RADIO PLANS FOR EASTER

Radio Record, 8 April 1938, Page 18

RADIO PLANS FOR EASTER

Special Broadcasts From The Nationals-World Singer To Give Recital From Famous Liner--Interview With Noted Jockey-News From The Commercials

"™M PECIAL broadcasts have ‘@~m, been arranged for the NBS ) for all stations during the Easter period. Station LYA will present a concert by celebrity artists, introducing "Songs of the Past and Present." Caruso, Melba, Clara Butt and Stracciari will be heard during this presenta= tion. The concert follows a relay of Stainer’s "Crucifixion," from St. Thomas’s Anglican Church. STATION 2YA will broadcast a programme sent to New Zealand by courtesy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This deals with the romance of sacred songs, and outlines the story connected with "Jesu, Lover of My Soul." A play entitled "Thy Light Has Come" is scheduled for 9.20. This is a dramatisation of incidents in the life of William Tyndale, whoi first translated the Bible into English. STATION 3YA_ will note and broadcast every itein of feligious or other importance. For instance, on. Good Friday, Sunday hours will be observed, but a combined service at 11 a.m., under the auspices of the Ministers’ Association, will go over the air. In the evening, at 7.30, there is Bach’s "Passion." At 9.25 pm. Mr. Thomas FE. West, tenor, will present a recital of numbers, including "A Dream of Paradise" (Gray), "tow Lovely Are Thy Dwellings" (Liddle). and "The Lord’s Prayer" (Malotte ). STATION 4YA_ will cover reli gious services. In the morning (at 11), the special service from St. Paul’s Cathedral will be relaved. At 7.30 in the evening a special service, conducted under the auspices of the Council of Christian, Congregations, will he relayed from the Concert Chatnber. Canadian programme, entitled "Within These Walls," is to be presented from 4YA at 8.30, and this will he followed by a studio presentation of "The Crucifixion." to be. presented by [rnest Drake and Choir, with Hanimond organ accompaniment.

POPULAR schedule has been arranged for all stations on Easter Saturday, commentaries on racing meetings being to the fore. Special features from the various stations include "The Rhythm Boys in Rhythm all the Time’: "Drama in Cameo-The Lady of Glenwith Grange’; "Westward

Ho!’:; "Revue in Rhyme"; "The Japanese Houseboy," and "Dad and Dave." Dora Lindsay, Scottish character artist. will make a _ persvnal appearance from 2YA, N Easter Monday a humurous fess ture, "The Fourth Form at Sts Percy’s" and a novelty. dramatic pre sentation, "Personal Column," dealing with the Agony Column of a newspaper, will be broadcast from 1YA. Dora Lindsay again entertains frum 2YA and the -Christehurch — station will present. a recorded pantomime entitled "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." The presentatiow was ar ranged aud recorded in Australia, ang features many well-known artists. A topical feature, particularly appropriate since the Canterbury Jockey Club is to hold. a meeting that day, will be an interview with New Zealand’s premier jockey, L. J. ("Jimmy") Ellis. Tt. will be. "broadeast.-from.3Y_A af 9.5... _ The Masked Masqueraders will be heard in 80-minutes of revue from 4YA Dunedin,

Dutch Songs CLEVER — journalist, Hedda Dyson, editress of an Aucklund weekly, is to present an original show called "Musicale-The Songs of Holland," from 1YA on April 14, from 8.15 to 8.45 pan. And it should be good, for Hedda is, of course, Dutch. The ntusical arvangements and accompaniments are by Miss Thelma Willoughby, wellknown Auckland teacher -of tlie pianoforte. Whole performance will be illustrated with vocal interludes and stories. Social Play NBS productions are winning high favour, and another recorded play is to be heard from 2VA at 9.15 on April 13.. Given the title "The Dorsetshire Labourers,’ this dramatic interlude presents the story of these hardy folk in their courageous endeavour to establish u union under the most difficult and disheartening circumstances. Their efforts. are ua landmark in the history of the Trades Union moveinent. Race Days OR station 8YA at Easter racing programmes include a broadcast of the first day of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s — interDominion championship meeting, Trotting meetings will be held also on Saturday, Wednesday, Thursday. with the

