In the Wake of the Week's Broadcasts

Radio Record, 14 April 1938, Page 6

In the Wake of the

Week's Broadcasts

NOT A DEANNA, BUT A FINE JUNE

Last Sunday night 4YO put over a 1 "ording made by June Barson, the little Auckland girl who won the Deanna Durbin contest conducted by the ZB’s. I had not previously heard this girl sing, and I was

trankly delighted with the simplicity and clearness of

her renderings of "I} Bacio’ and "Play, Fiddle, Play." Sbe was rather better in the latter niunber than in the first, which I thought seemed slightly difficult for her. But she has a very nice voice, and, though not a Deanna Durbin, she is a very excellent June Barson. She should go far, and I, for one, will watch future developments with interest,

MAGAZINE HAD NO AMMUNTION

Listened-in to 4ZB’s "Magazine of the Air" last week, expecting something different-and got it! From beginning to end it was, unfortunately. an "Aren’t We Jolly Good Fellows?"

session, The annuuncers Were Unsparing in superlatives with whieh to

describe their station, their fellow-announcers and ¢oworkers, Self-praise or propaganda may sometimes be necessary for Commercial stations, but it should be dove with concealed cunning and not with blatant joie de vivre. Done in this way, in the end it cun only harm the station’s prestige. I found afterward that friends who listened did not relish the session either.

HE GIVES US THE FACTS

These days there must be a multitude of "fans" for the men who talk on "World Affairs’ from the various | stations, Some days ago a listener wrote to the "Record" saying that OY A’s Dr. Guy

Scholefield was Fascist in his interpretation of the news. I can’t agree.

He is a realist, certainly, and often he reminds me of things I want to forget, but that is only because one thinks --as a "Record" Hot Shot reminds us this week-with one’s wishes and fears anil desires. Last week, for instance, in his talk on Japan’s evasion of the nival ratio agreement, he reminded me that Japan was a loyal ally to the British people in the Great War, and

even helped to convoy New Zealand troops to the theatres of war. It was a fact-though I fvand myself not deSiring to be reminded of it. But it is his duty to remind us of facts, and it is this relentless presentation of all the facts that makes his talks seem Fascist to some no doubt, and honest and accurate to others. yt

NOT YET IN THE TOP FLIGHT

oo Although the Ashburton Silver Band has made much progress under the conductorship of Lieut. W. H. Osborne, it hus a long way to go before it reaches top microphone form. Playing at 3YA

last week, the band chose acceptable numbers. Naturally it included a hymn, without which no

bund programme would be complete, but lvzre certain tonal faults were apparent. Vuruing to the lighter side, it made an excellent job of the novelty item, "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down," giving it unusual, but very effective, treatment. The band is wise in not adhering too closely, as far as its library is concerned, to the old stagers among composers. Rimmer, Ketelbey and Cv. are heard at every open-air concert, on the racecourse and at the showgrounds. Ashburton’s policy of letting them rest for a while is a good one. Bae

WAS UTTERLY UNSUITED FOR RADIO

"And Now Good-bye," by James Hilion, a radio play preduced by Mrs. E. T. Moller. So announced 4YA_ last Monday. It sounded an interesting combination; a good local producer

and a front-rank novelist. Fortunately the play did have a good producer. or Heaven

ajone knows what would have happened to it. For half its length-and it ran for an hour-it was simply a collection of "bits," effects and music, somewhat loosely strung together, and the rest of it was not much more than a duologue. A minister and a girl are eloping; the train on which they are travelling is involved in a terrible collision and the girl is killed. Frantically searching for her, the minister succeeds in rescuing several other passengers. He returns to his village and finds himself a hero. but realising he is living under false colours, for no one knows he was eloping, he all but breaks down and, to ease his conscience, tells his doctor friend the truth. Thereunvon the story switches ever to the courtship and the reason for the elopement. Only grim determination on Mrs. Moller’s part and {obyious) hours of rehearsal made all this clear. if, indeed, it was clear to most listeners. The effects were excellent. and the casting was well donehut these things are not enough. More than anything, radio plays must be entertaining, and not even the best producer in the world can make an unsuitable play entertaining, "And Now Goodbye" was unsuitable. A radio play, to be really successful, must attract interest from the start, and must maintain that interest. This play did neither. aye

