Frank Perrin At His Best In Negro Items

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 1, 12 July 1935, Page 6

Frank Perrin At His Best In Negro Items

HIS is the age of specialists. But have you ever thought what that means? The man who trains in one line and sticks to it has to keep going

at one thing for a lifetime. The man who can turn on a variety of "‘spec- . ial’? qualifications has the advantage. Frank Perrin is one of them. He dropped in to the "Radio Record’ office the other day, and was guided into a quiet corner for 2 few minutes. He was not asked to pour out his soul, but he was asked just what he liked doing. You all know Frank Perrin, of course. Even if you haven’t seen him on the stage when he was here with J. C. Williamson

some yeats ago during the Harry Lauder season, you will have heard him from the national studios by now. Well, Frank said that he had been on the stage since he was 18 years old -and that’s thirty years ago. Ever since then he has been a comedian. Not a two-reel "‘slapstick’’ artist, either, He understudied the famous George Robey in ‘‘The Bing Boys," he has played comedy roles in French in

France (yes, even in the Folies Bergere), and Spanish in Spain. He has been ‘on three long tours of America. And a man _ doesn’t survive thirty

years in comedy roles if he isn’t a comedian. But when he was asked what he really liked doing for radio work, he didn’t hesitate. He likes "blackface stuff." This was no sutprise, though, because we had heard him in a number last week from 2YA, and it was wotth hearing again. After a while he admitted that he | had made a rattling good success of negro stuff in Australia for more. than a year before he came to New Zealand on his ‘present tour. For

these turns he had a partner, and they . called themselves ""Tunein and Hearus." Frank didn’t say whether he was Mr. Tunein or Mr. Hearus, but from his recent performances he would have entertained happily as either. ; After 'the series of Moran and Mack and Amos ’n’ Andy in recordings there has been a dearth of good nigger humour over the air, so if ‘Frank Perrin can keep on delivering the goods as he did from 2YA-or with a partnerwell, Frank, vo to it!