America Hasn't Enough Money, Says Richard Crooks

Radio Record, 19 June 1936, Page 17

America Hasn't Enough Money, Says Richard Crooks

World-Famous Singer Passes Through Auckland

(Specially Interviewed for the "Radio Record" by

ROBIN

HYDE

F only sad-voiced youths in white jackets wouldn’t say "Starboard" when they mean "Right" and "Forward" when they mean something I still don’t gtasp, groping one’s way through the innards of the great white Mariposa would be so much simpler. As it was, when at length I burst in upon Richard ’ Crooks, the tenor from New Jersey with the voice that knocks ’em all, from metropolitan opera patrons *way down to your little radio fan, the daily paper boys had already got Mr. Crooks pinned to a cane lounge, and were passionately questioning him about the public reaction to advertising in sponsored’ radio programmes, -- Mr. Crooks, dark, clean-shaven, smiling, immaculately tailored in. brown, and, -like the average tenor, full in build, laughed and said that the public didn’t distress themSelves much about advertising on radio when, every day of the week, sponsored programmes offered them famous Singers. In a half-hour’s programme, the advertiser would bey allowed just two minutes to drop his little reminder in the public ear; and, even So, it had to be unobtrusive and delicate, not a brick. For instance, Richard Crooks sings for Firestone: the advertising expert would spend his two minutes drifting gently around how wonderful soya beans are, and how many ways they can be used, as mock alabaster and flooring. Right at the end, in a‘ terrific hurry, be would breathe, "And, of course, in Firestone products," and that would be all over for the evening. After this the public would divert themselves with the voices that breathe o’er the Metropolitan BHden. _ I like Mr, Crooks, :

because Mr. Crooks is the only American who ever said to me that America hadn’t got enough money — such a pleasing conclusion for. the subject of the "broke" British Hmpire, Or, to be exact, what Mr. Crooks really did say , Was that there had been little elaboration in the staging of opera, little repowdering of ‘the Metropolitan Opera House’s nose, much drawing-in of artistic horns, because America hadn’t so much to spend, during the days of depression, as before them, Moreover, he added, votes had a lot. to do with spending, and if a Government thought it would get more votes from firemen than from opera gingers, the firemen ere quite likely to get the hand-out, if any. . " The Metropolitan .

Opera, dependent almost entirely on subscriptions and on the popularity earned by its own unquestioned merit, found its financial position gone to glory. But, to make up for this, its last year was-a record for subscriptions, .and prosperity simply poured back into. its. great .hall;. where, by the way, you can purchase standing-room for a dollar and a half, a seat for from two anda half..to five dollars, put never a place.in a box, for metropolitan boxes aren’t available for public purchase. "Traviata" was expensively restaged there last Season, for the farewell of Madame Bori, who has sung in.grand. opera with Richard Crooks for the past four or five years, so successfully and happily that there has:hardly been a change in the cast since they started. to work together, : But. this: is- starting a ‘Tong: way ahead of Remote Beginnings; which wére, in:Mr. Crooks’s case, the little seaport town of Frenton, Jersey. At nine he was a boy soprano in an episcopal choir, warbled there till his voice broke, and can. still, at times, hit that same dulcet. soprano note. At a party last year, Mr.. Crooks and his friend, Lawrence Tibbett (who has also sung for Firestone and other sponsored programmes), suddenly decided that they could and would render Mendelssohn’s sacred duet, "I Waited For the Lord," just as well as in the old days when had worn white surplices. They lasted ‘till. the party threw cushions. Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra, was Richard Crooks’s first musical inspiration. While his voice was breaking, he studied in Germany, came back and joined the U.S. army, went airminded, qualified as a cadet flying officer, and was about

ready to leave the U.S.A. when the war ended. He still flies everywhere, has held a commercial pilot’s license, but doesn’t own a plane yet, In America, ‘he says, the sky is a network of planes -you can get from anywhere to any- ’ where. in‘ia few * hours, ard‘ the sight of the majestic Graf liners. ‘sailing over New York, two: days : after they leave: ‘Germany, is now quite familiar, But- smaller plane movements, -, like, the Flying Flea, Are discouraged because... ‘unless the . pilot, is ‘capable of _, flying | on., eléctric , beat, , he is-liable to ‘ something * outside his ‘own size, and overturn what .. may be, quite a: valuable passenger airboat. America’s sky, "with Flying Weas left. hopping, would be rather like Christehurch and its. bieycles. ° (Continued on next page.)