final’ on the next Saturday. Here is where the New Zealand and Australian horseflesh meet. At night on the last Saturday a "Revue in Rhyme" will be a teature of the concert programme and later a modern dance programme relay from the Winter Garden, until 11.30 p.m., will present the BaileyMarston Band. The two days’ gallops of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Easter meeting will be broadcast on April 18 and 19, Canada WHat do we know of our sister Dominion, the land of the maple and caribou-Canada? For all its 3,684,723 square miles the average New Zealander’s knowledge is limited to "something" about the All Red Route, vast prairies, the Rockies, and the St. Lawrence River, with, maybe, a dash of Wolfe storming the Heights of Abraham, ‘The NBS has arranged the presentation of a special series of programmes from Canada, "Within These Walls," which will give a true account of the life and customs of the people, and of the history and geography of the land. The first of the series to he put over by 4XYA will be presented at $.30 on Good Friday night. Wrestling RINGSIDE commentary on the professional wrestling match between Lee Jensen and Al Baffert, will be broadcast by 4YA from the Dunedin Town Hall on Saturday, April 9, at 9.5 p.m, On An Atoll HE ordinary person would probably be bored stiff if he or she had to live on a Polynesian atoll for some months. Some people, however do this sort of thing voluntarily. Dr. Ernest Beaglehole, of the staff of Victoria University College. and his wife, both of them trained ethnologists, went to live on the island of Puka Puka, which is the most northerly island of the Cook Group, and is east of Samoa. There were 600 natives living there, but Mrs. Beaglehole was the only white woman

who had ever lived there. The two went there to study the natives, an@ Mrs. Beaglebole will talk about their stay on the atoll from 2YA on April 14, | On Holiday [NA ALLAN leaves to-day by tho Awatea for a holiday in Sydney ,.. Mecca of New Zealand radio artists. Miss Allan has the gift of radio per sonality, and the hundreds of her regular listeners who tune in every Tues-

day and Thursday to the delightful half-hour "Home Journal of the Air," of which she is the guiding spirit, appreciate it. A kindly, friendly, humorous and tolerant outlook on humanity impregnates her arguments with the truculent ‘‘Mr. Chadwick .. ." one of the "Journal’s" most popular features. About A Writer GON of Sir James Allen, one-time High Commissioner for New Zealand, Dunedin-born ©. Allen is well known to the literary section of the Dominion, as well as to lovers of good every worthwhile publication in this country and in Australia. He has

written several plays, and has been talks over the air. Mr. Allen’s poems and literary essays have appeared in very successful in the field of novel writing. His outstanding overseas novels include "Brown Smock," "Tarry Knight" and "The Ship Beautiful." His two most recent works, "Poor Scholar" and "The Hedge Sparrow," were published in Dunedin, and have been widely popular. Having always the interests of the New Zealand writer at heart, Mr. Allen not long ago compiled an anthology of short stories, "Tales by New Zealanders," and copies (Continued on next page).

of the volume should be in the Dominion within a month. His talks over the air have been as scholarly as his writings, and are always welcome by those who appreciate something "just a little better than the average." It seemed rather fitting that so prominent a writer should talk on another wellknown writer, On Thursday last Mr. Allen was heard from 4YA_ dicussing the Australian writer, Ethel Turner, From The "Empress" THE arrival in Wellington of the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Britain on Sunday, April 10 will enable lovers of classical songs to hear the superb bass-baritone voice of the renowned Frederick English. Learning that Mr. English ws on board the liner, 2YA officials immediately made arrangements to present the eminent artist to the New Zealand public on the one day the ship is in port. Having travelled around the world no fewer than eight times, Mr. English has deservedly won a wide reputation as a Tadio and concert-artist. He has performed over the air on most of the important stations of the world, including the BBC, the National Broadeasting Company, the Canadian Radio Commission, Radio Paris, France, the Indian State Broadcasting Company, and many others. The programme selected by Mr, English for his 2YA broadcast on April 10 covers a wide musical range. He will perform songs by Schumann, Malashkin, Handel, Vaughan Williams and Mozart. Empire Service THE Empire station at Daventry is transmitting a recorded programme on April 8 of a broadeast from the Empire Exhibition, included in which will be a talk by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Neville Chamberlain. This programme, of approxi-

mately twenty minutes’ duration, will be rebroadcast by the National station, 2YA, at 6 p.m., on Friday, April 8, Sir John Stainer ROM chorister in St. Paul’s Cathe‘dral, London, to professor of music at Oxford University, with, as stepping stones to fame, the distinct honours of being organist to the Oxford University and to St. Paul’s Cathedral, indicates, in bald outline, the career of Sir

