PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

Radio Record, 10 June 1938, Page 16

PERSONALITIES ON THE AIR

ff \NRICKET has as great a hold on the affections of English people as ever it had, and this love of the game permeates all grades of so. ciety from street urchins to cardinals. England’s newest Cardinal, that ripe scholar, fine preacher and splendid organiser, Cardinal Ilinsley, of Westminster, is an entbusiastie cricketer. When he Was at Sydenham and passing one day through a publie park, be saw some of his altar boys playing cricket, Unimpressed by their batting style, he offered to show them how it should be done. He was soon sending balls to all corners of the park, Just as he got into his stride the park-keeper tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him that only boys under fourteen were allowed to play cricket in that park! New Zealand cricket . enthusiasts will be able to follow the first Test match, Kngland versus Australia, for six hours from 2YA, The rebroadcast goes from 11 p.m. on Monday, June 13, to 5 o’clock next morning.

REGINALD FOORT AT JUTLAND

For a hobby, Reginald Foort joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

jn 1913. He had the shock of his life on Sunday, August 2, a year later, when on his way to play at his evening service, he met a sailor in uniform who stopped him in the Edgeware Road. "Get your kit and report at H.Q. my lad. We're for the war." So Reginald Foort went to sea as a hold A.B, scrubbed the deck of the ‘"‘Iemeraire" in the North Sea, was appointed unofficially ship’s pianist, and was one of those who saw Jellicoe’s flagship, the "Tron Duke" open fire at Jutland. In 2YA’s Music, Mirth and Melody session on Thursday, June 16, Reginald Foort, organist, will be heard.

AN ACTIVE MAN IS "B.B.B.""

Those three letters "B.B.B." stand for Big Brother Bill, primarily respou-

sible for the Children’s Hour from 4YA. Big Brother Bill is heloved of every child who listens in to the session and there is no doubt he has the happy knock of talking to children -not down to children-that instantly makes them their friend, In addition to his radio work, B.B.B. conducts the children’s page in a Dunedin paper every Saturday night, and he is "brother" to a very large family of youthful readers. Big Brother Bill has also written many stories for children in New Zealand publications ; and more recently he has been writing stories with a nature-study appeal for an Australian magazine. Yet all these things are oniy "sidelines," for Big Brother Bill’s life interest is the

church, and as Pastor W. D. More, of the Church of Christ, he has given an enormous amount of excellent service. People who listen-in when his services are broadcast cannot but become aware of the magneti¢e personality of the man -a personality which draws young and old so closely to him. Finally, it must be mentioned that as a grower of tulips, B.B.B. has few rivals.

BARITONE WITH VELVET VOICE

No Covent Garden season of German opera would be considered complete

without Herbert Janssen. born some forty years ago in Cologne, he has already gained an enormous reputation in the principal opera houses of Ger-; many, Scandinavia and Spain. In 1987, he sang in "The Flying Dutchman" with Kirsten Flagstad, In Germany, however, he is regarded pré-emineutly as a singer of Italian opera, and as such he is principal baritone of the Berlin State Opera. As a "lieder" singer he, has few equals and the wondrous rel-) yet softness of his voice and the extra’ ordinary sensitiveness of his phrasing makes his singing a perpetual delight. For these reasons, no lover of the best singing should miss him at 4YA on Thursday, June 16, when he sings songs by Schumann and Hugo Wolf.

SINGING FOR OVER SEVEN CENTURIES

founded by monks in 1212 to provide a choir for their ehureh servives,

the famous "Thomanerchor’ or Sst. Thomas's Choir, Leipzig, can look back over more than seven and a quarter centuries of uninterrupted activilyuninterrupted even during the Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War, when it was almost wiped out by the plague, St. Thomas’s Church seats 2400 people, but over 8000 are sometimes packed into it when the choir gives something special, The number of boys accepted for the choir is limited to sixty, and they live together in a large house adjoining the new building of St. Thomas’s School. The choir, which is everlastingly linked with the great Bach, and. frequently tours Europe, will be heard from 1YA on Sunday afternoon, June 12.

WHEN FOOTBALL WAS UNLAWFUL

Football was the people’s sport in England over 600 years ago. In the

reign of Edward III, the game was prohibited by a public edict. The decay of archery was, in the king’s opinion, due to "the pursuit: of various) useless and unlawful games." Amonf? these games was football, aud Edward ordered his people to spend their holidays in recreations with bows and arrows. The effect of this command must have been temporary, because by the time the next Edward had ascended the throne, an ordinance -was made, commanding "every Englishman and Irishman dwelling in England to have a long-how of his own height. To-day, We see an attempt to woo young New Zealanders from the game of games-:-but rifles have taken the place of bows and arrows. At 4YA on Tuesday, June 14, Mr. W. G. McClymont will give a talk on "Football in England,"

| They Listen To Him In London ' | -- ----

AMBROSE has one of the mos! popular of the broadcasting dance bands. The band was at the Embassy Club from 1920 to 1927. In the latter year Su Francis Towle secured it for the opening of the New Mayfair Hotel. The 13 members of the band are all outstanding musicians; part of the secret of the band’s success is that five of them are capable arrangers, a fact that insures plenty of originality and versatility in the orchestration of numbers, Ambrose, an outstanding personality, is not afraid of experiment; as, for example, when he engaged the three Carlyle Cousins, to assist the band’s popular vocalist, Sam Brown, Listeners to 4YA will hear Ambrose and his Orchestra on Wednesday, dune ibd.

