IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S BROADCASTS

Radio Record, 3 July 1936, Page 14

IN THE

WAKE OF THE WEEK'S BROADCASTS

Still a Thrill. ALTHOUGH it is-more than 14 years since, as Prince of ‘Wales, ‘our present King visited New Zealand, the memory of his personality still brings a thrill to the heart of many a young woman when his voice is heard. In his broadcast from the national stations on his birthday last: week, King. Hdward-still "Teddy Woodbine" to old soldiers-was heard in‘ those friendly and sincere accents which closely resemble those of his father. This, his first birthday broadcast, has since drawn some highly-ap-preciative comment from listeners. If B.B.C. announcers stuck to the King’s English instead of that of the "higher style, they would draw less of the derisive comment. from their ‘own country and the colonies. King George and King Edward, by the way. should be elected patron saints of journalism, for there are few men nowadays who can say such a lot in so few

words, and words which are delivered slowly, clearly and pleasantly: Yo-Yo-Yeomen. [T was all very well to sing German’s "Yeomen of England" during the Great Schemozzle 20 years ago, but isn’t it about time the words were revised? The frank boastfulness and "necessary" hate in the lyric may have served their purpose at the time, but that time is deadmay we hope, for ever. Would it be teo much to ask that singers should no longer refer to "German barbarians’? And that "broad bosom of England" on which the yeomen "shall ever thrive’? Thousands enough have found since demobilisation that it’s ‘dashed difficult to thrive on the same broad bosom. If it comes to another war and we are on Germany’s side, the words will just have to be altered, anyway. Who were the yeomen of England? ‘To be really up to date in the last bust-up they should have been deseribed as a lot of factory and office workers and artisans who would a sight sooner have stayed at home playing yo-yo with their neighbours than paying Sir Basil Zaharoff and his boyfriends fat commissions with shells, mud, sweat and blood. Meanwhile Peter Dawson continues to sing the curses of certain Europeans-who would also have preferred yo-yo-as he did from 4YA last Tuesday. Given an Airing. POPULAR tunes of a decade ago, refurbished with new orchestration and sung by well-known singers, are coming back on the air in ever-increasing numbers. Several times last week the New. Zealand national stations gave listeners the melodies from "‘Rose Marie," newly arranged and sung by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. These two stars appear in the film version of the world-famous musical comedy, due for early screening ‘in this country. And, incidentally, Jeanette MacDonald more than holds her own in the fayour. of ; listeners, despite the Grace Moores, the Lily Pons andthe Gladys Swarthouts. Jeanette, like Gladys Moncrieff, has something in her. voice that‘makes it always pleasing, whether she is "singing ’°em muck’--or- an- aria from a grand opera.

Draw and Blow. WHETHER it was because of-a really good-toned instrument or because of cunning playing, Mr. F. J. Woodham gave 2YA listeners a performance which came over the air better than the items heard now and then from recordings of mouthorgan players-er, sorry, harmonicas nowadays. Trouble is, people may get ’em mixed up with harmoniums, which would be a bit of a windy task for the best of blow-and-draw musicians, The performance by New Zealand’s cham‘pion mouth-organ player wag given on ‘the Saturday night before last, and his selections showed him the possessor of great ability in a-line of music where New Zealand is inclined to lag behind, the popular revival of mouth-organ

playing which hag taken BPngland by storm. However, hearing Mr. ‘Woodham occasionally, or others of his calibre, should get a few more people, young or older, interested in the mouth organ as a really musical instrument. The broadcast was unusual and decidedly pleasing, and the tone was noticeably purer than that of some recorded mouth organ items through the loudspeaker. Tied Up.. (CHRISTCHURCH listeners: who had asked that the Wellington wrestling announcer should describe to them over the air the method of applying "Lofty" Blom-_ field’s Octopus Clamp. didn’t know . What they were in for.. At the.end

of the bout on the night of the King’s Birthday in the Wellington Town Hall, Mr. A. Pope bravely tackled the task of describing the hold. He told it once; then told it all over again about as clearly as it would have been possible for anyone to describe it without phy‘sical illustration. But at the end of it one was ready to doff the cap to anyone who could think out such a hold without an opponent to try out the pros and cons as the game went on. No wonder the Lower Hutt fellows who had to call a policeman got into a mess! By , the way, how dves one get out of it- | just in case one tries it? You Can’t Tell. QCCASIONALLY listeners may have heard Ray Wallace’s "Impressions of Marie Lloyd" broadcast. Marie Lloyd was once deseribed by Sarah Bernhardt as "the most exquisite artist of the British stage." Naomi Jacob (a one-time

mousic-hall artist herself) has written Marie Lloyd’s life, in which we learn _ Marie was the eldest of the eleven chil- | dren of an artificial-flower maker named John Wood. Ags a small child his talented daughter Tilly first sang at a. City Temple concert. She later appeared with a troupe of seven youngsters called the Fairy Bell Minstrels. She was a riot, apparently, in a sketch entitled, "Throw Down the Bottle and Never Drink Again." At 14 she got her first engagement under the stage name of Bella Delmare at 15/- a week. By the time she was 17 years old she was Marie Lloyd, earning £100 a week, and spending it, to her credit, be it said, in helping her own family.