave Mr. Bertram Potts 2 gvod working kuowledge of the directing of films and of scenario writing. "Believing that New Zealand would zo seriously into

fhe business,of making films 1 went to Hollywood to study the metinods there" said Mr. Potts. ‘New Zealand. unfortunately. has. not made niuch progress in the film-making fiela, but the knowwdge I gained in America stood me in x0od stead when it came te writing and nroducing radio plays. One of my plays, "The Raft" has already been given over the air. and the New Zealand Broadeasting Board has purchased two more, ‘Torn Pages’ and ‘Eaten in the Jung!e’ I have done a fairy amount of free lance Journalism. and contriouteq frequently

to the ‘Rudio Record’ and other New Zewulund aud Australian pupers." FROM BIRMINGHAM AY ESS WILL BISHOP, well-known to New Zeuland listeners, . hails trom Bitminghain, where he hud established i definite connection ag a writer of "songs for vaudeville and ordinary stage presentation. Since he his been in Wellington Mr. Bishop has Written several songs for broadcasting urd he has had several more published ubroud. "Will Bishop and hig Piano" ure a popular couple. on. the air, tue former usually giving something that he has written himself. He has beex a regular contributor ‘of light verse to the "Radio Record" for several years. und be is not unknown. to’ readers of daily papers in different parts of the country, 7 i AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN 1) DITILT LORAND, the famous vio-linist-conductor, was born at Budapest, Her father, the director of a jarge petroleum factory, was'a Hungarian, and her mother, although Austrian, had descended from an old Italian family. und, in her youth had been a brilliant pianist. Aft an wnusually ‘early age KHdith displayed exceptional — aptitude for both the piano and the yiolin, She -Was but six when she made her debut tg a Budapest charity concert. . Later she studied under Hubay at the Academy there, and at 16 was awarded a Professorship Diploma. She then went under Flesch of Vienna, and since then her career has been one of dazzling brilliance. She has toured Burope, appeared in London in 1928, and.speaks nerfect Wneligh Wrench and Ttralinn