FIERCE HERO OF SAMARKAND

Tamerlane was a queer blend of scholar and soldier.

whose adventures from ardent youth, when he sat at the feet of a learned parent, to hig death on the eve of the conquest of China, make romantic reading. The remarkable points in Tamerlaue’s personality were his Mongol ferocity, his capacity as a military leader, his high education, and a cultivated taste inherited from his scholarly father and grandfather. The career of the conqueror of Persia, Turkestan, India, Turkey and Syria, was one of 4 man who ruled a vast empire with absolute power, and without ministers or favourites. After his death this empire fell to pieces and became the scene of new wars and miseries. The life of this hero of Samarkand will be outlined by Dr. G. Jobberns in 3YA’s Educational session on Wednesday afternoon, June 16.

RADIO DAYS OF N.Z. SOPRANO

First soprano lo have her work orchestrated for her, when 8YA was oper-

ated by the A. R. Harris Company, was Cecily Audibert, well-known Christchurch singer, whose radio experience is unusually wide. Miss Audibert has seen many changes in Christchurch radio. Just after a tour of Australia she joined up with the first radio compuny and sang over the air successively with the New Zealand Broadcasting Board, and then the National Broadeasting Service as it is known to-day. She was the first Christchurch artist to tour for the Harris Campany. Cecily Audibert gave her first broadcast in Christchurch in 1981. Miss Merle Miller, now making a name for herself in England, was then the station accompanist and Miss Audibert’s first broadcast song was "The Shadow Song," by Mayerbeer. This was orchestrated for her by Mr. Arthur Lilly, of Christchurch, Her first appearance before a microphone was at 2FC, Sydney and Miss Audibert also broadcast from 38LO, Melbourne, She was on tour with the Humphrey Bishop Company in Australia and New Zealand and alsv

with J. C. Williamson Ltd. For two und a half years she was in the same compi.uy with the late Thelma Trott. well-remembered in New Zealand as Mrs Mirie Mareo and, in fact shared a dressing-room with her Cocily Audibert wi be heard over thy air from 38¥A on June 17.

THE PROGRESS OF MR. PENNY

Into the swelling crowd of radio personalities compris: ing such favourites

us Frank and Archie, Eb and Zeb, the Bugginuses, Mrs, Feather. and the Hig gins Family, has gently sidled the hesitant figure of Mr. Penny. To this modest London clerk most unexpected things happen, aud as suceessive epi. sodes in his adventures are heard through the uational stations our affection aud respect for the little man in the bowler bat increase. We owe the origin of Mr, Penny to Maurice Moiseiwitch, a nephew of the cele brated pianist, Benne Moiseiwiteh The personality of Mr Penny is per trayved by one of the ablest character actors ip the Dominion, a radie per former whose motto might well be "where there's a will there's a way" "The Strange Adventures ot Mr. Peony" will be heard from AYA on Thursday, June 16.

CARSON ROBISON AND HIS BUCKAROOS

Radio listeners to the National stations are having their winter even-

ings enlivened by Carson Robison and his Buckaroos. Himself an ex-cowboy, Carson Robison has made a study of hill-billy songs, which are really the folk-songs of America. In addition to his collection of old traditional songs, he bas two hundred of his own composition to his credit. He is a Westerner and a natural musician who can only read music in the tonic sol-fa ‘Over twenty million records of Car son’s songs have been sold in America, besides millions of others throughout the British Empire, A short programme by these popular entertainers jis featured at 2YA on ¥riday, June 17.

PET MARJORIE ON THE AIR AGAIN

Following the suecessful play, "Pet Marjorie," preseuted by its author,

Lady Jaue, and company in 2YA’s children’s hour recently, comes the announcement that Professor TT. D. Adums is to entertain 4YA listeners with extracts from Dr. John Brown’s story of Marjorie Fleming, (Pet Marjorie) and Sir Walter Seott. By the .time this lively little Scottish lassie wus 8 (at which age she died during an epidemic of measles), she had written four journals, many poems. and numerous letters, and had read such poets as Gray, Thomson, Burns, Pope and Shakespeare. She liked the Bible best of all, though. Listeners to 4YA should leok out for Professor Adam’s talk on "MarYorie Fleming," on Kriday, June 17,

SOPRANO FROM MELBOURNE

Melbourne soprano, Miss Molly Hayres. who for the past two months has

been spending a holiday in New Zealand, has given recitals from all the main stations. Miss Hayres, who has a delightful soprano voice, is wellliked in Australia. and broadeasts free

quently from the ABC Melbourne stations, Miss Hayres has delighted New Zealand listeners with her artistic renditions. New Zealander; wilh bave an opportunity: of again hearing her from 2YA on Wednesday. June 16, A few days later Miss Hayres will sail for Melbourne.

Hard On Mother-In-Law

H. SQUIRE, of the Celeste Octet, was once engaged to play at a West End mannequin parade. In the final episode, a bridal display, the organiser had to come on alone as the bride’s mother. Mr, Squire suggested tune after tune as suitable musical accompuniment. but she turned them all down. Then accidentally, he hit on one which she said was exactly what she wanted. "But we can’t play that." he plead ed, "We'll huve that"? she insisted. "Kindly play that tune when I come on and let’s have no further argument,"’ As she came on he did so-to shrieks of laughter from all over the hall, Yhe tune was Marie Lloyd's popular song, "Vm One of the Ruins That Cromwell Knocked Abaht a Bit." Listeners to YA will hear the J. Il. Squire Celeste Octet in the Dinner Music session on Sunday, June 18.