HOW LONG?

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 32, 15 February 1935, Page 5

HOW LONG?

ITH broadcasting, the stage, the ‘talkies and a dozen. other sources turning out jokes and "wise cracks’ as hard as they can go, the question arises, "How long can this sort of thing go on?" Hoary chestnuts are being given a wash-and-brush-up and sent forth into a world which sees through the deception and greets them with jeers and derision. That great war-time comedy ‘The Bing’ Boys are~Here."" was revived in London at Christmas, but the producer was not foolish enough to retain the more obvious of’ the *play’s jokes; instead, he introduced new and topical ones-jests about nudism, crooning. Mr. Hore-Belisha and the Saar. The B.B.C., we learn, is also growing a little worried about the standard of humour in its variety shows. According to "Diogenes the Younger" is ‘Musical Opinion,"’ + . €very radio comedian is to undergo a test, the scheme of which is as follows: the comedian will be put in a. room by himself and will deliver his humour into a microphone, while a special board of humourassessors will listen, through headphones or a loudspeaker. in a separate apartment. For every joke a maximum of ten marks is allotted, and any joke awarded less than 51x marks,is to be considered a poor specimen-unworthy. as we might-say, of the National mark (though it might perhaps qualify for a Regional mark). If a comedian’s material contains an undue percentage of such inferior jokes, he will be relegated to the "B" list, and his prospects of B.B.C, erigagements will not be any too grand.