Radio Belongs to Fairy-Tales

Radio Record, 5 August 1938, Page 12

Radio Belongs to Fairy-Tales

Written for the "Record" | | by , |

WILTON

BAIRD

ALMOST with the strides oF the Giant's g -seven-league boots, redio..to-day. is . rapidly advancing. How the new technique is being cultivated is evident in two "hew national features of the NCBS, the _ fairy-tale series "Once Upon. A Time" and the song series "Songs of Yesteryear," previewed in this article, .An.. unobtrusive naturalness, says the writer, ‘is replacing the stiffness and formality — of the radio technique of the past.

"GSEDEN harp that Springs ‘to. life’ and plays a melody ... the sound of the joy#2 he falcclucking- of.a-: "hen .that has -laid ‘a. wet Sat : golden: rege. . « the. tramp-of a giant's . sevetizleagué: boots: It came .as no shock to. me. to: hear -these things over the air. 2 arwRadig. itself is a- fairy-tale. wie stn the-short space of its fantastic. existence. a -radiv itself.-has "made. giant strides.with its seven-leagus beots;:,, Jtjhas: made. the golden:music ‘of the harps and .fiddles of, geniuses spring magically. out of the air ‘when, they. have ‘been playing 12,000 miles* away. And for "a-'good ‘number "of ‘people-when you consider all its . fercial and ‘nidney-making dchievements-radid-his als’ Deeks! the’ her that has laid *he golderi egg. "That's ‘Siwy tle "Once rn hae eT eine’ | SNe ote: pe was o..@ ew

U og, ASIC Seat Eat 42 heard *in- a "preview "at "the NEBS' last "week ‘seemed ‘pér--fectly. natural" ovér ‘the ‘air. ' The: fairy. tales of "Jack .and the -Beanstalk’, and "Cinderella" ‘and "Snow White and.. Rose-Red"" s:and..‘others . are perfectly matched to the mars vel of radio. . It is oily strange that the possibilitiés of tadio for fairy-_ tales Have ‘tiot been fully exploited before. ~ It is a far better medium for fairy-tales than the stage, where human fairies are singularly lumpish and. unconvincing. To my

ae SG AS Ve A DELLE medium for fairy-tales than the films, with due respect to Walt Disney’ 8 genius. Children See. ‘THE point is that in radio there is nothing at all to come between the child and the illusion. The yoices and the music and the appropriate "stage noises off" are all_ that is heard, The rest is brought to life by the Imagination. Anyone who. has had the slightest knowledge of the amazing extent of the child imagination will have some idea of what rich mental pictures these radio voices will bring ‘to diminutive listeners. Nor is it necessary to say only diminutive: listeners. Adult listeners might begin to hear them, us I did, somewhat condescendingly, but I. suspect they will have the same peculiar sensation that attacked me, an ~ WF _. gsbh ert ‘

I was no longer visiting a business office of the _NCBS; doing & to earn a living. I had escaped ‘fom a World of hard economic facts and the wranglings of nations into a pleasant world-dimly remembered a long time ago-where the voices of the giant and the King of the Squirrels and Wise Old Owl were. quite familiar and perfectly real. It wat pleasant to escape... | When Jack climbed the magic beanstalk it was quite in order that he should find a broad road that jed him to the giant’s castle. It, was no surprise to find: the Queen Of the Fairies waiting to lead him to the giant’s = den; And, onve safely inside, crouching in the corner while the giant ate--his dinnér-and I must say he swallowed beautifully over the radio!-it was quite a natural sequenceof .events that the hen should cluck with pride when it, laid its golden egy, . and that the magic harp should begin. to’ play a char ming. tune wheu it was asked to do-so. Naturalness! . That is the

important thing to achieve in all art, which, after all; aims at ‘imitating life. _ ,This quality of naturalnéss Was evident in the second new NCBS feature, "Songs of Yesteryear," that I heard last., week, The old days. when’ every announcer said, ‘"Yous are to hear the song ‘So-and-:. So’" are fast vanishing." Some duy in: the future; -pro--bably, the radio stations will: put on a feature called "Announcing of. Yesteryear." Po. the listeners of that future. day it will be an amusing * item, just as the silent. films.

OL an earlier flime are sometimes shown for amusement to-day in the theatres.: For,:: each day now, radio technique is advancing. CK Painting a_ Story eg [ue new technique ‘of announcing can be studied in any . of the later NCBS national features. It is evident in "The Country Church of "Icllywood" and the "Hymns. of... All Nations," and@ it is particularly evident in "Songs of Yesteryear." How is it done? By the method, old as life itself. of painting a story. Radio paints a story for listeners in "Songs of Yesteryear" . of the old- fashioned parlour of Mother and Father Jones. Listeners see them sitting in the cosy room before the-: fire. The old harmonium organ stands in the corner, Visie . tors come, their married daughter (Continued on. page.41.)-

Fairy Tales" mn Radio

PAINTING: THE:PICTURE (Continued . from, Page. 12,) and son-in-law. They talk, théy con jure-up dld recollestions. they" drift o1 to speaking: of. ‘their .favourite . .ol¢ ‘tunes, Soon Father Jonés slides rounc to the "organ:-seat.: You van :tell :tha' *he- can't: resist its lure ‘BS: _ they: speak ‘of theseold tunes, -- "Anyone van tell what he’s: going te play," "says his. daughter. lightly: -te the others. ‘ I can tell by the sparkle in his eye, ‘Blue-bells. of _Scotland,’’ Of ‘course: they jotn in, singitig very ‘beautifully and ‘talking "easily In betwéen the songs in the marner of famjlies, until "a chance’ word leads on ‘tc ‘another song, say "Carry: Me Back tc Old Virginny," and to another and yet another, Some ‘day we shalt laugh at the way radio anrouncers used to say, "You are now to hear..." © "Once Upon A Time" will: "be heard’ from the four: Commercial stations, from 1tZB, 2ZB and 3ZB on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays ‘and at 4ZB on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and' Fridays, all at-5.45 p.m. ‘The feature begins on these dates: 1ZB, now run- . ning; 2ZB, begins August : 2; 3ZB, August 9; 4ZB; August 16. Songs of Yestéryear, which will be heard from the: four commer: cial stations at 10.36 a.m.; Mondays to Fridays inelus’ve, is scheduled to begin as follows: 1ZB, now running; 2ZB, begins August: 1; 3ZB, August 8; 4ZB; August