In the Wake ok the Week's Broadcasts

Radio Record, 1 July 1938, Page 6

In the Wake ok the

Week's Broadcasts

WHEN RADIO MAKES ONE'S WORLD.

Radio io a listener-critic sometimes becomes as tedions as film to a film critic. You sigh sometimes for the pleasantly blduk hours when you used to be able to put your feet on the man-

telpiece and 20 gently to sleep before the fire without interference from a singer, a speaker or

announcer, Sometimes, however, — it gives you the perfect pleasure. You listen to it happy in the knowledge that there is nothing else you would rather he doing in the world at that moment. Tt did this for me last week-end. It gave me, on the same evenings, Kipnis and the Tests. What more could anyone desire? ,

ALL GOOD BUT THE EFFECTS

In Edwin Lewis’s short play, "Sea Silence," produced by Mrs. HE. T, Moller in the 4YA studios recently, two men were left alone on a derelict ship, drifting in mid-ocean, The suggestion

of madness overtaking these two mep on their helpless craft, a craft full of strange

nolses aud ghostly tappings, Was amazingly well done, and if the players were not just a little carried away by their roles then I'm a Dutchman! ‘There were only four speaking parts -all male-and each was convincingly portrayed. The play might have scored highest honours had the sound effects been better. But the splashizs when the

madmen jumped into the sea. sounded like the dropping of pins on a feather mattress, and the creaking of oars in rowlocks reminded me of a mouse in quest of cheese.

POINTS ABOUT THE KIPNIS RECITAL.

"Scherzo," the ‘Record’s" music critic, will have written on the Kipnis recital. There is no need to write more about this glorious bass voice. One or twe small points struck me, however,

as worth mentioning. Why it is that Kipnis was not better known by Press and publie before he

came to New Zealand? Everyone now talks of his brilliance-after his concert, but why did so few speak of it before?

One other point, and it is this: Before radio came to New Zealand, we should have had to pay staggering prices to hear such a singer. Now, when he can be broadcast at the same time, the public can hear him at his recitals at prices beyond the reach of no one. This fact must be immensely important to students, notoriously hard up, and to that great body of humble people in New Zealand who have little money but a passionate devotion to music. When I looked at the prices charged to the public I began to wonder gratefully if NBS stood after all for "No Blinking Socking." oe

THRILLING CLIMAX TO PUBLIC’S LIKING |

ws A: good many years ago "The Hooffed Terror," "The Tiey of Hearts," "The Perils of Pauline," and goodriess, knows how many more serial films, thrilled movie-goers, A feature of these pic

cures Was Lie breath-taking climax to each instalment, when the hero or hervine (or

both) ‘swas facing death jp a Situation from which there seemed to be no earthly escape-until next week. And then the escape prbved a simple thing indeed, Thousands of readers will recall those stirring days, and will probably regret the passing of the serial from the evening picture programmes. Toa certain extent radio serial features have taken the place ot the movie serial, and the wireless presentations have all the thrill of the old "flickers" in the manner in which each instalment concludes. As soon As a most crucial moment develops and you are in the act of straining forward, horror-stricken in your chair, the fadeout music herals the announcement that "a further presentation of this serial: will be given from this station" on such and such a night. All very annoying, but it has the desired effect of making you tune in next week just to see how Dick Diehard really did evawl from out the lion’s jaw after having been well and truly swallowed. And the way in which the listening public follows these serials shows that tastes are no different from what they were 20 years ago, even if the form of entertainment has changed.

BRADM Ne WAS I THE CHOIR

Inclusion in the King’s Birthday honours of the name of Dr. Sydney H. Nicholson, M.A., former organist of Westminster Abbey, warden of St. Nicholas College, Chisle-

hurst, the headquarters of the Sehool of MUnglish ‘Chureh M u's ig¢,: which he . founded

eight years ago, was. welcomed by ehureh people. n his tour of the Empire three years ago, Sir Sydney visited New Zealard and broadeast a talk from 2YA,. Hs father founded Sydney University. and christened his musica! gon -accordingly.. Sir Syduey ridicules the idea that Australian and New Zealand boys ¢annot sing, and he was thrilled whan he visited’ Bowral, » te learn from Don -Bradman’s parents that the treat cricketer was. in the Jocal choir as a lad; Sir Charles Kingsford Simi*h also was a chorister ag a boy, Sir Sydney found Melbourne was justitiakyy proud of its admirable cathe. |

dral choir, and of the fact that, in 1935, there was only one other outside England that celebrates a daily Anglican. choral evensong-the cathedral of © Christchurch, New Zealand.

