PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

Radio Record, 8 April 1938, Page 16

PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

HE extraordinary complex of the enemies of Williatn Tindale or Tyndale, translator of the Bible into homely English in the reign of Henry VIII, led to his being strangled and burned by order of the Emperor of Germany in Viivorde, in 1536. Tyndale’s sound scholarship (proved in his translation of the Bible) is his surest title to fame. His last words were, "Lord, open the King of England's eyes." The answer to that prayer lies in the fact that within a year of his martyrdom Tyndale’s Bible was placed in every "parish church in England. A thrilling play on this theme entitled, "Thy Light Is Come," will be heard from 2YA on Good Friday, * April 15.

SMALL CAROL OF THE ETHER.

Here’s a little ether carol, (rearranged without permission, but

with apologies to A. A. Thomson): Stars of the ether and stars of the air Send out @ greeting to friends everywhere. If we displease you (as we sometimes do) Remember we're people who're rather like you. Sometimes we’re right, and sometimes we're wrong,

o +. ln League with Gracie Fields But we earnestly try to muke life a song. We sing to the world and we hope we've amused it, And the air is more cheerful after we've weed, it.

Which is certainly true in the case of the famous artists in ‘""Rex Cavalcade, of 1937," compered by Gracie Fields and Sandy Powell. They are to be heard in 2YA’s musie, mirth and melody session, Tuesday, April 12.

TO MARRY SMALL DARK MAN.

When the Empress Josephine was a sensitive, imaginative girl of about

fifteen, her "fortune was told" by an old mulatto woman named Euphemie, in Josephine’s home in the West Indies. The latter part of this horoscope ran: "Your second husband will be a dark man of Muropean origin and small fortune; but. he will fill the world with hig glory and fame, You will then be-

come an eminent lady, more than 4 queen. Then, after having astonished the world, you will die happy." Ivery detail of both the first and second parts of this mystic forecast worked out as‘ the old fortune-teller said. Dramatic episcdes in the life of the Empress Josephine are being featured at 1YA. The next episode will be heard on Tuesday, April 12.

IN THE OLD AND "SILENT" DAYS.

In the days when far-sighted entrepreneurs went round converting

empty shops into "picture palaces," Louis Levy toured one of these English circuits playing his violin. He had studied under Guido Papini in London and in Italy. Then, in 1912, he went to the New Gallery, one of the first of Loncon’s super-cinemas, and soon. became a musical director. One of_ the first to realise that musical accompaniments could be adapted to the moods of the films and strengthen their dramatic values, he acquired a library of over 50,000 works, This superb collection has proved a boon to talkie directors, Louis Levy and the Gaumont British Symphony Orchestra, play in 8YA’s music, mirth and melody session. Monday, April 11.

HE BEGAN AS A JOCKEY.

Wigan (that gift to comedians) is actually the birthplace of George Formby,

the second of that name to earn fame as a music-hall artist and record best-

seller. Had George been a couple of stone lighter we should never have seen that amiable, rather shambling, widemouthed figure on the screen, or heard him on the air. When he was seven he was apprenticed to a racing. staple. When he went jockeying the scales

World Violinist Now Can Vote

Yehudi Menuhin has come of age. This is no routine affair, Yehudi has not been able to yote up to now, but he has been a world figure for 11 years, Still a youth, he has behind him a career which would be a full one for almost any man, Accordingly, he is older at 21 than most. He has recorded familiar and unfamiliar works; his records now cover 246 sides, which seems not bad for a youth of 21, He has a reputation of being a purist, having a flair for research and for having the last word with both his father and managers. Yehudi Menuhin, violinist, will be heard at aYA on Sunday afternoon, April 10.

were literally turned in his favour. He put on weight, and within a couple of Years he was too heavy to ride, but light enough in humour to follow in bis late father’s footsteps. George Formby is in 3YA’s music, mirth and melody session on Monday, April 11.

SHE JUST WENT ON READING.

After Marion Talley had dressed herself for the part of Gilda in "Rigo-

letto," she went out ox to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, to experience the greatest thrill of her life. She left her mother in the dressing-room calmly reading Tenny(2s "In Memoriam," of all things. To an inquiry sent by Mr. Gatti as to whether she would like to step into the wings to see and heur her daughter sing her first opera at the Metropolitan, tnamma looked up from her book. keening her finger on the 1ine where she had left off, and said: "W-no, I don’t believe so." She just went on reading ! Marion Talley, soprano, will be heard at 1YA on Sunday afternoon, April 10.

"TRY TO SING LIKE DEVILS!"

From the latest Busil Maine book, "The Best Of Me," eomes a glimpse of

rehearsing for a former Norwich Festival. At that distant date, Dr. Haydon Hare, the festival chorusmaster, was rehearsing ‘‘The Demons’ Chorus" from Elgar's "I3ream of Gerontius." In those days this music seeueed outrageous to both singers and audiences. More shocking to Basi! Maine than the music itself was Dr. Hare’s injunction to the chorus to sing with ugly tone: "For gooduess sake," he shouted, in a rage, "try to sing like devils, not ladies and gentlemen!" Listeners to 4YA will hear Basil Maine in a Shakespearean Recital on Sunday afternoon, April 10.

