A Plunket Nurse, Two Troupers And A Baby

Radio Record, Volume X, Issue 9, 11 September 1936, Page 6

A Plunket Nurse, Two Troupers And A Baby

How Arthur Hemsley, Comedian,

Last Toured New Zealand

AST week’s "Radio Record" hadn’t been off the _..,ptess, more than an hour or so when Fred yg: Keeley, publicity manager for R.K.O. cs ©) (Radio) Films, in Wellington, ‘rarig’to say that’-Arthur Hemsley, the: English comedian, was a bfdther’ of: Harry ‘Hemsley,’ the famous child impersofiafor:... Which promptly settled a point about which the."Radio Record" was curious. Fred. Keeley. ’way back:,in the music hall days of. Brull and Hemsley, in- England; flayed, on the same bill. So when a "Radio Record" representative discovered Arthur Hemsley in his hotel the following jday, -there was at least one question he didn’t need: to.ask., ., " es ’. But.Arthur Hemsley was interested to learn, that Fred Kéeley. was in Wellington-he Knew ‘the film man was somewhere in New Zealand-and was looking forward-to renewing. the. acquaintanceship. There are other people here..and, there. with. whom Arthur Hemsley will doubtless havé-a:sip.of tea. or something, for he spent eighteen montlis on the Fuller circuit in the Dominion in and about 1922, doing.a double turn with his wife, Elsa Brull. "We toured with a Plunket nurse then," said Mr. Hemsley, who gave his first New Zealand broadcast . last Thursday night from 2YA. "But our baby girl is. now 16 vears old and doesn’t need a nurse any longer, though I

must say that that early care seems to have given her a good start, for she hasn’t had a day’s illness On that tour of New Zealand my wife and f were practically the pioneers of waneashire. humour here, and we seem to have been the. first to exploit that characterisation in Australia, "By the way, it’s been rather

amusing to find that some of the sketches we did then have won prizes at Eisteddfods here, and they haven’t even been published! People like elocution teachers and pupils have copied . the sketches down and done them at competitions, with first-prize results." For the last nine or ten years he has been doing radio work:in Australia, and for the last five he has done only that, writing and playing, mostly for 2BL, 2FO and 2UE. One_ session written and played by Arthur Hemsley, called "Wbenezer and Jeremiah," lasted for nearly 18 months, doing six and sometimes seven nights a week. The Adventures of Bobby Filbert was another, lasting more than two years. ."There, was a little boy to play Bobby, and I took the part of his friend. Bertie," continued the humorist. "Bobby could have his picture in the paper and all. that-quite a nice-looking little lad-but I had to keep ont of that, for think how many listeners the Bobby Filbert sessions would lose if they saw my face in the paper labelled ‘Bertie. Bobby’s Friend’! No, I don’t go in for child impersonations like Hal. does: Bertie was just a departtre from grownup character stuff, which T do more than anything else. "ve a Lancashire ‘friend’ who keeps butting in cn my broadcasts. He’s my ‘other self,’ you might say. We go places together for the of listeners. and get into a bit of fun somehow. . Cockney characterisation is another favourite-Cockney couple at the pictures, Mother and Father at the seaside, and so-forth, That sort of

thing is. easy to do once you conceive the idea, for it’s only real life, after all." it’s the eye that has affected vaudeville, according to this comedian, who spent so many years on the stage. Nowadays one could not tour 25 or 30 people and have the same response as in earlier days, for audiences in the talkies can hear 300 people in three numbers in revue and musical productions, after . which the smaller stage company seems cheap and tawdry.. But radio hasn’t affected Arthur Hemsley adversely, beeause he has taken advantage of it. "If you’ve been eollecting humour for many years, you lay in a huge stock," he explained. ‘Then you can re-dress your shop-window and utilise your fund of humour in a different manner for the new audiences. The value of music-hall experience is

that it is:quite possible for an experienced trouper to ‘become quite a good radio writer. He knows the require ments of an audience, and has a particular appreciation of correctly-used pauses and climax. In variety I may be getting older, but in broadcasting I’m getting younger. In vaudeville one is building on shifting sands all the time, but radio is a real thing of

the present." : ‘Harry: and Arthur are similar in appearance. father, W. T. Hemsley, was the premier scenic artist in London at one time, and in the hey-day of wonderful productions was kept as busy as a man could be. Writing and playing humorous stuff for the radio is not.an easy task. As Arthur Hemsley said, you have to interest your listener immediately and personally, and get him to ‘even half-smile. It’s very different from being before an audience where, say, four out of six are prepared to ‘laugh: beeause they think you funny, and the other two laugh because the others laugh. Thinking of a fresh plot every day when engaged in a series of broadcasts such. as those Mr. H. did in Australia. A good way out of this difficulty was: to leave off a session at qa thrilling moment and finish it off next time. _ "Radio is more satisfactory . than the: stage. ad continued Mr. Hemsley. "Why? Well, I haven’t really analysed my attitude. "There’s a certain amount of fascination: in preparing for radio work. You-can’t afford to he satisfied, for there is’ often some phrase or word- which, if changed, will bring an extra grin or laugh from the listener, But this same is only for those who are fond of work. ‘In vandeville you’re much too much inclined.to rest on your laurels, whereas in radio work the laurel wreath is always‘a little =a. tion ahead of you!"

Character Comedian Brother of Famous Child’ Impersonator