John Stainer, He composed severa! pieces that will never be forgotten, foremost of which are the oratorio "Gideon" and the cantatas, "The Daughter of Jairus’ and "The Crucitixion."" What Handel’s "Messiah" bas come to mean to Christmas, so has Stainer’s "Crucifixion" came to mean to Easter, and on Good Friday, at 9.4 p.m., Mr. Ernest Drake will present the Easter cantata from 4YA studios. Distinction NOTABLE distinction has come to Mr. W. A. Penton, station engineer 0 84B, and latterly acting in that capacity at 2ZB, by his admission to membership of the Lighly conservative Institute of Wireless Technology, London. One qualification was the writing of an original 10,000 word thesis which would reyeal something unknown to radio service, and which eventually brought him into — eonflict With the Engineer-in-Chief of the BBG, Mr. Penton is the third New Zealander to enter the carefully serutinised list of membership of the Institute. Play Problem HE smallest dramatic society, even in the ovt-hack of New Zealand, should, by rights, pay a royalty on certain productions, This is a decided handicap to amateur effort, for only recently, after a country party of players had rehearsed for weeks in the sonth, and was just abont to give its rendering of a light opera. the secretary got alarmed about the royalty. He wrote to headquarters and found that if the hall was packed twice over the sum demanded in royalty could not possibly be met. Result? No show. Annual meeting of the Canterbury Uni-

versity College Dramatic Society the other night found itself up against a similar problem. The meeting decided that in view of increased royalties and lack of funds it should appeal to the Students’ Association for affiliation und a monetary grant. There wus only a credit balance of 16/4 in "the kitty." This society is looking forward to an active year, as it has several plays in course of production. Pianist {OBERT G. HENRY, late of Invercargill, where he established a fine reputation as a pianist, presents a recital of works by Liszt, Chopin and Debussy in his broadcast from 2YA4 on Thursday, April 14, Apart from his capabilities as a soloist, Mr. Henry is an accomplished accompanist, and during his sojourn in the south was continually in demand. Spell It STATION 2ZB's Spelling Bee got off to a fair start on Thursday evening last, but the arrangers rather under-estimated the smartness of the spellers, Of fourteen competitors, eleven were still in the hunt at the end of 15 minutes’ oadeact, three errors entailing disqualification. It was a worth while broadcast and promises to be completely sucecssful. Next week, the prize will be doubled. Words will be tougher. In Sydney Q)TENE PAORA returned to AuckJand last Friday atter being sent neross to Sydney under a special reciprocal arrangement with station 2GB, in exchange for Jack Davey’s coming to Auckland fer two weeks. According to reports from Sydney, Otene was found a fine artist and a well-liked personality. His introduction to a flesh and blood’ audience at the Savoy Theatre community singing concert was a juhilant occasion and he was received with deafening applause. Says a Sydney writer of him, "Mr. Paora is a great lover of music. He says he could sit and listen to it all dey, In his own rendition of songs is his horn love of the melodious in musie and the heartfelt emotion in song."

"Bounty" Mutiny HEN 8ZB delivered itself of some magnificent recorded work dealing with the "Count of Monte Cristo," it captured the fancy of thousands of Christchurch and other listeners. Believing in the policy that once 2 standard is set it must be maintained, this station has arranged to start, on Easter Monday, the famous "Mutiny of the Bounty," so recently picturised with success. The 52 episodes will be presented on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m. Voice Trouble BAck in Sydney now, with his voice still out of action is Jack Davey, whose tour of the Commercial Stations came to such an untimely end. As the "Reporter of Odd Facts’ and one of the "Two Jacks," he had won hundreds of followers in New Zealand, Unfortunately, he has had a good deal of trouble with his voice recently. It departed definitely and completely in Sydney some months ago, and he was out of the running for several months. Tt is insured for £10,000, but even that great sum would be poor compensation for such a misfortune, Mouth Organs Pay JFFRINANCE is the bug-bear to practically every musical society in New Zealand to-day. But there are excep- tions. One is the Ashburton Harmonica Band which has had a most suecessful season, both from a performing and financial point of view, under Mr. Charles Freeman. Station 8ZB had the band at the studio the other day in a country request hour between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. It was Ashburton’s contribution, Immediately the performance was over, the telephones started to tinkle, almost as a belated accompaniment to the band's work. For M.P. Honours HO knows! Station 1ZB might, in a few months’ time, have a real live Member of Parliament on its announcing staff. The popular annonneer, Mr I. L, Frost got his photograph and a few inches of newsprint in the Auckland dailies last week when they smnounced his selection as the official Labour candidate to contest the New Plymouth seat at the general elections to be held in November. Mr. Frost was one of Mr. §. G. Smith’s four opponents at the last election when he polled 4590 votes, next to Mr. Smith. First Picnic CALLERS at 8ZB on Wednesday of lnst week found only the "essentials’ on deck, but, as usual, doing their work ably. It was the day of the station’s first annual pienic at Watikuku Beach. The full staff resumed duty on Thursday morning, Heart Of Spain With the advance of Franco’s forces in Spain, the threat to Barcelona, the chief industrial cenfre in Spain, becomes very real. The Rey. W. Rollings who has made a close study of Spanish history and the present situation in Spain and has given several talks on these at 2YA is to speak again from 2YA on April 11 on the "Threat to Barcelona." The city is not only large but wealthy and has a peculiar position in Spain as it is

