‘Shun!—Radio Stars On Parade

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 45, 17 May 1935, Page 24

‘Shun!—Radio Stars On Parade

"Radio Parade of 1935," Made by B.LP., Proves that Old England Can .. Film Musical Comedy — Will Hay, Clifford Mollison and Helen a Chandler Head the Cast-Sly "Digs" at the B.B.C.

F .you’re.one .of those. people who write .to the papers about. the "unmitigated tripe" that: is put on.the air you'll. revel-in "Radio Parade of 1935"; if you belong to the band of short-wave enthusiasts* who ‘make 2a practice of listening in to the -British programmes you'll. regard "Radio Parade’ as a. meeting place for old friends ;. if, you’re one of those people Who just-go along.to the talkies to be entertained ‘you'll get good measure and full from "Radio Parade." This latest film from the studios of British International Pictures jis an excellent example of what -England can do .when it comes to filming spectacular musical shows. And the star content, too, is high. Will Hay, the priceless. star of "Those Were the Days," Clifford Mollison and Helen Chandler head a cast which. includes the Western Brothers (remember them in "Mister. Cinders?"), Nellie Wallace. Ronald Frankau, the Carlyle Cousins. Clapham and Dwyer, Jack Doyle and Nina Mae McKinney, . | |, The film revolves round the in-

a accessible Director-General of a large broadcasting company, his charming daughter and the head of the Complaints Department. The last-men-tioned, who is Clifford Mollison, runs across a fellow employee in the wash‘room of the broadcasting building and unburdens his soul to him. Every: thing is wrong-the letters complaining about the terrible . programmes are mounting by the thousand, the -Dir-ector-General is an old stick-in-the-mud who won’t see anybody or have any new ideas introduced into the programmes; in short, the service is becoming the laughing stock of the country. The washroom acquaintance is none other than the Director-General himself (Will Hay), and he returns to his sanctum. to ponder on what the young man _has' told. him. The result is that the head of the | Complaints Department is promoted to the position of Director of Programmes and he gets to, work to reorganise. the whole .. 8chedule.. Things are going swimmingly for the opening night, with half the *

big stars of London booked to appear, when the director of a big theatrical circuit steps in and forbids his stars to broadcast under penalty. of losing their jobs. The result is that the big broadeast falls through, with Mollison making the promise, however, of something really big for the following night. And he DOES give the listening public an big show. He not only recruits performers from the staff in the Puilding (and were the charwomen a riot-or wére they?), but he sends vans all over London equipped with television apparatus and screens and "televises" the whole programme! The building in which practically the whole action of "Radio Parade" takes place is a palatia] affair which, one is tempted to believe, is a musica} replica of Broadcasting House, London. But, unlike the famous headquarters of the B.B.C., singing in the rooms and (Continued in Col, 1, next page).

{Continued from previcus page.) corridors is apparently encouraged, for everyone, from the' man in charge of the Complaints Department down to the window-cleaners and charwomen, burst into the most tuneful songs on. the slightest provocation. The "televised" scene at the end of the film, with girls going their dances on quaint-looking Indian drums, is one of the most spectacular that has ever been brought to the screen. And the song that accompanies it has much of the barbarie quality of the songs favoured hy Paul Robeson. \ The 1935 edition of "Radio Parade" ' is far and away above the 1934 show. It has a finish, a snap and a quality that marks it as one of the biggest ‘light comedy offerings of the year.