IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 27, 16 December 1938, Page 11

IN THE WAKE OF THE WEEK'S ...BROADCASTS...

CHIEF RADIO ARTIST WAS THE P.M.

Chief radio artist last week was again the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, and though opinions of the material he delivers vary according to

taste, some see-_ ing him as an unconscious tragedian and others as the

people’s héro, there is no question of his microphone sense. He speaks slowly and comfortably, in a mellow voice that has a distinetly soothing effect. ~~And, apart ‘from these virtnes, > his voice has the essential quality of all radio, literary and political best-sellers: Sincerity.

SHE SANG HER FAREWELL

During all the time she was with 4Z2B, I never heard Kyra Jupp sing until the night she gave a farewell broadcast just before she left for Wellineton to marry Lionel

Sceats in January. Hearing her, I was impressed with the full, rich contralto voice that is

hers, and I know I am sorry that I missed hearing a true singer on the many times she has sung in the past. Her final number, "Coming Home"’-highly appropriate as Wellington is her home town-was probably one of the most sincere, most deeply-felt renderings of the piece that I have ever heard. I only hope I get a chance of hearing her from 4ZB some time in the future: she is sure to sing again, for she has radio blood in her veins.

WILL HE NOT COME BACK AGAIN?

One of the best series of recorded talks ever given from 3YA, in my opinion, was that of Professor Arnold Wall, on the "Meaning of Words." It is strange that in New

Zealand, with ali its resources: of education, the wreng word is used at the fatal

place not only by the man in the street, but by the politician and even the lawyer, every day of the week. None of us is perfect, granted, put, from experience I can speak of a wellknown New Zealander who, in spite of frequent warnings, can never say anything but "mayor: ality," and "casuality." It’s a: kink. It is a great pity, I think, that the Professor’s talks have ended, for they were highlights in 3¥A’s programme, Possibly another series is in preparation. If so, it will be @q videly welcomed.

THAT PEST THE STUDIO

Humour on the air, unless occas-. ionally unconscious, or reproduced on overseas transcriptions and recordings, seems to be a sadly lacking quality among home-grown.

New. Zealanders. Last Wednesday night, however, I heard a refreshing quarter hour of nonsense

broadcast by "Dum Dud" in the form of a mock wrestling relay. It said the final word on all wrestling jokes coined within the last. decade, and might well be made into a vreguiar feature for those .who like their wrestling. light-hearted and in small doses. "Dumb Dud" hides the person of Dudley Wrathall, 1Z2B’s programme. organiser. He has broadcast in sketches as "Private Bottle," "Mr. Spoogles," and, in a recent Diggers’ session, he made such a comic nuisance ef himself te Red Talbot as a dumb Cockney. farmer, that several listeners rang the station’ and: requested that "that pest should be kept out of the studio."

TRUMPET WITH ORCHESTRA

Cloak of ignorance that has hidden the beauties of the trumpet has been lifted since the American woman. trumpeter,, Grace Adams Bast, began her tour of New Zea-

land for the NBS. .The ordinary man : and woman have been astonished, no less than;the

student, by the charms of the instrument under her tonch. Her breadecast from 2YA last week with the studio orchestra gave. listeners T'schaikowsky’s "None But. the Weary Heart," a Russian fantasy, and a ballad, "Just A’wearying ‘for You." The _ orchestra rightly subdued itself into a delightfinl background of harmiony to the trumpet.

LOVE WAS RE-BORN TWICE OVER

Listened in, on Monday night of last week, to 1YA to near the third of the series of old-time melo‘dramas labelled, "The Old-Time Theayter," and was surprised to

that this one, entitled "The Faithful Wite," or ‘Love Re-Born," was precisely the

same, word for word, as the first, called "A Woman’s Love," or "Love Re-Born." Apparently _ the

NBS considered the sentiments expressed in in the first of these recorded "drammers" were well worthy of extra empuasis.. Only new thing about the third one was the title-or rather the first part of the title. Someone bad blundered. The station officials were not at fault, so one must blame the manufacturers for putting . the wrong title on the disc. 9

2YD races i SPORT AGAIN

Lovers of boxing were really Satisfied on Sunday night when 2YD gave a spectator’s version of the Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier battle for the’ world. heavy-

Welgnt 640M7 pionchip: be reconstrrct $ 0 n of the battle wva3 excellently Juax' dled axnd; but

40r & blemish In tae record, 'isteners would ‘have bad no‘ tyéuble ‘in convincing themselves’ they’ werd

listening to a ringside brdatlcast of the actual match, Smdli ‘asides were worked into the déstription and the spectator whd'was’ ‘persuaded to give the deseription' Pave the most thrilling. broadeast yet ‘put over the air in New Zealanid: ‘His name was not announced-a’ pity; he deserved a pat on the’ dacky:’

HOW MUCH _ DON’T YOU KNOW?

Bright idea of the NCBS in:these days of sharpening up one’s wits has been the Professor. Speedee general. knowledge session: from its four stations. At 228 .the session

is improving both in interest and humour. At ‘first the humour dated, but in ‘recent’ Weeks ths

cross-taik has reached a high mark, Listening-in. the other

= Thursday I tried. to answer all ‘the questions, and, grouping my answers, found I had tied with the winner. However, working the questions out at home--in the peaceful family atmosphere-is different from answering them in front of an alarming microphone, so, in the meantime, 1 prefer to listen and anonymously share the laureis with the winner. "Guess What!"-title of a new session at 3ZB-is causing among listeners.a demand for cold tewels and ice. The idea is to answer tivelve com‘paratively simple questions. At 3ZB, too, Professor Speedee is having a good run. in his session, entrants are asked to state their professions or trades. Here’s a sample of a question given, say, to a local body politician, "How many boroughs or towns in Canterbury end in the syllable ‘ton’?’ Obviously one is Lyttelton. An accountant might be asked something about figures, yet find himself completely at a loss. A typist will be questioned about simple office procedure and wonder how she came to miss out. All very, very interesting. ;

MR. CARR AND SCRAPBOOK

Listened in last. Thursday afternoon to the first of a new series from 22ZB — "Leaves From My Scrapbook," by the Rev. Clyde Corr WP for Timarn. It’s really

remarkable the effect radio is having on New Zealand politicians, and Mr. Lee and Mr.

Carr may yet prove just the nucleus of a group of a dozen or so radio-conscious Members of Parliament, all conducting sessions over the air. I suppose it happens this way, more or less. Admiring constituent hears his member deliver an address in Parliament,

writes to him, "Enjoyed your ad‘dress. so-much; yeu have a fine ‘radio..voice, by the way." Member~ immefiately thinks up an idea for a.regiliar radio session, Mr. Carr’s -seranbook, judging by the first Jjeat,, is mostly a literary one, and his talk consisted of a pleasantly conducted tour of some moderately interesting: literary gardens. He read passases from Alfred -Austin, -@ reeent {and very poor) Poct Lau»reate, from Oliver Wendell Holmes’ . "Autocrat at the Breakfast Table," and frem an obscure Arabie poet by the name of Abu. The sort of stuffone: could cull from any good | bookshelf,' but there’s room for "more of it in our radio fare. Mr. Carr’s voice is sounding and resonant, but he elocutes too much.