In the Wake of the Week's Broadcasts

Radio Record, 19 August 1938, Page 6

In the Wake of the

Week's Broadcasts

NOT VERY GOOD BUT WELCOME

After a lapse of six weeks 4Y¥A feu tured a studio play last Monday night. "The Antidote to Crime," written by Frank Cochrane and Cyril Roberts, and produced by Miss Anita Winkel, re volved round = the

efforts of crooks to gain coutrol of a mechanical invention which

could recall . from the ether. the sounds of every happening and the echoes of every spoken word through the centuries. The play was interesting, though rarely as exciting as the plot might sound. A large cast took the parts well and a medley of sound effects was cleveriy reproduced. Alto gether, the presentation was a welcome chinge from recorded plays which have been favourites with 4YA for so long.

THEIR PATTER WAS BELOW PAR

The well-kuowu Dunedin patter com edians, Reno and White, had 15 minutes’ freedom of the air from 4YA the other Wednesday night. This pair are as good at the patter game as anyone and L enjoyed their

smart repartee thoroughly. They . wasted no time, and crammed as much

as possible into their turn, So much for praise. When it comes to the actual dialogue I cannot be so complimentary. The gags were either old or obscure, and would probably have been given "the bird" in a concert hall. Reno aud White have been beard in far happier "episodes in the past, and J hope yext time they broadcast they bring up their dialogue to the standard of their delivery.

FULL MARKS FOR A BRIGHT TALK

I did not grudge one penuy of my tudio licence fee when Mr. Victor C. Peters, just back in Christchurch after a trip overseas, chatted from 3YA re cently on "Pageants and Personalities Aibroad." ° It was

the best thing I have heard for many 2 day-fresh,

witty, a little too jointed, but above all, "meaty" to @ degree. Here is a prize tit-bit:-"What will Christchurch do for accommoda~ tion when Dr. Maicolm Sargent. comes here to conduct? Obviously engage King Edward. Barracks. All the sergeants go there!" And this was the conelusion of Mr. Peters’s series of fascinating anecdotes: "A great. singer, athlete, and gentleman was the other day refused admittance to a certain

London hotel. But, you see, ladies and gentlemen, Paul Robeson has a dark skin. .. Good-night, everybody!’ Give me 20 minutes of this sort of thing and you ¢an have a whole six months of the dull and studied perfection of too many New Zealand radio speakers! ve

"BEAU GESTE" iS WORTH TRIAL

"e~ Well-publicised serial, ‘‘Beau Geste, latest plum for the New Zealand Commercials, appear to be creating a good deal of interest among listeners, and from the evidence of the early "

episodes it bids fair to be as popular as "The Dark Inyader" was. Personally, as one who was en-

thusiastic over the cunning ‘surprise technique" in P, C. Wren’s book, I was disappointed that this element has been almost destroyed in the radio version. Still, you ean’t have everything, and there is no doubt that the novel has been cleverly adapted. Too early yet to judge the real worth of the feature, it is not too late to advise iisteners to give it a trial.

NBS "PUT OVER" A FINE ACT

* Another serial likely to please a large block of listeners is the Nationals’ "Grand Hotel,". which started a couple of weeks ago at 2YD and is now coming over also from 1YA Auckland. ; Whereas "Beau

Geste" has been liberally, and _ probably wisely, adapt-

ed for radio, the Vicki Baum story is adapted no more than a raw egg is prepared by hot water for a picnic. It is condensed, but in essence unaltered. The result is a lack of coniinuity that will probably make it difficult for listeners who have not first read the book to follow the sequence-in the earlier episodes anyway. However, those who do keep up acquaintance with "best-sellers" way, for that very reason, enjoy the radio version all the more. And everyone, I think, wil! have to admit that the NBS bave done here a fine job of acting. They bave cunningly gone to the "Grand Hotel" film for a lead, so

that you almost believe you hear the Barrymores speaking and the intonation of Garbo. The woman who takes the role of Grusiuskya, by the way, is giving a really memorable performance, however imitative of the great Swede. Secretary Flammchen is another who is outstanding. All in all, this is a serial worth foliowing. A Warning: Like "Coronets of England," it has the fault of over-loud incidental music, so it’s a good idea to pull your armchair close to the set and be ready to switch down. And a Tip: Sound effects men, you have here just what you want for the sound of a machine-gun-hear the typewriter battering in episode 3, if I remember aright! nn 2

GOOD BAIT FOR RADIO FISHERS

" A tisherman myself, I tuned in eagerly to 4YA the other Friday night to hear what Murray Fastier thought about the "Ocean Fishing Off the Otago Coast." He had interesting things to

say, and showed clearly that trawling or line-fishing is not the holiday

picnic that landluhbers sometimes iniagine. On Mr.. Fastier’s expedition, they had some trouble with sharks, one nuge groper losing his body to a sea-pirate even while he was still fighting on the fisherman’s — line. Ordinarily, catches are so bad wien sharks are about that the boats move on to a new ground. Mr, Fastier’s talk was good bait for radio fishers, ¢ven though he made the mistake of speaking too fast.

TIBBETT THE PRIZE OF THE WEEK

Last week was rather poor in new features for radio listeuners-oue of those barren periods that happen every now and then for no apparent reason, like an epidemic of measles. Most interesting

broadcast: was probably the Law: rence Tibbett wl-

come relayed = by 2ZB8 .on ‘Tuesday night. Unfortunately, Wellington weather was not so polite as Wellington people, and

in the worst storm for years the com-. merciuls’ national hook-up broke down. Only Auckland and Wellington heard the welcome, and were grateful for unusually straight speeches. Tibbett himself impressed listeners by his clear-spoken and intelligent remarkshe sounded a man of ease and much honesty. %

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH "SALLY"?

Whether "Sally" of 3Z2B was toe uear or too far from the "mike" one recent Thursday night, I cannot say. AllT know was it was impossible to hear what she was talking about so merrily. This announcer

has a crisp and hearty style which is easy to hear, but

occasionally she seems to let her subject run away with her, A trifle less speed and a trifle more coherence would improve her broadeasts. x

WELLINGTON’'S LUCKY PACKET STATION

And now it is quite time I voiced the feeling of hundreds of Wellingtou listeners in pleading for the publication of 2YD programmes. This friendly and moderate little station puts over excellent recorded

material, and often takes National serjals before the main stations. I

know its programmes are to a large exient impromptu, but surely we could be told about its serial features and the few others that are fixed beforehand. Last week I went to great trouble and static getting "Singapore Spy" from 83YA Christchurch, only to discover a litth later that 2YD had started the spy drama some weeks before. This sort of experience gives one the same feeling as buying an exelusive tie somewhere aud then the next day seeing it in a job lot at a chain store window at quarter the price! f really cannot see why 2¥D should be such a lucky packet station. After all, 1ZM’s secrets have been laid bare -the Wellington baby carries mneh better material.