PIANIST halal ] BACH RECITAL

Listening to 3YA on April 4, I heard Miss Merle Cunningham, pianist, in a Bach recital. In the Toccata and Fugue she displayed very fine technique and a strong left hand. In the

more rapidly-mov-ing Gigue she was equally skilful. Then came "Jesu,

Joy of Man’s Desir-ing’-simple, softtly-flowing, with a strongly-marked melody changing to minor and back to the major theme. This was another excellent presentation of the Hess arrangement. A Rummel arrangement of ‘"Mortify Us With Thy Grace" was the concluding number. It may have been that Miss Cunningham was a trifle nervous; she should not be, for she is no stranger to the microphone, but one could not help noticing an occasional missing note-a fault Hable to oeeur in anybody's playing if not feeling up to the mark. If she watches this important point, she will bid fair to make a fine name for herself as a solo pianist.

THEY HAVE QUANTITY, AT ANY RATE

"A George Todwards Production." One bears that aunouncement preceding recorded plays very frequently from the NBS stations. It seems to me that fifty per cent. of recorded plays

are George LTdwards productions, und one can only adinire the com-

Ppanys remarikabDle output. Though unpolished in the main, these plays are fairly well re-ceived-better so than I consider they deserve, and the present "Mystery Club" series from 4YA seems as popular as the recent Inspector Scott dramas. To my mind, it is high time the company introduced new voices, for, in the Seott tales, Darby and Joan, in the present mystery series and other presentations, the voices are so much atike that the average listener immedi-

ately connects Inspector Scott or other characters with the speakers, which results in an annoying irritation and serves to detract from the pleasure of the performance. A,

THEY WORK ON WITH LITTLE PRAISE

One doesn’t hear much about the NBS Auxiliary stations, They quietly go their way, providing satisfactory alternative programmes to the main stations, and rarely receive any praise.

Last Sunday 4YO put on a delightful programme, and one that should have been widely

listened to. Between % and 8 pm.,, the programme of popular numbers, rendered by leading orchestras, bands and vocalists, was as enjoyable as anything I have heard for a long time. Featured in the presentation were Paul Robeson, singing "No, John" (and how he sang it!), Nelson Hddy and Jeanette MacDonald ("Farewell to. Dreams"), and Gladys Moncrieff ("Sally in Our Alley’). Just the sort of items listeners relish, and similar programmes in future would not be frowned upon. Br

GOOD MATERIAL BUT TOO MUCH OF IT.

Excellent material was contained in Mr. Malton Murray’s talks on "Triumphs Over Affliction,’ from 2YA on recent nights. The speaker, whose broad accent wag effective in giving a

conversational flavour, deait with a number of figures of history and pre-sent-day, who glori-

ously overcame such handicaps as blindness, deafness and loss of limbs. The achievements of the armless man and the Irishman without hands or feet made as good listening as any Ripley tales, although Mr. Murray did not "put it over" quite so well as that famous recorder of amazing things. He tried to cover the ground too quickly, giving in one or two cases sketches so brief that they lost half their point. However, the talks were well worth hearing.

THE CURSE OF DEAFNESS.

es It is estimated that 14,000 people in New Zealand suffer from progressive deafness-70 per cent. being afflicted with the hereditary type. Yet to many of these people radio is the greatest blessing for years,

1s, by some peculiirity in vibration, it is able to make it-

selr auldible to sufeferers of years’ standing, Curiously, enough, also, is the fact that a deaf person Will hear a conversation in a train fa: better than in the quiet of his own home. Sons and daughters-in-law are apt to become unfunnily facetious about this "can’t hear a word you say" business, but there is no doubt that. deafness is a curse which robs thousands of one. of the great joys of life. It was with particular interest, then, that listeners to 8YA on a recent evening heard Mrs. G. A, Hurd-Wood talk on "Achievements of the Hard of Hearing." Obviously she has the cause at heart, for she hay done u great deal of radio and public speaking in the oe of her mission on behalf of the ear.