the chief town of the province of Catalonia, which hag long been working for independence. Barcelona itself has been the centre of liberalism and radicalism in Spain. Without Fail WEEK after week, without fail, "Masterpieces of Music" is presented from 4YA on Thursday night. Week after week, also without fail, listeners wonder just when the standard will go back. It just doesn’t seem reasonable to expect it to remain as high as it has been for so long. Well, it does not appear as if next Thursday’s programme will disappoint listeners. Dr. T. Vernon Griffiths will conduct the session, and two excellent numbers, Ballet Egyptienne ° (Luigini) and Sigurd’s Jorsalfar (Grieg) will be incorporated. ; In The Army WIRELESS telegraphy and _ radio telephony were used for the first time in Canterbury for military purposes as a means of communication the other day between vehicles moving at ordinary travelling speed. This step forward was made on Banks Peninsula by 30 members of the Southern Depot, New Zealand Corps of Signals, under Captain R. M. South, New Zealand Sig-

nals, during a training period. So encouraging were the results, that soon long-distance trials will be experimented with. Wireless is rapidly finding its niche in territorial training in the Dominion. . On The Road ITH Easter coming, the thoughts of the Transport Department are naturally turning to the exceptional amount of traffic there will be on the roads and considering what more can be done to inculcate safety. The NBS hopes to assist them, as it did before the last holidays, by broadcasting advice and warnings.

After London (CHRISTCHURCH has a fair number of pianists of high quality. One of them, Mr. Frederick Page, is just back from London study and many of his admirers from the stalls, from the circle and from the receiving set, have been wondering just what changes England has brought about in his peculiarly gifted style, Their queries will be answered on April 11, when Mr. Page will present a recital from 3YA, 2ZB Fixtures ARCH past of ex-warriors will be broadcast by 2ZB on Anzac Day, April 25; also the soldiers’ concert in the evening, conducted by the Wellington R.S.A. EW 30-minute week-night sport's session at 2ZB will deal with locai and world events in paragraphie form with bright music in between. Time, Thursdays, 10.15 p.m.TATION 2ZB radio engagement is that of Miss Joan Anderson, Programme Department, to announcer, Phil Shone, Trotting News HE recorded Sports Club weekly serials from 1YA have brought interesting people in snort to the microphones. The next oue is bound to he of great interest to lovers of the sport of trotting, for Mr. Ces. S. Donald, the Canterbury trotting mentor an trainer of such good pacers as Jack Potts and many others, is to he featured at 8.45 on Thursday, April 14. English "HE MOTHER TONGUE," qa newspaper column on grammar, pronunciation of words, and the meaning of some, made the name of Professor Arnold Wall almost 2 household one in the Dominion. The Professor has made a series of six recordings, "Plain Man’s English," in which English for the multitude is clearly and simply put, especially for broadcasting. The first of the series will be heard from 4YA on Thursday of next week. Small But Good LREADY once heard from 1YA since he formed it, John Tait’s Madrigal Choir will uft up their voices again from the same station in a recital scheduled for Wednesday, April 13. Although a small group, the choir has been carefully chosen, and achieves an excellent ensemble an! balance. A short suite for a string quartet will round off the recital. Barbirolli E/NTIRELY new recording of Chopin’s "Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11," will be heard from 2Y A’s evening programme on April 12. Arthur Rubenstein, eminent pianist, handles the solo part with consummate skill, and the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the rapidly rising John Barbirolli, support the soloist in a magnificent performance. : Crime And The Law "QUEER STREET," a play by John D. Kelly, will be presented by Gordon B. Niven from 4YA next Mon-

