Wanted Some Snow and a Swim

Radio Record, Volume X, Issue 5, 14 August 1936, Page 12

Wanted Some Snow and a Swim

Vincent Ryan’s Only Vice is Sport, But He Gave the "Radio Record" the Shivers

6¢ ERFECT silence; peace-er, no; please. Absurd. ‘What's a broadcasting studio for, anyway?" That was how the "Radio Record" representative knew that the tall, straight, breezy young man who had walked into 2YA’s main studio was Vincent Ryan. Introducing himself, the "Radio Record" representative mentally pushed the Australian comedian into a chair the other side of the gas fire-it was one of Wellington’s coldest days.

OBODY takes any notice of that notice up there, Mr. Ryan, so you may go ahead and talk." "What d’you want,me to talk about?" he asked. "You know about all theré is to know about me already-young Australian comedian, who started off as a’ registered chemist. People said I was mad to give up a good job foz stage work, but prescribing for babies in the shop didn’t appeal so much as prescribing tonics for people over the air. I’d always had a leaning toward entertaining, ever since I was at school." "And have you decided that you weren’t so mad after all?" "Never been less so. By the way, where are the good beaches here?"

"Er-beaches?" asked the "Radio Record," shivering faintly, "Yes. Places to swim at, you know. I’m a non-smoker and non-drinker. My vice is sport, and particularly swimming. I’m an enthusiastic member of the Bondi Surf Club in Sydney," continued Vincent Ryan. "Water’s pretty cold this time of wear here, Mr. Ryan. We're a bit short of comedy broadcasts, ag it is." But the Australian persisted, and eventually heard a little about the beaches handy to the cities he is to visit. But still he wasn’t satisfied about getting cold. The next thing he got on to was snow! "Where do I see snow?" he asked. "People over the other side said that

if I was lucky I would strike a snowWstorm in New Zealand." The next morning it snowed in Wellington, Maybe Vince Ryan is fey or fee, or whatever it is, Maybe he was pulling the "Radio Record" representative’s leg. You know what comedians are-or don’t they? In an encounter some days later, he omitted to mention how he liked the swimming, anyWay. His work altogether reminds one strongly of George Wallace’s recordbreaking visit to New Zealand about eight years ago. Typical Australian humour, put across breezily and without apologies. One of the most amazing things about this man is that his work is really work to him. Probably you haven’t seen him, as we have, do‘ing his stuff to the microphone. He doesn’t just stand there and talk or

sing. His whole body swings and sways, his arms go up, his head comes down. In fact, he looks as though at any moment he might take a running jump into the mike and land out through your loudspeaker. That explains to some extent the success of his broadcasts, for he puts so much energy and personality into his work that, at the receiving end, there is a pleasant. sort of boisterousness and intimacy about his entertaining, as though he were actually in front of a big and appreciative audience. Wellington people will have heard sufficient of him by August 20 to know that his will be one of the star turns at the Charity Concert on that date. Or, as Vincent himself told the "Radio Record," he can imitate the action of the Arab if the public don’t like him"fold. up my tent and silently creep away." Besides the nice cold weather, ons of Vince Ryan’s "first impressions" of Wellington was a certain gentleman named Frank Crowther, to whose pianoplaying the comedian had just been rehearsing when the "Radio Record" diseovered him. Frank may not know it, but his accompaniments made Vincent Ryan a "dinkum cobber" from the outset. He, too, will be in the Charity Concert. So will other friends of Ryan’s-Freddy Cholmondeley, Dave Howard, Bileen Boyd, Thea Phillips and a Chostiakoff. What a bill of ‘are