THOSE LITTLE | FAMILIAR TOUCHES APPEAL

Pa I shouldn’t like to.say bow closely the NBS serial feature, "Dad and Dave at Snake Gully," now presented every ¥riday from 4YA, resembles a true picture of Australian life, but there is no

doubt the impctuous Dad and the nasal Dave are firm favourites with the listening public. It

is not hard to-visualise rural districts where the major social events of life are the country dances, county council meetings, or the passing through of the city express, but I believe the popularity of the feature has a much nearer. and more: domestic familiarity. I suggest that in the lives of nine.out of ten people it is easy to find counterparts of the many little contretemps that arise from time to time in the adventures of Dad and Dave. And don’t we all just love to see others up against things which have annoyed or tricked us? I think this feature reveals George Edwards and company in their best form,

CHESS CHAMPION WAS NOT. "SLOW" TALKER

Just as you cannot judge books by their covers, neither can you judge talks by their titles, Last Friday I tuned in to 1YA just as Gregory Koshnitsky. chess champion of New South

Wales, was introduced. "Oh, chess," 1 said to myself. "That won’t interest me, I don’t

play. But it did Interest. Lhe cham pion was interviewed very capably by Gordon Hutter and kept me absorbed. He told of his early years in Moscow, how he harboured a secret ambition to travel to the "end of the earth’-wNew Zealand-and how chess made it possible, He learnt much about the game at the Shanghai Chess Club, where only one Chinese was a member, Questioned, Mr. Koshnitsky said that 50 years ago Mnglishmen were great chess players, but they bad since declined. "Eng- _ lishmen are too prosperous ever to be eome ekess masters. To become 4 chess master one must start young and give up practically all else for its study.... English young men with the necessary intellectual qualifications can usually find a more profitable vocation. For them chess remains a hobby." Of women players Koshnitsky said that thongh perhaps quite as intellectual as men, women are not so good at thinking in abstract. "Chess thinking involves sustained concentration."

CHILDREN ARE TOLD STIRRING TALE

Quite by chance I tuned into 4ZB's children’s session recently and heard a few far-too-brief. comments On a sea disaster of 81 years ago, A Dunedin survivor of the Dundonald, which was

wrecked on The cliffs of Disappointment Island an March 6, 1907. told something of the

horrorg of that tragedy-of the 16 sut- " vivyots who somehow reached the shore

and ‘lived for seven months on the barren, windswept island, their only food being seabirds, seals, and weeds; fiz--ally, of a six-mile voyage in a miserable craft of veronica wood and canvas to the Auckland Islands and a Government food depot. I should say children would be thrilled to hear these adventures, and I personally could have stood more. Incidentally, Jill and Peter were remarkably secretive about the survivor’s name, but he is quite well known as Mr, Karl Knudsen. He was third mate of the Dundonald at the time of the wreck,

ANNOUNCER"S BAD PRONUNCIATION

Heaven forbid that radio announrers. should be "elocutionists,". but anybody who speaks even a single sen-: tence over the air must be above ap-. proach in the important matters of

grammar ana prom nunciation. A new voice heard over 3ZB the other night annoyed me for.

slips of that kind. The matter was quite good, but the pronunciation, my. words!

WANDERED INHIS "MEMORY" TALK

Sydney Jones was the composer of those delightful musical comedies, ‘"The Geisha," "San Toy," "The Gaiety Girl" and "The Prince of Cadonia,"’ and I expected to hear a good deal of him and

his works in Mr. Cc. R. Allen’s talk on the subject from 4Y¥A last Wednesday. Mr. Allen.

dealt somewhat generally with the comedies, digressing frequently into often irrelevant stories about actors and actresses. I couldn’t help forming the impression that the title "Sydney Jones" was only a very useful sheet anchor to return to when the speaket threatened to get too far away from some semblance of continuity. However, ignoring the Sydney Jones asthe talk was a very interesting "musical comedy memory," and I am sure many of Mr, Allen’s "side-issues" must have brought pleasant thoughts to more than one listener,

PLAYS DON’T COME OFTEN ENOUGH

The standard of plays from 1YA is high lately, and last week the good work was continued when Zoe BartleyBaxter produced in the studio Noel Coward’s delightful comedy, "Hay

Hever. if WaS @ worthy successor to "Tibel" a few weeks before. All the members of the

east did well, particularly A. J. ©. Fisher (director of the Elam School of Art, Auckland), as David Bliss. I thonght the turgid atmosphere of the Bliss home was extremely well caught, and efficient arrangement of the Noel Coward musical compositions and effects added greatly to the entertainment. JI know dozens of listeners who think there is only one thing wrong with these plays-they are not featured often enough on 1YA programmes,