FROM FARMER TO MASTER CUTLER.

After having spent ten strenuous years converting a rough, bush-elad. hillv ser-

i tion into a fine little 400-acre farm, Mr. J. Mowbray Denton left his holding at Pohangina, at the back of Ashhurst, for a holiday trip to England. That noliday lasted 88 years, because Mr. Denton did not see New Zealund again unti] @arly last year, when he came home to Wellington fur a reunion with his six brothers. It appears that iu Sheffield Mr. Denton met the girl of his heart, settled dowu, and eventually became the proprietur of the wellknown cutlery works of Christopher Johnson and Co. Listeners to 1YA will hear him tell his own story in a talk on Thursday, April 14.

PASSION FOR DETECTION.

If there had been any sort of a law against wise-crack-ing, our comical

Tommy Handley would most probably have turned to crime detection, His personal library consists chiefly of volumes on this absorbing subject, and, by following them in every detail, he tries to arrive at his own solutions to all the sensational crimes reported in the newspapers. And if they wouldn’t have him aft Scotland Yard. Tommy once confided that he would like fo have become n joekey [f that happened. ‘what a loss to records. radin and stuge! Tonuny Handley entertains in 1£A’s music, mirth and meledy session on Monday. April 11,

HAL KEMP OF ALABAMA,

Countless thousands of boys first showed interest in music by watching their sis-

sters practise on the piano, and later by taking up the Jew’s harp. One of these was Hal Kemp (born in Marion, Alabama, on March 27), only he Weht much turther. He dropped the harp and took up another instrument to such good effect that by the time he was ten, he was admitted to a military band. History is silent as to whether Hal favoured the drum or the triangle. but, whatever it was, he stuek to music at school, rose in the profession and now leads his own band. Listeners to 3YA will hear it in the dance session on Tuesday, April 12.

WROTE MUSIC THAT NEVER PAID.

Since 1807 the Holst family have lived in and around Cheltenham, Eng-

lund, and Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was the most illustrious of them all. Showing remarkable gifts as a child, his father determined to make young Gustav a pianist, Neuritis in the hand forced him to give up uny idea of becoming a professional pianist, so he took up the trombone. It was actually whilst employed in a touring opera company’s orchestra that Holst composed some of his finest music. He taught music wp to the last-he had to

in order to live, for composition of the Holst type of music never "pays." Under Mr. Ernest Jenner, the Royal Christchurch Musical Society will presont a programme, "An Hour With Holst" on Wednesday, April! 13.

HIS SLOGAN iS SAFETY FIRST.

Sometimes "Stainless. Stephen" is spoken of as Arthur Clifford. comms

comedian question-mark, and was so billed in 1919 on the music halls. He specialises in topical and spontaneous humour. When on the stage he wears a shitt-front of stainless steel , . his slogan being "safety first." Like the steel on his breast plate, he comes from Yorkshire. He will be heard in 2YA’s musie, mirth and melody session on Thursday, April 14.

RUSS MORGAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA.

In the summer of 1935 Russ Morgan, Musical Director of the American (Col-

umbia Company, organised a group of sixteen instrumentalists for recording purposes in New York. The group included several of the members of Ray Noble’s Orchestra, and recorded under the title of Russ Morgan’s Orchestra. For many years Russ was arranging for Jean Goldkette, the famous Frenchborn orchestra leader and pianist. There is probably no better training for a successful recording dance band director than to have the unique experience enjoyed by Russ Morgan. Listeners to 2YA will hear his band in the dance session on Monday, April 11,

JUDGE FOR NAPIER COMPETITIONS.

Hamilton Dickson, well-known to New Zealand listeners, is

a versatile musician. When in Sydney he was ’cellist With the New South Wales Conservatorium Orchestra and Sydney Professional Orchestra, and soloist for 2FC and 2BL. He studied voice production and singing with Roland Foster, and composition from Alfred Hill. Mr. Dickson has written two operettas, an orchestral suite, and a number of songs and solos for pianoforte and ’cello. He settled in Wellington in 1984. Mr. Dickson is to adjudicate the vocal] and instrumental. sections at the Napier Competitions Society’s’ festival to be held at Easter.

LUPINO AND "HIS RIVERINCE."

In consultation with a jolly old Irish priest in Dublin one day. the famous

comedian, Stanley Lupino, discovered a new and unusual sidélight on the subject of humour. Said "His Riverince": "There’s no blasphemy in thinking jokes were intended by Providence. Have ye ever seen a crab? Think for a minute; just a blob of a thing like a squashed potato frozen still, then legs all round so that it can’t walk sober-like if it tried, no nose or mouth, and a couple of specs for eyes just set anyway in as if an afterthought, as if an architect had forgotten the windows of a house. The thing is as full of screaming comedy ag a rose is full of beauty and loveliness; of course it was intended; the one just as much as the other, You can tel] both your children that of course there will be laughter in Heaven, when the joke will be on the devil."

No. 26. AS THE ARTIST SEES THEM BROADCASTERS