day night. The indications are that this will develop into a study in character, a type of play which has been just a little overdone lately, and a return to something of a more "straight" type would be appreciated by listeners. The story concerns a burglar whose natural enemies are, of course, the police. He is confronted with a delicate situation when his daughter announces that she is engaged to a policeman, "Gracie" Miss GRACE GREEN, "Gracie," of 8ZB, has taken over "Aunt Daisy’s" session in Christchurch while the lat-

ter is overseas. "Gracie’s" large fole lowing in Christchurch was built up, by the way, long before 3ZB_ started, through the "Sunshine station," 3ZM. Syncopation A LITTLE-KNOWN recorded band will be heard in 26 minutes’ of syncopated playing from 4YA on Saturday, April 16. At 8.10 p.m., listeners Will be introduced to Carson Robie son and his Buckaroes. Everybody Laughed QCCASIONALLY a radio announcer who is usually smart. with. his tongue hag a reckless mood in whieh he reaches a stage when eyen his sternest critic sits down to enjoy him. Bus when two reach such a stage and play up to one another with perfection, the whole world has to laugh. That’s what . happened when. Colin Moore and Mich--a2el Hutt introduced . amateur trials from 1ZB last week. It was a programme composed excellently. by a couple of wise-crackiug fun-ma«akers. Whose humour Was fresh and well delivered. Rolled Off JLEPHANTS can be shifty animals. Ask Neddo. And the Queen Street pavement is hard. Ask Neddo. He rode in state down Wellesley Street on the back of one of Wirth’s elephants in a procession to the circus, There were two elephants dragging drays cone taining 50 children from the Commun‘ity Sunshine Association. At the bottom of Wellesley Street Jumbo neatly rolled his skin, and rolled Neddo most

ungracefully on fo the hard surface ut Queen Street. The animal's keeper wa rolled off at the same time. Neddo picked himself up. dusted himself aud went on with the job. Free For All ATING on a rather new line, 872 has inaugurated an amateur hour. There are no auditions, and if you think you ean sqneeze the air out of A concertina musically, or make your lips sore over a mouth organ, sing a song reasonably well, or make a pro portion of the listeners scream at your favourite comedy numbers, you may go ahead, Winner of the first week's deings was a Mr. Gronin, who was really worthwhile in an impersonation of an announcer getting worked up over racing and wrestling relays.

had gone over newspaper files in order to have every detail historically correct. "his was a fine effort. ~ ‘Dance: Service RELIEVED to be the most complete of its type yet broadcast; ‘will be 2ZB's new idea for old-time .dancing, It will consist of 90 minutes of .dance musie in the old style, and has-. been specially designed to suit the needs of country dancers who may save'the expense of or¢hestras by installing receiving sets in halls. Fuller details will be viven to those interested on request. ‘Times: Saturdays, 10,.15-11.45 p.m, Flesh And Blood MPuE "Melody Travellers," with their pleasant fare of song, piano and . verse nicely balanced, are 4ZB’s sole flesh-and-blood sponsored combination. They have worked for only one sponsor during their 20 broadeasts, and their increasing popularity promises still more suecess. They have always presented an entirely new programme for each session, not one item being repeated. In the near future they hope to run a request session, perhaps two. Not Yet Various rumours, all to the one effect, that 4Z%ZM had at last sold out to the Government for the sum of £2000, have been gaining ground in Dunedin, Ilowever, this popular station, organiser of the "Radio Church of the Helping Hand," is not yet going off the air, Negotiations are still being carried out between the station and the Government, but no definite agreement bas heen reached. On The Danube | qF by some miracle of nature the River Danube dried up completely and its bed filled in so that the Jandsenpe appeared as if the river had neyer been, it could never be forgotten, so fumed has it become in song and story. seginning next Thursday at 10.15 p.m.. and appearing at. the same time for several weeks to come, a highlight will be introduced by 4YA into ifs imusie, mirth and melody hour, This will be "The Blue Danube-Melodies und Stories from: the River of Romance." ‘os