(Continued from previous page.) Mr. Crooks, after leaving the Army, sang in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Chureh, then went over to study in Munieh, under Raucheisen, « Kreisler’s accompanist. He was there at a tragic time of German’s history-when the mark smashed and the country, in the threes of its disastrous: inflation, hung on the brink of starvation. Amerieans, protected by their travellers’ cheques, were out of the starvation zone themselves, but the misery, far too seveie..for individuals to — cope with, was appalling. It was in Hamburg that he made his debut, in 1927. "Tosca" .was the opera, and there. was never any doubt as.to hig success. He went straight to Berlin, to sing. in "Tosca" and "Faust." -He had. travelled in France and Italy, learning in the latter country the whole of two Italjan operas before he returned to the United: States, Unlike: the boys in fairy tales, Richard Crooks never had to fight his way from failure to -success.- Before he made his debut-in Hamburg, the Metr5politan Opera Company had yearly made him offers of contracts, but he very wisely refused, preferring to get experience before he tackled the great operg house where most of the singers have been from 10 to 15 years the idols of the. public, and where an inexperienced newcomer feels like an amateur suddenly let loose among professionals. : "Hxperience" might almost be called a fetish with Richard Crooks. Unlike his friend Mr. Tibbett, he doesn’t feel much inclined to bother about Hollywood and singing for the talkies. ‘There’s only one great musical talkie to date, he says-Grace Moore was the Jady-and after that, every bonehead producer in Hollywood imitated story and star so closely that you ¢ouldn’t walk into a musical show without feel; ing bored in advance, Besides, he doesn’t think that singers are handsome enough. "Look at Barrymore," ihe said, "or Ronald Colman, in ‘A:Taleof Two Cities." When I came out,of that I thought, ‘Gee, you’ll go’, long way before you get a tenor who can’ tet ‘like that.’" : Nevertheless, in the States, and inereasingly in other countries, he thinks the future of good music and of Oper‘atie singing is brilliant. The public ‘hag been helped to 2 knowledge of real. ‘music by the radio. When, in America, firms like Ford and General Motors ‘tival one another by hurling Hetfétz ©. after John Charles Thomas, Lily Pons ‘after Tibbett (all the artists receiy-: ing very large salaries), music cannot be said to lack encouragement. Radio and sereen producerg who don’t appre | ciate the value of the. very best singing ‘he regards ds"just dint, Last year Mr. and'Mts. Crooks and: a their two children-Patricia, ‘aged, thirteen, and, ©: Dieky--went _. t6 Russia. "I like America _ said Mr. Crooks,..,candidly. There is, he thinks, a ‘ew music in Russia. . Dut no signs of new operatic form. "Traviata" in a modern setting, , ‘clothes and all, was tried in Germatiy Jastiyear, but flopped.; "No.new thing" seeing also the rule in America, as far ag opera is concerned. "Peter Thbetson," Deems Taylor’s opera, was the , first real hit.,and other Taylor operas ‘Coutinued on page-58.),

Richard Crooks Talks (Continued on page 17.) have been produced. But the rule is rather a success of new singers, such as Margery Lawrence, the Australian singer, who made her debut at the Metropolitan last season, than a success of new mode or inspiration. Perhaps Mr. Crooks and his’ wife -who went to school with himhave never quite grown up. Their country. home is in a little New Jersey place named Sea Girt--Only 50 miles from where the Singer was born. The house is kept open all the year round, so that even when the engagement programme is full they can run down for q day or so. Mr. Crooks sails, swims, fishes, plays golf,... "And I raise Cain when I’m not in proper shape to play my best,

' too," he says. As for the juniors, Dicky Crooks, aged nine,.came in and rumpled his. dad’s. hair . halfway through the interview. ‘His father at once said, "Dicky wants to be a policeman or qa Texas Mountie, don’t you, Son?" and Son made a fruitless attempt to gag the speech. Patricia, who looks a typical ‘little -American, brown-eyed, curly-baired and smartly dressed, goes to school in winter, trayels with her parents in summer. This year she scores a double summer, After his Australian concert programme, Richard Crooks will be over in New Zealand to sing "good but popular" music to our own crowds. . He does not believe in the highbrow programme for this country or for Austialia. "They don’t like it," he says, thereby disproving the old German catchphrase which he himself quoted when trying to show that singers can’t act‘Dumb as a tenor."